Patents Examined by Hans R Weiland
  • Patent number: 11493225
    Abstract: Methods and related systems for controlling superheat in a climate control system are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes (a) determining a superheat of a refrigerant downstream of a coil of a heat exchanger of the climate control system. In addition, the method includes (b) determining that an expansion valve upstream of the heat exchanger is fully open. Further, the method includes (c) adjusting a speed of air flowing across the coil or a speed of a compressor of the climate control system after (b) based on the determination in (a) to control the superheat of the refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Youssef A. Jaber, Don A. Schuster, Nathan Smith, Jonathan Edward Thrift
  • Patent number: 11486609
    Abstract: Systems and methods of continuous cooling at cryogenic temperatures. One exemplary aspect involves a refrigeration system that includes: a chamber adapted to hold liquid and gaseous coolant received from a cooling pot; a first adsorption pump having an inlet end in fluid communication with the chamber, the first adsorption pump configured to capture gas from the liquid and gaseous coolant when the first adsorption pump is enabled; a second adsorption pump having an inlet end in fluid communication with the chamber, the second adsorption pump configured to capture gas from the liquid and gaseous coolant when the second adsorption pump is enabled; a means for desorbing the gas captured by the first adsorption pump; and a means for desorbing the gas captured by the second adsorption pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
    Inventors: David I. Schuster, Andrew E. Oriani
  • Patent number: 11466941
    Abstract: There is disclosed a heat exchanger apparatus, comprising flat heat exchange plates positioned parallel to each other, and adjustable spacers provided near each vertical edge of the flat heat exchange plates to form a material flow channel. In an embodiment, each adjustable spacer is configured to be adjustable via one or more angular adjustment mechanisms to form a material flow channel with one of a consistent volume channel, a reducing volume channel, and an increasing volume channel. The adjustable spacers are configured to receive spacer extensions to adjust the width of the spacers. The spacer extensions form extend the face of the spacers with a flat or profiled material contact face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Inventor: Peter Dawson
  • Patent number: 11466938
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a heat transfer assembly for a rotary regenerative heat exchanger. The assembly includes a rotor arranged between at least two separated fluid flow passages passing flow axially through the rotor, where each flow passage is connected to a sector part of the rotor. The assembly further includes a plurality of channels in the rotor for flowing a fluid through the rotor, each of the channels is enclosed by heat transfer and heat accumulating surfaces in the rotor, and the heat transfer and heat accumulating surfaces of the channels are made in a material providing an average axial thermal conductivity less than 100 W/mK arranged to reduce the Longitudinal Heat Conductivity of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: FLEXIT SVERIGE AB
    Inventors: Staffan Biörklund, Anneli Halfvardsson, Peng Liu
  • Patent number: 11453272
    Abstract: A photocatalyst device including: a body; a light source part fixed to the body to irradiate ultraviolet light and having an LED and a substrate for fixing the LED thereto; a catalyst part fixed to the body to conduct photocatalytic reaction with the light irradiated by the light source part and thus to generate superoxygen radicals; and a heat radiating part disposed on the light source part to radiate the heat generated from the light source part, whereby the photocatalyst device purifies air and sterilizes and deodorizes the evaporator, while being easily mountable as a single module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Hanon Systems
    Inventors: Jae-Ho Kim, Ji-Yong Park, Youn-Woo Lim, Yong-Jun Jee, Gi-Woo Ro, Jun-Seong Ahn
  • Patent number: 11415381
    Abstract: Heat exchangers and methods for assembling a heat exchanger are described, such as for example a round tube heat exchanger, which may be a fin and tube heat exchanger, and which may be used for example in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) system and/or unit thereof. The heat exchanger includes aluminum tubes mechanically rolled into an aluminum tube support and the tubes are fluidically sealed with the tube support. The aluminum tube support including the aluminum tubes rolled therein is assembled to a fluid manifold configured to allow fluid flow through the heat exchanger and into and/or out of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: William Burgess Fox, Jacob Levi Gregg, Corey Michael Gilbertson, Sean Andrews Smith, Jeffery Carl Gill, Robert John Larrinaga
  • Patent number: 11408686
    Abstract: A heat exchanger prevents cracking in heat transfer plates while avoiding lowering heat-exchange efficiency. Heat transfer plates are arranged with a space between them, and a hollow pipe extends through the plates. A high-temperature gas flows through the space to exchange heat with a liquid in the hollow pipe. The heat transfer plates are elongated in the direction in which parts of the hollow pipe are aligned and can thus have thermal expansion accumulating in the elongation direction. The heat transfer plates each include a thermal expansion absorber between an edge of the heat transfer plate receiving inflow of the high-temperature gas and an inter-pipe portion between adjacent parts of the hollow pipe to absorb thermal expansion of the heat transfer plate. A selected one or more of the inter-pipe portions, rather than all, include the thermal expansion absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Akagi
  • Patent number: 11396605
    Abstract: A heat exchanger is provided that is operated in a cooling operation mode in which a region to be heat-exchanged is cooled by the heat exchanger or in a drying operation mode in which the heat exchanger is supplied with wind from a blowing fan. The heat exchanger includes a refrigerant pipe, a cooling fin coupled to the refrigerant pipe, and a hydrophilic coating coated on a surface of the refrigerant pipe or the cooling fin. The hydrophilic coating includes a first type transition metal oxide which becomes acidic by reacting with moisture formed on the refrigerant pipe or the cooling fin to have antimicrobial activity when the heat exchanger is operated in the cooling operation mode, and a second type transition metal oxide or a post-transition metal oxide which has antimicrobial activity when the heat exchanger is operated in the drying operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jihyun Kim, Donghan Kim, Chohee Oh, Seojin Lee, Taegyu Jin, Sanghyun Hong
  • Patent number: 11390451
    Abstract: A refrigeration unit designed for prolonged cooling with intermittent power supplies and adaptability to rotation is described. A spherical design is utilized comprising internal compartments that shift according to orientation of the sphere and enable internal cycling of water at substantially 4 degrees Celsius about an icy core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: THE SURE CHILL COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Ian Tansley
  • Patent number: 11378289
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided and arranged with an air control system to alternately direct a first and a second airflow to a first and a second energy-absorbing body in order to achieve a heat and moisture transfer between the two airflows. The energy exchange bodies alternate between recovery and release modes such that when one energy exchange body is in the release mode the other is in the recovery mode. Each of the first and second energy absorbing bodies is divided into a first latent energy recovery portion which includes a moisture absorbent material so that it is arranged to absorb latent energy and a second sensible energy recovery portion which is substantially free from moisture absorbent material so as to absorb primarily sensible energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Tempeff Inc.
    Inventors: Andy Kebernik, Jeffrey Allen Goertzen, Kenneth Smith, G. Dean Scheurich
  • Patent number: 11364765
    Abstract: An air-conditioning unit for installation on a roof is disclosed. The air-conditioning unit includes a plurality of functional components arranged in a housing which has an attachment side for installation, and two support arms which support at least one functional component such that the at least one functional component is arranged higher with respect to the attachment side than other functional components. The two support arms laterally encompass the at least one functional component so that each support arm supports a different side of the at least one functional component, in that the two support arms each support the at least one functional component in an area of a face side, in that the two support arms each have the shape of a “S”, and in that each support arm has two face side portions which are positioned at different heights, and a portion connecting the two face side portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: TRUMA GERÄTETECHNIK GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Matthias Venschott
  • Patent number: 11353273
    Abstract: A housing for configuring a compact heat exchanger module includes separate fluid flow conduits integrally formed on at least one wall thereof and connected to at least one inlet and at least one outlet of at least one heat exchanger disposed within the housing. The separate fluid flow conduits configures at least a part of the heat exchange circuit that facilitates passage of fluid cooled/heated by the at least one heat exchanger through at least one region to be cooled/heated to extract/reject heat there-from/thereto and return heated/cooled fluid back to the at least one heat exchanger for cooling/heating thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Roy Riski
  • Patent number: 11346612
    Abstract: A plate heat exchanger includes a first plate sheet and a second plate sheet. A blocking member is disposed between a front surface of the second plate sheet and a back surface of the first plate sheet. The blocking member is located between a first corner hole and a second corner hole of the second plate sheet, and one end of the blocking member is located on a side portion of the second plate sheet. A first corner hole of the second plate sheet bypasses the other end of the blocking member to communicate with a second corner hole of the second plate sheet. In the plate heat exchanger, a blocking member is disposed between two plate sheets, accordingly fluid can be evenly distributed, and the plate heat exchanger has good heat exchange performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fangfang Yin, Jiang Zou, Wei Zhang, Jiabin Ye, Gang Lv
  • Patent number: 11350544
    Abstract: A cold plate apparatus includes a top wall and a bottom wall that enclose a plenum for fluid flow; an inlet and an outlet each formed in one of the top wall or the bottom wall; a first active area within the plenum; a second active area within the plenum; and a partition that extends between the top wall and the bottom wall within the plenum and that separates the first active area from the second active area so that a portion of fluid flowing from the inlet to the outlet through the plenum flows through either the first active area or the second active area but not through both active areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shurong Tian, Todd Edward Takken
  • Patent number: 11338666
    Abstract: A system for attaching a heat exchanger to a vehicle includes a first bracket and a second bracket. The first bracket is secured to the heat exchanger and has a first plate. The first plate includes front and back surfaces. The first plate defines first and second notches on opposing peripheral edges of the first plate. The second bracket is secured to the vehicle. The second bracket has a second plate, a hook, and a clip. The second plate has an outer surface. The hook and the clip extend from opposing edges of the outer surface. The outer surface is configured to engage the front surface of the first plate. The hook and the clip are configured to extend through the first and second notches, respectively, and to engage the back surface of the first plate to secure the second bracket to the first bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventor: Luis David Gutierrez
  • Patent number: 11333443
    Abstract: A loop heat pipe includes an evaporator that vaporizes working fluid, a condenser that liquefies the working fluid vaporized by the evaporator, a liquid pipe connecting the condenser to the evaporator, and a vapor pipe connecting the evaporator to the condenser. The liquid pipe includes two wall portions located at opposite sides of the liquid pipe, two porous bodies, each of which is continuous with and formed integrally with one of the two wall portions, and a flow passage located between the two porous bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Tanaka, Nobuyuki Kurashima, Yoshihiro Machida, Takahiko Kiso
  • Patent number: 11320214
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device, comprising at least one flow chamber (20?) having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, said flow chamber being provided for the flow of a medium therethrough. The flow chamber (20?) is arranged in a single-piece block element (2) and is at least partly delimited by a diathermal wall in order to effect absorption or release of thermal energy through the wall by means of the medium. The at least one flow chamber (20?) is formed in the block element (2) from a plurality of first channels (22) spaced apart from each other, which extend straight and parallel to each other, and a plurality of second channels (23) spaced apart from each other, which extend straight and parallel to each other, the first and the second channels (22, 23) each having two ends and being closed at least at one (27) of the two ends. The second channels (23) are arranged at an angle to the first channels (22), the first channels and the second channels thus crossing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: DEGNER GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Helmut Degner, Wladimir Ostapenko
  • Patent number: 11306978
    Abstract: A grey water heat recovery apparatus has first and second passes in counter-flow orientation. The hot side is grey water. The cold side is fresh water. It extracts heat from the grey water. The fresh water is carried in tubing bundles in series immersed in grey water sumps in cylindrical plastic, mild steel, or stainless steel pipe. Both ends of the fresh water bundle assembly extend from the same upper end pipe closure, without a pressurized line wall penetration in the walls of the pipe. There is a non-electrically conductive barrier between the fresh water and grey water flow paths. The apparatus has a leak detection circuit and co-operable bypass valves. The tube bundle is wider at the top than at the bottom. The lower manifold has grey water passages between the centering ears. The entire assembly is enclosed in a unitary external housing with easily accessible connection fittings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: 2078095 Ontario Limited
    Inventors: Vicente Gil, John Gil, Camilo Gil, Adelino Ribeiro, David Ribeiro
  • Patent number: 11289752
    Abstract: A plate assembly for a heat exchanger includes a first plate, a second plate, and an intermediate plate arranged between the first and second plates. The intermediate plate is joined to the first and second plates at peripheral edges to create a sealed periphery of the plate assembly. Corrugations of the intermediate plate provide crests and troughs that are in contact with inwardly facing surfaces of the first and second plates. The plate assembly can be configured as a battery cooling plate heat exchanger to transfer heat from a battery to fluid flowing through the plate assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: MODINE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
    Inventors: Kyle Shisler, Christopher Michael Moore, Mitchell Crawford, Thomas Grotophorst, Jason Braun, Frank Lippke
  • Patent number: 11279204
    Abstract: The vehicle includes an air conditioner, a temperature sensor configured to measure an indoor temperature of the vehicle, a camera configured to obtain an image data of a passenger, and a bio-signal sensor configured to measure a bio-signal of the passenger. A controller is configured to control, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the air conditioner to change a type of wind blowing at predetermined time intervals, to obtain emotion information corresponding to the changed type of wind based on at least one of the image data or the bio-signal, and to blow a type of wind for which a degree of positiveness of emotion information is equal to or greater than a threshold level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seok-Young Youn, Jimin Han, Jia Lee, Kye Yoon Kim, Seunghyun Woo