VEHICLE AIR COMFORT SYSTEM AND METHOD
Vehicle air comfort systems and methods. The systems and methods may comprise: (1) a plurality of flow tunnels for passage of a heat-transfer fluid; (2) a thermoelectric cooler in thermal communication with the flow tunnels for thermally conditioning the heat-transfer fluid in the flow tunnels; (3) an air inlet for receiving unconditioned air; (4) a thermal exchange assembly for facilitating thermal exchange between the thermally conditioned heat-transfer fluid and the unconditioned air to result in conditioning of the air; and (5) an air outlet for outputting the conditioned air into the vehicle.
1 . A vehicle air comfort system comprising:
a plurality of flow tunnels for passage of a heat-transfer fluid;
a thermoelectric cooler in thermal communication with the flow tunnels, wherein the thermoelectric cooler is operable to thermally condition the heat-transfer fluid in the flow tunnels;
an air inlet for receiving unconditioned air;
a thermal exchange assembly operable to facilitate thermal exchange between the thermally conditioned heat-transfer fluid and the unconditioned air, wherein the thermal exchange results in the conditioning of the unconditioned air; and
an air outlet for outputting the conditioned air into the vehicle.
2 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the conditioning comprises cooling the unconditioned air.
3 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 2 , wherein the thermal conditioning comprises cooling the heat-transfer fluid, and wherein the thermal exchange comprises the transfer of heat from the unconditioned air to the thermally conditioned heat transfer fluid.
4 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the conditioning comprises heating the unconditioned air.
5 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 4 , wherein the thermal conditioning comprises heating the heat-transfer fluid, and wherein the thermal exchange comprises the transfer of heat from the thermally conditioned heat transfer fluid to the unconditioned air.
6 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a plurality of fins operable to dissipate thermal energy from the thermoelectric cooler.
7 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a thermoelectric cooler exhaust for outputting dissipated thermal energy from the thermoelectric cooler.
8 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal exchange assembly comprises:
a fluid inlet for receiving the thermally conditioned heat transfer fluid;
a body for facilitating thermal exchange between the thermally conditioned heat transfer fluid and the unconditioned air; and
a fluid outlet for outputting the heat transfer fluid after the thermal exchange.
9 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal exchange assembly is a radiator.
10 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a tubing network operable to place the flow tunnels in fluid communication with the thermal exchange assembly.
11 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 10 , wherein the tubing network is a closed-loop circuit.
12 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 10 , wherein the tubing network further comprises a pump for facilitating the transport of the heat-transfer fluid through the tubing network.
13 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-transfer fluid is a coolant.
14 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises one or more fans for facilitating the movement of conditioned or unconditioned air.
15 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more fans move unconditioned air from the air inlet to the thermal exchange assembly.
16 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more fans move conditioned air from the thermal exchange assembly to the air outlet.
17 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a pre-cool unit for pre-cooling the unconditioned air.
18 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises one or more filter units for filtering the conditioned or unconditioned air.
19 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises an evaporator unit for humidifying the conditioned or unconditioned air.
20 . The vehicle air comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a truck.