Disclosed is a method for defrosting a thermal regulation circuit for a vehicle, in particular for a motor vehicle, the thermal regulation circuit being provided with a refrigerant circulation loop comprising a first heat exchanger (2), susceptible to frosting, as well as second and third exchangers (4, 6), the second and third exchangers (4, 6) being intended to exchange heat between the refrigerant and a heat transfer fluid, the loop further comprising a bottle (12) for storing a part of the refrigerant, the method comprising a step, referred to as defrosting, of circulating the refrigerant successively in the second heat exchanger (4), the bottle (12) and then the first and third exchangers (2, 6), with cooling of the refrigerant in the first and second exchangers (2, 4) and heating of the refrigerant in the third exchanger (6).

Thermoelectric enhanced hybrid heat pump systems are provided herein. A compressor increases the pressure of refrigerant within tubing. A first heat exchanger is downstream of the compressor and changes enthalpy of first fluid flow through heat exchange with refrigerant. A second heat exchanger changes enthalpy of second fluid flow through heat exchange with refrigerant. A thermoelectric device is downstream of the first heat exchanger and reduces refrigerant temperature. Expansion valves are downstream of the thermoelectric device and first heat exchanger, respectively located on first and second sides of the thermoelectric device, and expand refrigerant and reduce refrigerant pressure while conserving refrigerant enthalpy. At least one valve reverses refrigerant flow within the tubing without changing compressor operation. A control system controls the thermoelectric device and at least one valve to switch the heat pump system from heating mode to cooling mode and from cooling mode to heating mode.

A compact heat exchanger unit within an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, and a condenser region for the condensation of refrigerant is formed as a heat exchanging surface, and a high-pressure-refrigerant collector region as a refrigerant collector is formed in the integrated form as a plate packet of a heat exchanger within a plate heat exchanger.

A vehicle thermal management system includes a cabin thermal loop, a battery thermal loop, a parallel valve assembly, and a controller. The cabin thermal loop includes a first chiller in fluid communication with a vehicle cabin. The battery thermal loop includes a second chiller in fluid communication with a high-voltage battery. The parallel valve assembly selectively links the cabin and battery thermal loops and includes a three-way valve and a conduit system arranged with one another to selectively link the first chiller and the second chiller to deliver cooling capacity to the battery. The controller is programmed to, responsive to detection of an available amount of cabin thermal loop cooling capacity exceeding a detected passenger vehicle cabin cooling capacity request, output a command to the parallel valve assembly to release the excess cooling capacity from the cabin thermal loop to cool the HV battery.

Provided is a vehicle air conditioning device that can save the space for installing constituent apparatuses of a vehicle by using a heater for multiple purposes and reduce the manufacturing cost. Heating assisting operation for heating air to be supplied into a cabin is performed in a manner that a heat medium heated by a heat medium heater 32 in a heat medium circuit 30 flows to a heat medium radiator 16 without flowing on a battery B side while heating operation is performed.

An indoor heating line is arranged to pass through a heater core for a coolant heater and indoor air conditioning, and is provided with a first pump so that coolant can flow. A battery heating line is branched from a downstream point of the heater core and connected to an upstream point of the coolant heater after passing through a battery heat exchange part for temperature-raising a high voltage battery, where the battery heating line includes a first heat exchange flow passage that connects a downstream point of the heater core to a first side of the battery heat exchange part, and a second heat exchange flow passage that connects a second side thereof and an upstream point of the coolant heater, where the first heat exchange flow passage and the second heat exchange flow passage are configured to mutually exchange heat.

A heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a vehicle having a rechargeable energy storage system includes a refrigerant circuit having a flow of refrigerant circulated therethrough. The refrigerant circuit includes a compressor, an internal condenser, and a chiller heat exchanger. A coolant circuit is fluidly connected to the refrigerant circuit and has a flow of coolant circulated therethrough. The coolant circuit includes the internal condenser, a heater core, and a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). The refrigerant circuit and the coolant circuit exchange thermal energy at the internal condenser. When operated in an HVAC operating mode, the HVAC system is configured to heat one or more of the heater core and the RESS with thermal energy generated at the compressor.

A cooling system includes a cooling loop, a cooling branch, and a refrigerant. The cooling loop includes a condenser, a first valve, an evaporator, and a compressor etc. connected to form a loop. The cooling branch is configured in parallel with the evaporator, the cooling branch includes a cooling unit with thermal contact with one or more to-be-cooled components through a thermal interfacial material. The refrigerant flows through the cooling unit with a phase change process to cool components and the flow rate is optimized for energy efficiency purpose. A traditional cooling branch featured by heat exchanger & pump with a separate coolant is not required, which reduces the cost, improves the space utilization and boosts efficient cooling of components in e-vehicles, especially autonomous ones, with sufficient cooling capability and minimized cooling delay.

A thermal management system for a vehicle, includes: a base refrigerant flow path provided sequentially with a compressor, a second expansion valve, an indoor condenser, a first expansion valve, an external condenser, and an evaporator and configured to flow a refrigerant in the base refrigerant flow path; a chiller refrigerant flow path branched off from the base refrigerant flow path at a downstream point of the external condenser, provided sequentially with a third expansion valve and an integrated chiller, and merged with the base refrigerant flow path at an upstream point of the compressor; and a parallel refrigerant flow path branched off from the base refrigerant flow path at an upstream point of the first expansion valve and merged with the chiller refrigerant flow path at an upstream point of the third expansion valve.

According to one aspect, a thermal system of a vehicle which provides cooling to within the vehicle, e.g., within a driver and passenger carrying cabin or compartment, is effectively leveraged to provide cooling capabilities to autonomous vehicle systems. Some coolant flowing through a coolant loop included in the thermal system of a vehicle may be diverted to an offshoot loop which provides cooling to coolant included in a coolant loop configured to cool autonomous vehicle systems, e.g., a compute system that is part of an autonomous vehicle. The coolant from the thermal system of the vehicle may flow past coolant from the coolant loop configured to cool autonomous vehicle systems, and the cooled coolant from the coolant loop configured to cool the autonomous vehicle systems may flow near the autonomous vehicle systems to cool the autonomous vehicle systems.