HVAC unit including blowers for directing airflow through the HVAC unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406885-B2
Application number	US-201715499421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 27, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit including an air inlet, a plurality of air outlets, a heater, and a plurality of blowers. The plurality of blowers are downstream of the heater with respect to a direction of airflow through the HVAC unit from the air inlet to the plurality of air outlets. The plurality of blowers are configured to control air distribution through the plurality of air outlets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit comprising:
an air inlet;
a plurality of air outlets;
a heater;
an evaporator;
an air mix chamber including a heater portion in receipt of warm airflow heated by the heater and an evaporator portion in receipt of cool airflow cooled by the evaporator;
an air mix blower in the air mix chamber between the heater portion and the evaporator portion, the air mix blower is positioned to generate airflow in a direction perpendicular to the warm airflow and the cool airflow, and configured to mix the warm airflow of the heater portion with the cool airflow of the evaporator portion;
a plurality of blowers downstream of the heater with respect to a direction of airflow through the HVAC unit from the air inlet to the plurality of air outlets, the plurality of blowers configured to control air distribution through the plurality of air outlets;
a dedicated warm air pathway configured to direct airflow from the heater to a defrost outlet of the plurality of air outlets, the dedicated warm air pathway is positioned such that airflow through the dedicated warm air pathway bypasses the air mix chamber including the air mix blower; and
a dedicated cool air pathway configured to direct airflow from the evaporator to a face outlet of the plurality of air outlets, the dedicated cool air pathway is positioned such that airflow through the dedicated cool air pathway bypasses the air mix chamber including the air mix blower;
wherein the dedicated warm air pathway and the dedicated cool air pathway are on opposite sides of the air mix chamber such that the air mix chamber is between the dedicated warm air pathway and the dedicated cool air pathway.

2. The HVAC unit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of blowers includes a heater blower configured to generate airflow through the heater.

3. The HVAC unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of blowers are arranged downstream of the evaporator; and
an evaporator blower is included with the plurality of blowers, the evaporator blower configured to generate airflow through the evaporator.

4. The HVAC unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of air outlets includes a face outlet and a foot outlet; and
the plurality of blowers includes a face outlet blower at the face outlet and a foot outlet blower at the foot outlet.

5. The HVAC unit of claim 4 , wherein:
the plurality of blowers further includes a defrost outlet blower at the defrost outlet.

6. The HVAC unit of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of blowers is configured to operate in reverse to create airflow in a direction opposite to the direction of airflow through the HVAC unit from the air inlet to the plurality of air outlets.

7. The HVAC unit of claim 1 , further comprising a control module configured to individually control activation, speed, and direction of each one of the plurality of blowers.

8. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit comprising:
an air inlet;
a plurality of air outlets;
a heater;
an evaporator;
an air mix blower in an air mix chamber arranged to draw airflow heated by the heater and arranged to draw airflow cooled by the evaporator, wherein the air mix blower is further configured to mix the airflow from the heater with the airflow from the evaporator;
a plurality of outlet blowers, one of the plurality of outlet blowers is at each one of the plurality of air outlets to control air distribution through the respective outlet;
a dedicated warm air pathway configured to direct airflow from the heater to a defrost outlet of the plurality of air outlets, the dedicated warm air pathway is positioned such that airflow through the dedicated warm air pathway bypasses the air mix chamber; and
a dedicated cool air pathway configured to direct airflow from the evaporator to a face outlet of the plurality of air outlets, the dedicated cool air pathway is positioned such that airflow through the dedicated cool air pathway bypasses the air mix chamber;
wherein the dedicated warm air pathway and the dedicated cool air pathway are on opposite sides of the air mix chamber such that the air mix chamber is between the dedicated warm air pathway and the dedicated cool air pathway.

9. The HVAC unit of claim 8 , further comprising:
a heater blower configured to generate airflow through the heater; and
an evaporator blower configured to generate airflow through the evaporator.

10. The HVAC unit of claim 8 , wherein:
the plurality of air outlets includes a foot outlet; and
the plurality of blowers includes a face outlet blower at the face outlet, a foot outlet blower at the foot outlet, and a defrost outlet blower at the defrost outlet.

11. The HVAC unit of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of blowers is configured to operate in reverse to create airflow in a direction opposite to airflow through the HVAC unit from the air inlet to the plurality of air outlets.

12. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit comprising:
an air inlet;
a plurality of air outlets;
a heater and an evaporator between the air inlet and the air outlets;
a heater blower configured to generate airflow through the heater;
an evaporator blower configured to generate airflow through the evaporator;
an air mix chamber between the plurality of outlets and both the heater and the evaporator, the air mix chamber including a heater portion in receipt of heated airflow blown into the air mix chamber and an evaporator portion in receipt of cooled airflow blown into the air mix chamber cooled by the evaporator;
an air mix blower in the air mix chamber between the heater portion and the evaporator portion, the air mix blower is positioned to generate airflow in a direction perpendicular to the warm airflow and the cool airflow, and configured to mix the heated airflow of the heater portion of the air mix chamber with the cooled airflow of the evaporator portion of the air mix chamber;
a plurality of outlet blowers, one of the plurality of outlet blowers is at each one of the plurality of air outlets to control air distribution through the respective air outlet;
a dedicated warm air pathway configured to direct airflow from the heater to a defrost outlet of the plurality of air outlets, the dedicated warm air pathway is positioned such that airflow through the dedicated warm air pathway bypasses the air mix chamber; and
a dedicated cool air pathway configured to direct airflow from the evaporator to a face outlet of the plurality of air outlets, the dedicated cool air pathway is positioned such that airflow through the dedicated cool air pathway bypasses the air mix chamber;
wherein the dedicated warm air pathway and the dedicated cool air pathway are on opposite sides of the air mix chamber such that the air mix chamber is between the dedicated warm air pathway and the dedicated cool air pathway.

13. The HVAC unit of claim 12 , wherein:
the plurality of air outlets includes a foot outlet; and
the plurality of outlet blowers includes a face outlet blower at the face outlet, a foot outlet blower at the foot outlet, and a defrost outlet blower at the defrost outlet.

14. The HVAC unit of claim 12 , further comprising a control module configured to individually control activation, speed, and direction of each one of the heater blower, the evaporator blower, the air mix blower, and the plurality of outlet blowers.

Assignees

• Denso Int America Inc

Inventors

• Rippel Christian
• Rothenberg Mark
• WAGNITZ Jason

Classifications

• B60H1/00464

  The ventilator being of the axial type · CPC title

• B60H1/00564

  of air ducts · CPC title

• B60H1/323

  characterised by comprising auxiliary or multiple systems, e.g. plurality of evaporators, or by involving auxiliary cooling devices · CPC title

• B60H1/12

  using an air blower · CPC title

• B60H2001/00099

  comprising additional ventilating means · CPC title