Abstract:
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a cooling system for a motor vehicle. One embodiment comprises a visor apparatus that includes an exterior visor having an inner face, and an opposite outer face, and a heat exchanger attached to the inner face of the exterior visor. The heat exchanger has an inlet and an outlet. An exchange bed is in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. A cooling system circuit is located within the motor vehicle and is in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a cooling system for a motor vehicle. 
         [0002]    Motor vehicles have traditionally drawn cooling air or ram air from a location towards the front of a vehicle. The vehicle&#39;s movement along the road provides the force to drive air across cooling coils of the engine or other vehicle heat exchangers such as interior air conditioning or transmission oil coolers. Vehicle movement is required to achieve cooling without a fan. Fans directly engaged to the vehicle engine provide the force to move air across the cooling coils in low vehicle movement conditions. Typically a cooling system consists of a fan and heat exchangers and requires a steady source of quality air free of debris. 
         [0003]    In a typical air conditioning system for a motor vehicle, three main components are mounted to different parts of the motor vehicle. A condenser is a heat exchanger mounted to the chassis under the hood at the front of the vehicle. A compressor is mounted to the engine block and draws power from the engine. The evaporator is a second heat exchanger mounted to the firewall located between the passenger compartment, such as a cab, and the engine compartment. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a cooling system for a motor vehicle. One embodiment comprises a visor apparatus that includes an exterior visor having an inner face, and an opposite outer face, and a heat exchanger attached to the inner face of the exterior visor. The heat exchanger has an inlet and an outlet. An exchange bed is in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. A cooling system circuit is located within the motor vehicle and is in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. 
         [0005]    In another embodiment, a cooling system for a motor vehicle comprises a cab having a cab front, a cab back, and cab sides between the cab front and the cab back. A roof is located at a top of the cab and a windshield is located in the cab front. An A pillar is located between the windshield and the cab sides. A visor apparatus is mounted to the roof above the windshield and includes an exterior visor having an inner face, and an opposite outer face. A condenser is attached to the inner face of the exterior visor. The condenser has an inlet, an outlet, and an exchange bed in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. A compressor is in fluid communication with the inlet of the condenser. An evaporator is in fluid communication with the compressor. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a motor vehicle with a visor apparatus; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a motor vehicle with a visor apparatus; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a visor apparatus; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of a condenser block; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing a cooling system incorporating a visor apparatus with the arrows showing the direction of fluid flow; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a visor apparatus with any heat sinks and cover removed; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a visor apparatus with any heat sinks and cover removed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Referring now to the Figures where like reference numerals refer to like structures, a motor vehicle  110  has a passenger compartment, such as a truck  111  with a cab  112  or a bus. Cab  112  has a cab front  114 , a cab back  115  and cab sides  116 ,  117  between the cab front  114  and the cab back  115  to form a cab enclosure  118 . A roof  120  is located at the top of the cab enclosure  118 . A windshield  122  is located in the cab front  114 . An A pillar  124  is located between the windshield  122  in the cab front  114  and each cab side  116 ,  117 . One or more visor apparatus  10  mounts to the outside of the cab  112  at the roof above the windshield  122 , such as to mounts  126 ,  127 ,  128 . 
         [0014]    The visor apparatus  10  has an exterior visor  12  and at least one heat exchanger  72 . The exterior visor  12  has an inner face  68  and an opposite outer face  70 . When the visor apparatus  10  is mounted to the motor vehicle, the heat exchanger  72  is in fluid communication with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, or used in a different system, such as a cooling system for the engine, oil or transmission. Heat exchanger  72  can be used as a primary component or as a secondary component of a cooling system, such as a secondary condenser, or a secondary heat exchanger for a heating system, an engine cooling system, an oil cooling system or a transmission cooling system. A cover  78  can cover the heat exchanger  72  opposite the exterior visor  12 . A line bundle  90  connects the visor apparatus  10  to a cooling system circuit  66  of the cooling system  65 . 
         [0015]    The heat exchanger  72  attaches to the inner face  68  of the exterior visor  12 . Fasteners  60  matingly engaging visor holes  62  in the inner face  68  and condenser bores  64  in the heat exchanger  72 . 
         [0016]    The heat exchanger  72  can be in fluid communication with a cooling system circuit, such as condenser  14  with an exchange bed  16  in fluid communication with a compressor  26  and an evaporator  40  in cooling system circuit  66 , such as air conditioning system  65 . The condenser  14  can have a frame  53  to which the exchange bed  16  attaches. The exchange bed  16  can include coils or tubing  57  located between an inlet  54  and outlet  56 . The exchange bed  16  can have heat sinks  74 ,  76 , such as thermally conductive material folded over on itself. The inlet  54  and outlet  56  is in fluid communication with the exchange bed  16 . The bores  64  corresponding to visor holes  62  can be located in the frame  53 . The inlet  54  and outlet  56  engage a connector block  20 . 
         [0017]    The connector block  20  can have an inlet connector  18  and an outlet connector  19  extending outwardly from the block body  32 . The connector block  20  can have passages which the inlet connector  18  and the outlet connector  19  engage. The inlet connector  18  is in fluid communication with the inlet  54  and connects to the line bundle  90  such as a compressor outlet line  30 . The line bundle  90  is in fluid communication with the compressor  26  and the evaporator  40 . The outlet connector  19  is in fluid communication with the outlet  56  and connects to the line bundle  90 . The connector block  20  can have a second inlet connector  18  engaging the inlet  54  and a second outlet connector  19  engaging the outlet  56 . The connector block  20  attaches to the motor vehicle  110 , such as the cab  112  at the A pillar  124  near or at the roof  122 . A seal  24  closes an access opening  22  in the motor vehicle  110  to access to the compressor outlet line  30  and the dehydrator inlet line  36 . 
         [0018]    One or more fans  58  can circulate the air under the visor apparatus  10 . The fan  58  can attach to the visor apparatus  10  such as to the frame  53 , a cover  78  or the motor vehicle  110  at or near the roof  122 . 
         [0019]    The compressor  26  is in fluid communication with the condenser  14  in cooling system  65 . The compressor  26  has compressor inlet and outlet lines  28 ,  30 . The compressor outlet line  30  is in the cab  112 , such as the A pillar  124 , and attaches to the condenser block  20 . The compressor inlet line  28  connects to an expansion valve  52 . The compressor  26  has a motor and compressor, both of which can be within the same unit, such as a hermetically sealed compressor having an electric motor and compressor within the same housing. The compressor  26  can be double piston reciprocating, centrifugal or rotary types. The compressor  26  can be mounted to the engine block or to the cab  112 , such as under the dashboard, to the firewall, under the roof, under a seat, and the like. 
         [0020]    The dehydrator  34  is in fluid communication with the condenser  14 . The dehydrator  34  has dehydrator inlet and outlet lines  36 ,  38 . The dehydrator inlet line  36  is in the cab  112 , such as the A pillar  124 , and attaches to the condenser block  20 . The dehydrator outlet line  38  attaches to the expansion valve  52 . 
         [0021]    An evaporator circuit  42  extends from the expansion valve  52  to the heat exchanger or evaporator  40  and back again to the expansion valve  52 . Warm air  46  is cooled in the evaporator circuit  42 . The evaporator  40  and the evaporator circuit  42  can be mounted to the cab  112 , such as to the firewall, under the dashboard, under the roof  120 , and the like. An evaporator blower  50  can engage the evaporator  40  to expel the cooled air  48  into the cab  112 . 
         [0022]    A visor apparatus  80  can have multiple heat exchangers  72 ,  82  attached to the exterior visor  12 . The heat exchangers  72 ,  82  can be used for a primary cooling system, such as a condenser  14 , or used as a secondary component of a cooling system, such as a secondary condenser, a heating system, an engine cooling system, an oil cooling system or a transmission cooling system. The heat exchangers  72 ,  82  can be used in different cooling systems, such as the heat exchanger  72  being used in a first air conditioning system and the other heat exchanger  82  being used in a second air conditioning system, a heating system, an engine cooling system, an oil cooling system or a transmission cooling system. Heat exchanger  82  has an inlet  84  and an outlet  86  in fluid communication with an exchange bed  88 .