U.S. patent application number 13/675054 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-15 for air conditioning condensate drain line assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. Invention is credited to Meghan Crusoe Anderson, Paul Bryan Hoke, Lawrence C. Karas, Eric R. Yerke.
Application Number | 20140130533 13/675054 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50279360 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140130533 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Karas; Lawrence C. ; et
al. |
May 15, 2014 |
AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSATE DRAIN LINE ASSEMBLY
Abstract
An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly. The assembly
may include a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed in a drain
hole of a drain housing. The paddle wheel may inhibit contaminants
from entering the drain tube.
Inventors: |
Karas; Lawrence C.; (New
Boston, MI) ; Hoke; Paul Bryan; (Plymouth, MI)
; Anderson; Meghan Crusoe; (Novi, MI) ; Yerke;
Eric R.; (Redford, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES,
LLC
Dearborn
MI
|
Family ID: |
50279360 |
Appl. No.: |
13/675054 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/291 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60H 1/3233
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/291 |
International
Class: |
F25D 21/14 20060101
F25D021/14 |
Claims
1. An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly comprising: a
drain housing having a drain hole that has an inlet adapted to
receive a condensate; and a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed
in the drain hole, wherein the paddle wheel is configured to
inhibit contaminants from passing through the drain hole.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the paddle wheel rotates about
an axis of rotation in response to force exerted by condensate that
flows through the drain hole.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the paddle wheel includes a
shaft that engages the drain housing and a set of paddles that
extend from the shaft.
4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein members of the set of paddles
are uniformly spaced apart from each other.
5. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the shaft rotates about an axis
of rotation and wherein each member of the set of paddles extends
radially with respect to the axis of rotation.
6. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each member of the set of
paddles is disposed directly opposite another member of the set of
paddles.
7. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each member of the set of
paddles is spaced apart from the drain housing.
8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the drain housing includes a
flange.
9. An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly comprising:
an HVAC housing; a drain housing that is fluidly connected to the
HVAC housing, the drain housing having an inlet that receives
condensate from the HVAC housing and an outlet; and a paddle wheel
that is rotatably disposed in the drain housing, wherein the paddle
wheel permits condensate to flow through the outlet and inhibits
contaminants from passing through the drain housing and entering
the HVAC housing.
10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the drain housing is spaced
apart from the HVAC housing.
11. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising a drain tube that
fluidly connects the HVAC housing to the drain housing.
12. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising an evaporator core
disposed in the HVAC housing that generates the condensate.
13. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the HVAC housing is disposed in
a passenger compartment of a vehicle.
14. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the drain housing is configured
to be fixedly disposed on a vehicle body panel.
15. An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly comprising:
an HVAC housing having an outlet; a drain housing having an inlet
and a drain hole; a drain tube that extends from the outlet of the
HVAC housing to the inlet of the drain housing wherein the drain
tube transports condensate from the HVAC housing to the drain
housing; and a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed in the drain
hole of the drain housing; wherein the paddle wheel has a set of
paddles that at least partially block the drain hole to inhibit
contaminants from entering the drain tube and wherein the paddle
wheel rotates about an axis of rotation in response to force
exerted by condensate that flows through the drain hole.
16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the drain tube includes a
flange that engages the drain housing and that is configured to
engage a vehicle body panel.
17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the flange is disposed in a
passenger compartment of the vehicle and wherein the drain housing
extends through a hole in the vehicle body panel.
18. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the HVAC housing includes a
retention feature that engages the vehicle body panel to secure the
drain housing to the vehicle body panel.
19. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the vehicle body panel is
disposed between the flange and the retention feature.
20. The assembly of claim 15 wherein contaminants includes
arachnids.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This patent application relates to an air conditioning
condensate drain line assembly.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A fitting part for an air conditioner drain pipe is
disclosed in Japanese patent publication no. 2001-280648.
SUMMARY
[0003] In at least one embodiment, an air conditioning condensate
drain line assembly is provided. The assembly may include a drain
housing and a paddle wheel. The drain housing may have a drain hole
that may have an inlet that may be adapted to receive a condensate.
The paddle wheel may be rotatably disposed in the drain hole. The
paddle wheel may be configured to inhibit contaminants from passing
through the drain hole.
[0004] In at least one embodiment, an air conditioning condensate
drain line assembly may be provided. The assembly may include an
HVAC housing, a drain housing, and a paddle wheel. The drain
housing may be fluidly connected to the HVAC housing. The drain
housing may have an inlet that may receive condensate from the HVAC
housing and an outlet. The paddle wheel may be rotatably disposed
in the drain housing. The paddle wheel may permit condensate to
flow through the outlet and may inhibit contaminants from passing
through the drain housing and entering the HVAC housing.
[0005] In at least one embodiment, an air conditioning condensate
drain line assembly may be provided. The assembly may include an
HVAC housing, a drain housing, a drain tube, and a paddle wheel.
The HVAC housing may have an outlet. The drain housing may have an
inlet and a drain hole. The drain tube may extend from the outlet
of the HVAC housing to the inlet of the drain housing. The drain
tube may transport condensate from the HVAC housing to the drain
housing. The paddle wheel may be rotatably disposed in the drain
hole of the drain housing. The paddle wheel may have a set of
paddles that at least partially to block the drain hole to inhibit
contaminants from entering the drain tube. The paddle wheel may
rotate about an axis of rotation in response to force exerted by
condensate that flows through the drain hole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an air conditioning condensate drain line
assembly disposed in a vehicle.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a side cross section of the air conditioning
condensate drain line assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that
may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are
not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or
minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,
specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not
to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis
for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present
invention.
[0009] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary vehicle 10 is shown. The
vehicle 10 may be a motor vehicle, such as a car or truck. The
vehicle 10 may have one or more vehicle body panels 12, an air
conditioning system 14, and a condensate drain line assembly 16.
The condensate drain line assembly 16 is described below in a
vehicular context, but may be employed in non-vehicular
applications, such as a residential or building air conditioning
system.
[0010] One or more vehicle body panels 12 may at least partially
define a passenger compartment 20 of the vehicle 10. For example, a
vehicle body panel 12 may be configured as a floor pan of the
vehicle 10 and may separate the passenger compartment 20 from the
environment surrounding the vehicle 10. The vehicle body panel 12
and may include a hole 22.
[0011] The air conditioning system 14 may be configured to cool the
passenger compartment 20 of the vehicle 10. More specifically, the
air conditioning system 14 may be part of a heating, ventilation
and air conditioning (HVAC) system that may heat, cool, and
circulate air in the passenger compartment 20. The air conditioning
system 14 or HVAC system may include an HVAC housing 30 that may
receive a heat exchanger, such as an evaporator core 32. The HVAC
housing 30 may be at least partially disposed in the passenger
compartment 20, such as underneath an instrument panel. The HVAC
housing 30 may contain or extend around the evaporator core 32 and
may be configured to contain condensate 34 that may be produced by
the evaporator core 32. More specifically, condensate 34 may form
on the evaporator core 32 when a refrigerant is circulated through
the evaporator core 32. The condensate 34 may be shed off of the
evaporator core 32 and may drain or drip into the bottom of the
HVAC housing 30. An outlet 36 may be disposed in the HVAC housing
30 to facilitate drainage of condensate 34 from the HVAC housing
30.
[0012] Referring to FIG. 2, the condensate drain line assembly 16
may be configured to help condensate exit the vehicle 10. In at
least one embodiment, the condensate drain line assembly 16 may
include a drain tube 40, a drain housing 42, and a paddle wheel
44.
[0013] The drain tube 40 may fluidly connect the HVAC housing 30 to
the drain housing 42. The drain tube 40 may have any suitable
configuration. For example, the drain tube 40 may be configured as
a hose, pipe, tubing or combinations thereof in one or more
embodiments. The drain tube 40 may have a first end and a second
end. The first end may engage or may be disposed proximate the HVAC
housing 30. The second end may be disposed opposite the first end.
The second end may engage or may be disposed proximate the drain
housing 42.
[0014] The drain housing 42 may be fixedly positioned with respect
to the vehicle 10 and vehicle body panel 12. For example, the drain
housing 42 may be disposed proximate or may extend through the hole
22 in the vehicle body panel 12. The drain housing 42 may be made
of any suitable material, such as a polymeric material. In
addition, the drain housing 42 may have a unitary or one-piece
construction or may be assembled from multiple components. The
drain housing 42 may have a drain hole 50, a flange 52, and one or
more retention features 54.
[0015] The drain hole 50 may extend through the drain housing 42
and may have an inlet 60 and an outlet 62. The inlet may be
disposed proximate or may be coupled to the second end of the drain
tube 40. As such, the inlet 60 may receive condensate 34 from the
drain tube 40. Alternatively, the inlet 60 may be disposed
proximate or may be coupled directly to the HVAC housing 30 if a
drain tube 40 is not provided. The outlet 62 may be disposed
opposite the inlet 60. In the embodiment shown, the the inlet 60 is
disposed in the passenger compartment 20 and the outlet 62 is
disposed outside of the vehicle 10.
[0016] The flange 52 may extend radially or outwardly from an
exterior surface of the drain housing 42. The flange 52 may be
disposed in the passenger compartment 20 and may engage the vehicle
body panel 12 to help mount the drain housing 42 and inhibit
leakage between the drain housing 42 and the vehicle body panel
12.
[0017] One or more retention features 54 may secure the drain
housing 42 to the vehicle body panel 12. In the embodiment shown,
the retention features 54 are configured as barbs that extend
outwardly from the drain housing 42. The vehicle body panel 12 may
be secured between the flange 52 and a retention feature 54 in one
or more embodiments.
[0018] The paddle wheel 44 may be rotatably disposed in the drain
hole 50. The paddle wheel 44 may be configured to rotate about an
axis of rotation 70 and may include a shaft 72 and a set of paddles
74. The paddle wheel 44 may be generally disposed in the center of
the drain hole 50 as shown in FIG. 2, or may be offset from the
center of the drain hole 50 such that the paddle wheel 44 is offset
from a center axis of the drain hole 50, or positioned to the side
of the drain hole 50 such that not all of the paddles 74 are
simultaneously disposed in the drain hole 50 or aligned with the
drain tube 40.
[0019] The shaft 72 may extend along the axis of rotation 70 and
may be mounted to the drain housing 42. For instance, the shaft 72
may have opposing ends that may be rotatably disposed on the drain
housing 42.
[0020] The set of paddles 74 may extend from the shaft 72. Members
of the set of paddles 74 may at least partially block the drain
hole 50 to inhibit contaminants from passing through the drain hole
50 and entering the drain tube 40 and/or HVAC housing 30 as will be
discussed in more detail below. In addition, the paddles 74 may
help inhibit air leakage from the HVAC housing 30 through the
condensate drain line assembly 16.
[0021] Members of the set of paddles 74 may extend from the shaft
72 toward the drain housing 42. A distal end of each paddle 74 may
be disposed near the drain housing 42 to help block contaminants,
yet may be spaced apart from the drain housing 42 to facilitate
rotation of the paddle wheel 44. The distal end may be curved along
an arc or have semicircular configuration in an embodiment having a
circular or cylindrical drain hole 50. In at least one embodiment,
each paddle 74 may extend radially with respect to the axis of
rotation 70. Alternatively, one or more paddles 74 may not extend
radially. For instance, a paddle 74 may have one or more curved
exterior surfaces that cooperate to provide a paddle having a
curved cross section. In addition, one or more paddles may be
offset from the axis of rotation 70. The paddles 74 may also be
spaced apart from each other. For instance, the paddles 74 may be
spaced apart in a substantially uniform manner to help rotationally
balance the paddle wheel 44. In addition, members of the set of
paddles may be arranged such that each paddle 74 is disposed
directly opposite another paddle 74 or member of the set of paddles
to enhance contaminant blockage at multiple rotational
positions.
[0022] The paddle wheel 44 may rotate about the axis of rotation 70
in response to force exerted on the paddles 74 by condensate 34
that flows through the drain hole 50 from the inlet 60 toward the
outlet 62. Rotation of the paddle wheel 44 may allow for a larger
volume of condensate 34 to pass through the drain hole 50 as
compared to a fixed or nonrotating paddle wheel. Rotation of the
paddle wheel 44 may also help dynamically remove contaminants from
the drain tube 40. As such, the condensate drain line assembly 16
may be self-cleaning and may not require periodic maintenance or
inspection like stationary components, such as a screen disposed in
a drain hole that may become blocked. The paddle wheel 44 may also
inhibit the entry of contaminants when the paddle wheel 44 is not
rotating about the axis of rotation 70 due to the positioning of
the paddles 74. For example, the paddles 74 may be disposed such
that the paddles 74 block a majority of the drain hole 50 at
various rotational positions while providing a small gap between
the paddles 74 and the drain housing 42. The small gap or clearance
may help inhibit the entry of contaminants. Contaminants may
include dirt, debris, precipitation, as well as insects, arachnids
(spiders), and spider webs. Insects and arachnids may be attracted
to a condensate drain tube as a nesting location. Spider webs or
other contaminants may impede or block the flow of condensate 34
through the condensate drain line assembly 16. Impeded or blocked
condensate flow may inhibit condensate 34 from exiting the vehicle
10, which may in turn result in noise from condensate 34 sloshing
in the HVAC housing 30, dampness in the passenger compartment 20,
mold growth, odor, and/or water damage to HVAC and/or vehicle
components.
[0023] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not
intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the
invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of
description rather than limitation, and it is understood that
various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various
implementing embodiments may be combined to form further
embodiments of the invention.
* * * * *