Heating/ventilating/air conditioning systems for vehicles

• US 20040026522A1
• Filed: 06/09/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futuris Automotive Pty Limited (Elders Limited)
• Original Assignee: Air International, Inc.
• Inventors: Keen, Paul A., Laul, Anthony A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,988,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/49.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00792 Arrangement of detectors B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00864 Ventilators and damper doors

Abstract

An HVAC Integrated electronic Module (HIM) (41) for controlling airflow through an HVAC module (12), the HVAC module including a variable speed blower motor (18), a plurality of airflow doors (26-28) for controlling air direction and hot-cold air temperature blend, and electrical actuators, servo motors or stepper motors for said doors, the HIM including: one or more air temperature sensors (22) for measurement of one or more of intake air temperature, outlet air temperature, air-off evaporator temperature and engine coolant temperature; actuator control circuitry (31) for controlling said electrical actuators, servo motors or stepper motors; blower motor speed control circuitry (15) for speed control of the variable speed blower motor; sensor control circuitry for said sensors; and communication circuitry for a serial communication interface (42) to enable communication with a vehicle users interface (32).

Claims

1. An HVAC Integrated electronic Module (HIM) for controlling airflow through an HVAC module, the HVAC module including a variable speed blower motor, a plurality of airflow doors for controlling air direction and hot-cold air temperature blend, and electrical actuators, servo motors or stepper motors for said doors, the HIM including:

one or more air temperature sensors for measurement of one or more of intake air temperature, outlet air temperature, air-off evaporator temperature and engine coolant temperature;

actuator control circuitry for controlling said electrical actuators, servo motors or stepper motors;

blower motor speed control circuitry for speed control of the variable speed blower motor;

sensor control circuitry for said sensors; and

communication circuitry for a serial communication interface to enable communication with a vehicle users interface.

2. An HIM according to claim 1, and further including:

one or more electrical devices for sensing one or more of pressure, humidity, air quality, air filter condition and position; and

electrical device control circuitry for said electrical sensing devices.

3. An HIM according to claim 2, wherein said one or more electrical devices for sensing air filter condition use either or both of infra-red or pressure sensing.

4. An HIM according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control circuitry is implemented by application of a microprocessor based control system.

5. An HIM according to claim 4, and further including climate control circuitry implementing an Automatic Climate Control (ACC) strategy based upon measurement of outside air temperature and sun-load measurements, either discretely or on said serial communication bus.

6. An HIM according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control circuitry is implemented by application of discrete electronic components.

7. An HIM according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the serial communication bus is adapted to be shared with other electronic modules in the vehicle to enable data to be shared between said other electronic modules and the HIM and also enable diagnostic interrogation to be performed on the HIM through a single point vehicle diagnostic connection.