A vehicle cooling/heating system includes a coolant line in which coolant is circulated between a heat source component of a vehicle that provides waste heat and a chiller and a refrigerant line in which refrigerant is circulated through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The refrigerant line performs indoor cooling through the evaporator. A controller controls the coolant line such that, during a drying mode in which it is necessary to dry the evaporator, the coolant in the coolant line is circulated or not circulated through the heat source component and the chiller, and such that the refrigerant in the refrigerant line flows, in order, through the compressor, the evaporator, and the chiller.

A humidification device is used in a vehicle air conditioner having a cooler disposed in an air conditioning case. The air conditioning case has a ventilation path leading air into a vehicle compartment. The humidification device has an adsorber that absorbs and desorbs moisture, a blower, a door that opens or closes an air flow path, and a controller. The controller switches the air flow path by controlling the door to set (i) a dehumidification mode in which air cooled by the cooler is led to the adsorber, and moisture in the air is adsorbed by the adsorber or (ii) a humidification mode in which air is led to the adsorber, the moisture is moved from the adsorber to the air to humidify the air, and the humidified air is blown toward an occupant.

An air conditioner for a vehicle includes: a condenser that includes a core for allowing heat exchange between a refrigerant discharged from a compressor of a refrigeration cycle and air; and a switching unit that switches a refrigerant passage in the condenser. The switching unit switches the refrigerant passage between a first refrigerant passage that allows the refrigerant to flow throughout the core, and a second refrigerant passage that allows the refrigerant to flow through a part of the core by allowing the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into a middle part of the core.

A device controls a defogging unit of a vehicle to be driven in a driving mode corresponding to a self-driving degree indicating a degree of depending on a self-driving system for a driving operation, and the defogging unit defogs a window of the vehicle. The device includes: an identification unit that identifies the self-driving degree; and a control execution unit that controls the anti-fogging function exhibited by the defogging unit. The self-driving degree is defined as exhibiting a higher value as the degree of depending on the self-driving system for the driving operation is larger. When the self-driving degree identified by the identification unit is a second value higher than a first value, the control execution unit controls the anti-fogging function executed by the defogging unit to be lower than that when the self-driving degree identified by the identification unit is the first value.

An air cleaning system for a vehicle includes: an air purification button generating an operation signal for purifying air in an interior of the vehicle; an inside air purification unit blocking air outside of the vehicle from being introduced into the interior of the vehicle and filtering and circulating air inside of the vehicle, when the air purification button is operated; a fog detection unit detecting a humidity of a window of the vehicle by detecting moisture on the window; and a controller controlling an operation of the inside air purification unit when the air purification button is operated and determining whether a defogging unit of the vehicle for removing the moisture on the window is to be operated based on a signal from the fog detection unit.

A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is provided which is capable of efficiently eliminating or suppressing fogging of a window while comfortably heating a vehicle interior. A controller changes and executes a heating mode to let a refrigerant discharged from a compressor 2 radiate heat in a radiator 4, and a dehumidifying and heating mode to let the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiate heat in the radiator and let the refrigerant absorb heat in a heat absorber 9. When the temperature of air blown out to the vehicle interior is not capable of reaching a target outlet temperature in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the controller actuates a window heater 35 heating a front window 30 and shifts to the heating mode.

Methods and system for operating a vehicle climate control system comprising a heat pump and one or more coolant loops are described. In one example, the heat pump sends fluid to high and low temperature coolant loops based on operating mode. The systems and methods may be incorporated into electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engine propelled vehicles.

A refrigeration cycle device has a compressor, a radiator, a decompressor, an evaporator, a heat medium cooling evaporator, a cooling target device, a detector, and a controller. The heat medium cooling evaporator cools a cooling heat medium by performing a heat exchange between the refrigerant decompressed in the decompressor and the cooling heat medium. The cooling heat medium cools the cooling target device. The detector detects a subcooling state of the cooling target device having a temperature lower than or equal to a reference temperature. Upon the detection of the subcooling state in the cooling target device by the detector, the controller increases the degree of superheat of the refrigerant flowing out of the heat medium cooling heat exchanger as compared to the degree of superheat of the refrigerant flowing out of the heat medium cooling heat exchanger when the detector does not detect the subcooling state.

In a vehicle air conditioner device of a heat pump system, control of an air mix damper is appropriately performed in each operation mode, thereby achieving efficient vehicle interior air conditioning. The vehicle air conditioner device includes an air mix damper 28 to adjust a ratio at which air in an air flow passage 3 passed through a heat absorber 9 is to be passed through a radiator 4. In a cooling mode, a controller controls the air mix damper 28 to adjust the ratio at which the air is to be passed through the radiator 4 on the basis of one, any combination, or all of a target outlet temperature, a temperature of the radiator and a temperature of the heat absorber, and in a heating mode, the controller controls the air mix damper 28 to pass all the air in the air flow passage 3 through the radiator 4.

A method for defogging a window of a vehicle includes steps of determining a risk of window fogging and automatically selecting a climate control system operating mode according to that determined risk of window fogging. The climate control system operating mode is selected from: an outside air mode, an air-conditioning mode, and a defrost mode. A controller determines the risk of window fogging according to one or more inputs, and the same or a different controller may automatically select the climate control system operating mode.