Heating And Cooling Patents (Class 165/42)
  • Patent number: 7704405
    Abstract: A mixture for heat storage devices has a phase change material and particulate expanded graphite. The material mixtures are produced by mixing phase change material and expanded graphite as powders or in molten form, and shaping the mixtures into shaped bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: SGL Carbon SE
    Inventors: Oswin Öttinger, Jürgen Bacher
  • Publication number: 20100096118
    Abstract: The invention concerns a cooling system for an aircraft with an air inlet (4) through which air from the environment of the aircraft enters a ram air channel (2), and an air outlet (6) through which air emerges from the ram air channel (2). A heat exchanger (10) is arranged in the ram air channel (2). A ventilation device (8) is in fluid communication with the ram air channel (2). Also connected to the ram air channel (2) is a distribution line (12) to cool at least one heat-loaded component of the aircraft, in particular a cabin air conditioning system, and/or to ventilate an installation space of the at least one heat-loaded component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Scherer, Ruediger Schmidt, Alexander Solntsev
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20100089547
    Abstract: An system includes a first battery having a first desired operating temperature range between a first lower threshold temperature and a first upper threshold temperature and a second battery having a second desired operating temperature range between a second lower threshold temperature and a second upper threshold temperature. The system further includes a temperature control system coupled to the first and second batteries and configured to convey heat energy from the first battery to the second battery when the temperature of the second battery is less than the second lower threshold temperature to increase the temperature of the second battery toward the second desired operating temperature range and to convey heat energy away from the second battery when the temperature of the second battery is greater than the second upper threshold temperature to decrease the temperature of the second battery toward the second desired operating temperature range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Robert Dean King, Lorne Wyatt Hofstetter
  • Patent number: 7694729
    Abstract: An air passage opening/closing device for a vehicle air conditioner has a casing and a slide door. The slide door is movably disposed in the casing. Both sides of the slide door are guided by guide channels provided in the casing. The guide channels are formed by the casing and a separate guide member. The slide door can be assembled by mounting the slide door on a door-sliding surface of the casing, and mounting the separate guide member on the slide door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yukio Uemura
  • Publication number: 20100083694
    Abstract: Each heat exchange tube of an evaporator is composed of two press-worked rectangular metal plates joined together in a stacked condition. The metal plates of the heat exchange tube are swelled outward whereby at least one refrigerant flow space extending in the vertical direction and having opened upper and lower ends is provided in the heat exchange tube. Insertion portions to be inserted into header sections of header tanks of the evaporator via tube insertion holes are provided on upper and lower end portions of each heat exchange tube at positions corresponding to the refrigerant flow space. A concave portion is formed in each of the insertion portions, excluding opposite ends thereof with respect to the front-rear direction, of the upper and lower end portions of each heat exchange tube, the concave portion being concaved inward with respect to a longitudinal direction of the heat exchange tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventors: Motoyuki Takagi, Naohisa Higashiyama, Hokuto Mine
  • Patent number: 7681630
    Abstract: An HVAC system for work vehicle having an operator compartment for an operator is disclosed. The HVAC system includes a pressurizer blower and an air-conditioning system coupled to an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit is configured to reduce the output of the pressurizer blower when the operator selects a high output from the air-conditioning system. The HVAC system is also configured to provide defog operation in both a manual mode and an automatic mode of operation. The HVAC system is configured to reset the defog operation when the vehicle ignition is turned off or turned back on. The HVAC system is also configured not to reset the defog operation when the operator switches rapidly between the automatic mode and the manual mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventors: Mark D. Klassen, Leonid Chernyavsky, Alan G. Leupold, Paul E. Wibbels, Michael C. Bunnell, M. Javaid Arshad
  • Patent number: 7669647
    Abstract: An air conditioning system for cooling or heating an air, and for feeding the heated or cooled air to predetermined portions is characterized by comprising: a first circulating circuit for circulating a first heating medium; a second circulating circuit for circulating a second heating medium; a control unit for controlling the heat for executing heat exchange between the first heating medium and the second heating medium to flow through either the heat exchanger or the first heat storing device. Moreover, an air temperature is controlled by heat of the second heating medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Tsubone, Yasukazu Aikawa, Yasutane Hijikata
  • Patent number: 7670215
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device (1) for controlling airflows in motor vehicles, comprised of a frame having at least one passage opening (4) and at least one controlling means, which is provided in the form of a roller louver (5) and which serves to modify the passage cross-section for the air flowing through the passage opening (4). The frame comprises a housing (2) with at least two hollow bodies (8) that are open along the longitudinal sides. These hollow bodies (8) accommodate the drive shaft (6) or the return shaft (7) for the roller louver (5), and each have a pivotal cover (8.3) for opening the respective hollow body (8). The control device (1) can be mounted inside airflow ducts of a heating and/or air-conditioning system for motor vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Dietrich Klingler, Werner Schwahn
  • Patent number: 7661497
    Abstract: An upper swing body of an excavator is disclosed wherein a rear protrusion is minimized to reduce an operating radius and a cooling performance is improved even in a narrow engine room. An upper swing body of an excavator according to the present invention comprises a main frame (12) forming a base of the upper swing body; a support (16) including a pair of vertical frames (17, 18) disposed upwardly from an upper surface of a rear portion of the main frame (12) and laterally spaced apart from each other by a certain distance, and a horizontal frame (19) for connecting upper ends of the pair of vertical frames (17, 18) to each other; a cab (80) having a front lower portion supported by the main frame (12), and a rear lower portion supported by the support (16); and an engine (10) disposed in a space formed below the horizontal frame (19) of the support (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Doosan Infracore Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: In Mook Youn
  • Patent number: 7654312
    Abstract: The invention relates to a heating and/or cooling system (2) for a motor vehicle with a combustion engine (4) and a catalytic converter (8) arranged in the exhaust gas path (6) of the combustion engine (4), comprising a burner (10) attached before the catalytic converter (8) to the exhaust gas path (6) as well as a heat exchanger (12) for transmitting heat generated in the burner (10) to a heating and/or cooling circuit (28) of the motor vehicle. It is proposed that the heat exchanger (12) be arranged behind the catalytic converter (8) in the exhaust gas path (6) of the combustion engine (4) and can be acted upon through the catalytic converter (8) with hot combustion gases from the burner (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Baeuerle, Klaus Ries-Mueller
  • Patent number: 7654307
    Abstract: An automotive air conditioning system is disclosed comprising an evaporative cooler in series with the conventional vapor compression system. The evaporative cooler comprises an array of dry channels and a contiguous array of wet channels. The primary air stream to be conditioned by the evaporator of the conventional air conditioning system is preconditioned by the evaporative cooler by lowering its dry bulb temperature without changing its absolute humidity. An evaporator core is supported downstream of the evaporative cooler for receiving the primary air from the dry channels and thereby produces liquid condensate. The system is distinguished by conducting the liquid condensate from the evaporator core to the wicking tank for use in the wet channels of the evaporative cooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohinder Singh Bhatti, Ilya Reyzin, Kurt Dale Hollasch
  • Publication number: 20100018231
    Abstract: Heat exchanger, for example for a motor vehicle air-conditioning circuit, comprising a plurality of tubes (12) for circulating a heat-transfer fluid, the ends of said tubes (12) opening into manifolds and reservoirs (11) of thermal storage material in contact with the tubes (12) so that the storage material and the heat-transfer fluid exchange heat with one another. The exchanger comprises a plurality of heat-exchange elements (4) each housing at least one reservoir (11) and at least one tube (12) which are nested.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicant: Valeo Climatisation
    Inventors: Régine Haller, Sylvain Moreau, Jean-Luc Thuez
  • Publication number: 20100018229
    Abstract: A method for controlling an intake of an air-conditioner of a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes the a-1) step (S1) at which the main door (220) of the intake (200) opens the outdoor-air inlet port (211) and closes the indoor-air inlet port (212), so that only outdoor air flows into the intake, the b-1) step (S2) of detecting operation of the blower (130), the c-1) step (S3) of determining whether set indoor temperature of the vehicle is predetermined temperature or higher, and the d-1) step (S4) at which the subsidiary door (230) opens the subsidiary indoor-air inlet port (213) so that some indoor air flows into the intake. The method automatically controls the intake of the air-conditioner, thus allowing some indoor air to flow into the intake while outdoor air is flowing into the intake, therefore keeping the indoor temperature of the vehicle pleasant, and enhancing heating efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicants: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, HALLA CLIMATE CONTROL CORP.
    Inventors: Jae Sik Choi, Hak Kyu Kim, Dong Won Lee
  • Patent number: 7650927
    Abstract: A method of controlling a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Outside or ambient temperature, evaporator temperature, and coolant temperature are measured with sensors. These values, along with a TAO, which is a calculated value of outlet temperature in the vehicle, are sent to a controller. The controller determines a predicted heater core outlet temperature based upon the coolant temperature. Based upon the outside air temperature and coolant temperature, the controller will decide whether to use the previously determined estimated heater core outlet temperature or to substitute an alternate value for the heater core outlet temperature to determine a position for the air mix door. After calculating the air mix door position, the controller signals an air mix door movement device to adjust the air mix door to the required position. Position of the air mix door affects the air temperature inside of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Trevor Burns
  • Patent number: 7629530
    Abstract: An energy recovery system for hybrid automobile. The energy recovery system generates electricity by utilizing the temperature difference between a high temperature thermal medium and a low temperature thermal medium. As the high temperature thermal medium, engine coolant for cooling an engine is used. As the low temperature thermal medium, pump refrigerant for cooling by a heat pump is used. The heat pump maintains the pump refrigerant at a low temperature by using heat from the engine coolant. Therefore, while electricity is reliably generated at a thermoelectric converter, energy is efficiently used for cooling the pump refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroya Inaoka
  • Publication number: 20090288800
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a cooling and heating cabinet device of a rear seat side for a vehicle using a thermoelectric module that is mounted between rear seats of a vehicle, having cooling and heating functions and further having an arm-resting function irrespective of its activation as the cooling and heating device, and that makes the exhaust fan activated by the control of the controller of the air conditioning system, thereby achieving the air-refreshing function as well as the cooling or heating mode function of the cooling and heating cabinet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Sungho Kang, Yongsang Kim, Yooncheol Park, Sangchul Byun, Yongeun Seo
  • Publication number: 20090288816
    Abstract: A system for controlling the temperature of a passenger cabin has a tube for receiving a heat transfer fluid from an engine and a number of heating coils being thermally connected to the tube. The system also has a number of thermo-electric heat pumps connected to the tube. The heat transfer fluid is modulated for controlling the temperature of the passenger cabin at a number of different points of the passenger cabin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2005
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventor: Hayden M. Reeve
  • Patent number: 7621142
    Abstract: A FC radiator in a FC cooling system, an EV radiator in a driving device cooling system, and a condenser in an air conditioning cooling system are arranged in one plane substantially perpendicular to a direction in which a fuel cell vehicle moves forward at a front portion of the fuel cell. Also, heat exchangers are arranged in order of the condenser, the EV radiator, and the FC radiator, that is, in order of an operating temperature from an upper position to a lower position. An angle of plural fins fitted to a front grille is changed according to a load of a fuel cell and a vehicle speed, each of the plural fins being formed to have an elongate rectangular plate shape extending in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Hoshi, Kazuhiro Maeda, Susumu Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 7614368
    Abstract: To avoid engine idling to support cabin heating, an auxiliary coolant heater can heat engine coolant and pump it through compartment heaters or the engine cooling system. The coolant flow control system provides great flexibility in selectively distributing heated coolant for heating and engine preheating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: Michelle R. Gehres, Kenneth J. Smith, Joaquin J. Hernandez
  • Patent number: 7607474
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, in which a temperature in a vehicle interior is automatically adjusted under a stable driving mode in which a difference between the temperature in the vehicle interior and a set temperature is lesser than a predetermined value or a transitional driving mode in which the difference is larger than the predetermined value so that the temperature in the vehicle interior approaches to the set temperature when an amount of solar radiation in the vehicle interior is one of parameters, the apparatus including a detecting device provided in the vehicle interior and configured to detect the amount of solar radiation, and a correcting device for correcting the amount of solar radiation detected by the detecting means to obtain a corrected amount of solar radiation, the corrected amount of solar radiation being used as a parameter of the amount of solar radiation for adjusting the temperature in the vehicle interior, under the stable driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 7604045
    Abstract: Provided is an air conditioner for a vehicle, including a blower unit that blows air, an air conditioning case including an evaporator and a heater core, which are sequentially disposed in an airflow path, and an air inlet path that allows air to flow to an evaporator from the blower unit, wherein the airflow path includes a first path that allows air entered from the air inlet path to flow to a lower part of the evaporator and second and third paths that allow the air to flow to the lower part of the evaporator after passing through both sides of the evaporator. The air conditioner increases an amount of airflow and reduces airflow resistance since airflow paths are formed on both sides of the evaporator in addition to a direction perpendicular to the separator. Consequently, the airflow entering a lower part of the evaporator can be uniformly distributed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corporation
    Inventor: Seong Seck Han
  • Publication number: 20090255277
    Abstract: An arrangement is provided for de-icing pipeline connections of an aircraft, which are connected to all fresh air outlets of an air conditioner, whose construction includes, but is not limited to the functions of multiple turbines and heat exchangers, having a first pipeline, which is connected to a first turbine, and a second pipeline, which is connected to a second turbine, the two pipelines, which are each connected downstream from the two turbines and to which process air is fed at the turbine outlets, being connected at the pipe ends and being continued using a third pipeline. The arrangement is characterized in that a first hot air source is fed hot fresh air from a bleed air system of the aircraft and is connected at its outlet to a fourth pipeline, into which temperature-reduced fresh air is fed from the hot air source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Applicant: AIRBUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventors: Juergen KELNHOFER, Dariusz KRAKOWSKI, Jose-Javier FRANCISCO-PALOMARES
  • Publication number: 20090250190
    Abstract: A transport refrigeration system, which uses the heat of compression to selectively provide heat to a cargo space by way of the evaporator coil, is provided with enhanced heating capacity during lower ambient conditions by causing the heat from an engine radiator to flow over the condenser coil to thereby increase the condensing pressure and temperature and thereby increase the heat of compression and the heat being provided to the space. Provision is also made to cause the hot air from the engine itself to flow over the engine radiator and the condenser coil to further enhance the heating capacity. Various damper and shutter arrangements are also provided as alternative embodiments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2006
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Applicant: Carrier Corporation
    Inventor: David R. Siegenthaler
  • Publication number: 20090241573
    Abstract: A subcool condenser having a condensation heat exchange portion, a receive portion and a supercool heat exchange portion is used as an outdoor heat exchanger that functions as a radiator in a cooling operation mode so that COP in the cooling operation mode is increased. In contrast, in a heating operation mode, a refrigerant bypass device that causes the refrigerant to flow so as to bypass the supercool heat exchange portion is provided so that pressure loss generated in the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger is decreased. Thereby, driving force of a compressor can be decreased and COP in the heating operation mode can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Ikegami, Hiroshi Oshitani, Yoshiaki Takano
  • Publication number: 20090239106
    Abstract: An integrated charge air heat exchanger for use in a vehicle fuel cell system is provided. The integrated charge air heat exchanger includes a plurality of coolant conduits adapted for a coolant fluid to flow therethrough. The integrated charge air heat exchanger further includes a plurality of heating elements and a plurality of fin elements. One heating element is disposed on a first surface of each of the coolant conduits, and one of the fin elements is disposed on a second surface of each of the coolant conduits. A method for heating the coolant fluid in a first operational mode and cooling a charge air stream in a second operational mode is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Inventors: Lee C. Whitehead, Benno Andreas-Schott, Glenn W. Skala
  • Patent number: 7591142
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a refrigeration cycle having a variable capacity compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator; a duct in which the evaporator is arranged; an air switching unit arranged on an upstream side of the duct and configured to switch outside air and inside air from one to the other; an air outlet arranged on a downstream side of the duct and communicating with an interior of the vehicle; and a control unit configured to control a discharge of the compressor. The control unit controls the compressor to provide a maximum capacity if the difference between a vehicle interior temperature and an ambient temperature is higher than a predetermined value and if the air switching unit is switched from a recirculation mode to a fresh air mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignees: Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Eiji Takahashi, Yoshihiro Ayabe, Ryoichi Yokoi, Kazuhito Mouri
  • Publication number: 20090229785
    Abstract: An automotive vehicle includes a seat assembly with one or more seat outlets for exhausting conditioned air to an occupant seat therein. A HVAC assembly operates in a warm-up mode and a cool-down for generating heated and cooled air to achieve a predetermined air temperature. An air selection module controls airflow from the HVAC assembly to air ducts for delivering air from the air selection module to the seat assembly. At least one seat valve moveable between open and closed positions controls air flow from the air selection module to one or more seat ducts. A purge valve moveable between open and closed positions vents air from the air selection module. The vehicle further includes a control system for closing the purge valve and opening at least one seat valve in response to the air temperature of the air from the HVAC assembly being at least the predetermined air temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Inventors: Prasad Shripad Kadle, Edward Wolfe, IV, Timothy D. Craig, John Lawrence Pawlak, III
  • Publication number: 20090229786
    Abstract: A heat exchanger arrangement is provided for an internal-combustion engine having a heat engine, which converts hot steam of a working medium by way of an expansion device to kinetic energy. The working medium, that can be delivered by a pump, can be heated in a first heat exchanger by a coolant and in a second heat exchanger by an exhaust gas of the internal-combustion engine. In the delivery direction, the working medium first flows through the first heat exchanger and, subsequently, through the second heat exchanger. The exhaust gas can flow through the first heat exchanger. A very high efficiency can be achieved for the internal-combustion engine with the above-described heat engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Raymond FREYMANN, Wolfgang STROBL, Walter HUEBNER, Andreas OBIEGLO, Peter DOEMELAND, Norbert KRAUS, Juergen BECKER, Michael HOETGER, Christian GOEBEL, Goeran GENSICKE
  • Patent number: 7572178
    Abstract: System housing, in particular for a heating, ventilating and/or air-conditioning system of a vehicle, comprising at least three housing parts, which serve for accommodating air-conditioning-system components and/or for forming air-channeling paths, one of the housing parts comprising a first abutment surface and a second abutment surface, up to which the other two housing parts can be advanced in each case parallel to a normal vector of the abutment surface which is advanced up in each case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Valeo Klimasysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Lutz Fuhrmann, Stefan Frenzel
  • Publication number: 20090189018
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for insulating an aircraft cabin 6 and for the cooling or heating of cabin air in an aircraft, respectively with the method comprising the steps of: introducing aircraft cabin air into an aircraft cabin wall 6; guiding this aircraft cabin air along a section of this aircraft cabin wall 6; and leading this aircraft cabin air away from the aircraft cabin wall 6.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: Airbus Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Jan Dittmar, Marc Hoelling, Rainer Mueller
  • Patent number: 7562698
    Abstract: An air-conditioning system for a vehicle having an engine adapted to stop idling on predetermined stop conditions of the vehicle, which system comprises an electric motor for driving a refrigerant compressor when the engine idling is stopped, motor speed control means for controlling the speed of the motor in correspondence with an evaporator outlet temperature, and evaporator temperature correction means for, when the engine idling is stopped while outside air is being introduced, correcting the evaporator outlet temperature to a lower temperature in correspondence with a temperature of the outside air and a temperature of engine cooling water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Fujiki, Shinji Yasuno
  • Patent number: 7556090
    Abstract: When a target blown air temperature TAO is in a predetermined intermediate temperature zone, a blower is automatically stopped (S80), an outside air mode is selected when the blower 8 is automatically stopped. When an outside air temperature Tam is a first predetermined temperature (15° C.) or lower, an opening degree of an air mix door is corrected to a high temperature side in comparison with the time of the operation of the blower (S120), and when the outside air temperature Tam is a second predetermined temperature (25° C.) or higher, the opening degree of the air mix door is corrected to the low temperature side in comparison with the time of the operation of the blower (S130).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Norio Asai, Yuji Honda
  • Patent number: 7556091
    Abstract: A heating heat exchanger in a coolant circuit for motor vehicles is provided whereby the air to be heated can be additionally heated by a refrigerant circuit, operable as heat pump or short circuit, for additional heating. A gas cooler/condenser for the additional heating operation and a functionally separated evaporator for the cooling plant operation of the refrigerant circuit are provided. The heat exchanger surfaces of the gas cooler/condenser for the additional heating operation are integrated into the heating heat exchanger and an additional heating operation the air to be heated is simultaneously heated by the heating heat exchanger and the gas cooler/condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roman Heckt, Dragi Antonijevic
  • Publication number: 20090165991
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes, on a downstream side of a condenser 1, a mixing chamber to which a warm air path 4 and a bypass path 5 are connected and in which downstream sides of the warm air path 4 and the bypass path 5 merge together to mix flows of air coming therethrough, and a blowout path 7 connected to the mixing chamber 6. At a position where air speed of warm air having passed through a heat exchanger 2 is fast, an auxiliary heater 3 is provided through which a portion of the warm air passes, and is disposed in series with the heat exchanger 2. Another portion of the warm air passes through an area where the air speed of the warm air is slow thereby to bypass the auxiliary heater 3. Therefore, auxiliary heating can be made sufficiently by the auxiliary heater 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: CALSONIC KANSEI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro Komaba
  • Patent number: 7552705
    Abstract: A vehicle engine stop/start system with regenerative braking comprising a main engine for powering a vehicle having an accessory belt drive system, a motor/generator engaged with the accessory belt drive system, an operator activated switch for selecting an operating mode, in a first operating mode an electric energy storage portion for providing electric power to a heating system when the main engine is off, a relay for preventing operation of the heating system when the main engine is running, in a second operating mode the electric energy storage portion providing electric power to the motor/generator whereby the motor/generator drives an air conditioning compressor when the main engine is off, the air conditioning compressor connected to the accessory belt drive system, a relay for preventing operation of the air conditioning compressor using the motor/generator when the main engine is running, in a third operating mode the motor/generator is used to start the main engine after the main engine has been au
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: The Gates Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Serkh, Imtiaz Ali, Dragan Kosanovic
  • Patent number: 7543632
    Abstract: An automotive heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system including an electrical control module for controlling the motor of the system. The module includes a connector base supporting a circuit board having spaced side edges extending into the housing. The circuit board having a first leg extending from the base and through a curved section and into a second leg to a distal end spaced from the base with an electrical circuit extending over the exterior of the first leg and over the curved section and over the second leg. The circuit board includes an offset section between the base and the first leg for centralizing the legs on the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward Douglas Pettitt, Jeffrey Charles Kinmartin
  • Publication number: 20090139686
    Abstract: A cooling system is equipped with a circulation flow path arranged to flow a coolant into an engine, a motor drive system flow path branched off from the circulation flow path and arranged to flow the coolant into a motor drive system, a flow rate distribution regulator provided at a junction of the circulation flow path and the motor drive system flow path, and an electric pump configured to pressure-feed the coolant through the circulation flow path. In the cooling system, the procedure of flow rate control sets an engine flow rate demand Vwe based on a rotation speed Ne and a torque te of the engine and a coolant temperature Te (step S110), while setting a motor flow rate demand Vwm based on an inverter current Iinv of the motor drive system and the coolant temperature Te (step S120).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7540321
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a housing for defining an air passage, and the air passage has a main passage and first and second separate passages branched from the main passage. The first separate passage is provided for leading air from the main passage to a front area of a passenger compartment, and the second separate passage is provided for leading air from the main passage to a rear area of the passenger compartment. Furthermore, an evaporator is disposed in the main passage of the housing, and a heat exchanger is disposed in the main passage at a downstream air side of the evaporator in a part area of the main passage. In the air conditioner, a control member is provided to adjust an air flow from the evaporator into the first separate passage and an air flow from the heating heat exchanger into the first separate passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO Automotive Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Simmet, Kenji Matsui, Kotaro Suda
  • Patent number: 7533718
    Abstract: An air-conditioning device and an air conditioning method make it possible to reduce the problem that, on entry in a tunnel with a warm internal temperature, in the case of otherwise cold outside temperatures as a result of which, inter alia, the vehicle windowpanes and exterior mirror surfaces are cooled, this cold windowpane and exterior mirror surfaces, the surface temperature of which is lower than the dew-point temperature of the warm air in the tunnel interior, immediately fog up, since the absolute humidity on the surface then corresponds to more than 100% relative humidity. The air-conditioning device according to the invention and the air-conditioning method according to the invention use data supplied by already existing sensors and relating to the ambient weather, for example temperature data from an outside temperature sensor and moisture data from a dew-point sensor, in order to detect weather which is critical to this fogging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Straub
  • Patent number: 7530386
    Abstract: A heat-removing device for a vehicle including: an interior part having a plate portion exposed to direct sunlight including a baseboard formed of a resin or a composite material containing a resin and a skin material which covers an outer surface of the baseboard; a heat conducting plate for collecting heat from the skin material, provided on an inner side of the skin material of the plate portion and inside of an inner surface of the baseboard in a direction of a thickness of the baseboard; and a heat pipe provided on an inner side of the inner surface of the baseboard and connected in heat-conductive relationship to the heat conducting plate, which transfers heat collected by the heat conducting plate to a heat releasing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Nagayama, Hajime Kato, Teruaki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7530390
    Abstract: The invention relates to an air conditioner for a motor vehicle, comprising a coolant circuit (1) that is provided with several heat-transferring devices through which a coolant can be directed, a heat-transferring device (12) also being part of a coolant circuit. Coolant is redirected from portions of the coolant circuit (1), which are shut down during heating, into a portion of the coolant circuit (1), which is active during heating, as required. Also disclosed is a method for operating such an air conditioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Günther Feuerecker, Andreas Kemle
  • Publication number: 20090114367
    Abstract: A thermal management system for gas flow from an on board high pressure vehicle gas storage tank comprising an on board heat source operatively interconnected with a heater disposed in proximity to the metal component gas outlet flow control system of the on board tank; a thermostat regulating the flow of heat to the heater such that the thermostat regulates the temperature of the metal component outlet flow control system of the tank to a temperature corresponding to at least the minimum lower limit temperature permitted by the temperature tolerance range of metal component outlet flow control system of the tank; and an optional insulating shroud circumferentially disposed surrounding the gas flow heater installed in the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Handa
  • Publication number: 20090114368
    Abstract: An example steering wheel assembly includes an upper rim and a lower rim secured to the upper rim to establish a flow path. Flow within the flow path heats or cools the steering wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventors: Minoru Niwa, Danielle L. White, Stephanie A. Schneider
  • Publication number: 20090113913
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle air-conditioning system in which an air for air-conditioning is cooled at a first evaporator, is heated at a condenser, and is supplied to a vehicle interior in heating operation. The object of the present invention is to suppress a dew condensation at the first evaporator to prevent a freeze of the dew condensation water even if the temperature of the air for air-conditioning introduced from the outside of the vehicle is low. The above object is achieved by disposing a second evaporator between an automated expansion valve to decompress the refrigerant exhausted from a compressor and the first evaporator so as to reduce the absorbed heat at the first evaporator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidenori Esaki
  • Patent number: 7527091
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, a cooling heat exchanger for cooling air is arranged in the air conditioning case, and a cooling/heating switching heat exchanger is arranged at a downstream air side of the cooling heat exchanger in the air conditioning case. A first bypass passage is provided at one side of the cooling heat exchanger in the air conditioning case, so that air flows through the first bypass passage while bypassing the cooling heat exchanger. A second bypass passage is provided at one side of the cooling/heating switching heat exchanger in the air conditioning case on an opposite side of the first bypass passage with respect to the first heat exchanger, so that air flows through the second bypass passage while bypassing the cooling/heating switching heat exchanger. Accordingly, a size of the air conditioner can be effectively decreased while a maximum cooling capacity can be sufficiently obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Tomohide Shindo
  • Patent number: 7520320
    Abstract: An automotive air conditioning system has a primary hot water circuit 11 located on a side where a vehicle installed heat generator 10 is located and a secondary hot water circuit 13 which includes a hot water type heater core 12 for heating passenger compartment outlet air, whereby when in a heating mode, in the event that a coolant temperature TW1 of the primary hot water circuit is lower than a coolant temperature TW2 of the secondary hot water circuit 13, an opening and closing valve 26 is closed, whereas an opening and closing valve 23 is opened, so that a state is created in which the hot water circuits 11, 13 are separated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Itoh, Yoshitaka Tomatsu, Yasutaka Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20090078392
    Abstract: A motor vehicle air conditioning arrangement having at least one heater (H) and at least one evaporator (V) which are arranged in an air guiding housing (2), wherein an inclined position of the heater (H) and evaporator (V) is provided, such that the planes of the evaporator (V) and heater (H), which are traversed perpendicularly by air, are arranged in each case at an angle of less than 40°, in particular of less than 30°, with respect to the horizontal plane (E).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: BEHR GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Carsten Burkhardt, Holger Gundel, Sascha Lindauer, Gebhard Schweizer
  • Patent number: 7503383
    Abstract: There is provided an automotive air conditioning system comprising a primary blower disposed at a front part of a vehicle having a passenger compartment constituted by a front-seat side space and a rear-seat side space, a case disposed in the front part of the vehicle in such a manner that air is caused to flow from one end to the other end thereof by means of the primary blower and having a lower opening which is opened therein at a lower portion at the other end thereof, a heat exchanger disposed within the case, a scroll case disposed below the case and having opened therein an outlet and an inlet connecting to the lower opening, an centrifugal fan accommodated in the scroll case and having a rotating shaft which is oriented in a substantially vertical direction, a secondary blower having driving means for driving the centrifugal fan, and a rear seat duct connected to the outlet and communicating with the rear-seat side space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Osamu Kobayashi, Eiichi Ogata, Isao Kinoshita, Timothy Roland, Glenn Crocker
  • Patent number: 7497251
    Abstract: In a vehicle air conditioner, a first air-conditioning control value is calculated based on a surface temperature detected by a non-contact temperature sensor in a temperature detection area of a passenger compartment. When it is determined that an obstacle exists between the temperature detection area and the non-contact temperature sensor, a second air-conditioning control value is calculated according to a temperature information that is influenced less by the obstacle than the detected surface temperature. When it is determined that the obstacle does not exist, an air conditioning state of the passenger compartment is controlled based on the first air-conditioning control value. When it is determined that the obstacle exists, the first air-conditioning control value is corrected to approach the second air-conditioning control value to calculate a corrected air-conditioning control value, so that the air conditioning state can be controlled satisfactorily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinori Ichishi, Tatsumi Kumada