阅读说明：本技术 热泵系统 (Heat pump system ) 是由 小中出侑树 加藤吉毅 布施卓哉 于 2018-11-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：热泵系统具有热泵循环(10)、回收部(25、35)、以及高温侧热接受部(20)和低温侧热接受部(30)中的至少一方。热泵循环(10)具有：压缩机(11),该压缩机对制冷剂进行压缩并排出；散热器(12),该散热器对由压缩机压缩后的高压制冷剂的热进行散热；减压部(15a、15b),该减压部使从散热器流出的高压制冷剂减压；以及吸热器(16、18),该吸热器使由减压部减压后的低压制冷剂蒸发而吸热。回收部回收压缩机的废热。高温侧热接受部使由回收部回收到的热向高压制冷剂散热。低温侧热接受部使低压制冷剂吸收由回收部回收到的热。(The heat pump system has a heat pump cycle (10), recovery units (25, 35), and at least one of a high-temperature-side heat receiving unit (20) and a low-temperature-side heat receiving unit (30). A heat pump cycle (10) is provided with: a compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant; a radiator (12) that radiates heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor; decompression units (15a, 15b) that decompress the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the radiator; and heat absorbers (16, 18) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit and absorbing heat. The recovery unit recovers waste heat of the compressor. The high-temperature-side heat receiving unit radiates heat recovered by the recovery unit to the high-pressure refrigerant. The low-temperature-side heat receiving portion allows the low-pressure refrigerant to absorb the heat recovered by the recovery portion.)

1. A heat pump system having:

a heat pump cycle (10) comprising: a compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant; a radiator (12) that radiates heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor; a decompression unit (15a, 15b) that decompresses the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the radiator; and heat absorbers (16, 18) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit and absorbing heat;

a recovery unit (25, 35) that recovers waste heat of the compressor; and

and at least one of a high-temperature-side heat receiving unit (20) that radiates heat recovered by the recovery unit to the high-pressure refrigerant, and a low-temperature-side heat receiving unit (30) that absorbs heat recovered by the recovery unit to the low-pressure refrigerant.

2. The heat pump system of claim 1,

the high-temperature-side heat receiving unit is a high-temperature-side heat medium circuit (20) through which a high-temperature-side heat medium that exchanges heat with a high-pressure refrigerant in the radiator circulates,

the recovery unit has a high-temperature-side recovery unit (25) that recovers the waste heat of the compressor by exchanging heat between the waste heat of the compressor and the high-temperature-side heat medium.

3. The heat pump system of claim 2,

the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit includes a heater core (22) that heats a fluid to be heat-exchanged by exchanging heat between the high-temperature-side heat medium and the fluid to be heat-exchanged.

4. The heat pump system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the low-temperature-side heat receiving unit is a low-temperature-side heat medium circuit (30) in which a low-temperature-side heat medium that absorbs heat by evaporation of a low-pressure refrigerant in the heat absorber circulates,

the recovery unit has a low-temperature-side recovery unit (35) that recovers the waste heat of the compressor by exchanging heat between the waste heat of the compressor and the low-temperature-side heat medium.

5. The heat pump system of claim 4,

the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit allows the low-temperature-side heat medium to absorb heat of a heat-generating device (32) that generates heat as a result of operation, thereby cooling the heat-generating device.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 4 or 5,

the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit includes a low-temperature-side radiator (33) that exchanges heat between the low-temperature-side heat medium and outside air.

7. The heat pump system according to any one of claims 4 to 6,

in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit, the low-temperature-side recovery unit is disposed on an inlet side of the heat absorber.

8. The heat pump system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the heat pump cycle has:

a first heat absorber (18) that evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit and absorbs heat; and

and a second heat absorber (16) that evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression section at a position different from the first heat absorber and absorbs heat.

9. The heat pump system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

has a heat storage part (40) for storing the waste heat of the compressor,

the recovery unit recovers heat stored in the heat storage unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a heat pump system having a heat pump cycle.

Background

Conventionally, a heat pump system has a heat pump cycle (i.e., a vapor compression refrigeration cycle), and adjusts the temperature of various heat media by controlling the operation of the heat pump cycle.

Such a heat pump cycle is applied to, for example, an air conditioner for a vehicle, and improves comfort in a vehicle interior by adjusting the temperature of air to be blown as a fluid to be heat-exchanged. Among such air conditioning apparatuses for vehicles, there is known an air conditioning apparatus for vehicles, which includes: the cooling system is configured to absorb heat from the outside air and also absorb heat from the cooling water in the cooling water circuit for cooling the in-vehicle equipment and the like to the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle.

As such an air conditioner for a vehicle, for example, patent document 1 is known. The air conditioning apparatus according to patent document 1 is configured to store heat generated by the compressor in a heat storage material disposed around the compressor during a heat storage operation of the refrigeration cycle.

In patent document 1, during a defrosting operation of a refrigeration cycle, heat stored in a heat storage material is used for vaporization of a refrigerant to an outdoor heat exchanger in a heat storage heat exchanger connected via a heat storage pipe. In this air conditioning apparatus, defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger is performed by sending the gas-phase refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to provide a heat pump system that: the waste heat of the compressor can be effectively utilized with a simple configuration while suppressing the influence of the operation control of the heat pump cycle.

A heat pump system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a heat pump cycle, a recovery unit, and at least one of a high-temperature-side heat receiving unit and a low-temperature-side heat receiving unit. The heat pump cycle has: a compressor compressing and discharging a refrigerant; a radiator that radiates heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor; a decompression unit configured to decompress the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the radiator; and a heat absorber that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat. The recovery unit recovers waste heat of the compressor. The high-temperature-side heat receiving unit radiates heat recovered by the recovery unit to the high-pressure refrigerant. The low-temperature-side heat receiving portion allows the low-pressure refrigerant to absorb the heat recovered by the recovery portion.

According to this heat pump system, regardless of the operation control of the heat pump cycle, the recovery unit can recover the waste heat of the compressor in the heat pump cycle. In addition, the heat pump system can effectively use the waste heat of the compressor recovered by the recovery unit on the heat pump cycle side through either the high-temperature-side heat receiving unit or the low-temperature-side heat receiving unit. That is, the heat pump system can effectively use the waste heat of the compressor with a simple configuration regardless of the operation mode of the heat pump cycle.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a heat pump system according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of a high-temperature-side recovery unit according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of a heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating a first modification of the heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating a second modification of the heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a third modification of the heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a structural diagram of a heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a modification of the heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a configuration diagram of a heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a heat pump system according to at least one embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a structural view showing a modification of the heat recovery unit of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a configuration diagram showing a modification of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit in the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a modification of the heat storage unit of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to portions corresponding to the matters described in the previous embodiments, and redundant description may be omitted. In the case where only a part of the structure is described in each embodiment, the other embodiments described above can be applied to the other part of the structure. Not only the combinations of the combinable portions are specifically and explicitly described in the respective embodiments, but also the embodiments can be partially combined without being explicitly described as long as the combinations do not particularly interfere with each other.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same or equivalent portions are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

(first embodiment)

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3. In the first embodiment, the heat pump system 1 according to the present invention is applied to an electric vehicle that obtains a driving force for traveling of the vehicle from an electric motor for traveling. The heat pump system 1 has a function of air-conditioning the vehicle interior, which is a space to be air-conditioned, and a function of adjusting the temperature of the in-vehicle equipment 32 including a battery to an appropriate temperature in the electric vehicle.

The heat pump system 1 is capable of switching a cooling mode, a heating mode, and a dehumidification and heating mode as an operation mode for performing air conditioning in a vehicle interior. The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the air blown into the vehicle interior is cooled and blown out into the vehicle interior. The heating mode is an operation mode in which the air is heated and blown into the vehicle interior. The dehumidification and heating mode is an operation mode in which the cooled and dehumidified supply air is reheated and blown into the vehicle interior.

In the heat pump cycle 10, an HFC-based refrigerant (specifically, R134a) is used as the refrigerant, and a subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant is configured. Refrigerating machine oil for lubricating the compressor 11 is mixed into the refrigerant. As the refrigerating machine oil, PAG oil (polyalkylene glycol oil) having compatibility with a liquid-phase refrigerant is used. A part of the refrigerating machine oil circulates in the cycle together with the refrigerant.

Next, a specific configuration of the heat pump system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1. The heat pump system 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10, a high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, a low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, an indoor air conditioning unit 50, and a control device 60.

First, each component constituting the heat pump cycle 10 in the heat pump system 1 will be described. The heat pump cycle 10 is a vapor compression refrigeration cycle device.

The compressor 11 is a device that sucks, compresses, and discharges a refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10, and corresponds to a compressor in the present invention. The compressor 11 is disposed in a vehicle hood.

The compressor 11 is an electric compressor in which a fixed displacement type compression mechanism having a fixed discharge displacement is driven to rotate by an electric motor. The compressor 11 controls the rotation speed (i.e., the refrigerant discharge capacity) based on a control signal output from a control device 60 described later. Further, in order to recover the waste heat of the compressor 11, a structure corresponding to the recovery unit in the present invention is disposed outside the compressor 11. This point will be described in detail later.

The discharge port of the compressor 11 is connected to the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is a heat exchanger as follows: the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium circulating in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, and heats the high-temperature-side heat medium.

The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 corresponds to a radiator in the present invention. As the high-temperature side heat medium, a solution containing ethylene glycol, an antifreeze, or the like can be used.

The refrigerant inlet side of the refrigerant branch portion 14a is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The refrigerant branch portion 14a branches the flow of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The refrigerant branching portion 14a is formed as a three-way joint structure having three refrigerant inflow and outflow ports that communicate with each other, and one of the three inflow and outflow ports is a refrigerant inflow port, and the remaining two are refrigerant outflow ports.

The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is connected to one of the refrigerant outflow ports of the refrigerant branch portion 14a via the cooling expansion valve 15 a. The refrigerant inlet side of the cooler 18 is connected to the other refrigerant outflow port of the refrigerant branch portion 14a via the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15 b.

The cooling expansion valve 15a is a cooling decompression portion that decompresses the refrigerant flowing out of one of the refrigerant outflow ports of the refrigerant branching portion 14a at least in the cooling mode and the dehumidification and heating mode. The cooling expansion valve 15a constitutes the decompression section in the present invention. The cooling expansion valve 15a also functions as a cooling flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the indoor evaporator 16.

The cooling expansion valve 15a is an electric variable throttle mechanism, and includes a valve body and an electric actuator. That is, the cooling expansion valve 15a is a so-called electric expansion valve. The valve body of the cooling expansion valve 15a is configured to be able to change the passage opening degree (in other words, the throttle opening degree) of the refrigerant passage. The electric actuator includes a stepping motor that changes the throttle opening degree of the valve body.

The cooling expansion valve 15a is controlled in operation in accordance with a control signal output from the control device 60. The cooling expansion valve 15a is constituted by a variable throttle mechanism having a fully opening function of fully opening the refrigerant passage when the throttle opening degree is fully opened and a fully closing function of fully closing the refrigerant passage when the throttle opening degree is fully closed.

That is, the cooling expansion valve 15a can make the decompression function of the refrigerant unable to be exerted by fully opening the refrigerant passage. The cooling expansion valve 15a can shut off the flow of the refrigerant into the indoor evaporator 16 by closing the refrigerant passage. That is, the cooling expansion valve 15a has both a function as a pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and a function as a circuit switching unit that switches the refrigerant circuit.

The outlet of the cooling expansion valve 15a is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 16. The indoor evaporator 16 is a cooling evaporator that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a and the feed air at least in the cooling mode and the dehumidification and heating mode to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant, thereby cooling the feed air.

The indoor evaporator 16 is disposed in the casing 51 of the indoor air conditioning unit 50. That is, the indoor evaporator 16 constitutes the heat absorber of the present invention, and corresponds to either one of the first heat absorber and the second heat absorber of the present invention.

The refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 16 is connected to the inlet side of an evaporation pressure regulating valve 17. The evaporation pressure regulating valve 17 is an evaporation pressure regulating portion that maintains the refrigerant evaporation pressure in the indoor evaporator 16 at a predetermined reference pressure or higher. The evaporation pressure adjustment valve 17 is constituted by a mechanical variable throttle mechanism that increases the valve opening degree in accordance with the increase in refrigerant pressure on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 16.

The evaporation pressure control valve 17 is configured to maintain the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the indoor evaporator 16 at a reference temperature (1 ℃ in the present embodiment) or higher at which the frost formation of the indoor evaporator 16 can be suppressed.

One refrigerant flow inlet side of the refrigerant merging portion 14b is connected to the outlet of the evaporation pressure regulating valve 17. The refrigerant merging portion 14b has a three-way joint structure similar to the refrigerant branching portion 14a, and two of the three inflow and outflow ports are refrigerant inflow ports, and the remaining one is a refrigerant outflow port. As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerant merging portion 14b merges the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporation pressure adjustment valve 17 with the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 18.

Here, the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is connected to the other refrigerant outflow port of the refrigerant branch portion 14 a. The heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is a heat-absorbing decompression portion that decompresses and expands the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant outlet port of the other of the refrigerant branching portions 14a at least in the heating mode and the dehumidification heating mode. The expansion valve 15b for heat absorption functions as a pressure reducing unit in the present invention.

The heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b functions as a heat-absorbing flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the cooler 18. The basic structure of the expansion valve for heat absorption 15b is the same as that of the expansion valve for cooling 15 a. That is, the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is an electric variable throttle mechanism, and includes a valve body and an electric actuator. The heat absorption expansion valve 15b has a fully open function and a fully closed function, similarly to the cooling expansion valve 15 a.

That is, the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b can prevent the decompression action on the refrigerant from being exerted by fully opening the refrigerant passage, and can shut off the inflow of the refrigerant into the cooler 18 by closing the refrigerant passage. That is, the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b has both a function as a pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and a function as a circuit switching unit that switches the refrigerant circuit.

The outlet of the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the cooler 18. The cooler 18 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b and the low-temperature-side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. The cooler 18 has a refrigerant passage through which a low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b flows, and a water passage through which a low-temperature-side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 flows.

The cooler 18 is an evaporation unit that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant by exchanging heat between the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage and the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the water passage in at least the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode. That is, the cooler 18 is a heat-absorbing heat exchanger that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant and causes the refrigerant to absorb heat of the low-temperature-side heat medium in at least the heating mode and the dehumidification heating mode.

That is, the cooler 18 constitutes the heat absorber of the present invention, and corresponds to the other of the first heat absorber and the second heat absorber of the present invention. The other refrigerant flow inlet side of the refrigerant merging portion 14b is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the cooler 18. The refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant merging portion 14b is connected to the suction port side of the compressor 11.

Next, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 in the heat pump system 1 will be described. The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 is a circuit for circulating a high-temperature-side heat medium. As the high-temperature side heat medium, a solution containing ethylene glycol, an antifreeze, or the like can be used. The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 is provided with a water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, a high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21, a heater core 22, a high-temperature-side radiator 23, a high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24, and the like.

The high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is a water pump that pressure-feeds a high-temperature-side heat medium to the inlet side of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is an electric pump whose rotation speed (i.e., pressure-feed capability) is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 60.

One of the inflow and outflow ports of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 is connected to an outlet of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 is an electric three-way flow rate adjustment valve that has three inflow and outflow ports and can continuously adjust the passage area ratio of two of the inflow and outflow ports. The high-temperature-side flow rate regulation valve 24 controls its operation in accordance with a control signal output from the control device 60.

The other inflow/outflow port of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 is connected to the inflow port side of the heater core 22. The inlet side of the high-temperature-side radiator 23 is connected to the other inflow/outflow port of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24.

The high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 functions in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 as follows: the flow ratio between the flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 and the flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the high-temperature-side radiator 23, among the high-temperature-side heat media flowing out of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, is continuously adjusted.

The heater core 22 is a heat exchanger as follows: the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat with the feed air passing through the indoor evaporator 16 to heat the feed air. The heater core 22 corresponds to the heater core of the present invention. The heater core 22 is disposed in the casing 51 of the indoor air conditioning unit 50. An inlet side of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is connected to an outlet side of the water passage in the heater core 22.

The high-temperature-side radiator 23 is a heat exchanger as follows: the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is heat-exchanged with outside air blown by an outside air fan not shown, and the heat of the high-temperature-side heat medium is radiated to the outside air.

The high-temperature-side radiator 23 is disposed on the front side in the vehicle hood. Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling, the traveling wind can be made to contact the high-temperature side radiator 23. The high-temperature-side radiator 23 may be formed integrally with the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 or the like. The outlet side of the high-temperature-side radiator 23 is connected to the inlet side of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21.

As shown in fig. 1, in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the heater core 22 and the high-temperature-side radiator 23 are connected in parallel with respect to the flow of the high-temperature-side heat medium. Therefore, in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 can adjust the amount of heat radiation from the high-temperature-side heat medium in the heater core 22 to the feed air, that is, the amount of heating of the feed air in the heater core 22, by adjusting the flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core 22.

The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 also includes a high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 that recovers and receives the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10. Therefore, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 corresponds to the high-temperature-side heat receiving unit in the present invention, and also corresponds to the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit in the present invention. The specific configuration of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 will be described in detail later.

Next, the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 in the heat pump system 1 will be described. The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 is a heat medium circulation circuit for circulating a low-temperature-side heat medium. As the low-temperature-side heat medium, the same fluid as that of the high-temperature-side heat medium can be used. The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 is provided with a water passage of the cooler 18, a low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31, an in-vehicle device 32, a low-temperature-side radiator 33, a low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34, and the like.

The low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 is a water pump that pumps the low-temperature-side heat medium to the inlet side of the water passage of the cooler 18. The basic structure of the low temperature side heat medium pump 31 is the same as that of the high temperature side heat medium pump 21.

One of the outlet and inlet ports of the low temperature side flow rate adjustment valve 34 is connected to the outlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18. The low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34 has the same basic structure as the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. That is, the low temperature side flow rate adjustment valve 34 is constituted by an electric three-way flow rate adjustment valve.

The other inflow/outflow port of the low temperature side flow rate control valve 34 is connected to the inlet side of the water passage in the in-vehicle device 32. The inlet side of the low temperature side radiator 33 is connected to the other inlet/outlet of the low temperature side flow rate adjustment valve 34.

The in-vehicle device 32 is mounted on the electric vehicle, and is configured as a device that generates heat during operation. The in-vehicle device 32 corresponds to a heat generating device in the present invention. The in-vehicle device 32 includes, for example, a battery, an inverter, a charger, a motor generator, and the like.

The battery supplies electric power to various electric devices mounted on the vehicle, and is configured by, for example, a secondary battery (a lithium ion battery in the present embodiment) that can be charged and discharged. The inverter is a power conversion unit that converts direct current into alternating current.

The charger is a charger that charges the battery with power. The motor generator is supplied with electric power to output driving force for traveling, and generates regenerative electric power at the time of deceleration or the like.

Therefore, the cooling water passage in the in-vehicle apparatus 32 is formed so as to be able to cool each apparatus by circulating the low-temperature-side heat medium. The outlet side of the cooling water passage in the in-vehicle equipment 32 is connected to the inlet side of the low temperature side heat medium pump 31.

The temperatures of the respective constituent devices included in the in-vehicle device 32 need to be adjusted within appropriate temperature ranges that can exhibit sufficient performance. Therefore, the heat pump system 1 can adjust each device of the in-vehicle device 32 to an appropriate temperature zone by adjusting the flow rate of the low-temperature side heat medium to the water passage of the in-vehicle device 32.

The low temperature side radiator 33 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low temperature side heat medium flowing out of the low temperature side flow rate adjustment valve 34 and outside air blown by an outside air fan, not shown. When the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium is higher than the outside air, the low-temperature-side radiator 33 functions as a heat exchanger for radiating heat of the low-temperature-side heat medium to the outside air.

When the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium is lower than the outside air, the low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34 functions as a heat-absorbing heat exchanger that allows the low-temperature-side heat medium to absorb heat of the outside air. The outlet side of the low temperature side radiator 33 is connected to the inlet side of the low temperature side heat medium pump 31. That is, the low-temperature-side radiator 33 is arranged in parallel with the vehicle-mounted equipment 32 along the flow of the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

The heat pump system 1 can cool and adjust the temperature of the in-vehicle equipment 32 by using the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and can use heat generated in the in-vehicle equipment 32 as a heat source. In addition, the heat pump system 1 can use outside air as a heat source or radiate heat to the outside air by using the low-temperature-side radiator 33 of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

Next, the indoor air conditioning unit 50 constituting the heat pump system 1 will be described. The indoor air conditioning unit 50 is a unit for blowing out the feed air temperature-adjusted by the heat pump cycle 10 to an appropriate location in the vehicle interior in the heat pump system 1. The indoor air conditioning unit 50 is disposed inside an instrument panel (i.e., an instrument panel) at the forefront of the vehicle interior.

The indoor air conditioning unit 50 is configured by housing a blower 52, an indoor evaporator 16, a heater core 22, and the like in an air passage formed inside a case 51, wherein the case 51 forms an outer shell of the indoor air conditioning unit 50. The casing 51 forms an air passage for blowing the blast air into the vehicle interior, and is molded from a resin (specifically, polypropylene) having a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength.

As shown in fig. 1, an inside/outside air switching device 53 is disposed on the most upstream side of the flow of the blast air in the casing 51. The inside/outside air switching device 53 switches between inside air (vehicle interior air) and outside air (vehicle exterior air) and introduces them into the casing 51.

The inside/outside air switching device 53 can continuously adjust the opening areas of the inside air inlet for introducing the inside air into the casing 51 and the outside air inlet for introducing the outside air into the casing 51 by the inside/outside air switching door, thereby changing the ratio of the amount of introduced inside air to the amount of introduced outside air. The inside/outside air switching door is driven by an electric actuator for the inside/outside air switching door. The electric actuator controls its operation in accordance with a control signal output from the control device 60.

A blower 52 is disposed on the downstream side of the flow of the blowing air of the inside/outside air switching device 53. The blower 52 is composed of an electric blower in which a centrifugal sirocco fan is driven by an electric motor, and functions to blow air sucked through the inside/outside air switching device 53 into the vehicle interior. The blower 52 controls the rotation speed (i.e., the blowing capacity) by a control voltage output from the control device 60.

The indoor evaporator 16 and the heater core 22 are disposed in this order with respect to the flow of the blowing air on the downstream side of the blowing air flow of the blower 52. That is, the indoor evaporator 16 is disposed upstream of the heater core 22 in the flow of the blowing air. Further, a cool air bypass passage 55 is formed in the casing 51 so that the air passing through the indoor evaporator 16 bypasses the heater core 22 and flows downstream.

An air mix door 54 is disposed on the downstream side of the indoor evaporator 16 in the flow of the blowing air and on the upstream side of the heater core 22 in the flow of the blowing air. The air mix door 54 adjusts the air volume ratio of the air volume passing through the heater core 22 to the air volume passing through the cold air bypass passage 55 in the feed air passing through the indoor evaporator 16.

The air mix door 54 is driven by an electric actuator for driving the air mix door. The electric actuator controls its operation in accordance with a control signal output from the control device 60.

A mixing space 56 is provided on the downstream side of the blowing air flow of the heater core 22. In the mixing space 56, the supply air heated by the heater core 22 is mixed with the supply air that passes through the cold-air bypass passage 55 without being heated by the heater core 22.

Further, an opening hole for blowing out the supply air (air-conditioned air) mixed in the mixing space into the vehicle interior is disposed in the most downstream portion of the supply air flow of the casing 51. The opening holes include a face opening hole, a foot opening hole, and a defrost opening hole (none of which are shown).

The face opening hole is an opening hole for blowing out the air-conditioning wind toward the upper body of the occupant in the vehicle compartment. The foot opening hole is an opening hole for blowing out the air-conditioning air toward the foot edge of the occupant. The defrosting opening hole is an opening hole for blowing out the air-conditioned air toward the inner side surface of the vehicle front window glass.

The face opening hole, the foot opening hole, and the defroster opening hole are connected to a face air outlet, a foot air outlet, and a defroster air outlet (all not shown) provided in the vehicle interior via ducts forming air passages, respectively.

Therefore, the air mix door 54 adjusts the temperature of the conditioned air mixed in the mixing space by adjusting the air volume ratio of the air volume passing through the heater core 22 to the air volume passing through the cold-air bypass passage 55. Thereby, the temperature of the feed air (air conditioning air) blown out into the vehicle interior from each air outlet is also adjusted.

A face door for adjusting the opening area of the face opening, a foot door for adjusting the opening area of the foot opening, and a defrost door for adjusting the opening area of the defrost opening are disposed on the upstream side of the blowing air flow of the face opening, the foot opening, and the defrost opening, respectively (none of which are shown).

These face door, foot door, and defroster door constitute a blow-out mode switching device that switches the blow-out port from which the conditioned air is blown out. The face door, the foot door, and the defroster door are linked to an electric actuator for driving the outlet mode door via a link mechanism or the like and are rotationally operated in an interlocking manner. The electric actuator controls its operation in accordance with a control signal output from the control device 60.

Here, in the heat pump system 1 according to the first embodiment, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 includes the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 for recovering the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10. The structure of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

The high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 recovers the waste heat of the compressor 11 by allowing the high-temperature-side heat medium circulating through the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 to absorb the waste heat, and allows the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 to receive the waste heat of the compressor 11.

As shown in fig. 2, the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 includes a housing portion 25a, a high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26, and a high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27. The housing portion 25a, the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26, and the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 are connected to each other, and constitute a flow path through which a high-temperature-side heat medium circulating in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 flows.

As shown in fig. 1, the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26 is a pipe branched from a high-temperature-side branch portion 26a disposed on the outlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. As described above, the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26 is connected to the housing portion 25 a. Therefore, in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the flow of the high-temperature-side heat medium branched by the high-temperature-side branch portion 26a reaches the inside of the accommodating portion 25 a.

The high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 extends from the housing portion 25a and is connected to a high-temperature-side junction 27a of the circulation circuit disposed in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20. The high-temperature-side merging portion 27a is located on the outlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 on the downstream side in the flow direction of the high-temperature-side heat medium from the high-temperature-side branch portion 26 a.

Therefore, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the accommodating portion 25a merges, at the outlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, with the high-temperature-side heat medium circulating through the heater core 22 and the like in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

Here, as shown in fig. 2, the housing portion 25a of the high temperature side recovery portion 25 is formed to cover the outer surface of the compressor 11. That is, the housing portion 25a houses the compressor 11 and a part of the refrigerant pipe connected to the compressor 11.

Therefore, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26 flows into the interior of the housing portion 25a and flows along the outer surface of the compressor 11. At this time, the high-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat from the waste heat of the compressor 11 and recovers the heat.

Thereafter, the high-temperature-side heat medium flows out of the housing portion 25a, and merges with the circulation circuit of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 via the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27. Thus, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can receive the waste heat of the compressor 11 by recovering the waste heat through the flow of the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25.

As shown in fig. 2, the heat storage material 25b is disposed in the housing portion 25a of the high temperature side recovery portion 25. The heat storage material 25b is a latent heat storage material that undergoes a phase change during heat storage. The phase transition temperature of the heat storage material 25b is set in a range higher than the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the housing portion 25a and lower than the temperature of the compressor 11.

The heat storage material 25b is configured to store waste heat of the compressor 11 and release the stored heat to the high-temperature-side heat medium when the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium is lower than a predetermined temperature.

The heat storage material 25b is arranged around the compressor 11 in the housing portion 25a in a state of being enclosed in a plurality of spherical resin or metal capsules. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing from the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26 into the housing 25a flows through the clearance of the capsule and flows into the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27.

As the heat storage material 25b in the high temperature side recovery unit 25, for example, (a water-based heat storage material, a paraffin-based heat storage material, a higher alcohol-based heat storage material, an inorganic salt-based heat storage material), or the like can be used. As the water-based heat-accumulative material, for example, sodium acetate trihydrate and magnesium chloride tetrahydrate can be used.

As the paraffin-based heat-accumulative material, for example, n-heptacosane, n-octacosane, n-nonacosane and stearyl stearate can be used. As the higher alcohol heat storage material, for example, xylitol can be used. As the heat storage material 25b, a mixture of these materials can be used.

Therefore, when the ambient temperature is higher than the heat storage temperature due to the waste heat of the compressor 11, the heat storage material 25b absorbs heat from the ambient and undergoes a phase change. Thereby, the waste heat of the compressor 11 is accumulated in the heat storage material 25 b. The heat storage material 25b storing heat changes sensible heat so as to approach the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium. When the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium is lower than the heat storage temperature, the heat storage material 25b releases the stored waste heat of the compressor 11 to the high-temperature-side heat medium, and changes the phase.

That is, in the first embodiment, the heat storage portion 40 can be configured by disposing the heat storage material 25b in the housing portion 25a of the high temperature side recovery portion 25. The heat storage unit 40 stores heat of the waste heat of the compressor 11, and when the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium is lower than a predetermined heat storage temperature, the heat storage unit 40 releases the stored heat to the high-temperature-side heat medium. That is, the heat storage portion 40 corresponds to the heat storage portion in the present invention.

Next, a control system of the heat pump system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3. The control device 60 is constituted by a known microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and peripheral circuits thereof.

The control device 60 performs various calculations and processes based on a control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of various control target devices connected to the output side thereof. The control target devices in the first embodiment include a compressor 11, a cooling expansion valve 15a, a heat absorption expansion valve 15b, a high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21, a high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24, a low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31, a low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34, a blower 52, and the like.

As shown in fig. 3, a sensor group for air conditioning control is connected to the input side of the control device 60. This sensor group for air conditioner control includes: an inside air temperature sensor 62a, an outside air temperature sensor 62b, a solar radiation sensor 62c, a high pressure sensor 62d, an evaporator temperature sensor 62e, and an air conditioning air temperature sensor 62 f. Detection signals of these sensor groups for air conditioning control are input to control device 60.

The interior air temperature sensor 62a is an interior air temperature detecting unit that detects a vehicle interior temperature (interior air temperature) Tr. The outside air temperature sensor 62b is an outside air temperature detecting unit that detects a vehicle outside temperature (outside air temperature) Tam. The solar radiation sensor 62c is a solar radiation amount detection unit that detects the amount of solar radiation As irradiated into the vehicle interior. The high-pressure sensor 62d is a refrigerant pressure detection unit that detects a high-pressure refrigerant pressure Pd in a refrigerant passage from the discharge port side of the compressor 11 to the inlet side of the cooling expansion valve 15a or the heat absorption expansion valve 15 b.

The evaporator temperature sensor 62e is an evaporator temperature detecting portion that detects a refrigerant evaporation temperature (evaporator temperature) Tefin in the indoor evaporator 16. The air-conditioning air temperature sensor 62f is an air-conditioning air temperature detection unit that detects the temperature TAV of the supply air blown into the vehicle interior.

An operation panel 61 disposed near the instrument panel in the front of the vehicle interior is also connected to the input side of the control device 60. A plurality of operation switches are disposed on the operation panel 61. Therefore, the control device 60 receives operation signals from the plurality of operation switches.

Specifically, the various operation switches on the operation panel 61 include: an automatic switch for setting or releasing the automatic control operation of the heat pump system 1, a cooling switch for requesting cooling of the vehicle interior, an air volume setting switch for manually setting the air volume of the blower 52, a temperature setting switch for setting the target temperature Tset in the vehicle interior, and the like.

In the control device 60, the control unit that controls various devices to be controlled connected to the output side thereof is integrally configured, but the configuration (hardware and software) that controls the operation of each device to be controlled constitutes the control unit that controls the operation of each device to be controlled.

For example, the control device 60 is configured to control the operation of the compressor 11 by a discharge capacity control unit 60 a. The control device 60 is configured to control the operations of the cooling expansion valve 15a and the heat absorption expansion valve 15b as a circuit switching unit, and is a circuit switching control unit 60 b.

Next, the operation of the heat pump system 1 in the first embodiment will be described. As described above, in the heat pump system 1 according to the first embodiment, the operation mode can be appropriately switched from the plurality of operation modes. These operation modes are switched by executing a control program stored in advance in the control device 60.

More specifically, in the control program, the target outlet temperature TAO of the blast air to be blown into the vehicle interior is calculated based on the detection signal detected by the sensor group for air conditioning control and the operation signal output from the operation panel 61. Then, the operation mode is switched based on the target outlet air temperature TAO and the detection signal. Hereinafter, among the plurality of operation modes, an operation in the cooling mode, an operation in the heating mode, and an operation in the dehumidification and heating mode will be described.

(a) Refrigeration mode

The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged is cooled and blown into the vehicle interior. In this cooling mode, the controller 60 opens the cooling expansion valve 15a at a predetermined throttle opening degree, and sets the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b in a fully closed state.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11 → the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 → the refrigerant branching portion 14a → the expansion valve for cooling 15a → the indoor evaporator 16 → the evaporation pressure adjustment valve 17 → the refrigerant merging portion 14b → the compressor 11.

That is, in the cooling mode, the following refrigerant circuits are switched: the refrigerant flows into the indoor evaporator 16, and cools the feed air by heat exchange with the feed air.

In this loop configuration, the control device 60 controls the operation of various devices to be controlled connected to the output side.

For example, the control device 60 controls the operation of the compressor 11 such that the refrigerant evaporation temperature Tefin detected by the evaporator temperature sensor 62e becomes the target evaporation temperature TEO. The target evaporation temperature TEO is determined based on the target outlet air temperature TAO with reference to a control map for the cooling mode, which is stored in advance in the control device 60.

Specifically, in this control map, the target evaporation temperature TEO is increased in accordance with the increase in the target outlet air temperature TAO so that the feed air temperature TAV detected by the air-conditioning air temperature sensor 62f approaches the target outlet air temperature TAO. The target evaporation temperature TEO is determined to be a value in a range (specifically, 1 ℃ or higher) in which the frost formation of the indoor evaporator 16 can be suppressed.

The control device 60 also operates the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 so as to exhibit the hydraulic pressure feed capacity in the predetermined cooling mode. The control device 60 controls the operation of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 so that the entire flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the high-temperature-side radiator 23.

The control device 60 operates the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 so as to exhibit the water pressure feed capacity in the cooling mode. At this time, the control device 60 controls the operation of the low temperature side flow rate adjustment valve 34 to adjust the flow rate balance of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out of the water passage of the cooler 18 so as to be an arbitrary balance between the vehicle-mounted device 32 side and the low temperature side radiator 33 side.

The controller 60 determines the control voltage (blowing capacity) of the blower 52 based on the target outlet air temperature TAO with reference to a control map stored in advance in the controller 60. Specifically, in this control map, the air blowing amount of the blower 52 is set to be maximum in the extremely low temperature region (maximum cooling region) and the extremely high temperature region (maximum heating region) of the target outlet air temperature TAO, and the air blowing amount is decreased as the temperature approaches the intermediate temperature region.

Further, the control device 60 controls the operation of the air mix door 54 so that the cool-air bypass passage 55 is fully opened and closes the ventilation passage on the heater core 22 side. The control device 60 also appropriately controls the operation of other various devices to be controlled.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, since the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is operating, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and condensed, and the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the high-temperature-side radiator 23 through the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the high-temperature-side radiator 23 exchanges heat with outside air to dissipate heat. Thereby, the high-temperature-side heat medium is cooled. The high-temperature-side heat medium cooled by the high-temperature-side radiator 23 is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and fed under pressure into the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

The high-pressure refrigerant cooled in the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the cooling expansion valve 15a via the refrigerant branch portion 14a and is depressurized. The throttle opening degree of the cooling expansion valve 15a is adjusted so that the superheat degree of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is substantially 3 ℃.

The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the indoor evaporator 16. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor evaporator 16 absorbs heat from the air blown by the blower fan 52 and evaporates. Thereby, the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged is cooled. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 is sucked into the compressor 11 via the evaporation pressure regulating valve 17 and the refrigerant merging portion 14b and is compressed again.

Therefore, in the cooling mode, the air cooled by the interior evaporator 16 is blown into the vehicle interior, thereby cooling the vehicle interior.

In this cooling mode, waste heat of the compressor 11 is generated along with the operation of the compressor 11. As described above, in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be recovered by absorbing heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be stored by the heat storage material 25 b. That is, according to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be recovered and stored by the high-temperature-side heat medium of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 and the heat storage material 25b, and can be appropriately used by radiating heat to the high-pressure refrigerant side.

(b) Heating mode

The heating mode is an operation mode in which the cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 to heat the air to be blown as the heat exchange target fluid into the vehicle interior. In the heating mode, the controller 60 sets the cooling expansion valve 15a to a fully closed state, and opens the heat absorption expansion valve 15b at a predetermined throttle opening degree.

In the heat pump cycle 10 of the heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11 → the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 → the refrigerant branching portion 14a → the expansion valve for heat absorption 15b → the cooler 18 → the refrigerant merging portion 14b → the compressor 11.

That is, in the heating mode, the following refrigerant circuits are switched: the refrigerant is made to flow into the cooler 18, and the air is heated by the heat absorbed by the heat exchange with the low-temperature-side heat medium.

Here, the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 is heated by the waste heat generated by the in-vehicle equipment 32 while passing through the in-vehicle equipment 32. When the low-temperature-side heat medium passes through the low-temperature-side radiator 33, the low-temperature-side heat medium is heated by heat exchange with the outside air. That is, in the heating mode, the heat pump system 1 can use the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the outside air as heat sources for heating.

In this loop configuration, the control device 60 controls the operation of various devices to be controlled connected to the output side.

For example, the controller 60 controls the operation of the compressor 11 so that the high-pressure refrigerant pressure Pd detected by the high-pressure sensor 62d becomes the target high-pressure PCO. The target high pressure PCO is determined based on the target outlet air temperature TAO with reference to a control map for the heating mode stored in advance in the control device 60.

Specifically, in this control map, the target high pressure PCO is increased so that the feed air temperature TAV approaches the target outlet temperature TAO as the target outlet temperature TAO increases.

The control device 60 also operates the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 so as to exhibit a hydraulic pressure transmission capability in a predetermined heating mode. The control device 60 controls the operation of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 so that the entire flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22.

The control device 60 operates the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 so as to exhibit the water pressure feed capacity in the heating mode. At this time, the control device 60 controls the operation of the low temperature side flow rate adjustment valve 34 to adjust the flow rate balance of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out of the water passage of the cooler 18 so as to be an arbitrary balance between the vehicle-mounted device 32 side and the low temperature side radiator 33 side.

The control device 60 determines the control voltage (blowing capacity) of the blower 52 in the same manner as in the cooling mode. Further, the control device 60 controls the operation of the air mix door 54 so that the ventilation passage on the heater core 22 side is fully opened and the cool air bypass passage 55 is closed. Further, the control device 60 also appropriately controls the operation of other various devices to be controlled.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 of the heating mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, since the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is operating, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and condensed, and the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22 through the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. Since the air mix door 54 fully opens the ventilation path on the heater core 22 side, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 exchanges heat with the air passing through the indoor evaporator 16 to dissipate the heat.

Thereby, the feed air as the heat exchange target fluid is heated, and the temperature of the feed air approaches the target outlet temperature TAO. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the heater core 22 is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and pressure-fed to the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

The high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b via the refrigerant branch portion 14a and is reduced in pressure. The throttle opening degree of the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is adjusted so that the refrigerant on the outlet side of the cooler 18 is in a gas-liquid two-phase state.

At this time, in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, the low-temperature-side heat medium circulates in the circulation circuit by the operation of the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31. The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat generated at the in-vehicle apparatus 32 when passing through the water passage of the in-vehicle apparatus 32.

The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat from the outside air blown by the outside air fan when passing through the low-temperature-side radiator 33. The low-temperature-side heat medium flows into the water passage of the cooler 18 in a state where it absorbs heat in the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the low-temperature-side radiator 33.

In the heat pump cycle 10, the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b flows into the cooler 18. The refrigerant flowing into the cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the water passage of the cooler 18 and evaporates. The refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 18 is sucked into the compressor 11 via the refrigerant merging portion 14b and compressed again.

Therefore, in the heating mode, the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged is heated in the heater core 22 and blown into the vehicle interior, whereby the vehicle interior can be heated. That is, in the heating mode, the heat pump system 1 can use the heat pump cycle 10 to extract heat absorbed from the in-vehicle equipment 32 or the outside air in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 and use the heat for heating the feed air via the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

In this heating mode, the operation of the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10 is also required. Therefore, in the heating mode, waste heat of the compressor 11 is also generated. The heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 through the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

Specifically, a part of the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 branches off from the circulation circuit in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and flows into the housing portion 25a through the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26. In the housing portion 25a, the high-temperature-side heat medium absorbs the waste heat of the compressor 11, and merges with the circulation circuit of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 via the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27. In this way, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 and convey the waste heat of the compressor 11 to the circulation circuit side of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

According to the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side heat medium of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can be heated by using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in addition to the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant including the heat drawn from the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and the high-temperature-side heat medium can be radiated to the feed air in the heater core 22.

Thus, the heat pump system 1 can radiate heat to the high-pressure refrigerant side by using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in addition to the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 as the heat source in the heating mode, and therefore the heating capacity of the heat pump system 1 can be improved.

(c) Dehumidification heating mode

The dehumidification and heating mode is an operation mode as follows: the blow air cooled by the indoor evaporator 16 is heated and blown into the vehicle interior using heat or the like absorbed from the low-temperature-side heat medium of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 in the cooler 18. In the dehumidification and heating mode, the controller 60 opens the cooling expansion valve 15a and the heat absorption expansion valve 15b at predetermined throttle openings.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidification and heating mode, the refrigerant flows from the compressor 11 to the refrigerant branch portion 14a via the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, flows from one side of the refrigerant branch portion 14a to the indoor evaporator 16 via the cooling expansion valve 15a, and flows from the other side of the refrigerant branch portion 14a to the cooler 18 via the heat absorption expansion valve 15 b. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 and the refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 18 are merged at the refrigerant merging portion 14b, and then flow and circulate through the compressor 11 in this order. That is, in the dehumidification and heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the refrigerant flows in parallel to the indoor evaporator 16 and the cooler 18.

In this cycle configuration, the control device 60 controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side with reference to a control map for the dehumidification and heating mode and the like stored in advance in the control device 60.

In the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidification and heating mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, since the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is operating, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and condensed, and the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22 through the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. Since the air mix door 54 fully opens the ventilation path on the heater core 22 side, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 exchanges heat with the feed air cooled by the indoor evaporator 16 to dissipate heat.

As a result, the feed air is reheated from the cooled state, and the temperature of the feed air approaches the target outlet temperature TAO. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the heater core 22 is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and pressure-fed to the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

The high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the cooling expansion valve 15a via the refrigerant branch portion 14a and is reduced in pressure. The throttle opening degree of the cooling expansion valve 15a is adjusted so that the superheat degree of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is substantially 3 ℃.

The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the indoor evaporator 16. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor evaporator 16 absorbs heat from the air blown by the blower fan 52 and evaporates. Thereby, the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged is cooled. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 is sucked into the compressor 11 via the evaporation pressure regulating valve 17 and the refrigerant merging portion 14b and is compressed again.

The high-pressure refrigerant branched at the refrigerant branch portion 14a flows into the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b and is decompressed. The throttle opening degree of the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is adjusted so that the refrigerant on the outlet side of the cooler 18 is in a gas-liquid two-phase state.

In the dehumidification and heating mode, the low-temperature-side heat medium is circulated through the circulation circuit by the operation of the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 also in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat generated at the in-vehicle apparatus 32 when passing through the water passage of the in-vehicle apparatus 32.

The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat from the outside air blown by the outside air fan when passing through the low-temperature-side radiator 33. The low-temperature-side heat medium flows into the water passage of the cooler 18 in a state where it absorbs heat in the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the low-temperature-side radiator 33.

In the heat pump cycle 10, the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b flows into the cooler 18. The refrigerant flowing into the cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the water passage of the cooler 18 and evaporates. The refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 18 is sucked into the compressor 11 via the refrigerant merging portion 14b and compressed again.

As described above, since the heater core 22 is disposed inside the casing 51 on the downstream side of the flow of the air in the indoor evaporator 16, the air cooled by the indoor evaporator 16 can be heated by the heater core 22 using the heat absorbed in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 in the dehumidification and heating mode. Therefore, in the dehumidification and heating mode, the air-sending cooled by the interior evaporator 16 is heated in the heater core 22 and blown into the vehicle interior, thereby enabling dehumidification and heating of the vehicle interior.

That is, in the heat pump system 1, even in the dehumidification and heating mode, the heat pump cycle 10 can absorb the heat absorbed from the in-vehicle equipment 32 or the outside air in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and can be used for heating the feed air via the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

In the dehumidification and heating mode, the operation of the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10 is also required. Therefore, in the dehumidification and heating mode, waste heat of the compressor 11 is also generated. The heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 via the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20. The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 and convey the waste heat of the compressor 11 to the circulation circuit side of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, as in the heating mode.

According to the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side heat medium of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can be heated by using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in addition to the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant including the heat drawn from the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and the air cooled by the indoor evaporator 16 can be heated in the heater core 22.

Thus, the heat pump system 1 can radiate heat to the high-pressure refrigerant side by using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in addition to the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 as the heat source in the dehumidification and heating mode, and therefore the heating capacity of the heat pump system 1 in the dehumidification and heating mode can be improved.

As described above, according to the heat pump system 1 of the first embodiment, the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump cycle 10 is switched, whereby the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode can be realized among the plurality of operation modes, and comfortable air conditioning can be performed in the vehicle interior.

In the heat pump cycle 10, the refrigerant circuit into which the high-pressure refrigerant flows and the refrigerant circuit into which the low-pressure refrigerant flows into the same heat exchanger are not switched. That is, regardless of which refrigerant circuit is switched, it is not necessary to cause the high-pressure refrigerant to flow into the indoor evaporator 16 and the cooler 18, and therefore the refrigerant circuits can be switched with a simple configuration without complicating the cycle configuration.

In any of these operation modes, the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10 is operated, and therefore, waste heat of the compressor 11 is generated. According to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be recovered via the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and used in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

In the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 corresponds to a high-temperature-side heat receiving unit in the present invention, and the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 corresponds to a recovery unit in the present invention.

With this configuration, in the heat pump system 1, when the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, the recovered heat is transported, and the recovered heat is used in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium can be present, and the heat generation of the compressor 11 can be handled more efficiently.

In addition, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 has a heater core 22. Therefore, the heat pump system 1 can use the waste heat of the compressor 11 recovered via the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 for heating the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged in the heating mode or the dehumidification and heating mode, and can improve the heating capacity of the fluid to be heat-exchanged.

In the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 includes the high-temperature-side radiator 23, and therefore, the heat of the high-temperature-side heat medium can be radiated to the outside air. That is, the heat quantity of the high-temperature-side heat medium can be adjusted by the high-temperature-side radiator 23.

Therefore, the heat pump system 1 can adjust the heating capacity (i.e., heating capacity) of the feed air as the fluid to be heat-exchanged. The heat pump system 1 can perform heating by effectively using the waste heat of the compressor 11 and can adjust the heating capacity to a desired level.

As shown in fig. 1, in this heat pump system 1, a heat pump cycle 10 has an indoor evaporator 16 and a cooler 18. The indoor evaporator 16 evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a by heat exchange with the feed air, and absorbs heat from the feed air to cool the refrigerant. The cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 by heat exchange between the refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b and the low-temperature-side heat medium.

According to the heat pump system 1, by disposing the two heat absorbers in the heat pump cycle 10, it is possible to exchange heat between two different heat media, such as a low-temperature-side heat medium and feed air, and a refrigerant, and it is possible to cope with various applications.

As shown in fig. 2, in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 of the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 is configured by disposing a plurality of heat storage materials 25b in the housing unit 25 a. That is, the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 functions as the heat storage unit according to the present invention.

According to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be accumulated in the heat storage material 25b in the storage portion 25 a. When the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium is lower than a predetermined temperature, the heat storage materials 25b constituting the heat storage unit 40 release the stored heat to the high-temperature-side heat medium.

Therefore, according to the heat pump system 1, the heat accumulated in the heat storage unit 40 can be used in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the temperature condition of the high-temperature-side heat medium. That is, the heat pump system 1 can flexibly use the waste heat of the compressor 11 according to the condition of the high-temperature-side heat medium.

(first modification)

In the first embodiment, the high-temperature-side branch portion 26a and the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 are disposed on the outlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, but as shown in fig. 4, the high-temperature-side branch portion 26a and the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a may be disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In fig. 4, the same or equivalent portions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. This is also true in the following figures.

As shown in fig. 4, the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a is disposed on the inlet side of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, downstream of the high-temperature-side branch portion 26a with respect to the flow of the high-temperature-side heat medium. In the first modification, the arrangement of the high-temperature side branch portion 26a and the high-temperature side junction portion 27a corresponds to a difference from the first embodiment.

Therefore, the structure other than this point is the same as that of the first embodiment. The operations of the heat pump cycle 10, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 in the first modification are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

Thus, in the first modification, the heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 using the high-temperature-side heat medium before flowing into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side heat medium from which the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered is heated by the high-pressure refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12.

According to the heat pump system 1 of the first modification example, the operational advantages and effects obtained by the configuration and operation common to those of the first embodiment can be obtained in the same manner as those of the first embodiment. That is, the heat pump system 1 can recover and effectively use the waste heat of the compressor 11 by using the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25.

In the first embodiment and the first modification, the conditions can be appropriately selected according to the temperature of the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11, the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium at the time of merging at the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a, and the like. By selecting the heat source according to these conditions, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be used more effectively.

(second modification)

In the first embodiment, the heat pump system 1 includes the heat pump cycle 10, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, but is not limited to this configuration. That is, as shown in fig. 5, the heat pump system 1 according to the first embodiment can be configured to omit the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

In this case, the outdoor heat exchanger 18a is disposed in place of the cooler 18 in the heat pump cycle 10. The outdoor heat exchanger 18a is an evaporation unit that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage and the outside air to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant at least in the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode.

That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 18a is a heat-absorbing heat exchanger that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant and allows the refrigerant to absorb heat of the outside air at least in the heating mode and the dehumidification heating mode. The outdoor heat exchanger 18a functions as a heat absorber in the present invention, and corresponds to either one of the first heat absorber and the second heat absorber.

As shown in fig. 5, the heat pump system 1 according to the second modification does not have the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and therefore does not have the temperature adjustment function of the in-vehicle equipment 32, but retains the air conditioning function in the vehicle interior. The control contents of the heat pump cycle 10 and the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 in the second modification are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

Therefore, the heat pump system 1 according to the second modification can obtain the operational advantages and effects obtained by the configuration and operation common to those of the first embodiment described above, similarly to the first embodiment. That is, the heat pump system 1 can recover and effectively use the waste heat of the compressor 11 by using the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25.

(third modification)

Next, a third modification of the first embodiment will be described. As shown in fig. 6, in the third modification, the high-temperature-side branch portion 26a and the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a are disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12.

In the third modification, the outdoor heat exchanger 18a is disposed in place of the cooler 18 of the heat pump cycle 10, and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 is eliminated. That is, the third modification is a modification to the first embodiment to which both the different points of the first modification and the different points of the second modification are applied.

Therefore, the heat pump system 1 according to the third modification can obtain the operational advantages of the configuration and operation common to those of the first embodiment, similarly to the first modification and the second modification described above. That is, the heat pump system 1 can recover and effectively use the waste heat of the compressor 11 by using the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25.

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment different from the first embodiment described above will be described with reference to fig. 7.

The heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment is mounted on an electric vehicle in the same manner as the first embodiment. As shown in fig. 7, the heat pump system 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10, a high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, a low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, an indoor air conditioning unit 50, a control device 60, and the like.

In the second embodiment, the configurations of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 are different from those of the first embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, the configurations of the heat pump cycle 10, the indoor air conditioning unit 50, and the control device 60 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the second embodiment includes the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21, the heater core 22, the high-temperature-side radiator 23, and the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24, as in the first embodiment, and the configuration of the circulation circuit of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 is the same. However, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the second embodiment does not have the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, unlike the first embodiment.

On the other hand, the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the circulation circuit of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, including the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31, the in-vehicle equipment 32, the low-temperature-side radiator 33, and the low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34, as in the first embodiment.

As shown in fig. 7, unlike the first embodiment, the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 includes a low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 for recovering and utilizing the waste heat of the compressor 11. The low temperature side recovery unit 35 has a low temperature side inflow pipe 36 and a low temperature side outflow pipe 37.

The low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 recovers the waste heat of the compressor 11 by allowing the low-temperature-side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 to absorb the waste heat, and allows the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 to receive the waste heat of the compressor 11.

The low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 includes a storage unit, a low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36, and a low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37, which are not shown, and are connected to each other. Therefore, the storage section in the low-temperature-side recovery section 35, the low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36, and the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37 constitute a flow path through which the low-temperature-side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 flows.

As shown in fig. 7, the low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 is a pipe branched from a low-temperature-side branch portion 36a disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18. The low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 is connected to the housing portion of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. Therefore, in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, the flow of the low-temperature-side heat medium branched by the low-temperature-side branch portion 36a reaches the inside of the receiving portion in the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35.

The low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37 extends from the housing portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35, and is connected to a low-temperature-side junction portion 37a of the circulation circuit disposed in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. The low-temperature-side merging portion 37a is located on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18 on the downstream side of the low-temperature-side branch portion 36a in the flow direction of the low-temperature-side heat medium.

Therefore, the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the receiving portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35 merges with the low-temperature-side heat medium circulating through the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the like in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18.

The housing portion of the low temperature side recovery portion 35 is formed to cover the outer surface of the compressor 11 in the same manner as the housing portion 25a of the high temperature side recovery portion 25 described with reference to fig. 2, and houses the compressor 11 and a part of the refrigerant pipe connected to the compressor 11.

Therefore, the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 flows into the interior of the receiving portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35 and flows along the outer surface of the compressor 11. At this time, the low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs and recovers the waste heat of the compressor 11.

Then, the low-temperature-side heat medium flows out of the storage portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35, and merges with the circulation circuit of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 via the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37. Thus, the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 can receive the waste heat of the compressor 11 by recovering the waste heat through the flow of the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35.

Here, a heat storage material, not shown, is disposed in the housing portion of the low temperature side recovery portion 35. The heat storage material is a latent heat storage material that undergoes a phase change during heat storage, and is enclosed in a plurality of spherical resin or metal capsules.

The phase transition temperature of the heat storage material in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 is set to be higher than the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the receiving portion of the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 in a state where a predetermined temperature difference is present.

The heat storage material in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 is configured to store waste heat of the compressor 11 and to release the stored heat to the low-temperature-side heat medium when the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium is lower than a predetermined temperature.

A plurality of cold storage materials enclosed in capsules are disposed between the housing of the storage portion and the outer surface of the compressor 11 inside the storage portion in the low temperature side recovery portion 35. Therefore, the low-temperature-side heat medium flows through the clearance of the capsule in the accommodating portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35 and flows into the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37.

Examples of the heat storage material in the low temperature side recovery unit 35 include (water-based heat storage material, paraffin-based heat storage material, higher alcohol-based heat storage material, and inorganic salt-based heat storage material). The water-based heat storage material includes water, hydrates, and the like. Further, as the paraffin-based heat-accumulative material, for example, dodecane C12, tetradecane C14, and pentadecane C15 can be used.

As the higher alcohol heat storage material, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetrahydrofuran, for example, can be used. Further, as the inorganic salt type heat storage material, for example, tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrate, KCl (19.5 wt%) + H can be used₂O, dioctylammonium iodide, and the like. As the heat storage material 25b, a mixture of these materials can be used.

Therefore, when the ambient temperature is higher than the heat storage temperature due to the waste heat of the compressor 11, the heat storage material of the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 absorbs heat from the ambient temperature and changes phase. This accumulates the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the heat storage material in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35. Then, the heat storage material changes sensible heat so as to approach the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium. When the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium is lower than the heat storage temperature, the heat storage material releases the stored waste heat of the compressor 11 to the low-temperature-side heat medium, and a phase change occurs.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 is configured as the heat storage unit 40 by disposing the heat storage material in the housing portion of the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35. The heat storage unit 40 in the second embodiment stores heat of the waste heat of the compressor 11, and releases the stored heat to the low-temperature-side heat medium when the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium is lower than a predetermined heat storage temperature. That is, the heat storage unit 40 according to the second embodiment also functions as a heat storage unit in the present invention.

Next, the operation of the heat pump system 1 in the second embodiment will be described. In the heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment as well, the operation mode can be appropriately switched from the plurality of operation modes, as in the first embodiment. These operation modes are switched by executing a control program stored in advance in the control device 60.

As is apparent from fig. 1 and 7, the heat pump cycle 10 according to the second embodiment has the same circuit configuration as the heat pump cycle 10 according to the first embodiment. The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the second embodiment has the same circuit configuration as the first embodiment except that it does not include the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25. The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 according to the second embodiment has the same circuit configuration as the first embodiment except for the fact that it includes the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35.

Therefore, the heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment can realize the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode by performing the same control as in the first embodiment. In the heat pump system 1, the compressor 11 operates when operating in the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode.

Thus, according to the heat pump system 1 of the second embodiment, the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 can absorb and recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 by the low-temperature-side heat medium in any operation mode, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be stored by the heat storage material in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35.

That is, according to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered and stored by using the low-temperature-side heat medium and the heat storage material of the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35, and thereby the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be effectively used via the heat pump cycle 10 without being wasted.

In the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, the low-temperature-side branch portion 36a and the low-temperature-side merging portion 37a are disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18. That is, the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the cooler 18 can be increased by the waste heat of the compressor 11.

As a result, according to the heat pump system 1 of the second embodiment, the amount of heat absorbed in the cooler 18 can be increased by effectively using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode.

As described above, according to the heat pump system 2 of the first embodiment, the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump cycle 10 is switched, whereby the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode can be realized among the plurality of operation modes, and comfortable air conditioning can be performed in the vehicle interior.

In the heat pump cycle 10, the refrigerant circuit into which the high-pressure refrigerant flows and the refrigerant circuit into which the low-pressure refrigerant flows into the same heat exchanger are not switched. That is, regardless of which refrigerant circuit is switched, it is not necessary to cause the high-pressure refrigerant to flow into the indoor evaporator 16 and the cooler 18, and therefore the refrigerant circuits can be switched with a simple configuration without complicating the cycle configuration.

In any of these operation modes, the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10 is operated, and therefore, waste heat of the compressor 11 is generated. According to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be recovered via the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 and used in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

In the heat pump system 1, the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 corresponds to a low-temperature-side heat receiving unit in the present invention, and the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 corresponds to a recovery unit in the present invention.

With this configuration, in the heat pump system 1, when the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35, the recovered heat is transported, and the recovered heat is used in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, the low-temperature-side heat medium can be present, and the heat generation of the compressor 11 can be handled more efficiently.

The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 has the in-vehicle equipment 32, and can cool the in-vehicle equipment 32 by allowing the low-temperature-side heat medium to absorb heat of the in-vehicle equipment 32 generated in association with the operation. That is, according to the heat pump system 1, by using the heat pump cycle 10 and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, it is possible to perform temperature adjustment of the in-vehicle equipment 32 and effectively utilize heat generated in the in-vehicle equipment 32.

The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 has a low-temperature-side radiator 33, and can make the low-temperature-side heat medium absorb heat of the outside air. This heat pump system 1 can thereby use outside air as a heat source.

Since the low-temperature-side branch portion 36a and the low-temperature-side merging portion 37a are disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18, the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35 is disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18 in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

Thus, according to the heat pump system 1, the low-temperature-side heat medium from which the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered flows into the cooler 18, and therefore the amount of heat absorbed in the cooler 18 can be increased.

As shown in fig. 7, in the heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment, the heat pump cycle 10 includes an indoor evaporator 16 and a cooler 18. The indoor evaporator 16 evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a by heat exchange with the feed air, and absorbs heat from the feed air to cool the refrigerant. The cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 by heat exchange between the refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b and the low-temperature-side heat medium.

According to the heat pump system 1, by disposing the two heat absorbers in the heat pump cycle 10, it is possible to exchange heat between two different heat media, such as a low-temperature-side heat medium and feed air, and a refrigerant, and it is possible to cope with various applications.

In the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 of the heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment, the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 is configured by disposing a plurality of heat storage materials in the interior of the housing unit, similarly to the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 according to the first embodiment. That is, the low temperature-side recovery unit 35 according to the second embodiment has a function of the heat storage unit according to the present invention.

According to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be accumulated in the heat storage material disposed in the storage portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35, and when the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium is lower than a predetermined temperature, the accumulated heat can be released to the low-temperature-side heat medium.

Therefore, according to the heat pump system 1, the heat stored in the heat storage unit 40 can be used in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 according to the temperature condition of the low-temperature-side heat medium. That is, the heat pump system 1 can flexibly use the waste heat of the compressor 11 according to the condition of the low-temperature-side heat medium.

(modification example)

The heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment includes the heat pump cycle 10, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, but is not limited to this configuration. That is, as shown in fig. 8, in the heat pump system 1 according to the second embodiment, a configuration can be adopted in which the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 is eliminated.

In this case, the indoor condenser 12a is disposed instead of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 in the heat pump cycle 10. The indoor condenser 12a is disposed in the same position as the heater core 22 in the first embodiment in the casing 51 of the indoor air conditioning unit 50.

The indoor condenser 12a is a heat exchanger that radiates heat of the high-pressure refrigerant to the air blown by the blower 52 to heat the air at least in the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode.

As shown in fig. 8, the heat pump system 1 according to this modification has a temperature adjustment function of the in-vehicle device 32, and can realize a heating mode and a dehumidification and heating mode among air conditioning functions in the vehicle interior. The contents of control of the heat pump cycle 10 and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 in this modification have already been described, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

Therefore, the heat pump system 1 according to the modification can obtain the operational advantages and effects obtained by the configuration and operation common to those of the second embodiment described above, similarly to the second embodiment. That is, the heat pump system 1 can recover and effectively use the waste heat of the compressor 11 by using the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 and the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35.

(third embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment different from the above-described embodiments will be described with reference to fig. 9.

The heat pump system 1 according to the third embodiment is mounted on an electric vehicle in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments. As shown in fig. 9, the heat pump system 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10, a high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, a low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, an indoor air conditioning unit 50, a control device 60, and the like.

In the third embodiment, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 are different in structure. That is, in the third embodiment, the configurations of the heat pump cycle 10, the indoor air conditioning unit 50, and the control device 60 are the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the third embodiment includes the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21, the heater core 22, the high-temperature-side radiator 23, and the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24, as in the above-described embodiments, and the configuration of the circulation circuit of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 is the same.

The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the third embodiment includes a high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, as in the first embodiment. The high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 includes a housing portion 25a, a high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26, and a high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27.

As shown in fig. 9, the housing portion 25a of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 according to the third embodiment is configured to cover approximately half of the outer surface of the compressor 11, and a plurality of heat storage materials 25b are disposed inside the housing portion 25 a. The heat storage material of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 according to the third embodiment has basically the same configuration as the heat storage material 25b of the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the high-temperature-side branch portion 26a and the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a are disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20. Therefore, on the inlet side of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high-temperature-side heat medium flows into the housing section of the high-temperature-side recovery section 25 through the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 is absorbed.

Then, the high-temperature-side heat medium that has absorbed the waste heat of the compressor 11 flows out through the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27, merges at the high-temperature-side merging portion 27a, and flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 can also recover a part of the waste heat of the compressor 11 via the high-temperature-side heat medium and receive it in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the circulation circuit of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, including the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31, the in-vehicle equipment 32, the low-temperature-side radiator 33, and the low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34, as in the above-described embodiments.

The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 according to the third embodiment includes a low-temperature-side recovery unit 35, as in the second embodiment. The low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 includes a storage unit, a low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36, and a low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37.

The housing portion of the low temperature-side recovery unit 35 according to the third embodiment is configured to cover a portion of the outer surface of the compressor 11 that is not covered by the housing portion 25a of the high temperature-side recovery unit 25 (i.e., about the remaining half of the outer surface of the compressor 11), and a plurality of heat storage materials are disposed inside the housing portion. The heat storage material of the low temperature-side recovery unit 35 according to the third embodiment has basically the same configuration as the heat storage material of the second embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the low-temperature-side branch portion 36a and the low-temperature-side merging portion 37a are disposed on the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18 in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. Therefore, on the inlet side of the water passage of the cooler 18, the low-temperature-side heat medium flows into the receiving section of the low-temperature-side recovery section 35 through the low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 is absorbed.

Then, the low-temperature-side heat medium that has absorbed the waste heat of the compressor 11 flows out through the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37, merges at the low-temperature-side merging portion 37a, and flows into the cooler 18. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 can also recover a part of the waste heat of the compressor 11 via the low-temperature-side heat medium and receive it in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

Next, the operation of the heat pump system 1 in the third embodiment will be described. In the heat pump system 1 according to the third embodiment as well, the operation mode can be appropriately switched from the plurality of operation modes, as in the above-described embodiment. These operation modes are switched by executing a control program stored in advance in the control device 60.

As is apparent from fig. 9, the heat pump cycle 10 according to the third embodiment has the same circuit configuration as the heat pump cycle 10 in the above-described embodiment. The high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to the third embodiment has the same circuit configuration as that of the first embodiment. The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 according to the third embodiment has the same circuit configuration as that of the second embodiment.

Therefore, the heat pump system 1 according to the third embodiment can realize the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode by performing the same control as in the above-described embodiment. In the heat pump system 1, the compressor 11 operates when operating in the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode.

Thus, according to the heat pump system 1 of the third embodiment, in any operation mode, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be absorbed and recovered by the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be absorbed and recovered by the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35.

Further, according to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be stored by the heat storage material in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, and the stored heat can be effectively used according to the temperature condition of the high-temperature-side heat medium. At the same time, the heat pump system 1 can store the waste heat of the compressor 11 by the heat storage material in the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35, and can effectively use the stored heat in accordance with the temperature condition of the low-temperature-side heat medium.

That is, according to the heat pump system 1 according to the third embodiment, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be effectively used via the heat pump cycle 10 in each of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 without being wasted.

On the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 side, the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium is increased by the waste heat of the compressor 11 recovered by the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25. That is, according to the heat pump system 1, the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be used as the heat sources in the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode, and therefore the heating capacity of the heat pump system 1 in the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode can be improved.

In addition, on the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 side, the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the cooler 18 is increased by the waste heat of the compressor 11 recovered by the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35. According to the heat pump system 1, the amount of heat absorbed in the cooler 18 can be increased by effectively using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the heating mode and the dehumidification and heating mode.

As described above, according to the heat pump system 1 of the third embodiment, the operational advantages and effects obtained by the configuration and operation common to those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained in the same manner as those of the first and second embodiments.

That is, the heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 using the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, and can effectively use the waste heat in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20. At the same time, the heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 using the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 and the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35, and can be effectively used in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30.

In addition, according to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be effectively used on the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 side and the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be effectively used on the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 side in parallel, and therefore the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be more effectively used.

(fourth embodiment)

Next, a fourth embodiment different from the above-described embodiments will be described with reference to fig. 10.

The heat pump system 1 according to the fourth embodiment is mounted on an electric vehicle in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments. As shown in fig. 10, the heat pump system 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10, a high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, a low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, an indoor air conditioning unit 50, a control device 60, and the like.

In the fourth embodiment, the heat pump cycle 10 is different in structure. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the configurations of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, the indoor air conditioning unit 50, and the control device 60 are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

As shown in fig. 10, the heat pump cycle 10 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the arrangement of the cooling expansion valve 15a, the heat absorption expansion valve 15b, the indoor evaporator 16, and the cooler 18. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is also connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11.

A cooling expansion valve 15a is connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The cooling expansion valve 15a is constituted by an electric expansion valve as in the first embodiment, and has a fully-open function and a fully-closed function. The expansion valve 15a for cooling has both a function as a pressure reducing unit for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant and a function as a circuit switching unit for switching the refrigerant circuit.

In the fourth embodiment, the refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is connected to the outlet of the cooling expansion valve 15a via a three-way valve 16 b. The indoor evaporator 16 is a cooling evaporator as follows: the low-pressure refrigerant is heat-exchanged with the air to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant, thereby cooling the air.

As shown in fig. 10, a heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 16. The expansion valve 15b for heat absorption is constituted by an electric expansion valve as in the first embodiment, and has a fully-open function and a fully-closed function. The expansion valve 15b for heat absorption has both a function as a pressure reducing unit for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant and a function as a circuit switching unit for switching the refrigerant circuit.

Here, a three-way valve 16b is disposed between the outlet of the cooling expansion valve 15a and the refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 16. A bypass flow path 16a is connected to one of the outlets of the three-way valve 16 b. The other end of the bypass passage 16a is connected between the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 and the inlet of the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15 b.

Therefore, by controlling the operation of the three-way valve 16b, the flow path of the refrigerant passing through the indoor evaporator 16 and the flow path of the refrigerant bypassing the indoor evaporator 16 can be switched. The three-way valve 16b is controlled by a circuit switching control unit 60 b.

The outlet of the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the cooler 18. The cooler 18 is an evaporator for heat absorption as follows: in the heating mode, the dehumidification heating mode, or the like, the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorption expansion valve 15b is subjected to heat exchange with the low-temperature-side heat medium of the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and the low-pressure refrigerant is evaporated to exhibit a heat absorption action of the refrigerant.

The refrigerant outlet side of the cooler 18 is connected to the suction port side of the compressor 11. That is, in the heat pump cycle 10 according to the fourth embodiment, the indoor evaporator 16 and the cooler 18 are connected in series. The control system of the heat pump system 1 according to the fourth embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of the heat pump system 1 in the fourth embodiment will be described. In the heat pump system 1, the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidifying and heating mode are switched in accordance with the air conditioning control program stored in advance, as in the above-described embodiment.

The following describes operations in the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the dehumidification and heating mode according to the fourth embodiment.

(a) Refrigeration mode

In this cooling mode, the controller 60 opens the cooling expansion valve 15a at a predetermined throttle opening degree, and sets the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b in a fully open state. The three-way valve 16b is controlled to close the bypass passage 16 a. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out of the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the indoor evaporator 16.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode according to the fourth embodiment, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11 → the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 → the expansion valve for cooling 15a → the three-way valve 16b → the indoor evaporator 16 → the expansion valve for heat absorption 15b → the cooler 18 → the compressor 11.

In this cycle configuration, the controller 60 controls the operation of various devices to be controlled connected to the output side based on the target outlet air temperature TAO and the detection signals of the sensor group.

For example, the control device 60 controls the operations of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, as in the first embodiment. As a result, in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the entire flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the high-temperature-side radiator 23.

The control device 60 also controls the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 and the low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34 in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The control device 60 also appropriately controls the operation of other various devices to be controlled.

Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 also flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, since the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is operating, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and condensed, and the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the high-temperature-side radiator 23 through the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the high-temperature-side radiator 23 exchanges heat with outside air to dissipate heat. Thereby, the high-temperature-side heat medium is cooled. The high-temperature-side heat medium cooled by the high-temperature-side radiator 23 is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and fed under pressure into the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

The high-pressure refrigerant cooled in the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the cooling expansion valve 15a and is decompressed. The throttle opening degree of the cooling expansion valve 15a is adjusted so that the superheat degree of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is substantially 3 ℃.

The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the indoor evaporator 16. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor evaporator 16 absorbs heat from the air blown by the blower fan 52 and evaporates. Thereby, the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged is cooled.

The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 flows into the cooler 18 without being decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15 b. The refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 11 and compressed again without undergoing almost no heat exchange in the cooler 18.

Therefore, in the cooling mode in the fourth embodiment, the air cooled by the interior evaporator 16 is blown into the vehicle interior, thereby cooling the vehicle interior.

In the cooling mode according to the fourth embodiment, waste heat of the compressor 11 is generated along with the operation of the compressor 11. As in the above-described embodiment, in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be absorbed and recovered by the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be stored by the heat storage material 25 b.

That is, according to the heat pump system 1, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be recovered and stored by the high-temperature-side heat medium of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 and the heat storage material 25b, and can be appropriately used.

(b) Heating mode

In the heating mode, the controller 60 opens the cooling expansion valve 15a to the full position and opens the heat absorption expansion valve 15b at a predetermined throttle opening degree. At this time, the three-way valve 16b is controlled to fully open the bypass passage 16 a. Thus, the refrigerant having passed through the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b through the bypass passage 16a without flowing into the indoor evaporator 16.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 of the heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11 → the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 → the three-way valve 16b → the bypass flow path 16a → the expansion valve for heat absorption 15b → the cooler 18 → the compressor 11. That is, in the heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to a refrigerant circuit for heating the air to be blown by the heat absorbed in the cooler 18.

In this cycle configuration, the controller 60 controls the operation of various devices to be controlled connected to the output side based on the target outlet air temperature TAO and the detection signals of the sensor group. For example, the throttle opening degree of the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is determined by referring to a control map related to the heating mode based on the target outlet air temperature TAO and the like.

In addition, the control device 60 controls the operations of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, as in the first embodiment. Thus, in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the entire flow rate of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22.

The control device 60 also controls the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 and the low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34 in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The control device 60 also appropriately controls the operation of other various devices to be controlled.

In the heat pump cycle 10 of the heating mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, since the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is operating, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and condensed, and the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22 through the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. Since the air mix door 54 fully opens the ventilation path on the heater core 22 side, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 exchanges heat with the air passing through the indoor evaporator 16 to dissipate the heat.

Thereby, the feed air as the heat exchange target fluid is heated, and the temperature of the feed air approaches the target outlet temperature TAO. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the heater core 22 is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and pressure-fed to the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

The high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the cooling expansion valve 15 a. At this time, since the cooling expansion valve 15a is fully opened, the high-pressure refrigerant flows through the bypass passage 16a without being decompressed and flowing into the three-way valve 16 b. Therefore, in the heating mode, the high-pressure refrigerant bypasses the indoor evaporator 16 and flows into the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15 b.

Since the throttle opening degree is controlled to a predetermined degree, the high-pressure refrigerant flowing into the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b is decompressed to become a low-pressure refrigerant. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b flows into the cooler 18.

Here, in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, the low-temperature-side heat medium circulates in the circulation circuit by the operation of the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31. The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat generated at the in-vehicle apparatus 32 when passing through the water passage of the in-vehicle apparatus 32.

The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat from the outside air blown by the outside air fan when passing through the low-temperature-side radiator 33. That is, the low-temperature-side heat medium flows into the water passage of the cooler 18 in a state where heat is absorbed by the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the low-temperature-side radiator 33.

Therefore, the low-pressure refrigerant flowing into the cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium having the heat of the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the heat of the outside air and evaporates. The refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 18 is directly sucked into the compressor 11 and compressed again.

Therefore, in the heating mode, the air is heated in the heater core 22 and blown into the vehicle interior, whereby the vehicle interior can be heated. That is, in the heating mode, the heat pump system 1 can use the heat pump cycle 10 to extract heat absorbed from the in-vehicle equipment 32 or the outside air in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 and use the heat for heating the feed air via the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

In the heating mode according to the fourth embodiment, the operation of the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10 is also required, and waste heat of the compressor 11 is also generated. The heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 through the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

According to the heat pump system 1 of the fourth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the high-temperature-side heat medium of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can be heated by the waste heat of the compressor 11 in addition to the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant including the heat drawn from the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and the high-temperature-side heat medium can be radiated to the ventilation air in the heater core 22.

Thus, the heat pump system 1 can utilize the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the waste heat of the compressor 11 as the heat source in the heating mode, and therefore the heating capacity of the heat pump system 1 can be improved.

(c) Dehumidification heating mode

In the dehumidification and heating mode, the controller 60 opens the cooling expansion valve 15a and the heat absorption expansion valve 15b at predetermined throttle openings. At this time, the three-way valve 16b is controlled to close the bypass flow path 16 a. Thus, the refrigerant having passed through the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the indoor evaporator 16 without flowing into the bypass passage 16 a.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidification and heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11 → the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 → the expansion valve for cooling 15a → the three-way valve 16b → the indoor evaporator 16 → the expansion valve for heat absorption 15b → the cooler 18 → the compressor 11.

That is, in the dehumidification and heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to the one for heating the air cooled by the indoor evaporator 16 by the heat absorbed in the cooler 18.

In this cycle configuration, the controller 60 controls the operation of various devices to be controlled connected to the output side based on the target outlet air temperature TAO and the detection signals of the sensor group. For example, the throttle opening degrees of the cooling expansion valve 15a and the heat absorption expansion valve 15b are determined by referring to the control maps for the dehumidification and heating mode, respectively, based on the target outlet air temperature TAO and the like.

In addition, the control device 60 controls the operations of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, as in the first embodiment. The control device 60 also controls the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 and the low-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 34 in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The control device 60 also appropriately controls the operation of other various devices to be controlled.

In the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidification and heating mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, since the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 is operating, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature-side heat medium, and the high-pressure refrigerant is cooled and condensed, and the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, the high-temperature-side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22 through the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24. Since the air mix door 54 fully opens the ventilation path on the heater core 22 side, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 exchanges heat with the air passing through the indoor evaporator 16 to dissipate the heat.

Thereby, the feed air as the heat exchange target fluid is heated, and the temperature of the feed air approaches the target outlet temperature TAO. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing out of the heater core 22 is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and pressure-fed to the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

In addition, by the operation of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24, a part of the high-temperature-side heat medium flows into the high-temperature-side radiator 23. The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the high-temperature-side radiator 23 exchanges heat with outside air to dissipate heat. The high-temperature-side heat medium is sucked by the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21 and pressure-fed to the water passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 again.

The high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the cooling expansion valve 15a and is decompressed. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 15a flows into the indoor evaporator 16 through the three-way valve 16b, absorbs heat from the air blown by the blower 52, and evaporates. Thereby, the air to be blown as the fluid to be heat-exchanged is cooled.

Then, the low-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 flows into the expansion valve for heat absorption 15b and is further decompressed. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heat-absorbing expansion valve 15b flows into the cooler 18.

Here, in the dehumidification and heating mode, the low-temperature-side heat medium is circulated through the circulation circuit by the operation of the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31 also in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat generated at the in-vehicle apparatus 32 when passing through the water passage of the in-vehicle apparatus 32.

The low-temperature-side heat medium absorbs heat from the outside air blown by the outside air fan when passing through the low-temperature-side radiator 33. That is, the low-temperature-side heat medium flows into the water passage of the cooler 18 in a state where heat is absorbed by the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the low-temperature-side radiator 33.

Therefore, the low-pressure refrigerant flowing into the cooler 18 absorbs heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium containing the heat of the in-vehicle equipment 32 and the heat of the outside air and evaporates. The refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 18 is directly sucked into the compressor 11 and compressed again.

Therefore, in the dehumidification and heating mode, the air cooled by the interior evaporator 16 is heated in the heater core 22 and blown into the vehicle interior, whereby the dehumidification and heating of the vehicle interior can be performed. That is, in the heat pump system 1, even in the dehumidification and heating mode, the heat pump cycle 10 can absorb heat absorbed from the in-vehicle equipment 32 or the outside air in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 and use the heat for heating the feed air via the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

In the dehumidification and heating mode, the operation of the compressor 11 in the heat pump cycle 10 is also required, and waste heat of the compressor 11 is also generated. The heat pump system 1 can recover the waste heat of the compressor 11 via the high-temperature-side heat medium in the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

According to the heat pump system 1, the high-temperature-side heat medium of the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 can be heated by using the waste heat of the compressor 11 in addition to the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant including the heat drawn from the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30, and the air cooled by the indoor evaporator 16 can be heated in the heater core 22.

Thus, the heat pump system 1 can use the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the waste heat of the compressor 11 as the heat source in the dehumidification and heating mode, and therefore the heating capacity of the heat pump system 1 in the dehumidification and heating mode can be improved.

As described above, according to the heat pump system 1 of the fourth embodiment, the operational advantages and effects obtained by the configuration and operation common to those of the first embodiment can be obtained as in the first embodiment.

That is, in the heat pump system 1 according to the fourth embodiment, even when the heat pump cycle 10 is configured such that the indoor evaporator 16 and the cooler 18 are connected in series, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be recovered and effectively used by using the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 and the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25.

The heat pump cycle 10 according to the fourth embodiment has the following structure: the bypass flow path 16a and the three-way valve 16b are arranged to allow the refrigerant to flow while bypassing the indoor evaporator 16 in order to suppress heat exchange (i.e., cooling of the feed air) in the indoor evaporator 16 in the heating mode, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

For example, as long as heat exchange with the feed air in the indoor evaporator 16 can be prevented, the flow path of the feed air may be switched so that the feed air bypasses the indoor evaporator 16. Specifically, an openable and closable shutter device may be disposed between the blower 52 and the indoor evaporator 16, and a bypass flow path that bypasses the indoor evaporator 16 may be formed in the casing 51.

The heat pump system 1 according to the fourth embodiment is an example in which the configuration of the heat pump cycle 10 in the first embodiment is changed, but the configuration of the heat pump cycle 10 according to the fourth embodiment may be applied to the above-described embodiments and the like. That is, the heat pump cycle 10 according to the fourth embodiment may be applied to the heat pump cycle 10 in the first to third modifications of the first embodiment shown in fig. 4 to 6.

The heat pump cycle 10 according to the fourth embodiment may be applied to the heat pump cycle 10 according to the second embodiment and the modification thereof shown in fig. 7 and 8, or may be applied to the heat pump cycle 10 according to the third embodiment shown in fig. 9. In either case, the operational effects of the configuration and operation common to the above-described embodiments can be obtained in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments at all. That is, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate, or may be modified variously.

In the above-described embodiment, the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 as a heat recovery unit in the present invention includes the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26 for branching the high-temperature-side heat medium at the high-temperature-side branching unit 26a and the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 for merging the high-temperature-side heat medium at the high-temperature-side merging unit 27 a.

The low-temperature-side recovery unit 35 includes a low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 that branches the low-temperature-side heat medium at a low-temperature-side branch portion 36a, and a low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37 that merges the low-temperature-side heat medium at a low-temperature-side merging portion 37 a.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, the flow of the heat medium for recovering the waste heat of the compressor 11 in the heat recovery unit and the flow of the heat medium circulating in the heat medium circuit are configured to be connected in parallel, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the following may be configured: the entire amount of the heat medium flowing through the heat medium circuit flows into the accommodating portion of the heat recovery portion, and the heat medium flows into the constituent devices of the heat medium circuit after the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered in the accommodating portion.

Fig. 11 shows an example of applying this structure to the second embodiment. As shown in fig. 11, a low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 is connected to the discharge port side of the low-temperature-side heat medium pump 31. At this time, since the low temperature side branch portion 36a is not disposed as in the second embodiment, the entire amount of the low temperature side heat medium flows into the low temperature side inflow pipe 36.

Since the low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 is connected to the storage portion of the low-temperature-side recovery portion 35, the low-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the storage portion absorbs the waste heat of the compressor 11 and then flows out to the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37. The low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37 is connected to the inlet side of the water passage in the cooler 18.

That is, according to the example shown in fig. 11, the entire amount of the low-temperature-side heat medium in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 passes through the low-temperature-side inflow pipe 36 and the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 is absorbed by the low-temperature-side recovery unit 35. Even in the case of such a configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be exhibited.

Note that, although fig. 11 has been described as applied to the second embodiment shown in fig. 7, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be applied to the above-described embodiments and modifications.

In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 of the above embodiment, the heater core 22 and the high-temperature-side radiator 23 are connected in parallel along the flow of the high-temperature-side heat medium, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

For example, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 may have a structure shown in fig. 12. In the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 shown in fig. 12, the inlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is connected to the discharge port side of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21. An inlet side of the heater core 22 is connected to an outlet side of the water passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12.

An inlet of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 is connected to an outlet side of the heater core 22. One of the outlets of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 is connected to the inlet side of the high-temperature-side radiator 23, and the other of the outlets of the high-temperature-side flow rate adjustment valve 24 is connected to a high-temperature-side bypass flow path 24 a.

The other end side of the high-temperature-side bypass passage 24a is connected to the outlet side of the high-temperature-side radiator 23. The other end side of the high-temperature-side bypass passage 24a and the outlet side of the high-temperature-side radiator 23 are connected to the suction port side of the high-temperature-side heat medium pump 21.

That is, as shown in fig. 12, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 may be configured by connecting the heater core 22 and the high-temperature-side radiator 23 in series. Even when the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 according to each of the above-described embodiments has the configuration shown in fig. 12, the heat pump systems 1 can obtain the operational effects of the configuration and operation common to those of the above-described embodiments, similarly to the embodiments.

In the above-described embodiment, the heat storage unit 40 is configured by disposing a plurality of heat storage materials in the housing unit that constitutes the heat recovery unit, as in the high temperature side recovery unit 25 shown in fig. 2, for example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The heat storage unit 40 of the present invention can adopt various configurations as long as it can store the waste heat of the compressor 11.

For example, the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25 will be described by taking as an example the same as in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 13, the regenerator 45 may be disposed in the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 of the high-temperature-side recovery unit 25. The heat accumulator 45 includes a tank 45a to which the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 is connected, and a plurality of heat storage materials 45b arranged in the tank 45 a. The heat storage material 45b has the same configuration as the heat storage material 25b in the first embodiment.

Therefore, according to the configuration shown in fig. 11, the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the high-temperature-side inflow pipe 26 flows around the compressor 11 in the accommodating portion 25a, and thereby waste heat of the compressor 11 is absorbed. Then, the high-temperature-side heat medium flows out from the housing portion 25a to the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27.

The high-temperature-side heat medium flowing through the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 flows into the tank 45a of the heat accumulator 45. The high-temperature-side heat medium passes through the clearance of the capsule-shaped heat storage material 45b in the container 45a of the heat accumulator 45, and then flows from the high-temperature-side outflow pipe 27 to the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20.

At this time, since the high-temperature-side heat medium is heated in the housing portion 25a by the waste heat of the compressor 11, the waste heat of the compressor 11 can be stored in the heat storage materials 45b in the heat accumulator 45 as long as the condition of the heat storage temperature is satisfied. That is, the heat accumulator 45 shown in fig. 11 functions as a heat storage unit in the present invention.

In fig. 11, the description has been given of the case where the heat accumulator 45 is used as the heat storage portion in the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20, but the heat accumulator 45 may be used as the heat storage portion in the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30. In this case, the tank 45a of the heat accumulator 45 is preferably disposed in the low-temperature-side outflow pipe 37. In this case, the heat storage material 45b according to the second embodiment is used.

In the above-described embodiment, the high-temperature-side heat medium circuit 20 is used as the high-temperature-side heat receiving unit according to the present invention, and the low-temperature-side heat medium circuit 30 is used as the low-temperature-side heat receiving unit according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

The high-temperature-side heat receiving unit and the low-temperature-side heat receiving unit according to the present invention are not limited to the heat medium circuit as long as they can receive the waste heat of the compressor 11 recovered by the recovery unit. For example, a metal block or the like may be used as the high-temperature-side heat receiving unit or the low-temperature-side heat receiving unit.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in fig. 2 and 13, at least a part of the compressor 11 is disposed inside the housing portion 25a constituting the recovery portion, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered by the heat medium flowing around the compressor 11, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

For example, the recovery unit according to the present invention may be configured such that: the heat medium pipe is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the compressor 11, and the waste heat of the compressor 11 is recovered from the heat medium through the heat medium pipe.

In this case, in order to recover more waste heat of the compressor 11, it is preferable to increase the contact area between the outer surface of the compressor 11 and the heat medium pipe. For example, the heat medium pipe may be wound around the outer surface of the compressor 11, or the heat medium pipe may be disposed in a serpentine shape on the outer surface of the compressor 11.

The present invention has been described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to the examples and structures. The present invention also includes various modifications and modifications within an equivalent range. In addition, although various combinations and embodiments have been shown in the present invention, other combinations and embodiments including only one of the elements and including one or more elements or less than one element are also included in the scope and spirit of the present invention.