Patents Examined by Travis C Ruby
  • Patent number: 10371456
    Abstract: Elongated, smaller-diameter tube heat pipes have an airflow arrangement that allows for short distances between evaporating and condensing sections of the heat pipe. The heat pipe is exposed to multiple alternate hot and cold zones adjacent to each other. Each evaporator zone accepts input heat to cause evaporation of the working fluid in the wick of the immediate vicinity. The vapor produced moves to either side by local pressure differences to condense in the two adjacent condenser zones where it is absorbed by the wick as a liquid and flows in the wick back to adjacent evaporator zones at each side. Each evaporator zone creates two fluid loops whereby evaporated working fluid splits up left and right, condenses in adjacent condenser zones and flows back to the evaporator zone as a liquid within the wick. Therefore, the overall tube length can be increased indefinitely, without traditional degradation of performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: KENTUCKIANA CURB COMPANY, INC.
    Inventor: Walter Stark
  • Patent number: 10364995
    Abstract: Ventilating units that include a recovery wheel, a supply air outlet from the wheel, an outdoor air supply fan that moves outdoor air through the recovery wheel, an economizer damper that opens to bring outdoor air directly into the supply air outlet, and an exhaust air discharge fan that moves exhaust air through the recovery wheel and to outdoors; HVAC units that include air conditioning with an air handler supply fan, a recovery wheel, an economizer section, an outdoor air supply fan, and controls; and methods of controlling airflow in an HVAC unit that include controlling an economizer damper based on outdoor and return air temperature and enthalpy or dew point. Some ventilating units connect to a packaged air handler and other ventilating units include the air handler, cooling coil, and air handler supply fan. Some embodiments include another damper that opens to bypass the recovery wheel for power exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: SEMCO LLC
    Inventors: John C. Fischer, Richard K. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 10361103
    Abstract: A thermal system includes: a base member including at least one fluid passageway in which a two-phase fluid is disposed; a tuning layer secured to the base member; and a control system. The pressure of the two-phase fluid is controlled such that the two-phase fluid provides at least one of heating and cooling to the base member. The tuning layer includes a plurality of zones. The control system includes a plurality of sets of power lines in communication with the tuning layer, and a plurality of addressable control elements in electrical communication with the power lines and with the tuning layer. The control elements provide selective control of the tuning layer zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Kevin R. Smith, Kevin Ptasienski, Ray Alan Derler, Cal T. Swanson, Philip S. Schmidt, Mohammad Nosrati, Jacob R. Lindley, Allen N. Boldt, Sanhong Zhang, Louis P. Steinhauser, Dennis S. Grimard
  • Patent number: 10337807
    Abstract: A heat exchanger for cooling a flow of media, comprising a plurality of pipes. The pipes are each received in a respective pipe base at the ends, and the pipes are received in a housing between the two pipe bases, the housing being connected to the pipe bases in a fluid-tight manner. A coolant channel is formed by a shaped region oriented outwards along an outer wall which delimits the housing. The coolant channel has an opening oriented in the direction of the inner volume of the housing, and the coolant channel is in fluidic communication with the inner volume of the housing via the opening. The opening is at least partly covered by a panel, and the panel is arranged on the housing outer wall surface oriented inwards, the outer wall having the coolant channel. A gap is formed between an edge, which delimits the opening, and the panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: MAHLE International GmbH
    Inventor: Jens Richter
  • Patent number: 10328789
    Abstract: A cooling system of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) includes an engine cooling circuit that cools cooling water using an engine heat exchanger and circulates the cooled cooling water using an engine water pump to cool an engine. An HEV cooling circuit cools cooling water using an HEV heat exchanger and circulates the cooled cooling water using an HEV water pump to cool an inverter and a motor. A connection part connects the engine cooling circuit to the HEV cooling circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Kyung-Su Han
  • Patent number: 10322620
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning system is configured to cool a passenger compartment having a first zone and a second zone. An air handler has a recirculation door movable from a first position in which only fresh air from outside the vehicle enters the air handler and a second position in which only recirculation air from the first zone enters the air handler. A controller is connected to the first sensor, the recirculation door and a control panel. The controller is configured such that in response to the control panel being set to: provide cooling only to the second zone; the recirculation door being set to provide fresh air; and a first sensor's conditions being meet, the controller changes the setting of the recirculation door from fresh air to recirculated air to the air handler over-riding a manual setting of the position of the recirculation door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Takafumi Uehara, Xavier Ramiro
  • Patent number: 10317862
    Abstract: A HVAC controller includes a housing and one or more heat-generating components contained within the housing. The heat-generating components cause a temperature inside the housing to exceed a temperature outside the housing. The controller includes a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature inside the housing and a controller event detector configured to detect, for each of the heat-generating components, a controller event that generates heat inside the housing. The controller further includes a temperature compensation module configured to identify a steady-state temperature gain associated with each of the detected controller events, to calculate a temperature offset using a summation of the steady-state temperature gains, and to determine the temperature of the building zone outside the housing by subtracting the temperature offset from the temperature measured inside the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Ajax, Justin J. Seifi
  • Patent number: 10288352
    Abstract: Spiral finned elliptical tube closed circuit coolers and evaporative refrigerant condensers in which the air flow entering the unit is directed to flow across the tubes in a direction that is parallel to the tube axes and generally perpendicular to the fins produce a completely unexpected gain in capacity of 25% compared to comparable units in which the air flow is directed across/perpendicular to the tube axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Evapco, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas W. Bugler
  • Patent number: 10283379
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for heating and cooling a plurality of substrate wafers are provided. LED lamps are positioned against the back sides of a plurality of cold plates. In some embodiments, wafers are supported on a wafer lift which can move all wafers together. In some embodiments, wafers are supported on independent lift pins which can move individual wafers for heating and cooling. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide for decreased time between wafer switching in a processing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason M. Schaller, Robert Brent Vopat, Paul E. Pergande, Benjamin B. Riordon, David T. Blahnik, William T. Weaver
  • Patent number: 10260817
    Abstract: A stacked-plate heat exchanger may include a first stacked-plate pack and a second stacked-plate pack. Each pack may have a plurality of stacked plates placed side by side and connected to one another, and a base plate via which at least one of inflow and outflow of a coolant may take place. The first and second stacked-plate packs may be connected to one another with the base plates lying against one another. The stacked-plate heat exchanger may also include a holder that holds the first and second stacked-plate packs exclusively on the two base plates. The first and second stacked-plate packs may each be directly connected to at least one of a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet via the respective base plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Tobias Fetzer, Florian Gall, Steffen Groezinger, Gabriel Gucanin, David Kenntner, Volker Velte
  • Patent number: 10260818
    Abstract: A cooling system (20) includes a media exchanger (50), a cooling section (22), and a cooling circuit (120) for circulating a cooling fluid (130) between the media exchanger (50) and the cooling section (22). The media exchanger (50) receives outside air (38) and the cooling section (22) receives return air (32) from and interior space (34). When the cooling fluid (130) circulates into the cooling section (22) via the cooling circuit (120), the temperature of the return air (32) is reduced through indirect heat transfer between the cooling fluid (130) and the return air (32) to produce conditioned air (84). The conditioned air (84) is provided as supply air (46) into the interior space (34). When the cooling fluid circulates into the media exchanger via the cooling circuit, the temperature of the cooling fluid is reduced through direct heat transfer between the cooling fluid and the outside air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: United Metal Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Kinkel
  • Patent number: 10254055
    Abstract: An intercooler assembly may include a housing and a cooler arranged therein through which charge air may be flowable. The housing may include an insertion opening through which the cooler may be insertable into the housing in an insertion direction transverse to the flow direction of the charge air. The cooler may include a pipe structure through which a coolant may be flowable, first and second end parts opposite each other transverse to the insertion direction, and third and fourth end parts opposite each other transverse to the first and second end parts and parallel to the flow direction, the end parts laterally delimiting and mechanically connected to the pipe structure. The cooler may be mechanically connected to the housing by the first end part, and at least one of the other end parts may be movably attached to the housing. The cooler may be pre-stressed against the housing by the third and/or fourth end part in a direction opposite a deformation of the cooler resulting from cooling of the charge air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Boris Bangert, Andreas Eilemann, Karsten Emrich, Tobias Isermeyer, Hubert Pomin, Timm Roeschmann, Juergen Stehlig
  • Patent number: 10245919
    Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus that includes a blower unit including a scroll casing including a first wall having an intake port, a second wall opposing the first wall, and a peripheral wall, and an impeller. The apparatus further includes a motor of the impeller, a blow-out flow channel, and a motor cooling air introduction chamber. The motor cooling air introduction chamber is in communication with the blow-out flow channel via an air intake port opening in the peripheral wall of a tongue portion facing the blow-out flow channel at a position more closer to the first wall side than an inner wall surface of the second wall. At least one airflow regulating rib facing the peripheral wall provided with the air intake port is provided, and the airflow regulating rib projects from the inner wall surface of the second wall and having a top portion in the blow-out flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Valeo Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsunobu Yamanaka, Kazuo Oshima
  • Patent number: 10247492
    Abstract: A heat exchanger system for cooling liquid having a plurality of finned tube arrays and a plurality of fans for inducing air through the finned tube array comprising: at least one wind deflector installed along the long side of the finned tube arrays on at least one side of the arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ormat Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Lucien Y. Bronicki, Uriyel Fisher
  • Patent number: 10234167
    Abstract: An air conditioner including a suction channel module having a suction module housing with a first and a second suction channel provided therein, and a suction connection channel to guide air between the first and second suction channels; a discharge channel module having a discharge module housing with a first and a second discharge channel provided therein, and a discharge connection channel to guide air between the first and second discharge channels; a first heat exchanger disposed between the first suction channel and the first discharge channel to exchange heat with air that passed through the first suction channel and operate as one of a condenser and an evaporator; and a second heat exchanger disposed between the second suction channel and the second discharge channel to exchange heat with air that passed through the second suction channel and operate as the other of the condenser and the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sangil Park, Doyong Ha, Yoonho Yoo, Taehee Kwak
  • Patent number: 10232682
    Abstract: A method for displaying the status of a heating or air conditioning device of a vehicle wherein a graphical object that depicts the vehicle is displayed by a display device of the vehicle, the status of the heating or air conditioning device is detected, and different statuses of the heating or air conditioning device are displayed by the display device by different depictions of vehicle surfaces. Also disclosed is a heating or air conditioning device for performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AG
    Inventors: Markus Missall, Stefan Schmidtke
  • Patent number: 10234219
    Abstract: A non-electric temperature-controlled basin for cooling cast parts, the basin being provided with a liquid, a level sensor, a temperature sensor, and a heat exchanger; and a method for cooling the cast parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: KUKA DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventor: Nico Kowarschik
  • Patent number: 10222114
    Abstract: A semiconductor refrigerator, which comprises: a liner; at least one semiconductor cooler; and a plurality of cold end heat exchanging devices, each of which is configured to allow the refrigerant to flow therein and undergo phase-change heat exchange to transfer cold from the cold end of the semiconductor cooler to the storage compartment of the liner. Each of the cold end heat exchanging devices has three refrigerant pipelines, each refrigerant pipeline having an evaporation section which is downwardly bent and extends in a vertical plane and has a closed tail end, the evaporation sections of the three refrigerant pipelines of each of the cold end heat exchanging devices being thermally connected to the rear wall and two side walls of the liner respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: QINGDAO HAIER JOINT STOCK CO., LTD
    Inventors: Haibo Tao, Dong Yu, Peng Li, Jianru Liu, Dingyuan Wang, Chunyang Li, Feifei Qi, Lisheng Ji
  • Patent number: 10214077
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle provided with a cooling line which includes an evaporator core, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve, includes a heater core provided between the compressor and the condenser on the cooling line, configured to be introduced with a refrigerant from the compressor, to have the refrigerant circulated therein, and to discharge the refrigerant to the condenser. The air conditioner further includes a housing vertically provided with an inlet and an outlet and having the heater core and the evaporator core each disposed in a left and right space therein, an inflow side door provided at a side of the inlet between the heater core and the evaporator core for controlling distribution amount of air introduced, and an outflow side door provided at a side of the outlet between the heater core and the evaporator core for controlling mixed amount of air discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jae Woong Kim, Jae Woo Park, Man Ju Oh