Denso International America, Inc.

Denso Corporation

Masafumi Kurata

Bradley Brodie

Erik Huyghe

Nobuharu Kakehashi

Shin Nishida

Kouji Matsunaga

Kwangtaek Hong

Masami Taguchi

Noriyuki Miyazaki

Shinya Kumamoto

An air-conditioning system for a vehicle includes a switching heat exchanger. The switching heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger core, a receiver tank, and a switch valve. The switch valve may be arranged between the heat exchanger core and the receiver tank to control the flow of refrigerant. A controller can be configured to control the switch valve in an access position during a cooling mode and a bypass position during a heating mode. In the access position, the heat exchanger core is in communication with the receiver tank such that the refrigerant flows from a primary region of the heat exchanger core to the receiver tank. In the bypass position, the heat exchanger core is in communication with its outlet such that the refrigerant from the primary region flows out from the switching heat exchanger.

Vehicular air-conditioning system with a switching heat exchanger

A battery pack cooling system may utilize a shroud defining a throat and a body, which may contain a battery pack. An evaporator may be arranged against the battery pack. A liquid coolant delivery pipe may deliver liquid coolant from a reservoir to the throat section with the aid of gravity, a pump, or an ultrasonic misting device. A spray nozzle may also deliver liquid coolant into the throat. When in the throat, liquid coolant mixes with air blown by a fan. Gaps in the battery pack may align with gaps of the evaporator to permit liquid and air to be blown completely through the battery pack and through the evaporator. A refrigeration system including a refrigerant compressor, a condenser and an expansion device work to cool the evaporator to condense, cool and remove liquid coolant from the liquid and air mixture, and deposit it in the reservoir.

Battery cooling with mist evaporation and condensation

If a refrigerant leaks from an interior heat exchanger, an outside air mode is switched ON, and a first bypass channel is opened to supply air, not having passed through the interior heat exchanger, to a passenger compartment through a defroster opening portion, while also supplying air, having passed through the internal heat exchanger, to the passenger compartment through a foot opening portion. Consequently, air having passed through the first bypass channel and thereby containing a considerable quantity of outside air free from the leaked refrigerant is supplied to the upper side of the passenger compartment, while air having passed through the interior heat exchanger and thereby containing the leaked refrigerant is supplied to the lower side of the passenger compartment, which makes it possible to prevent driver inhalation of the refrigerant.

Vehicle air conditioning air duct system

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Kariya, Japan

Masafumi Kurata