Vehicle Air Conditioning Overlapping Duct System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning apparatuses for vehicles face inefficiencies, particularly when operating without engine coolant, and struggle to quickly supply dry air that is conditioned in terms of both absolute and relative humidity to remove moisture from vehicle windows, obstructing the driver's view.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioning apparatus includes a cooling duct, a heating duct, and an overlapping duct with evaporation core and condenser positioned upstream and downstream of airflow, respectively, connected via a refrigerant passage. Control doors manage airflow between these ducts to optimize operation modes, ensuring efficient cooling, heating, and moisture removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional air conditioning apparatus is used without engine coolant, then the apparatus cannot be configured or operates inefficiently, but the patent introduces an overlapping duct system with evaporation core and condenser to enable operation with alternative heat sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling duct and heating duct into an overlapping duct system where the evaporation core and condenser share a common refrigerant passage. This allows the system to operate with alternative heat sources by combining cooling and heating functions in a unified structure, resolving the adaptability issue while managing complexity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlapping duct system is designed to perform multiple functions: cooling through the evaporation core, heating through the condenser, and moisture removal. The single refrigerant passage serves both cooling and heating cycles, making the system universal and adaptable to different operating conditions including vehicles without engine coolant.
2Productivity
If conventional air conditioning apparatus is used, then moisture removal is slow, but the patent positions evaporation core upstream and condenser downstream in overlapping duct to enable rapid supply of dry air
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporation core is positioned upstream of the condenser in the overlapping duct, creating a preliminary action where moisture condensation occurs first, followed by heating. This sequence ensures that air is pre-conditioned for moisture removal before final heating, enabling rapid supply of dry air to remove window condensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlapping duct configuration allows continuous airflow through both the evaporation core and condenser in series, maintaining continuous useful action for moisture removal. The refrigerant flows continuously through the shared passage, ensuring uninterrupted cooling and heating functions for rapid moisture elimination.
3Use of energy by moving object
If separate cooling and heating ducts are used, then system is simpler, but the patent uses overlapping duct with shared refrigerant passage to improve energy efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the refrigerant passages of the cooling and heating systems into a single shared passage. This allows the refrigerant to serve both the evaporation core for cooling and the condenser for heating, improving energy efficiency by eliminating redundant refrigerant circulation paths while accepting the increased passage complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlapping duct system allows the refrigerant to self-service both cooling and heating functions through the shared passage. The same refrigerant flow provides cooling through the evaporation core and heating through the condenser, making the system self-sufficient and energy-efficient without requiring separate dedicated passages for each function.
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
This configuration enables high energy efficiency and rapid supply of dry air, effectively removing moisture from vehicle windows, improving visibility and operational efficiency across various operating conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporator cooling air by using latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
a condenser condensing the compressed refrigerant in the compressor
Implementation Method 3
an expansion valve changing the liquefied refrigerant that is condensed by the condenser into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle may include a cooling duct provided with a cooling duct inlet at a first end of the cooling duct, and a cooling duct indoor outlet and a cooling duct outdoor outlet at a second end cooling duct, and including an evaporation core disposed in the cooling duct, a heating duct provided with a heating duct inlet at a first end of the heating duct, and a heating duct indoor outlet and a heating duct outdoor outlet at a second end of the heating duct, and including a condenser disposed in the heating duct, and an overlapping duct provided by overlapping the cooling duct with the heating duct, the evaporation core and the condenser being disposed respectively at an upstream and a downstream of an air flow, and the evaporation core and the condenser may be connected with each other on one refrigerant passage.