Power recovery system for a vehicle
AssigneeNissan North America, Inc.
InventorRonald Eisenhour
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power recovery system for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of a vehicle includes an air handling system flow path, and a heater core disposed in a first flow path in fluid communication with the air handling system flow path. A heat sink is disposed in a second flow path in fluid communication with the air handling system flow path. A cooling circuit supplies a cooling fluid to the heat sink through the second flow path. A thermoelectric device has a first surface in thermal contact with the heater core and a second surface in thermal contact with the heat sink. The thermoelectric device converts a temperature difference between the first and second surfaces to electrical power.
Claims20
A power recovery system for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of a vehicle, comprising:
- an air handling system flow path;
- a heater core disposed in a first flow path in fluid communication with the air handling system flow path, fluid flowing through the first flow path being supplied to a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
- a heat sink disposed in a second flow path in fluid communication with the air handling system flow path, the second flow path being different from the first flow path;
- a cooling liquid supplied to the heat sink through the second flow path, the cooling liquid flowing through the second flow path not being supplied to the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
- and
- a thermoelectric device having a first side in thermal contact with the heater core and a second side in thermal contact with the heat sink, the thermoelectric device converting a temperature difference between the first surface and the second surface to electrical power.
A power recovery system for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of a vehicle, comprising:
- a thermoelectric device having a first surface and a second surface;
- an evaporator;
- a heater core in thermal contact with the first surface of the thermoelectric device, the heater core receiving hot engine coolant and being in fluid communication with the evaporator, fluid flowing through the heater core being supplied to a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
- and
- a heat sink in thermal contact with the second surface of the thermoelectric device, the heat sink being in fluid communication with the evaporator to receive a cooling liquid therefrom, the cooling liquid from the evaporator flowing through the heat sink not being supplied to the passenger compartment of the vehicle,
- the thermoelectric device converting a temperature difference between the first surface and the second surface to electrical power.
A method of recovering power with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of a vehicle, comprising the steps of
- supplying heat by thermal contact from a heater core to a first surface of a thermoelectric device, fluid flowing through the heater core being supplied to the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
- supplying a cooling liquid from an evaporator to a second surface of the thermoelectric device, the cooling liquid not being supplied to the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
- converting the temperature differential created between the first and second surfaces of the thermoelectric device to electrical energy with the thermoelectric device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.