Flow Control Of Chest, Foot, Or Defrost Air In Vehicle Patents (Class 165/204)
  • Patent number: 9067476
    Abstract: A temperature control apparatus for a vehicle is provided that includes an electric device that is cooled by circulating cooling fluid. A heater core is disposed adjacent to an interior heat exchanger of a heat pump to receive the cooling fluid that has cooled the electric device. In addition, the apparatus includes a first valve that controls the supply of the cooling fluid from the electric device to the heater core. Accordingly, using the temperature control apparatus, air-conditioning performance of vehicles, is improved using heat generated from electric devices, together with a heat pump, when the vehicles, such as hybrid or electric vehicles, are equipped with electric devices, such as a motor, an inverter, and a converter and the electric devices are air-conditioned using the heat pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Heesang Park, Junmo Ku, Junekyu Park, Junghwan Yun, Hyun Kim
  • Patent number: 8997838
    Abstract: In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, a pair of covers are provided on the respective sides of the casing that is constituted by respective air passages. The covers rotatably support a pivot shaft for a defroster damper and a pivot shaft for a sub-defroster damper. The sub-defroster damper is disposed in a passage directly connecting the heater core with the defroster blow-out port, and is disposed on an upstream side of the defroster damper. First and second blower units supply air into the casing. The sub-defroster damper is disposed so as to face a passage which is disposed even inside the casing. Thus, the flowing direction and the amount of air is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignees: Keihin Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Seto, Junichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki
  • Patent number: 8966921
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a compact air conditioning system (1) for a vehicle cabin, comprising a compressor (14), a condenser (15), an evaporator (16), a control unit (19) and a ventilation assembly (18) with a single motor (24) capable of promoting easy installation and autonomous functioning for both cooling and heating the inside of a cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Behr Brasil Ltda.
    Inventors: Marcelo Christêllo Nazário, Maicon Jarschel, Ernani Pautasso Nunes Junior
  • Patent number: 8950467
    Abstract: A seat air-conditioning system for automotive vehicles includes an air-conditioning unit for generating cold air or hot air, a driver seat including a seat portion provided with a plurality of air discharge holes through which to discharge the cold air or the hot air to the outside, a front passenger seat including a seat portion provided with a plurality of air discharge holes through which to discharge the cold air or the hot air to the outside, an outlet duct mounted to the air-conditioning unit for drawing the cold air or the hot air from the air-conditioning unit therethrough, a seat duct connected to the outlet duct for supplying the cold air or the hot air to the driver seat and the front passenger seat therethrough, and a seat blower attached to the outlet duct for blowing the cold air or the hot air at an increased flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Halla Visteon Climate Control Corporation
    Inventors: Dae Woong Lee, Jong Su Kim, Soo-Yong Jin
  • Patent number: 8944144
    Abstract: The heating-ventilation and/or air-conditioning device for a motor vehicle passenger compartment comprises modules grouped substantially at the same horizontal level, namely at least one ventilation module (14) arranged to produce a pulsed air flow, a heating module (12) to be located in a central region of the passenger compartment and having heat exchangers (32, 34, 36) through which the air flow from the ventilation module can pass, and at least one distribution module (16) having an air inlet connected to a side air outlet (46d, 46g) of the heating module. The device of this invention may be installed in a vehicle passenger compartment having no central console.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques
    Inventors: Gilles Elliot, Philippe Pierres, Serge Pouysegur
  • Patent number: 8939821
    Abstract: A sliding door device which a sliding door is inserted into the guide portion in one direction of the sliding direction as an insertion direction upon assembling. A rack gear includes a plurality of standard teeth arranged along the sliding door, and a thick tooth having a larger width, along the sliding door, than those of the standard teeth and being disposed in a left/right symmetrical position with respect to a center in the sliding door. A pinion gear includes a single large tooth groove engaged with the thick tooth, and a short tooth having a length shorter than those of the other teeth while abutting onto a tooth tip of the thick tooth positioned at a rear side of the insertion direction, from among the respective thick teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Keihin Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Monoi
  • Patent number: 8936069
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle heating ventilation and air conditioning unit capable of improving the performance of a side demister in a foot mode where a DEF damper is set to a small degree of opening, and capable of securing window clearness of side window glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Chikagawa, Tomoki Izawa
  • Patent number: 8887797
    Abstract: An air-conditioner for a vehicle may include a casing including an internal space therein, wherein the internal space communicates with an upper outlet formed in a side of the casing, an evaporator and a heating member installed in the casing, a partition wall partitioning a portion of the internal space behind the heating member into an upper space and a lower space, wherein the upper space includes at least a floor duct inlet and the lower space receives the heating member therein to form an upward flowing path which guides air from the heating member toward the upper outlet, a floor duct coupled to the upper space to communicate the at least a floor duct inlet with the outside, and a floor door installed in the casing to selectively open the upper space and/or a flowing path fluid-connecting the evaporator and the heating member to the upper outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jin Ho Kim, Dong Won Yeon, In Uk Hwang
  • Publication number: 20140305626
    Abstract: A method is provided for determining an air flow in a vehicle air conditioning system that comprises an inlet; a plurality of outlets; at least one air duct for guiding air from the inlet to the outlets, each air duct being characterized by a predetermined flow resistance coefficient; at least one flap characterized by a flow resistance based on a degree of opening of the flap; and a fan for creating an air flow from the inlet to an outlet. The method comprises determining a total equivalent flow resistance between a predetermined location in the system and an interior of the vehicle, wherein flow resistances are treated as resistances in an electric circuit, and a total equivalent flow resistance is determined. Treating a pressure drop as equivalent with a voltage drop, the air flow can be determined, as the pressure is equal to the resistance times the flow squared.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jonas JANGE
  • Patent number: 8821225
    Abstract: Condensation is suppressed from developing on a front face of an instrument panel main body. A instrument panel of the present invention is configured including: an instrument panel main body formed with a center air conditioning outlet and a center defroster outlet; a first panel that is joined to the instrument panel main body and is formed with a top side wall section that configures the vehicle top-bottom direction top side of a center air conditioning duct and a first wall section that configures part of a center defroster duct; and a second panel that is joined to the instrument panel main body and is formed with a bottom side wall section that configures the center air conditioning duct in combination with the top side wall section and a second wall section that configures the center defroster duct in combination with the first wall section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Niwa, Yasunobu Yamazaki, Toru Kondo
  • Patent number: 8800644
    Abstract: A system and method for environmental management of a vehicle automatically operates a vehicle climate control system to defog a vehicle windshield, while still operating at or near environmental comfort guidelines determined by a vehicle occupant. The method may be executed by an HVAC control system that is configured with a preprogrammed algorithm to operate an HVAC to achieve the desired results. A number of sensors can provide inputs to the control system, which can also receive inputs from a number of manual overrides operable by an occupant of the vehicle. The preprogrammed algorithm is configured to act on the various inputs to operate the HVAC to strike an appropriate balance between occupant comfort and windshield defogging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Greiner, Gerhard Dage, Halim Wijaya, Wayne Buescher
  • Patent number: 8794304
    Abstract: A temperature sensor assembly may include a thermally insulating body, a temperature sensing element within the body, and a thermally conductive element exposed externally of the body and in thermal communication with the temperature sensing element. The thermally conductive element may have a substantially planar exposed upper surface, with the temperature sensing element in thermal communication with a lower surface of the thermally conductive element. A thermally insulating housing assembly may have an upper end surrounding and supporting the temperature sensing element, with the housing assembly extending downwardly away from the lower surface of the thermally conductive element and having an internal air gap surrounding leads for the temperature sensing element. A mirror mounting system may include a mounting bracket adapted for releasable connection to a vehicle window, with the sensor assembly resiliently mounted to the bracket and urged against the window when the bracket is connected to the window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Magna Donnelly Engineering GmbH
    Inventors: Niall R. Lynam, Patrick J. Lawlor, Garrett Coady
  • Publication number: 20140131026
    Abstract: A vehicle air circulating system comprises a controller, an interior condition sensor attached to the controller, an instrument panel, and a deployable register assembly attached to the controller and pivotably attached to the instrument panel. The register assembly includes a first register and a second register and is movable between a closed position in which the first register is recessed within the instrument panel and is thus obstructed and an open position in which the first register is deployed. The second register remains unobstructed whether the register assembly is in its closed or open position. The deployable registers provide directional control for pull down conditions. Once the desired conditions are achieved, the deployable registers lower into the instrument panel and the other registers provide a larger opening to direct the air overhead at lower velocities keeping the vehicle cabin cool while not blowing in the direction of the occupants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: James R. Hurd, Paul Bryan Hoke, Fred Koberstein
  • Publication number: 20140096945
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system configured for use in a vehicle to provide a perceived comfortable thermal environment to an occupant seated in a rear portion of a vehicle cabin. A heat exchanger provides a first airstream characterized as having a first temperature to an air moving device configured to generate a second airstream characterized as having a second temperature. The second airstream comprises a mixture of the first airstream and cabin air drawn from the rear portion of the vehicle cabin. The air moving device may be disposed in the rear portion of the vehicle. The HVAC system further includes a nozzle that may be configured to direct the second airstream toward an occupant in the rear portion of the vehicle cabin to provide spot conditioning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: DEBASHIS GHOSH, MINGYU WANG, PRASAD S. KADLE
  • Patent number: 8689860
    Abstract: In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, a first blower unit is connected by a connection duct to a side of a casing constituted by respective air passages. On a lower portion of the casing, a second blower unit different from the first blower unit is connected. A center plate is disposed centrally in a lateral direction of the casing. Air is supplied from the first blower unit to the interior of the casing, whereby cool air cooled by an evaporator and warm air heated by a heater core are mixed together and blown respectively and separately to a driver's seat side and a passenger seat side of the front seats. Also, Air supplied from the second blower unit to the interior of the casing, after being adjusted to a predetermined temperature in the evaporator and the heater core, is supplied to a rear seat side of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignees: Keihin Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Seto, Junichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki
  • Publication number: 20140060796
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a blower; a heat exchanger that heats the blown air by heat exchanger between blown air and a heat medium, a control device, and an air outlet mode switching device that switches between air outlet modes by switching proportions of air flow blown out from outlets which includes a face air outlet and a foot air outlet, wherein the control device limits the availability factor of the blower based on a temperature of the heat medium; and relaxes limitation on the availability factor of the blower when the air outlet mode is a bi-level mode in which the blown air is blown out from both of the face air outlet and the foot air outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori Ichishi, Yoshinori Yanagimachi, Yasushi Kondo, Ryuji Hayashi, Yoshihisa Shimada, Hidekazu Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 8662157
    Abstract: In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, a first blower unit is connected by a connection duct to a side portion of a casing having respective air passages defined therein. In addition, air that is supplied to the interior of the casing from the first blower unit, and which is heated by the heater core, is blown from the fifth front passage alongside the heater core directly into the sixth front passage via sub-defroster dampers, and is blown out toward the front seat of the vehicle from a defroster blow-out port, which is disposed in the sixth front passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignees: Keihin Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsunetoshi Kitamura, Junichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki
  • Patent number: 8662158
    Abstract: In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, a first partitioning member and a second partitioning member are installed at a boundary position between a first cooling section and a second cooling section of an evaporator. The evaporator is separated into the first cooling section and the second cooling section by the first and second partitioning members. In the case that air is not blown in either one of the passages that are disposed in the first cooling section and the second cooling section, air that flows through the other of the passages is prevented from flowing into the one passage through the interior of the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignees: Keihin Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Seto, Yoji Katsuki, Tsunetoshi Kitamura, Junichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki
  • Patent number: 8591299
    Abstract: An air duct system may employ an HVAC case having an exit air duct and a return air duct, a windshield with an interior surface, an approximately vertical duct, and a horizontal duct. Ducts mount to the windshield and each define an interior passageway with the interior surface of the windshield and a second, return air, passageway. The interior passageway may receive air from the exit air duct and the second passageway may return air to the return air duct. End chambers of each duct reverse air direction 180 degrees. Air of each interior passageway may warm an adjacent area of the windshield that forms part of each interior passageway and a windshield wiper. The first air duct interior passageway may warm a windshield area coincident with a maximum non-park wiper position and the second air duct interior passageway may warm a windshield area coincident with a wiper park position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Joseph DiGasbarro
  • Publication number: 20130306298
    Abstract: An air distribution door for use in a ventilation system with anti-stratification feature is provided. The door includes a tab extending from the main body of the door. The tab partially disrupts air flow going into the heat exchanger. This disruption slows high velocity airflow going across the heat exchanger and causes a more uniform thermal transfer distribution to the air from the heat exchanger, which provides preferred comfort by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventor: Alex Rothenhauser
  • Patent number: 8567687
    Abstract: A vehicle heating and/or air-conditioning system has an automatic heating and air-conditioning function. In a manual control mode, corresponding to an air quantity settable by the user with a first setting device and a desired interior temperature settable by a second setting device, a manual control of the actual interior temperature and the air quantity takes place. In an automatic-function control mode, corresponding to the desired interior temperature settable by the user and a selected air-conditioning style, an automatic-function control of the actual interior temperature takes place by controlling fans and air distribution flaps corresponding to the selected air-conditioning style. A characteristic fan curve and/or a characteristic air distribution curve is assigned to each air-conditioning style.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael Schneider, Hermann Kuenzner
  • Patent number: 8540014
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner (1) employing an air-mix method, airflow which passed through a bypass channel (14) and airflow which passed through a heated air channel (13) are mixed in an air-mix area (15) located downstream of an air-mix damper (6) and the airflow is guided to a foot outlet (19) through a foot channel (18) provided on the back side of a partition wall (2A) constituting the heated air channel (13). The vehicle air conditioner includes a mixing enhancement portion (50) that makes airflow flowing along the partition wall (2A) flow toward the air-mix area (15) and an introduction portion (60) that is continuous with the mixing enhancement portion (50) and smoothly guides the airflow after air mixing to the foot channel (18) are provided at an end (30) of the partition wall (2A) constituting an outlet of the heated air channel (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Chikagawa, Shiro Matsubara, Yasunari Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8532835
    Abstract: A system and method for determining a climate energy index, comprising: identifying a geographic location; identifying comfort zone criteria; determining a characteristic energy potential associated with the geographic location and the comfort zone criteria, and determining a climate energy index associated with delivered energy based on the characteristic energy potential for the geographic location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Integrated Environmental Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: Donald John McLean
  • Patent number: 8511371
    Abstract: An air conditioner for an automobile includes a foot door (11) and a mixing area. The foot door has a partition wall, and is movable at least between an advanced position where the partition wall reaches a state of blocking an air flow from a merging area to the downstream side in an air passage, and a retreated position where the partition wall retreats from the advanced position in the air passage. The mixing area is provided in the air passage while the partition wall is located in the advanced position, and is designed to cause the air flowing from a cold air passage and the air flowing from a hot air passage into the merging area to mix up more by using the partition wall to block the air flowing from the merging area to the downstream side. Thus, the air conditioner is designed to cause the air to flow into the discharge passage systems via the mixing area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Masaharu Onda, Ryuji Tsukuda, Hiromichi Yanashima
  • Publication number: 20130059522
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes an electric heater arranged downstream of a heat exchanger in an air flow direction, a defroster air outlet, a driver-foot air outlet through which air is blown toward a foot area of a driver, a knee air outlet through which air is blown toward a knee area of the driver, a door device which controls an air amount blown into a vehicle compartment by opening or closing the air outlets. When an immediate heating operation is performed by an operation of an immediate heating switch, the door device opens the defroster air outlet and at least one of the driver-foot air outlet and the knee air outlet, and the electric heater heats a total amount of air that is to be blown through the at least one of the driver-foot air outlet and the knee air outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Ota, Manabu Maeda, Yuji Kawazoe, Shinji Iwama
  • Patent number: 8376037
    Abstract: Air is supplied to the interior of a casing from first and second blower units, such that cool air that has been cooled by an evaporator and warm air that has been heated by a heater core are mixed together and blown out toward a front seat side and a rear seat side of the vehicle, respectively. At this time, a temperature control damper, which adjusts the temperature of air that is blown into the vehicle compartment, causes a flow of warm air having undergone heat exchange in the heater core to be deflected toward a direction where the evaporator is installed. Mixing of the warm air and the cool air can thus be carried out suitably by causing the flow of cool air, which has undergone heat exchange in the evaporator, and the flow of warm air to be oriented in mutually opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignees: Keihin Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyosuke Nanaumi, Takahiro Seto, Tsunetoshi Kitamura, Junichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki
  • Publication number: 20130020064
    Abstract: The aim of the present invention to provide a heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning system (10) for an automobile vehicle, including a heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning housing (100) capable of allowing the thermal treatment of an air conditioning airflow to be used to maintain a desired temperature within the cabin, the heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning housing (100) comprising primary distribution means (132b, 133b, 134b) for the air conditioning air within the vehicle cabin so as to define a limited number of distribution configurations. The heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning system (10) includes an additional module (200) comprising additional distribution means (212b, 213b) for the air conditioning airflow out of the cabin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventors: Armelle Almori, Philippe Pierres
  • Publication number: 20120247747
    Abstract: A vehicle cabin air conditioning apparatus including an airflow selecting mechanism movable between a first position to provide a first airflow mode and a second position to provide a second airflow mode. The airflow selecting mechanism restricts first airflow from flowing from a first airflow conduit to a second airflow conduit when in the first position, and permits the first airflow from flowing from the first airflow conduit to the second airflow conduit when in the second position. An electronic control unit is configured to control a first blower based on a user set front cabin airflow level and a second blower based on a user set rear cabin airflow level when in the first airflow mode. The electronic control unit controls the first blower based on the user set front cabin airflow level and the user set rear cabin airflow level when in the second airflow mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO INTERNATIONAL AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel J. DiGasbarro, David A. Korenchuk, Masahide Honda, Patrick J. Gannon, James Stander
  • Patent number: 8267165
    Abstract: In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, a connection duct connects a first blower unit having a first blower fan to a side of a casing forming air passages, whereas a second blower unit having a second blower fan, different from the first blower unit, is connected to a lower portion of the casing. By driving the first blower fan and second blower fan simultaneously, air is supplied to a vehicle compartment from the first blower unit and the second blower unit through inside the casing. A controller controls the driving of the first blower fan and the second blower fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignees: Keihin Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyosuke Nanaumi, Mitsufumi Imasawa, Tsunetoshi Kitamura, Junichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki, Daniel Yelles
  • Patent number: 8141622
    Abstract: A console air conditioner includes an evaporator, a heater, a face vent, a floor vent, and a vent door for controlling the opening degrees of the face vent and the floor vent and is installed in the console space between front seats of a vehicle. Both sides of the air mixing zone where a cool air passageway meets a warm air passageway in the console air conditioner are connected to a pillar duct extending toward the middle pillar of the vehicle. A temperature control door controls the opening degrees of a cool air passageway and a warm air passageway of the air conditioner case and is installed such that rotational trace of the temperature control door is overlapped with a pillar vent area that is defined between the pillar ducts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.
    Inventors: Seong-Ho Kang, Yong Eun Seo, Sang-Chul Byon, Yong Sang Kim
  • Publication number: 20120067559
    Abstract: A system and method for environmental management of a vehicle automatically operates a vehicle climate control system to quickly and efficiently defog a vehicle windshield, while still operating at or near environmental comfort guidelines determined by a vehicle occupant. The method may be executed by an HVAC control system that is configured with a preprogrammed algorithm to operate an HVAC to achieve the desired results. A number of sensors can provide inputs to the control system, which can also receive inputs from a number of manual overrides operable by an occupant of the vehicle. The preprogrammed algorithm is configured to act on the various inputs to operate the HVAC to strike an appropriate balance between occupant comfort and windshield defogging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Greiner, Gerhard Dage, Halim Wijaya, Wayne Buescher
  • Patent number: 8109108
    Abstract: A ventilation flow path through which air present in an internal space at an instrument panel is drawn and discharged to the outside of the cabin as a blower fan operates is formed in a ventilation mode without forming an air-conditioning flow path for blowing inside air or outside air into the cabin and the air-conditioning flow path is formed without forming the ventilation flow path in a mode other than the ventilation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Nagayama, Hajime Kato, Teruaki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8082979
    Abstract: A method for environmental management of a vehicle includes the steps of determining certain environmental conditions for the vehicle, and determining when it is desirable to defog the window based on the determined environmental conditions. A status of manual overrides is determined, and at least some automatically controllable functions of an HVAC system are implemented to effect defogging of a vehicle window when it is determined that none of the manual overrides has been selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Greiner, Gerhard Dage, Halim Wijaya, Wayne Buescher
  • Patent number: 7992629
    Abstract: In an air amount control for controlling an air amount to be blown into a vehicle compartment, a water temperature control map in which the air amount is set based on a water temperature of cooling water for the vehicle is stored, and the air amount is determined based on control characteristics of the water temperature control map. The water temperature control map is learned and changed based on a set air amount, and the air amount to be blown into the vehicle compartment is determined based on the learned water temperature control map in a case where the set air amount is changed by a passenger and the water temperature is in a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takeda, Yasufumi Kojima, Hiroyuki Tomita
  • Patent number: 7950444
    Abstract: An automotive air conditioning system is disclosed. At the foot mode position of a rotary door 25, a gap T is formed along the door diameter between a circumferential end of a door surface 25c of the rotary door 25 and a seal rib 28 of a case 11. The flow path of a foot opening 22 communicates with a defroster opening 20 through the gap T. At the defroster mode position of the rotary door 25, on the other hand, the other circumferential end of the door surface 25c comes into contact with the seal rib 28 and closes the gap T, and the door surface 25c closes up the foot opening 22. Even upon slight rotation of the foot rotary door under the air pressure of the foot mode, therefore, the defroster blowout air amount and the foot blowout air amount are kept in a predetermined proportion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Masatsugu
  • Patent number: 7905278
    Abstract: A vehicular air conditioner having an air conditioner case including an air mix area, where a defroster opening, a front seat vent opening, a foot opening, and a back seat vent opening are located on the air conditioner case and configured to open and close the air mix area. A defroster door is configured to open and close the defroster opening. A vent foot switching door is configured to open and close the foot opening and the front seat vent opening selectively. A foot door is configured to open and close the foot opening. A back seat vent door is configured to open and close the back set vent opening. The back seat vent opening is positioned in a vicinity of the foot opening and the back seat vent door and the foot door are downstream from the vent foot switching door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Sato, Ryuji Tsukuda
  • Patent number: 7900694
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes an air conditioner case having an evaporator and a heater core installed therein and having a blower installed at an inlet thereof; a movable filter moving between an air-filtering location and an air-non-filtering location of the air conditioner case; a judging device judging whether air blown by the blower inside the air conditioner case is contaminated; and a driving device moving the movable filter to the air-filtering location when the judging device determines that the air is contaminated and to the air-non-filtering location when the judging device determines that the air is not contaminated. Therefore, when it is determined that the air is contaminated, the movable filter is moved to the air-filtering location. When it is determined that the air is not contaminated, the movable filter is moved to the air-non-filtering location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.
    Inventors: Yong-Jun Jee, Jae-Ho Kim, Bok-Sun Kang
  • Patent number: 7891409
    Abstract: Noise occurring in an upright air-conditioning unit is greatly reduced. An upright air-conditioning unit 1 is disposed under a steering member support part 23, a vent opening 15 and a vent outlet port 20 are made to communicate with each other via a vent duct 25, a defrost opening 16 and a defrost outlet port 21 are made to communicate with each other via a defrost duct 26. The vent opening 15 assumes a position further frontward than the steering member support part 23 along the frontward/rearward direction relative to the vehicle body whereas the defrost opening 16 assumes a position further rearward than the steering member support part 23 along the frontward/rearward direction relative to the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Valeo Thermal Systems Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Araki, Hiroshi Tsuzuki, Yoshihiro Sekiya, Keisuke Hara
  • Patent number: 7878235
    Abstract: A vehicle rear air conditioner includes an air conditioning case connected with a blower and having a face vent, a floor vent and a vent door for controlling opening and closing of the vents. An evaporator and a heater core are embedded in the air conditioning case and a temperature control door controls opening and closing of a cold and a hot air passageway. The rear air conditioner includes a passageway member in order to discharge part of air flowing through the cold air passageway or the hot air passageway toward one of the vents. The passageway member has an inlet for inducing the part of air and an outlet for discharging the part of air and the vent door includes at least one interference preventing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.
    Inventors: Min-Woo Park, Hyung-Joo Kim
  • Patent number: 7857041
    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: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Fukagawa, Kazuya Niimi
  • 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: 7823399
    Abstract: When there is a command for pre-air conditioning to be performed, an inlet switches to an inside air recirculating mode and a compressor and a blower fan are driven to blow air that was drawn in toward a lower portion in a vehicle cabin (130 to 136). Then when a door switch detects that an occupant may get into the vehicle (100, 102), air is blown from an outlet toward the upper portion in the vehicle cabin while the inlet remains in the inside air recirculation mode (114 to 124). That is, cooled air in the lower portion in the vehicle cabin is drawn in, cooled, and then blown toward the occupant. Also, when starting the pre-air conditioning, the battery state-of-charge is detected and pre-air conditioning is prohibited if the battery state-of-charge is less than a predetermined value (116, 126, 128).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yukio Egawa
  • 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: 7806172
    Abstract: An air-outlet mode selecting device includes first and second rotary doors. Each of the first and second rotary doors has rotary shafts separated from each other in an axial direction of the rotary shafts, an outer peripheral door surface that is provided at a position separated radial outward from the center line of the rotary shafts and is turned with the rotary shafts, and left and right side plates for connecting both ends in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface and the rotary shafts. One of the first and second rotary doors opens and closes a specified opening among three openings and other rotary door opens and closes the remaining two openings among the three openings. Accordingly, door operation force and air flow resistance can be effectively reduced, and the size of the air-outlet mode selecting device can be effectively reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Seki, Yoshiharu Okawa, Takayuki Shimauchi
  • Patent number: 7798207
    Abstract: Cooled air introduced from an evaporator through a first passage in a housing is divided into laminar flows by a guide structure disposed on an air mixing door. The direction of flow of the cooled air is changed upwardly by guide walls of the guide structure and is further changed upwardly by first walls of the guide structure, after which the cooled air is introduced into a mixer. Heated air introduced from a heater core through a third passage is mixed with the cooled air in the mixer. The mixed air is delivered from a face discharge outlet, a defroster discharge outlet, or a foot discharge outlet into a passenger compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Keihin Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichi Tarukawa
  • 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: 7748441
    Abstract: A heating or air conditioning system is used for a motor vehicle. The heating or air conditioning system may have a housing which is composed of several housing segments. At least one housing segment may be embodied as an insertion part which is inserted into the remaining housing after the remaining housing is mounted in the motor vehicle. The insertion part may have at least one functional module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Erich Litwing, Gebhard Schweizer, Jürgen Heilemann, Wolfgang Dieksander
  • 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: 7708055
    Abstract: An air-conditioner housing comprising an evaporation device, a heating device, and a mixing chamber, out of which air flows to the rear footwell while serving to ventilate the rear passenger compartment. The air-conditioner housing also comprises an air control device that uses mixing flaps to control the air flowing via the evaporation device and the heating device into the mixing chamber. The air-conditioner housing has a separate stratification duct through which cool air can be guided into the ventilation area of the rear passenger compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Evripidis Koukouravas
  • 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