An automotive air conditioning system includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a first pump, a first combined valve, a second combined valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger and a battery unit. In a first cooling mode, the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the first combined valve and the first heat exchanger communicate in sequence to form a circuit, while the first pump, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger communicate to form another circuit. In a first heating mode, the compressor, the first heat exchanger, the second combined valve and the outdoor heat exchanger communicate in sequence to form a circuit, while the first pump, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchange communicate in sequence to form another circuit. Thermal management of the battery unit can be made by interacting with the first cooling mode or the first heating mode.

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 thermal management system includes a refrigerant loop system that includes a compressor, a refrigerant four-way reversing valve, a plate heat exchanger, a throttle valve, another plate heat exchanger, and a gas-liquid separator, to form a refrigerant loop, and a motor liquid cooling loop system includes a motor liquid cooling loop that circulates coolant through a motor, and a pipe in the motor liquid cooling loop is connected to a liquid cooling channel in the plate heat exchanger to exchange heat with the refrigerant loop system using the plate heat exchanger.

A thermal management system includes a refrigerant system and a coolant system. The refrigerant system includes a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, a first flow regulating device, a first heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger. The outdoor heat exchanger includes a first port and a second port. The first flow regulating device has a bi-directional throttling function. The first heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange section and a second heat exchange section. The thermal management system has a heating mode and a cooling mode which can be achieved by the same first flow regulating device. A control method of the thermal management system is also disclosed.

A heat pump system for air conditioning a vehicle, in particular an electric or hybrid vehicle, includes an air conditioning unit which has an air conditioning evaporator and a heating heat exchanger, for air conditioning a passenger compartment of the vehicle. A condenser transmits heat from a refrigeration circuit into a coolant circuit, and a chiller transmits heat from the coolant circuit into the refrigeration circuit. The coolant circuit has two branches which are parallel to one another downstream of a low temperature cooler, namely a heating branch which can be shut off and in which the condenser and the heating heat exchanger are arranged, and a cooling branch, in which the chiller and a low temperature heat exchanger for cooling a vehicle component are arranged. The low temperature cooler, the condenser and the heating heat exchanger are connected in series with respect to one another. The heat pump system has a plurality of operating modes.

A heat pump system for a motor vehicle comprises at least two heat exchangers 10, 12, through which, for heating and/or cooling the motor vehicle interior, a flow is conducted, and at least two coolant circulations 14, 16 separable from one another, of which at least one is connectable, independently of the other coolant circulation, with one, two or more heat exchangers 10, 12 such that through these, in the presence of a connection with two or more heat exchangers 10, 12, a flow is successively conducted and the other coolant circulation is connectable with at least one heat exchanger 10, 12.

A vehicle cabin air conditioning system includes a cabin indoor air conditioner and an individual air conditioner configured to condition air in a target space inside a cabin. The individual air conditioner includes a blower, a heat generator, a supply port, and an exhaust port. The supply port supplies one of a cold air cooled with the heat generator and a warm air heated with the heat generator to the target space. The exhaust port provides the other of the cold air and the warm air to outside of the target space. The cabin indoor air conditioner includes a cabin blower, a temperature control unit, and a suction port through which air is sucked for the temperature control unit. An air flow path is provided to guide air sent from the exhaust port of the individual air conditioner to the suction port of the cabin indoor air conditioner.

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).

A heat pump system for a vehicle utilizes one chiller in which the coolant and the refrigerant are heat-exchanged to heat or cool a battery module. In addition, the heating efficiency is improved by selectively using the external heat and the waste heat of the electrical component and the battery module in the heating mode of the vehicle, wherein the electrical component is mounted on the coolant line connected to on the cooling apparatus of the heat pump system.

Device for controlling a flow-through and distributing a fluid in at least one fluid circuit, in particular a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit including a housing with ports for connecting with fluid lines, each of which is connected via a passage opening with the at least one interior volume of the housing, as well as with at least one valve element disposed in the interior volume of the housing with a drive element for moving the valve element relative to the housing. The at least one valve element is supported rotatably about a rotational axis and comprises at least three through openings developed as through-bores forming in the interior of the valve element a common volume. An axis of symmetry of a first opening and the rotational axis of the valve element are located on a common axis. The device is used in a refrigerant circuit of a thermal system.