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.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a lubricant management system (100) in a heat flux management system for an electric vehicle (150), comprising a vehicle air conditioning circuit comprising a refrigeration cycle refrigerant circuit (6) comprising at least a heat pump condenser (17) in thermal communication with a heat source (19), first and second evaporators (31, 131) each associated with an expansion valve (29, 129), and a refrigerant compressor (11), wherein the components are fluidly connected to one another by a refrigerant line (9,45), an accumulator (37) having a lubricant storage capacity and comprising lubricant delivery means (38), the accumulator being fluidly coupled in the refrigerant line downstream of the first and second evaporators (31, 131) and upstream of the refrigerant compressor (11), wherein the first evaporator and the second evaporator are fluidly connected in parallel downstream of the heat pump condenser (17) and upstream of the accumulator (37) and the associated expansion valves (29, 129) are operable to control a refrigerant flow rate through the first and the second evaporators (31, 131) sequentially to flush lubricant from the first and second evaporators to the lubricant storage capacity of the accumulator (37).

The application provides a vehicle thermal management system, a vehicle thermal management method and a vehicle. The system includes: a flow path switching valve; a compressor, an in-cabin thermal management flow path; an out-cabin thermal management flow path; and at least one battery module thermal management flow path. A flow path switching valve of the system is used for switching the on/off and flow direction of an intake port of the compressor, an exhaust port of the compressor, the in-cabin thermal management flow path, the out-cabin thermal management flow path, and the battery module thermal management flow path.

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.

In a refrigeration cycle device, in an operation mode in which a refrigerant does not flows into a cooling evaporator, a throttle opening degree characteristic of a heat absorption valve disposed upstream of a heat absorption evaporator is set to cause the refrigerant on the outlet side of the heat absorption evaporator to be in a gas-liquid two-phase state.

When a temperature of a coolant is a first predetermined temperature or higher, an air conditioner ECU executes a first control that sets a target evaporation temperature higher by a predetermined temperature and the air conditioner ECU executes a second control that changes the target evaporation temperature in accordance with a cooling load inside the vehicle cabin. When the second control is executed after the first control is executed, the air conditioner ECU sets a first target evaporation temperature set by the first control as the target evaporation temperature, and calculates a second target evaporation temperature that is changed by the second control based on the target evaporation temperature immediately before the first control is executed. When the second target evaporation temperature becomes larger than the first target evaporation temperature, the air conditioner ECU sets the second target evaporation temperature as the target evaporation temperature.

A method is described for operating a refrigeration system having a heat pump function for motor vehicle, including the following steps: setting a heat pump operation, in which the refrigerant is routed from the refrigerant compressor into the secondary line; setting an expansion valve assigned to the third heat exchanger such that a total mass flow of refrigerant flows through the third heat exchanger; detecting the temperature of the coolant in the third heat exchanger. The total mass flow of refrigerant is routed through the third heat exchanger when the temperature of the coolant is greater than an upper limiting temperature.

A thermal management method and system in a vehicle include a chiller to cause heat transfer between a coolant loop that defines a path in which a coolant circulates and a refrigerant loop that defines a path in which a refrigerant circulates. The system includes an electronic expansion valve (EXV) in the refrigerant loop to control a flow of the refrigerant into a first part of the chiller, and a coolant pump in the coolant loop to control a flow of the coolant into a second part of the chiller. A controller controls the EXV and the coolant pump based on a target amount for the heat transfer.

There is provided a vehicle air conditioning device of a heat pump system which improves comfortability when changing to heating only by an auxiliary heating device. The device includes a heating medium circulating circuit 23 to heat air to be supplied from an air flow passage 3 to a vehicle interior, and when shifting to the heating of the vehicle interior only by the heating medium circulating circuit 23 in a heating mode, a controller executes a shifting control to increase a heating capability of the heating medium circulating circuit 23 prior to stopping a compressor 2 and decrease a heating capability of a radiator 4 in accordance with the increase of the heating capability of the heating medium circulating circuit 23.

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.