Patent ID: 8181473
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
1. A refrigeration cycle device comprising: a compressor configured to be driven by power transmitted from an engine, so as to draw, compress, and discharge refrigerant; a refrigerant cooler configured to cool high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor; a decompression device configured to decompress the refrigerant cooled by the refrigerant cooler; an evaporator configured to evaporate the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression device; a torque limiter adapted to interrupt a transmission of the power from the engine to the compressor when a torque transmitted from the engine to the compressor becomes a predetermined value; means for commanding the compressor to change a refrigerant discharge flow amount of the compressor; first means for determining whether the transmission of the power from the engine to the compressor is interrupted by the torque limiter by determining whether a deviation of a refrigerant discharge pressure of the compressor is below a predetermined pressure when the commanding means commands the compressor to change the refrigerant discharge flow amount of the compressor; a pressure detection portion configured to detect the refrigerant discharge pressure of the compressor, an evaporator temperature detection portion configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator; means for controlling a refrigerant discharge capacity of the variable displacement compressor such that the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the evaporator temperature detection portion approaches a target temperature; and second means for determining whether the transmission of the power from the engine to the compressor is interrupted by the torque limiter by determining whether the refrigerant discharge pressure detected by the pressure detection portion is below the predetermined value after the controlling means controls the compressor for a certain time such that the discharge capacity of the compressor is equal to or more than the predetermined capacity; wherein the first determining means determines whether the deviation of the refrigerant discharge pressure of the compressor is below the predetermined pressure based on the refrigerant discharge pressure detected by the pressure detection portion; the compressor is a variable displacement compressor configured to be capable of changing the refrigerant discharge capacity, and adapted to change the refrigerant discharge flow amount by changing the refrigerant discharge capacity; only when the second determining means determines that the transmission of the power from the engine to the compressor is interrupted by the torque limiter, the first determining means is adapted to determine whether the transmission of the power from the engine to the compressor is interrupted by the torque limiter; and the commanding means commands the compressor to change the refrigerant discharge flow amount of the compressor, only when the second determining means determines that the refrigerant discharge pressure detected by the pressure detection portion is below the predetermined value.