Abstract: A variable capacity, vane-type compressor has a cylinder block with an oval rotor chamber. A plurality of vanes mounted in slots on a rotor rotate inside the rotor chamber on a shaft that is concentric with the minor diameter of the rotor chamber. Valves discharge refrigerant gas from the rotor chamber. The front nose block is located on the front side of the cylinder block and contains a bore for the rotor shaft and a set of needle roller bearings which supports the forward end of the shaft. A circular O-ring groove with an O-ring is located on the rearward side of the front nose block at its perimeter for sealing between the front nose block and the forward side of the cylinder block. The cylinder block has internal, weight-reducing voids located outboard of the rotor chamber. The lower voids serve as an oil sump and supply high pressure lubricant to the undervane pressurization manifolds. Like the front nose block groove, the cylinder block has a circular groove machined on a rearward side.

Abstract: A heat exchanger of the type used for a condenser in a vehicle air conditioning system includes a pair of parallel, tubular headers which are spaced apart with a plurality of refrigerant flow tubes extending between the headers. The flow tubes have upper and lower flat sides, and forward and rearward outermost edges. The forward and rearward outermost edges longitudinally extend the length of the flow tubes to define forward and rearward outermost planes of the flow tubes, respectively. A plurality of serpentine fins have alternately disposed ridges and furrows which define upper and lower crests. Portions of some of the crests are indented to provide recesses, with tabs extending from one end of the crests. The tabs extend outward and in contact with one of the edges of the flow tubes. The headers and serpentine fins are brazing clad for passing through a brazing furnace to braze the headers and serpentine fins to the flow tubes. The heat exchanger is brazed while in a horizontal plane.

Abstract: A clip for securing a manifold tube to an automotive heat exchanger has a portion which secures to a support plate of the heat exchanger without brazing. The base of the clip has a lip which inserts over an edge of the plate. A loop joins the base and extends around the tube. A leg joins the other end of the loop and has a lip which is inserted over an opposite edge of the plate. A fastener secures the first and second ends of the loop to each other to grip the tube and hold the lips in gripping engagement with the edges of the plate.

Abstract: A method for adjusting an air conditioner compressor for a particular vehicle application involves selecting the proper control curve. The control curve is a graph of suction inlet pressure verses discharge pressure. The graph has a linear portion over which increased discharge pressure decreases suction pressure. The low demand condition at which suction pressure is highest and discharge pressure lowest may result in an evaporator outlet pressure that is too high or too low. To change the evaporator outlet pressure, the control valve for the compressor is adjusted or replaced to vary the slope of the linear portion of the control curve. Varying the slope will change the maximum suction pressure to reach an optimized solution under low demand conditions. The slope is varied by changing a bias pin in the modular control valve to one of a different diameter. The bias pin is one factor that controls the opening and closing of the valve to vary the capacity of the compressor.

Abstract: A parallel flow heat exchanger is provided having two spaced apart header tubes and a plurality of parallel flow tubes which extend between the header tubes. Prior to passing assembled components of the heat exchanger through a brazing furnace, various external components such as flow fittings and mounting brackets are secured to one of the header tubes by a snap-on brackets which are integrally formed into the external components. Each of the snap-on brackets has a central body portion with a brazing clad, concave contact surface for fitting flush against a side of one of the header tubes. A pair of arms extend from one side of the central body portion, symmetrically spaced apart about a central axis of the snap-on connector for fitting around ribs formed by the edges of the header tubes. Tips are formed on the ends of the arms. The tips have tapered side surfaces which face inward, toward the other arms, for spreading the arms apart as the arms are pressed onto the ribs of the header tube.

Abstract: A rotary vane compressor has a compressor housing which contains an oval chamber. A cylindrical rotor is mounted on an axial shaft and has radial vanes which engage the chamber and slide radially inward and outward in slots formed in the rotor as the shaft rotates. A pair of thrust shoulders are on the shaft, spaced axially apart from each other exterior of the rotor and facing in axially opposite directions. A deep groove ball bearing assembly is stationarily mounted in the housing in engagement with both of the shoulders on the shaft. Radial, moment, and thrust in both axial directions applied to the shaft are transferred by the shoulders through the bearing assembly to the compressor housing.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation system displays arrow icons to a driver indicating the directions he must follow from each of one or more turning points on his route to keep the driver from passing inadvertently an intersection in which he must change the vehicle's direction of advance or from turning in an intersection prior to the intersection previously chosen for a turn. Road anomalies, such as sharp curves or U turns are also displayed. The arrow icons are alternatively created from computed directions of the vehicle's advance or stored in an X-Y storage unit from which an arrow icon best fitting the required guidance is selected. The stored arrow icons include straight road, single turns, and multiple turns. The selected arrow is displayed to the driver. An embodiment calculates turns and curves with angles which match the actual angles of the turns, and radii and turning angles of curves.

Abstract: A rotor vane and a method for fabricating the rotor vane are provided in which the vane is formed of a thermoplastic matrix material having chopped fibers uniformly dispersed throughout the thermoplastic material, with the fibers aligned to extend in directions which are approximately parallel to a radial dimension in which the vane extends. A billet formed of the thermoplastic matrix material with the chopped fibers randomly oriented and uniformly dispersed within the thermoplastic matrix material is placed in vane forming dies. The dies have an interior surface which is in the shape of the vane. The billet is placed within the dies with the longitudinal length of the billet extending perpendicular to the radial dimension of the vane being formed and completely across the axial dimension of the vane being formed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provide a heat exchanger having a compression fitting for sealing connecting a refrigerant flow line to a tube brazed to the heat exchanger in a brazing furnace. The heat exchanger compression fitting includes a female tubing connector, a male tubing connector, a stainless steel washer, an annular seal member, and a rib formed integrally into the tube, spaced apart from an end of the tube to which the refrigerant flow line is to be connected. The male tubing connector is brazed to the refrigerant flow line. The female tubing connector and the stainless steel washer are placed on the tube between the rib and the end of the tube which is to be brazed to the heat exchanger, with the stainless steel washer between the rib and the female tubing connector.The tube is then placed in a refrigerant port of the heat exchanger, and run through the brazing furnace with other heat exchanger components. The annular seal member is placed around the pilot portion of the tube, next to the rib.

Abstract: A method and brazing fixture are provided for passing a plurality of heat exchanger components through a brazing furnace to provide a heat exchanger for use in a motor vehicle air conditioning system. The brazing fixture includes a reusable brazing tray having a flat planar surface for securing the heat exchanger components thereto, in alignment for passing through the brazing furnace. The heat exchanger components include refrigerant flow tubes and fin stock, which are placed alongside of the planar surface, with the planar surface extending substantially along the full length of the fin stock to prevent high fin. Circulation ports extend through the brazing tray in a honeycomb pattern along the planar surface, for passing heated gases within the brazing furnace between the fin stock and flow tubes. The planar surface of the brazing tray is formed from a material to which the heat exchanger components will not braze, and which will not tend to stick to brazing flux.

Abstract: A navigation system for a vehicle enables an operator to know a calculated optimal path from a starting point to a destination before departure. After the optimal path is calculated, a preview function allows the operator to sequentially view the calculated optimal path either prior to departure or at any point along the optimal path. A cancel function allows the operator to cancel a displayed portion of the optimal path and to request calculation and display of an alternate optimal path which does not employ the canceled portion of the original optimal path.

Abstract: A variable capacity vane compressor uses a linear actuator. The linear actuator is pivotally connected to a valve plate to rotate the valve plate between minimum delivery and maximum delivery positions. The actuator has springs on each end which bias the actuator to an equilibrium position between the full and minimum delivery positions for start up. Control pressure is supplied to one side of the actuator while the other side of the actuator is at intake pressure.

Abstract: A control valve for a variable rotary vane compressor is modular. The control operates an actuator to vary the position of a rotary valve plate located between the intake chamber and the compression chamber. The control valve locates in a cavity which has a suction pressure portion, a control pressure portion, and a discharge pressure portion. The control valve has an end cap and a valve seat member connected together by a sleeve. A valve element engages a seat in the valve seat member. The spring and a bias pin urge the valve element to the closed position. A bellows located within the sleeve has a stem that contacts the valve element to move it off of the seat. The sleeve allows the distance between the valve seat member and the end cap to be varied to preset the bellows prior to installation in the compressor.

Abstract: A variable capacity vane compressor has an axial pressure device for applying variable axial pressure to a rotary valve. The rotary valve plate locates in a rotary valve housing and changes the capacity of the compressor due to its rotary position. An actuator member rotates the rotary valve plate in response to varying pressure in the discharge and intake chambers. A control valve supplies a variable control pressure to the actuating member for moving the actuating member to rotate the rotary valve plate. An annular axial pressure chamber is located between the rotary valve housing and the rotary valve plate. A control pressure port leads from the control valve to the axial pressure chamber. A seal member within the axial pressure chamber applies an axial force on a bearing located on the rotary valve plate. The control valve which supplies variable pressure used to vary the actuator member position also supplies the control pressure to the axial pressure chamber.

Abstract: A parallel flow vehicle air conditioning condenser utilizes baffle plates with an interference fit. The baffle plates locate within header and tank assemblies. Parallel tubes extend between the header and tank assemblies for causing refrigerant flow between the header and tank assemblies and through the tubes. The header and tank assembly is made up of two portions which are brazed together. The baffle plate has abutment edges that abut the interior walls of the two portions in an interference fit to deform the walls and cause sealing.