# US 11,029,089 B2 · Apparatus for the temperature control of objects, in particular for drying coated vehicle bodies > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,089 B2 - Document ID: US11029089B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/763,521 - Filed: 2016-09-27 - Published: 2018-09-27 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-29 - Assignees: Eisenmann SE - Applicants: Eisenmann SE - Inventors: Eduard Karl Hack - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029089B2 ## CPC - F26B 21/30: Controlling, e.g. regulating, parameters of gas supply - F26B 21/25: partly outside the drying enclosure - F26B 23/002: {recovered from dryer exhaust gases (F26B23/022 takes precedence)} - F26B 23/022: {incinerating volatiles in the dryer exhaust gases, the produced hot gases being wholly, partly or not recycled into the drying enclosure} - F26B 2210/12: Vehicle bodies, e.g. after being painted - Y02P 70/10: Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working - F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract An apparatus and method for the temperature control of objects, in particular for drying coated vehicle bodies, with a temperature control chamber with at least one lock region, a fresh air device for producing fresh air which can be supplied to the temperature control chamber, a circulating air device which extracts exhaust air from the temperature control chamber and produces circulating air which can be supplied to the temperature control chamber, an air intake device for supplying air to the temperature control chamber, and a control device. A fresh air volume flow and a circulating air volume flow can be supplied to the air intake device, and the control device is configured to control the fresh air volume flow and the circulating air volume flow in such a manner that the overall volume flow which is supplied to the temperature control chamber does not fall below a lower limit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for the temperature control of objects comprising: a temperature control space with at least one air lock region a conveying device for conveying objects through the temperature control space, the conveying device comprising available spaces for objects; a fresh air device for producing fresh air which can be fed to the temperature control space; a recirculating air device which removes temperature control space waste air from the temperature control space and produces recirculating air which can be fed to the temperature control space, a feed air device for feeding air to the temperature control space; a detection device for detecting empty spaces where no objects are being conveyed on the conveying device; and a control device, wherein an overall volumetric flow is fed to the temperature control space from the feed air device, the overall volumetric flow comprising a fresh air volumetric flow, and the control device is set up to reduce the temperature and the fresh air volumetric flow in response to empty spaces being detected on the conveying device by the detection device, the control device further being set up to supply the feed air device with a recirculating volumetric flow of recirculating air from the recirculating air device to supplement the fresh air volumetric flow to ensure that the overall volumetric flow does not drop beneath a lower threshold when the temperature in the temperature control space and the fresh air volumetric flow is reduced in response to the apparatus operating at a reduced load. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overall volumetric flow is fed via the at least one air lock region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device is set up to keep the overall volumetric flow constant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a heating device in which at least a portion of the temperature control space waste air removed from the temperature control space can be heated to form a heated air volumetric flow and can be fed into the recirculating air volumetric flow. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device controls the feed of fresh air in a manner which is dependent on the loading of the temperature control space. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recirculating air device has an afterburning device, the temperature control space waste air being fed to the afterburning device for thermal aftertreatment, the fresh air device comprises a fresh air heat exchanger with a fresh air feed line and a fresh air discharge line, the fresh air discharge line being connected to the feed air device, the temperature control space defines at least one temperature control space section, and the recirculating air device has at least one temperature control space section heat exchanger which is assigned the at least one temperature control space section of the temperature control space, the at least one temperature control space section and the at least one temperature control space section heat exchanger being connected in such a way that temperature control space air can be removed from the at least one temperature control space section and guided through the at least one temperature control space section heat exchanger for temperature control purposes, and can be fed back to the temperature control space section, the temperature control space air being fed to the temperature control space section in a circuit as a circulating air flow, wherein the temperature control space air which is temperature controlled by means of the at least one temperature control space section heat exchanger is fed via a line from the temperature control space section heat exchanger to the feed air device, and/or wherein the temperature control space waste air which can be fed to the afterburning device is fed to the feed air device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the line from the at least one temperature control space section heat exchanger is connected to the fresh air discharge line of the fresh air heat exchanger. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fresh air discharge line leads from the fresh air heat exchanger to the temperature control space, the feed air device comprising a fresh air fan, and the line from the at least one temperature control space section heat exchanger to the fresh air heat exchanger opening out downstream of the fresh air heat exchanger and upstream of the fresh air fan. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the afterburning device has a waste air feed line and a pure air discharge line, a waste air fan being arranged in the waste air feed line between the temperature control space and the afterburning device, and a line being provided from the afterburning device to the fresh air heat exchanger, the line which leads from the afterburning device to the fresh air heat exchanger leading from the waste air feed line to the fresh air discharge line. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a transport apparatus for objects to be temperature controlled for loading the temperature control space, a control device to adapt parameters which influence the temperature control operation based on a loading of the temperature control space, the loading of the temperature control space comprising a number of objects to be temperature controlled. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the overall volumetric flow is controlled by at least one control unit which controls a rotational speed of a fan, a position of a throttle valve, a position of an air guiding valve and/or a position of a bypass valve. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adaptation of the parameters which influence the temperature control operation takes place in a stepped manner which is dependent on a number of objects to be temperature controlled, the surface area of coating to be dried, or the quantity of coating to be dried. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A coating plant for coating objects, having an apparatus for the temperature control of objects as claimed in claim 1.