Temperature Control System in a Passenger Service Unit
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorAbbas A. Alahyari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A temperature control system in an aircraft passenger service unit is disclosed. In embodiments, the system includes a swirl chamber configured to receive an inlet air stream, and a vortex tube configured to receive the inlet air stream from the swirl chamber and separate the inlet air stream into a warmer air stream and a cooler air stream. In embodiments, the system further includes a nozzle configured to direct a temperature-controlled air stream into a passenger space of an aircraft; wherein the nozzle is configured to be selectably adjusted in order to selectively blend the warmer air stream and the cooler air stream in order to generate the temperature-controlled air stream.
Claims15
A temperature control system in an aircraft passenger service unit, comprising:
- a swirl chamber configured to receive an inlet air stream;
- a vortex tube configured to receive the inlet air stream from the swirl chamber and separate the inlet air stream into a warmer air stream and a cooler air stream;
- a nozzle configured to direct a temperature-controlled air stream into a passenger space of an aircraft;
- wherein the nozzle is configured to be selectably adjusted in order to selectively blend the warmer air stream and the cooler air stream in order to generate the temperature-controlled air stream.
A method for generating a temperature-controlled air stream with a passenger service unit of an aircraft cabin, comprising:
- generating a compressed inlet air stream with an air compressor;
- receiving the compressed air inlet stream with a swirl chamber;
- directing the compressed air inlet stream from the swirl chamber to a conical nozzle disposed within a vortex tube;
- separating the compressed air inlet stream into a warmer air stream and a cooler air stream with the conical nozzle;
- directing at least one of the warmer air stream and the cooler air stream to a nozzle;
- and
- directing a temperature-controlled air stream into a passenger space of an aircraft with the nozzle, wherein the nozzle is configured to be selectively adjusted in order to selectively blend the warmer air stream and the cooler air stream in order to generate the temperature-controlled air stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.