Patents Examined by Ned Landrum
  • Patent number: 10139172
    Abstract: A fin characterized by a corrugated shape and configured to be interposed between adjacent instances of tubes of a heat exchanger assembly includes a plurality of planar portions, a radiused portion, and a retention feature. The plurality of planar portions is configured to extend between the adjacent instances of the tubes. The radiused portion is located between adjacent planar portions and is configured to be in thermal contact with a tube proximate thereto. The retention feature is located substantially mid-way between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the fin. The retention feature is configured to contact the tube in a manner effective to prevent fall-out of the fin prior to brazing of the heat exchanger assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: MAHLE International GmbH
    Inventors: Terry J. Hunt, Thomas A. Bowler, Grzegorz Kaczowka
  • Patent number: 10132561
    Abstract: A system and method for removal of a contaminant comprising removing a liquefied portion of a refrigerant stream comprising nitrogen from a reverse Brayton cycle refrigerant system, introducing the liquefied refrigerant stream into a contaminant removal column as a reflux stream removing a contaminant stream from the bottom of the contaminant removal column, removing a vapor stream enriched in nitrogen from the top of the contaminant removal column, and introducing the vapor stream enriched in nitrogen back into the reverse Brayton cycle refrigerant system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Julian Roberts, Adam Adrian Brostow
  • Patent number: 10119734
    Abstract: This invention relates to of a cooling device (1) comprising a compressor (2) which compresses the refrigerant fluid, a condenser (3) which enables the superheated vapor exiting the compressor (2) change to first a liquid-vapor phase then liquid phase entirely, a compressor cabinet (8) positioned separately from the cooling cabinet (7), into which the compressor (2) and the condenser (3) are positioned, one or more evaporators (4), and one or more capillary tubes (5) interposed between the compressor cabinet (8) and the evaporator (6), and a control method thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: ARCELIK ANONIM SIRKETI
    Inventors: Yalcin Guldali, Ertugrul Ustundag, Sabahattin Hocaoglu
  • Patent number: 10094610
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining a storage compartment and a door movably coupled to the cabinet for providing selective access to at least a portion of the storage compartment. The refrigerator includes an evaporator unit and an air duct providing fluid communication between the evaporator unit and the storage compartment. The refrigerator includes a partition member coupled to the cabinet that divides the storage compartment into a first compartment having a first volume and a second compartment having a second volume. The partition member is movable between a first position and a second position to adjust the first and second volumes. The partition member can include an air channel extending through the partition member that is in fluid communication with at least one of the first and second compartments. The partition member can include a baffle member that is adjustable to adjustably direct air passing through the air channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Terry Lynn Sexton, Jason Lee Purucker, Caleb Gossens
  • Patent number: 10088193
    Abstract: Human detection devices 8 that detect the number of people in conditioned spaces supplied with conditioned air from the use side heat exchangers 12 and control means 9 and 50 that controls an amount of refrigerant supplied to the use side heat exchangers 12 by controlling opening degrees of the expansion devices 5 on the basis of detection results of the human detection devices 8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiro Inui
  • Patent number: 10082324
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes a primary circuit with a first expansion valve, a bypass circuit extending between branching and joining portions on the refrigerant primary circuit, a heat exchanger, a second expansion valve disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in the bypass circuit, first and second refrigerant flow rate calculating components, and a determining component. The primary circuit also includes a compressor, radiator, and evaporator. The heat exchanger includes first and second refrigerant flow paths disposed on the primary and bypass circuits, respectively, to cause heat between refrigerant flowing in the paths. The first and second refrigerant flow rate calculating components calculate first and second flow rates of refrigerant flowing through the bypass circuit based on refrigeration cycle theory and fluid theory, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Honda, Shigeki Kamitani
  • Patent number: 10071807
    Abstract: A method for controlling an aircraft air conditioning system includes the steps of detecting an operating state of an air conditioning unit of the aircraft air conditioning system and controlling the temperature of a process air mass flow supplied to the air conditioning unit in dependence on the operating state of the air conditioning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GMBH
    Inventor: Juergen Kelnhofer
  • Patent number: 10066862
    Abstract: An ice distribution system and method according to which ice-filled bags are distributed within a unit such as, for example, an ice merchandiser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: REDDY ICE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mark C. Metzger
  • Patent number: 10066860
    Abstract: A method for controlling an air conditioning system comprises routing refrigerant through an evaporator to cool air in a space, proportioning refrigerant flow from the evaporator between a condenser circuit and a hot gas reheat circuit that heats air leaving the evaporator, routing refrigerant flow from the condenser circuit and the hot gas reheat circuit through an expansion device and back to the evaporator, monitoring a first temperature at the evaporator, stabilizing proportioning of refrigerant flow between the condenser circuit and the hot gas reheat circuit based on the monitored first temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Nortek Global HVAC LLC
    Inventors: James Patrick Downie, Richard Brian Reed, Richard Gerard Blasko, John Patrick McKissack, Avinash Keshavrao Gholap
  • Patent number: 10052936
    Abstract: An HVAC system for a vehicle includes infrared skin temperature sensors for measuring actual skin temperatures of the driver and a cabin temperature sensor for measuring an actual cabin temperature of ambient air within the passenger cabin. A controller module stores a target cabin temperature. The controller module controls the HVAC system according to a first error between the target cabin temperature and the actual cabin temperature. A personalization module stores a target skin temperature, and the personalization module determines an offset to be applied to the target cabin temperature according to a second error between the target skin temperature and the actual skin temperature. Infrared temperature measurements are collected for the left and right sides of a person's face, and the actual skin temperature is selected as the one that deviates most from the actual cabin temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kwaku O. Prakah-Asante, Jialiang Le, Manoharprasad K. Rao, Gary S. Strumolo
  • Patent number: 10054337
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus is capable of cooling a first heat medium and heating the first heat medium at the same time in a relay unit, and the cooled first heat medium and the heated first heat medium can be separately distributed to a plurality of indoor units. Waste heat of a first refrigerant circuit can be discharged to an outdoor space via a second heat medium and the second refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10041722
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a housing including a front panel provided with at least one opening, and a rear lower panel disposed at a rear side of the front panel, at least one discharge outlet exposed to a front of the front panel through the opening, at least one suction inlet formed in the housing, at least one heat exchanger to exchange heat with external air through the suction inlet, at least mixed-flow fan rotatably disposed between the heat exchanger and the discharge outlet to suction the air having exchanged heat with the heat exchanger and discharge the air through the discharge outlet, and a drain panel disposed at a lower portion of the heat exchanger to collect condensate produced during heat exchange, and integrated with the rear panel through injection molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Moon Sun Shin, Jae Youn Cho, Jin Gyun Kim, Yeon Seob Yoon
  • Patent number: 10041718
    Abstract: A method for controlling a refrigerator may include sensing whether a door of a refrigerator compartment is open, determining whether a compressor of the refrigerator is being driven, continuing driving a fan of the refrigerator if the door is open and the compressor is being driven, and driving the fan until the compressor is driven if the door is open and the compressor is not being driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Jin Hwan Kim
  • Patent number: 10030898
    Abstract: An oil balancing apparatus is for use with a first compressor and at least two second compressors. Suction pipes of the first compressor and the second compressors are connected in parallel to a suction main pipe and discharge pipes of the first compressor and the second compressors are connected in parallel to a discharge main pipe. The first compressor is in an operating state, and the second compressors are operated intermittently. The oil balancing apparatus includes a first oil balancing pipe connecting oil sumps of the second compressors in series, and a second oil balancing pipe connecting an oil sump of the first compressor to a bottom of the first oil balancing pipe. A refrigeration system is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: DANFOSS (TIANJIN) LTD.
    Inventors: Leping Zhang, Patrice Bonnefoi, Serdar Suindykov
  • Patent number: 10030665
    Abstract: A liquid level indicator including a liquid level calm portion that is provided with a liquid introduction inlet that communicates with a portion below the liquid level in an oil tank and a gas vent that communicates with a portion above the liquid level; and a sight glass for observing a liquid level in the liquid level calm portion, having a liquid introduction tube provided with an extension portion that communicates with the liquid introduction inlet and extends toward the bottom portion of the oil tank, and a distal end portion that communicates with the extension portion and opens in a direction other than the downward direction below the liquid level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kentarou Oda, Seiichiro Yoshinaga, Nobuyoshi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 10024557
    Abstract: A heat exchange system includes a core of cross flow passages having a reheater, and a condenser that is downstream of and directly interfaces the reheater. A first water extractor is downstream of the condenser, wherein the first water extractor turns a first fluid from the first pass of the condenser back towards the condenser and produces a second fluid that flows into the second pass of the condenser. A second water extractor is downstream the condenser, wherein the second water extractor turns a third fluid from the second pass of the condenser towards the reheater; and produces a fourth fluid that flows into the reheater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Marco A. Zazueta, Mark Fewell, Michael Faust, James L. Nguyen, Benjamin Hernandez
  • Patent number: 10015911
    Abstract: A cooling system for the electronic components of a computer rack, including a primary circuit of primary liquid; a primary exchanger intended to transfer heat from first electronic components to the primary liquid; a secondary circuit of refrigerant fluid; a primary-secondary exchanger; a tertiary circuit of tertiary liquid; a secondary-tertiary exchanger; and a tertiary-thermal source exchanger. The cooling system also includes a tertiary-secondary exchanger; and an air-tertiary exchanger intended to transfer, to the tertiary liquid, heat from the air of the computer rack heated by second electronic components, the air-tertiary exchanger being arranged, in the tertiary circuit, downstream of the tertiary-secondary exchanger and upstream of the secondary-tertiary exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: BULL SAS
    Inventor: Georges Lecourtier
  • Patent number: 9989296
    Abstract: A cooling system for containers holding chilled foods and beverages within chilled water, is defined by a thermally insulated cooler or other chilling vessel including a quantity of ice, water, food, and/or beverages, and a safely comestible liquid having a lower freezing point than water mixed in the water, the chilling vessel having an input conduit and an output conduit originating in the vicinity of the chilling vessel. In thermal communication with input and output conduits of the chilling vessel is an endothermic element for removal of heat from a defined ambient geometry about the endothermic element, the ambient geometry forming a part of a liquid loop including liquids within the chilling vessel and the endothermic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Inventor: Seann Pavlik
  • Patent number: 9970700
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus includes a storage compartment, an evaporator to cool air in the storage compartment by evaporating a refrigerant, a compressor to compress the refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator, an air blower to supply the air cooled by the evaporator to the storage compartment and to remove frost formed on the evaporator, a storage temperature sensor to sense a temperature of the storage compartment, a driving unit to drive the compressor and the air blower, and a controller to perform a defrosting operation of operating the air blower to remove frost formed on the evaporator when a cooling operation of cooling the storage compartment is terminated and to perform the cooling operation, wherein the controller defers, when the defrosting operation is being performed, operation of the compressor, even if the temperature of the storage compartment is greater than or equal to the storage upper limit temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sung Ho Cho, Woo Sung Kim, Won Je Lee, Yong Han Kim, Jung Won Park, Seong Wook Jeong, Sang Youl Cha
  • Patent number: 9958170
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes indoor units including a plurality of use side heat exchangers that exchange heat between air and a heat medium, and a heat medium relay unit having a plurality of heat exchangers related to heat medium. A plurality of pumps deliver the heat medium involved in heating or cooling performed by the plurality of heat exchangers related to heat medium to each passage and circulate the heat medium. A plurality of heat medium flow switching devices perform switching so that the heat medium from a selected passage flows into and flows out of each use side heat exchanger. An expansion tank is connected to a passage alleviates a pressure change caused by a volumetric change of the heat medium, and a pressure equalizing pipe connects each inlet passage or each outlet passage of the heat medium sending devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Yamashita, Hiroyuki Morimoto, Yuji Motomura