Automotive air conditioner

An automotive air conditioner uses a non-azeotropic mix-type refrigerant of a higher boiling point refrigerant and a lower boiling point refrigerant. The automotive air conditioner changes its cooling capacity by varying the proportion of the lower boiling point refrigerant and the higher boiling point refrigerant. In order to madulate the proportion of the refrigerant, the present heat exchanger employs a rectifying means and a cooling means. The cooling means introduces the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit as the cooling medium when the air conditioner is not required high cooling capacity, so that lower boiling point refrigerant is separated and is stucked within the cooling means within a short while.

What is claimed is:

1. An automotive air conditioner using a non-azeotropic mixed-type refrigerant of a higher boiling point refrigerant and a lower boiling point refrigerant comprising;

a compressor sucking, compressing and discharging the refrigerant,

a condenser condensing the refrigerant discharged from said compressor,

an expansion means provided downstream of said condenser for expanding the refrigerant passing therethrough,

a rectifying means for separating the refrigerant into a gas phase refrigerant wherein the percentage of the lower boiling point refrigerant contained therein is high and a liquid phase refrigerant wherein a percentage of the higher boiling point refrigerant contained therein is high, said rectifying means being connected to a refrigerant circuit between said condenser and said expansion means so that the refrigerant condensed within said condenser is introduced into said rectifying means, and said rectifying means being connected to the refrigerant circuit between said expansion means and said evaporator so that the liquid phase refrigerant separated within said rectifying means is introduced toward said evaporator,

a cooling means for cooling the gas phase refrigerant separated within said rectifying means and for accumulating the refrigerant wherein the percentage of the lower boiling point refrigerant therein is high, said cooling means being connected to said rectifying means via an inlet conduit so that the gas phase refrigerant separated within said rectifying means is introduced into an upper portion of said cooling means through said inlet conduit, and said cooling means being connected with said rectifying means via an outlet conduit so that the refrigerant condensed within said cooling means returns to said rectifying means, said cooling means having an heat exchanger therein for cooling the refrigerant introduced from said rectifying means through said inlet conduit, said heat exchanger being connected with the refrigerant circuit downstream of said expansion means and upstream of said compressor so that the low temperature refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit is introduced into said heat exchanger, and

a control valve means for switching a flow of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit into a first condition wherein the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit is not introduced into said heat exchanger and a second condition wherein the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit is introduced into said heat exchanger,

a conduit for connecting said cooling means to the refrigerant circuit, said conduit having an on-off valve means so that the refrigerant condensed and accumulated in said cooling means is introduced into the refrigerant circuit when said on-off valve means opens said conduit.

2. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, wherein,

said control valve means is provided downstream of said expansion means and upstream of said evaporator so that the low temperature refrigerant expanded by said expansion means is introduced into said heat exchanger for cooling the refrigerant within said cooling means.

3. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, wherein,

said control valve means is provided downstream of said evaporator and upstream of said compressor so that the low temperature refrigerant passing through said evaporator is introduced into said heat exchanger for cooling the refrigerant within said cooling means.

4. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, wherein,

said control valve means is a three flow valve.

5. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, wherein said control valve means is comprised of a couple of on-off valves.

6. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, further comprising;

a check valve provided within the conduit which connects an outlet of said heat exchanger to the refrigerant circuit for preventing a backflow from the refrigerant circuit to said heat exchanger.

7. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, further comprising;

an accumulator provided downstream of said evaporator and upstream of said compressor for accumulating the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit and for feeding a gas phase refrigerant to said compressor.

8. Automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, further comprising;

a receiver provided downstream of said condenser and upstream of said expansion mans for accumulating the refrigerant circulating the refrigerant circuit and for outputting a liquid phase refrigerant to said expansion means.

9. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, further comprising;

a first pressure reducing means provided within said inlet conduit for preliminarily expanding the refrigerant passing therethrough so that the separation in said rectifying means is prompted.

10. An automotive air conditioner claimed in claim 1, further comprising,

a second pressure reducing means provided within said outlet conduit for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant passing therethrough so that the pressure of the refrigerant at the connecting portion of said outlet conduit and the refrigerant circuit is adjusted.