Plural Temperature Regulators For Plural Zones Patents (Class 165/203)
  • Patent number: 8103365
    Abstract: Combined control patterns corresponding to the actual control coordinates point (px) are formed by morphing a shape of the model control patterns PA, PB, PC having J pieces and corresponding to each morphing coordinates (pa, pb, pc), in the control pattern space CPS extended by the second type of input variable ? and the output variable ?. The morphing is performed according to weight between the morphing coordinates (pa, pb, pc) in the M-dimensional input space MPS and the actual control coordinates point (px). Combined control patterns Px are formed, and output variable value ? corresponding to the input value (px) based on the combined control pattern Px is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiko Tateishi
  • Patent number: 8049592
    Abstract: A network-based lighting equipment remote monitoring and management system is proposed, which is designed for use with a network system to allow the user to carry out monitoring and management tasks on one or more remotely-located lighting equipment systems in a real-time manner via the network system. The proposed system is characterized by the provision of a user-operated network-based real-time monitoring and management function for remotely-located lighting equipment, the capability to provide efficient and cost-effective management in the utilization of lighting equipment for saving energy and cost, and the capability to provide real-time warning of abnormal operating conditions of the lighting equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Huan Wang, Shu-Fen Lin, Shiue-Juan Liao, Chun-Hung Huang, Chien-Yuan Chen
  • Patent number: 8032262
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and program product to synthesize a grass-roots heat exchanger network for a plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and a plurality of cold process streams to be heated according to a plurality of utilities targets, are provided. An exemplary system includes a heat exchange network synthesizing computer and heat exchange network synthesizing program product configured to analyze the waste heat recovery problem without decomposition to produce a result having an optimal number of network heat exchanger units through application of advanced process-to-process matching schemes for both non-constrained and non-thermodynamically constrained problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Mahmoud Bahy Noureldin
  • Publication number: 20110174006
    Abstract: The invention relates to an air conditioning system for a transportation means, having multiple zones to be air-conditioned, which may be variably air-conditioned by means of processed supply air in combination with individual trim air conduits, wherein the air conditioning system further has at least one heat exchanger for heating supply air by means of the exhaust heat of a fuel cell, and for discharging the supply air into a trim air distributor supplying the trim air conduits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventors: Martin Arendt, Till Marquardt, Andreas Westenberger, Lars Frahm
  • Publication number: 20110166747
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for controlling temperature in an automotive vehicle having a driver-side area, a front passenger-side area, and a climate control system with at least one interface. The interface allows a user to select a driver-side temperature setting and a passenger-side temperature setting. The system includes a seat occupancy sensor and at least one computer-based controller. In operation, the seat occupancy sensor generates a sensor signal indicative of passenger seat occupancy in the passenger-side area of the vehicle. Based on the sensor signal, the controller controls the climate control system. When the passenger-side area is unoccupied, the climate control system distributes conditioned air according to the driver-side temperature setting to both the driver-side and passenger-side areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Halim Wijaya, Christopher Stephen Van Auken, Kenneth Gerard Brown
  • Publication number: 20110166711
    Abstract: A method for climate control for an interior of a motor vehicle includes acquiring climatically relevant data of the interior and/or surroundings of the vehicle, creating a thermodynamic model of a vehicle climate system, the model including at least one of a first thermal capacity of the interior and a first heat loss of the interior, introducing into the interior a quantity of air having a temperature different from an existing interior temperature, calculating at least one of a second thermal capacity of the interior and a second heat loss of the interior existing after the air quantity is introduced into the interior, and adapting the thermodynamic model to include at least one the second thermal capacity and the second heat loss.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2011
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Markus Markowitz, Dietmar Fischer, Walter Mayer
  • Patent number: 7974740
    Abstract: An integrated management system for controlling multi-type air conditioners can use a remote integrated management system to securely and automatically back up setting information for a local controller provided in at least one air conditioner system, which is disposed in a room or office and is being operated, thereby allowing an improvement of stability of the integrated management system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jun-Tae Kim, Sang-Chul Youn, Duck-Gu Jeon
  • Publication number: 20110160958
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner for a vehicle cabin interior is split into a plurality of air-conditioned zones, that is capable of independent air conditioning control for individual air-conditioned zones, provided is a solar radiation sensor that measures solar radiation levels individually for a first air-conditioned zone and a second air-conditioned zone adjacent thereto; a judging unit (100) that judges whether or not a difference between the solar radiation level of the first air-conditioned zone and the solar radiation level of the second air-conditioned zone falls within a predetermined range; a first controller (101) that performs identical air conditioning control for the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone when the difference falls within the predetermined range; and a second controller (102) that performs independent air conditioning control individually for the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone when the difference falls outside the predetermine
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicants: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsunari Shiroyama, Hideaki Tatenoi, Tomoki Izawa, Yasushi Ohta, Shigeki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7931209
    Abstract: Described herein is a system for controlling an air-conditioning system within an environment, in particular the passenger compartment of a vehicle, said system comprising a plurality of sensors designed to detect quantities representing the thermal comfort of the occupants and an electronic control unit (ECU), which calculates, on the basis of said quantities, a temperature indicating the thermal comfort of the occupants of the environment, on the basis of which the actuator devices of the air-conditioning system are driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile per Azioni
    Inventors: Stefano Mola, Carloandrea Malvicino
  • Patent number: 7918100
    Abstract: Method for controlling a HVAC system in a vehicular compartment includes monitoring temperature of an occupant in the compartment from a location apart from the occupant, and controlling the HVAC system based on the monitored temperature. Occupant temperature may be monitored by infrared sensors, each arranged in an orientation to receive electromagnetic radiation from one or more seating locations in which occupants are likely to be situated. The temperature in each seating location is independently monitored. The HVAC system is controllable for each seating location based on the monitored temperature in that area. When monitoring of temperature in an area in which a driver of the vehicle is likely to be situated indicates presence of the driver, and no other areas indicate presence of a human occupant, the HVAC system is controllable such that all heat or air-conditioning provided by the HVAC system is directed to the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Automotive Technologies International, Inc.
    Inventors: David S. Breed, Wendell C. Johnson, Wilbur E. DuVall
  • Patent number: 7886815
    Abstract: A vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system includes front and rear HVAC systems. A controller receives data from front and rear control panels and controls the front and rear HVAC systems. Actuating a rear manual button on the front control panel allows control of the rear HVAC system via the rear control. Engine coolant temperature is used to judge if the vehicle has been inoperative for a long time. If the vehicle has not been inoperative for long, and the rear manual button was actuated prior to the vehicle shut down, rear manual control over the rear HVAC system is enabled. If the vehicle has been inoperative for a long time, or if the rear manual button was not actuated immediately prior to vehicle shut down, rear manual control is not enabled, thereby preventing operation of the rear HVAC system by the rear control panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Bradley C. Errington, Junichi Kanemaru, Trevor Burns
  • Patent number: 7832464
    Abstract: An independent mixing valve sub-assembly which includes a casing defining a cold bias inlet, a hot bias inlet and a second zone inlet and a mechanism for mechanically attaching the casing to the housing of a HVAC module with the cold bias inlet, the hot bias inlet and the second zone inlet of the mixing valve sub-assembly in sealing engagement with a cold bias outlet, a hot bias outlet, and a second zone outlet of a HVAC module, respectively. The mixing valve sub-assembly may provide one or more streams of temperature-controlled air. Accordingly, different mixing valve sub-assemblies may be attached to one universal HVAC module to provide varying numbers of temperature zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Charles Kinmartin, Garrett Wade Hoehn, Ardeean Scoccia, Debashis Ghosh
  • Patent number: 7823631
    Abstract: A constructional unit for a heat exchanging device that includes at least one housing in which a gaseous medium is at least partially guided on a predetermined path, an inlet device for the gaseous medium, at least one first heat exchanging device, at least one second heat exchanging device, at least one controller that influences the direction of flow of the gaseous medium in at least some sections and that can be adjusted to at least two different positions, and an outlet device for the gaseous medium. In at least one first position of the first controller, substantially no portions of the gaseous medium are guided through the first heat exchanging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Behr France Rouffach SAS
    Inventor: Pierre Tonnelier
  • Patent number: 7819171
    Abstract: An air conditioning system for providing air conditioning to the interior of an automotive vehicle with a mixing chamber designed to create, by controlled mixing of a warm and of a cool partial air flow, at least one warmer and one cooler air-conditionable air flow. The flow paths of the warm partial air flow and of the cool partial air flow intersect in the mixing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Alberternst, Michael Fietz, Graham R. Johnstone, Andrew William Rowntree, Graham Kirby
  • Patent number: 7819178
    Abstract: A vehicular air conditioner includes a housing having a rear seat discharge passage for supplying mixed air to rear seats in a vehicle and a plurality of dividing ribs disposed in a face outlet which is open upwardly in the housing. Each of the dividing ribs has a communication path defined therein in the longitudinal direction thereof, the communication path being concave in confronting relation to the interior of the housing. Mixed air produced in a mixing portion in the housing is supplied from the face outlet to front seats in the vehicle. Part of the mixed air is supplied through the communication paths to the rear seat discharge passage, from which the mixed air is supplied to the rear seats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Keihin Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Sawamukai, Shintaro Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7814964
    Abstract: A rotatable electrically actuated valve having a spindle with axially spaced grooves and lands constructed and arranged to selectively connect an auxiliary air conditioning system to a truck cab while isolating the truck air conditioning system, and for connecting the truck air conditioning system to the truck cab, while isolating the auxiliary air conditioning system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Inventor: J. Rex Greer
  • Patent number: 7809471
    Abstract: An environmental apparatus control system assures a consistent temperature control for realizing a comfortable residential environment based upon demands from the residents, yet in an energy-saving manner. The system includes an apparatus for controlling a residential space, and an initializer which provides an initial target value for control of the residential space at the start of operating the system. Comfortableness demands from residents are analyzed in order modify the initial target value to a working target value. The initial target value is shifted in a direction of saving the energy such that the working target value can always approach from and settle on the energy-saving side as the demands from the residents are analyzed. The working target values within a past time period are weighted to give a corrected target value which replaces the initial target value for the start of next operation cycle of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignees: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd., National University Corporation Nagoya University
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Murakami, Masaaki Terano, Fumiaki Oobayashi, Toshiyuki Miyake, Satoru Kuno, Masayuki Harada
  • Patent number: 7779900
    Abstract: Both an air mixing door (9) for the cold air for adjusting a passage area of the cold air passage (6); and an air mixing door (10) for the hot air for adjusting a passage area of the hot air passage (7) are composed of a sliding door for adjusting the passage area when the air mixing door (9) for the cold air and the air mixing door (10) for the hot air are slid in a direction perpendicular to the flow of air in both the passages (6, 7), and while one of the air mixing door (9) for the cold air and the air mixing door (10) for the hot air is maintaining one of the passages (6, 7) in a fully opened state, an operating position of the other door is adjusted so that a passage area of the other passage is adjusted and a temperature of the air blowing out into a vehicle compartment is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Takahiro Tokunaga, Yoshihiko Okumura
  • Patent number: 7775447
    Abstract: With a method for controlling the temperature of feed air which is injected into the cabin zone of a passenger aircraft, the cabin of which is sub-divided into several cabin zones supplied respectively with specially temperature-controlled feed air, the temperature of the injected feed air is controlled for each cabin zone, dependent upon the deviation of an injection temperature actual value for the feed air injected into the cabin zone in question, measured by sensors, in relation to an injection temperature optimum value. If there is no, or at least no usable reading of the ambient temperature of this cabin zone for a cabin zone, an optimum value for the injection temperature of this cabin zone can be established in accordance with a variation, whereby it is determined upon the basis of the injection temperature optimum values and/or the injection temperature actual values of other cabin zones, whereby the measurement by sensors of the cabin temperature works reliably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Scherer, Michael Markwart, Torsten Schwan
  • Patent number: 7766078
    Abstract: An automotive vehicle air conditioning system has air introduced into an air conditioning case. The introduced air is always discharged to both sides of a passenger compartment regardless of the air conditioner mode while the air conditioning system maintains the amount of air discharged through defrost openings in a defrost mode. Air leakage between both sides of a mode door and the air conditioning case is effectively prevented by a cover carried by the mode door without additional sealing to improve air conditioning performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.
    Inventors: Jong-Su Kim, Dae-Woong Lee
  • Patent number: 7742844
    Abstract: An information handling system can include cooling devices that are organized into zones. A method of using an information handling system can include setting a cooling level for each cooling device. Each zone can be associated with thermal data or regions within the information handling system, and a cooling demand can be determined for the thermal data or regions. A zone cooling level for each zone corresponds to a higher cooling demand from each zone's associated thermal regions, and a cooling device cooling level corresponds to a higher zone cooling level from each cooling device's associated zones. The method can be embodied as machine executable code for an information handling system. An information handling system can include cooling devices associated with zones, and can operate to set a cooling level for each cooling device by determining cooling demands in response to information regarding thermal energy generated by an electrical sub-assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Dell Products, LP
    Inventor: William K. Coxe, III
  • Patent number: 7726391
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner casing has defrost, face, and front seat floor vents variably communicating with a mixing chamber. Air passageways in the casing include an evaporator and heater core. A rear seat console vent communicates with a warm air passageway including the heater core and a cool air passageway through a console side cool air bypass passageway on the casing bottom surface, under the heater core. A front seat temperature adjusting door adjusts variably opens cool air passageway outlets and the warm air passageway with respect to the mixing chamber. A rear seat main temperature adjusting door variably opens warm air passageway inlets and the console side cool air bypass passageway. A rear seat auxiliary temperature variably adjusts the openings of warm air passageway outlets and the console cool air bypass passageway with respect to the rear seat console vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.
    Inventors: Yong-Eun Seo, Sang-Chul Byun, Sung-Ho Kang, Seong-Seok Han, Yong-Sang Kim
  • Patent number: 7699096
    Abstract: The first cold air flow door 26 and the first hot air flow door 24 for adjusting the blowout air temperature are arranged in the first air passage, and the second cold air flow door 27 and the second hot air flow door 25 for adjusting the blowout air temperature are arranged in the second air passage. When a larger target air flow volume between the target air flow volume on the first air passage side and the target air flow volume on the second air passage side is selected so as to determine an air flow volume of the blower, in an air passage to which the smaller target air flow volume is applied, while the ratio of the cold air flow volume to the hot air flow volume is being maintained constant, the passage opening area is throttled by the cold air flow door and the hot air flow door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Naruse, Yoshihiko Okumura
  • Patent number: 7694729
    Abstract: An air passage opening/closing device for a vehicle air conditioner has a casing and a slide door. The slide door is movably disposed in the casing. Both sides of the slide door are guided by guide channels provided in the casing. The guide channels are formed by the casing and a separate guide member. The slide door can be assembled by mounting the slide door on a door-sliding surface of the casing, and mounting the separate guide member on the slide door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yukio Uemura
  • Publication number: 20090288816
    Abstract: A system for controlling the temperature of a passenger cabin has a tube for receiving a heat transfer fluid from an engine and a number of heating coils being thermally connected to the tube. The system also has a number of thermo-electric heat pumps connected to the tube. The heat transfer fluid is modulated for controlling the temperature of the passenger cabin at a number of different points of the passenger cabin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2005
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventor: Hayden M. Reeve
  • Patent number: 7574283
    Abstract: A network-based air-conditioning equipment remote monitoring and management system is proposed, which is designed for use with a network system to allow the user to carry out monitoring and management tasks on one or more remotely-located air-conditioning equipment systems in a real-time manner via the network system. The proposed system is characterized by the provision of a user-operated network-based real-time monitoring and management function for remotely-located air-conditioning equipment, the capability to provide efficient and cost-effective management in the utilization of air-conditioning equipment for saving energy and cost, and the capability to provide real-time warning of abnormal operating conditions of the air-conditioning equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Huan Wang, Shu-Fen Lin, Shiue-Juan Liao, Chun-Hung Huang, Chien-Yuan Chen
  • Patent number: 7546868
    Abstract: An air conditioner housing having an evaporation device, a heating device, an air control device, an interior space in which air flow paths are formed, and having a housing which surrounds the interior space, is proposed. The air conditioner housing (1) is defined in that a first air flow path (15) and a second air flow path (17) are formed, and in that the air control device (9) has at least two mixing flaps (11, 13), a first mixing flap (11) of which is designed to the first air flow path (15), and a second mixing flap (13) of which is assigned to the second airflow path (17), and in that the mixing flaps (11, 13) each completely open the assigned air flow path (15, 17) in a first functional position and completely close it in a second functional position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignees: Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Behr France S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: Henri Klein, Evripidis Koukouravas
  • Patent number: 7540321
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a housing for defining an air passage, and the air passage has a main passage and first and second separate passages branched from the main passage. The first separate passage is provided for leading air from the main passage to a front area of a passenger compartment, and the second separate passage is provided for leading air from the main passage to a rear area of the passenger compartment. Furthermore, an evaporator is disposed in the main passage of the housing, and a heat exchanger is disposed in the main passage at a downstream air side of the evaporator in a part area of the main passage. In the air conditioner, a control member is provided to adjust an air flow from the evaporator into the first separate passage and an air flow from the heating heat exchanger into the first separate passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO Automotive Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Simmet, Kenji Matsui, Kotaro Suda
  • Patent number: 7540322
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an air conditioner for vehicle including a front seat air conditioning unit and a rear seat air conditioning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corporation
    Inventors: Sungho Kang, Sangchul Byon, Yongeun Seo, Yongsang Kim
  • Patent number: 7513439
    Abstract: An automatic climate control system for a vehicle determines actual sun load and a virtual sun load based on prescribed virtual heat load data and the external air temperature. A controller is configured to compare the actual sun load to the virtual sun load to obtain an optimized sun load value, and to control the system based on this optimized sun load value. A method for automatically controlling the climate includes determining measured sun load, determining external air temperature, comparing the measured sun load to the virtual sun load based on prescribed virtual heat load data and the external air temperature to obtain an optimized sun load value, and controlling the system based on the optimized sun load value. The virtual sun load and/or the measured sun load are used to determine the optimized sun load value depending on lighting conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald S. Eisenhour
  • Publication number: 20090082927
    Abstract: An integrated control unit for a vehicle comprising a housing adapted to package an air fluid mover, a plurality of microprocessors in electrical communication with and a plurality of connectors and the connectors are adapted send and receive electrical signals to and from the plurality of microprocessors and at least one other component within the vehicle. The housing also including at least one opening, for fluidly communicating air fluid to the air fluid mover from the vehicle, and at least one other opening for fluidly communicating air fluid from the air fluid mover to the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventors: Marinko Lazanja, Robert Jarnevic, Jan Beska, Goran Bajic
  • Patent number: 7484557
    Abstract: An air conditioner housing having an evaporation device, a heating device, an air control device, an interior space in which air flow paths are formed, and having a housing which surrounds the interior space, is proposed. The air conditioner housing (1) is defined in that a first air flow path (15) and a second air flow path (17) are formed, and in that the air control device (9) has at least two mixing flaps (11, 13), a first mixing flap (11) of which is designed to the first air flow path (15), and a second mixing flap (13) of which is assigned to the second airflow path (17), and in that the mixing flaps (11, 13) each completely open the assigned air flow path (15, 17) in a first functional position and completely close it in a second functional position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignees: Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Behr France S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: Henri Klein, Evripidis Koukouravas
  • Patent number: 7478670
    Abstract: A modular system for a 1-to-4 zone climate control system for vehicles, which is provided with at least one housing and several air tempering and air distribution devices including a fan, optionally a filter, an evaporator, a heater and several doors arranged at a partition that is placed orthogonal to the evaporator and provided to divide the total volume flow into two partial volume flows for the left and right vehicle sides. In the first configuration the partition is provided with several blind fittings for the closing of the flow paths associated with air outlets and air channels of a second configuration. In the second configuration, the blind fittings are replaced with additional doors enabling the use of the air outlets and air channels of additional zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald Richter, Thomas Ehlers
  • Patent number: 7434612
    Abstract: A multiple zoned air conditioning system for providing air conditioning to the interior of an automotive vehicle. The air conditioning system includes a main air conditioning module with a first heat exchanger for cooling and with a second heat exchanger for heating, as well as a multiple zone module. The main air conditioning module creates, in cooperation with the multiple zone module, at least one first air flow conditioned for temperature. The multiple zone module is interchangeably disposed in the main air conditioning module, with the second heat exchanger engaging the multiple zone module so as to allow air flow therethrough, when the multiple zone module is disposed on the main air conditioning module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Alberternst, Michael Fietz, Graham R. Johnstone, Andrew William Rowntree, Graham Kirby
  • Patent number: 7422050
    Abstract: In an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, a blower unit is arranged such that air is discharged in a substantially front and rear direction of the vehicle. An evaporator is opposed to an air discharge port of the blower unit and inclined at an angle equal to or greater than 45 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. The heater core is arranged horizontally above the blower unit and an end of the heater core is adjacent to an upper end of the evaporator. Further, a slide door is provided downstream of the air discharge port to distribute the air toward the evaporator and the heater core. By this arrangement, dimensions of the air conditioning apparatus are reduced with respect to horizontal and vertical directions. Thus, this compact air conditioning apparatus can be installed in a small space such as in a center console or an interior side trim space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshinori Araki
  • Publication number: 20080196878
    Abstract: A vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system includes front and rear HVAC systems. A controller receives data from front and rear control panels and controls the front and rear HVAC systems. Actuating a rear manual button on the front control panel allows control of the rear HVAC system via the rear control. Engine coolant temperature is used to judge if the vehicle has been inoperative for a long time. If the vehicle has not been inoperative for long, and the rear manual button was actuated prior to the vehicle shut down, rear manual control over the rear HVAC system is enabled. If the vehicle has been inoperative for a long time, or if the rear manual button was not actuated immediately prior to vehicle shut down, rear manual control is not enabled, thereby preventing operation of the rear HVAC system by the rear control panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Bradley C. Errington, Junichi Kanemaru, Trevor Burns
  • Patent number: 7389812
    Abstract: When a front-passenger seat occupant detecting sensor indicates absence of an occupant in a front-passenger seat, an air conditioning control ECU adjusts a temperature measurement measured with a non-contacting temperature sensor for measuring a surface temperature of the occupant in the front-passenger seat and controls air conditioning state around the front-passenger seat based on the adjusted temperature measurement associated with the front-passenger seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsumi Kumada, Yoshinori Ichishi, Tatsuya Ito
  • Patent number: 7380587
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle is provided with an air conditioning unit for blowing conditioned air to a passenger compartment of the vehicle, multiple seat air conditioning units for respectively controlling temperatures of seats of the vehicle, and a control unit for controlling the air conditioning unit and the seat air conditioning units. The larger the difference between a target blowing-out temperature of the air conditioning unit and a compartment setting temperature of the passenger compartment, the larger the degree of influence of the target blowing-out temperature on a seat target blowing-out temperature in the calculation of the seat target blowing-out temperature, based on which the seat air conditioning unit is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Naruse, Makoto Uto, Takashi Yamamoto, Hisashi Tanaka, Yoshinori Yanagimachi, Yasuhiko Niimi
  • Patent number: 7377309
    Abstract: In a unit case of a vehicle air conditioning apparatus, air mix chamber is not provided. Cooled air cooled by an evaporator and heated air heated by a heater core are directly introduced to a face opening and a foot opening of the case and then mixed in a face duct and a foot duct. The case has a guide for directing a flow of the heated air or the cooled air. The guide, the foot opening and the face opening are arranged such that the amount of heated air passing through the foot opening is larger than that of the cooled air and the amount of cooled air passing through the face opening is larger than that of the heated air in a bi-level mode. Accordingly, a temperature of air blown from a foot outlet into a passenger compartment is different from that of air blown from a face outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Tamatsu
  • Patent number: 7296621
    Abstract: A window glass dew-point compartment interior absolute humidity Xrmax is acquired, and a temporary compartment interior set absolute humidity Xset (temporary Xset) is determined from a compartment interior set temperature Tset. A smaller one of Xrmax and (temporary Xset) is used as a compartment interior set absolute humidity Xset. An outlet air required absolute humidity Xao required to obtain Xset is calculated taking into account the humidity of exterior air introduced into the passenger compartment. Using Xao and an outlet air required temperature Tao required to obtain Tset, a control temperature Tea for controlling a compressor is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Keihin Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Yonekura, Shigenobu Itoh
  • Patent number: 7290599
    Abstract: A system for heating and cooling the interior of a motor vehicle includes a first climate control device designed to heat or cool a front area of the interior, and a second climate control device designed to heat or cool a rear area of the interior. A first evaporator connectable to a first cooling agent circuit assigned to the first climate control device and a second evaporator is connectable to a second cooling agent circuit assigned to the second climate control device. The second evaporator is located in a latent storage in order to charge the latent storage with cold and the second climate control device contains a first heat exchanger designed to transfer the cold removed via a heat transfer medium circuit or the second cooling agent circuit from the latent storage for cooling the rear area of the interior by an air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Webasto Thermosysteme International GmbH
    Inventors: Oliver Horn, Noureddine Khelifa, Steffen Korfmann
  • Patent number: 7284595
    Abstract: A heat source fluid inlet pipe of a heat exchanger main body 150 comprises a rotation side inlet pipe 27 and a fixed side inlet pipe 23 that are integrated with the heat exchanger main body 150. A heat source fluid outlet pipe comprises a rotation side outlet pipe 26 and a fixed side outlet pipe 22 that are integrated with the heat exchanger main body 150. These pipes 22, 23, 26 and 27 are constituted into a coaxial double-piping structure 16 and the heat exchanger main body 150 is allowed to rotate with a center axis A of this coaxial double-piping structure 16 as the center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichiro Maeda, Yukio Uemura, Kei Kajiya
  • Patent number: 7281574
    Abstract: A rear face inlet 25 and a foot inlet 28, and a rear face duct portion 26 and a foot duct portion 31 which are adapted to distribute air from the inlets, respectively, are disposed in alignment with each other in a transverse direction of a vehicle. As a result, a conventional overlapping portion where the rear face inlet and the foot inlet are made to overlap each other vertically somewhere along the length of each of the inlets in a transverse direction of the vehicle and a conventional overlapping portion where the rear face duct and the rear foot duct are disposed in such a manner as to overlap each other in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle somewhere along the length of a downwardly extending portion of each of the ducts can be eliminated, whereby the air conditioning unit can be constructed so as to be decreased in size vertically and longitudinally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuji Shibata, Yoshio Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7275586
    Abstract: The invention relates to a heating or air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle, by which individual zones of the vehicle interior can be supplied with separately temperature-controlled air. An improved heating or air-conditioning system, which requires just a small amount of installation space, feeds differently temperature-controlled air to a plurality of air-conditioning zones. Despite the small amount of installation space, optimum mixing of cold air and warm air takes place in the heating or air-conditioning system, with the result that the air emerging from air-outlet openings in a respective air-conditioning zone have a constant temperature over the outlet cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Oliver Beck, Michael Förster, Christian Grömmer, Norbert Wöcht
  • Publication number: 20070204985
    Abstract: A rotary door for a vehicle air conditioner includes a rotation shaft, a door surface that is spaced from an axial line of the rotation shaft radially outside and is rotated integrally with the rotation shaft, and a seal portion provided at a peripheral end portion of the door surface. The door surface has a first door face at a center portion, and a second door face positioned at left and right sides of the first door face. The second door face has a radial dimension from the axial line, that is smaller than that of the first door face so as to form a door outer peripheral space between the seal portion of the second door face and a seal rib of an air conditioning case. Furthermore, the second door face is provided with an air guide plate extending radial outside for guiding air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Applicant: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Fukagawa, Kazuya Niimi
  • Patent number: 7255161
    Abstract: A method for controlling a heating and air conditioning system equipped with actuators, preferably vents, is provided. Interior conditions are detected by an interior sensing system, with at least the seat occupancy with occupants being automatically recognized by an object recognition system on the basis of the data supplied by the interior sensing system. An optimized adjustment of the heating and air conditioning system to the seat occupancy is automatically performed as a function of the recognized seat occupancy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stephan Durach, Danny Borke, Alexander Augst
  • Patent number: 7246657
    Abstract: In an air conditioner for a vehicle having first and second air conditioning zones positioned at right and left sides of a front seat in a vehicle compartment and third and fourth air conditioning zones positioned at right and left sides of a rear seat in the vehicle compartment, the air conditioner includes calculating means for calculating each of target blowing-out temperatures of air blown out to the first to fourth air conditioning zones in accordance with environmental conditions and desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones. In the air conditioner, the calculating means corrects an influence from the other air conditioning zones by using a selected desirable temperature in the desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones, while calculating the individual target blowing-out temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Oga, Katsuhiko Samukawa
  • Patent number: 7222665
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning system uses a non-contact temperature sensor for feedback control of the temperature of the air blown out from a blowing opening. The degrees of opening of an air mix damper and a bypass open/close damper are controlled by actuators that respond in accordance with a temperature detected by the non-contact sensor so the blowing temperature will ultimately approach a target value. Air conditioning control is achieved as desired by this feedback control of the blowing temperature without providing wiring for a temperature sensor near the blowing opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinori Ichishi, Tatsumi Kumada
  • Patent number: 7207380
    Abstract: The present invention provides a heating/cooling control system that can effectively control the temperature of the air discharged at the rear interior of the motor vehicle. The heating/cooling control system includes a front control and a rear control. The front control is capable of operating within a predetermined temperature range. The temperature range of the rear control is based on the set point of the front control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jamie Jarett Henry, Robert Joseph Malkowski
  • Patent number: 7191825
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning unit includes an air duct, through which air is blown into a passenger compartment, and a partition board, which partitions the air duct in its inside into a first air passage and a second air passage. Temperature of air in the first air passage and temperature of air in the second air passage can be separately controlled. The air duct has a recess on its one side. An air conditioning device is disposed in the recess. The partition board is deformed correspondingly to the recess so that a corresponding cross-sectional area of the first air passage and a corresponding cross-sectional area of the second air passage should be approximately equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Yamada, Keizo Goto