초록 ▼

A hybrid auxiliary power system for a vehicle provides auxiliary electrical power, cooling, and heating while the main engine of the vehicle is turned off. An auxiliary engine directly drives an air-conditioner compressor. A condenser condenses the refrigerant and supplies it to an evaporator. A blo

A hybrid auxiliary power system for a vehicle provides auxiliary electrical power, cooling, and heating while the main engine of the vehicle is turned off. An auxiliary engine directly drives an air-conditioner compressor. A condenser condenses the refrigerant and supplies it to an evaporator. A blower moves air through the evaporator and into the vehicle. The engine also drives an AC generator, which supplies air to a battery charger. The battery charger supplies DC voltage to charge the battery of the vehicle as well as power to the blower of the auxiliary air-conditioner.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. A vehicle having a main engine, a main radiator, and a main air conditioning and heating system having at least one main heater element connected to the main radiator by main coolant lines for heating the interior of the vehicle while the main engine is operating, an improved system fo

We claim: 1. A vehicle having a main engine, a main radiator, and a main air conditioning and heating system having at least one main heater element connected to the main radiator by main coolant lines for heating the interior of the vehicle while the main engine is operating, an improved system for heating and cooling the interior of the vehicle while the main engine of the vehicle is not operating, comprising: an auxiliary engine; an auxiliary radiator in fluid communication with the auxiliary engine; an AC generator mounted to and driven by the auxiliary engine for generating AC voltage; a battery charger electrically connected with the AC generator for converting the AC voltage into DC voltage and supplying the DC voltage to a battery of the vehicle; an auxiliary air conditioning and heating assembly that is operable independently of any component of the main air conditioning and heating system and which comprises: an auxiliary heater element connected to the auxiliary radiator by auxiliary coolant lines for receiving coolant flowing from the auxiliary engine, the auxiliary coolant lines being isolated from the main coolant lines, so that only coolant from the auxiliary engine flows through the auxiliary heater element and not coolant from the main engine; an air conditioner auxiliary compressor mounted to and driven by the auxiliary engine for compressing refrigerant; an auxiliary condenser in fluid communication with the auxiliary compressor for condensing the refrigerant supplied by the auxiliary compressor; an auxiliary evaporator in fluid communication with the refrigerant condensed by the auxiliary condenser; and an electrically driven blower mounted adjacent the auxiliary evaporator for moving air through the auxiliary evaporator and into the interior of the vehicle. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the blower is driven by the DC voltage supplied from the battery charger. 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a fan adjacent the auxiliary radiator for moving air through the auxiliary radiator and the auxiliary condenser, the fan being powered by the DC voltage supplied from the battery charger. 4. In a vehicle having a main engine, a battery, a main air conditioning and heating system powered by the main engine for heating and cooling an interior of a vehicle including a main radiator connected to at least one main heater element by main coolant lines for providing heating, and at least one main evaporator for providing cooling, an auxiliary air conditioning and heating system for heating and cooling the interior of the vehicle while the main engine of the vehicle is not operating, comprising: an auxiliary engine; an air conditioner compressor mounted to and driven by the auxiliary engine for compressing refrigerant; a condenser in fluid communication with the compressor for condensing the refrigerant; an auxiliary evaporator in fluid communication with the refrigerant condensed by the condenser; an auxiliary heater element mounted adjacent to the auxiliary evaporator; an auxiliary blower mounted adjacent to the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary heater element for moving air through the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary heater element into the interior of the vehicle to selectively cool and heat the interior of the vehicle, the auxiliary blower being isolated from the main heater and the main evaporator so as to not move air through the main evaporator while moving air through the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary heater element; an auxiliary radiator adjacent to the condenser and in fluid communication with coolant of the auxiliary engine and with the auxiliary heater element via auxiliary coolant lines that are isolated from the main coolant lines for circulating coolant from the auxiliary engine only through the auxiliary radiator and the auxiliary heater element; a fan for moving air through the condenser and the radiator; an AC generator mounted to and driven by the auxiliary engine; and a battery charger electrically connected with the AC generator for supplying a DC voltage to charge the battery. 5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle further comprises: a coolant valve in one of the auxiliary coolant lines between the auxiliary engine, the auxiliary radiator and the auxiliary heater element, for proportionally varying an amount of coolant flowing from the auxiliary engine to the auxiliary radiator by the same amount of coolant flowing from the auxiliary engine to the auxiliary heater element. 6. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary heater element are mounted together in a housing, and the auxiliary blower is mounted to the housing, and the housing and the auxiliary blower are located within the interior of the vehicle separate from any components of the main air conditioning and heating system. 7. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the battery charger is located within the interior of the vehicle. 8. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the fan and the auxiliary blower are driven by DC voltage supplied by the battery charger. 9. A method of cooling an interior of a vehicle while a main engine of the vehicle is off, the vehicle having a main air conditioning and heating system having a main compressor driven by the main engine that circulates refrigerant through at least one main evaporator for cooling the interior of the vehicle while the main engine is running, and a main heater element for receiving coolant via main coolant lines from the main engine for heating the vehicle while the main engine is running, comprising: (a) providing the vehicle with an auxiliary engine, an auxiliary radiator, an AC generator, and an auxiliary air conditioning and heating system that is independently operable from the main air conditioning and heating system, the auxiliary air conditioning and heating system having an auxiliary compressor mounted to the auxiliary engine, an auxiliary condenser, a auxiliary condenser fan, an auxiliary evaporator, an auxiliary heater element connected to the auxiliary radiator via auxiliary coolant lines that are isolated from the main coolant lines, and an auxiliary blower; (b) operating the auxiliary engine and the AC generator, converting a portion of the AC voltage to DC voltage, and charging a main battery of the vehicle with the DC voltage; (c) for cooling, compressing refrigerant with the auxiliary compressor, moving air through the auxiliary condenser with the auxiliary fan, and condensing the compressed refrigerant with the auxiliary condenser; (d) flowing the condensed refrigerant through the auxiliary evaporator and moving air through the auxiliary evaporator into the interior of the vehicle with the auxiliary blower; and (e) for heating, circulating coolant through the auxiliary heater element via the auxiliary coolant lines, and moving air through the auxiliary heater element into the vehicle with the auxiliary blower. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of moving air through the condenser with the fan comprises supplying DC voltage to the fan. 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of moving air through the auxiliary evaporator with the auxiliary blower comprises supplying DC voltage to the auxiliary blower. 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises mounting the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary blower in the interior of the vehicle. 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein in step (e), the auxiliary blower moves air through the auxiliary evaporator, but not through the main evaporator. 14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary heater element are located in an air flow path that is separate from any air flow path of any component of the main air conditioning system. 15. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a housing containing the auxiliary evaporator and the auxiliary heater element but no component of the main air conditioning and heating system; and wherein the blower is mounted to the housing, and the housing is mounted within the vehicle.