Patents by Inventor Todd A. Van Hyfte

Todd A. Van Hyfte 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).

  • PTAC dehumidification without reheat and without a humidistat
    Patent number: 8757506
    Abstract: A refrigerant system includes a controller that enables the system to dehumidify the air in a room without relying on a humidistat and without having to operate the system's compressor and electric heater at the same time. To dehumidify the air, the system's compressor, supply air fan, and outside air damper are controlled in a manner similar to other systems operating in a cooling mode when the room temperature is above a certain setpoint temperature. When the room temperature falls below the setpoint, however, the operation changes significantly. The controller closes the outside air damper, decreases the speed of the fan, and continues operating in this manner until the room temperature decreases to a subcooling temperature limit. The subcooling temperature limit is less than a predetermined limit that is used during the system's normal cooling mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Qianghua Zhou, Tedd P. Johnson, Todd A. Van Hyfte
  • PTAC dehumidification without reheat and without a humidistat
    Publication number: 20080156891
    Abstract: A refrigerant system includes a controller that enables the system to dehumidify the air in a room without relying on a humidistat and without having to operate the system's compressor and electric heater at the same time. To dehumidify the air, the system's compressor, supply air fan, and outside air damper are controlled in a manner similar to other systems operating in a cooling mode when the room temperature is above a certain setpoint temperature. When the room temperature falls below the setpoint, however, the operation changes significantly. The controller closes the outside air damper, decreases the speed of the fan, and continues operating in this manner until the room temperature decreases to a subcooling temperature limit. The subcooling temperature limit is less than a predetermined limit that is used during the system's normal cooling mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Inventors: Qianghua Zhou, Tedd P. Johnson, Todd A. Van Hyfte