Abstract: An apparatus for recovering refrigerant (230) from an air conditioning system includes a collector for connecting hydraulically a high pressure branch and a low pressure branch, provided in the air conditioning system, with a fluid feeding duct of the fluid into the apparatus. The apparatus also has an evaporator arranged to separate the refrigerant from impurities, through an evaporation of residual liquid fractions of the refrigerant obtaining a purified refrigerant that rises towards an upper part of the evaporator, from impurities that are concentrated in a lower part of the evaporator.

Abstract: A maintenance and hygiene method and apparatus (50) for a motor vehicle air conditioning system (30) with a cooling circuit (20?). The apparatus comprises a regeneration device (56) and a hygiene device (57) that are integrated in a single body (51) which includes, furthermore, a program means (55) that contemporaneously actuates and controls the regeneration device (56) and the hygiene device (57). The maintenance and hygiene program that is resident in the memory of the microprocessor (55) is then started by an operator. In particular, the hygiene step is carried out contemporaneously with the step of recovering the cooling fluid and with the engine on, and is prolonged up to a lubricating fluid discharging step/establishing vacuum condition step.

Abstract: Test and diagnosis of an automotive air conditioning system (2) is performed by a device which comprises: temperature-sensing means (3) for sensing the ambient temperature, pressure-sensing means (4,5) for sensing the high and low side pressures of the system (2), data-storage means (62) for storing at least one set of reference values of refrigerant pressures and ambient temperatures and at least one set of malfunction diagnosis, a data processor (63) for comparing said sensed values of ambient temperature and refrigerant pressures with said stored reference values and for associating to each tern of sensed values at least one diagnosis, which is displayed on a display unit (7), an input unit (8) and an hand-heldable housing (10) for containing said sensing and data-storage means (3-5,62), said data processor (63) and said display and input units (7,8).

Abstract: Test and diagnosis of an automotive air conditioning system (2) is performed by a device which comprises: temperature-sensing means (3) for sensing the ambient temperature, pressure-sensing means (4,5) for sensing the high and low side pressures of the system (2), data-storage means (62) for storing at least one set of reference values of refrigerant pressures and ambient temperatures and at least one set of malfunction diagnosis, a data processor (63) for comparing said sensed values of ambient temperature and refrigerant pressures with said stored reference values and for associating to each tern of sensed values at least one diagnosis, which is displayed on a display unit (7), an input unit (8) and an hand-heldable housing (10) for containing said sensing and data-storage means (3-5,62), said data processor (63) and said display and input units (7,8).