US Patent 10220677 Vehicle air conditioner having a gas injection cycle

An air conditioner for a vehicle has a compressor, a radiator, a first pressure reducer, a gas-liquid separator, a second pressure reducer, an exterior heat exchanger, an intermediate pressure refrigerant passage, a switching device, and a controller. The controller operates the switching device to switch from a refrigerant circuit of a two-stage compression mode to a refrigerant circuit of a single-stage compression mode when a compressor stop signal is output in the two-stage compression mode. The single-stage compression mode is a mode that blocks at least a flow of an intermediate-pressure refrigerant into the intermediate pressure refrigerant passage and makes refrigerant remained in the intermediate pressure refrigerant passage to flow out of the intermediate pressure refrigerant passage. The controller stops the compressor after controls the compressor to continue operating for a specified time in the single-stage compression mode. The controller restarts the compressor when the compressor stop signal is canceled.