Cooling storage evaporator system for vehicle climate control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683774-B2
Application number	US-201313949909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2013
Priority date	Jul 24, 2013
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A cooling storage evaporator system employs a pivoting frost control door upstream from an evaporator that, when closed, inhibits air from passing through a lower portion of the evaporator. Closing the frost control door results in condensed water freezing on a lower portion of the evaporator when the AC is ON. When a vehicle engine is turned OFF when the vehicle stops in an idle condition, thereby turning the compressor OFF, the frost control door opens so that air passes over the evaporator, including the frozen portion thereof, melting the frozen condensed water to maintain the cool outlet air temperature at the vent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicular cooling storage evaporator system, comprising:
a controller;
an evaporator having a first portion and a second portion, the second portion disposed below the first portion;
a frost control door actuator in communication with the controller; and
a frost control door disposed upstream from the evaporator and movable via the frost control door actuator between an open position where air from a blower is allowed to pass over the first and second portions of the evaporator and a closed position where air from the blower is allowed to pass over the first portion of the evaporator while being prevented from passing over the second portion of the evaporator,
wherein the cooling storage evaporator system is configured to accumulate frost on at least a portion of the second portion of the evaporator while the frost control door is in the closed position,
wherein at least one frost detecting thermal sensor is provided on the evaporator and in communication with the controller, the frost detecting thermal sensor being operable to detect an amount of frost formed in the second portion of the evaporator, the controller being configured to control the frost control door actuator depending on the detected frost amount on the second portion of the evaporator.

2. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 1 , wherein said controller controls the frost control door actuator to locate the frost control door in the open position when the vehicle engine is in an idle OFF condition and to locate the frost control door in the closed position when the vehicle engine is in an ON condition.

3. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is in communication with a vehicle air conditioning system and controls the frost control door actuator to locate the frost control door in the closed position when the vehicle engine is in the ON condition and the vehicle air conditioning system is operating.

4. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 2 , wherein the controller controls the frost control door actuator to locate the frost control door in the open position while the vehicle engine is in the ON condition when the frost amount exceeds a maximum value of a predetermined range, and to locate the frost control door in the closed position while the vehicle engine is in the idle OFF condition when the frost amount is below a minimum value of the predetermined range.

5. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the frost control door actuator to locate the frost control door in a partially open position between the open position and the closed position to maintain the amount of frost within the predetermined range.

6. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 1 , wherein the frost control door has a comb structure that allows some air to pass through the frost control door to the evaporator second portion when the frost control door is in the closed position.

7. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 6 , further comprising baffle plates disposed upstream from and adjacent to the second portion of the evaporator,
wherein the baffle plates are disposed to concentrate air to selected sections of the second portion of the evaporator while substantially preventing air from reaching other sections of the second portion of the evaporator, such that the sections of the second portion of the evaporator to which air is concentrated do not accumulate frost.

8. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the evaporator is disposed in a first direction from the frost control door when the frost control door is in the closed position and the second portion of the evaporator is disposed in a second direction, opposite from the first direction, from the frost control door when the frost control door is in the closed position.

9. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one frost detecting thermal sensor includes a maximum frost level detecting thermal sensor operable to detect the presence of frost provided at a position on the evaporator corresponding to a maximum frost level,
wherein the maximum frost level detecting thermal sensor sends a signal to the controller when in contact with frost, and
wherein the controller controls the frost control door actuator to move the frost control door toward the open position when the maximum frost level detecting thermal sensor sends the signal to the controller indicating that frost is present at the maximum frost level.

10. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one frost detecting thermal sensor includes a minimum frost level detecting thermal sensor operable to detect the presence of frost provided at a position on the evaporator corresponding to a minimum frost level,
wherein the controller controls the frost control door actuator to move the frost control door toward the closed position when the minimum frost level detecting thermal sensor sends a signal to the controller indicating that frost is not present at the minimum frost level.

11. The cooling storage evaporator system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the frost control door actuator to move and hold the frost control door in a position between the open position and the closed position to maintain the frost level between a predetermined minimum and maximum value.

12. A vehicle HVAC system, comprising:
a blower;
an evaporator disposed downstream from the blower;
a vent outlet disposed downstream from the evaporator;
a controller and a frost control door actuator in communication with the controller; and
a frost control door disposed downstream from the blower and upstream from the evaporator and movable via the frost control door actuator between an open position where air from the blower is allowed to pass over first and second portions of the evaporator and a closed position where air from the blower is allowed to pass over the first portion of the evaporator while being prevented from passing over the second portion of the evaporator, the second portion of the evaporator disposed below the first portion,
wherein the vehicle HVAC system is configured to accumulate frost on the second portion of the evaporator while the frost control door is in the closed position, and
wherein a frost level detecting sensor is provided on the evaporator and in communication with the controller, the frost level detecting sensor operable to detect a frost level on the second portion of the evaporator, the controller being configured to control the frost control door actuator to move and hold the frost control door in a position between the open position and the closed position to maintain the detected frost level between a predetermined minimum and maximum value.

13. The vehicle HVAC system according to claim 12 , wherein said controller controls the frost control door actuator to move and hold the frost control door in the open position when the vehicle engine is in an idle OFF condition and to move and hold the frost control door in the closed position when the vehicle engine is in an ON condition.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanemaru Junichi
• Kakizaki Shinji

Classifications

• B60H1/3233

  characterised by condensed liquid drainage means · CPC title

• B60H1/005 Primary

  Regenerative cooling means, e.g. cold accumulators · CPC title

• F25D21/125 Primary

  the hot fluid being ambient air · 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