FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION (See Section 10; rule 13)


TITLE OF INVENTION Valve Assembly For Heating System In An Automobile
APPLICANTS
TATA MOTORS LIMITED, an Indian company
having its registered office at Bombay House,
24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai 400 001 Maharashtra, India
INVENTORS
Mr. Jayapal Gajankush
An Indian Nationals
of TATA MOTORS LIMITED,
an Indian company having its registered office
Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai 400 001 Maharashtra, India
PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION The following specification describes the invention


FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems of a vehicle. The present invention more particularly relates to a valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
HVAC systems in vehicles consist of air conditioner, heater and ventilation system. In the heater system, the engine coolant is used to get heat in the cabin. Hot water is circulated from heater core that is fitted in the HVAC system and air is blown over the heater. This air gets heated and the hot air is circulated in the cabin. Conventionally, a bypass line is used in the engine cooling system. The bypass line bypasses the coolant to the engine till the engine thermostat is not opened, i.e. when the engine is not hot.
Further, the engine coolant flows through the bypass line till opening of the thermostat, where the bypass line causes least resistant to the engine coolant. After the engine is heated up, the thermostat opens and the coolant starts flowing through the radiator for dissipating the heat. During cold climate, the engine coolant might not reach the required temperature to open the thermostat and thus can continue to flow through the bypass line. During this time, the passenger compartment also requires more heating. The bypass line is connected between the thermostat and lower cooling line. The thermostat will be closed till the coolant attains certain temperature. When thermostat is closed engine coolant flows through bypass line.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional circuit of an engine cooling system with a cabin heater 6 is illustrated, in accordance with prior art. In this conventional cooling system, an upper cooling line 1 is fitted on an engine 8, where a thermostat 2 is fitted at the end of the upper cooling line 1. A bypass line 4 is connected from the thermostat 2 to a lower cooling line 5, where the engine coolant is tapped before the thermostat 2 from the upper cooling line 1. Two way water valve 7 is fitted in the
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heater line before the cabin heater 6 and the outlet of the cabin heater 6 is connected to the lower cooling line 5.
The cabin heater 6 is fitted in the cabin, in particular the heater system 6 is located in a heater line parallel to the bypass line 4 connected between the upper and lower cooling lines 1 and 5. When the water valve 7 is closed, then all the engine coolant flows through the bypass line 4 till opening of the thermostat 2 for passing the engine coolant to a radiator 3. In this condition i.e. when no engine coolant is flowing through the heater 6, then no heat is transferred into the vehicle cabin. If passenger needs heat inside the cabin, heat can be transferred to the cabin by opening the two way water valve 7 through a push pull cable and thus the engine coolant flows through both the heater 6 and the bypass line 4. Then, air is blown over the heater 6 such that heat is exchanged from the heater 6 to air for circulating the heated air inside the vehicle cabin.
Moreover, the water valve 7 in the heater line is utilized for controlling the coolant flow in the heater line so that the heater intensity can be controlled. The coolant flow needs to be controlled as per heat requirement in the cabin. If needs more heat in the cabin, the water valve 7 is fully opened whereas if needs less heat inside the cabin, then the water valve 7 is partially opened. Such water valve 7 is operated by the push pull cable, which is connected to a control panel inside the cabin. The operating force should as minimal as possible and there should not be any internal leakage in the water valve 7.
The heater system 6 includes heating coils, which creates resistance for the coolant flowing through the heater line. This causes more coolant flow through the bypass line 4 and less through the cabin heater 6. If the heater capacity is to be increased, then more engine coolant should flow through the heater 6. With reference to the conventional system, one of the systems is to remove the bypass line so that the heater line acts as bypass line. In such case, the water valve cannot be used in the heater circuit, and thus the heater intensity cannot be set, as water flow through the heater cannot be controlled. However, these conventional systems are more complex
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and time consuming. In order to address the above specified disadvantages, it is necessary to provide a valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile, which facilitates effective bypassing of the engine coolant at low cost.
OBJECTS OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile, which facilitates effective bypassing of the engine coolant at low cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile, which is simple in construction.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile, which efficiently controls the heating intensity inside the vehicle cabin.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
According to one aspect, the present invention, which achieves the objectives, relates to valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile comprising two valves that are assembled together using a tubular means connected to a cooling line of an engine. The tubular means is configured as arc shape connected to 'T' joint. The valves include a set of operating levers connected to each other by using a handle. The valves are connected to a heating line and a bypass line of the vehicle in order to divert the engine coolant through the heating line for controlling the intensity of heating. The operating levers are operated simultaneously using a knob by means of push pull cable for controlling the engine coolant flow through a heater of the heating system. Hence, it facilitates effective bypassing of the engine coolant and efficient control of the heating intensity inside the vehicle cabin at low cost.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will be discussed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying Figures.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional circuit of an engine cooling system with a cabin heater, in accordance with prior art;
FIG. 2 illustrates a circuit diagram of an engine cooling system with a valve assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a valve assembly for a heating system in an automobile, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 2, a circuit diagram of an engine cooling system with a valve assembly 20 is illustrated, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The engine cooling system includes a three way valve assembly 20 that is fitted between an upper and lower cooling lines 11 and 15 on an engine 17. The valve assembly 20 can be connected to a bypass line 14 and a heater 16 in a heating system. The valve assembly is mounted on the cooling line 11 before it is connected to a thermostat 12 and a radiator 13. When no heat is required into the vehicle cabin, then the engine coolant can bypass the heater 16 and pass directly to the lower cooling line 15. When max heat is required, then all the engine coolant flows through the heater 16 to provide maximum heat in the vehicle cabin. The flow of engine coolant can be adjusted as per requirement of the heat inside the cabin.
Referring to FIG. 3, a schematic view of a valve assembly 20 for a heating system in an automobile is illustrated, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The valve assembly 20 basically comprises two valves 21 and 22 that are assembled together using a tubular means 23 connected to the cooling line
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11 of the engine 17. The valves 21 and 22 are mounted in opposite direction, where inlet ends of the valves 21 and 22 are connected with the tubular means 23. The tubular means 23 is configured as arc shape connected to 'T' joint.
In addition, two ends 25 and 26 of the tubular means 23 are respectively connected to the valves 21 and 22 whereas third end 24 of the tubular means 23 is connected to the upper cooling line 11 of the engine 17. Outlet 27 of the valve 21 is connected to the heater system 16 located in the heater line. Similarly, outlet 28 of the valve 22 is connected to the bypass line 14. Such valves 21 and 22 are connected to the heating line and the bypass line 14 of the vehicle in order to divert the engine coolant through the heating line for controlling the intensity of heating.
Moreover, the valves 21 and 22 include a set of operating levers 29 and 30 that are connected to each other by using a handle 31. Thus, the operating levers 29 and 30 are operated simultaneously using a knob 33 by means of push pull cable 32 for controlling the engine coolant flow through the heater of the heating system. The push pull cable 32 is connected to the handle 31 and the knob 33 that is located in a dashboard 34 of the vehicle cabin. The knob 33 can be adjusted to rotate the handle 31 to adjust the flow of engine coolant through the valve assembly 20.
Since these valves 21 and 22 are fitted in opposite direction and the operating levers 29 and 30 are operated simultaneously, if one valve gets open another valve closed at the same time. In particular, if the valve 21 is fully closed, then the valve 22 can fully open. Similarly, if the valve 21 is open 50%, then the valve 22 can be opened 50%, where the total opening always can be 100%. Hence, the valve assembly 20 facilitates effective bypassing of the engine coolant and efficient control of the heating intensity inside the vehicle cabin at low cost.
For example, if the passenger requires full heat into the vehicle cabin, then the valve 21 is fully Opened whereas the valve 22 is fully closed. In this case, total engine coolant can flow through the heater 16 such that maximum heat can be available in the vehicle cabin. Similarly, if the passenger requires only ambient air into the cabin, then the valve 21 is fully closed whereas the valve 22 is fully opened. In this case, no
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engine coolant can flow through the heater 16, i.e. total coolant flow can be bypassing the heater 16. If the passenger requires less heat in the cabin, then the passenger can operate the valves 21 and 22 of the valve assembly 20 in such a manner that some engine coolant can flow through the heater 16 and some can bypass the heater 16.
Such valve assembly 20 requires very less operating force and effort. Since the valve assembly 20 is operated inside the cabin by means of push pull cable 32 through the knob 33, no need to get down from the vehicle to operate it. This valve assembly 20 can also be operated even when the vehicle is in motion. Additionally, the valve assembly 20 can be removed and serviced easily and the heater intensity can be selected when bypass line is not used. The valves 21 and 22 are assembled on a single plate thereby reducing chance of mismatching the valves 21 and 22. Further, the assembly of valves 21 and 22 is very small so there is no mounting constraint in the vehicle.
The foregoing description is a specific embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that this embodiment is described for purpose of illustration only, and that numerous alterations and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included in, so far as they come within the scope of the invention as claimed or the equivalents thereof.
Dated this 18th day of March 2009
TATA Motors Limited By their Agent & Attorney
(Karuna Goleria)
of De PENNING & De PENNING
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