Patent ID: 8677772
Filing Date: 2014-03-25
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
1. An air conditioning system for a vehicle including a passenger cabin and a heat generating component that generates waste heat during operation thereof, said air conditioning system comprising: a cabin air conditioning unit including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a four-way control valve for connecting said compressor to said condenser and said evaporator and for controlling direction of coolant flow through said compressor, and a first expansion valve connected between said condenser and said evaporator for controlling the coolant flow therebetween; a heat management unit including a temperature detecting unit for detecting at least one of ambient temperature and temperature of at least one of said cabin air conditioning unit, said heat management unit, the heat generating component, and the passenger cabin; a switching unit operable to enable and disable coolant flow between at least one pair of said condenser and said evaporator, said condenser and said four-way control valve, said evaporator and said four-way control valve, and said heat exchanger and said cabin air conditioning unit, said switching unit including a bypass device across said second expansion valve to enable coolant flow from said cabin air conditioning unit toward said heat exchanger through at least one of said second expansion valve and said bypass device; and a control unit connected to said cabin air conditioning unit, said heat management unit, said temperature detecting unit and said switching unit, and operable to control operations of said cabin air conditioning unit, said switching unit, and said ventilation device and said duct switching device of said heat management unit according to temperature detection results from said temperature detecting unit.