Method and device for testing and diagnosing an automotive air conditioning system

• US 20020116932A1
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marie Joseph Renders
• Original Assignee: Marie Joseph Renders
• Inventors: Renders, Marie Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 6,631,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00585 Means for monitoring, testing or servicing the air-conditioning
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2106 of fresh outdoor air
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence

Abstract

Test and diagnosis of an automotive air conditioning system (2) is performed by a device which comprises: temperature-sensing means (3) for sensing the ambient temperature, pressure-sensing means (4, 5) for sensing the high and low side pressures of the system (2), data-storage means (62) for storing at least one set of reference values of refrigerant pressures and ambient temperatures and at least one set of malfunction diagnosis, a data processor (63) for comparing said sensed values of ambient temperature and refrigerant pressures with said stored reference values and for associating to each tern of sensed values at least one diagnosis, which is displayed on a display unit (7), an input unit (8) and an hand-heldable housing (10) for containing said sensing and data-storage means (3-5, 62), said data processor (63) and said display and input units (7, 8).

Claims

1. Method for testing and diagnosing an automotive air conditioning system (2) comprising:

providing means (3) for sensing the ambient temperature;

providing means (4, 5) for sensing the high and low side pressures of the system (2);

providing data-storage means (62) for storing at least one set of reference values of refrigerant pressures and ambient temperatures and at least one set of malfunction diagnosis;

providing a data processor (63) for comparing said sensed values of ambient temperature and refrigerant pressures with said stored reference values and for associating to each tern of sensed values at least one diagnosis, which is displayed on a display unit (7);

providing an hand-heldable housing (10) for containing said sensing and data-storage means (3-5, 62), said data processor (63) and said display unit (7).

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein one set of reference values is stored for each type of refrigerant and two set of diagnosis are stored, for air conditioning systems having a compressor with fixed or variable capacity respectively.

3. Device for testing and diagnosing an automotive air conditioning system (2) comprising:

temperature-sensing means (3) for sensing the ambient temperature;

pressure-sensing means (4, 5) for sensing the high and low side pressures of the system (2);

data-storage means (62) for storing at least one set of reference values of refrigerant pressures and ambient temperatures and at least one set of malfunction diagnosis;

a data processor (63) for comparing said sensed values of ambient temperature and refrigerant pressures with said stored reference values and for associating to each tern of sensed values at least one diagnosis, which is displayed on a display unit (7);

an hand-heldable housing (10) for containing said sensing and data-storage means (3-5, 62), said data processor (63) and said display unit (7).

4. Device according to claim 3 further comprising an input unit (8).

5. Device according to claim 4 further comprising an I/O interface (64) for connection with an external device.

6. Device according to claim 3 wherein said housing 10 is formed in two parts, a base (10a) and a cover (10b), and is provided with nipples (11, 12) for connecting said pressure sensing means (4, 5) to the low (25) and high (26) pressure sides of the system via hoses (13, 14).

7. Device according to claim 6 wherein, close to said temperature-sensing means (3), an opening (15) is provided in the housing (10) for proper ambient temperature sensing.