Air conditioning system for use in vehicle
First Claim
1. An air conditioning system for use in a vehicle having two or more compartments, the air conditioning system comprising:
- a plurality of compressors for compressing refrigerant into a compressed refrigerant, the plurality of compressors including;
a first compressor configured to connect to an internal combustion engine of the vehicle and be driven by the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is running; and
a second compressor fluidly coupled in parallel to the first compressor and configured to operate when the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is not running;
a condenser disposed downstream of the first compressor and the second compressor and configured to condense the compressed refrigerant;
a plurality of evaporators disposed downstream of the condenser and configured to evaporate the condensed refrigerant, the plurality of evaporators including a first evaporator and a second evaporator, wherein;
the first evaporator and the second evaporator are fluidly coupled to each other in parallel;
the first evaporator is in thermal communication with a cab compartment of the vehicle to cool the cab compartment; and
the second evaporator is in thermal communication with a sleeper compartment of the vehicle to cool the sleeper compartment;
a plurality of shut-off valves including a first shut-off valve and a second shut-off valve, wherein the first shut-off valve is installed at a refrigerant inlet of the first evaporator and the second shut-off valve is installed at a refrigerant outlet of the first evaporator to prevent refrigerant from collecting in the first evaporator;
refrigerant lines fluidly connecting the plurality of compressors, the condenser, and the plurality of evaporators to form a refrigerant circuit for circulating the refrigerant; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of compressors and the first and second shut-off valves, the controller configured to operate the first and second shut-off valves and the plurality of compressors, including adjusting operation of the plurality of compressors based on whether the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is running.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An air conditioning system for use in a vehicle includes at least one compressor, a condenser disposed downstream of the at least one compressor and a plurality of evaporators disposed downstream of the condenser with first and second evaporators fluidly coupled to each other in parallel. The at least one compressor, the condenser, and the plurality of evaporators are fluidly connected by refrigerant lines to form a refrigerant circuit. The air conditioning system also includes a plurality of shut-off valves, with one shut-off valve installed at a refrigerant inlet and another shut-off valve installed at a refrigerant outlet of the first evaporator. The shut-off valves are controlled to prevent undesired collection of refrigerant in the first evaporator.
169 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An air conditioning system for use in a vehicle having two or more compartments, the air conditioning system comprising:
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a plurality of compressors for compressing refrigerant into a compressed refrigerant, the plurality of compressors including; a first compressor configured to connect to an internal combustion engine of the vehicle and be driven by the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is running; and a second compressor fluidly coupled in parallel to the first compressor and configured to operate when the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is not running; a condenser disposed downstream of the first compressor and the second compressor and configured to condense the compressed refrigerant; a plurality of evaporators disposed downstream of the condenser and configured to evaporate the condensed refrigerant, the plurality of evaporators including a first evaporator and a second evaporator, wherein; the first evaporator and the second evaporator are fluidly coupled to each other in parallel; the first evaporator is in thermal communication with a cab compartment of the vehicle to cool the cab compartment; and the second evaporator is in thermal communication with a sleeper compartment of the vehicle to cool the sleeper compartment; a plurality of shut-off valves including a first shut-off valve and a second shut-off valve, wherein the first shut-off valve is installed at a refrigerant inlet of the first evaporator and the second shut-off valve is installed at a refrigerant outlet of the first evaporator to prevent refrigerant from collecting in the first evaporator; refrigerant lines fluidly connecting the plurality of compressors, the condenser, and the plurality of evaporators to form a refrigerant circuit for circulating the refrigerant; and a controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of compressors and the first and second shut-off valves, the controller configured to operate the first and second shut-off valves and the plurality of compressors, including adjusting operation of the plurality of compressors based on whether the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is running. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An air conditioning system for use in a vehicle, the air conditioning system comprising:
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at least one compressor for compressing a refrigerant into a compressed refrigerant; a condenser disposed downstream of the at least one compressor for condensing the compressed refrigerant; a plurality of evaporators disposed downstream of the condenser for evaporating the condensed refrigerant, the plurality of evaporators including a first evaporator and a second evaporator, wherein the first evaporator and the second evaporator are fluidly coupled to each other in parallel; a plurality of shut-off valves including a first shut-off valve and a second shut-off valve, wherein the first shut-off valve is installed at a refrigerant inlet of the first evaporator and the second shut-off valve is installed at a refrigerant outlet of the first evaporator to prevent refrigerant from collecting in the first evaporator when airflow over the first evaporator is less than a first predetermined volume; refrigerant lines fluidly connecting the at least one compressor, the condenser, and the plurality of evaporators to form a refrigerant circuit for circulating the refrigerant; a first sensor configured to measure airflow passing over the first evaporator; and a controller electrically coupled to the first sensor, the at least one compressor, and the first and second shut-off valves, the controller configured to; automatically close the first and second shut-off valves when the measured airflow passing over the first evaporator is less than a first predetermined volume, and automatically open the first and second shut-off valves when the measured airflow passing over the first evaporator is equal to or greater than the first predetermined volume. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification