Patent ID: 8613193

Claim:
A vehicle waste heat recovery device comprising: a Rankine cycle constituted by a pump that pumps a working fluid, an expander that obtains mechanical energy by expanding said working fluid, a high pressure path that leads said working fluid discharged from said pump to said expander, a low pressure path that leads said working fluid discharged from said expander to said pump, a heat exchanger provided on said high pressure path to heat said working fluid by using waste heat from an engine of a vehicle, and a condenser provided on said low pressure path to condense said expanded working fluid; a temperature ascertaining device for ascertaining a temperature of said working fluid flowing out of said heat exchanger; a pressure ascertaining device for ascertaining a pressure of said working fluid flowing out of said heat exchanger; and an intake volume varying assembly for adjusting an intake volume of said expander, wherein said expander is coupled to said engine to transmit power thereto, a threshold being set in advance in relation to one of said temperature ascertained by said temperature ascertaining device and said pressure ascertained by said pressure ascertaining device such that when said threshold is exceeded, said intake volume varying assembly increases said intake volume of said expander, whereupon a flow rate of said working fluid flowing through said heat exchanger is adjusted on the basis of the other one of said temperature ascertained by said temperature ascertaining device and said pressure ascertained by said pressure ascertaining device.