Electromechanical device associated with thermoactuators for use in vehicle climate control and air conditioning systems

• US 4,819,868 A
• Filed: 03/22/1988
• Issued: 04/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eltek SpA
• Original Assignee: Eltek SpA
• Inventors: Fornasari, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapolcai, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/171,818
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49 D, 236/68 C, 236/68 R, 236/84, 236/99 K, 236/100, 251/11
• US Class Current: 236/49.5
• 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: F24F 11/83 by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1921 using a thermal motor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor

Abstract

An electromechanical device for vehicle climate control and air conditioning systems. The valves in said systems are actuated by one or more plungers incorporated in electrothermoactuators associated with mechanisms which transmit and, if required, transform the linear movement generated by plungers causing the opening/closing of the system'"'"'s valves.

Claims

1. An electromechanical device associated with thermoactuators, particularly for the control of valves in vehicle climate control or air conditioning systems, comprising a pair of thermoactuators being associated with heaters;

two "L"-shaped parts being mounted in a mobile fashion moving, against the reaction of calibrated springs, on a plate having stops interfering with teeth of said "L"-shaped parts;

said plate being equipped with a slot engaging a sliding pin carried on one end of a mobile arm, said mobile arm having a curved rack on an opposite side of said mobile arm from said sliding pin, said curved rack always engaged by a pinion integral with a shaft incorporating a potentiometer electrically connected to an electronic control unit;

said shaft having the function of controlling a butterfly valve, in turn controlling the flow of air exiting from a radiator of an air conditioning system.

2. An electromechanical device in accordance with claim 1, comprising a poppet valve controlling the passage of liquids coming from the system'"'"'s radiator, characterized in that a stem of said valve is articulated at the end of a rocker lever that can be acted upon by a plunger of an electrothermoactuator, against the reaction of a spring;

the other end of said lever controls a potentiometer electrically connected to an electronic control unit for the purpose of determining various valve positions with respect to an orifice controlled.

3. An electromechanical device in accordance with claim 1 , comprising a poppet valve controlling the passage of liquids coming from the system'"'"'s radiator, characterized in that the operation of the poppet valve is either ON or OFF as the thermoactuator has no potentiometer.

4. An electromechanical device in accordance with

claim 1, characterized in that each thermoactuator is associated with at least one heater located internally or externally with respect to a casing enclosing wax with high thermal dilative properties.