Patents by Inventor Manfred Koberstein

Manfred Koberstein has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11021041
    Abstract: An integrated thermal management system includes a cooling circuit having a component thermal conditioning circuit, a battery thermal conditioning circuit, a cabin heating circuit, a cabin cooling circuit and a valve group configured for selectively interconnecting or isolating the component thermal conditioning circuit, the battery thermal conditioning circuit, the cabin heating circuit and the cabin cooling circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jing He, Manfred Koberstein, Loren John Lohmeyer, III, Jacob Gregory Powers, Todd Louis Wenzel, Christian Brent Schoeneman
  • Publication number: 20210155078
    Abstract: A vehicle HVAC system includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant outside air, a first check valve set, a first expansion device for decompressing a first portion of the refrigerant, a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the first portion of the refrigerant and a second portion of the refrigerant, a second expansion device for decompressing the second portion of the refrigerant, a second check valve set, a third heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and inside air, and a selector valve for switching between a heating mode and a cooling mode. The first check valve set and the second check valve set together maintain a constant flow direction through the first expansion device, the second heat exchanger, and the second expansion device between the heating mode and the cooling mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jing He, Loren John Lohmeyer, Manfred Koberstein
  • Publication number: 20210111448
    Abstract: A cold ambient battery chilling mode of an electric vehicle may be implemented if the vehicle battery is being charged when the ambient air temperature is low and a temperature of the battery is elevated. During cold ambient charging, coolant flows through a heater core and through a battery heat exchanger. Cold ambient air may be utilized to cool the coolant flowing through the heater core, and coolant from the heater core flows through the battery heat exchanger and cools the battery during charging. A battery chiller may be deactivated when the cold ambient battery chilling mode is activated to reduce energy consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Manfred Koberstein, Jennifer A. Herr-Rathke, William Stewart Johnston, Hamish Lewis, Christian Brent Schoeneman, Alan Gutowski
  • Patent number: 10967703
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a vehicle cabin heating system, based on particulate filter (PF) regeneration prediction. In one example, a method includes predicting an amount of exhaust heat that may be recovered via an exhaust heat exchanger during an upcoming PF regeneration event, and prior to the PF regeneration event, adjusting an amount of electric power supplied to an electric heater of the cabin heating system. The amount of adjustment may be based on the predicted amount of exhaust heat that may be recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Steven Errick, Manfred Koberstein
  • Publication number: 20210086587
    Abstract: A vehicle HVAC system including a heat pump system. The heat pumps system including a refrigerant module mounting manifold, the manifold including a first plate and a second plate. The first plate and the second plate are configured to couple together such that together they define a plurality of channels for directing the flow of refrigerant through the heat pump system. One or more auxiliary modules are fluidly coupled to the refrigerant module mounting manifold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Manfred Koberstein, Loren John Lohmeyer
  • Patent number: 10933716
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle includes a passenger cabin, a sensor group and a passenger cabin climate control system including a control module. The sensor group includes a passenger cabin odor sensor, an occupancy sensor and a vehicle speed sensor. The control module has a control logic adapted to purge an odor from the passenger cabin in response to data received from the sensor group indicating the presence of an odor in the passenger cabin, an unoccupied passenger cabin and the autonomous vehicle is moving at a minimum predetermined speed for a minimum predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alan Gutowski, Jennifer A. Herr-Rathke, Manfred Koberstein, Curtis Mark Jones
  • Publication number: 20200406716
    Abstract: A vehicle thermal management system including an electric powertrain, a single thermal loop, and a controller is provided. The electric powertrain includes a high voltage battery. The single thermal loop is for managing thermal conditions of the high voltage battery and a vehicle cabin and may include a climate control system, a blower, and a front evaporator in fluid communication with the vehicle cabin. The controller is programmed to, responsive to detection of a climate control system off request, output a command to direct the blower to push air through a heater core to the vehicle cabin at a predetermined temperature such that a temperature within the vehicle cabin is maintained at a predetermined temperature and refrigerant continues to flow through the front evaporator. The system may include a vehicle cabin temperature sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, each in electrical communication with the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alan Gutowski, Curtis Mark Jones, William Stewart Johnston, Manfred Koberstein
  • Publication number: 20200398636
    Abstract: An integrated thermal management system includes a cooling circuit having a component thermal conditioning circuit, a battery thermal conditioning circuit, a cabin heating circuit, a cabin cooling circuit and a valve group configured for selectively interconnecting or isolating the component thermal conditioning circuit, the battery thermal conditioning circuit, the cabin heating circuit and the cabin cooling circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: Jing He, Manfred Koberstein, Loren John Lohmeyer, III, Jacob Gregory Powers, Todd Louis Wenzel, Christian Brent Schoeneman
  • Publication number: 20200398645
    Abstract: A refrigerant loop of a vapor injection heat pump includes a compressor, first and second expansion valves, and first and second separator valves. The separator valves allow an entire refrigerant flow to pass therethrough or operate to separate vapor and liquid components of expanded refrigerant and inject the vapor component into a suction port of the compressor. Vapor injection occurs in both heating and cooling modes of operation and may depend upon an ambient condition (e.g., high or low ambient temperatures). An accumulator receives an output refrigerant of the heat exchangers dependent upon the mode and directs a vapor component into another suction port of the compressor. A control module controls at least the first and second expansion valves and first and second separator valves dependent upon the mode of operation which include, among others, heating, cooling, and dehumidification and re-heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: Jing He, Loren John Lohmeyer, III, Manfred Koberstein, Mikiharu Kuwahara, Masafumi Nakashim
  • Patent number: 10865698
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine cooling system. The engine cooling system includes an engine. A radiator is fluidly coupled to the engine. A sensor is configured to provide a temperature reading of a coolant at the engine. The vehicle further includes a heat pump system. The heat pump system includes a condenser disposed proximate the radiator and fluidly coupled to the compressor. An evaporator is fluidly coupled to the condenser. A climate fan is fluidly coupled to an exterior surface of the evaporator. A climate control module is configured to control a speed of the climate fan. The climate control module establishes a maximum speed of the climate fan in response to a temperature reading from the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alan Gutowski, Manfred Koberstein, Curtis Mark Jones, James C. Rollinson
  • Patent number: 10814700
    Abstract: A vehicle thermal management system including an electric powertrain, a single thermal loop, and a controller is provided. The electric powertrain includes a high voltage battery. The single thermal loop is for managing thermal conditions of the high voltage battery and a vehicle cabin and may include a climate control system, a blower, and a front evaporator in fluid communication with the vehicle cabin. The controller is programmed to, responsive to detection of a climate control system off request, output a command to direct the blower to push air through a heater core to the vehicle cabin at a predetermined temperature such that a temperature within the vehicle cabin is maintained at a predetermined temperature and refrigerant continues to flow through the front evaporator. The system may include a vehicle cabin temperature sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, each in electrical communication with the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Alan Gutowski, Curtis Mark Jones, William Stewart Johnston, Manfred Koberstein
  • Publication number: 20200298658
    Abstract: A vehicle climate system includes a blower and a controller. The controller is configured to, responsive to input of a particular user selected climate setting, operate the blower with an initial power having a predetermined value corresponding to the climate setting provided that cabin temperature is outside a predetermined range. The controller is also configured to operate the blower with an initial power having a value less than the predetermined value provided that the cabin temperature is within the predetermined range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Curtis Mark JONES, Manfred KOBERSTEIN, Alan Douglas WALLINGTON, Zhengyu LIU
  • Publication number: 20200298649
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle includes a passenger cabin, a sensor group and a passenger cabin climate control system including a control module. The sensor group includes a passenger cabin odor sensor, an occupancy sensor and a vehicle speed sensor. The control module has a control logic adapted to purge an odor from the passenger cabin in response to data received from the sensor group indicating the presence of an odor in the passenger cabin, an unoccupied passenger cabin and the autonomous vehicle is moving at a minimum predetermined speed for a minimum predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Alan Gutowski, Jennifer A. Herr-Rathke, Manfred Koberstein, Curtis Mark Jones
  • Publication number: 20200298650
    Abstract: A dual zone auxiliary climate control system for a vehicle includes an evaporator, a heater core having a first zone and a second zone, a first zone mode door downstream from the first zone of the heater core, a second zone mode door downstream from the second zone of the heater core and a blower. The blower forces air through the evaporator and the heater core toward the first zone mode door and the second zone mode door. A method of providing a dual zone auxiliary climate control system is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Robert Louis Hayes, Jennifer A. Herr-Rathke, Steve Michael Kahrs, Manfred Koberstein
  • Patent number: 10766333
    Abstract: A vehicle air-handling system includes a heat exchanger, a blower in communication with the heat exchanger, and an operable duct having driver and passenger portions that are each in communication with the heat exchanger and the blower. When the blower is activated, the driver portion continuously delivers blower air and the passenger portion selectively delivers blower air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Frank Fusco, Jennifer A. Herr-Rathke, Manfred Koberstein, Jose A. Nava, Steven M. Kahrs
  • Patent number: 10767941
    Abstract: A method of forming a superhydrophobic layer on a motor vehicle heat exchanger housing includes the steps of flowing a precursor gas of a mixture of heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyl, trimethoxysilane (HTMS) and a carrier gas into a reaction chamber and depositing the superhydrophobic layer on the motor vehicle heat exchanger housing by chemical vapor deposition. A heat exchanger having a heat exchanger housing with a superhydrophobic layer made by the chemical vapor deposition method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jing He, Manfred Koberstein, Loren John Lohmeyer, III, Tim Van Evans
  • Patent number: 10744849
    Abstract: A closed loop auxiliary heating circuit includes a coolant, a closed loop coolant line and a pump for circulating the coolant through the closed loop coolant line between a computing device and an auxiliary heater core whereby heat is transferred from the computing device to the auxiliary heater core to heat the cabin of an electric motor vehicle. An electric motor vehicle incorporating the closed loop auxiliary heating circuit is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jennifer A. Herr-Rathke, Manfred Koberstein, Mario Domonick Iaquinta, Jared Lynn Fromme, Curtis M. Jones
  • Patent number: 10737552
    Abstract: A vapor injection heat pump includes a compressor, a first valve directing a refrigerant of the compressor to a first or second heat exchanger dependent upon a mode of operation, an expansion device receiving the refrigerant from at least one of the heat exchangers, a vapor generator receiving an expanded liquid/vapor refrigerant mix from the first expansion device and directing a vapor component to a first input port of the compressor and a liquid component to at least one of the second heat exchanger and a third heat exchanger, via controlling a second valve, a second expansion device, a third expansion device, and a third valve. A second input of the compressor receives an output refrigerant from at least one of the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger dependent upon the mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jing He, Loren John Lohmeyer, III, Manfred Koberstein, William Stewart Johnston, Angelo Patti
  • Patent number: 10717340
    Abstract: A vehicle climate system includes a blower and a controller. The controller is configured to, responsive to input of a particular user selected climate setting, operate the blower with an initial power having a predetermined value corresponding to the climate setting provided that cabin temperature is outside a predetermined range. The controller is also configured to operate the blower with an initial power having a value less than the predetermined value provided that the cabin temperature is within the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Curtis Mark Jones, Manfred Koberstein, Alan Douglas Wallington, Zhengyu Liu
  • Patent number: 10710425
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a cooling arrangement that includes an air conditioning loop and a battery cooling loop connected together by a common chiller and arranged to cool each of cabin air and a battery. A coolant three-way proportional control valve is connected to the chiller and the battery. The control valve is configured to operatively control a capacity of the chiller for the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ali Jalilevand, Manfred Koberstein, Michael Steven Wallis