Device for filling air-conditioning systems with a coolant in the final assembly of the vehicle

• US 10,328,767 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dürr Somac GmbH (Durr AG)
• Original Assignee: Dürr Somac GmbH (Durr AG)
• Inventors: Wohner, Carsten, Wieland, Frank, Wappler, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Price, Craig J
• Application Number:
  US15/329,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20170210199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 137613-61406, 137551, 137553-5566, 2511499, 141 59, 141 65, 141 66, 141302, 141383, 141385, 62 77, 62292, 62298, 62299
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00585 Means for monitoring, testing or servicing the air-conditioning
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/23 by means of balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/44 with one lift valve being actuated to initiate the flow through the coupling after the two coupling parts are locked against withdrawal
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2345/006 characterised by charging or discharging valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 45/00 Arrangements for charging or discharging refrigerant
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8225 Position or extent of motion indicator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87925 Separable flow path section, valve or closure in each

Abstract

A device for filling air conditioning systems with a refrigerant during final vehicle assembly, wherein the air conditioning system comprises a connection valve on its low and high pressure sides, via which the air conditioning system can be pressure tested, evacuated, and filled, which facilitates maintenance operations in the life cycle of the system, wherein said connection valves have different geometrical contours between the high and low pressure side and to ensure that only the respective approved refrigerant is filled into the air conditioning system, and wherein the filling is performed using a filling system brought via adapters into an operative connection with the connection valves on the low and high pressure sides. The device is designed to allow filling with two different refrigerants using just two adapters and still ensures that a proper refrigerant is filled into the respective air conditioning system.

Claims

1. A device for filling air conditioning systems of vehicles with a refrigerant during a final vehicle assembly,

wherein each air conditioning system to be filled comprises a high-pressure connection valve on a high pressure side of the air conditioning system and a low-pressure connection valve on a low pressure side of the air conditioning system, wherein the high-pressure and low-pressure connection valves differ in their geometrical contour to prevent mix-ups between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side and at the same time to ensure that only a preselected refrigerant approved for use in the air conditioning system is filled into the air conditioning system, and

wherein the device can be brought into an operative connection with the low-pressure connection valve on the low-pressure side using a low-pressure adapter and the high-pressure connection valve on the high-pressure side using a high pressure adapter;

wherein just one of the high pressure adapter and one of the low pressure adapter is provided for two different refrigerants R134a and R1234yf,

wherein the high-pressure and low-pressure connection valves of each air conditioning system to be filled have different design geometries depending upon which of the two different refrigerants R134a and R1234yf is approved for use in the air conditioning system,

wherein the high-pressure adapter via which the air conditioning system is filled includes mechanical components which interact to prevent a connection valve that does not match a preselected refrigerant of the two different refrigerants approved for use in the air conditioning system from being opened for filling,

wherein, by preselecting one of the two different refrigerants R134a and R1234yf for filling the air conditioning system, the high-pressure adapter can detect a correct and/or incorrect connection valve, wherein

the high-pressure adapter comprises a clamping system that includes a slider with a magnet, a stop piston with an integrated plunger, a path measuring system and clamping balls,

wherein the slider takes different positions based on the respective design geometries of the connection valves, which are detected by the magnet via the path measuring system,

wherein the slider is designed so that, in its normal position, it closes a flow path through the adapter with a gasket designed as an O-ring,

wherein the stop piston can be placed in a preset position comprising a lower position for the refrigerant R134a and an upper position for the refrigerant R1234yf,

wherein the lower and upper positions respectively allow movement of the slider in these lower and upper positions only,

wherein the plunger integrated in the stop piston can perform a limited stroke to open the connection valves,

wherein the respective stroke movement is performed depending on the respective position of the stop piston, starting from the preset position for the refrigerant, R134a, or the refrigerant, R1234yf, and

wherein the clamping balls are held in a carrier by pins.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure adapter has a separate filling line with a filling valve for each refrigerant.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the low-pressure adapter is designed to be mounted on the low-pressure connection valve of each air conditioning system notwithstanding which of the two different refrigerants R134a and R1234yf is approved for use in the air conditioning system.

4. An adapter for connecting a refrigerant filling system to a mobile air conditioning system, wherein the refrigerant filling system is configured to dispense a first refrigerant to a first mobile air conditioning system having a first connection valve having a first geometry and a second refrigerant to a second mobile air conditioning system having a second connection valve with a second geometry, the adapter comprising:

a body comprising a fluid path therethrough;

a clamping system supported by the body and configured for connecting the adapter to the first connection valve and the second connection valve;

wherein the clamping system comprises a first preset configuration and a second preset configuration;

wherein the first preset configuration is associated with connecting the adapter to the first connection valve when the refrigerant filling system is configured to dispense the first refrigerant to the first mobile air conditioning system;

wherein the second preset configuration is associated with connecting the adapter to the second connection valve when the refrigerant filling system is configured to dispense the second refrigerant to the second mobile air condition system;

wherein the clamping system is operable to detect whether the refrigerant filling system is connecting to a correct one of the first mobile air conditioning system and the second mobile air conditioning system;

wherein the clamping system further comprises;

a slider movable to open and close the fluid path;

a magnet associated with the slider;

wherein the slider and the magnet are movable together between a normal position, a first position, and a second position;

wherein the slider closes the fluid path in the normal position and opens the fluid path in the first position and in the second position;

a stop piston wherein when the clamping system is in the first preset configuration the stop piston is positioned in a lower preset position and the stop piston prevents movement of the slider and the magnet to the second position, and when the clamping system is in the second preset configuration the stop piston is positioned in an upper preset position and the stop piston does not prevent movement of the slider and the magnet to the second position;

wherein the stop piston comprises a plunger having a limited stroke that is configured to engage the first connection valve and the second connection valve;

a path measuring system for detecting the position of the magnet in a correct position or an incorrect position; and

clamping balls retained in a carrier, wherein the clamping balls are configured for engaging the first geometry and locking the adapter to the first connection valve and engaging the second geometry and locking the adapter to the second connection valve;

wherein when the clamping system is in the first preset configuration and the adapter encounters the first connection valve, the adapter enables the refrigerant filling system to dispense the first refrigerant to the first mobile air conditioning system wherein the slider and the magnet move from the normal position to the first position, the fluid path is open, the path measuring system detects the position of the magnet in the correct position, the clamping balls lock the adapter to the first connection valve, and the plunger engages and opens the first connection valve;

wherein when the clamping system is in the second preset configuration and the adapter encounters the second connection valve, the adapter enables the refrigerant filling system to dispense the second refrigerant to the second mobile air conditioning system wherein the slider and the magnet move from the normal position to the second position, the fluid path is open, the path measuring system detects the position of the position of the magnet the correct position, the clamping balls lock the adapter to the second connection valve, and the plunger engages and opens the second connection valve;

wherein when the clamping system is in the first preset configuration and the adapter encounters the second connection valve, the adapter prevents the refrigerant filling system from dispensing the first refrigerant to the second mobile air conditioning system wherein the stop piston limits the movement of the slider and the magnet from the normal position to the first position and the clamping balls are prevented from locking the adapter to the second connection valve; and

wherein when the clamping system is in the second present configuration and the adapter engages the first connection valve, the adapter prevents the refrigerant filling system from dispensing the second refrigerant to the first mobile air conditioning system wherein the slider and the magnet move from the normal position to the first position, the fluid path is open, the path measuring system detects the position of the magnet in the incorrect position, the clamping balls lock the adapter to the second connection valve, and the plunger is inoperable to engage and open the first connection valve.

5. A refrigerant filling system for filling mobile air conditioning systems with a first refrigerant and a second refrigerant comprising the adapter of claim 4.