Auxiliary vehicle hvac system for efficient multi-zone spot cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016207376-A1
Application number	US-201514600629-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2015
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle air-conditioning system includes a primary loop coupled to an air-conditioner that cools a refrigerant in the primary cooling loop for delivery to a primary heat exchanger, a secondary cooling loop in communication with the primary heat exchanger, wherein cooling from the refrigerant is transferred to a coolant in the secondary cooling loop and a secondary heat exchanger for transferring cooling from the coolant to air delivered to a rear of a vehicular passenger cabin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle air-conditioning system comprising:
a primary cooling loop coupled to an air conditioner that cools a refrigerant in the primary cooling loop for delivery to a primary heat exchanger; a secondary cooling loop in communication with the primary heat exchanger, wherein cooling from the refrigerant is transferred to a coolant in the secondary cooling loop; and a secondary heat exchanger for transferring cooling from the coolant to air delivered to a rear of a vehicular passenger cabin.

2 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein an amount of cooling delivered to the secondary heat exchanger is regulated by a coolant flow-control valve disposed within the secondary cooling loop, and wherein the primary and secondary cooling loops are closed loops such that the refrigerant of the primary cooling loop remains separate from the coolant in the secondary cooling loop.

3 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the primary heat exchanger is disposed near the front of a vehicle.

4 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 2 , wherein the secondary heat exchanger includes an air handler and at least one duct, wherein the air handler moves air across the secondary heat exchanger to deliver cooling into a column of air that is delivered through the at least one duct to the rear of the vehicular passenger cabin.

5 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 4 , wherein each at least one duct includes a plurality of sub-ducts, each of the plurality of sub-ducts including a corresponding vent, and wherein each of the plurality of sub-ducts includes a baffle that regulates a volume of air delivered to the rear of the vehicular passenger cabin.

6 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 2 , wherein the secondary heat exchanger includes a plurality of area-specific secondary heat exchangers, and wherein each of the plurality of area-specific secondary heat exchangers includes a dedicated air handler and at least one sub-duct.

7 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 6 , wherein each area-specific secondary heat exchanger includes a dedicated coolant flow-control valve that regulates an amount of cooling delivered to each corresponding area-specific secondary heat exchanger.

8 . A vehicle air-conditioning system comprising:
primary and secondary cooling loops in thermal communication at a primary heat exchanger, wherein refrigerant in the primary cooling loop is transferred to a separate coolant in the secondary cooling loop; and a secondary heat exchanger in communication with the secondary cooling loop that transfers cooling from the separate coolant to air delivered to a rear of a vehicular passenger cabin.

9 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 8 , wherein an amount of cooling delivered to the secondary heat exchanger is regulated by a flow control valve disposed within the secondary cooling loop.

10 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 9 , wherein the primary cooling loop is in thermal communication with an air-conditioning system of a vehicle.

11 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 9 , wherein the secondary heat exchanger includes an air handler and at least one duct, wherein the air handler moves air across the secondary heat exchanger to deliver cooling into a column of air that is delivered through the at least one duct to the rear of the vehicular passenger cabin.

12 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 11 , wherein each at least one duct includes a plurality of sub-ducts, each of the plurality of sub-ducts including a corresponding vent, wherein each of the plurality of sub-ducts includes a baffle that regulates the volume of air delivered to the rear of the vehicular passenger cabin.

13 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 9 , wherein the secondary heat exchanger includes a plurality of area-specific secondary heat exchangers, and wherein each of the plurality of area-specific secondary heat exchangers includes a dedicated air handling unit and at least one sub-duct.

14 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 13 , wherein each area-specific secondary heat exchanger includes a dedicated coolant flow-control valve that regulates an amount of cooling delivered to each corresponding area-specific secondary heat exchanger.

15 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 13 , wherein the primary and secondary cooling loops are closed loops such that the refrigerant of the primary cooling loop remains separate from the separate coolant in the secondary cooling loop.

16 . A vehicle air-conditioning system comprising:
primary and secondary cooling loops in thermal communication at a primary heat exchanger; a refrigerant confined in the primary cooling loop that delivers cooling from an air conditioner to the primary heat exchanger; and a coolant confined in the secondary cooling loop that delivers cooling from the primary heat exchanger to a secondary heat exchanger that delivers cooling from the coolant to air for conditioning a vehicle rear.

17 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 16 , wherein the primary and secondary cooling loops are closed loops such that the refrigerant of the primary cooling loop remains separate from the coolant in the secondary cooling loop.

18 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 17 , wherein the secondary heat exchanger includes a plurality of area-specific secondary heat exchangers, and wherein each of the plurality of area-specific secondary heat exchangers includes a dedicated air handling unit and at least one sub-duct.

19 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 18 , wherein each area-specific secondary heat exchanger includes a dedicated coolant flow-control valve that regulates an amount of cooling delivered to each corresponding area-specific secondary heat exchanger.

20 . The vehicle air-conditioning system of claim 19 , wherein the primary and secondary cooling loops are closed loops such that the refrigerant of the primary cooling loop remains separate from the coolant in the secondary cooling loop.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Sawyer Robert Steven
• Koberstein Manfred

Classifications

• B60H2001/00192

  to left and right part of passenger compartment · CPC title

• B60H1/3227

  characterised by the arrangement or the type of heat exchanger, e.g. condenser, evaporator (condensed liquid drainage means B60H1/3233) · CPC title

• B60H1/323 Primary

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

• B60H1/00642

  Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices (B60H1/3201 - B60H1/3208, B60H1/3225 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/22

  the heat source being other than the propulsion plant {(B60H1/00492 takes precedence)} · CPC title