Ventilation – Vehicle – Having automatic control means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-01
2001-08-21
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having automatic control means
C454S105000, C454S141000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06277022
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION, AND STATE OF THE ART
The present invention relates to an arrangement for ventilation of a space in a passenger compartment of a vehicle to selectively take in or discharge heated or cooled air depending upon ambient conditions.
A known practice is to introduce fresh air into the passenger compartment of vehicles via an inlet in the front wall of the compartment whereby the fresh air passes over a heating element and/or cooling element and is heated or cooled, depending on the ambient temperature. Air from the passenger compartment is released via outlets arranged in the vehicle's doors or in a rear end of a cab of a truck. This means that air which has been heated or cooled is discharged, thereby further increasing the respective need for heating or cooling of the inlet air.
Modem diesel engines operate at very high efficiency, which means that the engine generates relatively little waste heat, which can be utilised for heating the passenger compartment. In some cases it has been necessary, in smaller vehicles such as private cars, to provide extra heating units to meet the passenger compartment heating requirement in low ambient temperatures.
It should also be noted that the cooling required at high ambient temperatures reduces not insubstantially the power available from the vehicle's engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,273 refers to a ventilation arrangement for a rail vehicle. This known ventilation arrangement includes outlet devices arranged in a lower portion of a passenger space of the rail vehicle and an outlet device which extends from the passenger space through the roof of the rail vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to increase the effectiveness of the heating and cooling of the passenger space in a vehicle.
This object is achieved by the arrangement indicated in the introduction which is characterised by means designed to allow discharge of air from the space in such a way that a main portion of the air discharged flows through a first outlet device when the temperature of an environment is relatively high and that the main portion of the air discharged flows through a second outlet device when the temperature of the environment is relatively low.
Since warm air rises, relatively warm air in the passenger compartment will be discharged via the upper outlet device when the outside temperature is relatively high, and relatively cool air via the lower outlet device when the outside temperature is relatively low. In this way it is possible in accordance with the present invention to increase the fresh air supply for a given heating or cooling effect or to reduce the heating or cooling for a given fresh air supply.
The setting of the first outlet device and the second outlet device may be done either manually, in which case the driver who does the manual setting preferably has access to the prevailing outside temperature, or automatically. This may involve a detection device designed to detect the temperature of the environment.
According to one embodiment of the invention, said means may be designed to open said first outlet device when the temperature of the environment rises above a first level and to open said second outlet device when the temperature of the environment falls below a second level.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the second level in such cases is higher than the first level. This means that both of the outlet devices will open when the ambient temperature has a substantially normal average value. It also prevents both of the outlet devices closing simultaneously and hence makes it possible to maintain a maximum supply of fresh air.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, said means are designed to close said second outlet device when the temperature of the environment rises above the second level and further to close said first outlet device when the temperature of the environment falls below the first level.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, said means include a first thermostatically controlled valve of said first outlet device and a second thermostatically controlled valve of said second outlet device. Such a thermostatically controlled valve can easily be designed to open/close the outlet device at a desired temperature level. This means that there is no need of any complicated control equipment for implementing the present invention. Another embodiment of the invention includes in said means a control unit which is connected to said first outlet device and said second outlet device. The control unit may further be connected to said detection device and designed to open said first outlet device and said second outlet device on the basis of the temperature detected.
Advantageously, said first outlet device is arranged in the vicinity of a ceiling of the space and said second outlet device in the vicinity of a floor of the space.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2319002 (1943-05-01), Kramer
patent: 4062273 (1977-12-01), O'Connor
patent: 4742760 (1988-05-01), Horstman et al.
patent: 5261855 (1993-11-01), Law et al.
patent: 5779536 (1998-07-01), Mc Corkel et al.
patent: 748836 (1933-07-01), None
patent: 4-287711 (1992-10-01), None
Joyce Harold
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
Scania CV Aktiebolag (publ)
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