Low profile air conditioning unit for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758014-B2
Application number	US-50126109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2009
Priority date	Feb 27, 2009
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle including a roof that separates an exterior and an interior of the vehicle, and an air conditioning system. The roof has an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface. The air conditioning system includes an exterior housing that is mounted to the exterior surface of the roof and includes a divider defining a first cavity, and a second cavity. The air conditioning system also includes a condenser, an evaporator, and an evaporator blower. The air conditioning system further includes an interior housing that is removably mounted to the interior surface of the roof and defines a mounted position and a removed position in which the evaporator and evaporator blower are accessible for servicing from the interior of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle, the roof having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface; and
an air conditioning system including:
an exterior housing mounted to the exterior surface of the roof and including
a divider defining a first cavity on one side of the divider, and a second cavity on another side of the divider, the second cavity positioned over the aperture,
a condenser mount within the first cavity, and
an evaporator mount within the second cavity;

a condenser mounted within the first cavity to the condenser mount such that the condenser is disposed above the exterior surface of the roof;
an evaporator mounted to the evaporator mount and at least partially disposed within the second cavity;
an evaporator blower at least partially disposed within the second cavity; and
an interior housing removably mounted to the interior surface of the roof defining a mounted position in which the interior housing covers the aperture and a removed position in which the evaporator and evaporator blower are accessible through the aperture for servicing from the interior of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a dryer mounted to the exterior housing within the second cavity.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the evaporator is mounted within the second cavity to the evaporator mount such that at least a portion of the evaporator extends through the aperture below the exterior surface of the roof.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the exterior housing includes an evaporator blower mount within the second cavity positioned above the aperture, and wherein the evaporator blower is mounted within the second cavity to the evaporator blower mount such that at least a portion of the evaporator blower extends through the aperture below the exterior surface of the roof.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the interior housing encases the portion of the evaporator and the portion of the evaporator blower disposed below the exterior surface of the roof, and wherein when the interior housing is in the removed position the evaporator and evaporator blower are accessible through the aperture for servicing from the interior of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the exterior housing includes a condenser fan mount within the first cavity, and wherein the air conditioning system includes a condenser fan mounted to the condenser fan mount and disposed at least partially within the first cavity.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the exterior housing is a plastic molding and the divider, the condenser mount, the evaporator mount, and the evaporator blower mount are formed as a single piece with the exterior housing.

8. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the total height of the air conditioning system above the exterior surface of the roof is less than five inches.

9. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the total height of the air conditioning system above the exterior surface of the roof is less than eight inches.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the exterior housing includes a first housing defining the first cavity and a second housing defining the second cavity.

11. A vehicle comprising:
a roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle, the roof defining an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface; and
an air conditioning system including:
an exterior housing mounted to the exterior surface of the roof and positioned at least partially over the aperture,
an interior housing removably mounted to the interior surface of the roof and positioned at least partially below the aperture,
an evaporator mounted to the exterior housing, and
an evaporator blower mounted to the exterior housing, wherein at least one of the evaporator and the evaporator blower is partially disposed within the exterior housing and extends through the aperture,
wherein the interior housing defines a mounted position in which the interior housing covers the aperture and a removed position in which the at least one of the evaporator and the evaporator blower is accessible through the aperture for servicing from the interior of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the evaporator and the evaporator blower is partially disposed within the interior housing.

13. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the interior housing includes vents in communication with the evaporator blowers to supply a flow of temperature conditioned air to the interior of the vehicle, and wherein the interior housing includes an air filter.

14. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the total height of the air conditioning system above the exterior surface of the roof is less than five inches.

15. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the total height of the air conditioning system above the exterior surface of the roof is less than eight inches.

16. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the exterior housing includes a first housing, and a second housing positioned over the aperture, the evaporator mounted to the second housing.

17. A vehicle comprising:
a roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle, the roof defining an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface; and
an air conditioning system including:
an exterior housing including a top and walls extending generally downwardly from the perimeter of the top, the walls having lower edges defining a rim, at least a portion of the rim sealingly contacting the exterior surface of the roof, the exterior housing positioned at least partially over the aperture,
an interior housing including a bottom and walls extending generally upwardly from the perimeter of the bottom, the walls having upper edges defining a rim of the interior housing, the interior housing movable between a mounted position in which the interior housing covers the aperture and a least a portion of the rim of the interior housing sealingly contacts the interior surface of the roof, and a removed position in which the aperture is accessible from the interior of the vehicle, and
a condenser and an evaporator fluidly connected in series, wherein the condenser, and the evaporator are each mounted to and at least partially disposed within at least one of the exterior housing and the interior housing.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the exterior housing is mounted to the exterior surface of the roof and the interior housing is mounted to the interior surface of the roof.

19. The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein at least a portion of the evaporator extends into the aperture.

20. The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the exterior housing and the interior housing sandwich the roof, and wherein the air conditioning system does not include any support surface for supporting any of the condenser and the evaporator separate from the exterior housing between the exterior housing and the exterior surface.

21. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the total height of the air conditioning system above the exterior surface of the roof is less than five inches.

22. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the total height of the air conditioning system above the exterior surface of

Assignees

• Melbostad Steven
• Kroeker Christopher J
• Hong Lawrence P
• Duffy Martin
• Thermo King Corp

Inventors

• Melbostad Steven
• Kroeker Christopher J
• Hong Lawrence P
• Duffy Martin

Classifications

• B60H1/00535

  Mounting or fastening of the housing to the vehicle · CPC title

• B60H2001/00235

  Devices in the roof area of the passenger compartment · CPC title

• B60H1/00521 Primary

  Mounting or fastening of components in housings, e.g. heat exchangers, fans, electronic regulators · CPC title

• B60H1/00371 Primary

  for vehicles carrying large numbers of passengers, e.g. buses · CPC title