Patents Examined by Ko-Wei Lin
  • Patent number: 11561017
    Abstract: An exhaust fan unit of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes an outer fluid path of a nozzle assembly of the exhaust fan unit defined by and between an outer wall of the nozzle assembly and an inner wall of the nozzle assembly, an inner fluid path of the nozzle assembly defined by and radially inward from the inner wall, and a plurality of entrainment ports extending from the outer wall to the inner wall and configured to enable environmental air to pass to the inner fluid path, where each entrainment port includes a bottom surface that tapers downwardly from the inner wall to the outer wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: AIR DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES IP, LLC
    Inventors: Anup T. Kole, Sethuram Parameswaran, Luis L. Vargas, Juan Kennedy, Parmeshwar G. Patil
  • Patent number: 11560044
    Abstract: A ventilation device for an automobile passenger compartment is provided. The ventilation device includes a control mechanism, including a drive shaft and a first and a second driven shaft for controlling a first ventilation flap. The first and second driven shafts are connected to the drive shaft by way of a coupling element, wherein the coupling element is designed as a differential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: fischer automotive systems GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Oskar Käfer
  • Patent number: 11554632
    Abstract: An air vent for introducing air into a motor vehicle interior includes an inlet opening, through which an incoming air flow enters the air vent, an outlet opening, through which an air flow exits the air vent, and an adjuster, which is fluidically and operatively connected to the inlet opening and the outlet opening. The adjuster has at least one entry, which is fluidically and operatively connected to the inlet opening. The adjuster has at least two exits, which are spaced apart from each other and from each of which an open air stream exits into the outlet opening. The adjuster is designed to align the open air streams to a focal point and the adjuster is designed to be located outside of a field of view of the motor vehicle interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gertraud Daschiel, Stefan Zemsch
  • Patent number: 11555623
    Abstract: A firestat for providing an output for controlling an opening and closing of a fire/smoke damper. The firestat includes a fire/smoke damper test switch and an actuator configured to depress the fire/smoke damper test switch. The firestat is further configured to release the fire/smoke damper test switch in response to a depressing force applied to the actuator, wherein melting or other damage to the actuator causes a release of the test switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: AIR DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES IP, LLC
    Inventors: Edward N. Koop, Jeffrey Scott Beneke, Kent S. Maune, Vikas Ashok Patil, Raguraman Gnanavadivel
  • Patent number: 11548647
    Abstract: An air-conditioning duct structure of an aircraft includes an air-conditioning duct that is provided on each of a starboard side and a port side and guides conditioned air to a vicinity of a ceiling of a cabin in the aircraft. The air-conditioning duct includes a blowout portion and a blowout upstream portion. The blowout portion blows out the conditioned air to the cabin from an outboard side of the ceiling to an inboard side of the ceiling and toward a lower part than the ceiling, and the blowout upstream portion communicates with an upstream side of the blowout portion. In addition, the blowout portion or the blowout upstream portion is curved to cause a terminal end side of the blowout portion to be inclined downward with respect to a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirotsu, Takashi Ishimaru, Yuichiro Shimura, Yasunari Tanaka, Fumio Kondo
  • Patent number: 11541717
    Abstract: An inlet subassembly for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The inlet subassembly includes a divider defining a first airflow path and a second airflow path on opposite sides of the divider. The first airflow path extends from a first side of the recirculation air inlet and a first side of the fresh air inlet. The second airflow path extends from a second side of the recirculation air inlet and a second side of the fresh air inlet. A first inlet door is movable to control airflow into the first airflow path from the first side of the recirculation air inlet or the first side of the fresh air inlet. A second inlet door is movable to control airflow into the second airflow path from the second side of the recirculation air inlet or the second side of the fresh air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Barbier, Brian Belanger
  • Patent number: 11543184
    Abstract: Disclosed are adjustable kiln flights for rotary kilns and associated methods. The kiln flight includes a base configured to be secured to a rotary kiln surface of a rotary kiln. In some aspects, the kiln flight includes a flight body rotatably supported on the base such that an angular orientation of the flight body is adjustable. In various examples, the kiln flight includes a height adjuster movably supported relative to the base such that a height of the kiln flight is adjustable. A method of controlling a rotary kiln with the adjustable kiln flight includes supporting a kiln flight on a base that is secured to an inner kiln surface of a rotary kiln, and adjusting at least one of the angular orientation of the kiln flight or the height of the kiln flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Novelis Inc.
    Inventors: JungYoung Son, Cameron Koentopp
  • Patent number: 11535085
    Abstract: An exhaust intrusion mitigation system for a vehicle includes one or more processors and a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors. The memory stores an enclosure detection module which determines if a vehicle is parked within an enclosure with the engine running. An exhaust module determines a point in time at which one or more vehicle vents should be closed if the vehicle remains in the enclosure and the engine remains on. A mitigation module controls operation of the vehicle to close the one or more vents at the point in time when the vent(s) should be closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: John-Michael McNew
  • Patent number: 11535081
    Abstract: A fluid delivery module includes a housing defining a fluid flow path between an inlet and an outlet. The housing includes a top surface portion and a bottom surface portion that are movable to vary a flow direction of a fluid flow along the fluid flow path. The fluid delivery module includes an outlet treatment movable to vary a flow rate of the fluid flow exiting the outlet and a control unit configured to send commands to move at least one of the top surface portion, the bottom surface portion, or the outlet treatment according to a fluid delivery profile that dictates a flow pattern of the fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John M. Kearney, Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Samuel B. Schaevitz
  • Patent number: 11524789
    Abstract: An environmental control system of an aircraft including a compression device including a compressor having a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, a primary inlet for supplying a first medium to the compressor inlet, and a secondary inlet for supplying a second medium to the compressor inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tony Ho, Louis J. Bruno, Donald E. Army, David Anderson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11518213
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle and a control method of the same are provided which may inhibit a closing degree of a door from being insufficient even when the door is closed while a blower fan is actuated. An air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle includes an inside-outside air switching damper including a damper switching actuator, a blower fan, a control unit, and door opening-and-closing sensors. In a case where the door becomes an open state and a case where the blower fan is actuated and the inside-outside air switching damper is in an outside air introduction mode, the control unit issues a command to the damper switching actuator to switch the inside-outside air switching damper to an inside air circulation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teruaki Yano, Masaru Terada, Yuya Taketa, Yoshihiro Koga
  • Patent number: 11519617
    Abstract: A vent assembly is adapted to be installed over an aperture in a roof to enable ventilation. The vent assembly has a roofing panel attachable to a roof and a vent cap with attaches over the roofing panel and prevents precipitation from entering the assembly. The roofing panel has a flat panel section, an aperture perforating the panel section, a fence bounding the aperture, and a runoff cricket formed by one corner of the triangularly-shaped fence. The vent cap has a chamfered triangular shape matching that of the fence. The vent cap includes a runoff cover and interior air passages to enable air to pass from an attic space through the roofing panel and out through the vent cap. The distinctive shape of the vent assembly provides advantages in easily installing the assembly to a variety of roofs, both metallic and non-metallic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Inventor: Ryan Oddy
  • Patent number: 11511598
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle air conditioning control method which operates a vehicle air conditioning control apparatus by executing an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and/or a machine learning algorithm in a 5G environment connected for Internet of Things. The vehicle air conditioning control method includes acquiring a thermal image in a vehicle using an image sensor, acquiring thermal comfort information of each passenger in the vehicle using the thermal image, and controlling air conditioning of the vehicle based on the thermal comfort information of each passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Ji Chan Maeng, Tae Hyun Kim, Beom Oh Kim
  • Patent number: 11512865
    Abstract: Disclosed are an air outlet structure, an air outlet method for an air conditioner, and the air conditioner. The air outlet structure may include: a main air outlet channel, a main air outlet, an auxiliary air outlet and an adjusting device; the main air outlet and the auxiliary air outlet are communicated with the main air outlet channel; the adjusting device is provided between the main air outlet channel and the auxiliary air outlet as to make the main air outlet channel send out air through the main air outlet and/or the auxiliary air outlet. With the above structure, the air conditioner may have a broad air supplying scope and a uniform air speed and supply the air to an entire plane, and comfort of the air conditioner may be improved. Thus, the problem that an existing air conditioner has non-uniform air outlet effect may be effectively solved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai
    Inventors: Xianlin Wang, Hui Zhang, Zhi Meng
  • Patent number: 11506423
    Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is provided which is capable of expanding an effective range of a dehumidifying and heating mode to achieve comfortable vehicle interior air conditioning. A control device (controller) executes a dehumidifying and heating mode to let a refrigerant discharged from a compressor 2 radiate heat in a radiator 4, let a part of the refrigerant flow from a bypass circuit (refrigerant pipe 13F) to an indoor expansion valve 8, and let the residual refrigerant flow through an outdoor expansion valve 6. In the dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device has a state of controlling the operation of the compressor 2, based on a heat absorber temperature Te and executes a radiator temperature priority mode which enlarges a capability of the compressor when heat radiation in the radiator is insufficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: SANDEN AUTOMOTIVE CLIMATE SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo Miyakoshi, Kouhei Yamashita, Tetsuya Ishizeki
  • Patent number: 11506400
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a panel mechanism of a range hood. The range hood comprises a left side plate (3), a right side plate (4), and a plurality of hanging pieces (5); the panel mechanism comprising a panel (1) and a panel frame (2), the panel frame (2) comprises a center plate (20), a left hanging bar (21), a right hanging bar (22) and a support bar (26), the left hanging bar (21) and the right hanging bar (22) has a plurality of hanging slots (23,24), each hanging slot (23,24) engages one hanging piece (5); the first hanging slot (23) is bent backward from the top to the down; and the second hanging slot (24) is sloped backward from the top to the down; the opening of each of the first hanging slot (23) and the second hanging slot (24) is bigger than the inner end of the first hanging slot (23) and the second hanging slot (24), enabling the first hanging slot (23) and the second hanging slot (24) to be hung on the corresponding hanging pieces (5) more easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Ningbo Fotile Kitchen Ware Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhineng Xu, Ting Yu
  • Patent number: 11505032
    Abstract: An air handling system of a vehicle includes a main housing interchangeable between a first configuration and a second configuration. The main housing has a primary portion configured to convey a cold air flow and a warm air flow therethrough. A secondary portion is interchangeable between a first plenum in the first configuration of the main housing and a second plenum in the second configuration of the main housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: HANON SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Wayne Schnaidt, Jayanthi R. Iyer, Dennis Vermette
  • Patent number: 11498392
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to assisting in closing a trunk door of a vehicle by leveraging a Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system in the vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a position of the trunk door, and when the position of the trunk door is an open position, determining whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce air pressure in a trunk of the vehicle, where the trunk and the HVAC system are fluidly connected by an air duct. The method includes, in response to determining to activate the HVAC system to reduce air pressure in the trunk, pumping air out of the trunk through the air duct such that at least some of any increased air pressure caused by a trunk door closure is removed from the trunk. The method includes, when the position of the trunk door has changed from the open position to a closed position, deactivating the HVAC system to stop pumping air out from the trunk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Paxton S. Williams, Scott Louis Frederick, Scott P. Robison
  • Patent number: 11493228
    Abstract: The range hood unit includes a range hood transmitting unit configured to transmit information on an exhaust volume. The heat exchanging ventilation device (1) includes: a heat exchanger receiving unit (19) configured to receive the information from the range hood transmitting unit; and a heat exchanger control unit (17) configured to determine the operation of the heat exchanging ventilation device (1), based on the information received by the heat exchanger receiving unit (19). Based on the exhaust volume of the range hood unit that has been received by the heat exchanger receiving unit (19), the ventilation system exhausts air by subtracting the exhaust volume of the range hood unit from an exhaust volume equivalent to the air supply volume of the heat exchanging ventilation device (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenta Shuji, Daisuke Hashino, Masayuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11491845
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle and a control method of the same are provided to inhibit a closing degree of a door in closing the door from being insufficient, secure high quietness in a vehicle cabin immediately after the door is closed, and lower energy consumption of the vehicle. An air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle includes an inside-outside air switching damper including a damper switching actuator, an air-conditioning control switch, a control unit, and door opening-and-closing sensors. The control unit includes two timers and a memory. When an IG switch is in an OFF state, the control unit sets the inside-outside air switching damper to an intermediate mode when the door becomes an open state, thereafter sequentially starts the timers when the door becomes a closed state, and returns the inside-outside air switching damper to a previous state to opening of the door after waiting until the timers expire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teruaki Yano, Masaru Terada, Yuya Taketa, Yoshihiro Koga