Reversible, I.e., Heat Pump Patents (Class 62/324.1)
  • Patent number: 11906191
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a primary-side circuit in which a compressor, a first flow switching device, an outdoor heat exchanger, a second flow switching device, a first expansion device, and a relay heat exchanger are connected by pipes and in which refrigerant circulates; a secondary-side circuit in which the relay heat exchanger, a pump, a plurality of indoor heat exchangers, and heat medium flow control devices are connected by pipes and in which a heat medium circulates; and a controller configured to control the first and second flow switching devices such that in cooling and heating operations, the refrigerant and a heat-source-side fluid flow through the outdoor heat exchanger in opposite directions and the refrigerant flows through the relay heat exchanger in a constant direction. The pump is installed such that the heat medium, the refrigerant flow, and air for an air-conditioning target space flow in particular directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soshi Ikeda, Kazuya Honda, Jun Nishio, Yuki Mizuno, Katsuhiro Ishimura, Yuji Motomura, Kosuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11897311
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a controller configured to execute: receiving a remote signal containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of a vehicle; performing preheating of the cabin in a second air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using an electric heat pump when a temperature in the cabin is predicted to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time, the preheating being based on a remote operation; and performing the preheating of the cabin in a first air-conditioning mode in which the preheating is performed by using exhaust heat generated when an internal combustion engine operates when the temperature in the cabin is predicted not to be increasable to the target temperature in the second air-conditioning mode before the expected traveling start time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Hadano, Takaaki Inokuchi, Tatsunori Katoh, Asuka Marumo
  • Patent number: 11833883
    Abstract: A cooling fan device includes an electronic control unit that controls an engagement rate of a fan clutch. The electronic control unit executes a first calculation process that calculates an air conditioner requested engagement rate, a second calculation process that calculates, as a first guard value, a value of an engagement rate at which a fan rotation speed increases at a specified speed and an upper limit guarding process that sets a value of the air conditioner requested engagement rate to the first guard value when a calculated value of the air conditioner requested engagement rate in the first calculation process exceeds the first guard value. The electronic control unit further controls the engagement rate of the fan clutch based on a value of the air conditioner requested engagement rate after execution of the upper limit guarding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoichi Akiyama, Dai Okumura, Atsushi Fukuda, Daisuke Sakamoto, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11833887
    Abstract: A vehicular air conditioner includes a refrigeration cycle system, a high-temperature heat medium circuit, and a low-temperature heat medium circuit. The high-temperature heat medium circuit includes an air-heat medium heat exchanger, a heater core, a branching portion, a common passage, a flow rate adjuster, and an auxiliary heat source. The air-heat medium heat exchanger exchanges heat between the heat medium and an outside air. The heater core is arranged parallel to the air-heat medium heat exchanger and causes the heat medium to transfer heat to a ventilation air. The branching portion divides a flow of the heat medium into a flow toward the air-heat medium heat exchanger and a flow toward the heater core. The auxiliary heat source is arranged in the common passage at a position upstream of the branching portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kawano, Yoshiki Kato, Masamichi Makihara, Takahiro Maeda, Kuniyoshi Tanioka, Toru Okamura, Naoya Makimoto
  • Patent number: 11828507
    Abstract: The present application discloses an air conditioning system and a control method therefore. An intermediate heat exchanger can include a first heat exchange portion and a second heat exchange portion, a first end of the first heat exchange portion is in communication with an inlet of a compressor, a second end of the first heat exchange portion is communicable with an outlet of a second heat exchanger and/or a second end of the first heat exchanger, a first end of the second heat exchange portion is communicable with a first end of the first heat exchanger, and a second end of the second heat exchange portion is communicable with an inlet of the second heat exchanger and/or an outlet of the compressor. In the refrigeration mode, the first branch can have an adjustable amount of flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: HANGZHOU SANHUA RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qiaofeng Liu, Junqi Dong, Shiwei Jia
  • Patent number: 11796203
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes: a heat medium circulation circuit including: a heat medium device, a heat medium pipe, a pump, a heat medium detection unit, and a controller that includes a count unit to count an air-conditioning operation time and count a pump operation time based on heat medium detection information of the heat medium detection unit, a storage unit storing a set air-conditioning time and a set pump time, a comparison unit to compare the air-conditioning operation time with the set air-conditioning time and compare the pump operation time with the set pump time, and a device control unit to control driving of the pump so that the pump operation time reaches or exceeds the set pump time when the air-conditioning operation time is longer than or equal to the set air-conditioning time and the pump operation time is shorter than the set pump time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Ishii, Yuji Motomura, Kimitaka Kadowaki
  • Patent number: 11768018
    Abstract: Double hybrid heat pumps, systems, and methods of operation that provide increased efficiency in both heating and cooling modes, heated water, and other advantages. The system includes a compressor for compressing low-pressure vapor phase refrigerant to high-pressure vapor phase refrigerant, a refrigerant condensing heat exchanger to heat water and cool the refrigerant to a high-pressure liquid refrigerant, which is provided to a refrigerant cooling heat exchanger in which any remaining high-pressure vapor phase refrigerant is condensed and the high-pressure liquid refrigerant is further cooled. The high-pressure cooled liquid refrigerant is passed through an expansion valve to drop the pressure of the cooled liquid to yield a low-pressure cooled liquid refrigerant or low-pressure cooled two-phase refrigerant. The low-pressure cooled liquid or two-phase refrigerant is then evaporated in a refrigerant evaporating heat exchanger to produce the low-pressure vapor refrigerant that is returned to the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Inventor: Matthew Desmarais
  • Patent number: 11686487
    Abstract: An indoor unit for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air is disclosed. In an embodiment, the indoor unit includes a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly. When operating in a cooling mode or a heating mode, the first coil and second coil are in parallel fluid communication. When in a dehumidifying mode, the first coil and second coil are in serial fluid communication, which enables the first coil to function as a condenser and the second coil to function as an evaporator. The disclosed indoor unit provides negligible or no change in sensible heat while providing dehumidification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Stewart Hancock
  • Patent number: 11680738
    Abstract: A refrigeration system includes an evaporator within which a refrigerant absorbs heat, a gas cooler/condenser within which the refrigerant rejects heat, a compressor operable to circulate the refrigerant between the evaporator and the gas cooler/condenser, a high pressure valve operable to control a pressure of the refrigerant at an outlet of the gas cooler/condenser, and a controller. The controller is configured to automatically generate a setpoint for a measured or calculated variable of the refrigeration system based on a measured temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the gas cooler/condenser. The setpoint is generated using a stored relationship between the measured temperature and a maximum estimated coefficient of performance (COP) that can be achieved at the measured temperature. The controller is configured to operate the high pressure valve to drive the measured or calculated variable toward the setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Hill Phoenix, Inc.
    Inventors: Naresh Kumar Krishnamoorthy, Nassim Khaled
  • Patent number: 11639809
    Abstract: Control systems and methods for control of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) systems that include cooling and one or both of heating and heat recovery can include adaptive and balanced modes for each of heating and cooling operations. The adaptive heating and cooling modes each respectively include controlling the HVACR system to achieve a target temperature for the respective heating or cooling process fluid and to unload or stop the compressor when the temperature of a the other of the cooling or heating process fluid exceeds a threshold. The balanced heating and cooling modes respectively include controlling a quantity of flow of the cooling or heating process fluids to meet balanced heating or cooling target temperatures for the respective heating or cooling process fluids and also the other of the cooling or heating process fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Lee R. Cline, Michael C. A. Schwedler
  • Patent number: 11555639
    Abstract: There is provided a HVAC system comprising: a fluid circuit for conveying a refrigerant; a compressor for compressing the refrigerant; three heat exchangers defining an evaporator, an outdoor exchanger and a heat recovery exchanger provided along the fluid circuit; an expansion valve provided along the fluid circuit; and a receiver connected in parallel to the expansion valve, wherein a fill valve is located between the receiver and a connection upstream of the expansion valve and a drain valve is located between the receiver and a connection downstream of the expansion valve; wherein the fluid circuit comprises a plurality of valves which are configured to be controlled based on a selected operating mode such that at least one of the outdoor exchanger and the heat recovery exchanger is connected to a discharge line of the compressor and in series with one of the other heat exchangers which is connected to a suction line of the compressor, with the expansion valve disposed between the heat exchangers; wherein
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Yves Jacques Raimbault, Philippe Del Marcel Tisserand
  • Patent number: 11548349
    Abstract: A thermal management system includes a refrigerant loop, a motor coolant loop, and a battery coolant loop. The refrigerant loop includes a first refrigerant main-line, a second refrigerant main-line, a first refrigerant branch, and a second refrigerant branch. The first refrigerant main-line includes a compressor, the second refrigerant main-line includes a cabin condenser, the first refrigerant branch includes a cabin evaporator, the second refrigerant branch includes a radiator. The first refrigerant main-line and the second refrigerant main-line selectively communicate with one of the first and second refrigerant branches. The battery coolant loop includes a coolant main-line, a first coolant branch connected to the cabin evaporator, a second coolant branch connected to the cabin condenser, and a third coolant branch. The coolant main-line selectively communicates with at least one of the first to third coolant branches. The battery coolant loop connects to the motor coolant loop in series or in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: GUANGZHOU AUTOMOBILE GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaohui Li, Qin Yang, Bozhi Yang, Meng Yao, Chen Zhang, Meng Wang
  • Patent number: 11536503
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to cold-chain transportation, and more particularly to a refrigerated container refrigeration system capable of preventing freezing of container door, including compressors, oil separators, gas coolers, regenerators, electronic expansion valves, gas-liquid separators, an evaporator, suction pressure regulating valves, oil-level solenoid valves, gas cooler pressure regulating valves, differential pressure regulating valves, an evaporation pressure regulating valve, solenoid valves, check valves, flow meters, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, a door anti-freezing area, a refrigerated container shell, refrigerated container doors, a refrigeration unit, an anti-freezing pipeline and fastening components. Carbon dioxide is selected as refrigerant. A flow two-stage cycle compression refrigeration system with switchable operation pipeline is adopted, and the outlet pipeline of a high-pressure compressor is extended for preventing freezing of container door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Shanghai Ocean University
    Inventors: Jing Xie, Yuyao Sun, Jinfeng Wang
  • Patent number: 11518216
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit that adjusts a temperature or a humidity of air in a vehicle compartment, including a compressor, indoor heat exchangers, an outdoor heat exchanger, and expansion valves; a first heat medium circuit that allows a first heat medium absorbing heat released from a first heat releasing body to flow therethrough; a second heat medium circuit that allows a second heat medium absorbing heat released from a second heat releasing body to flow therethrough; a first heat medium heat releasing unit that performs a heat exchange between the refrigerant and the first heat medium to release the heat from the first heat medium to the refrigerant; and a second heat medium heat releasing unit that performs a heat exchange between the first heat medium and the second heat medium to release the heat from the second heat medium to the first heat medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SANDEN AUTOMOTIVE CLIMATE SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuya Ishizeki
  • Patent number: 11512879
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system includes an evaporator coil and a compressor fluidly coupled to the evaporator coil via a suction line. A condenser coil is fluidly coupled to the compressor via a discharge line and fluidly coupled to a metering device via a liquid line. A charge compensator is fluidly coupled to the liquid line via a connection line. A charge compensator re-heat valve is disposed in the connection line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Lennox Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Blake Bachellor
  • Patent number: 11499757
    Abstract: A vehicular heat management system includes a heat pump cycle capable of heating a heat-exchanging-object fluid by using exhaust heat of an in-vehicle device as a heat source that radiates heat during operation, and an exhaust-heat refrigerant circuit that releases the exhaust heat to outside air through an exhaust-heat refrigerant. The heat pump cycle includes a recovery heat exchange portion that performs heat exchange between a heated air heated by the exhaust heat and a cycle refrigerant circulating in the heat pump cycle. The exhaust-heat refrigerant circuit includes an exhaust-heat exchange portion that performs heat exchange between the heated air and the exhaust-heat refrigerant. The recovery heat exchange portion and the exhaust-heat exchange portion are integrally formed as a combined heat exchanger capable of transferring heat between the cycle refrigerant and the exhaust-heat refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuo Kozasa
  • Patent number: 11412910
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a dish washer having a heat pump, and the dish washer may include a washing tank provided with a sump at a bottom surface thereof and provided with an accommodation space for storing dishes therein; a heat pump system provided with an evaporator, a compressor that compresses and circulates refrigerant, a condenser that heats washing water for washing the dishes, and an expansion apparatus; and a heat exchange system that exchanges heat between water for heat transfer to the refrigerant and the evaporator, thereby enhancing the heat exchange performance and efficiency of the evaporator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Changyoon Jung, Sangheon Yoon
  • Patent number: 11306232
    Abstract: Azeotropic compositions including between 74 and 81.5 wt.-% HFO-1324yf, between 6.5 and 10.5 wt.-% HFC-134a, and between 12 and 16 wt.-% HFC-152a, relative to the total weight of the composition, the azeotropic composition having a boiling point of between ?40.00° C. and 70.00° C., at a pressure of between 0.5 and 21.0 bar abs (±0.5%). Also, the uses of the aforementioned compositions in heat transfer systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: ARKEMA FRANCE
    Inventor: Wissam Rached
  • Patent number: 11092362
    Abstract: A compressor of an air-conditioning device includes a scroll mechanism unit having a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll that cooperates with the fixed scroll to compress refrigerant. There is a first space portion provided between the scroll mechanism unit and an electric motion unit; an annular second space portion provided in a circumference of the scroll mechanism unit in a radial direction; a communication path provided between the first space portion and the second space portion, to guide, to the second space portion, the refrigerant sucked from the suction pipe to the first space portion. A part of the refrigerant between the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve is injected simultaneously to the first space portion and the second space portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Nishio, Naofumi Takenaka, Soshi Ikeda, Raito Kawamura, Hideto Nakao, Katsuhiro Ishimura
  • Patent number: 11070142
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes a single-phase full-wave rectifying unit, an electrolytic capacitor, a plurality of chopper circuits that are arranged between the single-phase full-wave rectifying unit and the electrolytic capacitor, each of the chopper circuits including a reactor, a first MOSFET connected in parallel with the single-phase full-wave rectifying unit, and a second MOSFET connected to a positive terminal of the electrolytic capacitor at one end and to the reactor and the first MOSFET at the other end, a first current detecting unit to bidirectionally detect a current flowing through the reactor, and a control unit to control an operation of the first MOSFET by using the detection result from the first current detecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Ichiki, Akito Tanaka, Shunsuke Kubota
  • Patent number: 10989445
    Abstract: A refrigeration system includes: a compressor arrangement for compressing gaseous refrigerant from a first pressure to a second pressure, wherein the second pressure comprises a condensing pressure; a plurality of condenser evaporator systems, wherein each condenser evaporator system comprises: a condenser for receiving gaseous refrigerant at a condensing pressure and condensing the refrigerant to a liquid refrigerant; a controlled pressure receiver for holding the liquid refrigerant from the condenser; and an evaporator for evaporating liquid refrigerant from the controlled pressure receiver to form gaseous refrigerant; a first gaseous refrigerant feed line for feeding the gaseous refrigerant at the second pressure from the compressor arrangement to the plurality of condenser evaporator systems; and a second gaseous refrigerant feed line for feeding gaseous refrigerant from the plurality of condenser evaporator systems to the compressor arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: ARESCO Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Fred Lingelbach, John Lingelbach
  • Patent number: 10982877
    Abstract: A casing of a heat source unit for a refrigeration device is configured to allow air to flow from a machine chamber disposed at a lower portion of the casing to a heat exchange chamber disposed above the machine chamber. An electric component box includes a bottom panel, a side panel which has a vent opening, a top panel, and a vent opening cover for covering the vent opening of the side panel. The vent opening cover is provided with a plurality of slits extending in the vertical direction at positions deviated from a portion opposed to the vent opening of the side panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Aika Uzawa, Toshihiro Nagashima
  • Patent number: 10941774
    Abstract: Provided is a variable-capacity mechanism for a scroll compressor. The scroll compressor includes a compression mechanism. The compression mechanism includes a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll for defining a series of compression cavities. The variable-capacity mechanism includes: a discharge channel, suitable for communicating a medium-pressure compression cavity in the compression cavities with a low-pressure region; blocking members, suitable for selectively opening or closing the discharge channel; an actuation device, including an execution member, the blocking members being connected to the execution member so as to selectively open or close the discharge channel along with the actions of the execution member. Multiple blocking members are connected to a single execution member so as to synchronously move along with the actions of the single execution member. By the variable-capacity mechanism, action synchronization of multiple blocking members can be reliably implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES, INC. OF ZHUHAI
    Inventors: Guobiao Jiang, Xiaolei Li, Caixia Shan, Yusheng Hu, Qi Fang
  • Patent number: 10928092
    Abstract: A usage-side air-conditioning apparatus has: a casing; a usage-side heat exchanger to cool or heat air inside the casing through the use of a refrigerant supplied from a heat-source-side air-conditioning apparatus; an air supply/exhaust mechanism to take room air and/or outdoor air in from an air-conditioned space or outside of the air-conditioned space, supply the air as supply air to the air-conditioned space, and exhaust the air as exhaust air out of the air-conditioned space; and a refrigerant leakage detection device to detect the refrigerant. When the refrigerant leakage detection device has detected the refrigerant, a refrigerant exhaust operation is performed by the air supply/exhaust mechanism to exhaust the refrigerant out of the air-conditioned space along with the air inside the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuzaburou Yajima, Shingo Itou, Kouji Miwa
  • Patent number: 10921002
    Abstract: A dehumidification system includes a compressor, a primary evaporator, a primary condenser, a secondary evaporator, and a secondary condenser. The secondary evaporator receives an inlet airflow and outputs a first airflow to the primary evaporator. The primary evaporator receives the first airflow and outputs a second airflow to the secondary condenser. The secondary condenser receives the second airflow and outputs a third airflow to the primary condenser. The primary condenser receives the third airflow and outputs a dehumidified airflow. The compressor receives a flow of refrigerant from the primary evaporator and provides the flow of refrigerant to the primary condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Therma-Stor LLC
    Inventors: Steven S. Dingle, Scott E. Sloan, Weizhong Yu, Grant M. Lorang, Todd R. DeMonte
  • Patent number: 10890184
    Abstract: An object is to obtain a scroll compressor that can reduce an outflow of injection refrigerant into an oil sump, reduce degradation of reliability associated with a decrease in viscosity of refrigerating machine oil stored in the oil sump, and reduce degradation of performance caused by compression of dead volume, and thereby achieve high efficiency, and to also obtain a refrigeration cycle apparatus. An injection port opens only to a suction chamber and is provided in a baseplate of a fixed scroll. In all phases of rotation of a rotation shaft, the injection port is located on an inner side of an outer edge of a structure unit that is configured by meshing a spiral body of the fixed scroll and a spiral body of an orbiting scroll with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wataru Iwatake, Raito Kawamura, Shin Sekiya, Kei Sasaki, Shinichi Wakamoto
  • Patent number: 10890362
    Abstract: Disclosed are: an accumulator fixing device for a compressor, the device being capable of minimizing the generation of vibration and noise; and an air-conditioning apparatus including the same. The disclosed accumulator fixing device comprises: fixing members fixedly provided to an outer side of a compressor; a first supporting member fixing a portion of the accumulator together with the fixing member while encompassing the circumference thereof; and a second supporting member fixing another portion of the accumulator together with the fixing member while encompassing the same, wherein the first supporting member and the second supporting member are arranged to be spaced from each other by a preset gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seon-kyo Kim, Bum-young Byun
  • Patent number: 10845103
    Abstract: Disclosed are: an accumulator fixing device for a compressor, the device being capable of minimizing the generation of vibration and noise; and an air-conditioning apparatus including the same. The disclosed accumulator fixing device comprises: fixing members fixedly provided to an outer side of a compressor; a first supporting member fixing a portion of the accumulator together with the fixing member while encompassing the circumference thereof; and a second supporting member fixing another portion of the accumulator together with the fixing member while encompassing the same, wherein the first supporting member and the second supporting member are arranged to be spaced from each other by a preset gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seon-kyo Kim, Bum-young Byun
  • Patent number: 10801758
    Abstract: Disclosed are: an accumulator fixing device for a compressor, the device being capable of minimizing the generation of vibration and noise; and an air-conditioning apparatus including the same. The disclosed accumulator fixing device comprises: fixing members fixedly provided to an outer side of a compressor; a first supporting member fixing a portion of the accumulator together with the fixing member while encompassing the circumference thereof; and a second supporting member fixing another portion of the accumulator together with the fixing member while encompassing the same, wherein the first supporting member and the second supporting member are arranged to be spaced from each other by a preset gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seon-kyo Kim, Bum-young Byun
  • Patent number: 10724769
    Abstract: A system and method for providing useable source fluid from a thermal exchange unit and/or one or more thermal exchange and storage units is disclosed. Topologies described allow operation in an air source, a ground source, a preconditioning, a parallel and a simultaneous mode. In the air source mode conditioned source fluid is obtained exclusively from an air-to-liquid heat exchanger. In the ground source mode source fluid is obtained exclusively from a ground heat exchanger. In the preconditioning mode source fluid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is used to condition a ground heat exchanger. In the parallel mode source fluid is obtained from both the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and a ground heat exchangers. In the simultaneous mode, source fluid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is used to improve the thermal condition of a ground heat exchanger while source fluid for the heat pump is obtained from another ground heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Inventor: Gaylord Olson
  • Patent number: 10703172
    Abstract: A vehicular heat management system has a first valve body, a second valve body, a third valve body, and a fourth valve body. The first valve body switches a state that the heating medium discharged from the first pump flows in and a state that the heating medium discharged from the first pump does not flow in, with respect to the more than or equal to three of heating medium passing device. The second valve body switches a state that the heating medium discharged from the second pump flows in and a state that the heating medium discharged from the second pump does not flow in, with respect to the more than or equal to three of heating medium passing device. The third valve body switches a state that the heating medium flows to the first pump and a state that the heating medium does not flow to the first pump, with respect to the more than or equal to three of heating medium passing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masamichi Makihara, Norihiko Enomoto, Yoshiki Katoh, Kazutoshi Kuwayama, Nobuharu Kakehashi
  • Patent number: 10662936
    Abstract: A compressor includes a compression mechanism configured to suck and compress a refrigerant from a suction space to discharge the refrigerant to a discharge space by a driving force transmitted thereto. The compressor includes an oil storage chamber provided in the discharge space to collect oil separated from the refrigerant discharged from the compression mechanism, an oil recovery passage configured to guide the oil in the oil storage chamber to the suction space, and a decompression mechanism provided in the oil recovery passage to reduce a pressure of the oil passing through the oil recovery passage by an orifice hole having an inner diameter smaller than the oil recovery passage. The decompression mechanism is configured such that, when a pressure in the oil storage chamber is increased, the inner diameter of the orifice hole is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: HANON SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Seok Jin Ham, Min Gyu Kim
  • Patent number: 10612799
    Abstract: A multi-split system and a medium-pressure controlling method thereof. The multi-split system includes an outdoor unit, a distribution device, and a plurality of indoor units. The distribution device includes a gas-liquid separator, a first heat exchange assembly, a first electronic expansion valve, a second heat exchange assembly and a second electronic expansion valve. The distribution device is configured to perform a routine correction on a medium-pressure control target value of the first electronic expansion valve according to the subcooling degree of the heating indoor unit, the outlet air temperature of the heating indoor unit and the opening of the throttling element in the heating indoor unit, and to correct a current medium-pressure control target value of the first electronic expansion valve according to a preset step when the opening of the throttling element reaches a maximum opening or a minimum opening and lasts for a first preset time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Inventors: Bin Luo, Yueming Li
  • Patent number: 10589599
    Abstract: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle having a simple configuration and capable of controlling temperature in a wide range. In a dehumidification heating operation in which a refrigerant is circulated through a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, an evaporator and a compressor in the order named so as to radiate the heat of the refrigerant into the first heat exchanger, there is provided a refrigerant heating means which heats the refrigerant when an outside air temperature is not higher than a predetermined temperature and when an opening degree of the second expansion valve which expands the refrigerant flowing out from the second heat exchanger is larger than an opening degree of the first expansion valve which expands the refrigerant flowing out from the first heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Isao Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 10581240
    Abstract: A protective circuit with low power consumption includes a load detection module, a feedback control module, and a protective discharge module. The load detection module detects a detection voltage of the current detection unit. When the detection voltage detected by the load detection module is less than a determined voltage value, the protective discharge module is configured to turn off the isolation switch to disconnect an output voltage outputted from the protective circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: CHICONY POWER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tso-Jen Peng
  • Patent number: 10578377
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a heat exchange portion including a plurality of plate-shaped fins and a plurality of heat transfer pipes, the plate-shaped fins being spaced from each other and parallel to each other, the heat transfer pipes intersecting the plate-shaped fins, a header pipe which supplies refrigerant to the heat exchange portion, and a plurality of pass pipes connected between the heat exchange portion and the header pipe. The plurality of pass pipes include at least one pass pipe including a first straight pipe part extending in a direction away from the header pipe, a first bent pipe part extending from the first straight pipe part, a second straight pipe part extending in a direction away from a pipe junction which at which the heat exchange portion and the second straight pipe are connected to each other, a second bent pipe part extending from the second straight pipe part, and a third straight pipe part extending between the first bent pipe part and the second bent pipe part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Abastari
  • Patent number: 10533805
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an outdoor heat exchanger, and more particularly, to an outdoor heat exchanger including a variable baffle whose opening and closing are controlled according to a switching of cooling/heating modes of a vehicle heat pump system to easily change a refrigerant pass and reduce the number of refrigerant passes at the time of heating than at the time of cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Hanon Systems
    Inventors: Jun Young Song, Dong Suk Lee, Sun Mi Lee, Hong-Young Lim, Wi Sam Jo
  • Patent number: 10508848
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus using refrigerant including HFO-1123, the refrigeration cycle apparatus including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator connected in a loop, and a cooling unit configured to cool the refrigerant at an inlet of the expansion valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, AGC INC.
    Inventors: Tetsuji Saikusa, Takeshi Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 10427497
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner includes an air-heating switching portion that switches between a first air-heating mode of heating ventilation air by a heating heat exchanger and a second air-heating mode of heating the ventilation air by a condenser. The vehicle air conditioner includes a heat-exchange adjustment portion that adjusts an amount of heat exchange between the high-pressure refrigerant and the ventilation air in the condenser, and a heat-exchange control unit that controls the heat-exchange adjustment portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuuichi Kami
  • Patent number: 10421337
    Abstract: There is disclosed a vehicle air conditioner which can effectively eliminate occurrence of excess or lack of an amount of a refrigerant to be circulated in an internal cycle mode. A controller changes and executes a heating mode, a dehumidifying and heating mode, an internal cycle mode, a dehumidifying and cooling mode, and a cooling mode. When an amount of the refrigerant to be circulated is excessively large in the internal cycle mode, a controller executes a refrigerant sealing mode to seal a refrigerant in an outdoor heat exchanger 7, and when the amount of the refrigerant to be circulated is insufficient, the controller executes a refrigerant discharge mode to discharge the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: SANDEN HOLDINGS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo Miyakoshi, Kenichi Suzuki, Hidenori Takei, Kouhei Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10260779
    Abstract: A refrigeration system includes: a compressor arrangement for compressing gaseous refrigerant from a first pressure to a second pressure, wherein the second pressure comprises a condensing pressure; a plurality of condenser evaporator systems, wherein each condenser evaporator system comprises: (1) a condenser for receiving gaseous refrigerant at a condensing pressure and condensing the refrigerant to a liquid refrigerant; (2) a controlled pressure receiver for holding the liquid refrigerant from the condenser; and (3) an evaporator for evaporating liquid refrigerant from the controlled pressure receiver to form gaseous refrigerant; a first gaseous refrigerant feed line for feeding the gaseous refrigerant at the second pressure from the compressor arrangement to the plurality of condenser evaporator systems; and a second gaseous refrigerant feed line for feeding gaseous refrigerant from the plurality of condenser evaporator systems to the compressor arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: ARESCO Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Fred Lingelbach, John Lingelbach
  • Patent number: 10259086
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for reducing a refrigerant pressure difference within are HVAC system having a controller, one or more compressors, and at least two paths of refrigerant piping comprising alternative paths for refrigerant flow through the HVAC system. A valve is coupled to each refrigerant piping path for permitting, or preventing, refrigerant flow through each of the alternate paths of refrigerant piping. The controller may open at least one valve for a defined period of time in response to a triggering input to allow a refrigerant pressure difference within the HVAC system to dissipate across the opened valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Lennox Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Harold Gene Havard, Jr., Rakesh Goel, Rosa Maria Leal, Thomas Edward Pate, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10161685
    Abstract: Embodiments of a heat exchanger, e.g. a micro-channel heat exchanger are disclosed. The heat exchanger may include a plurality of rows of micro-channel tubes, each of which can be configured to direct a working fluid in a specific direction. The heat exchanger may include one or more distributors in a distribution header of the heat exchanger, each of which can be connected to a different application circuit (e.g. a refrigeration circuit) so that a capacity of the heat exchanger may be regulated. The heat exchanger as disclosed herein can be used as an evaporator and/or a condenser in a refrigeration system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Roger J. Voorhis, Jr., Jun Wang, Brian Westfall, Sean A. Smith, Tao Zhou, William B. Fox, Felix Quintero, Michael W. Groen, Justin S. Winters, Robert F. Schult
  • Patent number: 10144272
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat exchange unit including a condenser that radiates heat of refrigerant discharged from a compressor, and an evaporator that expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser using an expanding device and then absorbs ambient heat into the evaporator, the condenser and the evaporator being connected to each other. According to operation mode, air to be supplied to a vehicle interior selectively exchanges heat with the condenser or the evaporator, or sequentially exchanges heat with the condenser and the evaporator. A subcooler that cools the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser before the refrigerant is expanded by the expanding device is provided. The subcooler is disposed at a position below the evaporator and to which condensed water flows down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shinji Kakizaki
  • Patent number: 10107537
    Abstract: A controller performs medium pressure control that controls the opening degree of a second expansion device based on a deviation between a target value of medium pressure, and a detection result of a medium pressure detector or a predicted value. The controller controls the opening degree of a third expansion device based on a target value of a discharge refrigerant temperature of a compressor or a target value related to the discharge refrigerant temperature, and a detection result of a discharge refrigerant temperature detector or a value related to the discharge refrigerant temperature computed using a detected detection result, and regulates a flow rate of refrigerant to supply to a suction side of the compressor via an injection pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Ishimura, Koji Yamashita, Shinichi Wakamoto, Naofumi Takenaka
  • Patent number: 10072193
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for filling a refrigerant mixture. This method enables composition changes of a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture comprising HFO-1234ze(E) and HFC-32 during the transfer to fall within an acceptable range of refrigerant performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hitomi Kuroki, Yasufu Yamada, Tatsumi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 10047962
    Abstract: An indoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes a main heat exchanger unit and a sub heat exchanger unit, the main heat exchanger unit includes a first main heat exchanger disposed at a front side of a case and a first heat-transfer pipe extending in a vertical direction, and a second main heat exchanger disposed at a back side of the case and a second heat-transfer pipe extending in the vertical direction. The sub heat exchanger unit includes a leeward-side first sub heat exchanger disposed at a leeward side of the first main heat exchanger and a heat-transfer pipe extending in a width direction, and a leeward-side second sub heat exchanger including a heat-transfer pipe extending in the width direction. The leeward-side second sub heat exchanger has a lower end surface located above an air passage wall and is disposed at a leeward side of the second main heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki Ugajin, Hideaki Maeyama, Akira Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 10047992
    Abstract: A low-cost and highly-efficient air-conditioning system including an AHU using refrigerant of a heat pump cycle as a heat source, and capable of reducing an on/off cycle operation of compressors at a time of a low load, the system including: a plurality of outdoor units; an air handling unit; a plurality of independent heat pump cycles formed by connecting the plurality of outdoor units and the air handling unit by refrigerant pipes, each of the plurality of independent heat pump cycles including a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an outdoor heat exchanger; and a number control unit controlling, to satisfy a capacity demand corresponding to an air-conditioning load, based on a particular frequency range associated with the compressor, in which a certain compressor efficiency or more is obtained, a number of the compressors in operation and operating frequencies of the respective compressors in operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Ushijima
  • Patent number: 10040336
    Abstract: A heat pump vehicle air conditioning system passes hot gas to a condenser and a vaporizer for the vehicle cabin exterior. Even with low outside air temperature, it can efficiently defrost using the cooling cycle. The system includes a cabin-interior condenser downstream of a cabin-interior vaporizer within an HVAC unit connected via refrigerant switching means to a cooling cycle. Cooling is accomplished by a compressor, cabin-exterior condenser, first decompression unit with on-off valve function, the cabin-interior vaporizer, and an accumulator. A cabin-exterior vaporizer disposed outside of the vehicle cabin is connected with a second decompression unit via an on-off valve function and to the exit-side liquid refrigerant pipe of the cabin-exterior condenser. A bypass circuit having a third decompression unit with on-off function is connected between the accumulator and the exit-side liquid refrigerant pipe of the cabin-exterior condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES AUTOMOTIVE THERMAL SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Morishita, Toshiyuki Ishida
  • Patent number: 10030877
    Abstract: An air handler apparatus includes at least one heat exchanger device with a cooling fluid region separated from a temperature transfer fluid region, an evaporator device comprising an evaporator housing and at least one evaporator coil, and a pump. The cooling fluid region has a cooling fluid input and a cooling fluid output and the temperature transfer fluid region has a temperature transfer fluid input and a temperature transfer fluid output. The evaporator housing defines an air passage having an air input and an air output. The evaporator coil has an evaporator coil input coupled to the temperature transfer fluid output and an evaporator output coupled to temperature transfer fluid input of the temperature transfer fluid region in the heat exchanger device. The pump is coupled to the temperature transfer fluid region in the heat exchanger device to pump temperature transfer fluid between the temperature transfer fluid region and the evaporator coil when activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Inventors: Gerald McDonnell, Jeffrey Cheesman