IP Library Granted Patent US 12,434,532
Granted Patent B2
US 12,434,532 · App. 18/215,691 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

Air conditioner and an air conditioning system having an integrated heat exchanger

Inventors: Kwang Ok Han (Seoul, KR); Gee Young Shin (Suwon-si, KR); Su Yeon Kang (Seoul, KR); Dong Ho Kwon (Yongin-si, KR); Myung Hoe Kim (Seoul, KR); Dae Hee Lee (Incheon, KR); In Jae Kang (Daejeon, KR); Tae Young Park (Daejeon, KR); Jae Chun Ryu (Daejeon, KR)
Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY; KIA CORPORATION; Hanon Systems
B60H1/00028B60H2001/00121B60H2001/2271B60H2001/2278
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,434,532
App. No.
18/215,691
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Proposed are an air conditioner having an integrated heat exchanger and an air conditioning system using the integrated heat exchanger. The integrated heat exchanger enables heat exchange between cooling water and conditioning-air, and generates heating air or cooling air such that cooling/heating efficiency is improved. Further, since the temperature of the cooling water circulating in the integrated heat exchanger is adjusted, there is no temperature adjustment door for adjusting the temperature of conditioning-air, so the number of parts is reduced. Further, since the integrated heat exchanger is applied, components are optimally arranged and the entire package is reduced in size.

Claims (28)

1. An air conditioner having an integrated heat exchanger, the air conditioner comprising:

an indoor heat exchanger disposed in an air conditioning housing and configured to generate heating air or cooling air by selectively passing first cooling water for heating and second cooling water for cooling;

a heater spaced apart from the indoor heat exchanger in the air conditioning housing and configured to selectively discharge heat, wherein a bleed path is formed around the heater; and

a door unit configured to adjust opening and closing of the bleed path and installed in the air conditioning housing.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the indoor heat exchanger and the heater each include an upper portion and a lower portion, and the upper portions of the indoor heat exchanger and the heater are arranged to be close to each other and the lower portions are arranged to be far from each other.

3. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the bleed path is formed over the heater and a bypass path is formed under the heater in the air conditioning housing.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the bleed path passes air at a flow rate of 25% or less of the air that has passed through the heater.

5. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning housing includes an air inlet and several air outlets, and the several air outlets includes a defrosting vent hole and at least one front vent hole; and

wherein the door unit includes a first door configured to adjust opening and closing of the bleed path and a second door configured to adjust opening and closing of the at least one front vent hole.

6. The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein the air conditioning housing has a third door configured to adjust opening and closing of the defrosting vent hole.

7. The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein the first door and the second door are installed at the air conditioning housing and configured to rotate on rotation shafts, respectively, and have moving pins at ends, respectively; and

wherein the door unit further includes a cam having a plurality of guide slits, in which the moving pins are inserted, and configured to change rotation positions of the first and second doors through the moving pins moving along the plurality of guide slits, respectively.

8. The air conditioner of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of guide slits of the cam extends in a rotation direction while bending inward and outward and have different shapes, so that timing of opening or closing of the bleed path and the at least one front vent hole are differently set.

9. The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein the air conditioning housing includes at least one rear vent hole at a lower portion thereof and a rear door is installed at the at least one rear vent hole.

10. The air conditioner of claim 9 , wherein the rear door includes:

a fourth door configured to allow air that has passed through the heater to selectively flow to the at least one rear vent hole; and

a fifth door configured to allow air that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger to selectively flow to the at least one rear vent hole through a bypass path under the heater without passing through the heater.

11. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the door unit includes an opening/closing door configured to operate up and down in the bleed path to adjust opening and closing of the bleed path and an actuator configured to control a position of the opening/closing door.

12. An air conditioning system having an integrated heat exchanger, the air conditioning system comprising:

a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant circulates and that includes a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator;

a first cooling water circuit in which first cooling water circulates to exchange heat with the condenser of the refrigerant circuit for heating;

a second cooling water circuit in which second cooling water circulates to exchange heat with the evaporator of the refrigerant circuit for cooling;

a valve module to which the first cooling water circuit and the second cooling water circuit are connected and that changes a flow direction of the first cooling water and the second cooling water; and

an indoor heat exchanger that is disposed in the air conditioning housing, to which the first cooling water circuit and the second cooling water circuit are connected, and that receives the first cooling water for heating or the second cooling water for cooling and generates heating air or cooling air,

wherein, in the air conditioning housing, a heater spaced apart from the indoor heat exchanger and configured to selectively generate heat is disposed, a bleed path is formed around the heater, and a door unit configured to adjust opening and closing of the bleed path is disposed.

13. The air conditioning system of claim 12 , wherein the indoor heat exchanger includes a first heat exchanging part connected with the first cooling water circuit and configured to discharge heat through the first cooling water for heating and a second heat exchanging part connected with the second cooling water circuit and configured to absorb heat through the second cooling water for cooling.

14. The air conditioning system of claim 12 , wherein the first cooling water circuit includes a first water pump and the second cooling water circuit includes a second water pump.

15. The air conditioning system of claim 12 , wherein the first cooling water in the first cooling water circuit and the second cooling water in the second cooling water circuit are selectively shared by a plurality of sharing valves.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 28, 2023
From: HAN, KWANG OK; SHIN, GEE YOUNG; KANG, SU YEON; KWON, DONG HO; KIM, MYUNG HOE; LEE, DAE HEE; KANG, IN JAE; PARK, TAE YOUNG; RYU, JAE CHUN
To: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY; KIA CORPORATION; HANON SYSTEMS
Reel/Frame 064102/0538 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2022-0077054 · Jun 23, 2022 · national
KR 10-2022-0145268 · Nov 3, 2022 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation In Part 17990048 · Nov 18, 2022
Related Publication 20230415538A1 · Dec 28, 2023
References Cited (11)
US 12247749B2 · Han · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20180072131A1 · Lee et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20180162192A1 · Lee et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190351730A1 · Mullett et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
DE 102013109666A1 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
JP 2003042597A · 2003 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006082780A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
KR 20080076224A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
KR 20080092527A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
KR 20160133729A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
1 Office Action mailed Aug. 9, 2024 cited in corresponding U.S. Appl. No. 17/990,048; 6 pp. [cited by applicant]