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DE-102025142815-A1 - Motor vehicle with a refrigerant circuit operable in heat pump mode and heat absorption structures for absorbing heat from sunlight for heat pump operation

DE102025142815A1DE 102025142815 A1DE102025142815 A1DE 102025142815A1DE-102025142815-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle (1) with a refrigerant circuit (100) operable in heat pump mode and one or more heat absorption structures (300; 311, 312, 321, 322) arranged on one or more outer surfaces of the motor vehicle (1) for absorbing heat from sunlight, wherein each heat absorption structure (300; 311, 312, 321, 322) comprises a transparent first disc section (301) facing away from the motor vehicle (1) and a second disc section (302) arranged parallel to the first disc section (301) and facing the motor vehicle (1), wherein a fluid-filled cavity (303) is formed between the first disc section (301) and the second disc section (302) in the respective heat absorption structure (300; 311, 312, 321, 322), and wherein the cavity (303) is connected via a The fluid line is connected to an evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100) in order to supply fluid heated by solar radiation from the cavity (303) to the evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100).

Inventors

  • Sebastien AMBROSETTI

Assignees

  • AUDI AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251020

Claims (10)

  1. Motor vehicle (1) with a refrigerant circuit (100) operable in heat pump mode and one or more heat absorption structures (300; 311, 312, 321, 322) arranged on one or more outer surfaces of the motor vehicle (1) for absorbing heat from solar radiation, whereby each heat absorption structure (300; 311, 312, 321, 322) comprises a transparent first disc section (301) facing away from the motor vehicle (1) and a second disc section (302) arranged parallel to the first disc section (301) and facing the motor vehicle (1), whereby a fluid-filled cavity (303) is formed between the first disc section (301) and the second disc section (302) in the respective heat absorption structure (300; 311, 312, 321, 322), and whereby the cavity (303) is connected via a The fluid line is connected to an evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100) in order to supply fluid heated by solar radiation from the cavity (303) to the evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100) for heat transfer into the refrigerant circuit (100) during heat pump operation.
  2. motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 1 , wherein the first pane section (301) and/or the second pane section (302) comprises a glass material and is in particular each designed as a glass pane.
  3. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one heat absorption structure (311; 312) is arranged on a window of the motor vehicle (1), in particular on a windscreen and/or a rear window, wherein the first window section (301) and the second window section (302) are transparent.
  4. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one heat absorption structure (321; 322) is arranged on a non-transparent outer surface of the motor vehicle (1), in particular on a hood and/or roof.
  5. motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 4 , wherein the first disk section (301) is transparent and the second disk section (302) is reflective on a side facing the first disk section (301).
  6. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one fan (150) is provided downstream or upstream of the respective heat absorption structure (300; 311, 312, 321, 322) in order to supply fluid heated by solar radiation from the cavity (303) to the evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100) when the fan (150) is activated.
  7. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fluid line is designed as a closed fluid circuit in order to supply fluid heated by solar radiation from the cavity (303) to the evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100) and to supply fluid cooled by heat absorption into the refrigerant circuit (100) at the evaporator (140) to the cavity (303) for reheating.
  8. motor vehicle (1) according to one of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the fluid line is designed to be open in order to supply fluid heated by solar radiation from the cavity (303) to the evaporator (140) of the refrigerant circuit (100) and then to the environment of the motor vehicle (1), wherein the cavity (303) can be filled with drawn-in outside air and/or recirculated air.
  9. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the refrigerant circuit (100) comprises a compressor (110), a high-pressure side condenser or gas cooler (120), an expansion device (130) and, on the suction side, the evaporator (140).
  10. Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the condenser or gas cooler (120) is configured to heat one or more components of the motor vehicle (1) in heat pump operation or is designed as a heating register or hot gas cooler for heating an interior of the motor vehicle (1).

Description

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle with a refrigerant circuit that can be operated in a heat pump mode, in particular a motor vehicle that is at least partially electrically powered. In the prior art, motor vehicles with a refrigerant circuit of a thermal management system that can be operated in heat pump mode are known, in which the refrigerant circuit in heat pump mode is specifically designed to heat the interior of the motor vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, other components of the motor vehicle can also be heated, for example, the traction battery in the case of an electrically powered motor vehicle. In heat pump operation, it is desirable to operate the refrigerant circuit as efficiently as possible, especially with the highest possible coefficient of performance (COP). The COP of a heat pump is an efficiency indicator that specifies the ratio of heat output to electrical energy input. The higher the COP, the more efficiently and economically the heat pump operates. This can improve the range of electric vehicles in particular, as less electrical energy needs to be drawn from the battery for heat pump operation. The CN 116 461 345 A This document describes a vehicle-mounted photovoltaic heat dissipation and waste heat recovery device for solar-powered vehicles, comprising a photovoltaic module, a vehicle control system, and a waste heat recovery device. During heating operation of the vehicle's heat pump air conditioning system, the heat from the photovoltaic module is collected and transferred via the waste heat recovery device to the evaporator of the heat pump air conditioning system. The CN 118 386 787 A This describes an electric heat pump air conditioning system for a motor vehicle with an auxiliary solar heater, including a photovoltaic module on the vehicle's roof. When the photovoltaic module's radiating surface is exposed, the refrigerant within the module is heated by solar radiation; when the radiating surface is obscured, heat exchange occurs between the radiating surface and the outside air via convection. The photovoltaic module serves to heat the refrigerant, thereby providing supplementary heating for the heat pump air conditioning system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle with a refrigerant circuit that can be operated in a heat pump mode, in which the heat pump operation can be operated more efficiently, in particular with an increased COP in heat pump operation and especially at very cold ambient temperatures. To solve the above problem, a motor vehicle according to claim 1 is proposed. Advantageous, exemplary embodiments can be found in the dependent claims and the description. An object of the invention is a motor vehicle with a refrigerant circuit operable in heat pump mode, in particular for heating an interior and/or one or more components of the motor vehicle, and one or more heat absorption structures arranged on one or more outer surfaces of the motor vehicle for absorbing heat from solar radiation, wherein each heat absorption structure comprises a transparent first disc section facing away from the motor vehicle and a second disc section arranged parallel to the first disc section and facing the motor vehicle, wherein a cavity filled with a fluid, in particular a gas, preferably air, is formed in the respective heat absorption structure between the first disc section and the second disc section, and wherein the cavity is connected via a fluid line to an evaporator of the refrigerant circuit in order to supply fluid heated in the cavity by solar radiation from the cavity to the evaporator of the refrigerant circuit for heat transfer into the refrigerant circuit in heat pump mode. The underlying idea is to heat the fluid in the cavity between the parallel disc sections of the respective heat absorption structure by means of solar radiation through the first disc section into the cavity, analogous to a greenhouse effect, and then to supply it to the evaporator of the refrigerant circuit via the fluid line, so that in heat pump operation the COP of the refrigerant circuit can be significantly increased by introducing the additional heat at the evaporator of the refrigerant circuit. This offers several advantages, as it saves electrical energy, thus increasing the range, especially in electric vehicles, and allows the desired heating temperature to be reached more quickly when heating the vehicle's interior. Furthermore, it results in improved thermal insulation. The connection between the environment and the interior of the vehicle leads to improved interior comfort, even in summer. Furthermore, the heat absorption structures are simple and cost-effective, since in particular no thermal fin or rib structures are required, as is necessary in some state-of-the-art photovoltaic structures. In summary, a motor vehicle can be equipped with a refrigerant circuit capable of operating in heat pump mode and with one or more heat a