Patent ID: 6209331
Filing Date: 2001-04-03
Classification: B60H,B60L,Y02T

Abstract:
An air-flow management system for controlling a flow of air into a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, the air-flow management system comprising:an air-flow structure defining therein an air passageway to the passenger compartment;a blower for forcing air through the air passageway towards the passenger compartment;a reversible heat pump system in communication with the air-flow structure for transferring heat energy between an outside environment and the passenger compartment, said heat pump system having multiple operating modes including a cooling mode and a heating mode;a recirculation door movable to control a mixture of recirculated air and fresh air that flows through the air-flow structure, said recirculation door having a plurality of positions ranging from a full fresh position to a full recirculation position; anda controller operable to select the position of the recirculation door based on the operating mode of the reversible heat pump system, such that during a turn-on mode when the reversible heat pump system is initially turned on the mixture of recirculated air to fresh air is selected so that the amount of recirculated air is maximized, thereby minimizing the energy required to condition the passenger compartment air to a desired temperature, and during a cooling mode to heating mode transition the air mixture is selected so that the amount of fresh air is maximized, thereby purging air within the passenger compartment to be purged to the outside environment, resulting in reduced fogging of the motor vehicle.