A multi-mode vehicle thermal management system is provided that allows efficient thermal communication between a refrigerant-based thermal control loop and three non-refrigerant-based thermal control loops, where one of the non-refrigerant-based loops provides temperature control over the vehicle's passenger cabin, a second of the non-refrigerant-based control loops is thermally coupled to the vehicle's battery system and the third of the non-refrigerant-based control circuits is thermally coupled to the vehicle's drive train. The refrigerant-based control loop may be operated either in a heating mode or a cooling mode and is coupled to the vehicle's HVAC system using a refrigerant-air heat exchanger, and to the battery thermal control loop using refrigerant-fluid heat exchangers. A valve assembly is used to couple and/or decouple the battery and drive train thermal control loops, thereby allowing these two thermal control loops to operate either in parallel or in series.

A heat management system which includes: a refrigerant circulation line which includes a compressor, a water cooling-type condenser, a first expansion valve, an air cooling-type condenser, a second expansion valve, and an evaporator, and cools the indoor space by circulating a refrigerant; a heating line which heats the indoor space by circulating cooling water which exchanges heat with the refrigerant through the water cooling-type condenser; a first cooling line which cools a battery by circulating cooling water which exchanges heat with air or the refrigerant; and a second cooling line which cools electric components including a driving motor, by circulating cooling water which exchanges heat with air or the refrigerant. The heat management system enables efficient heat management of electric components and a battery in a vehicle as well as cooling and heating of the vehicle.

A secondary loop HVAC system including an evaporator, a condenser, an expansion valve, and a compressor. A refrigerant loop is in fluid communication with each of the evaporator, the condenser, and the expansion valve. An HVAC case includes a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger. A first coolant loop is in fluid communication with the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger, and either the evaporator or the condenser. A valve system is configured to control flow of the coolant through the first coolant loop. In a maximum hot heating mode, the valve system is configured to direct the coolant through the condenser, the first heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger. In a maximum cold cooling mode, the valve system is configured to direct the coolant through the evaporator, the first heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger.

A heat pump system includes a compressor that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, a decompressor that decompresses the refrigerant, an outdoor unit that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and an outside air, an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant, an internal heat exchanger, an accumulator that separates the refrigerant into a gas refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant, and a flow pathway changing portion. The internal heat exchanger includes a high-pressure passage through which a high-pressure refrigerant flows, and a low-pressure passage through which a low-pressure refrigerant flows, the internal heat exchanger exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the high-pressure passage and the refrigerant flowing through the low-pressure passage. The flow pathway changing portion that switches between a cooling pathway and a heating pathway. According to this heat pump system, a cooling capacity and a heating capacity can be improved.

A heat pump system for a vehicle may adjust a temperature of a battery module by use of one chiller that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant and a coolant and improves heating efficiency by use of waste heat generated from an electrical component, including: 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 a first, second, third, and fourth connection line.

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.

An electronic control unit is applied to an air conditioner, the air conditioner including a heating unit which heats a heat medium, a casing which allows an air flow to circulate toward a compartment, a blower which generates the air flow in the casing, and a heat exchanger disposed in the casing that heats the air flow by exchanging heat between the heat medium heated by the heating unit and the air flow. The blower air volume of the blower is controlled based on a first candidate value determined based on an estimated blowing temperature, and a second candidate value determined based on a required blowing air temperature and the estimated blowing temperature. The second candidate value is set as a predetermined value when a warm-up operation of the heating unit is completed.

The present invention relates to a thermal management system for a vehicle, which can provide various effects, such as a reduction of weight, a cost reduction, and a reduction of a package size due to a reduction in the number of components. The thermal management system for a vehicle, which includes a refrigerant circulation loop circulating refrigerant and exchanging heat between the refrigerant and inside air of an air-conditioning case in order to perform air-conditioning inside the vehicle, includes: a first coolant loop for cooling electric parts of the vehicle; and a second coolant loop for cooling a battery of the vehicle, wherein the first coolant loop and the second coolant loop are configured independently, and coolant flowing in the first coolant loop selectively circulates in the second coolant loop.

A vehicular air conditioner includes an air conditioning, a heater core, a heat pump cycle unit, a temperature detector, and a controller. The heat pump cycle unit includes a first inside heat exchanger disposed downstream of the heater core in a flow direction of a conditioning air, a second inside heat exchanger disposed upstream of the heater core in the flow direction of the conditioning air, and an outside heat exchanger. The temperature detector is configured to detect a passage air temperature, the passage air temperature being a temperature of the conditioning air that has passed through the heater core. The controller is configured to selectively switch a circuit layout of the heat pump cycle unit between a cooling circuit, a heating circuit, and a dehumidifying-heating circuit based on the passage air temperature.