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, and a four-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 four-way valve is positioned immediately upstream of the first heat exchanger. At least one component chosen from the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger, and the vapor generator is free from compressor-driven flow of the first heat exchange fluid during a first predetermined set of heating modes of operation of the heat pump and a first predetermined set of cooling modes of operation of the heat pump.

An eight-way valve including a housing and a rotary member is provided. The housing includes an annular wall, a first chamber, a second chamber, a third chamber, and a fourth chamber. The annular wall is provided with 16 upper-tier openings and 16 lower-tier openings. The rotary member includes an upper-tier switching part configured to switch between opening and closing of each of the 16 upper-tier openings, and a lower-tier switching part configured to switch between opening and closing of each of the 16 lower-tier openings. The upper-tier switching part includes an upper-tier first communication passage, an upper-tier second communication passage, and an upper-tier closing part, and the lower-tier switching part includes a lower-tier first communication passage, a lower-tier second communication passage, and a lower-tier closing part. Any one of a first space to an eighth space is respectively provided with a port.

A thermal management system is provided for an electric vehicle. The thermal management system includes a refrigerant system, a coolant system, a plurality of thermal loads, and a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger, that includes a secondary heater positioned to heat both the refrigerant and the coolant in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. The secondary heater is sized to evaporate all of the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant flow path. A control system is operatively connected to the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger, and is programmed to: operate the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger in a secondary-heat-only mode in which the secondary heater evaporates the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path without any heat input from the coolant in the coolant flow path, and to operate the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger in a heat-scavenging mode in which at least some heat from the coolant in the coolant flow path evaporates the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path.

A vehicle heat management system includes a refrigerant circuit including a refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger, and a heat medium circuit. Two or more of at least three heat exchangers are selected, and one of them functions as a condenser, and the other functions as an evaporator. The refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger includes a first and a second refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger. The heat medium circuit includes a switch device configured to be able to switch between a circuit state in which the heat medium having passed through the second refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger flows to the first refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger and a circuit state in which a flow path of the heat medium having passed through the first refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger and a flow path of the heat medium having passed through the second refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger form individual circuits, respectively.

A vehicle thermal management system and associated operation includes using a heat pump system, an electric drive system coolant loop and a battery system coolant loop. The heat pump system includes a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an indoor heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, a first one-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a second expansion valve, a second one-way valve, a second check valve, a chiller, and a gas-liquid separator. The electric drive system coolant loop includes a first water pump, a first three-way valve and a radiator. The battery system coolant loop includes a second water pump, a second one-way valve and a second three-way valve. The thermal management system performs efficient cabin heating with heat recovery of the battery system and electric drive system at low temperatures. The vehicle thermal management system can effectively cool the cabin, the battery system, electric drive system at high temperatures.

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a load side heat exchanger are connected by pipes; and a controller that performs switching between a heating operation in which refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit circulates and a defrosting operation of the heat source side heat exchanger in which the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit circulates in a direction opposite to a direction in the heating operation. The controller allows an airflow flowing from the load side heat exchanger into a cabin through a first air outlet in the heating operation, and an airflow flowing from the cabin into the load side heat exchanger through the first air outlet is produced in the defrosting operation of the heat source side heat exchanger.

A device and method for heat distribution in a hybrid motor vehicle are provided. The device includes an engine cooling circuit; and a refrigerant circuit for a combined operation in a refrigeration heat pump mode and a reheating mode, includes an evaporator, a compressor, a heat exchanger to supply heat from the refrigerant to air being conditioned for a passenger compartment; and a heat exchanger to transfer heat between a refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit and coolant of the engine cooling circuit, wherein the heat exchanger operates as an evaporator for the heat transfer, and as a condenser for the heat transfer from the condensing refrigerant to the coolant.

Exemplary embodiments of a cooling apparatus cool a charger for charging a storage battery upon reception of a supply of power from a power supply. Exemplary embodiments include a compressor that circulates a refrigerant, a cooling unit provided on a path along which the refrigerant flows between the heat exchanger and the expansion valve to cool the charger using the refrigerant, a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows between the compressor and the heat exchanger, a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows between the cooling unit and the expansion valve, and a connecting passage connecting the refrigerant passage and the refrigerant passage. When heating occurs, frost formation can be suppressed without increasing configuration complexity and power consumption.

A method for the heating and/or air conditioning of the passenger compartment of an automobile using a reversible cooling loop in which flows a coolant containing 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene. The method is particularly useful when outdoor temperature is lower than 15 C. The method can be used for hybrid automobiles designed for operating alternatively with a thermal engine and an electric motor.

A motor-driven compressor includes an electric motor including a rotor, a housing, a compression unit, a drive circuit, and a controller. The controller includes a deceleration controller that performs a deceleration control, which decelerates the rotor, during a first period in response to the rotor being rotating in a direction opposite to the forward direction, and a continuation controller that performs a continuation control, which continues the rotation of the rotor, during a second period that is longer than the first period after the deceleration control is performed. A fluctuation difference of a rotational frequency of the rotor during the continuation control is less than a deceleration rotational frequency difference.