| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090107159 | ADJUSTABLE AIR CONDITIONING CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A UNIVERSAL AIRPLANE GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT CART - A ground support equipment air conditioning system detachably connects to a port on an airplane. An air conduit connects an air intake and filter to a coupling that is adapted to be connected to one end of an air duct or hose the other end of which is adapted to be connected to an airplane's port. A variable speed blower in the air conduit has its speed varied by a controller to regulate the pressure supplied to an airplane. This controller receives as inputs the pressure sensed by a pressure sensor connected to the air conduit adjacent the coupling to sense the pressure of air passing into the airplane and also a setpoint pressure which can be varied to match the requirements of different types or classes of airplane. First and second air conditioners each include a circular refrigerant conduit channeling refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The evaporators are positioned in the air conduit with the first air conditioner's evaporator preceding the blower and the second air conditioner's evaporator following the blower in the air conduit. A condenser cooling fan drives air through the two condensers and is controlled by a controller responsive to one or more pressures or temperatures measured in one of the air or refrigerant conduits or in the surrounding air. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107160 | COMPACT, MODULARIZED AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM THAT CAN BE MOUNTED UPON AN AIRPLANE GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT CART - A modular and compact air conditioning system is designed to be conveyed by a ground support equipment cart and to occupy minimal space within the cart. The system is constructed within a rectangular frame supporting top, bottom, left side, right side, front side, and back side panels. The top and back side panels contain thin air conditioner condensers. One of the left and right side panels contain an air outlet, and the other contains an air inlet and a duct that may be connected to an airplane to provide cooling air to the airplane. A condenser fan is mounted within the rectangular frame and is arranged to draw outside air in through the condensers and to blow the air out through the air outlet. First and second air conditioners are mounted within the rectangular frame, each including a compressor, an expansion valve, and evaporator coils, with each compressor pumping refrigerant through one of the condensers, through one of the expansion valves, and through one of the evaporator coils and back to the compressor. One of the two evaporator coils is mounted over the air inlet, and the other is mounted over the duct. A variable speed blower is mounted within the rectangular frame adjacent the air inlet, and an enclosed air passage routes air from the air inlet through one of the evaporator coils, the air passage narrowing and routing the air through the blower, the passage then widening and curving around and routing the air through the other of the evaporator coils and through the duct. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090107657 | ADJUSTABLE COOLING SYSTEM FOR AIRPLANE ELECTRONICS - Airplane ground service equipment includes an air conditioning system for an airplane and also a fluid cooling system for airplane electronics which detachably connects to a first port and a second port on the airplane. The fluid cooling system includes a first connector, a second connector, and a fluid conduit therebetween, the first and second connectors being adapted to be connected to the first and second ports, respectively, such that the connection of the ports to the connectors completes a fluid circuit. A fluid pump directs fluid through the fluid conduit, and a heat exchanger in the fluid conduit removes heat from the fluid circuit and transfers it into the air conditioning system of the ground support equipment. A temperature regulation mechanism stabilizes the temperature of the fluid in the fluid conduit to compensate for changes in the amount of heat that is drawn from the airplane electronics. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090108549 | FRAME AND PANEL SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTING MODULES TO BE INSTALLED ON AN AIRPLANE GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT CART - A frame, panel, and fastener system for use in constructing modules that are to be installed on a ground support equipment cart. The modules have a rectangular frame that is constructed primarily by connecting together members constructed as folded sheet metal tubes substantially rectangular in cross section but, on two adjoining sides, bent perpendicularly outwards to form a first shelf perforated with fastener mounting holes, these frame members having ends that may be fastened to pairs of ends of other like frame members at perpendicular angles to form the corners of the rectangular frame and of the modules. Panels having edges bent over to form stand-offs and perforated with fastener mounting holes are sized so the stand-offs rest upon the first shelves on plural sides of the rectangular frame. Plural fasteners have first fastener parts that are attached to the shelf fastener mounting holes and second fastener parts that are attached to the panel fastener mounting holes, with the fasteners aligned to join and to detachably hold the panels upon the first shelves to form removable side panels for the modules. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090108552 | AIRPLANE GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT CART HAVING EXTRACTABLE MODULES AND A GENERATOR MODULE THAT IS SEPERABLE FROM POWER CONVERSION AND AIR CONDITIONING MODULES - A ground support equipment cart contains one or more removable equipment modules. The cart contains a rectangular module containing airplane air conditioning components mounted upon the cart and extending the width of the cart but occupying substantially less than half of the cart's length. The cart also contains one or more rectangular equipment modules removably mounted upon the cart, one or two of the removable modules containing electrical power converting components. And the cart contains a rectangular module containing power generating components mounted upon the cart and occupying substantially the remainder of the cart. The cart separates into two parts, one part containing the module containing power generating components. The cart also contains a control module having a display and controls for, and that is networked to, the other modules. One or more of the removable modules slide out on a tray and may be locked in position. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090110471 | SYSTEM OF FASTENERS FOR ATTACHING PANELS ONTO MODULES THAT ARE TO BE INSTALLED ON AN AIRPLANE GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT CART - A fastener system for use in removably attaching cover panels to openings in the sides of modules containing equipment on airplane ground support equipment carts, where the fasteners must not come loose to damage airplane engines. At least some modules have a metallic frame defining at least one opening providing access to the module's interior. This frame supports an inwardly recessed shelf around the inside perimeter of the opening. At least one cover panel is sized to fit removably within the opening. The shelf and the panel have aligned holes for fasteners, and the edges of the panel are bent inwards to form standoffs from the shelf. Sets of fasteners each include: a nut having mounted on its surface a hollow, internally-threaded shaft smaller in diameter than the nut, the shaft fitting into the shelf's fastener holes; a bolt having a head shaped to engage a fastener driving tool and having a shaft unthreaded adjacent the head and threaded away from the head, the threads matching the nut shaft's internal threads; and a panel hole liner and bolt support formed as a cylinder sized to be force fitted into the panel's fastener holes, the cylinder having a bottom with a central hole slightly larger in diameter than the unthreaded portion of the bolt shaft such that the bolt is retained within the hole liner free to rotate and to slide up and down but not free to fall out. Each nut shaft is inserted through to extend outwards from a shoulder fastener hole, and each bolt is supported in place by a hole liner forced into a panel fastener hole. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090112368 | MAINTENANCE AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT - Ground support equipment for servicing an airplane includes a ground support equipment cart upon which are mounted at least two equipment modules and a control module. A first equipment module mounted upon the cart contains ground support equipment for servicing an airplane and also has a network connection, and at least one additional equipment module mounted upon the cart contains additional ground support equipment for servicing an airplane and also has a network connection. The control module has a user display and user controls that are connected to a control processor which has a network connection. The user display and the user controls serve as a shared control panel for the ground support equipment contained in the modules mounted upon the cart. A network interconnects the network connections of the modules mounted upon the cart. The control processor can cause the user display to present a menu listing various types or classes of airplanes for selection by a user. In response to user selection of a type or class of airplane, the control processor sends over the network to one or more of the other modules information defining what particular services the selected type or class of airplane requires of the modules. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20110113795 | MODULAR HEATING, VENTILATING, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS - Embodiments of a modular air conditioning (AC) unit include a base unit and a blower selected from a group of blowers configured for different cooling capacities. The module AC unit also includes at least one heat exchanger unit selected from a group of substantially identical modular heat exchanger units, the number of heat exchanger units being selected based upon the desired cooling capacity. The at least one heat exchanger unit and the blower are assembled to the base unit to form a modular air conditioning circuit. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110113801 | CONDENSER ASSEMBLIES FOR HEATING, VENTILATING, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS - Embodiments of a modular condenser unit are provided. The modular condenser unit may include a housing and a first condenser coil and a second condenser coil disposed within a volume of the housing. A fan may also be disposed in an end of the housing and adapted to draw air through at least one of the first condenser coil and the second condenser coil. In some embodiments, the first condenser coil and/or the second condenser coil may be micro-channel condenser coils. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20120067965 | CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MODULAR HEATING, VENTILATING, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS - Embodiments of a modular air conditioning (AC) unit include a base unit, a blower mounted to the base unit, and at least one heat exchanger module assembled to the base unit and communicatively coupled to the blower to form a modular AC circuit. The modular AC unit also includes a controller communicatively coupled to at least one component of the modular AC circuit and adapted to independently control operation of each of the components of the modular AC circuit. | 03-22-2012 |
