Mahle International Gmbh

Yanping Xia

Prasad Shripad Kadle

Mingyu Wang

Jeffrey Charles Kinmartin

Wen Liu

Russell S Johnson

Shrikant Mukund Joshi

Wayne Oliver Forrest

Douglas Charles Wintersteen

Donald Robert Pautler

David E Samuelson

Timothy D Craig

Joel Thomas Hambruch

Lindsey Lee Leitzel

Henry Goodman

Joseph B Czach

Russel Scott Johnson

An HVAC module having a reconfigurable bi-level duct system is disclosed. The air duct includes an air duct inlet in fluid communication with the HVAC module, an interior wall dividing the air duct into first and second air passageways, a bypass port enabling fluid communication between the first air and second air passageways. A downstream control valve disposed adjacent the bypass port and is configured to selectively direct air flow from one of the first and second air passageways to the other of the first and second air passageways. An upstream flow control valve is disposed adjacent to the inlet of the air duct, wherein the upstream flow control valve is configured to selectively direct air flow from the hot and cold chambers of the HVAC module to the first and second air passageways of the air duct.

HVAC module having a reconfigurable bi-level duct system

A method controls the discharge of temperature-conditioned air from a plurality of zone outlets of an automotive HVAC system via an open architecture multi-zone HVAC unit having a single blower fan, an evaporator downstream of the blower and a heater downstream of the evaporator, wherein each zone in the module includes a temperature mix door for proportioning hot and cold air, which is controlled by a separate Discharge Temperature Maintenance control (DTM control), and an output valve for controlling a zonal output flow rate. The output valve of each zone outlet is placed in an output valve position associated with a target resistance; and the single blower fan is operated at a minimum voltage required for generating a total requested blower output flowrate.

Un-partitioned HVAC module control for multi-zone and high performance operation

A heat exchanger includes a header, a plurality of tubes, and a distributor. The header is configured to contain refrigerant and define an opening proximate to a termination end of the header. The plurality of tubes extends away from and is fluidicly coupled to the header. The plurality of tubes includes a first group of adjacent tubes characterized as located further away from the opening than a second group of adjacent tubes. The distributor is located within the header and spaced apart from the opening such that a first portion of the refrigerant in the first group of tubes does flow through the distributor, and a second portion of the refrigerant in the first group of tubes does not flow through the distributor.

Heat exchanger with reduced length distributor tube

The disclosure presents a heat exchanger assembly having a first manifold, a second manifold spaced from the first manifold, a plurality of refrigerant tubes extending between and in hydraulic communication with the first and second manifolds, a plurality of corrugated fins inserted between the plurality of refrigerant tubes, and a condensate extractor having a comb baffle portion with fingers inserted between the plurality of refrigerant tubes and a conveyance portion. The comb baffle portion is configured to extract condensate from between the plurality of refrigerant tubes and the conveyance portion is configured to convey condensate away from the heat exchanger assembly.

Heat exchanger having a condensate extractor

HVAC module has an air inlet, an evaporator downstream of the blower and a heater downstream of the evaporator, and a rear mixing zone downstream of the evaporator and the heater, wherein a control valve prevents cold air from flowing back towards the hot air by regulating the pressure of the cold air. A method is devised to control anti-backflow control valve of such an HVAC module by the steps of reading pressure and temperatures at various points in the HVAC module; setting air flow and temperature discharge targets; calculating the resistance of the control valve and a bland valve; determining corresponding control valve and blend valve positions; and moving the control valve and blend valve to those corresponding positions.

HVAC module with anti-backflow control and method of operation

A heat pump cooling and heating system for an electric vehicle includes a range extending PCM heat exchanger (), with a single acting phase change material with a melt temperature between the two comfort temperatures associated with cooling and heating, respectively. In a charging mode, as the vehicle batteries are charged, the same exterior current source runs the compressor (), charging the PCM exchanger () with heat or 'cold.' During an initial range extending mode, the PCM exchanger/reservoir () serves as the heat source or heat sink. The PCM material does not directly heat or cool the air, as is conventional, allowing a single reservoir material to be used in both heating and cooling modes.

HVAC system for electric vehicle with driving range extension

HVAC unit has a single blower fan, an evaporator downstream of the blower and a heater downstream of the evaporator, wherein each zone outlet includes a temperature mixing door for controlling portions of hot and cold air and an output valve for controlling a zonal output flow rate. A method is devised to control the discharge of temperature-conditioned air from a plurality of zone outlets of an automotive HVAC system via such an HVAC unit by the steps of reading an operator-requested zonal discharge blower level for each of the zone outlets; converting each zonal discharge blower level request to a zonal flowrate request; calculating a total requested output flowrate as a summation of all zonal flowrate requests; and adjusting a blower voltage to a minimum voltage required for generating the total requested output flowrate.

Method of controlling the discharge of temperature-conditioned air

A heat pump heat exchanger includes a first manifold, a second manifold spaced from the first manifold, a plurality of refrigerant tubes hydraulically connecting the manifolds, and a distribution tube disposed in the first manifold. The distribution tube includes an inlet end, a distal end opposite the inlet end, a plurality of orifices between the inlet end and the distal end. The distribution tube also includes a terminal aperture immediately adjacent the distal end, wherein the terminal aperture includes an open aperture area greater than any one of the open orifice area. The open aperture area is large enough to provide a uniform refrigerant collection with acceptable minimal pressure drop in evaporative mode, but small enough to prevent vapor overflow to an area of the manifold adjacent to the distal end in condenser mode. The length of the distribution tube is less than &#xbe; the length of the first manifold.

Growing community of inventors

Williamsville, NY, United States of America

Yanping Xia