Air conditioner for automotive vehicles

Claim 2

An air conditioner for an automotive vehicle including a source of waste heat, comprising: conduit means forming a closed circuit for a cooling fluid; a jet pump and an expansion valve remote from said jet pump disposed in said circuit for dividing said conduit means into an upstream section of relatively low fluid pressure and a downstream section of relatively high fluid pressure, said upstream section including a coil in heat-exchanging relationship with a surrounding air channel communicating with the interior of the vehicle; condenser means in said downstream section in heat-exchanging relationship with ambient air for liquefying the circulating fluid; a branch line deviated from said downstream section at a location beyond said condenser means and terminating at said jet jump for supplying thereto a portion of the liquefied fluid as a propellant for fluid expanded in said upstream section; feed means for said propellant in said branch line; vaporizing means in said branch line exposed to said source of waste heat for gasifying said propellant; and heat-exchanger means traversed by said branch line and by said downstream section ahead of said condenser means for preheating said propellant on its way to said vaporizing means and precooling the circulating fluid on its way to said condenser means.

Claim 3

An air conditioner as defined in claim 1 wherein said vaporizing means includes a vessel for liquid propellant and level-control means for stabilizing the volume of liquid in said vessel.

Claim 4

An air conditioner as defined in claim 2 wherein said feed means comprises a second jet pump with a driving-fluid connection extending from said vessel.

Claim 5

An air conditioner as defined in claim 3 wherein said level-control means includes valve means in said driving-fluid connection for selectively throttling the flow of propellant vapors to said second jet pump.

Claim 6

An air conditioner as defined in claim 4 wherein said second jet pump is provided with a main inlet for said propellant from said downstream section, a secondary inlet for propellant vapors from said driving connection, a main outlet leading to said vaporizer, and a secondary outlet ahead of said main outlet connected in a bypass to said downstream section ahead of said condenser means for recirculating at least part of said propellant upon a reduction in vapor pressure at said secondary inlet by said valve means.

Claim 7

An air conditioner as defined in claim 5 wherein said second jet pump has a housing separated by a partition into a first compartment provided with said inlets and a second compartment provided with said outlets, said secondary inlet and main outlet comprising a first and a second tube coaxially disposed and terminating short of said partition, said second jet pump further including a nozzle coaxial with said tubes traversing said partition, said nozzle being spaced from said first tube by a first gap in the region of said main inlet and from said second tube by a second gap in the region of said secondary outlet, said outlets being provided with respective check valves.

Claim 8

An air conditioner as defined in claim 1 wherein said source of waste heat comprises an exhaust duct with a pair of branches and adjustable damper means at a common inlet to said branches, one of said bRanches containing said vaporizing means.

Claim 9

An air conditioner as defined in claim 1 wherein said air channel is provided with a bypass path branching off said air channel at a location ahead of said coil, further comprising adjustable damper means at said location.

Claim 10

An air conditioner as defined in claim 1, further comprising flow-control means for redirecting the vapors through said coil to said branch line at a point ahead of said feed means independently of said jet pump and said expansion valve. a branch line deviated from said downstream section at a location beyond said condenser means and terminating at said jet pump for supplying thereto a portion of the liquefied fluid as a propellant for fluid expanded in said upstream section; vaporizing means in said branch line exposed to said source of waste heat for gasifying said propellant, said vaporizing means including a vessel for liquid propellant; a second jet pump in said branch line with a driving-fluid connection extending from said vessel; and valve means in said driving-fluid connection for selectively throttling the flow of propellant vapors to said second jet pump in response to a rise in the liquid volume of said vessel above a predetermined level, said second jet pump being provided with a main inlet for said propellant from said downstream section, a secondary inlet for propellant vapors from said driving connection, a main outlet leading to said vaporizer, and a secondary outlet ahead of said main outlet connected in a bypass to said downstream section ahead of said condenser means for recirculating at least part of said propellant upon a reduction in vapor pressure at said secondary inlet by said valve means.

Claim 11

An air conditioner for an automotive vehicle including a source of waste heat, comprising: conduit means forming a closed circuit for a cooling fluid; a jet pump and an expansion valve remote from said jet pump disposed in said circuit for dividing said conduit means into an upstream section of relatively low fluid pressure and a downstream section of relatively high fluid pressure, said upstream section including a coil in heat-exchanging relationship with a surrounding air channel communicating with the interior of the vehicle; condenser means in said downstream section in heat-exchanging relationship with ambient air for liquefying the circulating fluid;

Claim 12

An air conditioner for an automotive vehicle including a source of waste heat, comprising: conduit means forming a closed circuit for a cooling fluid; a jet pump and an expansion valve remote from said jet pump disposed in said circuit for dividing said conduit means into an upstream section of relatively low fluid pressure and a downstream section of relatively high fluid pressure, said upstream section including a coil in heat-exchanging relationship with a surrounding air channel communicating with the interior of the vehicle; condenser means in said downstream section in heat-exchanging relationship with ambient air for liquefying the circulating fluid;

Claim 13

An air conditioner as defined in claim 10 wherein said second jet pump has a housing separated by a partition into a first compartment provided with said inlets and a second compartment provided with said outlets, said secondary inlet and main outlet comprising a first and a second tube coaxially disposed and terminating short of said partition, said second jet pump further including a nozzle coaxial with said tubes traversing said partition, said nozzle being spaced from said first tube by a first gap in the region of said main inlet and from said second tube by a second gap in the region of said secondary outlet, said main outlet being provided with a first check valve biased to open under a relatively high pressure in said second compartment, said secondary outlet being provided with a second check valve biased to open under a relatively low pressure in said second compartment.