Air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11772456-B2
Application number	US-202017128000-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2020
Priority date	Dec 19, 2019
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

An air-conditioning system for air-conditioning a vehicle interior is disclosed. The air-conditioning system includes a blower for generating an air flow, a heating device for heating the air flow, and a ducting system that divides the air flow downstream of the heating device over at least two part air flows and supplies the at least two part air flows via associated ducts to associated air outlets, through which the part air flows exit into the vehicle interior. The heating device includes at least two separate regions each with at least one electric heating element that is separately controllable via a control device. The at least two separate regions are each permanently assigned one of the associated ducts of the ducting system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system for air-conditioning a vehicle interior, comprising:
a blower for generating an air flow,
at least one heating device through which the air flow can flow for heating the air flow,
a ducting system that divides the air flow downstream of the at least one heating device over at least two part air flows and supplies the at least two part air flows via associated ducts to associated air outlets, through which the part air flows exit into the vehicle interior,
wherein the at least one heating device comprises at least two separate regions each with at least one electric heating element, wherein each electric heating element is separately controllable via a controller,
wherein each of the at least two separate regions is permanently assigned one of the associated ducts of the ducting system, and
wherein the ducting system is without a flap downstream of the blower with respect to the air flow.

2. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one cooler through which the air flow can flow for cooling the air flow.

3. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the associated ducts leads into a foot well of the vehicle interior.

4. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electric heating element of the at least two separate regions is a PTC heating element.

5. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat exchanger that brings about a main temperature control of the air flow, wherein the at least one electric heating element of the at least two separate regions forms an auxiliary heater.

6. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two separate regions in the at least one heating device extends over an entire width or height of the at least one heating device.

7. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising an adjuster connected to the control device, the adjuster structured and arranged to adjust a temperature and an air mass flow at a certain air outlet.

8. The air-conditioning system according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the associated ducts leads into a foot well of the vehicle interior.

9. The air-conditioning system according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one electric heating element of the at least two separate regions is a PTC heating element.

10. The air-conditioning system according to claim 9 , further comprising a heat exchanger that brings about a main temperature control of the air flow, wherein the at least one electric heating element of the at least two separate regions forms an auxiliary heater.

11. The air-conditioning system according to claim 10 , wherein the heat exchanger is arranged downstream of the at least one cooler with respect to the air flow.

12. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein one of the at least two separate regions has a different number of electric heating elements than another one of the at least two separate regions.

13. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the ducting system includes a third part air flow of the at least two part air flows with an associated duct and an associated air outlet where the associated duct of the third part air flow is provided without any electric heating element.

14. A motor vehicle, comprising an air-conditioning system for air-conditioning a vehicle interior, the air-conditioning system including:
a blower for generating an air flow,
at least one heating device through which the air flow can flow for heating the air flow,
a ducting system that, during operation of the air-conditioning system, divides the air flow downstream of the at least one heating device over at least two part air flows and supplies the at least two part air flows via associated ducts to associated air outlets, through which the part air flows exit into the vehicle interior,
wherein the at least one heating device comprises at least two separate regions each with at least one electric heating element, wherein each electric heating element is separately controllable via a controller,
wherein each of the at least two separate regions is permanently assigned to a respective one of the associated ducts of the ducting system, the at least one electric heating element of each of the at least two separate regions being disposed in the ducting system upstream of the respective one of the associated ducts, and
wherein the ducting system is without a flap downstream of the blower with respect to the air flow.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the air-conditioning system further includes at least one cooler through which the air flow can flow for cooling the air flow.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of the associated ducts leads into a foot well of the vehicle interior.

17. The motor vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one electric heating element of the at least two separate regions is a PTC heating element.

18. The motor vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the air-conditioning system further includes a heat exchanger that brings about a main temperature control of the air flow, wherein the at least one electric heating element of the at least two separate regions forms an auxiliary heater.

19. The motor vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of the at least two separate regions in the at least one heating device extends over an entire width or height of the at least one heating device.

20. The motor vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the air-conditioning system further includes an adjuster connected to the control device, the adjuster structured and arranged to adjust a temperature and an air mass flow at a certain air outlet.

Assignees

• Laux Holger
• Moellert Thorsten
• Schall Matthias
• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Laux Holger
• Moellert Thorsten
• Schall Matthias

Classifications

• B60H1/2225 Primary

  arrangements of electric heaters for heating air · CPC title

• B60H1/00028

  Constructional lay-out of the devices in the vehicle · CPC title

• B60H1/00564

  of air ducts · CPC title

• B60H2001/00128

  Electric heaters · CPC title

• B60H1/00428 Primary

  electric · CPC title