Device for cooling an interior of a motor vehicle

• US 6,474,081 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Company KG (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Company KG (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Inventors: Feuerecker, Guenther
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapolcai, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M.
• Application Number:
  US10/123,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20020148243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 202 Days
• Field of Search: 62/99, 624/34, 624/35
• US Class Current: 62/99
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32281 comprising a single secondary circuit, e.g. at evaporator or condenser side
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/323 characterised by comprising auxiliary or multiple systems, e.g. plurality of evaporators, or by involving auxiliary cooling devices

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cooling a vehicle interior with a secondary circuit (26) for transferring the cold produced in an evaporator (24) of a primary refrigerating circuit (14) of a refrigerating unit (12) by means of a refrigerating medium to at least one heat transfer device (34) for cooling the air to be fed into the vehicle interior, the secondary circuit (26) having a main circuit (36) and an auxiliary circuit (40) containing the heat transfer device (34), which are coupled by a four-way valve (56), by means of which an adjustable proportion of the flow of refrigerating medium can be diverted from the main circuit (36) and fed into the auxiliary circuit (40). In order to provide an improved device for cooling, in particular one that can be produced at a more reasonable cost, it is proposed that an inner heat exchanger (80) should be provided in the auxiliary circuit (40), allowing heat exchange to take place between a feed (60) and a return (62). This makes it possible to dispense with the use of a circulation pump in the auxiliary circuit.

Claims

1. A method of air conditioning air in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a temperature conditioned flow from an evaporator of a primary refrigerating circuit to a refrigerating medium flowing in a secondary refrigerating circuit;

feeding said refrigerating medium to an inner heat exchanger positioned in said secondary circuit;

heating said refrigerating medium by said inner heat exchanger;

providing said heated refrigerating medium via a feed to a heat transfer device; and

cooling said refrigerating medium by said heat transfer device.

2. The air conditioning method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

outputting said refrigerating medium from said heat transfer device, wherein

a first portion of said refrigerating medium output from said heat transfer device returns to said inner heat exchanger; and

a second portion of said refrigerating medium output from said heat transfer device bypasses said inner heat exchanger.

3. The air conditioning method of claim 2, wherein a flow resistance for said first portion of refrigerating medium returning to said inner heat exchanger is significantly greater than a flow resistance for said second portion of said refrigerating medium bypassing said inner heat exchanger.

4. The air conditioning method of claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting said refrigerating medium from said heat transfer device to said inner heat exchanger.