Patent ID: 11904654
Assignee: AUDI AG
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 0:
1. A method of operating a refrigerant circuit of a cooling system of a vehicle in cooling system mode, the cooling system comprising:
a chiller branch coupled to a coolant circuit and comprising a first expansion element connected upstream from a chiller;
at least one interior evaporator branch connected in parallel with the chiller branch, the at least one interior evaporator branch comprising a second expansion element connected upstream from an interior evaporator and a segmentation element connected downstream from the interior evaporator, wherein the segmentation element is configured to prevent a backflow of refrigerant into the interior evaporator;
a refrigerant compressor; and
a condenser or gas cooler,
the method comprising:
closing the second expansion element so as to operate the cooling system in a single chiller mode:
increasing a flow rate of the refrigerant compressor;
controlling the first expansion element so that pressure downstream of the first expansion element is reduced below a target operating pressure of the chiller; and
returning pressure downstream of the first expansion element to the target operating pressure of the chiller once the interior evaporator is aspirated to a predetermined degree,
wherein closing of the second expansion element, increasing the flow rate of the refrigerant compressor, and control of the first expansion element aspirates the refrigerant from the interior evaporator, and
wherein the interior evaporator remains aspirated when pressure downstream of the first expansion element is returned to the target operating pressure.