초록 ▼

A vehicle may include a roof and an air conditioning system. The roof may have an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface. The air conditioning system may include an exterior housing that is mounted to th

A vehicle may include a roof and an air conditioning system. The roof may have an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface. The air conditioning system may include an exterior housing that is mounted to the exterior surface of the roof. The air conditioning system may also include an evaporator and an evaporator blower. The air conditioning system may further include an interior housing that is removably mounted to the interior surface of the roof and defines a mounted position and a removed position. When the interior housing is in the removed position, the evaporator and evaporator blower may be accessible for servicing from the interior of the vehicle.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An air conditioning (A/C) unit configured to be mounted to a roof of a vehicle, the roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle and the roof having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and t

1. An air conditioning (A/C) unit configured to be mounted to a roof of a vehicle, the roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle and the roof having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface, the A/C unit comprising: a first housing configured to be disposed above the exterior surface of the roof when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof;at least one condenser supported by the first housing;a second housing configured to extend through the aperture when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof such that the second housing comprises an exterior housing portion disposed above the exterior surface of the roof and an interior housing portion disposed below the interior surface of the roof, the exterior housing portion comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a right wall that extends between the front and rear walls, and a left wall that extends between the front and rear walls, the interior housing portion comprising a front wall that extends parallel to the front wall of the exterior housing portion, a right wall that extends parallel to the right wall of the exterior housing portion, and a left wall that extends parallel to the left wall of the exterior housing portion, wherein the first and second housings are configured to be coupled together and the front walls of the second housing are configured to face a front of the vehicle when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof;an evaporator assembly including at least one evaporator mounted within the second housing such that the at least one evaporator is partially disposed in the exterior housing portion of the second housing and partially disposed in the interior housing portion of the second housing, wherein the at least one evaporator extends parallel to the front wall of the interior housing portion of the second housing, the evaporator assembly further including (i) a first evaporator mount coupling the at least one evaporator to the right wall of the interior housing portion of the second housing and to the right wall of the exterior housing portion of the second housing and (ii) a second evaporator mount coupling the at least one evaporator to the left wall of the interior housing portion of the second housing and to the left wall of the exterior housing portion of the second housing; andat least one evaporator blower mounted within the second housing such that the at least one evaporator blower is at least partially disposed in the interior housing portion of the second housing, wherein the at least one evaporator blower is disposed between the at least one evaporator and the front wall of the interior housing portion of the second housing;wherein the first housing and the exterior housing portion of the second housing include complimentary features configured to align the first housing with the second housing to allow the at least one condenser and the at least one evaporator to be fluidly connected in series as part of a refrigeration circuit when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 2. The A/C unit of claim 1, wherein the first housing is configured to be removably coupled to the exterior housing portion of the second housing when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 3. The A/C unit of claim 1, wherein the second housing further comprises a rim surface that connects (i) the front wall of the exterior housing portion to the front wall of the interior housing portion, (ii) the right wall of the exterior housing portion to the right wall of the interior housing portion, and (iii) the left wall of the exterior housing portion to the left wall of the interior housing portion, the rim surface being configured to contact the exterior surface of the roof when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 4. The A/C unit of claim 1, wherein the interior housing portion of the second housing is formed to include an opening configured to provide access to the at least one evaporator and to the at least one evaporator blower from the interior of the vehicle when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 5. The A/C unit of claim 4, further comprising a cover movable between (i) a mounted position in which the cover impedes access to the at least one evaporator and the at least one evaporator blower through the opening and (ii) a removed position in which the cover does not impede access to the at least one evaporator and the at least one evaporator blower through the opening. 6. The A/C unit of claim 5, wherein the cover is removably coupled to the interior housing portion of the second housing when in the mounted position. 7. The A/C unit of claim 5, wherein the cover is coupled to the interior housing portion of the second housing by a hinge and is configured to pivot between the mounted position and the removed position. 8. The A/C unit of claim 1, wherein the refrigeration circuit further comprises a compressor, a dryer, and an expansion device, each of the dryer and the expansion device being mounted within the second housing. 9. An air conditioning (A/C) unit configured to be mounted to a roof of a vehicle, the roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle and the roof having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface, the A/C unit comprising: a forward housing section comprising an exterior portion configured to be coupled to the exterior surface of the roof and an interior portion configured to extend through the aperture and below the interior surface of the roof when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof, the exterior portion comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a right wall that extends between the front and rear walls, and a left wall that extends between the front and rear walls, the interior portion comprising a front wall that extends parallel to the front wall of the exterior portion, a right wall that extends parallel to the right wall of the exterior portion, and a left wall that extends parallel to the left wall of the exterior portion, wherein the front walls of the forward housing section are configured to face a front of the vehicle when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof;an evaporator supported by the forward housing section such that the evaporator is at least partially disposed within the interior portion of the forward housing section, the evaporator extending between a first evaporator mount coupled to the right wall of the interior portion of the forward housing section and a second evaporator mount coupled to the left wall of the interior portion of the forward housing section such that the evaporator extends parallel to the front wall of the interior portion of the forward housing section;a rearward housing section configured to be coupled to the exterior surface of the roof and to the rear wall of the exterior portion of the forward housing section when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof; anda condenser supported by the rearward housing section, the condenser being fluidly connected to the evaporator as part of a refrigeration circuit;wherein the forward and rearward housing sections include an alignment feature configured to aid in the assembly of the forward and rearward housing sections and of the refrigeration circuit when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 10. The A/C unit of claim 9, wherein the refrigeration circuit further comprises a compressor, a dryer, and an expansion device, each of the dryer and the expansion device being mounted within the forward housing section. 11. The A/C unit of claim 9, wherein the rearward housing section is configured to be removably coupled to the forward housing section when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 12. The A/C unit of claim 9, wherein the evaporator is partially disposed above the exterior surface of the roof and partially disposed below the interior surface of the roof when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 13. The A/C unit of claim 9, wherein the interior portion of the forward housing section is formed to include an opening configured to provide access to the exterior portion of the forward housing section from the interior of the vehicle when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof. 14. An air conditioning (A/C) unit configured to be mounted to a roof of a vehicle, the roof separating an exterior of the vehicle and an interior of the vehicle and the roof having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and an aperture extending through the roof between the exterior surface and the interior surface, the A/C unit comprising: a first housing configured to be disposed above the exterior surface of the roof when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof;a second housing configured to extend through the aperture when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof such that the second housing comprises an exterior housing portion disposed above the exterior surface of the roof and an interior housing portion disposed below the interior surface of the roof, wherein (i) the exterior housing portion comprises a front wall, a rear wall, a right wall that extends between the front and rear walls, and a left wall that extends between the front and rear walls, (ii) the interior housing portion comprises a front wall that extends parallel to the front wall of the exterior housing portion, a right wall that extends parallel to the right wall of the exterior housing portion, and a left wall that extends parallel to the left wall of the exterior housing portion, (iii) the front walls of the second housing are configured to face a front of the vehicle when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof, and (iv) the first housing is configured to be coupled to the exterior housing portion of the second housing when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof;a condenser supported by the first housing;an evaporator supported by the second housing, the evaporator extending between a first evaporator mount coupled to at least one of the right walls of the second housing and a second evaporator mount coupled to at least one of the left walls of the second housing such that the evaporator extends parallel to the front walls of the second housing; andan evaporator blower supported by the second housing;wherein a maximum dimension of the exterior housing portion of the second housing above the exterior surface of the roof defines an exterior height, the evaporator defines an evaporator height extending parallel to the exterior height, the evaporator blower defines a blower height extending parallel to the exterior height, and at least one of the evaporator height and the blower height is greater than the exterior height. 15. The A/C unit of claim 14, wherein the evaporator height is greater than the exterior height. 16. The A/C unit of claim 14, wherein the blower height is greater than the exterior height. 17. The A/C unit of claim 14, wherein the evaporator height and the blower height are each greater than the exterior height. 18. The A/C unit of claim 14, wherein the evaporator is partially disposed in the exterior housing portion of the second housing and partially disposed in the interior housing portion of the second housing. 19. The A/C unit of claim 14, wherein the first housing is configured to be removably coupled to the exterior housing portion of the second housing when the A/C unit is mounted to the roof.