Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Donald E Hoffman

Frank C Falzone

Jeffrey Charles Kinmartin

Demetrio B Sacca

Fariborz Kayyod

Peter J Taylor

David B McDonald

An air distribution housing in an automotive air conditioning system includes spaced wall portions forming an air passage for flow of conditioned air into the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle; each of the wall portions having pins directed internally of the wall portions without forming openings therethrough and including distal ends thereon inserted into a tubular end portion of the valve member for pivotally supporting the valve member within the air passage without penetrating through the spaced wall portions so as to prevent air leakage and resultant noise from the air distribution housing. A method of assembly of the air distribution housing includes the steps of providing two separate housing parts with integrally formed pins on the inner surfaces thereof; providing a valve door with a pivot tube on one end thereof; vertically locating one end of the tube on one of the pins; thereafter joining the housing parts to locate the other pin in the other end of the pivot tube.

Air distribution housing with integrally formed internal bearing pins

A one-piece molded clamp having two portions connected by a living hinge defines cylindrical passages for two pipes and annular grooves for receiving beads on the pipes. A locking tang on one portion engages a mating cavity on the other portion to hold the clamp closed. The pipes pass through apertures in a wall and the clamp is mounted to the wall by a fastener passing through the clamp. Outstanding ribs on the wall hug the outer surface of the clamp to assist the locking tang in holding the clamp closed. A foam seal with a rubber surface layer is compressed between the clamp and the wall to prevent leaks through the wall apertures.

Unitary pipe clamp and assembly

A heater core is mounted over an opening in a wall of a heater and air conditioner case and secured by a single spring steel strap having a straight portion extending parallel to the tubes of the core and bearing on the header flanges. The strap has terminal hook portions which engage anchor apertures in the web outboard of the core. The apertures have flanged edges for engagement by the hook portions and the strap is manually flexed for engagement or disengagement of the hook portions during installation or removal of the strap so that no tools are required. One embodiment has a hook on one end of the strap and a snap fastener on the other end. Another embodiment has identical hooks on both ends of the strap.

Heater core retaining system

A vehicle heating and cooling system has a distribution duct separated into two channels by a baffle for supplying separate air streams to the passenger and driver sides of the vehicle compartment. Two temperature control doors associated with the heater core and evaporator separately admit an air mix to the two channels for independent control of driver and passenger side temperature. Optionally a single door is used in place of the two temperature control doors so that at the time of manufacture the system can be configured as a single zone system. A rear air discharge opening is provided in one of the channels to supply a duct leading to the rear seat region of the vehicle compartment.

Method of assembly of single and multi-zone vehicle heating and a/c

A motor vehicle air conditioning and heating system having an evaporator and a valve controlled heater core is provided with a cold air bypass around the heater core and upper and lower compartment outlets which outlets and bypass are controlled by a single mode valve to provide a bi-level mode. In one embodiment, the mode valve comprises a singular valve element. In another embodiment, the mode valve comprises two valve elements which are linked together.

Motor vehicle air conditioning and heating system with bi-level mode

An air conditioner assembly of the type including an air flow housing, an air flow valve rotatably mounted in the housing, and an actuator mounted on the housing. The actuator includes a rod extending therefrom. The rod and valve include first and second complementary connector parts, respectively. The second connector part is connectable with the first connector part by rotation of the actuator through approximately 90.degree. about the axis of the rod from a first orientation to a second orientation. The assembly includes a first bayonet coupling on the housing and a second bayonet coupling on the actuator for coupling the actuator to the housing. The bayonet couplers are complementary to each other and are operatively aligned with each other when the first and second connecting parts are in engagement with the actuator in the first orientation whereby the actuator may be mounted on the housing and the connector parts may be connected by rotation of the actuator from the first orientation to the second orientation.

Actuator for air conditioning system

A vacuum operated actuator is provided with a centering mechanism that operates with a single spring to normally locate the output in a mid-position and also return same from both an extended position and a retracted position. The centering mechanism also includes a connector that may be changed to adjust the output for connection with the device to be actuated without changing the centering and return operation.

Linear motion actuator with spring centering means

A rotary air valve mounted in a case for rotatable movement about an axis to close either one of two adjacent openings has a flexible elastomeric seal that flexibly engages inwardly and outwardly facing curved sealing surfaces on the case to seal the respective openings when the valve closes same. The sealing surfaces have a radius of curvature whose axis is offset from that of the valve so that a predetermined contact pressure is established along the seal at the curved sealing surfaces to tightly seal the openings when the valve is closed but diminishes to zero immediately as the valve is rotated to open either opening to thereafter permit further opening of the valve uninhibited by the seal.

Rotary air valve seal arrangement

A single inlet/outlet-tank U-shaped tube heat exchanger is disclosed comprising a tank having a header plate and a plurality of U-shaped tubes whose legs extend through and terminate with an open end at one side of the header plate. A first group of the tubes is arranged so that the two open ends of each of these tubes are located in one and the other of two outboard rows extending longitudinally of the header plate. A second group of the tubes with a smaller radius return bend is arranged in staggered pairs intermediate those in the first group and with their return bends parallel to each other and angled to those in the first group so that one open leg end of each of the tubes in the second group is located in one and the other of the outboard rows and the remaining open leg end of each of these tubes is located in a third and inboard row extending between the two outboard rows. A partition in the tank cooperates with the header plate to define an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber in the tank open respectively to the open tube ends in one and the other of the two outboard rows and also to alternate ones of the open tube ends in the inboard row whereby each of the tubes is connected to effect two-pass flow between said chambers.

Growing community of inventors

Java Center, NY, United States of America

Donald E Hoffman