A vehicle air conditioning apparatus is provided that can prevent temperature variations of the air after the heat exchange in a radiator to reliably control the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior. During the heating operation and the heating and dehumidifying operation, target degree of supercooling SCt when target air-blowing temperature TAO is a predetermined temperature or higher is set to SCt1 that is greater than SCt2 when the target air-blowing temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined temperature. When amount of air Ga supplied from indoor fan 12 is lower than a predetermined value, the target degree of supercooling SCt is corrected, which is set such that the degree of supercooling is lower than target degree of supercooling corrected when the amount of air Ga supplied from the indoor fan 12 is a predetermined value or higher.

A method of operating a cooling system of a vehicle includes measuring a refrigerant pressure and a refrigerant temperature of a flow of refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit of the cooling system, estimating a relative humidity of a supply airflow across an evaporator of the refrigerant circuit utilizing the measured refrigerant pressure and the measured refrigerant temperature, and changing operation of one or more components of the refrigerant circuit as a result of the estimated relative humidity.

A battery thermal management system includes a passenger cabin air-conditioning refrigerant loop including at least one evaporator in fluid communication with a chiller and a battery pack coolant loop in fluid communication with the chiller. A controller is configured to determine whether a temperature of the at least one evaporator falls within a predetermined temperature range, and if so to cause a valve to bypass a refrigerant from the air-conditioning refrigerant loop to the chiller. Evaporator temperature is determined by providing at least one evaporator temperature sensor.

An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a refrigeration cycle, a heating unit and a control unit. The refrigeration cycle includes an air-conditioning evaporator, a chilling evaporator, an air-conditioning side flow path, a detour flow path and an air-conditioning flow rate adjustment unit. The control unit includes a determination unit that determines whether a condensation condition is satisfied when a refrigerant is flowing through the chilling evaporator via the detour flow path in a state where an inflow of a refrigerant into the air-conditioning evaporator is prohibited. When the determination unit determines that the condensation condition is satisfied, the control unit controls the air-conditioning flow rate adjustment unit to allow an inflow of a refrigerant into the air-conditioning evaporator as a condensation suppression operation for suppressing condensation of a refrigerant in the air-conditioning evaporator.

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus is provided that can prevent temperature variations of the air after the heat exchange in a radiator to reliably control the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior. During the heating operation and the heating and dehumidifying operation, target degree of supercooling SCt when target air-blowing temperature TAO is a predetermined temperature or higher is set to SCt1 that is greater than SCt2 when the target air-blowing temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined temperature. When amount of air Ga supplied from indoor fan 12 is lower than a predetermined value, the target degree of supercooling SCt is corrected, which is set such that the degree of supercooling is lower than target degree of supercooling corrected when the amount of air Ga supplied from the indoor fan 12 is a predetermined value or higher.

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus is provided that can prevent temperature variations of the air after the heat exchange in a radiator to reliably control the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior. During the heating operation and the heating and dehumidifying operation, target degree of supercooling SCt when target air-blowing temperature TAO is a predetermined temperature or higher is set to SCt1 that is greater than SCt2 when the target air-blowing temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined temperature. When amount of air Ga supplied from indoor fan 12 is lower than a predetermined value, the target degree of supercooling SCt is corrected, which is set such that the degree of supercooling is lower than target degree of supercooling corrected when the amount of air Ga supplied from the indoor fan 12 is a predetermined value or higher.

A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of a surface of the heat exchanger of a motor vehicle air conditioning system. The sensor includes a sensor housing constructed for assembly in an opening of a heat exchanger housing and having a sensor head constructed for thermal contact with a heat exchanger surface. The sensor head is configured to have thermal contact only with the outer ends of cooling ribs of the heat exchanger or only with a thermally conductive plate which connects cooling ribs.

There is disclosed a vehicle air conditioner which is capable of enlarging an effective range of a dehumidifying and heating mode to environmental conditions and smoothly dehumidifying and heating a vehicle interior. A vehicle air conditioner 1 executes a dehumidifying and heating mode in which a controller lets a refrigerant discharged from a compressor 2 radiate heat in a radiator 4, and decompresses the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated and then lets the refrigerant absorb heat in a heat absorber 9 and an outdoor heat exchanger 7, the controller decreases an outdoor blower voltage FANVout of an outdoor blower 15 and decreases an air volume into the outdoor blower 15 in a case where a temperature Te of the heat absorber 9 is high even when the controller adjusts a valve position of an outdoor expansion valve 6 into a lower limit of controlling in a situation in which a temperature TCI of the radiator 4 is satisfactory.

When performing dehumidification heating of a space to be air-conditioned, a refrigeration cycle device is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which a flow of a refrigerant flowing out of an interior radiator is branched, and one of the branched refrigerants is decompressed by an interior expansion valve to evaporate in an interior evaporator, while the other of the branched refrigerants flows into a high-pressure side refrigerant passage of an internal heat exchanger and is then decompressed by an exterior expansion valve to evaporate in an exterior heat exchanger. Further, in the refrigerant circuit, a flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the interior evaporator and a flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the exterior heat exchanger are merged into a low-pressure side refrigerant passage of the internal heat exchanger. Thus, the refrigerant flowing into the interior evaporator is prevented from becoming a liquid-phase refrigerant having an unnecessarily high degree of supercooling, thereby achieving appropriate dehumidification heating.

A thermal management system for an electric vehicle that is used in the electric vehicle driven by an electric motor includes a refrigerant loop for an air conditioner, a refrigerant loop for a battery that allows a refrigerant for the battery to circulate among the battery, an evaporating unit and a heating device, and thermal management controlling means that, during charging of the battery, heats the refrigerant for the battery by using the heating device when temperature of the refrigerant for the battery is lower than target temperature of the refrigerant for the battery, and that allows the refrigerant for the air conditioner to circulate and to absorb heat from the refrigerant for the battery, in the evaporating unit, when the temperature of the refrigerant for the battery is higher than the target temperature of the refrigerant for the battery.