Patent ID: 6047770
Filing Date: 2000-04-11
Classification: B60H,B60L,Y02T

Abstract:
An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle having a passenger compartment and an engine for driving the vehicle, said air conditioning apparatus comprising:a duct for forming an air passage for leading air toward the passenger compartment;a blower, disposed in the air passage, for blowing air within said duct toward the passenger compartment;a refrigerant cycle includinga compressor for compressing refrigerant,a water/refrigerant heat exchanger for exchanging heat between gas refrigerant discharged from said compressor and cooling water for cooling the engine, to heat the cooling water,a condenser for condensing and cooling refrigerant from said water/refrigerant heat exchanger by performing heat-exchange between the refrigerant from said water/refrigerant heat exchanger and outside air outside the vehicle,a first press-reducing unit for reducing a pressure of liquid refrigerant to an intermediate pressure, the liquid refrigerant being condensed in at least one of said water/refrigerant heat exchanger and said condenser,a cooling unit for cooling a heat-generating unit mounted on the vehicle, using the intermediate-pressure refrigerant from said first press-reducing unit,a second press-reducing unit for reducing a pressure of the intermediate-pressure refrigerant from said cooling unit, andan evaporator disposed in said air passage, for evaporating refrigerant flowing from said second press-reducing unit by heat from air to cool air; anda cooling water cycle in which the cooling water circulates, said cooling water cycle includesa heater core, disposed in said air passage at a downstream air side of said evaporator, for performing heat-exchange between the cooling water and air to heat air,a radiator for cooling the cooling water by performing heat-exchange between the cooling water and outside air, anda pump for circulating the cooling water in said cooling water cycle,wherein said water/refrigerant heat exchanger and the engine are disposed in said cooling water cycle.