Patent ID: 9682607
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: B60H

Claim:
1. An air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein the air conditioner is configured to operate in a cooling mode and a heating mode, the air conditioner comprising: an air-conditioning case; an evaporator and a heater core mounted inside the air-conditioning case along an air flow direction in order; a flow rate control valve mounted between inlet and outlet pipes of the heater core and a cooling water pipe of an engine, wherein the flow rate control valve is configured to control a flow rate of cooling water circulating from the engine to the heater core, wherein the cooling water is a heat carrier for cold storage or heat storage; a circulation pump configured to circulate the cooling water contained inside the heater core; and a storage tank comprising a surface contact part throughout which the evaporator is in surface contact with the storage tank, wherein the surface contact part is an inwardly dented cavity comprising at least two sides perpendicular to a bottom surface, is formed in the external surface of the storage tank on the upper portion of the storage tank into which the evaporator is inserted, and is configured to carry out heat exchange of the heat carrier, wherein the storage tank is configured to exchange heat with the evaporator through the at least two sides and the bottom surface of the inwardly dented cavity, wherein the external surface of the storage tank is configured to be cooled by condensate water generated from the surface of the evaporator, wherein the storage tank is configured to carry out cold storage when the air conditioner operates in cooling mode, wherein the flow rate control valve is configured to stop the flow rate of cooling water circulating from the engine to the heater core such that the air flow across the evaporator is cooled, the air flow across the heater core cools the cooling water contained inside the heater core, and the cooled cooling water contained inside the heater core flows into the storage tank, and wherein the storage tank is configured to carry out heat storage when the air conditioner operates in heating mode, wherein the flow rate control valve is configured to permit the flow rate of cooling water circulating from the engine to the heater core such that the air flow across the evaporator and the heater core is heated, and the heated cooling water heated and supplied by the engine heats the cooling water of the storage tank.