Flow Control Of Chest, Foot, Or Defrost Air In Vehicle Patents (Class 165/204)
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Publication number: 20040182561Abstract: An air conditioning unit for a vehicle has an air conditioning casing having flow paths therein, an evaporator arranged in the air conditioning casing and substantially having a U-shape, an outer flow path provided on the outer side of the U-shaped evaporator on the upstream or downstream side of an air flow of the U-shaped evaporator, an inner flow path provided on the inner side of the U-shaped evaporator on the downstream or upstream side of the air flow of the U-shaped evaporator, and a heater core arranged on the downstream side of the air flow of the U-shaped evaporator.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2004Publication date: September 23, 2004Applicant: CALSONIC KANSEI CORPORATIONInventors: Yukio Ozeki, Toshio Ohashi, Masato Ohno, Manabu Uomoto, Masaharu Onda
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Patent number: 6786278Abstract: An air conditioner includes an evaporator and a heater core. A first partition is positioned between the evaporator and the heater core, and provided with a first blowing opening for allowing air to detour the heater core and a second blowing opening for blowing air to the heater core. A temperature regulating door is supported on sidewalls of the air conditioner housing by two side support arms. A heater chamber containing the heater core is open at its bottom and communicates with the second blowing opening. A pair of side blowing passages communicate the heater chamber and a mixing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2001Date of Patent: September 7, 2004Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.Inventor: Nam Mo Ku
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Patent number: 6782944Abstract: An air conditioner for vehicles is disclosed. This air conditioner feeds recirculation and fresh air in a separate air feeding or a mixed air feeding using a single intake duct and a single intake control door, thus improving its heating and defrosting efficiency during a heating mode operation, and preventing an undesired discharging of white fogging from the vents during a cooling mode operation by changing its air feeding mode from a recirculation air mode to a fresh air mode. This air conditioner also has a simple construction and is reduced in its production cost.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2001Date of Patent: August 31, 2004Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corp.Inventors: In Kap Kim, Chang Ho Park, Tae Young Park
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Patent number: 6761214Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner has an actuator for driving an air mixing door and various mode switching doors. An automatic range and a manual range are set in different operating angle ranges of the actuator. In the automatic range, an air outlet mode is automatically switched in accordance with an opening degree of the air mixing door. On the other hand, in the manual range, a multi-mode or a defroster mode is manually set, regardless of the opening degree of the air mixing door. In the manual range, air is simultaneously blown from all openings such as a face opening, a foot opening and a defroster opening in the multi-mode, and air is blown from the defroster opening in the defroster mode.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2002Date of Patent: July 13, 2004Assignee: DENSO CorporationInventors: Nobukazu Kuribayashi, Tatsumi Kumada, Shigeki Harada, Koichi Ito, Junji Yokoi
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Publication number: 20040112075Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, a foot door is rotatably supported for opening and closing a foot opening and an air port communicating with defrost and face openings. The foot door has a guide plate. The guide plate functions as a heated air guide portion for directing a heated air heated by a heating device to merge with a cooled air that bypasses the heating device when the foot door is at a defrost/face mode position. The guide plate functions as a cooled air guide portion for directing the cooled air to merge with the heated air when the foot door is at a foot mode position. Accordingly, the heated air and the cooled air are sufficiently mixed to each other. Because the guide plate is moved for switching the defrost/face mode position and the foot mode position, the flow of air is not blocked by the guide plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2003Publication date: June 17, 2004Inventor: Michihiro Kachi
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Publication number: 20040103679Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2003Publication date: June 3, 2004Inventors: Yoshinori Ichishi, Tatsumi Kumada
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Patent number: 6739388Abstract: An air conditioning system mountable in the rear of a vehicle having a vent mode and a foot mode is disclosed. The air conditioning system comprises a casing, an evaporator mounted at an upper front portion within the casing, a heater core mounted below the evaporator such that the evaporator and the heater core are not superposed when seen in a vehicle front-to-rear direction. A temperature controlling damper is provided for controlling rate of air which is directed toward the heater core so as to attain a selected final temperature of the air which is discharged into a passenger compartment of the vehicle. Vent and foot outlets are also provided.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2002Date of Patent: May 25, 2004Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Nobuya Nakagawa, Toshihisa Kondo, Kazuo Ishii, Masashi Fujita
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Patent number: 6736190Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, two foot openings are provided in right and left wall portions of a case, and are opened and closed by two foot doors, respectively. Each door surface of the foot doors is moved along a surface of the right and left wall portions for opening and closing the foot openings. A face opening is provided in a top wall part of the case to be opened an closed by a face door. An operation locus of the foot doors is overlapped with that of the face door when being viewed from a direction perpendicular to the door surface of the foot door, while the face door is operated between the foot doors to have a clearance between the face door and each foot door.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2002Date of Patent: May 18, 2004Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Takuya Natsume, Takahiro Tokunaga
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Publication number: 20040079523Abstract: In an initial time of a warming-up control of a vehicle air conditioner, a control unit controls a mode switching member to set a foot mode, a first linear bi-level mode, a fixed bi-level mode, a second linear bi-level mode and the foot mode. In the first and second linear bi-level modes, a face-foot air blowing ratio between air blown from a face opening and air blown from a foot opening is gradually changed as the time passes. Therefore, the face-foot air blowing ratio can be smoothly changed in a mode switching between the foot mode and the fixed bi-level mode. Accordingly, when the mode switching is performed in the warming-up control in the winter, the face-foot air blowing ratio is prevented from being suddenly changed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2003Publication date: April 29, 2004Inventors: Hiroaki Shiraishi, Makoto Umebayashi, Yoshinori Yanagimachi, Tomohiro Inada
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Publication number: 20040074244Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning system includes a control unit for permitting a non-contact temperature sensor to sense in a non-contact manner the temperatures of sensed regions that constitute the surface of the driver in the passenger compartment. In the presence of a disturbance in a predetermined temperature distribution over the sensed regions, control is provided in accordance with the temperature sensed by the non-contact temperature sensor to the ratio of flow rate or the blower temperature of conditioned air supplied from a blower opening located near the region having the disturbance in the temperature distribution, of a face blower opening, an armrest blower opening, a ceiling blower opening, and a side-window blower opening to thereby eliminate the disturbance in the predetermined temperature distribution over a plurality of regions.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2003Publication date: April 22, 2004Inventors: Yoshinori Ichishi, Tatsumi Kumada
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Publication number: 20040069483Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning system secures an appropriate temperature difference in the air blown through vertically arranged air ducts when the system is in a bi-level mode. A hot air inlet is disposed above a cool air inlet. A face opening is disposed at an upper location while foot openings are disposed at a lower location. A blow mode-changing door for opening and closing both the openings is a butterfly type door. The blow mode-changing door is pivotally disposed in a door housing. In the bi-level mode in which the blow mode-changing door opens both the foot openings and the face opening, a bi-level mode bypass passageway for introducing cool air from the cool air inlet into the face opening is defined between an extremity of the blow mode-changing door and the inner wall surface of the door-housing portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2003Publication date: April 15, 2004Inventors: Takuya Natsume, Takahiro Tokunaga
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Publication number: 20040069484Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner has an air conditioning case in which a rotary door is provided in an intersection between a cooled and a heated air passage, and a face and a foot blow-out opening. The communicating area ratio(s) between an inlet-side opening of the rotary door and the cooled air passage, the heated air passage, or both the cooled and heated air passages can change by rotating the rotary door, so that the rotary door serves as an air-mix door. In addition, the communicating area ratio(s) between an outlet-side opening and the face opening, the foot opening, or both the face and foot openings can change, so that the rotary door serves as a mode switching door. The conditioned air can be prevented from being blown out through the face and foot openings by rotating the rotary door to a predetermined position.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2003Publication date: April 15, 2004Inventors: Takahiro Tokunaga, Takuya Natsume
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Patent number: 6702008Abstract: There are provided an air mixing door, a plurality of outlets for blowing air into respective portions in a vehicle compartment, outlet mode doors for switching a outlet mode by closing and opening the plurality of outlets, and one motor actuator for driving the air mixing door and the outlet mode doors. The outlet mode doors and the air-mixing door are alternately driven through a change of an operation angle of the motor actuator.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2000Date of Patent: March 9, 2004Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: So Hibino, Tokuhisa Takeuchi, Teruhiko Kameoka, Akira Yamaguchi, Koichi Ito, Tatsumi Kumada, Nobukazu Kuribayashi, Shigeki Harada
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Publication number: 20040035568Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning system improves a passenger's sensation of cooling by preventing air blown from a foot opening when a cooling load is low, creating a comfortable temperature distribution along the passenger's body. The vehicle air-conditioning system automatically selects a face mode when a target air temperature (TAO) is between a first predetermined temperature and a second predetermined temperature, which is higher than the first predetermined temperature, a bi-level mode when the TAO is higher than the first predetermined temperature and an evaporator air temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, or a face mode when the TAO is lower than the first predetermined temperature and the evaporator air temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2003Publication date: February 26, 2004Inventors: Naoki Katou, Shinichi Yoshida, Makoto Mimoto
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Publication number: 20040031279Abstract: An air conditioning system includes an air conditioner for blowing conditioned air toward a compartment of a vehicle, and a dashboard having a design surface exposed to the compartment. An inner air passage extending nearly parallel to the design surface is formed in the dashboard, and a plurality of diffusion blowing openings are formed in the design surface. Thus, the condensed air is blown from the diffusion blowing openings into the compartment of the vehicle, while passing through the inner air passage. For example, cool air is blown from the diffusion blowing openings, so that the cool air can cool the dashboard while cooling the compartment of the vehicle. Moreover, because the cool air passes through the inner air passage extending nearly parallel to the design surface, the dashboard can be effectively cooled.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2003Publication date: February 19, 2004Inventors: Tomohiro Kamiya, Koichi Ito, Kazushi Shikata, Masafumi Kawashima, Yasuyuki Nishi
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Publication number: 20040016537Abstract: Air is introduced into an automotive air-conditioner from a front side of a vehicle, and the air conditioned in the air-conditioner is supplied to a passenger compartment from a rear side of an air-conditioner casing. An aspirator for drawing air in the passenger compartment to a temperature sensor is mounted on a rear wall or a sidewall of the casing, so that the aspirator is exposed to a space that is always communicating with the conditioned air in the air-conditioner. In this manner, the air in the passenger compartment is surely supplied to the temperature sensor irrespective of operating modes of the air-conditioner.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2003Publication date: January 29, 2004Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Toshihiro Tahara, Takahiro Tokunaga
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Patent number: 6675886Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner with a door driving system, a distribution link rotated by a single actuator is provided. One surface of the distribution link is provided with a temperature-control engagement groove through which a temperature control pattern is cyclically repeated plural times, and the other surface of the distribution link is provided with a mode-switching engagement groove through which a mode switching door is driven to a predetermined mode position in accordance with rotation of the distribution link.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2001Date of Patent: January 13, 2004Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Koichi Ito, So Hibino
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Patent number: 6675597Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning system limits electric power used by an electric motor for a compressor in a prescribed fashion that quickly removes fog from the windows when a defroster mode is selected. When the defroster mode is selected, the limit on the electric power used by the electric motor is lifted, and the number of revolutions of the compressor is set to a high level to raise the dehumidifying and cooling capability to quickly remove moisture from the windows.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2003Date of Patent: January 13, 2004Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Hisashi Ieda, Toshinobu Homan, Ken Matsunaga, Yuji Takeo, Mitsuyo Oomura
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Patent number: 6659358Abstract: The air conditioner includes a surface temperature sensor for detecting a surface temperature of a clothes portion of a passenger. In the air conditioner, a thermal-feeling estimation value for the passenger is calculated based on the surface temperature of the clothes portion of the passenger, and air-conditioning operation of a passenger compartment is controlled based on the thermal-feeling estimation value. Accordingly, in the air conditioner, the thermal feeling can be always accurately estimated, and comfortable air-conditioning control can be performed using the thermal-feeling estimation value.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2001Date of Patent: December 9, 2003Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Toshifumi Kamiya, Takayoshi Kawai, Akira Ohga, Yuichi Kajino
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Publication number: 20030205370Abstract: Disclosed herewith is an air conditioner housing for automobiles and air conditioner using the same. The air conditioner housing includes a housing body having evaporator and heater core accommodating spaces. Upper and lower air passages are defined by partitioning the inner air passage of the housing body. A front foot vent is formed at the air outlet end of the lower air passage, and defrosting and face vents are formed at the air outlet end of the upper air passage. A front air passage is formed by a guide wall slantingly upwardly extended to partition the space behind the heater core accommodating space, and a rear air passage is formed behind the guide wall to communicate with the upper and lower air passages. A combined door of foot and combination door is positioned on a boundary of the rear air passage and the lower air passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2001Publication date: November 6, 2003Inventor: In Kap Kim
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Patent number: 6640566Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing an automatic defroster function for a surface in a vehicle including a sensor for detecting the presence of mist or ice on such a surface, means for generating control signals, on the basis of the sensor data, for a number of functions in the car for an optimum defroster function on said surface, means for receiving these control signals, and means for receiving control signals from a temperature regulator in the car for a number of functions in the car. A number of the control signals from the temperature regulator are intended to control the same functions as the control signals for the optimum defroster function, and the same means are used for receiving control signals for optimum defroster function and for receiving some of the control signals from the temperature regulator. The means for receiving control signals are intended, in the event of conflict, to select those control signals that are designed to give the best defroster function.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2003Date of Patent: November 4, 2003Assignee: Volvo Car CorporationInventors: Bjorn Mardberg, Magnus Svensson
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Publication number: 20030192334Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning system has an interior unit in which a width dimension, that is, a dimension parallel to the width of the vehicle, is smaller than competing devices. A blower unit, an evaporator as a cooling heat exchanger, and a heater core as a heating heat exchanger are integrally disposed inside a casing for blowing air toward a vehicle compartment. A face passage is formed above the heater core such that the temperature-controlled air passes through the heater core and is lead to a face opening by the face passage. A foot passage is formed inside the casing and above the heater core so as to protrude from the rear face of the casing toward the face passage. A foot door for opening and closing a foot opening of the foot passage is disposed inside the face passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2003Publication date: October 16, 2003Inventors: Hisashi Kawauchi, Masahiro Kanbara
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Patent number: 6622787Abstract: A defroster/face cool air passage for introducing cooled air from an evaporator to a defroster opening portion and a face opening portion by bypassing a heater core, and a foot cool air passage for introducing cooled air from the evaporator to a foot opening portion by bypassing a heater core, are formed independently from each other. The foot cool air passage is located at sides of the heater core in a vehicle right-and-left direction. The cooled air from the foot cool air passage is mixed with warmed air having passed through the heater core at an inlet of the foot opening portion. Accordingly, pressure loss at a foot mode in an air conditioning unit with a central installation layout is reduced, and a mounting performance on a central portion of a vehicle instrument panel is improved.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 1999Date of Patent: September 23, 2003Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Takashi Toyoshima, Kazushi Shikata, Yukio Ueno, Nobuyuki Doi
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Patent number: 6609563Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus for an automotive vehicle includes a heater core and a mix door assembly installed in a case. The mix door assembly is detachably installed in the case through an opening formed at a side wall of the case. The mix door assembly constitutes a housing, a mix door and a slide mechanism. The slide mechanism is arranged to slide the mix door according to a received rotational force so as to vary the ratio of warm air to quantity and cool air quantity.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2000Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignee: Calsonic Kansei CorporationInventors: Akihiro Tsurushima, Koji Murayama, Katsuhiro Kurokawa, Noriyuki Kitahara, Kouichi Yamazaki
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Patent number: 6598670Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, a defroster opening and a foot opening are provided at both right and left sides of a face opening. An outlet portion of a warm air passage has an enlarged portion offset to right and left side of the outlet portion of the cool air passage. During a bi-level mode, cool air from the cool air passage flows toward the face opening, and warm air from the warm air passage flows toward the foot opening, On the other hand, during a foot/defroster mode, cool air from the cool air passage and warm air from the warm air passage are mixed at an Inlet portion of the foot opening and the defroster opening and the mixed air is introduced into the foot opening and the defroster opening.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2000Date of Patent: July 29, 2003Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Shiho Hashimoto, Yoshihiko Okumura
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Patent number: 6588675Abstract: There are provided a first controller (100) which has an operation button and a button holder that are provided movably between different mode switching operation positions in order to switch and operate an outside air intake mode and an inside air circulating mode for circulating the inside air, and a second controller (200) having a first operation knob and a shaft that are provided in order to switch and operate plural air conditioning modes. A cable (K) is provided between the first controller and the second controller, which changes, when switching between the undefrosting mode and the defrosting mode by the first operation knob and the shaft is performed, a mode switching operation position of the operation button and button holder according to the above switching operation.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2002Date of Patent: July 8, 2003Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki SeisakushoInventors: Daisuke Miyai, Satoshi Ogawa, Yoshiyuki Aoki, Takaki Mizuno
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Patent number: 6568468Abstract: In an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, a first cool air bypass passage is provided at an upper side of a heater core, and a second cool air bypass passage is provided at a lower side of the heater core. Cool air from the first cool air bypass passage and warm air having passed through the heater core are mixed in a first air mixing chamber, and a ratio between an amount of cool air and an amount of warm air is adjusted by an air mixing film member. Further, cool air from the second cool air bypass passage and warm air from the heater core are mixed in a second air mixing chamber, a ratio between an amount of cool air and an amount of warm air is adjusted by an air mixing door, and the second air mixing chamber is provided at an immediately downstream air side of the heater core. Thus, in the air conditioning apparatus, a pressure loss in a ventilation system can be reduced.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 1998Date of Patent: May 27, 2003Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Yukio Uemura, Kazushi Shikata, Takuya Natsume, Hikaru Sugi
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Publication number: 20030010474Abstract: A casing 21 of an automotive air conditioner is formed with a hole TH for accommodating a steering member S extending in a right-left direction of a vehicle. The hole TH extends through the casing 1 in the right-left direction of the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 16, 2002Publication date: January 16, 2003Inventors: Daisuke Araki, Hideki Nagano, Eiji Yanagida, Kazuhisa Katchi, Akitoshi Noguchi, Tsutomu Nakamigawa, Katsuichi Yamamoto, Takehide Matsumoto
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Patent number: 6497275Abstract: A fan causes a flow of cold air and warm air into the internal space of the passenger compartment of a vehicle. Air extraction channels connected to corresponding extraction vents are distributed at different locations in the passenger compartment. Controllable flaps selectively apportion and control the distribution of the extracted airflow between the different extraction channels.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1999Date of Patent: December 24, 2002Assignee: Valeo ClimatisationInventor: Gilles Elliot
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Patent number: 6463998Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning flow apparatus is constructed of a heat exchanger that heats and cools air that is directed along an air flow path ultimately directed through openings and at vehicle occupants. The air passes through a face outlet having shaft mounted doors that open and close the face outlet to direct air at an occupant's head and a foot outlet having shaft mounted doors to direct air at an occupant's feet. Furthermore, a case has the face outlet and the foot outlet formed in it while a face door has a peripheral plate that opens and closes the face outlet. The face door has a connection plate that connects the peripheral plate and the shaft. The peripheral plate may have a length extending from a point of rotation to allow the face outlet to close within a range of positions.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2000Date of Patent: October 15, 2002Assignee: Denso CorporationInventor: Tomohide Shindo
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Publication number: 20020134540Abstract: An automotive air-conditioner operates under three modes: a face mode in which cool air is blown toward a passenger's face, a foot mode in which hot air is blown toward passenger's feet, and a bilevel mode in which the cool air and the hot air are blown to the face and the feet, respectively. Under the bilevel mode, either a cooling ability or a heating ability of the air-conditioner, or both, are increased, compared with those under the face mode and the foot mode. Thus, a temperature difference between air supplied to the face and air supplied to the feet becomes large, thereby providing the passenger with an improved feeling of air-conditioning.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2002Publication date: September 26, 2002Inventors: Hisashi Ieda, Mitsuyo Oomura
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Patent number: 6431267Abstract: An air conditioning unit including a box having an intake switching damper for selectively opening an outside air inlet and an inside air inlet to receive introduced air. The air conditioning unit further including a blower unit configured to draw in the introduced air and blow the introduced air to a downstream side, and an air regulating unit. The air regulating unit has a unit case with an evaporator configured to exchange heat between the introduced air and a refrigerant, a heater core configured to exchange heat between the introduced air and a warm fluid, and an air mix damper for adjusting a flow quantity of the introduced air that passes through the heater core. The unit case has a defroster damper for a defroster air outlet configured to discharge toward a glass surface a two-layer flow of air-conditioned air comprising a warm layer and a cold layer.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2000Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Yasunari Tanaka
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Patent number: 6431266Abstract: A mechanism for driving a plurality of door plates of an air conditioning system for an automobile. An actuator generates a rotating force and has an output shaft. A main gear plate is secured to the output shaft of the actuator for being integrally rotated therewith. The main gear plate has a plurality of first toothed portions and a plurality of non-meshed rotation guide arms. The first toothed portions are formed on a circumferential outer surface of the main gear plate such that they are circumferentially spaced apart one from another. The non-meshed rotation guide arms are formed on a one surface of the main gear plate such that they are circumferentially spaced apart one from another and extend radially. A plurality of driving levers are fixed to the plurality of door plates, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1999Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: Daewoo Automotive Components, Ltd.Inventor: Sang Chul Han
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Patent number: 6427771Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner has a blower unit and an air conditioning unit having a case and a heater core disposed in a substantially horizontal direction in the case. The case has a foot opening at an upper side of the heater core. A foot passage and a foot duct are disposed at a vehicle front side of the case to extend downwardly from an upper portion of the case to a bottom portion of the case. The foot duct has foot outlets at a lower portion thereof. In a foot mode in which the foot opening is opened, air flowing at an upper side of the heater core flows into the foot passage through the foot opening, flows through the foot duct, and is directly blown toward a foot portion of a passenger in a passenger compartment through the foot outlets. As a result, heating feeling is improved, and a size of the air conditioner in a vehicle width direction is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 1999Date of Patent: August 6, 2002Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Hideaki Kako, Shuji Kurita
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Patent number: 6427770Abstract: A four zone conditioned air unit for use in a motor vehicle providing heating or cooling to a plurality of regions having relatively independent temperature setting. The structure provides compact, flexible and convenient temperature conditioning for each region.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2001Date of Patent: August 6, 2002Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co.Inventors: Oliver Beck, Ian Bendell, Prasanta Halder, Hans Kampf, Karl Lochmahr, Kurt Molt, Joachim Zeeb
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Patent number: 6422309Abstract: A device for heating and/or air conditioning the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising a first fan able to send a first air flow through a first part of a heating radiator and a second fan able to send a second air flow through a second part of this radiator, distribution shutters are provided for distributing the first and second air flows between a deicing outlet, a ventilation outlet and a feet-level outlet. The device can generate two independent air flows and send them to the top part and bottom part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 1999Date of Patent: July 23, 2002Assignee: Valeo ClimatisationInventor: Philippe Vincent
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Patent number: 6415857Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, an air conditioning case has a first front foot air outlet from which air is blown toward a front-seat foot area of a passenger compartment, and a rear foot passage for introducing air toward a rear-seat foot area of the passenger compartment. A rear foot air outlet is provided at a most downstream end of the rear foot passage, and a second front foot air outlet from which air is blown toward the front-seat foot area is provided in the rear foot passage at a position adjacent to the first front foot air outlet. Thus, a ratio between an air amount blown toward the front-seat foot area and an air amount blown toward the rear-seat foot area is readily adjusted by changing an opening area of the second foot air outlet.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2000Date of Patent: July 9, 2002Assignee: DENSO CorporationInventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Tatsuo Tsunooka, Hiroshi Kanda, Nobuyasu Naito
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Patent number: 6397942Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle includes a front air-conditioning unit for adjusting a temperature of air blown toward a front seat side in a passenger compartment, and a rear air-conditioning unit for adjusting a temperature of air blown toward a rear seat side in the passenger compartment. In the front air-conditioning unit, a ratio between an amount of air passing through a front heater core and an amount of air bypassing the front heater core is adjusted by an air mixing door, and the temperature of air blown toward the front seat side in the passenger compartment is adjusted by the rotation of the air mixing door. On the other hand, in the rear air-conditioning unit, a flow control valve for controlling a flow rate of hot water flowing into a rear heater core is provided, and the temperature of air blown toward the rear seat side in the passenger compartment is adjusted by the flow control valve.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2000Date of Patent: June 4, 2002Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Koichi Ito, Hikaru Sugi, Takashi Toyoshima, Kenji Suwa, Yuichi Shirota
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Publication number: 20020050349Abstract: A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning system, comprises a casing, an evaporator, a heater unit and at least one duct. The casing has air inlet and outlet openings which are connected through an air flow passage defined by the casing. The casing includes an enlarged portion and a reduced portion by which an enlarged part and a reduced part of the air flow passage are defined respectively. The casing thus has a concave contour defined by the reduced portion thereof. The evaporator is installed in the enlarged part of the air flow passage. The heater unit which is smaller in size than the evaporator is installed in the reduced part of the air flow passage. The duct snugly extends along the concave contour of the casing. The duct has one end connected to a downstream portion of the air flow passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2001Publication date: May 2, 2002Inventors: Masahiro Sano, Hiroaki Sasaki, Yukio Nakazawa, Naoharu Shibuya
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Publication number: 20020050350Abstract: An air conditioning unit having an indoor section and an outdoor section separated by a dividing wall. The outdoor heat exchanger and fan are enclosed within a housing that is split into a stationary lower wall section and a removable upper wall section which, when removed, provides ready access to the outdoor heat exchanger. A hole is placed in the bottom of the lower wall section in front of the fan so that condensate can be drawn into the unit by the fan and distributed over the heat exchanger surfaces. Vanes are placed on the inside wall of the housing to enhance the distribution of the condensate.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2001Publication date: May 2, 2002Applicant: Carrier CorporationInventors: Stephen L. Moretti, David F. Kwasigroch, Peter R. Bushnell
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Patent number: 6352102Abstract: According to the present invention, in an air conditioning apparatus setting a double laminar mode in which inside air and outside air are blown while being partitioned, when the maximum heating state (including the high heating capacity close to the maximum heating operation) is set, a warm air bypass door for introducing warm air directly into a foot opening portion, without being mixed into cool air, functions as a movable partition member for partitioning an air passage at a downstream side of a heating heat exchanger, into an inside air passage and an outside air passage. In this way, it is possible to downsize the air conditioning unit.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 1997Date of Patent: March 5, 2002Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Tetsuya Takechi, Toshihiko Muraki, Manabu Miyata, Hideaki Inazawa, Yasuhiro Sato, Koji Takahashi
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Publication number: 20020017383Abstract: A device for heating and/or air conditioning the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprises a first fan (16) able to send a first air flow (F1) through a first part of a heating radiator (14) and a second fan (32) able to send a second air flow (F2) through a second part of this radiator, distribution means (42, 62) being provided for distributing the first and second air flows between a deicing outlet (52), a ventilation outlet (54) and a feet-level outlet (56). The device makes it possible to generate two independent air flows and to send them to the top part and bottom part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 1999Publication date: February 14, 2002Inventor: PHILIPPE VINCENT
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Patent number: 6341494Abstract: An air conditioning system for vehicles includes a restriction control device that reduces the consumptive power of the air conditioning system by reducing the cooling ability of the air conditioning system when a cooling load of an interior of the vehicle has increased over a predetermined level, and when predetermined conditions are satisfied. In the system of the present invention, a water temperature sensor or a switch for detecting the opening of a roof window or a double sliding window is not necessary. In the present invention, under certain predetermined conditions, the power to an air conditioner may be appropriately restricted and the amount of heat radiation at the condenser may also be appropriately restricted. Consequently, the control may reduce waste power to prolong the life of equipment, and which may achieve an improved and comfortable air conditioning state, even when a roof window or a double sliding window is open.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 1999Date of Patent: January 29, 2002Assignee: Sanden CorporationInventors: Toshimi Isobe, Keiichi Funakoshi, Ichiro Kuwabara
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Patent number: 6332497Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle having an engine that serves as a drive source for a compressor arranged in a rear part of the vehicle. The air conditioner includes the compressor, and further includes an air intake unit having an inside air intake, an outside air intake, an inside air/outside air changeover damper, and a blower disposed on a downstream side of the inside air/outside air changeover damper. The air conditioner includes an air conditioning unit into which air is introduced from the air intake unit, provided along an introduced air distribution path with a cooling apparatus heat exchanger fluidly connected to the compressor and configured to exchange heat between the introduced air and air outside the cabin interior, where the cooling apparatus heat exchanger is located in the rear part of the vehicle. The air conditioning unit also include an engine heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the introduced air and an engine of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1999Date of Patent: December 25, 2001Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., General Motors CorporationInventors: Kazuki Niwa, Ryosaku Akimoto, Kenji Matsuda, Gregory A. Major, Xin Zeng
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Patent number: 6311505Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner that inhibits re-evaporation of condensed water on the surface of an evaporator that might fog the inner surface of the vehicle windshield during operation of a hot gas heating cycle heating mode. It is possible to switch operation of a cooling mode by an ordinary refrigerating cycle by opening the inlet side of a condenser and closing the inlet side of a hot gas bypass passage. It is also possible to switch the operation of the heating mode by closing the inlet side of the condenser and opening the inlet side of the hot gas bypass passage. When it is determined during operation of the heating mode that the windshield will fog, operation of the air conditioning compressor is interrupted by the air conditioning control unit so that the temperature of an evaporator reaches no more than a predetermined value.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 1999Date of Patent: November 6, 2001Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Yoshiaki Takano, Satoshi Izawa, Yasushi Yamanaka, Hajime Ito
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Patent number: 6293339Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning system that independently controls left-right air flow distribution in correspondence with left and right heat loads during a maximum cooling mode. In the system, blowout air flow is increased when driver seat side and passenger seat side air-mixing film members are both positioned in a maximum cooling position, and the heat load has risen in only one of a driver seat side space and a passenger seat side space in a passenger compartment. Further, each respective film member is operated to fully open a cool air bypass passage on the side on which the heat load has risen and the respective film member corresponding to the side on which the heat load has not risen significantly is operated to reduce the open area of the cool air bypass passage. At the same time, fan speed is increased to increase the air blow amount.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 1999Date of Patent: September 25, 2001Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Yukio Uemura, Takuya Natsume, Kazushi Shikata
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Publication number: 20010022222Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning system includes a space air conditioning unit for blowing conditioned air into a passenger compartment, a seat air conditioning unit for blowing air into a vehicle seat, and a control unit for controlling the space air conditioning unit and the seat air conditioning unit. The control unit includes space controlling means for controlling the space air conditioning unit in accordance with a space control value calculated based on a space target air temperature, and seat controlling means for controlling the seat air conditioning unit in accordance with a seat control value calculated based on the space target air temperature. Further, the seat controlling means includes a first seat air conditioning means which determines the seat control value in a steady air conditioning state of the passenger compartment, and a second seat air-conditioning means which determines the seat control value in a transition air-conditioning state of the passenger compartment.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2001Publication date: September 20, 2001Inventors: Shinji Aoki, Takeshi Yoshinori, Koji Sakai, Yuichi Kajino
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Patent number: 6253841Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner has a blower unit having first and second inside/outside air switching doors, and an air conditioning unit having defroster and foot openings. The first inside/outside air switching door is operated to correspond to a set position of an inside/outside air switching lever. The second inside/outside air switching door is operated with an operation of an air outlet mode switching lever. When an air outlet mode in which air is blown from both the foot and defroster openings is set, the second inside/outside air switching door is set to an inside air mode position. Therefore, when the first inside/outside air switching door is set to an outside air mode position in this air outlet mode, only an inside/outside air double flow mode is set. As a result, a gap between a temperature of air blown from the defroster opening and a temperature of air blown from the foot opening is prevented from abruptly changing.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 1999Date of Patent: July 3, 2001Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: So Obara, Koichi Ito
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Patent number: 6247530Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioning apparatus where temperature of air blown toward a front seat side and temperature of air blown toward a rear seat side of the passenger compartment are independently controlled, a switching door for generally partitioning a downstream warm air passage of a heater core into first and second air passages is disposed at an air outlet side of the heater core. When heating capacity for the front seat side of the passenger compartment is necessary to be increased, the switching door is operated to a rear shutting position so that all air heated by the heater core can be introduced toward the front seat side through the first and second air passages of the warm air passage.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 1999Date of Patent: June 19, 2001Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Yoshinobu Mochizuki, Nobuyasu Naito, Hiroshi Kanda, Tatsuo Tsunooka, Takeshi Nakamura
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Patent number: 6220042Abstract: The invention concerns a refrigerating fluid circuit capable of operating in three fluid circulation modes, namely an air conditioning mode whereby the fluid circulates successively in the evaporator where it is evaporated by receiving the heat of the air flow to be treated, in the compressor, in the condenser where it is condensed by yielding the heat to another medium and in a pressure reducing valve; a supplementary heating mode whereby the fluid circulates in gaseous state between the evaporator where it yields heat to the air flow and the compressor, without passing through the condenser, and an inoperative mode whereby the fluid does not circulate in the evaporator. The invention is characterized in that the circulation mode is determined taking into account not only the user's choice but also the possible presence of mist on the windscreen, detected by a sensor, so as to promote demisting while optimizing comfort and energy conservation.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 1999Date of Patent: April 24, 2001Assignee: Valeo ClimatisationInventors: Jérôme Robillard, Christophe Petitjean