Vehicle roof fan

• US 10,239,381 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TSI Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TSI Products, Inc.
• Inventors: O'Brien, Stephen William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Len
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Jenna M
• Application Number:
  US15/642,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20180208016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 165202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00207 characterised by the position of the HVAC devices with respect to the passenger compartment B60H1/00021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00385 for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00792 Arrangement of detectors B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00885 Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/245 located in the roof
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/262 Openings in or on the vehicle roof
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00235 Devices in the roof area of the passenger compartment

Abstract

A vehicle roof fan for providing air conditioning to a user of a vehicle. The vehicle roof fan may include a plurality of individually controlled fans. The apparatus includes power management features to limit the power consumption, such as a user presence detector and/or battery threshold monitoring. The plurality of fans may be associated with one or more optical sensors that each control the operation of one or more of the fans based upon the presence of a user. The air conditioning apparatus may also include heating and/or cooling components to modify the air temperature from the apparatus.

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus for a roof of an open air vehicle comprising:

a housing comprising an upper housing structure, a central housing structure and a lower housing structure, wherein said housing is configured to attach to said roof with a lower surface of said lower housing structure on an inside of said open air vehicle and an upper surface of said upper housing structure on an outside of said open air vehicle, wherein said housing has an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein said air outlet is on said lower surface, and said air inlet comprises an opening between said upper housing structure and said central housing structure such that air flows underneath an outer edge of said upper housing structure;

a user interface on said lower surface of the lower housing structure configured to facilitate control of the air conditioning apparatus by a user;

a fan within the housing between the air inlet and the air outlet configured to move said air through said housing from the air inlet to the air outlet;

an optical sensor in said lower surface of the lower housing structure operably connected to said fan, wherein said optical sensor is configured to sense distance to an object, wherein an operation of said air conditioning apparatus stops based upon a determination that the distance to said object indicates that the user is not present, and wherein the operation starts if the distance to said object indicates the user is present; and

a rain shield in front of said air inlet on a forward side of said air conditioning apparatus such that the air flows over said rain shield prior to entering said air inlet.

2. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said fans, wherein each of said plurality of said fans is independently controllable.

3. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a second optical sensor in said lower surface of the lower housing structure, wherein said optical sensor is operably connected to a first fan of said plurality of said fans and wherein said optical sensor is configured to sense distance to a first object and said first fan is configured to direct said air toward said first object based upon a first determination that a first user is present;

and

wherein said second optical sensor is operably connected to a second fan of said plurality of said fans and wherein said second optical sensor is configured to sense distance to a second object and said second fan is configured to direct said air toward said second object based upon a second determination that a second user is present.

4. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, comprising at least one of a separation wall and a duct configured to direct said air from one of said plurality of said fans to one of a plurality of air vents.

5. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said air outlets wherein each said air outlet includes an air vent.

6. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a heater configured to heat said air within said air conditioning apparatus.

7. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of a cooling device configured to cool said air within said air conditioning apparatus and a misting device configured to provide a mist into the air within said air conditioning apparatus.

8. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a power source.

9. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said power source is a solar cell.

10. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a battery.

11. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a power connection operably connecting the air conditioning apparatus to a power source of said open air vehicle.

12. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said open air vehicle is an electric vehicle and said air conditioning apparatus is operably connected to a battery of said electric vehicle.

13. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said open air vehicle is at least one of a golf cart, an all-terrain vehicle, tractor, electric car and/or boat.

14. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said housing is attached to at least one of a top of said roof and a bottom of said roof.

16. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a heat exchanger that reduces a temperature of the air, which the fan moves through the housing.

15. An air conditioning apparatus for a roof of an open air vehicle comprising:

a housing configured to attach to said roof, wherein said housing includes a lower surface on a first housing structure and an upper surface on a second housing structure, wherein said housing has an air inlet and an air outlet in said lower surface, and said air inlet comprises an opening between said second housing structure and said first housing structure such that air flows underneath an outer edge of said second housing structure;

a rain shield in front of said air inlet on a forward side of said air conditioning apparatus such that the air flows over said rain shield prior to entering said air inlet;

a fan within the housing between the air inlet and the air outlet configured to move said air through said housing from the air inlet to the air outlet; and

an optical sensor in said lower surface operably connected to said fan, wherein said optical sensor is configured to sense distance to an object, wherein an operation of said air conditioning apparatus is modified based upon a determination of whether the distance to said object indicates that a user is present, wherein power consumption by said air conditioning apparatus is reduced when the operation is modified based on the determination that the user is not present.

17. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 15, comprising a heat exchanger that reduces a temperature of the air, which the fan moves through the housing.