Patents Examined by Ljiljana Ciric
  • Patent number: 10107529
    Abstract: A cooling/heating, module configured to cool and heat air includes: first and second cooling/heating sections (20a, 20b), each having a thermoelastic material (21); and an actuator (22) applying tension to the thermoelastic material (21). The actuator (22) is configured to alternately perform the operation of applying tension to the thermoelastic material (21) of the first cooling/heating section (20a) and removing tension from the thermoelastic material (21) of the second cooling/heating section (20b) and the operation of applying tension to the thermoelastic material (21) of the second cooling/heating section (20b) and removing tension from the thermoelastic material (21) of the first cooling/heating section (20a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shuji Ikegami, Yukihiro Makino, Kouichi Yasuo, Hyunyoung Kim, Makoto Kojima, Mamoru Okumoto, Chuncheng Piao, Lan Jiang
  • Patent number: 10107508
    Abstract: A heating and cooling system for use with hot, cold and source fluid circuits. A conduit module couples a heating/cooling module with the fluid circuits. The conduit module includes four three-way valves to communicated fluid from and to the fluid circuits to first and second heat exchangers in the heating/cooling module. The first heat exchanger is used to heat a fluid flow and the second one chills a second fluid flow. The conduit module simultaneously supplies a hot fluid flow to a hot fluid circuit and a cold fluid to a cold fluid circuit. The source fluid is routed by the conduit module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: WaterFurnace International, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles P. Medlock, Christopher P. Medlock, Jonathan A. Brock
  • Patent number: 10107518
    Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a modular fluid-handling system may include an air-handling and mixing unit and a cooling unit. The air-handling and mixing unit may include an air mover plenum and a first mixing plenum. The air mover plenum may have an air mover configured to move air and the air mover plenum may air mover plenum may be configured to be in fluid communication with an outside environment via a first damper and configured to be in fluid communication with a primary structure. The first mixing plenum may be configured to be in fluid communication with the air mover plenum via a second damper and configured to be in fluid communication with the outside environment via a third damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Mark Bailey, Ty Schmitt
  • Patent number: 10101068
    Abstract: An air conditioning service system includes a refrigerant storage vessel, a charging subsystem fluidly connected to the refrigerant storage vessel and configured to connect to a refrigeration circuit to transfer refrigerant from the refrigerant storage vessel to the refrigeration circuit, a first pressure transducer configured to sense a first pressure in the refrigerant storage vessel, a first valve configured to control a flow of ambient air between the refrigerant storage vessel and the atmosphere, and a controller operably connected to the first pressure transducer and the first valve. The controller includes a memory and a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory to operate the first valve to admit air into the refrigerant storage vessel based on the sensed first pressure, and to operate the charging subsystem to fluidly connect the refrigerant storage vessel to the refrigeration circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignees: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Dylan M. Lundberg, Mark W. McMasters
  • Patent number: 10094604
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus cools and heats a first heat transfer medium at the same time in a relay unit, and the cooled first heat transfer medium and the heated first heat transfer medium are separately distributed to a plurality of indoor units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10088178
    Abstract: A method for air conditioning including installing an air conditioning unit at a desired location. The air conditioning unit includes a housing that has air supply inlets and exhaust air outlets. The housing encloses a mode control unit that switches a zone coil associated with a zone from a cooling mode to a heating mode by switching from a cooling medium to a heating medium flowing through the zone coil. The zone coil receives the heating or cooling medium and conditions incoming air from a supply fan to be exhausted in a zone associated with the zone coil. A variable refrigerant flow cooling/heating unit provides a cooling medium or a heating medium at varying rates to control a temperature of a zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: MJC, Inc.
    Inventors: Kelly Gene Sprayberry, Joel John Williams, Charles Thomas Couch, Edward H. Metzger
  • Patent number: 10086674
    Abstract: An air conditioning system having a compact configuration may include an evaporator and a heater core that have a cylindrical shape. The evaporator defines a cavity. The heater core is positioned within the cavity such that the evaporator and the heater core are coaxially positioned with each other about a center axis. The heater core is configured to rotate about the center axis to draw in air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Gilley, Patrick Powell, Mike Bima
  • Patent number: 10082068
    Abstract: A radiator for cooling a heated coolant includes an air guide for preventing heat damage. The air guide is adapted to allow air entering into the radiator due to the operation of a cooling fan to flow into a gear box of a fan clutch, wherein the cooling fan is installed at an inside of the vehicle and is activated by the fan clutch. The air guide can be installed above the cooling fan and thus allow air entering due to the operation of the cooling fan to flow horizontally, and further allow the air to flow vertically and downwardly such that the air is ejected downwardly towards a region where the gear box is installed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Hyung-Suk Byun
  • Patent number: 10077760
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a tower, the tower having an upper part, a middle part and a lower part. The lower and the middle part of the tower form the base of the tower, waste heat generating equipment located in the middle part of the tower, and a cooling device with at least one cooling device inlet formed in the tower for introducing outside air surrounding the tower into the tower. The cooling device is adapted to guide the outside air from each cooling device inlet into the lower part of the tower such that the outside air can ascend towards the middle part and upper part of the tower while cooling the waste heat generating equipment. each cooling device inlet is located in the upper part of the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: AREVA WIND GMBH
    Inventor: Alexander Tschirch
  • Patent number: 10080310
    Abstract: A source of liquid provided an input of liquid into a liquid cooling system. The liquid from the source of liquid flows through a check valve assembly which includes an input, a first output, and a second output. The second output includes a check valve configured to open when the pressure of the liquid exceeds a threshold pressure value. A connector is attached to the first output of the check valve assembly. The connector is a quick connect fitting equipped with a self-sealing valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Robert K. Mullady
  • Patent number: 10072884
    Abstract: A method for operating a defrost mode of a transport refrigerant vapor compression system includes initiating a defrost operation for the transport refrigerant vapor compression system by energizing heaters operatively coupled to a heat absorption heat exchanger operable to defrost the heat absorption heat exchanger. During the defrost operation, the method includes comparing the heat absorption heat exchanger pressure to the first predetermined limit; in response to the heat absorption heat exchanger pressure being less than the first predetermined limit, performing at least one operation to determine if the defrost operation should be exited; and in response to the heat absorption heat exchanger pressure being greater than the first predetermined limit, exiting the defrost operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lucy Yi Liu, Suresh Duraisamy, Gilbert B. Hofsdal
  • Patent number: 10066856
    Abstract: The integrated solar absorption heat pump system includes an absorption heat pump assembly (AHPA) having a generator, a condenser in fluid communication with the generator, an evaporator/absorber in fluid communication with the condenser and the generator, and a heat exchanger in communicating relation with the evaporator/absorber; a solar collector in fluid communication with the generator of the AHPA; a photovoltaic thermal collector in communicating relation with the evaporator/absorber of the AHPA; a plurality of pumps configured for pumping a fluid throughout the system to provide the desired heating or cooling; a power storage source, e.g., a solar battery, in communicating relation with the photovoltaic thermal collector; and a coil unit in communicating relation to the evaporator/absorber for receiving an air-stream. The absorption heat pump assembly can include an absorber and a solution heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventors: Nasiru I. Ibrahim, Fahad A. Al-Sulaiman, Palanichamy Gandhidasan
  • Patent number: 10066843
    Abstract: A method of constructing an air handling unit includes forming an air handling enclosure, mounting a blower in the air handling enclosure, mounting a heat exchanger in the air handling enclosure downstream of the blower, and mounting at least one heating element in the air handing enclosure downstream of the blower. A method of operating an HVAC system includes disposing a heat exchanger downstream of a blower within an enclosure, providing an airflow through the enclosure, and orienting a plurality of fins on the heat exchanger to stabilize the airflow exiting the heat exchanger prior to the airflow contacting an electrically-powered resistive heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen S. Hancock
  • Patent number: 10066849
    Abstract: An energy saving controller configured for mounting between a thermostat and the controller for an air handler unit having a fan and at least a member of a group consisting of a heater and a compressor, the energy saving controller including a temperature probe for reading the temperature of a room where the thermostat is located and being configured to control the air handler unit based on a demand response request received from a utility provider via the Internet and an input from the temperature probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Inventor: James Leych Lau
  • Patent number: 10058177
    Abstract: A home appliance includes a main body having a storage compartment, a door that opens or closes the storage compartment, a detection unit to detect an opening or closing of the door, a display unit disposed on the main body or the door to display information, and a control unit to control the display unit on the basis of the detection by the detection unit. The control unit changes a display on the display unit from a main screen to a function management screen in response to a command inputted on the main screen when the main screen is displayed on the display unit, and the control unit changes a display on the display unit from the main screen to the function management screen in response to the opening or closing of the door detected by the detection unit when the main screen is displayed on the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Hyoungjun Park, Jongmi Choi
  • Patent number: 10060657
    Abstract: A ventilation or air-conditioning device includes a first component for generating heat or cold, a programmer second component, a power supply circuit shared by the first and second components, and a controller for the power supply circuit. The first and the second components cooperate to output air at a selected temperature. The device includes a relay for cutting off the supply of power to the first component. The relay is activated separately from the controller, and is arranged in the circuit such that the supply of power to the second component is independent of the state of activation of the relay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: VOLTALIS
    Inventors: Bruno Heintz, Jean-Marc Oury, Hugues Lefebvre De Saint Germain, Pierre Bivas, Mathieu Bineau
  • Patent number: 10060646
    Abstract: A method of coordinated flow control in a heat exchanger system includes adjusting a position of a variable actuator of the heat exchanger system if an associated monitored temperature of the heat exchanger system needs adjustment, determining if the adjusted position of the variable actuator is within a predetermined range of positions, adjusting a position of a discrete actuator of the heat exchanger system if the adjusted position of the variable actuator is not within the predetermined range of positions, and resetting the position of the variable actuator in response to adjusting the position of the discrete actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harshad S. Sane, Scott A. Bortoff, Oliver Josserand, Eric Royet
  • Patent number: 10052937
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle air conditioning apparatus that can prevent the amount of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor from reducing when an outside air temperature is low to achieve a heating performance required for a heating operation, and also can dehumidify the vehicle interior without deteriorating the heating performance during a heating and dehumidifying operation. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus includes: a heat released refrigerant expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant discharged from the radiator during the heating operation and the first heating and dehumidifying operation; a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant decompressed by the heat released refrigerant expansion valve into a gaseous refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant; and a bypass circuit that allows part of at least the gaseous refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator to flow into a section of the compressor through which the refrigerant being decompressed passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: SANDEN HOLDINGS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Satou, Megumi Shigeta
  • Patent number: 10054327
    Abstract: An HVAC controller may be controlled in response to a natural language audio message that is not recognizable by the HVAC controller as a command, where the natural language audio message is translated into a command recognizable by the HVAC controller. The HVAC controller may be a thermostat including a housing that houses a temperature sensor, a microphone, and a controller. The controller may identify a trigger phrase in an audio stream provided by the microphone. In response to identifying the trigger phrase, the controller initiates processing of the audio stream to identify a command following the trigger phrase and to generate a command understandable by the thermostat that instructs the controller to perform the identified command. The controller then executes the generated command understandable by the thermostat. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the microphone of the thermostat and/or a remote device having a microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Nelson, David Bures, Petr Kasparik, Soumitri Kolavennu, Roman Konecny, Amit Kulkarni, Daniel Becvar, Martin Adamek, Juraj Buno, Steven Hoglund, Libor Horky, Jan Malek, Adam Nemcek, Martin Skala, Tomas Losak, Josef Novotny, Thomas Gessner, Preston Gilmer, Ix, Hari Thiruvengada, Christopher Goh, Robert D. Juntunen, David Mulhouse, Cary Leen, Heidi Finch
  • Patent number: 10047977
    Abstract: A cooling system is provided with a refrigerator using helium gas, a compressor that compresses the helium gas returned from the refrigerator and supplies the gas to the refrigerator, and a control unit. The control unit includes a measurement acquisition unit that acquires measurements of a plurality of different parameters representing a status of the refrigerator, or the compressor, or both, and an analysis unit that conducts multivariate analysis of the measurements acquired by the measurement acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Jyunya Hamasaki, Toru Maruyama