AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE AND VEHICLE WITH AN AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to an air conditioning system for a vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, comprising at least one active heating and/or cooling device, at least one passive heating and/or cooling device, and a control unit for controlling the at least one active and the at least one passive heating and/or cooling device, wherein the at least one active and the at least one passive heating and/or cooling device each comprises a nanomaterial, the at least one passive heating and/or cooling device comprises a thermal conductor element, which is thermally coupling at least one electronic device, in particular a display, to an outside air stream, the at least one active heating and/or cooling device comprises a nanoparticle containing resistive heating element for actively heating and/or the nanomaterial of the at least one cooling device is brought into contact with a cooling fluid in addition to an outside air stream for actively cooling, and the control unit is adapted to control the at least one active and the at least one passive heating and/or cooling device depending on an input from at least one sensor, in particular a temperature sensor, and/or depending on at least one user input.

The invention further relates to a vehicle with such an air conditioning system (10).

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. An air conditioning system for a vehicle or an electric vehicle, comprising: at least one of an active heating or cooling device; at least one of a passive heating or cooling device; and a control unit for controlling the at least one of active heating or cooling device and the at least one of passive heating and cooling device, wherein the at least one active and the at least one passive heating or cooling device each comprises a nanomaterial, the at least one passive heating or cooling device comprises a thermal conductor element, which is thermally coupling at least one electronic device or a display to an outside air stream, the at least one active heating or cooling device comprises a nanoparticle containing resistive heating element for actively heating, or the nanomaterial of the at least one active cooling device is brought into contact with a cooling fluid in addition to an outside air stream for actively cooling, and the control unit is adapted to control the at least one active heating or cooling device depending on an input from at least one sensor or a temperature sensor.

13. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of: the nanomaterial is a composite material, within a matrix or a polymer matrix, or the nanomaterial comprises at least one of carbon nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes, carbon black, carbon nanohorns, graphite, one or more of graphene or graphene nanoplatelets, or inorganic nanoparticles or nanosilver, aluminum oxide, copper oxide, titanium oxide, beryllium oxide, boron nitride, or aluminum nitride.

14. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one of passive heating or cooling device comprises the composite nanomaterial, preferably based on plastic and containing carbon nanotubes, or preferably as bulk or as coating.

15. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the thermal conductor element is thermally coupled to the outside air stream via a further at least one of active heating or cooling device or a heat exchanger.

16. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, further comprising an air flow directing device for alternatively directing the outside air stream into an interior space of the vehicle or into an environment of the vehicle.

17. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the resistive heating element is integrated into one or more of a coating, textile, or interior element of the vehicle.

18. The air conditioning system according to claim 17, wherein the resistive heating element is integrated into a cockpit element, door element, floor mat, seat, window coating, roof window, or roof lining.

19. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one passive cooling device is a nanoparticle containing coating, a roof coating, or a window coating.

20. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one active and the at least one passive heating or cooling device further comprises a phase change material.

21. The air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the active heating device is activated via an input of an external stimuli, in form of one or more of an electrical signal or applied via electrodes.

22. A vehicle comprising an air conditioning system, comprising: at least one of an active heating or cooling device; at least one of a passive heating or cooling device; and a control unit for controlling the at least one of active heating or cooling device and the at least one of passive heating and cooling device, wherein the at least one active and the at least one passive heating or cooling device each comprises a nanomaterial, the at least one passive heating or cooling device comprises a thermal conductor element, which is thermally coupling at least one electronic device or a display to an outside air stream, the at least one active heating or cooling device comprises a nanoparticle containing resistive heating element for actively heating, or the nanomaterial of the at least one active cooling device is brought into contact with a cooling fluid in addition to an outside air stream for actively cooling, and the control unit is adapted to control the at least one active heating or cooling device depending on an input from at least one sensor or a temperature sensor, and the control unit is adapted.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In the following, the invention and its embodiments is explained in detail with reference to the drawing which shows in

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of an air conditioning system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] An air conditioning system 10 for a vehicle 12 comprises according to the invention at least one heat exchanger 14, which is coupled to an outside airflow.

[0039] The heat exchanger 14 comprises at least one nanomaterial, in particular a composite material containing carbon nanoparticles or inorganic nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix. Such nanomaterials have a particularly high thermal conductivity, thus providing a very effective heat exchanger 14. The heat exchanger 14 is thermally coupled to electronic devices 16, for example displays of the vehicle 12.

[0040] The thermal coupling between the heat exchanger 14 and the electronic devices 16 can be performed by further nanomaterial containing units, for example thermal conductors or heat pipes or the like, so that the waste heat of the electronic devices is transferred to the outside air stream in a particularly efficient manner.

[0041] It is further advantageous if the outside air stream can alternatively be directed into an interior space 18 of the vehicle 12 or back into the outside environment. In this manner, the waste heat of the electronic devices 16 can be used to heat the interior 18 on cold days, or alternatively to remove excess heat from the vehicle 12 to the environment on warm days.

[0042] The air conditioning system of the invention further comprises resistive heating devices. These are also based on the above-mentioned nanomaterials and contain additional electrodes in order to provide the nanomaterials with an electric potential, resulting in the nanomaterials heating up.

[0043] Such resistive heating devices can be integrated into various internal components of the vehicle 12, for example in door linings 20, floor mats 22, the textile coverings or the internal stuffings of seats 24, cockpit coverings, window coating or roof lining of the vehicle 12.

[0044] This reduces the need for additional, bulky and energy intensive active heaters, so that the vehicle 12 is particularly light and energy efficient.

[0045] The air conditioning system 10 can further comprise passive nanomaterial coatings, in particular roof coatings or window coatings. In addition to the aforementioned excellent thermal conductivity, such nanomaterials also have a high reflectivity, in particular in the infrared spectral range. By means of such coatings, incident sunlight can be reflected efficiently from the vehicle 12, thus reducing the heating of the vehicle under direct solar irradiation. This reduces the need for active cooling means, which are a particularly high strain on the battery of electric vehicles.

[0046] All described heating or cooling devices can further comprise additional phase change materials, which increase their thermal capacity and thus their efficiency.

[0047] In summary, a particularly light and energy efficient air conditioning system 10 is provided, in form of a combined system of passive and active materials which is particularly advantageous for the use in electric vehicles.

[0048] The features disclosed in the claims, the specification, and the drawings maybe essential for different embodiments of the claimed invention, both separately or in any combination with each other.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

[0049] 10 air conditioning system [0050] 12 vehicle [0051] 14 heat exchanger [0052] 16 electronic device [0053] 18 interior space [0054] 20 door linings [0055] 22 floor mats [0056] 24 seat