Auxiliary power unit for transportation vehicle
First Claim
1. An alternative power unit mounted to a vehicle having a battery for use in combination with or in place of a main engine of said vehicle, for providing AC and DC power to one or more areas of said vehicle, and for providing HVAC services for said vehicle when said main engine is not in use, comprising:
- an engine having sufficient power to power said areas, including one or more of the following, a DC power alternator, an AC power generator, an air conditioning compressor, and a coolant-based radiator;
a frame for mounting said engine to said vehicle, said frame including a sliding component for readily moving said engine away from said vehicle for service and maintenance;
a HVAC system within a human occupied area of said vehicle;
an engine control unit having a programmable processor; and
a user interface for controlling said engine control unit.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An auxiliary power unit for providing power and HVAC to a vehicle. The auxiliary power unit is mounted to the vehicle in a variety of ways, but such that it can be readily moved away from the vehicle for service and maintenance. The power unit has a removable condenser and fan assembly that can be mounted to the power unit or remote from the human occupied portion of the vehicle. The power unit also including a programmable engine control unit for controlling and monitoring various aspects of the operation of the power unit and the vehicle. The power unit having a user interface that enables in-vehicle control of the engine control unit and remote control the engine control unit. The engine control unit monitoring when excessive power requirements of the power unit exists and limiting the air conditioning services of the power unit until the excessive power requirements no longer exists.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. An alternative power unit mounted to a vehicle having a battery for use in combination with or in place of a main engine of said vehicle, for providing AC and DC power to one or more areas of said vehicle, and for providing HVAC services for said vehicle when said main engine is not in use, comprising:
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an engine having sufficient power to power said areas, including one or more of the following, a DC power alternator, an AC power generator, an air conditioning compressor, and a coolant-based radiator; a frame for mounting said engine to said vehicle, said frame including a sliding component for readily moving said engine away from said vehicle for service and maintenance; a HVAC system within a human occupied area of said vehicle; an engine control unit having a programmable processor; and a user interface for controlling said engine control unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for conveying information regarding an auxiliary power unit to a user through a user interface, comprising the steps of:
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collecting data indicating operating conditions of said auxiliary power unit; and outputting said data on a display of said user interface through a number of display steps including displaying current information about said auxiliary power unit, displaying a time and a date, and displaying action information. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A frame assembly for mounting an auxiliary power unit to a vehicle, comprising:
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a frame including a sliding component for readily moving said auxiliary power unit away from said vehicle for service and maintenance; and a locking mechanism for said sliding component to prevent movement of said auxiliary power unit during operation of said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A control system for an auxiliary power unit mounted to a vehicle, having a vehicle engine, comprising:
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an engine control unit having a programmable processor for controlling said auxiliary power unit; a user interface for controlling said engine control unit; and a computer interface for direct or remote connection of a computer to said engine control unit for operation, control, monitoring, or modification of said engine control unit. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A control system for an auxiliary power unit mounted to a vehicle, having a vehicle engine, comprising:
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an engine control unit having a programmable processor for controlling said auxiliary power unit; a user interface for controlling said engine control unit; and a wireless connection for remote connection of a computer to said engine control unit for operation, control, monitoring, or modification of said engine control unit. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. An apparatus for mounting an auxiliary power unit to a frame rail of a vehicle comprising:
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a pair of brackets affixed to said frame rail of said vehicle; and a frame assembly affixed to said pair of brackets and to said auxiliary power unit. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. An auxiliary power unit mounted to a vehicle, having a vehicle engine, for providing HVAC services for said vehicle, comprising:
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a HVAC system passive to said vehicle engine for providing air conditioning and heating to a human occupied area of said vehicle; and a movable condenser and fan unit that functions in cooperation with said HVAC system, said condenser and fan unit being operative to be mounted to said auxiliary power unit or to a portion of said vehicle remote from said human occupied area.
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66. An auxiliary power unit mounted to a vehicle, having a vehicle engine, for providing HVAC services for said vehicle, comprising:
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a HVAC system passive to said vehicle engine for providing air conditioning and heating to a human occupied area of said vehicle; an engine control unit having a programmable processor for controlling said HVAC system; a user interface for controlling said engine control unit; and a thermostatic temperature control unit for controlling a temperature within said human occupied area of said vehicle.
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67. An auxiliary power unit mounted to a vehicle for providing HVAC services for said vehicle, comprising:
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a battery for supplying starting power to said auxiliary power unit; an engine passive to a main engine of said vehicle for providing auxiliary power, said engine including one or more of the following, a DC power alternator, an AC power generator, an air conditioning compressor, and a coolant-based radiator; a HVAC system passive to said main engine and powered by said auxiliary power unit for providing air conditioning and heating to a human occupied area of said vehicle; an engine control unit having a programmable processor for controlling said engine and said HVAC system, said engine control unit being operative to disable or decrease power to said air conditioning compressor when an operating frequency for said AC power generator drops below a nominal level; and a user interface for controlling said engine control unit. - View Dependent Claims (68)
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69. An auxiliary power unit mounted to a vehicle comprising:
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an engine passive to a main engine of said vehicle for providing power for use by said vehicle; and an exhaust pipe, connected to said engine by a flexible metal hose and a quick fit connector to facilitate movement of said engine away from said vehicle.
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Specification