A heat pump system for a vehicle includes an integrated control valve, an external condenser connected to the integrated control valve through first and second connection lines, an expansion valve connected to the integrated control valve through a third connection line, an evaporator connected to the expansion valve, an accumulator connected to the evaporator, a compressor connected to the accumulator, an internal condenser connected to the compressor and connected to the integrated control valve through a fourth connection line, a first chiller disposed on a fifth connection line connecting the integrated control valve and the accumulator, a sixth connection line connecting the fifth connection line and the integrated control valve between the first chiller and the accumulator, and a second chiller provided on a seventh connection line connecting a refrigerant line and the integrated control valve between the evaporator and the accumulator.

The invention relates to a method for supplying air at a controlled temperature to a cabin (10) of a surface vehicle in which at least one air cycle device is used, comprising at least one motorised turbocompressor. The air inlet (16) of the turbine (14) is arranged to receive a compressed airflow from the compressor (15). At least one exchanger (20, 32) is interposed between the air outlet (19) of the compressor (15) and the air inlet (16) of the turbine (14). The air inlet (18) of the compressor (15) is arranged to receive air at a pressure greater than or equal to atmospheric pressure. The invention likewise relates to a surface vehicle comprising at least one such air cycle device.

A vehicle air-conditioning device is provided which is capable of eliminating or suppressing vibration and noise generated due to the application of a counterpressure to an opening/closing valve. The vehicle air-conditioning device includes a refrigerant circuit R having a compressor 2, a radiator 4 to perform heat exchange between a refrigerant and air, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, a heat absorber 9, and a solenoid valve 40. The compressor 2 and the solenoid valve 40 are controlled to air-condition a vehicle interior. A decompression speed at a refrigerant inflow side of the solenoid valve when the compressor 2 is stopped and the solenoid valve 40 is closed is faster than that at a refrigerant outflow side thereof. When operation is stopped from a state in which the compressor 2 is operating with the solenoid valve 40 being in an opened state, the opened state of the solenoid valve 40 is maintained even after the compressor 2 is stopped.

A refrigeration cycle device includes a compressor, a radiator, an air-conditioning heat exchanger, a cooling heat exchanger, an air-conditioning decompression unit, a cooler-unit decompression unit, a refrigerant flow rate detector, and a controller. The radiator is configured to radiate heat of refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The air-conditioning heat exchanger absorbs heat from air to evaporate the refrigerant. The cooling heat exchanger is arranged in parallel with the air-conditioning heat exchanger in the flow of refrigerant. The air-conditioning decompression unit adjusts a decompression amount of the refrigerant flowing into the air-conditioning heat exchanger. The cooler-unit decompression unit adjusts a decompression amount of the refrigerant flowing into the cooling heat exchanger. The controller controls the operation of the cooler-unit decompression unit so that the flow rate of the refrigerant detected by the refrigerant flow rate detector exceeds a predetermined reference flow rate.

Thermal management in a vehicle involves a compressor to output a refrigerant in vapor form for circulation in a refrigerant loop. A thermal management system includes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in the refrigerant loop including an evaporator and an HVAC condenser, and an exterior condenser in the refrigerant loop configured to vent heat to an exterior of the vehicle. A first variable refrigerant flow valve controls a flow rate of the refrigerant output by the compressor into the HVAC condenser, and a second refrigerant flow valve controls a flow rate of the refrigerant output by the compressor into the exterior condenser. A controller controls the first refrigerant flow valve and the second refrigerant flow valve based on a target output temperature for the HVAC condenser.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a climate control system. In one example, a method for operating a vehicle climate control system includes modeling a pressure in a heat pump downstream of an exterior heat exchanger an upstream of an expansion valve. The method also includes operating the expansion valve to cool a vehicle cabin using the modeled pressure in conjunction with a temperature from a sensor positioned upstream of the expansion valve and downstream of the exterior heat exchanger.

A vehicle thermal management system includes a vehicle heat pump system, a battery system coolant loop, a drive train coolant loop, and control electronics. The vehicle heat pump system includes a compressor, a cabin condenser, a cabin evaporator, a cabin blower, and a chiller. The battery system coolant loop is in thermal communication with a battery system and with the chiller and selectively in thermal communication with the drive train coolant loop. The control electronics control the components of the vehicle thermal management system to heat the cabin, cool the cabin, heat the battery system, cool the battery system, and cool the drive train. The control electronics may control the compressor to operate in an efficient mode or a lossy mode in which the compressor generates heat. The control electronics may also control the components of the vehicle thermal management system to precondition the battery.

A heat pump system, comprising a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first throttling element and a first valve member, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchange portion and second heat exchange portion that may carry out heat exchange; a first port of the first heat exchange portion communicates with an inlet of the compressor; a second port of the first heat exchange portion may communicate with at least one among an outlet of the second heat exchanger and a second port of the third heat exchanger; and a first port of the second heat exchange portion may communicate with a first port of the third heat exchanger.

Systems and methods for heating and cooling a vehicle are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for heating and cooling the vehicle includes: running a compressor of an air-conditioning system; and sensing the temperature inside the cab of the vehicle. The method further includes, closing a path of refrigerant to the compressor by a solenoid valve, pumping-down refrigerant by the compressor, and deactivating the compressor when a lower set point of the temperature inside the cab is reached. The method also includes opening the path of refrigerant to the compressor by a solenoid valve, sensing pressure of refrigerant at an inlet of the compressor by a pressure sensor, and activating the compressor based on a signal from the pressure sensor when an upper set point of temperature inside cab is reached.

A heat pump system for a vehicle cools or warms a battery module by use of one chiller in which a coolant and a refrigerant exchange heat such that the system may be simplified, and heating efficiency may be improved by selectively using an external air heat source and waste heat of an electrical component in a heating mode of the vehicle.