Electric air conditioner sustain system
AssigneeVisteon Global Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBrian Robert Kelm, Danny Lee Berg, Robert Joseph Mohan, Richard Eric Luken
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric air conditioner sustain system is disclosed. The electric air conditioner sustain system includes a compressor, an engine and an electric motor. The engine and the electric motor selectively rotate the compressor. When the engine is rotating the compressor and the engine stops, the electric motor is synchronously activated to maintain continuous rotation of the compressor.
Claims31
A method of sustaining operation of an air-conditioning system, the method comprising:
- operating a compressor with an engine;
- operating the compressor with an electric motor;
- energizing the electric motor when a rotational speed of the compressor is in a predetermined range that is determined with a synchronization window;
- and
- maintaining continuous operation of the compressor with the electric motor when the engine stops.
A method of sustaining cooling using an air-conditioning system, the method comprising:
- rotating a compressor with an engine;
- determining a synchronization window based on a range of a rotational speed of the compressor and a range of time that an electric motor may be energized with minimized inrush current to the electric motor, wherein the electric motor is configured to rotate the compressor;
- timing energization of the electric motor to be within the synchronization window based on the time required to energize the electric motor and a rate of change of the rotational speed of the compressor;
- energizing the electric motor within the synchronization window to rotate the compressor, wherein the synchronization window defines when the rotational speed of the energized electric motor will be within a predetermined range of the rotational speed of the compressor;
- and
- disengaging the engine from the compressor.
An electric air conditioner sustain system, wherein an engine operates a compressor within an air conditioner system, the electric air conditioner sustain system comprising:
- an electric motor coupled to the compressor;
- and
- a controller electrically connected with the compressor and the electric motor, wherein the controller is operable to activate the electric motor within a synchronization window to maintain continuous operation of the compressor when the engine stops,
- wherein the controller is operable to determine whether the electric motor can be activated within the synchronization window based on a rate of change of a rotational speed of the compressor and a time period to energize the electric motor so that the rotational speed of the electric motor upon activation will be substantially synchronized with the rotational speed of the compressor.
A method of sustaining operation of an air-conditioning system, the method comprising:
- selectively rotating a compressor with an engine and an electric motor;
- rotating the compressor with the engine;
- during rotation of the compressor with the engine, determining a synchronization window based on the rate of change of a rotational speed of the compressor and a rotational speed of the electric motor upon energization of the electric motor;
- adjusting the synchronization window by adjustment of a rotational speed control of the electric motor prior to energization of the electric motor;
- and
- energizing the electric motor within the synchronization window to substantially synchronize the rotational speed of the electric motor with the rotational speed of the compressor upon activation of the electric motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.