Patents Examined by Marc E. Norman
  • Patent number: 11565575
    Abstract: Technologies are provided for preventing a working fluid leak from pooling and thus diluting any leaked working fluid from air within a condenser and/or evaporator compartment of the CCU. This can include a computer-readable medium that stores executable instructions that, upon execution, prevent a working fluid leak from pooling within a climate-control unit (CCU) of a transport climate control system. This also includes detecting fulfillment of activation threshold conditions in connection with the CCU. Also, this includes activating a fan in at least one of a condenser unit and an evaporator unit included in the CCU to dilute leaked working fluid from air within the CCU. Further, this includes detecting fulfillment of de-activation threshold conditions and de-activation of an activated fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Thermo King LLC
    Inventors: David J. Renken, Tony Spetz
  • Patent number: 11554640
    Abstract: Technologies described herein are directed to isolating or insulating at least portions of an evaporator coil within a climate control unit (CCU) of a TCCS so as to reduce or even eliminate adverse effects caused by a leaked working fluid. Such adverse effects may include a threat of ignition, asphyxiation of occupants, damage to cargo, and other harmful effects caused by emission of a noxious gas. A leak isolation structure is provided to isolate evaporator tubes of an evaporator coil from at least one of a plurality of turns of the evaporator coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: THERMO KING LLC
    Inventors: David J. Renken, Tony Spetz
  • Patent number: 11554631
    Abstract: A programmable replacement controller that has a number of embedded applications corresponding to a number of OEM vehicle systems and a selected application within the controller can be called to service or activated through the programming feature of the replacement controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: RB Distribution, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Paul, Venkataramani Kumar
  • Patent number: 11548353
    Abstract: A transport refrigeration system including: a transportation refrigeration unit configured to provide conditioned air to a refrigerated cargo space; an energy storage device configured to store DC electrical energy to power the transportation refrigeration unit; and a DC-to-AC variable invertor electrically connecting the energy storage device to the transportation refrigeration unit, the DC-to-AC variable invertor being configured to convert the DC electrical energy from the energy storage device to AC electrical energy in a variable continuous energy output to power the transportation refrigeration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gael Ducher
  • Patent number: 11549717
    Abstract: A method for adjusting compression efficiency for an HVACR system having a variable-frequency drive (VFD) is disclosed. The method includes determining a first compression efficiency, determining an operating point, determining a region of an operating map when a difference between the operating point and a previously determined operating point exceeds a predetermined threshold, adjusting a VFD input to a first input based on the region of the operating map, and controlling the VFD using the first input for a predetermined period of time. The method also includes determining a second compression efficiency and an operation restriction, adjusting the VFD input to a second input based on the operation restriction and a difference between the first compression efficiency and the second compression efficiency, and controlling the VFD using the second input. The method also includes utilizing machine learning control techniques to control several system variables to optimize the compression efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Seth M. McGill, Charles J. Peterson, Lauri Juhani Salmia, Petri J. Mäki-Ontto
  • Patent number: 11540419
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a coolant transmitter that transmits coolant at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. The cooling system also includes an evaporation vessel at atmospheric pressure. The evaporation vessel can contain an amount of coolant at the boiling point of the coolant. The cooling system also includes a pressure reducer fluidically coupled to the coolant transmitter and the evaporation vessel. The pressure reducer can include an orifice. The cooling system is configured such that heat is transferred from the coolant in the coolant transmitter to the coolant contained in the evaporation vessel. An exit stream conduit can fluidically couple the coolant transmitter and the pressure reducer, with the exit stream conduit diverting a portion of the coolant from the coolant transmitter to the evaporation vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Veir, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Paul Ashworth, Franco Moriconi, Timothy David Heidel
  • Patent number: 11537152
    Abstract: A control valve includes a casing, a valve body, seal tube members, a fuel passage, and a thermostat. The casing has an inflow port and a plurality of outflow ports. The valve body is rotatably disposed inside the casing, and valve holes are formed in a circumferential wall portion. The seal tube members communicate with the outflow ports, abut an outer circumferential surface of the circumferential wall portion, and are opened and closed by corresponding valve holes. Thermostat opens and closes the fuel passage in response to a detected temperature. A communication groove is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the casing. The communication groove causes the inflow port and an upstream portion of the fuel passage to communicate with each other by partially expanding a gap between the circumferential wall portion and the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Yamada Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akifumi Ozeki
  • Patent number: 11535082
    Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning control system includes a controller that controls a blow outlet drive device and a plate member drive device based on a sensed result of a seat back state sensing device. When a reclined state of the seat back is sensed, the controller controls the blow outlet drive device and thereby places an air-flow direction change mechanism in a predetermined position to direct conditioning air, which is blown from the blow outlet, such that the conditioning air collides to a plate surface of a plate member. At this time, the controller also controls the plate member drive device to place the plate member in a predetermined position, so that the conditioning air, which collides to the plate surface of the plate member, reaches a specific part of an occupant who is on the seat having the seat back placed in the reclined state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Marie Nagahama, Yasuhiko Niimi
  • Patent number: 11529841
    Abstract: A HVAC system for a motor vehicle having a housing, wherein the housing has an air inlet for admitting air and a cold air path in which cold air flows is provided in the housing and a warm air path in which warm air flows is provided in the housing, wherein the warm air path and the cold air path open into a mixing chamber, wherein a mixing flap is provided for controlling the proportion of cold air flowing into the mixing chamber and the proportion of warm air flowing into the mixing chamber, wherein the mixing flap is arranged rotatable about an axis and is driven by a flap actuator which has a drive shaft, wherein a gear with a nonlinear translation characteristic is provided between the mixing flap and the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: MAHLE International GmbH
    Inventor: Holger Laux
  • Patent number: 11530834
    Abstract: Air-cleaning control is performed in accordance with a situation of motion of a person and brightness in a room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsushi Fujii, Takahide Fujii, Daisuke Moriuchi
  • Patent number: 11524548
    Abstract: An air distribution arrangement for an air conditioning unit is provided. The air distribution arrangement includes a main body coupled to a housing of the air conditioning unit, and provided with a distribution chamber fluidically connected to at least one air transport conduit formed within the housing of the air conditioning unit, and a plurality of distribution pipes connected to the main body and configured to be connected to respective air outlets for distributing air within a cabin of a vehicle. Each of the distribution pipes is flexible and at least partially inflatable due to an air flow within it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO THERMAL SYSTEMS S.p.A.
    Inventors: Andrea Carbone, Fabrizio Nicole′, Paolo Seja, Luca Crepaldi
  • Patent number: 11524551
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis device that performs an abnormality diagnosis on a blower system that sends air to a plurality of air receiving objects obtains a target operating state of an airflow control device that controls airflow to the air receiving objects, obtains a temperature detected by a temperature sensor that detects a first temperature as a temperature of air fed to a first air receiving object as one of the air receiving objects or a temperature of the first air receiving object, estimates the first temperature, based on the target operating state of the airflow control device, and performs abnormality diagnosis on the airflow control device. The abnormality diagnosis device determines that there is an abnormality in the airflow control device, when a difference between the detected first temperature and the estimated first temperature is equal to or larger than a predetermined first reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kohei Takase
  • Patent number: 11525614
    Abstract: A control method of a refrigerator includes: determining whether a first temperature of a refrigerating compartment satisfies a first temperature condition; based the first temperature satisfying the first temperature condition, determining whether a second temperature of a freezing compartment satisfies a second temperature condition; based on the second temperature satisfying the second temperature condition, determining (i) whether a third temperature of an ice making compartment satisfies a third temperature condition and (ii) whether a driving time for ice making has passed; maintaining operation of a compressor while determining (i) whether the second temperature satisfies the second temperature condition, (ii) whether the third temperature satisfies the third temperature condition, and (iii) whether the driving time has passed; and stopping operation of the compressor based on at least one of (i) a determination that the third temperature satisfies the third temperature condition or (ii) a determinatio
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Seungseob Yeom, Donghoon Lee, Donghoon Lee, Wookyong Lee
  • Patent number: 11518214
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an air conditioner control method and system, a non-transitory storage medium and a processor. The control system includes an environmental temperature sensor configured to detect a first temperature value of an external environment of a target object; a heat exchanger temperature sensor configured to detect a second temperature value of an outside heat exchanger of an air conditioner system; a speed monitoring system configured to detect a driving speed of the target object; and a control system, connected to the environmental temperature sensor, the heat exchanger temperature sensor and the speed monitoring system, and configured to determine according to the first temperature value, the second temperature value and the driving speed, whether the air conditioner system enters a defrosting mode in a case that the air conditioner system operates in a heating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai
    Inventors: Aibin Guo, Lei Han, Huaying Chen
  • Patent number: 11506417
    Abstract: An air handler includes a housing with a heat exchanger core. The housing includes a faceplate, a roof panel, a base panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. A first tunnel and a second tunnel are connected to the housing at the faceplate. A septum protrudes from the faceplate and connects the core at a front edge. The air handler further includes a first recirculation path and a second recirculation path inside the housing. The first and second recirculation paths are defined by the septum, the housing, and the core. The first and second recirculation paths are configured to direct a portion of airflow from the first tunnel to the second tunnel. The air handler further includes a first damper and a second damper disposed on the faceplate and configured to obstruct the first recirculation path and the second recirculation path respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Ganeson Kandasamy, Yuvaraja Kandasamy, Asit Mahanta, Arul Thangavelu Ekambaram
  • Patent number: 11506401
    Abstract: A ceiling type air conditioner including an indoor unit having a built-in heat exchanger and a built-in blower, and having a plurality of blowing passages for discharging, to the outside, air having passed through the heat exchanger; a discharge panel having a plurality of inlets into which air discharged through the plurality of blowing passages is delivered, an inner space at least partially communicating with the partiality of inlets, and a ring-or arc-shaped opening for discharging, into a room, air flowing into the inner space; and an air guide module mounted to the discharge panel, and moved upward and downward or rotated so as to vary airflow discharged through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Bonchang Hwang, Beomsoo Seo, Dongig Oh, Joonshik Yoon
  • Patent number: 11505029
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an air conditioner for a vehicle in which heating performance may be improved using an auxiliary heating heat exchanger and stability of a passenger may be improved by providing the auxiliary heating heat exchanger in an engine room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Hanon Systems
    Inventors: Jae-Chun You, Yun Jin Kim, Yo Chan Min, Tae Yong Park, Sung Je Lee
  • Patent number: 11498390
    Abstract: In a situation where a temperature in a motor compartment is higher than a temperature of outside air, an inside air introduction rate increasing control is performed in which an inside air introduction rate is changed to be increased on a condition that there is no request for warming an inside of the vehicle cabin, the air conditioner is off, and air is being blown in an outside air introduction mode, and on the other hand, the inside air introduction rate increasing control is prohibited on a condition that there is a request for warming the inside of the vehicle cabin, the vehicular air conditioner is off, and air is being blown in the outside air introduction mode. In this way, heating efficiency can be improved by effectively utilizing the heat in the motor compartment to contribute to warming the inside of the vehicle cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rino Oshikiri, Hidekazu Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 11498386
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing multi-zone climate control for a vehicle. One system includes a power source, a plurality of switches, a first zone heating/cooling device, a second zone heating/cooling device, and an electronic controller. The electronic controller is configured to operate the plurality of switches to supply current bi-directionally through the first zone heating/cooling device, bi-directionally through the second zone heating/cooling device, or bi-directionally through a series connection of the first zone heating/cooling device and the second zone heating/cooling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group, LLC
    Inventors: Adam Franklin Czerwonka, Craig Schultz, Bryan Thieme, Andrew Paul Weiss, Robert Kenneth Alexander
  • Patent number: 11499755
    Abstract: A transportation refrigeration unit (TRU) system is provided and includes a damper assembly configured to direct air flows through first or second pathways and an evaporator disposed in the first pathway, a coil element surrounded by phase change material (PCM) and disposed in the second pathway and a routing assembly configured to direct refrigerant through the evaporator or the coil element. With the PCM pre-cooled, the damper and routing assemblies are controllable to respectively direct the air flows through the first pathway and the refrigerant through the evaporator when first conditions are met and to respectively direct the air flows through the second pathway when second conditions are met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dong Luo, Veronica Adetola