Patents Examined by Travis Ruby
  • Patent number: 8707718
    Abstract: An engine configured to drive a compressor of a vehicle air conditioning system is controlled based on a threshold condition. In at least one embodiment, a comfort-level selection is received, a threshold condition is determined based on the comfort-level, and a vehicle interior condition is detected. The engine is requested to run if the interior condition exceeds the threshold condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Elaine Y. Chen, William Treharne, Wayne Buescher, Thomas Fox
  • Patent number: 8701427
    Abstract: A method for controlling a vehicle HVAC system to automatically defog a windshield glass and to prevent fogging or condensation of the windshield glass. In-cabin air temperature and relative humidity are measured and used to determine a dewpoint. Further, ambient or outside temperature is measured. If windshield wipers are being used or if the cabin air temperature is less than a predetermined temperature, the ambient air temperature value is used as a glass temperature, otherwise the glass temperature is determined from the ambient air temperature and vehicle speed. A fog margin, which is a measure of the likelihood of fog formation, is based upon the difference between dewpoint and the windshield glass temperature. The fog margin is used to control the HVAC system to anticipate and respond to potential fogging conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Daniel Yelles
  • Patent number: 8627878
    Abstract: A rotary air preheater 10 includes a housing 12 having a rotor 14. The rotor 14 has opposing ends 20,24 and is divided into sections by diaphragms 48. Sector plates 28 include one sector plate 28 in sealing relation with one of opposing ends 20,24 of the rotor 14. The air preheater 10 includes a flange 56 and a sensing device 49 coupled to at least one of the sector plates 28. The sensing device 49 provides non-contact sensing of a distance between the sector plate 28 and the flange 56. The sensing device 49 includes a conduit 54 that directs a jet of compressed air onto the flange 56, a first pressure sensor 60 and a second pressure sensor 70. The first pressure sensor 60 senses pressure inside the sensing device 49, and the second pressure sensor 70 senses pressure outside the sensing device 49. The distance between the sector plate and the flange is a pressure difference measured by the first and the second pressure sensors 60,70.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: William C. Cox, Kevin J. O'Boyle, John D. Proctor
  • Patent number: 8517282
    Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve has an enhanced response to temperature change by arranging one of the hot water and cold water flows into a series of jets that intersect the other flow such that the proportions of hot water and cold water mixing at the surface of the thermostat is made to respond to the inlet water pressure to augment the temperature change normally experienced at the surface of the thermostat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Patent number: 8464778
    Abstract: A heat exchanger for an internal combustion engine includes a first flow channel; a second flow channel arranged adjacent to the first flow channel; a line separate from the second flow channel; and a valve channel in which an adjustable valve element is disposed. The valve channel is arranged upstream of the first and second flow channels and an inlet channel is arranged upstream of the valve channel in a flow direction of exhaust gas. The valve element includes a baffle plate, the baffle plate having an end portion that extends diagonally in the valve channel with respect to the flow axis of the first flow channel. The valve element includes a flap that is pivotably mounted at the end portion of the baffle plate such that the flap is pivotable about an axis that extends in a direction of a width of a common housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Claus Beck, Hervé Palanchon, Jürgen Rosin
  • Patent number: 8336322
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling including multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl, John Joseph Vonderhaar, Diego Barone, Lorenzo Bianchi
  • Patent number: 8336321
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system for use in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling and includes multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl
  • Patent number: 8316926
    Abstract: An arrangement for use in connection with an air handling unit includes a controller and a processing circuit. The controller is configured to control a device within an air handler unit, which includes at least a first coil. The processing circuit is configured to receive first information representative of a maximum liquid flow rate through the first coil and second information representative of a maximum air flow rate of the first coil. The processing circuit is further configured to generate a time constant estimate, based on the first information and second information, for use in the controller in performing control of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: General Cybernation Group Inc.
    Inventors: George Shu-Xing Cheng, Osman Ahmed, William Thomas Pienta
  • Patent number: 8302873
    Abstract: An air conditioner having a pleasant sleep driving mode including a parameter changing unit (142) for independently changing the respective values of plural parameters for determining a variation pattern of the set room temperature, and a controller (42) for receiving the changed parameters from the parameter changing unit (142) and controlling the operation of the air conditioner according to the pleasant sleep driving mode having the variation pattern of the set room temperature determined by the changed parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Hiura, Keiji Nishida, Akira Shindo, Atsushi Niizato, Masayuki Ishizeki, Yuichi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8292191
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for managing the supply of energy to heating and cooling devices to reduce the thermal flux and overshoot in buildings having heating and cooling devices that are sized for extreme temperature demands, but which operate inefficiently for moderate conditions. The system interposes a control module between sensor devices and heating or cooling devices, to filter the signals from the sensor devices calling for heating or cooling according to one or more on/off routines. The control module defers the sending of signals activating or deactivating heating or cooling devices, thus allowing for moderating of ambient conditions between the initial demand from the sensor devices and the supply of heating or cooling by the heating or cooling devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Inventors: Clive Alan Webb, Yvette Rose Webb
  • Patent number: 8267164
    Abstract: A system and method for energy recovery and humidity control comprises an enclosure (12) with a plurality of ports (86,90,92,94,86) connected to a plurality of ducts (14,16,18,20,22) The system has an enthalpy exchange core (136) exchanging heat and humidity between first air stream (35) and a second air stream (37), and a heat exchange sub-core (134) exchanging heat between the first air stream (35) and a third air stream (39), and fans (34,38,36) for circulating the first air stream (35), the second air stream (37) and the third air stream (39) respectively, and a controller (40) for controlling the fans (34,36,38) and regulating the flows of the first air stream (35), the second air stream (37) and the third air stream (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Air Tech Equipment Ltd.
    Inventors: Marc Richard Lestage, George Robert Lestage, Patrick Paul Boudreau
  • Patent number: 8251131
    Abstract: A cooling device including a heat absorbing unit, provided with an inflow port of a coolant medium and a discharge port for discharging the coolant medium, sealing the coolant medium in parts other than the inflow port and the discharge port, wherein the heat absorbing unit includes an upper member having an installation surface where semiconductor elements serving as an object to be cooled are installed and a cooling surface serving as a back surface of installation surface, and a lower member forming a chamber having cooling surface as a part of a inner wall surface together with upper member. Injection ports communicating with inflow port for injecting the coolant medium toward cooling surface are provided and the discharge port is provided at a position lower than opening positions of injection ports in lower member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadafumi Yoshida, Yutaka Yokoi, Hiroshi Osada
  • Patent number: 8245768
    Abstract: An air-conditioning system of an electric car has an air-conditioning unit which is configured to perform air-conditioning in a passenger compartment by heater/cooler operation, a setting panel configured to set a target temperature of the passenger compartment, and a control unit which is connected to the air-conditioning unit and setting panel, and has different control of heater operation of the air-conditioning unit, wherein the control unit is configured to select controls of heater operation based on a vehicle speed v.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiji Nomura, Kou hei Umezu, Masaru Kadoi, Shinya Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 8245524
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling including multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: Steven John Kuehl
  • Patent number: 8240165
    Abstract: A system and method for cooling heat generating components including an electronics cooling circuit loop having a liquid heat exchanger separable from a main liquid cooling circuit manifold by quick-disconnect fittings. This supports the use of different liquids in the electronics subsystem cooling circuit loop and in the main liquid manifold of the master cooling circuit. Also included are two phase loops and an optional compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: VETTE Corp.
    Inventor: Shlomo Novotny
  • Patent number: 8167215
    Abstract: A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has a valve member for controlling the relative proportions of hot and cold water admitted to a mixing chamber according to user selection of a desired water temperature and a thermostat responsive to the mixed water temperature to adjust the position of the valve member to maintain constant the selected water temperature. The valve member is biased by a return spring in the form of a wave spring having a plurality of turns with transverse waves configured such that adjacent turns sit peak to peak. The wave spring is strong in compression and weak in torsion allowing the ends of the spring to move laterally to accommodate any misalignment in the components of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Kohler Mira Limited
    Inventors: Nigel Paul Sansum, Richard Timothy Hopson
  • Patent number: 8161760
    Abstract: A distributed refrigeration appliance system for use in a residential kitchen and other locations in a dwelling and includes multiple separate refrigeration appliance modules, a central cooling system and a cooling circuit. The system can also include one or more satellite stations having a heat exchanger and arranged for supplying chilled air to one or more refrigeration appliance modules. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can include a thermal cascade cooling device to cool the module to lower temperatures than the cooling circuit can attain. One or more refrigeration appliance modules can be refrigeration/storage modules that can provide refrigerated, unconditioned or heated storage space. The central cooling system can be a vapor compression system having a refrigerant circuit connecting the modules. Alternately, the central cooling system can cool a secondary cooling medium circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Nihat O. Cur, Steven John Kuehl, John Joseph Vonderhaar, Frank Huangtso Lin
  • Patent number: 8162042
    Abstract: Condensate accumulating in the incoming outside air flow passages of a heat exchanger is fed back into the exhaust flow passages of the heat exchanger to provide improved heat transfer in the heat exchanger, and to avoid the necessity for drainage of the condensate from the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes a plastic multi-tube panel core and a solid plastic housing, with opposed-flow heat exchange and inlet-outlet extensions from only one side of the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Building Performance Equipment, Inc.
    Inventor: Klas C. Haglid
  • Patent number: 8151595
    Abstract: A refrigerator is provided with a home-bar and a dispenser. The refrigerator includes a body in which storage compartments are formed, a body door selectively opening/closing the storage compartments, a home-bar door provided in the body door, and a dispenser located directly in the home-bar door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hyeong-Il Kim
  • Patent number: 8141792
    Abstract: A set pressure controller capable of easily controlling the pressure, releasing a load in an environment at a predetermined temperature or higher and allowing for the formation of a compact structure, a valve having the pressure controller, and a fuel cell equipped with the valve having the pressure controller are provided. The pressure controller includes a movable part to be driven by a differential pressure, wherein the pressure controller is attachable to the valve. The pressure controller attached to the valve provides the movable part with a predetermined displacement to control the set pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Yokoi, Toru Nakakubo