Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Trent Greear Sutherland

Mark G Smith

Michael Steven Wallis

John Azar

Robert Louis Hayes

Kevin James Brohl

A multi-zone climate control system for vehicles includes a front HVAC unit, a powered blower, and a heater core. The front HVAC unit is adapted to condition air provided to first and second front zones. The front HVAC unit further includes a cold air outlet connected to the powered blower. Cold air from the cold air outlet of the front HVAC unit passes through the powered blower and enters the heater core. The heater core is configured to control a temperature of conditioned air supplied to at least one rear zone of the passenger compartment.

Compact dual-zone console HVAC system for automobiles

A refrigerant hammer arrestor includes a housing having an internal compartment communicating with a refrigerant line, a piston received in the housing and dividing the internal compartment into a first chamber and a second chamber and a damping mechanism to dampen displacement of the piston within the housing. Various refrigerant loops are also described incorporating a refrigerant hammer arrestor.

Refrigerant hammer arrestor and refrigerant loop incorporating that refrigerant hammer arrestor

A vehicle system includes a refrigerant loop with a specific arrangement of valves and evaporators or heat exchangers to reduce the number of valves necessary. The vehicle system includes a refrigerant loop that includes a first thermal expansion valve downstream of a condenser and upstream of a first evaporator. A second thermal expansion valve is downstream of the condenser and upstream of a second evaporator. A third thermal expansion valve is upstream of a battery chiller. This arrangement allows for the valves to be simplified such that none of the thermal expansion valve include a binary shut-off valve. A multi-flow position valve may be positioned at a location that combines the outlet of the first and second evaporators.

Refrigerant shut off valve simplification

A low air conditioning refrigerant detection method for a vehicle air conditioning system includes measuring an evaporator core outlet refrigerant temperature, measuring an evaporator core outlet air thermistor temperature, calculating a refrigerant to air temperature delta value based on difference between the evaporator core outlet refrigerant temperature and the evaporator core outlet air thermistor temperature and determining system refrigerant charge level based on the refrigerant to air temperature delta value.

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Trent Greear Sutherland