Automatic climate control system

• US 5,234,050 A
• Filed: 09/06/1991
• Issued: 08/10/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interdynamics Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdynamics Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weigert, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/756,034
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49.3, 454/75, 165/43, 165/26
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00828 Ventilators, e.g. speed control B60H1/00864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1913 delivering a series of pulses
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor

Abstract

An aftermarket automatic climate control system is disclosed for use in automobiles to be connected to existing heating, including a fan and fan motor to control the volume of air flow, said system including a control head located in the passenger compartment and a power box adapted to be connected with the automobile'"'"'s electrical, heating and air conditioning systems, wherein said automatic climate control is connected to the fan positive supply lead of the fan motor.

Claims

1. An aftermarket automatic climate control system for use in automobiles in which there is existing heating, air conditioning, a fan and fan motor to control the volume of air flow, said system comprising

a control head comprising means to sense the ambient temperature and generate a corrective signal, said control head located in the passenger compartment to be controlled thereby,

a power box comprising electrical circuit means to be connected to said electrical, heating and air conditioning systems by being connected to the fan motor circuit, said power box including means responsive to said corrective signal to generate a fan motor control signal,

said automatic climate control system being universal by being connected as an aftermarket product to said fan motor circuit wherein said automatic climate control is connected to the fan positive supply lead of the fan motor.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said power box is inserted in series with said fan motor circuit.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said power box is inserted in shunt with said fan motor circuit.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said climate control system comprises means to continuously control the fan speed.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said means to continuously control the fan speed comprises a pulse width modulation system.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said climate control system is operable by being connected to the battery voltage supply, to the automobile'"'"'s ground system and to the fan motor circuit.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power box is located remotely from the passenger compartment of the automobile.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said automatic climate control system comprises means to operate to automatically increase or decrease the temperature in the passenger compartment by operating in a heating or cooling mode, further comprising switching means to cut off the operation of said climate control system and manually operate the air conditioning/heating systems of the automobile.

9. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said pulse width modulation system comprises a comparator, one input of which is supplied with an oscillating signal, the other input of which is supplied with a fan control signal, said comparator producing a pulse whose width is determined by the intersection of the amplitudes of said fan control and oscillating signals.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said oscillating signal comprises means to produce a triangular waveform.

11. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said automatic climate control system comprises at least one power MOSFET to provide sufficient current to control said fan motor speed.

12. A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fan motor is set to operate at maximum speed and said aftermarket automatic climate control system controls the actual speed of said fan motor.