Vehicle Cabin Air Cooling with Blower-Assisted Water Nebulization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air conditioning systems in vehicles, particularly those with rear seats, face challenges in providing adequate thermal comfort due to insufficient air speed without a relay blower, increased fuel consumption, and dry air that can cause discomfort, especially for passengers wearing contact lenses. Existing solutions either consume more fuel or are costly and difficult to install, and do not effectively address the thermal comfort of rear passengers.
Innovation Solution
A device that injects nebulized water into the air flow within the vehicle's passenger compartment, using a blower to accelerate and distribute the air, which increases humidity and cools the air through evaporation, maintaining ambient air temperature through successive cooling cycles, thus reducing energy consumption and ensuring comfort without relying on external ventilation systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If refrigerated ventilation without a relay air blower is used, then the air conditioning system is simpler, but the air speed is insufficient to guarantee thermal comfort for rear passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay air blower as an intermediary device between the main air conditioning system and the rear passengers. This relay blower receives refrigerated air from the main system and redistributes it to rear passengers with sufficient speed, solving the problem of insufficient air speed without requiring a complete redesign of the main air conditioning system.
2Speed
If a relay air blower is installed to improve air speed, then thermal comfort for rear passengers is improved, but the cooling requirement at the evaporator increases leading to higher fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing targeted cooling only to the rear passenger area through the relay air blower, rather than cooling the entire vehicle cabin. The relay blower receives already-refrigerated air from the main system and redirects it locally to where it is needed, reducing the overall cooling load on the evaporator and thereby reducing fuel consumption.
3Temperature
If conventional air conditioning systems are used to cool the air, then the air temperature is reduced, but the air becomes dry causing discomfort to passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of water by introducing a water injection system that sprays liquid water into the refrigerated air stream. The liquid water evaporates (phase change from liquid to vapor), absorbing heat and further cooling the air while simultaneously increasing humidity. This resolves the contradiction by providing both temperature reduction and humidity enhancement.
4Temperature
If additional air conditioners or secondary evaporators are installed to cool rear passengers, then thermal comfort is improved, but the cost and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated system. The relay air blower is integrated with the existing air conditioning ductwork, and the water injection system is combined with the air distribution network. This allows the system to provide both cooling and humidification to rear passengers using a unified infrastructure, avoiding the need for separate air conditioning units and simplifying installation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively cools the air by increasing humidity, achieving a greater temperature difference and maintaining ambient air temperature, reducing energy expenditure, and providing comfort to rear passengers while being independent of traditional air conditioning systems, with minimal energy consumption and no need for external aeration.
Implementation Method 1
A device that injects nebulized water into the air flow within the vehicle's passenger compartment, using a blower to accelerate and distribute the air
Implementation Method 2
injects nebulized water into the air flow within the vehicle's passenger compartment... which increases humidity and cools the air through evaporation
Implementation Method 3
A device that injects nebulized water into the air flow
Implementation Method 4
injects nebulized water into the air flow... which increases humidity and cools the air through evaporation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for cooling the air in a chamber, comprising a system (27) for spraying a liquid, said device being noteworthy in that it also comprises: means (7) for collecting the air in the chamber and to accelerate it so as to create a stream of blown air (9); and means for injecting the sprayed liquid (19) generated by the spraying system into the stream of blown air (9) created in this way before it leaves the device (1). The blown air to which sprayed liquid has been added is thus humidified and cooled by evaporation of the sprayed liquid. The invention also relates to a vehicle having such a device.