The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 01, 2011
Filed:
Jan. 28, 2009
Zheng Lou, Plymouth, MI (US);
Thomas J. Joseph, Sr., Commerce, MI (US);
Thomas B. Harris, Taylor, MI (US);
Zheng Lou, Plymouth, MI (US);
Thomas J. Joseph, Sr., Commerce, MI (US);
Thomas B. Harris, Taylor, MI (US);
Automotive Components Holdings LLC, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
An expansion valve for an air conditioning system circulates refrigerant through a fixed-displacement compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. An inlet is provided for receiving refrigerant liquefied in the condenser. An outlet of the expansion valve supplies refrigerant to the evaporator. A valve element controls flow of refrigerant between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the valve element is normally closed. A control assembly is coupled to the valve element and is responsive to at least one temperature or pressure in the air conditioning system to open the valve element to variably meter the refrigerant to the evaporator. A bleed passage bypasses the valve element to conduct refrigerant between the inlet and the outlet. The bleed passage is adapted to bleed refrigerant to the evaporator immediately after the compressor shuts off to prime the air conditioning system for a lower superheat when the compressor turns on, and the bleed path has a flow capacity substantially smaller than the flow capacity of the main valve aperture.