Cooling storage evaporator system for vehicle climate control
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsJunichi Kanemaru, Shinji Kakizaki
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims20
A vehicular cooling storage evaporator system, comprising:
- an evaporator having a first portion and a second portion, the second portion disposed below the first portion;
- and
- a frost control door disposed upstream from the evaporator and movable 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.
A cooling storage evaporator system, comprising:
- an evaporator;
- and
- a frost control door disposed upstream from the evaporator and movable between an open position where air from a blower is allowed to pass through the evaporator and a closed position where air from the blower is prevented from passing over a frost portion of the evaporator,
- wherein the frost control door is in the open position when a vehicle engine is in an idle OFF condition and is in the closed position when the vehicle engine is in an ON condition.
A vehicle HVAC system, comprising:
- a blower;
- an evaporator disposed downstream from the blower;
- a vent outlet disposed downstream from the evaporator;
- and
- a frost control door disposed downstream from the blower and upstream from the evaporator and movable 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 cooling storage evaporator system is configured to accumulate frost on the second portion of the evaporator while the frost control door is in the closed position.
A method for operating a vehicle air conditioning system, comprising:
- accumulating ice on a frost portion of an evaporator while a vehicle engine is in an ON condition;
- directing air from a blower through the ice on the frost portion of the evaporator while the vehicle engine is in an idle OFF condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.