With Air Treatment Means Patents (Class 454/156)
  • Publication number: 20020129931
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, an interior unit for performing air-conditioning operation in a passenger compartment is disposed inside an instrument panel of the vehicle. A blower is disposed at a vehicle rear side in the interior unit, and a heat-exchanging member for performing a heat exchange with air is disposed in the interior unit at a vehicle front side of the blower. Because the blower and the heat-exchanging member are arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction, a vertical dimension of the interior unit can be made smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Inventors: Osamu Nagata, Tomohiro Takeo
  • Publication number: 20020129933
    Abstract: In an automotive air conditioner, there is provided an air guide arrangement for achieving an effective mixing between cooled air from an evaporator and warmed air from a heater under a bi-level mode. The air guide arrangement is placed in the vicinity of an outlet opening of a warmed air passage extending from the heater. The air guide arrangement forces a warmed air from the outlet opening of the warmed air passage to effectively mix with a cooled air which flows in a direction from the evaporator toward a ventilation air outlet opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Applicant: CALSONIC KANSEI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Ozeki, Masaharu Onda, Hidenobu Arakawa, Ryoichi Tochigi
  • Patent number: 6450877
    Abstract: A mix door D, which is arranged in a limited space defined between an upstream air passage 10 in which an evaporator 3 is installed and a downstream air passage 11 in which a heater core 4 is installed, is of a sliding type. By guiding a door proper 12 by using a cam groove, a seal member 15 bonded to the door proper 12 is pressed against a contacting member 13 only when the door proper 12 assumes its close position. Smoothed operation of the door proper 12 is achieved with a compact construction of a unit, and sealing and temperature controlling performance is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsurushima, Takumi Ijichi, Katsuhiro Kurokawa, Toshiya Uchida, Masaharu Onda
  • Patent number: 6449981
    Abstract: An air passage controlling system for selecting an air outlet mode of an air conditioning apparatus includes a driving shaft, an intermediate shaft, a driven shaft and a film door disposed between the shafts. The film door has a door opening through which air flows, and is disposed inside an air duct to be opposite to a duct opening of the air duct. The duct opening is opened and closed by moving the film door to select an air outlet mode. The driving shaft and the driven shaft are respectively connected to a driving pulley and a driven pulley which are linked via a wire. The driving shaft is rotated by a DC motor, and a rotation angle of the driving shaft is detected by a multi-rotation type potentiometer. The DC motor is controlled by an ECU according to the detected rotation angle of the driving shaft so that the film door is moved to a set position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Ueda, Katsuyuki Ohsaki, Keizo Goto
  • Publication number: 20020115405
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for regulating air mixing in a heating and/or air-conditioning system of a motor vehicle. In the system, recirculated air and/or fresh air is/are distributed via air-flow control elements to different air vents and supplied to the passenger compartment. In order to optimize energy consumption and provide a simpler and therefore more cost effective arrangement, the proportion of recirculated air is determined as a function of the position of the air-flow control element(s). The control unit is designed in such a manner, e.g., by implementation of a computer program, that signals being emitted by the control unit for opening the recirculated-air intake opening are dependent on, inter alia, the position(s) of the air-flow control element(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2002
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Applicant: BEHR GmbH & CO.
    Inventors: Andreas Kemle, Thorsten Moellert, Harald Riegel, Gebhard Schweizer
  • Publication number: 20020108385
    Abstract: Unit for conditioning and distributing air in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle with front and rear seats, comprising: a cold air flow collection chamber (26) downstream to the evaporator (14) with reference to the direction of movement of the air flow, an air flow heating unit (18, 20), a hot air flow collection chamber (28), arranged downstream to the heating unit (18, 20), a longitudinal separation wall splitting the front seat unit into two separate areas for the driver and the front seat passenger, respectively, a rear seat air flow mixing chamber (54) communicating with the hot flow collection chamber (28) and a cold flow collection channel (60) extending under said heating unit (18, 20) and communicating with a first end of said cold flow collection chamber (26) and with a second end of the rear seat mixing chamber (54).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Applicant: DENSO THERMAL SYSTEMS Spa
    Inventors: Giovanni Toscano Rivalta, Massimo Nalon, Andrea Carbone
  • Patent number: 6427770
    Abstract: A four zone conditioned air unit for use in a motor vehicle providing heating or cooling to a plurality of regions having relatively independent temperature setting. The structure provides compact, flexible and convenient temperature conditioning for each region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Oliver Beck, Ian Bendell, Prasanta Halder, Hans Kampf, Karl Lochmahr, Kurt Molt, Joachim Zeeb
  • Patent number: 6428409
    Abstract: An inside/outside air switching box has first and second inside air introduction ports, and an outside air introduction port. An inside/outside air switching door is disposed to open and close the first inside air introduction port and the outside air introduction port, and the second inside air introduction port is opened and closed by an inside air auxiliary door operated due to a pressure difference generated by operation of a blower fan between an inner side of the inside/outside air switching box and an inner side of a passenger compartment. Accordingly, even in an outside air introduction mode, inside air can be introduced from the second inside air introduction port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotaka Egami, Yasuhiro Sato, Mitsutoshi Kato
  • Patent number: 6419006
    Abstract: A motor-vehicle heating and/or air conditioning device has a cold-air duct (12), a hot-air duct (14) housing a heating radiator (18), a mixing chamber (28) communicating with respective air outlets (24, 26) of the ducts, and mixing means which comprise at least one flap (30) configured in such a way that, when the flap passes from a “hot” position to a “cold” position, the shutter wall (34) of the flap first of all clears a region of the outlet (24) of the cold-air duct which is close to the outlet (26) of the hot-air duct, so as to promote the mixing of a cold airflow (F1) and of a hot airflow (F2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Valeo Climatisation, S.A.
    Inventors: Didier Loup, Michel Auvity, Jean-Yves Queinnec, Philippe Vincent
  • Patent number: 6416404
    Abstract: An air conditioner unit comprises a case having a plurality of air passages defined therein; two pivotal mode doors pivotally arranged in the case to provide various operation modes of the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each of the mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed to the outside from a wall of the case; and a mode door actuating mechanism attached to an outer surface of the wall of the case to actuate the two pivotal mode doors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventor: Yukio Ozeki
  • Publication number: 20020077058
    Abstract: The present invention provides for an aroma-dispersing unit in the HVAC system of an automobile. The aroma-dispersing unit includes a passageway and an aroma cartridge housed in an aroma cartridge housing. The passageway includes a first portion, a low-pressure zone and a second portion. The low-pressure zone defines an opening. The aroma cartridge is in communication with the low-pressure zone. The aroma cartridge also defines an opening at the top of the aroma cartridge. The opening of the low-pressure zone and the opening of the aroma cartridge are alignable such that air passing through the low-pressure zone can extract aroma from the aroma cartridge. The aroma mixed air enters the second portion of the passageway where it is dispersed into the interior of the automobile. The amount of aroma extracted from the aroma cartridge can be varied by adjusting the proximity of the opening of the aroma cartridge relative to the opening of the low-pressure zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2000
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Irene Olha Kossak, Timothy James Hall, John David Hoeschele
  • Publication number: 20020068521
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, a blower case for accommodating a blower is connected to an air conditioning case for accommodating an evaporator and the like by a connection duct made of a vibration-absorption material. Therefore, a vibration, transmitted from the blower case to the air conditioning case, can be effectively absorbed by the connection duct, thereby reducing the vibration transmitted from the air conditioning case to a steering wheel unit through a supporting member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: Hisashi Tanaka, Yasuyuki Nishi, Haruki Ikuta, Kazushi Shikata, Kazuya Murata, Tomohiro Kamiya
  • Patent number: 6397942
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle includes a front air-conditioning unit for adjusting a temperature of air blown toward a front seat side in a passenger compartment, and a rear air-conditioning unit for adjusting a temperature of air blown toward a rear seat side in the passenger compartment. In the front air-conditioning unit, a ratio between an amount of air passing through a front heater core and an amount of air bypassing the front heater core is adjusted by an air mixing door, and the temperature of air blown toward the front seat side in the passenger compartment is adjusted by the rotation of the air mixing door. On the other hand, in the rear air-conditioning unit, a flow control valve for controlling a flow rate of hot water flowing into a rear heater core is provided, and the temperature of air blown toward the rear seat side in the passenger compartment is adjusted by the flow control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Ito, Hikaru Sugi, Takashi Toyoshima, Kenji Suwa, Yuichi Shirota
  • Patent number: 6382518
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, an air conditioning case has a center face opening through which air is blown toward a center upper side of a passenger compartment in a vehicle right-left direction, a side face opening through which air is blown toward a side upper side of the passenger compartment, and a defroster opening through which air is blown toward a front windshield of the vehicle. The side face opening is provided between the center face opening and the defroster opening in an arrangement direction of the center face opening and the defroster opening within a width dimension of the center face opening in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction. Thus, a dimension of the air conditioning case in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction becomes smaller, while operation force of a door for opening and closing the center face opening is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuji Shibata, Yoshio Yoshida, Masato Inuzuka
  • Publication number: 20020042248
    Abstract: An upper mixing region (210) and a lower mixing region (214) are fed with hot air via a radiator (203) and with cold air by way of respective bypass ducts (205, 208). Respective mixing flaps (212, 219) make it possible to adjust the temperature separately in the two mixing regions, from where the treated air is sent into different parts of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Publication date: April 11, 2002
    Inventors: Philippe Vincent, Nicolas Abouchaar
  • Patent number: 6368207
    Abstract: An HVAC housing includes a novel structure to aid the mixing of hot and cold air downstream of the evaporator and heater core. A series of space, parallel, C shaped channels running transverse to the cold air stream and generally in line with the hot air stream act to smoothly constrict the cold air stream in the gaps between the outer surfaces of the channels, while hot air concurrently runs through the inside of the channels. As the cold air passes over the edges of the channel walls, hot air is drawn out and thoroughly mixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John W. McLaughlin, H. Charles Miller, Ashraf A. Farag
  • Patent number: 6354935
    Abstract: For driving a slide type air mix door, a driving mechanism is employed. The air mix door has a rack connected thereto. A gear unit is provided which includes an input gear, an output gear and a flexible structure through which the input gear and the output gear are integrally and coaxially connected. The output gear is operatively meshed with the rack. An electric actuator is provided for driving the gear unit through the input gear. Due to provision of the flexible structure, the electric actuator is prevented from being attached by an excessive load even when ill-matching occurs between de-energization of the electric actuator and arrival of the air mix door at a terminal stop position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Kurokawa, Akihiro Tsurushima, Katsumi Uehara, Noriyuki Kitahara, Toshio Komatsubara
  • Patent number: 6351961
    Abstract: In a casing unit of the automotive air conditioner, an expanding portion of a mixing door with which an air flow is brought into direct contact is curved toward an upstream side of the air flow in a convex fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Kurokawa, Akihiro Tsurushima, Hiroyuki Tamura
  • Patent number: 6352208
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning apparatus includes a hot water valve for adjusting a flow amount of hot water flowing into a heating heat exchanger, a bypass passage through which air bypasses the heating heat exchanger, and a bypass door for opening and closing the bypass passage. In a high-temperature side area where temperature of air blown into the passenger compartment becomes higher, the temperature of air to be blown into the passenger compartment is adjusted by a hot-water flow adjustment of the hot water valve while the bypass door is operated at a fully closed position. On the other hand, in a low-temperature side area where temperature of air blown into the passenger compartment becomes lower, the temperature of air to be blown into the passenger compartment is adjusted by combining the hot-water flow adjustment of the hot water valve and the air flow adjustment of the bypass door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuji Shibata, Tomohiro Kamiya
  • Publication number: 20020016147
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an air flap (10) for an air-ducting device, in particular a vehicle heating, ventilation and/or air-conditioning system, with at least two ducts (2, 4), which have a common outlet zone, comprising a region (12) which allows part of the outlet zone to be divided in a sealed manner in each position of the air flap (10), the region (12) being smaller than the area of the air flap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Inventor: Thomas Muller
  • Patent number: 6341643
    Abstract: A cross-flow fan is provided in which air movement is increased without increasing the power of the motor. Opening portions for ventilation are bored wall surfaces forming a stabilizer in the casing of a cooling fan. These bores are at positions separated from the tongue portion by predetermined distances. When a bladed wheel is rotated by a motor, air is sucked from the front side of a core portion through the core portion and into the inside of the casing. The cooling fan generates, in the inside of the casing, a simple flow passing through the bladed wheel to a discharge port. This flow has a circulation flow (swirl) circulating within the bladed wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Osakabe
  • Publication number: 20020009968
    Abstract: A mix door D, which is arranged in a limited space defined between an upstream air passage 10 in which an evaporator 3 is installed and a downstream air passage 11 in which a heater core 4 is installed, is of a sliding type. By guiding a door proper 12 by using a cam groove, a seal member 15 bonded to the door proper 12 is pressed against a contacting member 13 only when the door proper 12 assumes its close position. Smoothed operation of the door proper 12 is achieved with a compact construction of a unit, and sealing and temperature controlling performance is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsurushima, Takumi Ijichi, Katsuhiro Kurokawa, Toshiya Uchida, Masaharu Onda
  • Publication number: 20020004367
    Abstract: An air-conditioning system alternately produces a cooled air stratum and a heated air stratum as viewed from an air outlet opening, and the guide length a1 of a first guide wall is set from 0.05 time or more to 0.5 times or less than the length L1. The guide length a2 of a second guide wall is set from 0.05 time or more to 0.5 times or less than the length L2. Consequently if the air mixing chamber has a small capacity (the length parallel to the direction of air flow), it is possible to mix the heated air and the cooled air sufficiently.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Publication date: January 10, 2002
    Inventors: Atsuro Murai, Koichi Ito
  • Publication number: 20020000307
    Abstract: A control device for gas is provided with a pivotable flap mounted between side walls of a guide duct. A receiving pocket for the insertion of a drive element (motor) is provided on one of the side walls and is oriented in such a way that, after insertion, the output shaft of the drive element is in engagement with the flap. This receiving pocket may be arranged so that the drive element is inserted coaxially with respect to the pivot axis of the flap or transversely thereto, or if the receiving pocket extends into the interior of the duct, the pivot flap is provided with a corresponding cut-out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Publication date: January 3, 2002
    Inventors: Walter Denk, Karl Lochmahr, Eric Reinisch, Klaus Waibel
  • Patent number: 6332330
    Abstract: A heating and/or air conditioning device for a motor-vehicle passenger compartment has an air-inlet chamber and a blower for installation in a rear part of the vehicle, a treatment and distribution device for installation in a front part of the passenger compartment), and a connecting duct for connecting the blower to the treatment and distribution device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Valeo Climatisation
    Inventors: Didier Loup, Carine Paumier, Naji Said, Pascale Petitjean
  • Patent number: 6332497
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle having an engine that serves as a drive source for a compressor arranged in a rear part of the vehicle. The air conditioner includes the compressor, and further includes an air intake unit having an inside air intake, an outside air intake, an inside air/outside air changeover damper, and a blower disposed on a downstream side of the inside air/outside air changeover damper. The air conditioner includes an air conditioning unit into which air is introduced from the air intake unit, provided along an introduced air distribution path with a cooling apparatus heat exchanger fluidly connected to the compressor and configured to exchange heat between the introduced air and air outside the cabin interior, where the cooling apparatus heat exchanger is located in the rear part of the vehicle. The air conditioning unit also include an engine heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the introduced air and an engine of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Niwa, Ryosaku Akimoto, Kenji Matsuda, Gregory A. Major, Xin Zeng
  • Patent number: 6308770
    Abstract: According to the present invention, an air conditioning apparatus include a case partitioned into a first air passage and a second air passage by partition plates (16-19), a heat exchanger such as a heater core. The heater exchanger is sandwiched between the partition plates. Further, the heat exchanger is formed by laminating tubes and a fin while the fin is disposed in each main air passage formed between tube walls of the tubes. Each end of the partition plates is opposite to each end of the tubes so that the partition plates are parallel to the tubes. In this way, airflows which respectively have passed from the air first and second passages pass through the heat exchanger without being mixed with each other therein. As a result, the separation characteristics of airflows can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazushi Shikata, Yukio Uemura, Hiroshi Nonoyama, Kenji Suwa
  • Patent number: 6305462
    Abstract: A mix door (5) is arranged in air passages (10, 11) of an automotive air conditioning device. The mix door (5) is arranged to extend in a direction to shut an air flow blown from the upstream air passage (10) and swelled in a downstream direction with a predetermined radius of curvature. The door (5) is guided by arcuate cam grooves (19) and driven upward and downward to achieve open/close operation with the aid of a sliding mechanism (M). Compact construction, reduction in air flow resistance, smoothed handling, high sealing and high temperature controlling are achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsurushima, Toshiyuki Yoshida, Masaharu Onda, Toshiya Uchida, Katsuaki Koshida, Katsuhiro Kurokawa
  • Publication number: 20010027861
    Abstract: A mix door (5) is arranged in air passages (10, 11) of an automotive air conditioning device. The mix door (5) is arranged to extend in a direction to shut an air flow blown from the upstream air passage (10) and swelled in a downstream direction with a predetermined radius of curvature. The door (5) is guided by arcuate cam grooves (19) and driven upward and downward to achieve open/close operation with the aid of a sliding mechanism (M). Compact construction, reduction in air flow resistance, smoothed handling, high sealing and high temperature controlling are achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Publication date: October 11, 2001
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsurushima, Toshiyuki Yoshida, Masaharu Onda, Toshiya Uchida, Katsuaki Koshida, Katsuhiro Kurokawa
  • Publication number: 20010025707
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation and air conditioning system including a casing with a vent outlet, a blower chamber within the casing, a wall cooperating with the casing to form a descending air passage permitting a downward flow of air discharged from the blower chamber and an ascending air passage permitting an upward flow of air passing through the descending air passage toward the vent outlet. A heating heat-exchanger is substantially horizontally disposed within the ascending air passage and arranged adjacent to a recessed portion of the wall and at least partially overlapping in the vertical direction with a cooling heat-exchanger disposed between the blower chamber and the heating heat-exchanger. A bypass air passage bypassing the heating heat-exchanger is substantially linearly aligned with the vent outlet via the ascending air passage. A foot vent passage is disposed above the heating heat-exchanger and between the blower chamber and the ascending air passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2001
    Publication date: October 4, 2001
    Applicant: CALSONIC KANSEI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaharu Onda, Yukio Ozeki, Toshio Yajima
  • Patent number: 6296563
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the distribution of ventilating air in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. This device has, downstream of a ventilating flap mounted in rotation about a transverse axis in a distribution compartment, a central ventilating duct and two lateral ventilating ducts which deliver air to lateral ventilating outlets. An additional passage connects the chamber (10) upstream of the ventilating flap (8) to the lateral ventilating outlets in the operating modes not involving ventilation, in order to deliver ventilating air to these lateral outlets in these operating modes so as to improve the comfort of the passengers. This passage may be formed by a vent, or by inlet cross sections larger than the area of the flap in front of the lateral ducts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Valeo Climatisation
    Inventor: Philippe Vincent
  • Patent number: 6296562
    Abstract: In an air passage switching device, suitable for use for example in a vehicle air conditioning apparatus, for switching a flow of air among a plurality of air passages by moving a film door in one direction by a stepping motor and in another direction by the spring force of coil spring, when the film door is moved in the direction in which it winds up the coil spring the pulse rate of the stepping motor is reduced to thereby increase the motor torque and prevent the occurrence of a shortage of motor torque. When the film door is moved in the other direction the pulse rate of the stepping motor is increased to reduce the motor torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yukio Uemura, Noboru Ohfuji
  • Patent number: 6296564
    Abstract: A heating or air-conditioning system for a vehicle has a cold-air duct and a warm-air duct which open out into an air-mixing chamber. One control member is assigned to each of the cold-air duct and the warm-air duct for setting the amount of cold or warm air which flows into the air-mixing chamber. The control member for the amount of warm air is designed as a shutter which includes a plurality of closure lamellae which are arranged next to one another, which overlap one another in the closed position, and which can be pivoted by a common actuating drive. To achieve a less progressive, substantially linear control curve of the shutter in the lower pivoting range, the shutter is designed in such a way that the individual closure lamellae, when they pivot out of their closed positions, open up unevenly sized opening cross sections for the warm air to pass through.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Klaus Arold, Stefan Giez
  • Patent number: 6293339
    Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning system that independently controls left-right air flow distribution in correspondence with left and right heat loads during a maximum cooling mode. In the system, blowout air flow is increased when driver seat side and passenger seat side air-mixing film members are both positioned in a maximum cooling position, and the heat load has risen in only one of a driver seat side space and a passenger seat side space in a passenger compartment. Further, each respective film member is operated to fully open a cool air bypass passage on the side on which the heat load has risen and the respective film member corresponding to the side on which the heat load has not risen significantly is operated to reduce the open area of the cool air bypass passage. At the same time, fan speed is increased to increase the air blow amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yukio Uemura, Takuya Natsume, Kazushi Shikata
  • Publication number: 20010017204
    Abstract: An automotive air conditioner includes an offset blower for blowing an air, an evaporator is centrally disposed within a dashboard and receives the air from below, and a heater approximately horizontally disposed above the evaporator. The evaporator inclines downward along the direction of the air flow. A plurality of condensed water guide plates are provided under the evaporator so as to allow a condensed water smoothly flow on the surface of each guide plate and is discharged from the evaporator through a condensed water drain pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2001
    Publication date: August 30, 2001
    Applicant: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichi Shirota, Hisashi Tanaka, Hiroshi Nonoyama, Kazushi Shikata, Yukio Uemura, Hikaru Sugi, Koji Ito, Teruhiko Kameoka
  • Publication number: 20010016472
    Abstract: An arrangement for heating a motor vehicle interior, especially a truck driver's compartment, a bus interior or the passenger compartment of a passenger car, with a ventilation device (10) for taking in fresh air via a fresh air intake area and for discharging air into the motor vehicle interior, with a heating device (11) for heating of air, and with a warm air line (25) for routing the air which has been heated by the heating device (11) into the ventilation device (10). The warm air line (25) is routed into the fresh air intake area such that the heated air emerging from the warm air line (25) is taken in jointly with the fresh air into the ventilation device (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Publication date: August 23, 2001
    Inventor: Magnus Herta
  • Patent number: 6273811
    Abstract: A vehicle heating, air conditioning and ventilation system comprises a housing (10) within which an evaporator (12) and heater (14) are arranged generally in a diverging V shape enclosing a mixing space (M) between. All forced air passes through the evaporator (12) first, after which it is can go straight through to the mixing space (M), or be diverted down under the heater (14) to flow through the heater (14) and into the mixing space (M), or some combination of the two. The combination of cold and hot flows into the mixing space (M) is determined by a solid dividing wall (30), which partially blocks the evaporator (12) and heater (14) from one another, and a pair of separate rolling film belts (32, 34), one between the evaporator (12) and the dividing wall upstream side (36) and the other located between the dividing wall downstream side (38) and the heater (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: John Lawrence Pawlak, III
  • Patent number: 6270400
    Abstract: A mix door D, which is arranged in a limited space defined between an upstream air passage 10 in which an evaporator 3 is installed and a downstream air passage 11 in which a heater core 4 is installed, is of a sliding type. By guiding a door proper 12 by using a cam groove, a seal member 15 bonded to the door proper 12 is pressed against a contacting member 13 only when the door proper 12 assumes its close position. Smoothed operation of the door proper 12 is achieved with a compact construction of a unit, and sealing and temperature controlling performance is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Calsonic Dansei Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsurushima, Takumi Ijichi, Katsuhiro Kurokawa, Toshiya Uchida, Masaharu Onda
  • Patent number: 6254475
    Abstract: An air flow control register includes a frame carrying pivotable vanes, which are rotated on parallel axes by a common drive mechanism, so that the setting of the vanes is variable between a maximum flow position, in which the flaps have a minimum inclination with respect to the direction of air flow through the register, and a no-flow position in which this inclination is a maximum. The drive mechanism controls the pivoting of the vanes in such a way that they all rotate by the same amount, with alternate vanes rotating in opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Valeo Climatisation
    Inventors: Jacques Danieau, Jihad El Mayas
  • Patent number: 6247530
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioning apparatus where temperature of air blown toward a front seat side and temperature of air blown toward a rear seat side of the passenger compartment are independently controlled, a switching door for generally partitioning a downstream warm air passage of a heater core into first and second air passages is disposed at an air outlet side of the heater core. When heating capacity for the front seat side of the passenger compartment is necessary to be increased, the switching door is operated to a rear shutting position so that all air heated by the heater core can be introduced toward the front seat side through the first and second air passages of the warm air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Mochizuki, Nobuyasu Naito, Hiroshi Kanda, Tatsuo Tsunooka, Takeshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6244335
    Abstract: A vehicular air-conditioner provided with a rear face duct and rear foot duct, wherein the dimensions of the vehicular air-conditioner in the lengthwise direction are reduced by arranging the rear face duct (26) and foot duct (31) to appear to overlap at the parts extending downward when viewed from the side. Specifically, the rear face duct (26) is bent to the vehicle front to fit in the space formed by splitting the foot duct 31 into two from an intermediate position of the downstream side to form the right side duct portion (31a) and the left side duct portion (31b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Tatsuo Tsunooka, Hiroshi Kanda, Nobuyasu Naito
  • Publication number: 20010001417
    Abstract: A conditioned air unit for use in a motor vehicle providing heating or cooling to a plurality of regions having relatively independent temperature setting. The structure provides compact, flexible and convenient temperature conditioning for each region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Publication date: May 24, 2001
    Inventors: Oliver Beck, Ian Bendell, Prasanta Halder, Hans Kampf, Karl Lochmahr, Kurt Molt, Joachim Zeeb
  • Patent number: 6230795
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning apparatus includes a shutting door for interrupting the air flow from a rear face air outlet and a rear face shutting switch for generating a shutting signal when the shutting door closes the rear face air outlet. An electronic control unit (ECU) controls the operation of a rear air mixing door so that communication between a rear bypass passage and a warm air passage downstream from a heater core is interrupted by the rear air mixing door when the shutting signal is generated from the rear face shutting switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuo Tsunooka, Nobuyasu Naito, Yoshinobu Mochizuki, Takeshi Nakamura, Hiroshi Kanda
  • Patent number: 6231437
    Abstract: A motor-vehicle heating and/or air conditioning device has a cold-air duct, a hot-air duct housing a heating radiator, a mixing chamber communicating with respective air outlets of the ducts and a mixing means. The mixing means has at least one flap of drum type which, in the “hot” position, closes off the outlet of the cold-air duct, and, in the “cold” position, closes off the outlet of the hot-air duct. The shutter wall of the flap includes at least one recess such that, when the flap is shifted from the “hot” position to the “cold” position, a cold airflow can pass through the recess so as to encounter a hot airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Valeo Climatisation
    Inventors: Didier Loup, Michel Auvity, Jean-Yves Queinnec, Philippe Vincent
  • Patent number: 6223807
    Abstract: An air handling system for the cab of a skid steer loader has an airflow housing mounted on the exterior of the cab and on a rear wall thereof. The housing is within the profile of the loader, that is, below the upper wall of the cab and within the side frame members. The housing has an air inlet above the engine compartment, and includes a heater core and an air conditioning evaporator, both of which act as heat exchangers mounted in a plenum chamber in which two fans are mounted. Ducts lead from the plenum chamber to the interior of the cab. The ducts connected to the air handling housing open through ports in the rear wall of the cab into the interior, and interior or the cab ducts carry the air from the plenum chamber to desired locations of the operator's cab for heating, air conditioning or ventilating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Clark Equipment Company
    Inventors: James E. Asche, Jeffrey A. Dahl, Laura A. Marstad, Jeffrey A. Abel
  • Patent number: 6224480
    Abstract: An assembly 10 for controlling the temperature of air flowing into the passenger compartment of a vehicle has a frame 20, an arcuate door 40, and an actuation assembly 50. The frame 20 defines an opening 21 through which air flows into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The frame 20 also includes opposite arcuate tracks 25, 26. The arcuate door 40 moves to control airflow through the opening 21 and has side edges 41, 42 which are slidably received in the opposite arcuate tracks 25, 26. The arcuate door 40 and the opposite arcuate tracks 25, 26 maintain the same center of curvature during the sliding of the arcuate door 40 in the opposite arcuate tracks 25, 26. The actuation assembly 50 moves the arcuate door 40 along the opposite arcuate tracks 25, 26.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignees: TRW Inc., Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Vu Le, Bipin Parekh, Fred Butler
  • Patent number: 6206092
    Abstract: A conditioned air unit for use in a motor vehicle providing heating or cooling to a plurality of regions having relatively independent temperature setting. The structure provides compact, flexible and convenient temperature conditioning for each region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Oliver Beck, Ian Bendell, Prasanta Halder, Hans Kampf, Karl Lochmahr, Kurt Molt, Joachim Zeeb
  • Patent number: 6186885
    Abstract: An integrated HVAC system for an automotive vehicle, including mating forward and rearward shells each have mating portions of left and right duct arms for delivering conditioned air therethrough. The mating shells define a central enclosure within which a drop-in heater core module may be operatively placed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Kenneth K. Ahn, Mark A. Richardson
  • Patent number: 6182741
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a case accommodating an evaporator having a core portion and a lower tan disposed at a bottom of the core portion. The case has a recess portion disposed at an upstream air side of the evaporator, and a covering wall is formed to extend upwardly from the bottom of the recess portion to cover only the lower tank at an immediately upstream air side. When air passes through the evaporator, alien substances contained in air collide with the evaporator and fall to be deposited in the recess portion. Therefore, the deposition of the alien substances do not directly adhere to the lower tank of the evaporator to prevent the evaporator from being corroded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Yoshii, Sadayuki Kamiya
  • Patent number: 6138749
    Abstract: A motor vehicle air-conditioner having a structure that reduces production costs. Main and sub air-mixing doors and an inner-air FOOT door are mechanically interlocked with a single air-mixing door actuator. The shape of an engagement hole of a main link plate of a door-interlock device is formed to correspond to an operation pattern to rotate the main and sub air-mixing doors from MAX COOL to MAX HOT in an interval where a servomotor opening degree is from 0% to 80%. The shape of an engagement hole of a main link plate is such that the plate functions as a lost motion link plate that corresponds to an operation pattern to rotate the inner-air FOOT door from a fully closed state to a fully open state in an interval where the servomotor opening degree is from 80% to 100%. As a result, opening of the inner-air FOOT door becomes difficult even when the main and sub air-mixing doors are opened, and so leakage of conditioned air from a foot vent can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takayoshi Kawai, Hiroshi Nonoyama