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DE-112020002738-B4 - Offset three-zone temperature flap strategy

DE112020002738B4DE 112020002738 B4DE112020002738 B4DE 112020002738B4DE-112020002738-B4

Abstract

Air treatment system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a conditioning section (18) comprising an evaporator core (24) and a heating core (26), wherein the conditioning section (18) is divided into a primary zone and a secondary zone at a position located downstream of the evaporator core (24) and upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to an airflow passing through the conditioning section (18), the heating core (26) extending partially into each of the primary zone and the secondary zone; a first primary flap arrangement (201) located within the conditioning section (18) at a position upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to the airflow passing through the conditioning section (18), wherein the first primary flap arrangement (201) is configured to control the distribution of the airflow entering the heating core (26) within the primary zone; and a secondary flap arrangement (203) which is arranged within the secondary zone of the conditioning section (18) at a position downstream of the first primary flap arrangement (201) and upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to the airflow flowing through the conditioning section (18), wherein the secondary flap arrangement (203) is configured to control a distribution of the airflow entering the heating core (26) within the secondary zone, wherein the primary zone is divided into a first primary zone and a second primary zone with respect to a lateral direction of the conditioning section (18), which is arranged perpendicular to a direction of the airflow flowing through the conditioning section (18), wherein the first primary zone comprises a cold air path (114) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (113) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26), and wherein the second primary zone comprises a cold air path (116) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (115) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26), and wherein the cold air path (114) of the first primary zone is divided into a first cold air path section (114a) which is arranged on a first side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and a second cold air path section (114b) which is arranged on an opposite second side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and wherein the cold air path (116) of the second primary zone is divided into a first cold air path section (116a) which is arranged on the first side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and a second cold air path section (116b) which is arranged on the opposite second side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction.

Inventors

  • Jayanthi Iyer
  • ERIC HAUPT
  • Michael Mungle
  • Megan Stabile

Assignees

  • HANON SYSTEMS

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20200528
Priority Date
20200514

Claims (17)

  1. Air treatment system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a conditioning section (18) comprising an evaporator core (24) and a heating core (26), wherein the conditioning section (18) is divided into a primary zone and a secondary zone at a position located downstream of the evaporator core (24) and upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to an airflow passing through the conditioning section (18), wherein the heating core (26) extends partially into each of the primary zone and the secondary zone; a first primary flap arrangement (201) which is arranged within the conditioning section (18) at a position upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to the airflow flowing through the conditioning section (18), wherein the first primary flap arrangement (201) is configured to control a distribution of the airflow entering the heating core (26) within the primary zone; and a secondary flap arrangement (203) located within the secondary zone of the conditioning section (18) at a position downstream of the first primary flap arrangement (201) and upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to the airflow through the conditioning section (18), wherein the secondary flap arrangement (203) is configured to control a distribution of the airflow entering the heating core (26) within the secondary zone, wherein the primary zone is subdivided into a first primary zone and a second primary zone with respect to a lateral direction of the conditioning section (18) that is arranged perpendicular to a direction of the airflow through the conditioning section (18), wherein the first primary zone comprises a cold air path (114) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (113) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26), and wherein the second primary zone comprises a cold air path (116) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26), and comprises a warm air path (115) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26), and wherein the cold air path (114) of the first primary zone is subdivided into a first cold air path section (114a) located on a first side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and a second cold air path section (114b) located on an opposite second side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and wherein the cold air path (116) of the second primary zone is subdivided into a first cold air path section (116a) located on the first side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and a second cold air path section (116b) located on the opposite second side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction.
  2. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein the first primary flap arrangement (201) comprises a first flap configured to control a distribution of the airflow through the heating core (26) with respect to the first primary zone, and wherein the first primary flap arrangement (201) comprises a second flap configured to control a distribution of the airflow through the heating core (26) with respect to the second primary zone.
  3. Air treatment system according to Claim 2 , wherein the first flap of the first primary flap assembly (201) and the second flap of the first primary flap assembly (201) can be positioned independently of each other.
  4. Air treatment system according to Claim 3 , wherein the secondary valve assembly (203) comprises a valve which can be positioned independently of the first valve of the first primary valve assembly (201) and the second valve of the first primary valve assembly (201).
  5. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein the secondary zone is arranged between the second cold air path section (114b) of the first primary zone and the second cold air path section (116b) of the second primary zone with respect to the lateral direction of the conditioning section (18).
  6. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , further comprising a second primary flap arrangement (202) configured to control the distribution of the airflow through each of the first cold air path section (114a) of the first primary zone and the first cold air path section (116a) of the second primary zone.
  7. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein a partition (5) forming a separation between the first primary zone and the second primary zone is arranged in a plane extending through a center of the secondary zone with respect to the lateral direction of the conditioning section (18).
  8. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein the first primary zone provides the airflow to a first section of a front seating area of a passenger compartment, the second primary zone provides the airflow to a second section of the front seating area of the passenger compartment, and the secondary zone provides the airflow to a rear seating area of the passenger compartment.
  9. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein the first primary flap arrangement (201) always allows at least a portion of the airflow to enter the secondary zone, regardless of any instantaneous configuration of the first primary flap arrangement (201).
  10. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , further comprising a second primary valve assembly (202) which is configured to interact with the first primary valve assembly (201), to control a distribution of air that bypasses the heating core (26).
  11. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein each of the first primary flap assembly (201) and the secondary flap assembly (203) comprises at least one flap panel configured to slide in a direction transverse to the direction in which the airflow passes through the conditioning section (18).
  12. Air treatment system according to Claim 11 , wherein each of the flap panels of the first primary flap assembly (201) and the secondary flap assembly (203) is operationally engaged with a rotary shaft (210a, 210b, 220a, 220b) to cause each of the flap panels to slide.
  13. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein the primary zone is defined by a primary zone housing (12) and the secondary zone is defined by a secondary zone housing (15) which is surrounded on at least three sides by the primary zone housing (12).
  14. Air treatment system according to Claim 1 , wherein the secondary zone comprises a cold air path (118) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (117) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26).
  15. Air treatment system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a conditioning section (18) comprising an evaporator core (24) and a heating core (26), wherein the conditioning section (18) is divided into a first primary zone, a second primary zone, and a secondary zone at a position located downstream of the evaporator core (24) and upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to an airflow passing through the conditioning section (18), the heating core (26) extending partially into each of the first primary zone, the second primary zone, and the secondary zone; a first primary flap arrangement (201) which is arranged within the conditioning section (18) at a position upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to the airflow through the conditioning section (18), wherein the first primary flap arrangement (201) comprises a first flap and a second flap, wherein the first flap is configured to control a distribution of the airflow through the heating core (26) with respect to the first primary zone, and the second flap is configured to control a distribution of the airflow through the heating core (26) with respect to the second primary zone; and a secondary flap arrangement (203) located within the secondary zone of the conditioning section (18) at a position downstream of the primary flap arrangement (201) and upstream of the heating core (26) with respect to the airflow passing through the conditioning section (18), wherein the secondary flap arrangement (203) is configured to control a distribution of the airflow entering the heating core (26) within the secondary zone, whereby the first primary zone comprises a cold air path (114) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (113) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26), and wherein the second primary zone comprises a cold air path (116) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (115) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26), and whereby the cold air path (114) of the first The primary zone is divided into a first cold air path section (114a) located on a first side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and a second cold air path section (114b) located on an opposite second side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and wherein the cold air path (116) of the second primary zone is divided into a first cold air path section (116a) located on the first side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and a second cold air path section (116b) located on the opposite second side of the heating core (26) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction.
  16. Air treatment system according to Claim 15 , wherein the secondary zone comprises a cold air path (118) through which the airflow bypasses the heating core (26) and a warm air path (117) through which the airflow passes through the heating core (26).
  17. Air treatment system according to Claim 16 , further comprising a second primary flap arrangement (202) comprising a first flap and a second flap, wherein the first flap of the first primary flap arrangement (201) is configured to cooperate with the first flap of the second primary flap arrangement (202) to control a distribution of the airflow through the heating core (26) with respect to the first primary zone, and the second flap of the first primary flap arrangement (201) is configured to cooperate with the second flap of the second primary flap arrangement (202) to control a distribution of the airflow through the heating core (26) with respect to the second primary zone.

Description

Technical field The invention relates generally to a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit for a motor vehicle and in particular to an HVAC unit that provides independent climate control for three different areas of a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. State of the art A vehicle typically includes an air handling system that maintains a comfortable temperature in the passenger compartment by heating, cooling, and ventilating the incoming air. Passenger comfort is maintained by an integrated mechanism known in engineering as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air handling system. This system conditions the incoming air and distributes the conditioned air throughout the passenger compartment. The air handling system typically consists of a housing with numerous ducts and flaps that selectively control airflow to various vents in the vehicle's passenger compartment, depending on the operating mode chosen by a vehicle occupant. Each operating mode involves directing a pre-selected percentage of air from a mixing chamber to each of the corresponding vents associated with the chosen mode. These vents may include, for example, dashboard vents, console vents, front floor vents, rear floor vents, windshield defrost vents, and side window defrost vents. It has become increasingly common for such air handling systems to include a function that allows vehicle occupants to select different temperature settings for two or more different areas within the passenger compartment. Many vehicles, for example, include independent temperature control for the left and right sides of the passenger compartment, for the front and rear seating areas, or for combinations thereof. However, the independent temperature control provided for the different zones of the passenger compartment presents numerous challenges. In particular, the air handling system should preferably regulate the temperature of the air flowing through it with respect to each of the different zones of the passenger compartment, without requiring additional and independently provided heating or cooling devices in each of the independently provided airflow paths leading to each of the different zones. Accordingly, the prior art requires an HVAC air treatment system designed to provide independent temperature control for two or more different zones of the passenger compartment of the associated motor vehicle, without requiring additional heat exchange structures to achieve the different temperatures associated with the two or more different zones of the passenger compartment. The CN 1 09 774 415 A , US 6 622 787 B1 and US 2002 / 0 042 248 A1 represent a further state of the art. Disclosure of the invention Technical problem In accordance with and adapted to the present invention, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit for a motor vehicle, and in particular an HVAC unit for providing independent climate control for three different areas of a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, was surprisingly discovered. Solution to the problem The invention is defined by the independent claims. According to one embodiment of the present invention, an air treatment system for a motor vehicle comprises a conditioning section comprising an evaporator core and a heating core. The conditioning section is divided into a primary zone and a secondary zone at a position downstream of the evaporator core and upstream of the heating core with respect to an airflow passing through the conditioning section. The heating core extends partially into each of the primary and secondary zones. A first primary flap arrangement is arranged within the conditioning section at a position upstream of the heating core, and the first primary flap arrangement is configured to control a distribution of the airflow entering the heating core within the primary zone. A secondary flap arrangement is located within the secondary zone of the conditioning section at a position Position downstream of the primary flap assembly and upstream of the heating core, and the secondary flap assembly is designed to control the distribution of the airflow entering the heating core within the secondary zone. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, an air treatment system for a motor vehicle comprises a conditioning section comprising an evaporator core and a heating core. The conditioning section is divided into a first primary zone, a second primary zone, and a secondary zone located downstream of the evaporator core and upstream of the heating core with respect to an airflow passing through the conditioning section. The heating core extends partially into each of the first primary zone, the second primary zone, and the secondary zone. A first primary flap assembly is arranged within the conditioning section at a location upstream of the heating core. The first primary flap assembly comprises a first flap and a second flap. The first flap is confi