Thermo King Corporation

Thermal King Corporation

William L Waldschmidt

Gregory R Truckenbrod

Bruce E McClellan

Peter J Loomis

Michael Dean Turnquist

Dennis E Welch

William P Maxwell

Richard S Walters

Jayaram Seshadri

Srinivasa Rao Koppineedi

Vladimir Sulc

Donald D King

Timothy J Neu

Daniel T Neimy

John Elliott Waldschmidt

Dean M Parker

Vidhey Vijay Trivedi

Harvey E Danielson

John Steven McFadden

Joe A Wermager

A method of controlling an auxiliary power unit of a vehicle. The auxiliary power unit is in communication with an air conditioning system of the vehicle and includes an engine and an alternator coupled to the engine. The method includes determining a state of a compressor of the air conditioning system, the compressor including an off state and an on state, reducing an alternator load relative to the engine in response to the compressor being varied from the off state to the on state, increasing the alternator load relative to the engine after a predetermined time interval, and simultaneously operating the alternator up to an alternator load capacity and the compressor up to a compressor load capacity.

Control system for auxiliary power unit of a vehicle

A temperature control system includes a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a receiver, and an accumulator. A valve is positioned between the evaporator and the receiver. An evacuation line has a first end in fluid communication with heat transfer fluid between the valve and the receiver, and a second end in fluid communication with the accumulator. The evacuation line provides for flow of the heat transfer fluid from both of the first heat exchanger and the receiver to the accumulator during an evacuation mode of operation of the temperature control system. The valve can take the form of a check valve or an expansion valve without a bleed port.

Temperature control system with refrigerant recovery arrangement

A system for reducing an alternator's load on an engine when the engine drives a second load. The system includes an alternator, a battery, a resistor, and a switch. The alternator includes a stator, a voltage regulator, a rectifier, and a field coil. The battery has a first terminal coupled to the alternator and a second terminal coupled to the alternator. The resistor has a first lead coupled to the first terminal and a second lead coupled to the field coil. The switch is coupled in parallel across the resistor, and is open when the engine drives the second load and closed when the engine is not driving the second load.

Systems and methods of reducing a load on an engine

An environmentally controlled shipping container including a storage space, a first environmentally controlled space within the storage space, a second environmentally controlled space within the storage space, and a transport refrigeration unit. The transport refrigeration unit including a compressor that provides a flow of refrigerant, a condenser that receives the flow of refrigerant from the compressor, a first evaporator positioned within the first environmentally controlled space and in fluid communication with the condenser, a second evaporator positioned within the second environmentally controlled space and in fluid communication with the condenser, and a pressure regulator associated with the first evaporator. The pressure regulator selectively restricts the flow of refrigerant from the first evaporator to the compressor such that the flow of refrigerant from the first evaporator to the compressor is substantially equal to the flow of refrigerant from the second evaporator to the compressor.

Multi temperature control system

A system and method of maintaining multiple temperatures using a single refrigeration system. A single refrigeration system includes a compressor, reservoir, condenser and associated piping is selectively coupled to one of a plurality of evaporator units. Each evaporator unit has an inlet valve, an expansion valve and an evaporator. A sensor signals a microprocessor that one of the plurality of evaporators requires cooling, initiating a cooling cycle. The compressor is energized and the evaporator inlet valve opens, allowing refrigerant to flow through the evaporator unit. At the conclusion of the cooling cycle, the evaporator inlet valve closes while the compressor continues to operate allowing the removal or drawing down of the refrigerant from the evaporator prior to cooling another evaporator section. At the conclusion of the draw down process, the compressor is de-energized.

Multi-temperature cold plate refrigeration system

Cover for a vehicle roof top transport refrigeration unit

A refrigerant receiver tank assembly having a refrigerant inlet flow path for receiving refrigerant from a condenser coil and a refrigerant outlet flow path for supplying refrigerant to an evaporator coil. The receiver tank assembly includes a tank and a manifold which define a closed space for holding a supply level of liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant inlet flow path includes an outlet opening in the closed space, and an inlet opening. The manifold defines the refrigerant outlet flow path, with the refrigerant outlet flow path having an inlet opening in the closed space, and first and second outlet openings. A pick-up tube is disposed in the closed space having a first end connected to the inlet opening of the refrigerant outlet flow path and a second end disposed below the level of liquid refrigerant in the closed space. A controllable valve is mounted on the manifold which selectively controls flow of refrigerant to a predetermined outlet opening of the refrigerant outlet flow path. In a preferred embodiment, an additional tubular member is disposed in the closed space having a first end connected to the refrigerant inlet flow path and a second end disposed above the liquid level the refrigerant. The second end of the pickup tube and the second end of the additional tube are respectively disposed below and above the level of liquid refrigerant in predetermined horizontal and vertical orientations of the receiver tank assembly.

Refrigerant receiver tank assembly

A hose coupling, and method of constructing same, for sealably interconnecting a flexible hose and a rigid center pipe. The hose coupling is assembled without requiring relative rotation between the rigid center pipe and the inner surface of the flexible hose. The method includes the steps of inserting an end of the center pipe rectilinearly into the opening of the flexible hose, disposing a compression sleeve member having first and second outwardly facing frustoconical surfaces about the flexible hose, disposing first and second complementary threaded tubular members, which respectively define first and second outwardly facing frustoconical surfaces, about the flexible hose and rigid center pipe, respectively, and threadably drawing the first and second complementary threaded tubular members together such that the first and second outwardly inwardly facing frustoconical surfaces respectively force the first and second outwardly facing frustoconical surfaces inwardly to compress the compression member tightly about the flexible hose and the center pipe. The hose coupling includes the compression sleeve member, the first and second complementary threaded tubular members, and the cooperative frustoconical surfaces which force the compression sleeve member to a smaller stressed diameter which securely and sealably interconnects the rigid pipe member and flexible hose.

Hose coupling and method of constructing same

Cover for a transport refrigeration unit

A zero cube transport refrigeration unit suitable for a straight truck having a component arrangement which minimizes the height of the unit to provide maximum clearance for tilt cabs, and an air flow arrangement which discharges all noise generated by an internal combustion engine vertically upward from the top of the unit. Prime mover, evaporator, compressor and comdenser sections are laterally spaced from one side of the unit to the other, and a single power shaft runs through all of the sections. Evaporator and condenser air movers are directly mounted on the power shaft while the internal combustion engine, compressor, and optional electric standby motor, are all belted to the power shaft. The evaporator air mover is a centrifugal blower wheel, which provides excellent air distribution in the load space of a straight truck. All air is brought into the unit from one side thereof via the condenser section and discharged upwardly through openings in the top of the unit, with the cover and frame cooperatively defining an air flow passageway from the compressor section to the prime mover section, to isolate the prime mover section for minimal external noise.

Zero cube transport refrigeration unit for straight trucks

An evaporator coil heat exchanger assembly of a refrigeration system, such as a transport refrigeration system, which includes an electrical heating element for rapid defrosting of the evaporator coil with its attendant refrigerant carrying tubes and cooling fins. The electrical heating element is quickly attached to the collective edges of the cooling fins by a plurality of low cost spring retainer clips which have one portion which extends between two closely spaced cooling fins to hook a refrigerant carrying tube, and another portion which holds the heating element against edges of the cooling fins with a spring force. The spring retainer clips may be just as quickly removed should the heating element require replacement. Each spring retainer clip is formed from a single piece of metallic wire having first and second curved end sections, and an intermediate portion which functions both as a spring and as a handle.

Evaporator coil heat exchanger assembly

An evaporator coil heat exchanger assembly of a refrigeration system, such as a transport refrigeration system, which includes an electrical heating element for rapid defrosting of the evaporator coil with its attendant refrigerant carrying tubes and cooling fins. The electrical heating element is quickly attached to the collective edges of the cooling fins by a plurality of low cost spring retainer clips which have one portion which extends between two closely spaced cooling fins to hook a refrigerant carrying tube, and another portion which holds the heating element against edges of the cooling fins with a spring force. The spring retainer clips may be just as quickly removed should the heating element require replacement. Only three curved sections are required to be formed in a single length of wire to form the active elements of the spring retainer clip, and a handle portion is formed in the remaining portion of the single wire length.

A container refrigeration unit is provided with a forwardly open condenser pocket 40 in which is located a condenser coil 50 near the upper portion of the pocket and in a generally centered location, the coil being mounted in an inverted disposition and provided with a bottom plate 52 and a front plate 54 with a fan ring opening 56 so that air is drawn into the condenser coil from the top and sides, the remaining U-shaped space in the pocket to the sides and bottom of the condenser being available to accommodate the electric motor compressor 60, the control box 62, an operations recorder 64, and if required a power transformer 66.

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Farmington, MN, United States of America

William L Waldschmidt