Patents Examined by John K. Ford
  • Patent number: 7140427
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner for heating a passenger compartment by a heater core and a heat pump cycle, when operation of a heat pump cycle is switched from a defrosting operation to a heating assist operation, a heating degree of the heater core is increased higher than a predetermined heating degree. Further, when the operation of the heat pump cycle is switched from the defrosting operation to the heating assist operation, an air outlet mode except for a defrosting mode for defrosting a windshield is set. Further, in the defrosting operation of the heat pump cycle, the temperature of an interior heat exchanger of the heat pump cycle is set higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Keita Honda, Kunio Iritani
  • Patent number: 7140421
    Abstract: A wick structure is attached on an internal sidewall of a heat pipe. The wick structure includes a plurality of orthogonal woven fibers. The fibers extending along a longitudinal direction of the heat pipe are thinner; therefore the wick structure is capably of providing enhanced capillary action and good attachment to the heat pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Inventor: Hul-Chun Hsu
  • Patent number: 7137445
    Abstract: An HVAC assembly including an HVAC case disposed in a passenger compartment of the vehicle includes a heater core having an upstream side and a downstream side. The heater core accepts air from the upstream side and exhausts air to the downstream side. The exhausted air defines a temperature gradient along a plane of the heater core. An air diverting member is positioned on the downstream side proximate the heater core. The air diverting member includes a first portion aligned for accepting air from a first region of the temperature gradient and a second portion for delivering the accepted air toward a second region of the temperature gradient. The first region has a higher air temperature than the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Denso International America, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan Kushner, Dan Archibald
  • Patent number: 7131490
    Abstract: A fan coil controller for a hot and cold water system of a building that turns off the fan while the hot water and cold water coils are flushed. A fan coil control circuit is configured to periodically and temporarily operate a hot water flow control circuit and a cold water flow control circuit to cause a flushing of the hot and cold water system and simultaneously provide a signal to a fan control circuit to prevent the thermostat enabling the fan during flushing of the hot and cold water system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: T.K.M. Contracting and Metal Industry Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Roskewich
  • Patent number: 7121325
    Abstract: A heat exchanger, in particular an exhaust gas heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, has tubes through which a first fluid can flow and around which a second fluid can flow, and a headpiece. The headpiece includes a dual-walls structure in at least a part thereof and a distribution chamber that communicates with the tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Uwe Krüger, Rainer Lutz, Martin Schindler, Michael Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7121333
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiator sheet improvement and more particularly to a structure with enhanced strength and increased heat exchange surface after assembling, which is achieved first by forming large holes and adjacent small holes on each radiator sheet, wherein a radiator tube passing through each large hole and a solder rod or tin solder inserted into each small hole, and then by using heat to melt solder to fill the space between the radiator sheet and the radiator tube, thereby enabling a firm bonding effect therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Inventor: Dong-Mau Wang
  • Patent number: 7104082
    Abstract: A space has air humidity and temperature to be regulated. An air handler has a temperature regulation element, a fan and a housing. An inflow manifold has an intake end and an outflow end and a plurality of stubs and a plurality of dampers. An outflow manifold has an intake end and an outflow end and a plurality of stubs and a plurality of dampers. A desiccant unit has a plurality of chambers and a desiccant wheel and a plurality of blowers and a heat source and a mixing chamber and a combustible gas supply with a gas burner and an adjustable gas valve to regulate the flow of combustible gas. A plurality of ducts couple the air handler and the manifolds and the desiccant unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Inventor: Jose Moratalla
  • Patent number: 7100682
    Abstract: A cooling device for cooling an inner part of an approximately sealed box includes a casing and a heat exchanger disposed in the casing. Plural inside air passages through which air inside the box flows and plural outside air passages through which air outside the box flows are alternately adjacently arranged in the heat exchanger. In the cooling device, both outside air introduction port and outside air discharge port are provided in an outer side plate of the casing, and a drain space is provided between the heat exchanger and the outer side plate of the casing so that outside air passages communicate with the outside air discharge port through the drain space. Thus, even when rain water is introduced into the casing from the outside air discharge port, almost rain water flows downwardly through the drain space, and it can restrict rain water from being introduced into the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Okamoto, Kiyoshi Kawaguchi, Koji Kishita
  • Patent number: 7082990
    Abstract: An interior of an air conditioning case is partitioned into a first air passage extending from an inside air suction port to a foot opening portion and a second air passage extending from an outside air suction port is disposed at a side of the first air passage to detect a temperature of air blown out from the evaporator disposed in the first air passage and the second air passage. An operation of the compressor for supplying the refrigerant to the evaporator is intermitted by comparing the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the set temperature set in advance, and the set temperature is changed to be higher according to an increase in the temperature of outside air. In this way, it is possible to prevent the frosting of the evaporator in winter season, when the inside air is introduced into the first air passage and the outside air is introduced into the second air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Yukio Uemura, Kenji Suwa, Kazushi Shikata
  • Patent number: 7073576
    Abstract: Circulation system for the coolant in an oil cooler (13) adapted to cool down the oil of the automatic transmission (2) of a motor vehicle in which the drain conduit (15) for the coolant from the oil cooler (13) of the transmission (2) is connected to said return conduit from the radiator, and that the exit mouth (16), of said drain conduit is inserted in the return conduit forming an angle A, said angle being more than 0° and less than 90°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Fiat Auto S.p.A.
    Inventor: Piero Peirasso
  • Patent number: 7069976
    Abstract: Process and device for controlling the temperature of an outbound secondary flow in a secondary circuit from a heat exchanger by a primary flow in a primary circuit, via a member that regulates the primary flow, influenced by a control unit. The enthalpy difference between inbound and outbound primary flow to and from the heat exchanger and the secondary flow are determined. The flow in the primary circuit is determined, and the parameters are supplied to the control unit for controlling the member, whereby the primary flow is controlled in dependence of the secondary flow, so that power supplied to the heat exchanger substantially equals the sum of the power needed to raise the temperature of the secondary flow from the initial temperature to the desired outbound temperature; the assumed power requirement for compensating for energy stored in the heat exchanger; and the assumed leak power from the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Inventor: Matts Lindgren
  • Patent number: 7069983
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a refrigerant cycle having an evaporator which is disposed in a blowing duct and cools air by refrigerant evaporation in the blowing duct; a compressor setting the evaporated refrigerant at a high temperature and high pressure; a refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger heating cooling water by heat transfer from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; and an expansion device decompressing the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger. The air conditioner also includes a cooling water cycle having a heater core which is disposed on the downstream side of the evaporator; a radiator cooling the cooling water; a pump circulating the cooling water cooled by the radiator; a power engine cooled by the cooling water fed by the pump; and the refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger. The refrigerant cycle performs cooling for dehumidification by performing the operation of heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuichi Yakumaru, Fumitoshi Nishiwaki, Noriho Okaza
  • Patent number: 7066239
    Abstract: Disclosed is herein an air hypocaust structure for cooling and/or heating dwellings. In winter, hot air is supplied into a space between an upper and a base plate constituting the air hypocaust structure to heat the dwelling according to a convection and a radiation mechanism. In summer, cold air is supplied to the space between the upper and base plate to cool the dwelling according to the convection mechanism. A plurality of support legs and guide plates are installed between the upper and base plate, and the support legs and guide plates may be integrally formed on the lower side of the upper plate or may be separately produced to be assembled with the upper plate. A hole is formed at a lower end of each of the support legs, and projections each having a sharp tip at an end thereof and corresponding in position to the support legs are formed on the upper side of the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Hastopia Shinyung Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hak-mo Jung
  • Patent number: 7063140
    Abstract: The present invention 10 discloses a climate control system for a dwelling 12 comprised of main air conditioning unit 36 and a plurality of thermostats 14 and vents 16. Each of the thermostats 14 is positioned within a zone 18 which can be a single room, controlling one or more vents 16 within the zone. In the preferred embodiment, a thermostat 14 is positioned within a room 18 controlling the opening and closing of the vent(s) 16. Once the desired room temperature is reached the thermostat 14 will close the vent 16. The air conditioner 36 will continue to operate as long as one thermostat 14 setting has not been cooled to the desired temperature. Once the desired temperature is reached, the main air conditioner 36 will turn off and all vents 16 will open until the temperatures of all of the area involved in the system begin to drop or rise and the central air will then turn on again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Inventor: Ryan Woo
  • Patent number: 7063126
    Abstract: A roofing panel (13) incorporating a heat exchange assembly is described, the roofing panel including: an internal fluid passageway (51) formed between a pair of spaced substantially parallel internal sheets (16, 17) for the passage therethrough of a fluid; respective external passageways (52, 53) formed between each internal sheet and a respective external sheet (21, 20) spaced from and substantially parallel to a respective internal sheet, and spacing ribs (18, 22, 24) between the sheets and forming with the sheets a plurality of fluid conduits (19) within the fluid passageway and a plurality of external conduits (23, 25) within the external passageways; wherein the panel is sealed at the sides thereof by the spacing ribs and is open at the ends thereof to provide access to the conduits which extend from one end of the panel to the other end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Inventor: Geoffrey R Morris
  • Patent number: 7063138
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for cooling a passenger compartment in a hybrid vehicle that operates an engine intermittently during vehicle operation. The hybrid vehicle includes an HVAC system having an HVAC duct, a blower for directing a flow of air through the HVAC duct, an evaporator located within the HVAC duct, and a heater core. The heater core has a coolant inlet outlet and is located downstream of the evaporator in the HVAC duct. The method includes the steps of cooling a refrigerant; inducing a flow of the cooled refrigerant through the evaporator; blocking a flow of coolant through the coolant inlet and outlet to trap coolant in the heater core; activating the blower to move air through the evaporator and heater core; turning off the vehicle engine; measuring a duct outlet temperature; and starting the engine when the measured duct outlet temperature is above a predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Munther M. Salim, Gregory A. Major, Todd M. Tumas, Gaurav Anand, Balaji Maniam
  • Patent number: 7063137
    Abstract: A chiller-condenser is disposed downstream of a condenser and a chiller-evaporator is disposed downstream of the chiller-condenser. A main three-way valve is disposed between the compressor and the condenser for directing flow from the compressor to the condenser in the air-conditioning mode and for directing flow from the compressor through a by-pass line to the chiller-condenser in the heat pump mode. A heat pump (HP) expansion device shown as an orifice tube expands the refrigerant in the heat pump mode and an by-pass valve is disposed between the chiller-condenser and the chiller-evaporator for directing flow from the chiller-condenser through the heat pump expansion device and to the chiller-evaporator in the heat pump mode. An air-conditioning (A/C) expansion device shown as orifice tube is disposed downstream of the condenser and upstream of the by-pass line for expanding the refrigerant in the air-conditioning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Prasad Shripad Kadle, Mahmoud Ghodbane
  • Patent number: 7055591
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle including a front seat air conditioning unit and a rear seat air conditioning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corporation
    Inventors: Sungho Kang, Sangchul Byon, Yongeun Seo, Yongsang Kim
  • Patent number: 7055590
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus includes a valve for selectively introducing the coolant discharged from a compressor to either a flow path for a water-coolant heat exchanger or another flow path to avoid the heat exchanger, a thermostat for detecting the temperature of a cooling water flowing into an engine and a controller for controlling the valve. When the temperature of the cooling water is equal to or less than a predetermined temperature, the controller controls the valve so that the coolant discharged from the compressor is introduced to the water-coolant heat exchanger. When the temperature of the cooling water is more than the predetermined temperature, the controller controls the valve so that the coolant discharged from the compressor avoids the water-coolant heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventor: Junichiro Hara
  • Patent number: 7055576
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for enhancing the heat transfer efficiency of a keel cooler by increasing the flow rate of coolant through the side tubes. Because the side tubes are exposed to a greater amount of fresh unhindered seawater, increasing the flow rate through the side tubes can have the effect of enhancing the overall heat transfer capability of the keel cooler. The invention relates to using apertures leading to the side tubes from the header and vice versa that are substantially arrow-shaped in design, wherein various benefits that lead to an increased flow rate are provided. The aperture is preferably symmetrically shaped so that a single die can be used to cut the aperture onto both side walls of the header.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: R.W. Fernstrum & Co.
    Inventor: Todd S. Fernstrum