A heat pump system includes 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. The intermediate heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange portion and a 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 of an outlet of the second heat exchanger and a second port of the third heat exchanger. A first port of the second heat exchange portion may communicate with a first port of the third heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are indoor heat exchangers which are configured to be disposed in an air-conditioning cabinet.

A heat pump system for a vehicle, capable of heating up or cooling a battery module by use of a single chiller in which a refrigerant and a coolant exchange heat, simplifying the system, includes: first and second cooling apparatuses; and a battery module, wherein a main heat exchanger provided in an air conditioning apparatus is connected to each of the first and second coolant lines to enable the coolants circulating in the first and second cooling apparatuses to pass therethrough, and a refrigerant passing through the main heat exchanger is selectively condensed or evaporated depending on a vehicle mode through mutual heat exchange with the coolant supplied from one of the first coolant line and the second coolant line, or the coolants supplied through the first and second coolant lines, respectively.

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.

An embodiment heat pump system for a vehicle includes a first cooling apparatus that circulates a first coolant in a first coolant line to control a temperature of an electrical component, a second cooling apparatus that circulates a second coolant in a second coolant line to control a temperature of a battery module, a third cooling apparatus that circulates a third coolant in a third coolant line to control a temperature of an autonomous driving controller, and an air conditioning device that circulates a refrigerant along a first refrigerant line to control an indoor temperature of the vehicle, the air conditioning device including a compressor, a condenser, a first expansion valve, and an evaporator all connected through the first refrigerant line, and further including a first chiller, a second chiller, and a connection line.

A system for air-conditioning the air in a passenger compartment and for heat transfer by way of components of a power train, in particular an electric powertrain of a motor vehicle. The system exhibits one coolant circuit with two refrigerant-coolant heat exchangers and one coolant-air heat exchanger for heat transfer to the ambient air, as well as one refrigerant circuit with one first refrigerant-air heat exchanger for heating the supply air for the passenger compartment, one second refrigerant-air heat exchanger for heat transfer by way of the ambient air, with one upstream first expansion element, one first flow path with one third refrigerant-air heat exchanger for conditioning the supply air for the passenger compartment, with one upstream second expansion element and one second flow path with one first refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger with one upstream third expansion element.

A method for operating a refrigeration system for a vehicle, the refrigeration system including a refrigerant circuit with a heat pump function. The refrigerant circuit has an exterior heat exchanger, which is operated as a condenser or gas cooler to perform a refrigeration system mode or which is operated as a heat pump evaporator to carry out a heat pump mode. The refrigerant circuit further has an interior heating condenser or heating gas cooler for carrying out a heating mode. The interior heating condenser or heating gas cooler is fluidically connected downstream of the exterior heat exchanger with a reheating expansion device therebetween to carry out a reheating mode. The opening cross-section of the reheating expansion device is controlled in accordance with a refrigeration system parameter indicating the required reheating power.

A heat pump system for a vehicle may include a cooling apparatus of circulating a coolant in a coolant line to cool at least one electrical component provided in the coolant line; a battery cooling apparatus of circulating the coolant to the battery module; a chiller for heat exchanging the coolant with a refrigerant to control a temperature of the coolant; a heating apparatus that heats an interior of the vehicle using the coolant; and first, second, and third connection line.

Presented are joint active thermal management (JATM) systems with heat exchanger storage of surplus refrigerant, methods for making/operating such systems, and vehicles equipped with such systems. A JATM system includes a coolant loop that fluidly connects to a vehicle battery system for pumping thereto coolant, an oil loop thermally coupled to the coolant loop and fluidly connected to a vehicle powertrain system for pumping thereto oil, and a refrigerant loop thermally coupled to the coolant loop and operable to circulate refrigerant for heating/cooling a passenger compartment. An electronic controller determines if a current amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant loop exceeds a calibrated threshold for the current operating mode of the JATM system. If so, the controller determines if one of the refrigerant loop's heat exchangers is available to store excess refrigerant. If the heat exchanger is available, the refrigerant loop stores excess refrigerant in the available refrigerant heat exchanger.

A heat pump system of a vehicle controls a temperature of a battery module by using one chiller in which a refrigerant and a coolant are heat-exchanged, and recovers waste heat generated from an electrical component and a battery module to use it for indoor heating, thereby improving heating performance and efficiency, and the heat pump increases a flow rate of a refrigerant by applying a gas injection part that selectively operates in a heating mode of the vehicle, thereby maximizing heating performance.

The various implementations described herein include methods, devices, and systems for cooling a vehicular electronics system. In one aspect, a vehicular refrigerant system includes: (1) a refrigerant loop having a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant, a condenser configured to condense the compressed refrigerant, an expansion device configured to enable expansion of the condensed refrigerant, and a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from a liquid coolant to the expanded refrigerant; (2) a liquid coolant loop configured to transfer heat from an electronics system via the liquid coolant; and (3) a controller configured to: (a) obtain operating data regarding the refrigerant, the liquid coolant, and/or the electronics system; and (b) adjust operation of the refrigerant loop and/or the liquid coolant loop based on the obtained operating data.