A refrigeration cycle apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and has a circulation circuit through which a refrigerant circulates. The apparatus includes a refrigerant amount calculating unit and an operating state determining unit. The refrigerant amount calculating unit acquires a physical quantity and calculates an amount of the refrigerant. The operating state determining unit determines, based on traveling conditions of the vehicle, whether the vehicle is in an operating state in which the refrigerant circulating in the circulation circuit becomes a stable state. The refrigerant amount calculating unit calculates the amount of the refrigerant when the operating state determining unit determines that the vehicle is in the operation state.

A vehicle air conditioner includes a refrigeration cycle unit, a heater core, a cool air bypass passage, an air volume ratio regulator, and an auxiliary heat exchanger. The heater core is disposed in a heating passage located downstream of an evaporator with respect to an airflow. The auxiliary heat exchanger is provided in the refrigeration cycle unit. The evaporator includes a cold energy storage. The cold energy storage stores cold energy when the compressor is in operation, and dissipate cold energy while the compressor stops. The auxiliary heat exchanger is located downstream of the evaporator and upstream of the heater core with respect to the airflow. The auxiliary heat exchanger changes enthalpy of refrigerant by heat exchange between the refrigerant and air having been cooled by the evaporator and to be heated by the heater core.

A heat exchanger for a vehicle is disposed in a fluid circuit in which a fluid is circulated according to an operating condition of the vehicle. The heat exchanger includes a tank and a pressure adjuster. The tank defines a tank chamber therein and is configured to allow the fluid to flow through the tank chamber. The pressure adjuster is disposed inside the tank and defines a damper chamber separately from the tank chamber. The pressure adjuster is configured to be displaceable or deformable to expand and reduce the damper chamber. The damper chamber is filled with a compressible gas. The pressure adjuster is configured to reduce the damper chamber in response to an increase in a pressure of the fluid in the tank chamber. The pressure adjuster is configured to expand the damper chamber in response to a decrease in a pressure of the fluid in the tank chamber.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling coolant flow through parallel branches of a coolant circuit including an AC condenser and a charge air cooler. Flow is apportioned responsive to an AC head pressure and a CAC temperature to reduce parasitic losses and improve fuel economy. The flow is apportioned via adjustments to a coolant pump output and a proportioning valve.

A transport refrigeration unit (TRU) direct current (DC) architecture includes a communications bus (41), a DC power bus (42), first and second voltage control units (VCUs 43,44) respectively comprising a DC/DC converter (430) coupled to the DC power bus and a local controller (431,441) coupled to the communications bus and to the DC/DC converter, an energy storage unit (45) and a DC powered load. The energy storage unit is configured to provide to the DC power bus (42) a quantity of DC power via the DC/DC converter (430) of the first VCU in accordance with control exerted thereon by the local controller (431) of the first VCU and a DC powered load. The DC powered load is configured to receive from the DC power bus a quantity of DC power via the DC/DC converter of the second VCU in accordance with control exerted thereon by the local controller of the second VCU.

A system includes a power source, a sensor to detect data, and a HVAC system having a compressor to compress vapor refrigerant and a fan to blow conditioned air into a cabin of the vehicle, the compressor and the fan both designed to operate using a portion of the power generated by the power source. The system further includes an ECU to predict that the vehicle will accelerate or decelerate based on the data, to decrease power provided to the compressor and increase power provided to the fan when the ECU predicts the acceleration in order to reduce total power provided to the HVAC system and to reduce variance in total noise and vibration generated by the HVAC system, and to increase power to the compressor when the ECU predicts that the vehicle will decelerate in order to increase the total power provided to the HVAC system.

A power management method used for power distribution in a transportation refrigeration unit. The power management method includes calculating engine power according to engine operating parameters; calculating power generator real-time input power according to power generator excitation current; calculating available power based on the power generator real-time input power and the engine power; and managing power distributed to a compressor based on the available power. The present invention further relates to a power management system. The power management method and system have the advantages of simplicity, reliability, stable operation and the like, the power generator real-time input power can be calculated according to the power generator excitation current, thus more power can be provided to the compressor on the premise that the power supply to power generator loads is guaranteed, and the operating efficiency of the transportation refrigeration unit is improved.

A system for controlling a compressor may include an engine controller that controls a fuel injection amount corresponding to an engine load and an opening amount of a throttle by reflecting a required torque required for an air conditioner (A/C), an operation information detector for detecting operation information according to driving state of the vehicle, a compressor that generates pressure during operation of the A/C, an air conditioner relay which is turned on when the air conditioner operates and is turned off when the A/C is stopped, and a controller which determines an engine negative pressure of an intake manifold, and when the cooling water temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature and the intake manifold pressure is lower than the first threshold value, a cold-start intake manifold negative pressure insufficient event is generated to reduce the A/C duty in accordance with the entry into a negative pressure recovery mode.

A pair of connectors includes first and second connectors. The first connector includes a first assembling surface that contacts the second connector. The second connector includes a second assembling surface that contacts the first assembling surface. The first connector includes a first overhanging portion, which overhangs outward from the second assembling surface in an assembled state of the first and second connectors, and a first projecting portion, which projects from the first overhanging portion beyond a location of the first assembling surface toward the second connector side in the assembled state. The second connector includes a second overhanging portion, which overhangs outward from the first assembling surface in the assembled state, and a second projecting portion, which projects from the second overhanging portion beyond a location of the second assembling surface toward the first connector side in the assembled state.

During control of an air-conditioning for a vehicle, when a torque to the engine is outputted that satisfies a total value of drive torques of the vehicle and an air-conditioning compressor, a minimum discharge capacity is set when fuel to the engine is cut. An assessment is made as to whether or not the discharge capacity needs to be changed from the minimum discharge capacity in accordance with the state inside the cabin. The discharge capacity is changed from the minimum discharge capacity to an upper limit capacity that is allowed during normal operation upon accessing that the discharge capacity needs to be changed from the minimum discharge capacity. After a predetermined time elapses following the changing of the discharge capacity, the discharge capacity is changed from the upper limit capacity to a discharge capacity that corresponds to the state inside the cabin.