Electronics cooling in an environmental control unit
US12120844B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 30, 2022 |
| Grant date | Oct 15, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 26, 2043 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF25B2313/0254
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An environmental control unit (ECU) such as a heat pump includes a housing having a divider panel. The divider panel is surrounded by a sidewall and segregates an interior space of the housing into an air-handling portion and a condensing portion. The ECU includes a blower disposed in the air-handling portion, a heat exchanger disposed in the air-handling portion, a compressor disposed in the condensing portion and a fluid circuit including a refrigerant line that connects the heat exchanger to the compressor. In addition, the ECU includes an electronics box that is mounted on the divider panel and houses a control board, the electronics box being provided with two independent modes of cooling. The first mode includes convective cooling via air flow generated by the blower, and the second mode includes conductive cooling via a cooling plate that is cooled by the refrigerant line.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.