In an air conditioner for a vehicle, a flow speed of air flowing through a first ventilation part of an evaporator is faster than a flow speed of air flowing through a second ventilation part of the evaporator when an intensive air-conditioning operation for a driver seat is operated, with respect to a case where a normal air-conditioning operation is performed. In this case, a correct target evaporator temperature is calculated to be higher by a predetermined temperature than a target evaporator temperature, and a detected temperature detected by an evaporator sensor is approached to the correct target evaporator temperature. Therefore, it can restrict the second ventilation part from being frosted.

A method of controlling the refrigerant pressure in an ambient heat exchanger of a refrigerant circuit, particularly a heat pump circuit, for vehicles, in which the current temperature and the current humidity of the ambient air is measured, the current dew point temperature of the ambient air is determined from the measured temperature and humidity, and if the ambient air temperature is below 0° C. the refrigerant pressure in the refrigerant circuit is controlled by adjusting the rotational speed of a refrigerant compressor of the refrigerant circuit, the flow cross-section of a controllable expansion element of the refrigerant circuit and/or the ambient air volume flow flowing around or through the ambient heat exchanger, such that the temperature of the ambient heat exchanger is greater than the dew point temperature.

Methods and systems for de-icing an exterior heat exchanger of a vehicle's heat pump are presented. In one example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater provides heat to refrigerant that de-ices the exterior heat exchanger. In some examples, an additional PTC heater provides heat to engine coolant to warm a vehicle's passenger cabin when the vehicle's exterior heat exchanger is being de-iced.

There is disclosed a vehicle air conditioner device of a so-called heat pump system to accurately perform efficient and comfortable heating of a vehicle interior. The vehicle air conditioner device includes a heating medium circulating circuit 23 which heats air to be supplied from an air flow passage 3 to a vehicle interior. A controller calculates a required heating capability TGQhtr of the heating medium circulating circuit to complement a shortage of an actual heating capability Qhp to a required heating capability TGQ of a radiator 4. The controller calculates a decrease amount ΔQhp of the actual heating capability Qhp from a difference ΔTXO between a refrigerant evaporation temperature TXO of an outdoor heat exchanger 7 and a refrigerant evaporation temperature TXObase in non-frosting, and adds the decrease amount ΔQhp to the required heating capability TGQhtr to execute the heating by the heating medium circulating circuit.

A vehicle includes a vapor-injection heat pump having a refrigerant loop with an evaporator configured to cool cabin air, the evaporator coupled to an electronically controllable pressure regulating valve having a fully-open position with near-zero pressure drop, and a cabin conditioning coolant loop having a heater core configured to selectively heat the cabin air. A controller is configured to control the valve to maintain temperature and pressure of the refrigerant loop above a freezing threshold to inhibit or prevent evaporator icing. The valve may be controlled to throttle flow during a parallel dehumidification mode and to fully open to minimize pressure drop during other operational modes, such as a cooling mode, heating mode, de-icing mode, and series dehumidification mode.

In order to provide a method for de-icing a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, which prevents large amounts of melt water from a defrosting process running onto the floor or the road beneath the motor vehicle, freeze again and pose a risk of injury to pedestrians, in a method for defrosting a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, in which, for a heat exchanger arranged in a motor vehicle, a defrosting process for removing a layer of frozen water or frost formed on a surface of the heat exchanger is carried out, the defrosting process comprising heating the surface, and melt water being produced, it is proposed that the amount of melt water discharged onto a local region of a floor beneath the motor vehicle is limited to a maximum value.

A thermal management system for a passenger cabin of a hybrid vehicle includes a refrigerant loop in fluid communication with a compressor, a condenser, and a chiller. A main cabin evaporator is in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop. A first valve is configured to regulate refrigerant flow through the main cabin evaporator. A temperature sensor disposed at the main cabin evaporator is configured to output a signal indicative of a main cabin evaporator temperature. An auxiliary evaporator is in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop. A second valve is configured to regulate refrigerant flow through the auxiliary evaporator. A controller is programmed to, in response to the main cabin evaporator temperature being less than a threshold while the main cabin evaporator is operated with the second valve closed, open the second valve to cycle refrigerant through the auxiliary evaporator to increase the main cabin evaporator temperature.

The invention relates to a method for defrosting an external-air heat exchanger of an electric vehicle. Contrary to the conventional principle of operating systems in an electric vehicle at the lowest possible output power, according to the invention, high output power is used for the defrosting process, to reduce the defrosting time and thus reduce heat loss.

An integrated thermal management system for vehicles includes: a first cooling line; a second cooling line; a refrigerant line; and a bypass line configured to diverge from the second cooling line, to be connected to a chiller, and to allow a coolant to bypass a second radiator and to circulate between a high-voltage battery and the chiller.

The invention relates to a thermal control system for an electric vehicle comprising: a high voltage battery; a first heat exchanger adapted to be in contact with the ambient for circulating a heat exchange medium in thermal contact with the ambient; a second heat exchanger in thermal contact with the battery; a heat transport system for transporting the heat exchange medium from the first heat exchanger to an evaporator/condenser assembly that is in thermal contact with the second heat exchanger for transfer of heat to the battery and for transporting the heat exchange medium back to the first heat exchanger. At least one of the first and second heat exchangers is provided with a vibration device, such as an ultrasonic transducer, for releasing of ice formed on the at least one heat exchanger.