Dual function heater core

• US 4,072,186 A
• Filed: 04/05/1976
• Issued: 02/07/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Barton, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre, Charles J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Richter, Sheldon
• Application Number:
  US05/674,011
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 237/12.3 B, 237/12.3 R, 60/517, 60/524, 165/42, 165/43, 165/51
• US Class Current: 165/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00057 the air being heated and cooled simultaneously, e.g. using parallel heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00085 of air intake
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00178 comprising an air passage from the HVAC box to the exterior of the cabin
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/055 Heaters or coolers

Abstract

An integrated system for engine heat extraction and comfort air conditioning in an automotive vehicle powered by a Stirling engine, the system being used (a) as a part of the heat rejecting means for the Stirling engine located in a compartment outside of the passenger compartment, and (b) for conditioning air within the passenger compartment. The heat rejecting means of the Stirling engine is effective to cool a selected zone of an enclosed working fluid circuit of the engine; the heat rejecting means is divided into two portions, one normally being diposed to reject heat to ambient air conditions and another disposed to selectively impart rejected heat either to air flow for conditioning air for said passenger compartment or to air flow to be aborted to ambient air conditions. The embodiment as disclosed further includes evaporation or heat absorption means and controls therefore to blend dehumidified cooled air with the air warmed by said heat rejection portion to render a total air conditioning system for the passenger compartment which relies in part upon the heat rejection means being continuously employed as an element of the Stirling engine. In another embodiment, the air conditioning system is arranged with appropriate controls to recirculate cool, dehumidified air to the heat rejection means for a reheating cycle before entering the passenger compartment; an ambient dump control is again employed so that the heat rejection means may be maintained in constant operation.

Claims

1. In an automotive vehicle having a passenger compartment and a Stirling engine outside said compartment, said engine having a closed working fluid circuit, an integrated heat transfer system for both said Stirling engine and compartment, comprising:

(a) an air flow system having a passage in which air is conditioned and conducted to said compartment,

(b) heat rejecting means for said Stirling engine effective to cool a selective zone of said closed working fluid circuit, one portion of said means being disposed to continuously impart rejected heat to the air flowing in said passage, and another portion being disposed to impart rejected heat to ambient air conditions, and

(c) control means effective to either communicate the air flow in said passage conditioned by said one portion with said compartment or dump the air in said passage conditioned by said one portion to ambient conditions.

2. An air conditioning system as in claim 1, which further comprises heat absorption means for removing heat from the air in said passage not conditioned by said one portion, and second control means effective to communicate air subjected to said heat absorption means with said compartment while said air subjected to said one portion is dumped to ambient conditions.

3. An air conditioning system as in claim 2, in which a second control means is employed to circulate air subjected to said heat absorption means to said passenger compartment for reheating purposes, the control being effective to circulate the air cooled by said heat absorption means to the heat rejecting means so that said heat rejecting means may be more continuously employed to reject a greater amount of heat during vehicle operation.