Patents Examined by Gordon A Jones
  • Patent number: 12370931
    Abstract: Energy management techniques for heating or cooling a surface of a component of a vehicle comprise determining a heating lag time indicative of a lag time for a surface element of the vehicle component to heat to a first target temperature in response to a power on-off or power off-on modulation of a heat transfer component, determining a cooling lag time indicative of a lag time for the surface element to cool to a second target temperature in response to a power on-off or power off-on modulation of the heat transfer component, and controlling power-on and power-off times of the heat transfer component based on the determined heating and cooling lag times so as to not require a temperature sensor for feedback-based temperature control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Mark J Duty, Daniel R King, Shantanu Ajankar, Yugandhara P Joshi
  • Patent number: 12371171
    Abstract: A vapor cycle liquid cooling system for an aircraft includes a liquid vapor cycle system, an air handling unit, and a liquid loop in thermal communication with the liquid vapor cycle system and the air handling unit. The liquid vapor cycle system includes a cooling liquid outlet configured to deliver a cooling liquid in the liquid loop and a heating liquid outlet configured to deliver a heating liquid in the liquid loop. The vapor cycle liquid cooling system is configured to deliver the cooling liquid to the air handling unit and is configured to modulate a flow of the heating liquid to the air handling unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2025
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Eric Surawski
  • Patent number: 12330796
    Abstract: An air conditioning pack management system for controlling distribution of a predetermined amount of conditioned air from a system comprising two or more air conditioning packs, the pack management system comprising a management unit arranged to proportion the predetermined amount of conditioned air to be provided by one or more of the two or more packs based on the respective operating efficiencies of the packs or other pre-selected metrics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2024
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2025
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH CENTRE IRELAND
    Inventors: Giusi Quartarone, Lance R. Bartosz, Catherine Thibaud
  • Patent number: 12322898
    Abstract: A heat sink assembly includes an upper heat sink element having upper plates each having sides between front and rear ends and each having inner and outer ends and a lower heat sink element having lower plates each having sides between front and rear ends and each having inner and outer ends. The lower plates include lower spacer plates and lower interface plates with the outer ends thereof thermally coupled to an electronic module. The lower interface plates include interface fins interfacing with the upper plates. The heat sink assembly includes a spring element having an upper spring member engaging the inner ends of the upper plates to bias the upper plates in a first biasing direction away from the lower plates and having a lower spring member engaging the inner ends of the lower plates to bias the lower plates in a second biasing direction away from the upper plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2025
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Alan Weir Bucher, Leo Joseph Graham
  • Patent number: 12313355
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a multi-header pipe distributing annular printed circuit heat exchanger, and pertains to the technical field of heat exchangers, the heat exchanger includes: a front head configured to achieve same side entry and exit of a cold fluid; a core body with one end thereof connected with the front head and configured to achieve distributing of cold fluid entry and exit; a hot fluid inlet cavity provided in a middle portion of the core body and configured to achieve entry of a hot fluid; a shell sheathed outside the core body, and the shell and the core body provided with a gap for collecting the hot fluid; and a lower cover plate connected with one end of the core body and configured to block the hot fluid inlet cavity. The present invention can improve compactness and power density of the heat exchanger, reduce volume and weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: Xi'an Jiaotong University
    Inventors: Ting Ma, Qiyuan Ma, Song He, Yang Cheng, Qiuwang Wang
  • Patent number: 12295121
    Abstract: The heat sink includes a heat transport member having an evaporation portion to be thermally connected to a heat-generating element, a tube body which is connected to a connection portion located in a condensation portion of the heat transport member, and a heat radiation fin group which is thermally connected to the tube body, in which the heat transport member has an integral internal space, the internal space of the heat transport member communicates with an internal space of the tube body via the connection portion, the tube body has a circular portion in which a shape in a radial direction is a circular shape, and a flat portion in which a shape in the radial direction is a flat shape, the circular portion is located in the connection portion, and the flat portion is located in a part to which the heat radiation fin group is thermally connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Watanabe, Hirofumi Aoki
  • Patent number: 12287155
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for reclaiming heat from a fluid, the method having the steps of contacting the fluid to a phase change material for a time sufficient to increase the temperature of the material and or liquefy some of it; and contacting the material to a second fluid for a time sufficient to increase the temperature of the second fluid and to decrease the temperature of the material or to solidify some of it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC
    Inventors: Dileep Singh, David M. France, Wenhua Yu
  • Patent number: 12275536
    Abstract: A power supply arrangement (PSA) for an aircraft having an electrical system and an environmental control system (ECS) operatively connected to a cabin of the aircraft, the PSA has: at least one propelling engine; a secondary power unit (SPU) having a rotary engine, at least one generator in driving engagement with the rotary engine and operatively connectable to the electrical system of the aircraft, and at least one load compressor operatively connected to the rotary engine and pneumatically connected to a pneumatic circuit connectable to the ECS of the aircraft, the PSA having a propelling configuration in which the at least one propelling engine and the SPU are both powered and a hotel configuration in which the at least one propelling engine is unpowered while the SPU is powered, the pneumatic circuit pneumatically disconnected from the at least one propelling engine in both of the hotel and propelling configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Behzad Hagshenas, Serge Dussault, Tim Sullivan, Francois Belleville
  • Patent number: 12263950
    Abstract: An aircraft refrigeration system comprises an ambient air line, through which ambient air flows and which is connected to conduct ambient air to an aircraft, an ambient air compressor, arranged in the ambient air line, for compressing the ambient air in the ambient air line, a cabin exhaust air turbine, connected to a cabin exhaust air line and coupled to the ambient air compressor in the ambient air line and configured to expand cabin exhaust air flowing through the cabin exhaust air line and to drive the ambient air compressor, a transmission, configured to couple the cabin exhaust air turbine to the ambient air compressor and to set a speed of the ambient air compressor, and a motor, coupled to the transmission and configured to drive the ambient air compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Oliver Hennig, Frank Klimpel, Henning Everth
  • Patent number: 12264827
    Abstract: An outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes: a housing configured to form an outer shell; and a heat exchanger provided to extend at a rear portion of the housing from a lower portion toward an upper portion of the housing, wherein the heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger side plate provided on a side portion and having a side plate locking hole at an upper portion, and the housing includes a rear panel being a plate-like part that forms a rear surface and including an upper rear-surface locking claw at an upper portion, the upper rear-surface locking claw being inserted into the side plate locking hole, and a top panel being a plate-like part provided on an upper side of the rear panel and forming a top surface of the housing, the top panel covering the side plate locking hole and the upper rear-surface locking claw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yo Kitabatake
  • Patent number: 12259189
    Abstract: The object of the invention is, among others, a heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle comprising: at least two manifolds (10, 20) comprising covers (11, 21) and headers (12, 22), a plurality of tubes (30) deployed in parallel to each other between the manifolds (10, 20), the tubes (30) comprising open ends received in the headers (12, 22), the length of the tubes (30) being smaller than the distance between the covers (11, 21), characterised in that, the covers (11, 21) comprise an elongated portions (13, 23) long enough to form an abutting point for one end of the tube (30), so that the second end of the tube (30) is distanced from the elongated portions (13, 23) on the opposite cover, while still maintaining fluid-tight connection with both manifolds (10, 20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: VALEO AUTOSYSTEMY SP. Z O.O
    Inventors: Andrzej Jugowicz, Mateusz Wozek
  • Patent number: 12253286
    Abstract: According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comprising: one or more portions of material configured to vibrate at one or more ultrasonic frequencies when the material is positioned within a varying magnetic field; and wherein the one or more portions of material configured to vibrate at one or more ultrasonic frequencies are positioned so that, when a varying magnetic field is applied to the apparatus, the vibration caused by the varying magnetic field provides increased cooling within a cooling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Phil Catton, Christopher Wright, Wai Lau
  • Patent number: 12240292
    Abstract: A vehicle comprising, a passenger cabin, a door to the passenger cabin, and an air conditioning system is disclosed. The air conditioning system comprise a Peltier device, a blower for directing an airflow over a first side of the Peltier device and ducting for ducting air to the blower, the ducting comprising an inlet located on an underside of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventors: Daniel James Woodfield, Ross Patrick Ferreira, Laurent James Peters, Roy Edward Poulton
  • Patent number: 12234018
    Abstract: An environmental control system of a vehicle includes a first inlet for receiving a first medium, a second inlet for receiving a second medium, and an outlet for delivering a conditioned medium to a load. A first compression device is configured to receive and compress the first medium and a second compression device is configured to receive and compress the second medium. The first medium and the second medium are mixed together at a mixing point such that a mixture of the first medium and the second medium is the conditioned medium provided at the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gregory R. Leaper, Jeffrey Ernst
  • Patent number: 12233686
    Abstract: A heat pump system for a vehicle controls a temperature of a battery module by use of one chiller in which a coolant and a refrigerant are heat-exchanged and that improves heating efficiency by recovering heat from various heat sources in a heating mode of a vehicle to use them for indoor heating, including: a valve, an electrical component cooling device, a battery cooling device, an indoor heating device, an indoor cooling device, a centralized energy device, and a chiller, wherein a condenser included in the centralized energy device is connected to the second line through the second valve to condense the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant line through heat-exchange with the coolant and is provided in a sixth line through which the coolant flows; and a first end portion of the third line is connected to a third valve provided in the sixth line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Seong-Bin Jeong
  • Patent number: 12209813
    Abstract: A heat exchanger is provided that can include furcating unit cells coupled with each other. Each of the unit cells can be elongated along an axis and include a sidewall that defines annular ring openings on opposite ends of the unit cell along the axis. The sidewall also can define undulating annular rings between the annular ring openings and axially separated from each other along the axis. The sidewall can further define angled openings into the unit cell both above and below each of the undulating annular rings. At least a first opening of the annular ring openings and the angled openings can be configured to be an inlet to receive a first fluid into the unit cell and at least a second opening of the annular ring openings and the angled openings configured to be an outlet through which the first fluid exits the unit cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Dwight Gerstler, Daniel Jason Erno, Michael Thomas Kenworthy, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Nicolas Kristopher Sabo
  • Patent number: 12202609
    Abstract: Air conditioning system for a cabin (10) of an aircraft, comprising: an air bleed device; an air cycle turbine engine (12); at least one main cooling exchanger (16); a water extraction loop (30); and a pipe (26) for distributing water extracted by said extraction loop (30), characterized in that said system further comprises means (40) for heating the water extracted by the water extraction loop so as to be able to spray the water into a ram-air channel (22) which supplies said main exchanger (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: LIEBHERR-AEROSPACE TOULOUSE SAS
    Inventors: Guillaume Galzin, Jean-Raymond Blary, David Lavergne
  • Patent number: 12187441
    Abstract: Aircraft environmental control systems having electrically powered ram circuit fans are described herein. An example environmental control system includes an air cycle machine to produce cabin air for a cabin of the aircraft. The air cycle machine includes a turbine and a heat exchanger. The environmental control system also includes a ram circuit. The heat exchanger is disposed in the ram circuit. The environmental control system further includes a fan in the ram circuit to control air flow through the ram circuit and across the heat exchanger, an electric motor, and an overrunning clutch operatively coupled between the turbine and the electric motor to enable the turbine to drive the fan during a first mode of operation and to enable the electric motor to drive the fan during a second mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Steve G. Mackin, Douglas J. Silva
  • Patent number: 12172758
    Abstract: A system for cooling aircraft components includes a compressor configured to receive air bled from a gas turbine engine and compress the received air. Additionally, the system includes a water separator configured to receive the compressed air from the compressor and remove moisture from the compressed air to dry the compressed air. Furthermore, the system includes a turbine configured to receive the dried air from the heat exchanger, with the dried air expanding as the dried air flows through the turbine. Moreover, the system includes a defroster configured to receive the expanded air from the turbine, with the defroster further configured to capture frozen particulate matter from the expanded air. As such, the moisture removed from the compressed air by the water separator is routed to the defroster to melt the captured frozen particulate matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jeffrey Douglas Rambo
  • Patent number: 12168518
    Abstract: An environmental control system includes an ambient air conduit and a bleed air conduit, an electric compressor connected to the ambient air conduit and a mechanical compressor connected to the electric compressor. The electric compressor is supported for rotation independent of the mechanical compressor. A turbine is operatively connected to the mechanical compressor, the turbine connected to both the ambient air conduit and the bleed air conduit to provide conditioned air to a conditioned air conduit. Computer program products and methods of providing conditioned air to conditioned air loads are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: John John Kocherry, Santosh Kumar Tripathy, Tony Ho