Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Steven David Errick

Paul Bryan Hoke

Manfred Koberstein

James R Hurd

Jennifer A Herr-Rathke

Alan Douglas Wallington

Eric R Yerke

John Azar

An active seal arrangement operably connected to a radiator and condenser of a vehicle. The arrangement includes at least one movable seal. The seal is selectively movable between a closed, air-restricting position and an open, air-passing position. The seal is slidably attached to a side wall fitted between the radiator and the condenser. A position controller operably connected to at least one sensor regulates the position of the seal.

Active seal arrangement for use with vehicle condensers

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a vehicle cabin heating system, based on particulate filter (PF) regeneration prediction. In one example, a method includes predicting an amount of exhaust heat that may be recovered via an exhaust heat exchanger during an upcoming PF regeneration event, and prior to the PF regeneration event, adjusting an amount of electric power supplied to an electric heater of the cabin heating system. The amount of adjustment may be based on the predicted amount of exhaust heat that may be recovered.

Method and device for vehicle cabin heating

An active seal arrangement operably connected to a radiator and condenser of a vehicle. The arrangement includes at least one movable seal. The seal is selectively movable between a closed, air-restricting position and an open, air-passing position. The seal is pivotably connected to either the radiator or the condenser. Alternatively, the movable seal is slidably attached to a side wall fitted between the radiator and the condenser. A position controller operably connected to at least one sensor regulates the position of the seal. The seal is moved to its closed, air-restricting position during times of high condenser load such as when idling or when the vehicle is operated at very low vehicle speeds during hot weather. The seal is moved to its open, air-passing position during high powertrain cooling demand such as in hot weather, when ascending a grade, or when towing a large trailer or payload.

A ventilation system is provided for a transportation vehicle having a passenger cabin with an interior trim surface. A stationary duct segment receives an inlet air flow and has a stationary outlet hidden behind the interior trim surface. A telescoping duct segment has a sliding inlet sealingly coupled to the stationary outlet so that it slides on the stationary outlet between a retracted position and an extended position. The telescoping duct segment has a movable outlet arranged to provide a variable flow cross section to the passenger cabin that increases as the telescoping duct segment slides from the retracted position to the extended position. A trim hood provides a portion of the interior trim surface and is movable with the telescoping duct segment. The trim hood has a pivot axis at an end of the trim hood remote from the movable outlet.

Deployable vent for automotive ventilation system

An automotive vehicle air extraction system in fluid communication with a cabin of the vehicle is provided. The extraction system may have a housing arrangement and a pair of extractors attached to the housing arrangement. A chamber may be formed between the housing arrangement and pair of extractors. An air pump may be in fluid communication with the chamber. The pair of extractors may be an inner extractor and an outer extractor. A controller may be configured to activate the air pump to supply airflow to the chamber to close the inner extractor and/or prevent inadvertent opening of the inner extractor.

Vehicle air extraction system and method

A heat exchanger assembly having first and second heat exchangers and a seal. The seal may be disposed on the first heat exchanger and may have an elongated portion that extends toward the second heat exchanger to direct the flow of cooling air.

Heat exchanger assembly having a seal

An air duct assembly having a housing and a flexible vane. Sufficient airflow through the housing may actuate the flexible vane to permit airflow through an outlet.

Air duct assembly having a flexible vane

Each vehicle in a fleet comprises a climate controller having an auto mode. The auto mode controls climate actuators in response to a model relating sensed climate conditions to respective settings for the actuators. The vehicle has a buffer memory periodically storing sample vectors comprised of actuator/operation settings and sensed climate conditions. A user interface in the vehicle is responsive to a user override commands to modify respective operation settings while in auto mode. Each vehicle has a wireless communication system for sending data packages to a remote server when the user generates the override. Each data package is comprised of a plurality of stored sample vectors and an identification of the override command A central database associated with the remote server receives the data packages from the fleet vehicles in order to identify patterns within the received vectors that are associated with any given override command

Growing community of inventors

Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Steven David Errick