A control system and method for a heating system of an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle is embodied such that when there is a heating request for a passenger compartment of the vehicle, a heating mode is set in order to heat the passenger compartment by heat from a heating circuit. In a mixed mode, an excess heat in the heating circuit is output to the surroundings, or in an excess mode, the excess heat is retained in the heating system, in order to satisfy a heating request. In the mixed mode, a degree of opening of the heating circuit is set such that only a partial quantity of coolant from the heating circuit is exchanged with a cooling circuit. The mixed mode is activated if the excess heat in the heating circuit exceeds a threshold value which is determined in accordance with an external temperature.

A method for thermal management of a motor vehicle includes circulating of coolant, in a first operating state, at least in a motor cooling circuit through a series circuit that includes a motor circuit pump, an electric motor, and a low temperature (LT) radiator where the motor circuit pump is activated and where the coolant flows in a first direction through the LT radiator. The method further includes, time-shifted with respect to the first operating state, circulating of coolant, in a second operating state, at least in a chiller cooling circuit through a series circuit including a chiller, a chiller section pump, the motor circuit pump, and the LT radiator where the chiller section pump is activated, where the motor circuit pump is deactivated, where the coolant flows in a second direction through the LT radiator, and where the second direction is opposed to the first direction.

A refrigerant management system in a heat flux management system for an electric vehicle and a method of refrigerant management is provided. The system includes a vehicle air conditioning circuit including a heat pump circuit and a refrigeration cycle refrigerant circuit, the air conditioning circuit including a heat pump condenser in thermal communication with a heat source, a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the heat source, an evaporator associated with an expansion valve, and a refrigerant compressor where the components are fluidly connected to one another by a refrigerant line. An accumulator is fluidly coupled in the refrigerant line downstream of the heat pump condenser, the refrigerant evaporator and evaporator and upstream of the refrigerant compressor, and the air conditioning circuit is switchable between a heating mode and a cooling mode in which the refrigerant circuit is in fluid communication with the compressor by actuation of at least one valve.

A thermal management circuit for a hybrid or electric vehicle is disclosed. The thermal management circuit has a first reversible air conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates and includes a two-fluid heat exchanger arranged jointly on a second loop for the circulation of a heat-transfer fluid. The second loop for the circulation of a heat-transfer fluid includes a first circulation branch including in the direction in which the heat-transfer fluid circulates, a first pump, a first radiator arranged in an internal air flow, and a battery heat exchanger. A second circulation branch is connected in parallel with the second radiator and includes a second pump and an electric device for heating the heat-transfer fluid. A third circulation branch connected in parallel with the first pump and the battery heat exchanger includes the two-fluid heat exchanger.

The invention relates to a flow circuit system (1) for a vehicle, with a first flow circuit (10) guiding a first fluid and operable as a heat pump, and a second flow circuit (50) with a conveying device (31) guiding a second fluid, and a switching device (35), wherein in the provided flow direction of the first fluid downstream of a compressor (3) and upstream of an expansion element (15), at least one first heat exchanger (7) between the first and second fluids, wherein the second flow circuit (50) has at least two flow circuit modes, wherein in the first flow circuit mode, apart from the at least one conveying device (31) for the second fluid and the at least one first heat exchanger (7), at least one outside heat exchanger (37) which may be flowed through by the second fluid and is configured as a radiator is connected to the second flow circuit (50), and in the second flow circuit mode this at least one outside heat exchanger (37) is not connected to the at least second flow circuit (50) containing the conveyor device (31) and the first heat exchanger (7), and preferably is also a heating flow circuit. In this way more flexibility is created in the flow circuit system (1) for a vehicle.

An air conditioning device for a vehicle includes: a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which a refrigerant is sequentially flowed; a high-temperature heat medium circuit through which a high-temperature heat medium has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the condenser is circulated; a low-temperature heat medium circuit through which a low-temperature heat medium has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the evaporator is circulated; a connection line connecting the high-temperature heat medium circuit to the low-temperature heat medium circuit; vehicle interior heat exchangers allowed to be introduced the heat medium thereinto; and a switching unit which switches an operation state of the air conditioning device to a first mode allowing to connect the vehicle interior heat exchangers to the high-temperature heat medium circuit, a second mode allowing to connect the vehicle interior heat exchangers to the low-temperature heat medium circuit, or a third mode not allowing to connect the vehicle interior heat exchangers to any one of the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit.

Disclosed is a method for controlling a thermal regulation circuit of a vehicle, the circuit comprising first (2) and second (4) heat exchangers situated in series in a circulation direction of an air flow intended to pass through them in this order, the circuit further comprising an additional heat exchanger (16) situated upstream from the first heat exchanger (2) in the circulation direction of the air flow, the circuit being configured to allow the circulation of a refrigerant fluid in the first exchanger (2) and the circulation of a heat transfer fluid in the second exchanger (4) and in the additional exchanger (16), the method comprising a step of generating or increasing a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in the additional exchanger (16) depending on operating modes of the circuit.

A thermal control system for use in an electric vehicle includes a reservoir in fluid communication with a first loop having a first loop component and a second loop having a second loop component. First and second pumps are operable to circulate a liquid coolant to the first loop and the second loop, respectively. A first valve, a second valve, and a third valve are moved between alternate liquid coolant flow positions by a vehicle control unit to selectively change the first and second loops from a parallel orientation to a series orientation providing alternate methods to reclaim or exhaust excess heat generated by the first loop component or to provide redundancy in order to maintain operation of the first loop and the second loop in the event of a failure of the first pump or the second pump.

A heat pump includes a refrigerant loop. The refrigerant loop includes a first heat exchanger, a first region of a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, a fourth heat exchanger, a compressor, a vapor generator, an accumulator, a first expansion valve, and a first three-way valve. The compressor includes a low-pressure inlet, a mid-pressure inlet, and an outlet. The vapor generator is positioned downstream of the outlet of the compressor and upstream of both the low-pressure inlet and the mid-pressure inlet. The accumulator is positioned immediately upstream of the compressor. The accumulator includes an inlet and an outlet. The first expansion valve is positioned upstream of the accumulator. The first expansion valve includes an inlet and an outlet. The first three-way valve is positioned immediately downstream of the first expansion valve and immediately upstream of the accumulator.

A heat pump includes a refrigerant loop. The refrigerant loop includes a first heat exchanger, a first region of a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, a fourth heat exchanger, a compressor, a vapor generator, an accumulator, a first expansion valve, and a first three-way valve. The compressor includes a low-pressure inlet, a mid-pressure inlet, and an outlet. The vapor generator is positioned downstream of the outlet of the compressor and upstream of both the low-pressure inlet and the mid-pressure inlet. The vapor generator includes a first region and a second region. The accumulator is positioned immediately upstream of the compressor. The accumulator includes an inlet and an outlet. The first expansion valve is positioned upstream of the accumulator. The first expansion valve includes an inlet and an outlet. The first three-way valve is positioned immediately downstream of the first expansion. valve and immediately upstream of the accumulator.