When products to be shipped are temperature-sensitive, it is necessary to maintain a substantially uniform and constant temperature to avoid spoilage. As a result, thermal shields are often placed on top of the products. Many designs for thermal shields have been considered in the past but improvements are still desired. Accordingly, there is provided a multilayer thermal shield (100) comprising a thermally conductive layer (108), and at least one heat exchange fluid circuit (120) coupled to a first surface of the thermally conductive layer, the at least one heat exchange fluid circuit comprising at least one inlet (124) configured to permit the ingress of heat exchange fluid. The thermal shield further comprises an outer insulation layer (104) connected to a first surface of the thermally conductive layer (108) and comprising grooves designed to receive the heat exchange fluid circuit. The thermal shield further comprises an inner insulation layer (110) connected to a second surface of the thermally conductive layer (108).

Provided is a vehicle with a simpler structure capable of selectively blowing air for air conditioning to the vehicle interior from a desired location. The vehicle is a vehicle in which air for air conditioning is blown from an air outlet port of a first trim panel attached to a vehicle interior. The vehicle includes an air conditioner that generates the air; a pipe connected to the air conditioner and configured to divide the air discharged from the air conditioner into a plurality of flows; a blower fan removably attached to each end portion of the pipe and configured to blow the divided air to the air outlet port; and a cut-off member that blocks flow of the air in a portion where the blower fan is removed in a state where the blower fan is being detached from the pipe.

Systems and methods for controlling a thermal conditioning system of a vehicle are disclosed. The system services multiple components in a vehicle, including at least one passenger component, such as a first seat and/or a second seat, and at least one auxiliary component, such as a storage enclosure, a first cup holder and/or a second cup holder. The system uses a vapor compression system as the thermal energy source. The control methods prioritize thermal conditioning of one or more of the various components based on one or more thermal criterion and apply component-specific control routines to the thermal conditioning based on that prioritization.

Disclosed is a connector, comprising a base including one or more supports extending from the base, a diverter that is offset from the base via the one or more supports, and a passage defined in the base having a size that is substantially the same as a size of the diverter. The diverter is configured to extend through a layer in a climate control device. The diverter restricts the layer from obstructing the passage.

A transportation trailer having a moving floor including a plurality of reciprocating slats for loading/unloading materials into the trailer. The trailer includes a system for warming the moving floor when the materials transported in the trailer freeze on the slats in cold weather. Using the pre-existing hollow structure of the slats, a stream of hot fluid or a hot fluid pipe is run inside the slats for thawing the frozen materials for unloading the trailer. The hot fluid may be provided from a hot fluid source on board of the trailer, for thawing the frozen materials while the trailer is on its way to the unloading site, or may be provided separately at the unloading site.

An air flow device for an instrument panel which blows an air from the instrument panel at a front of a vehicle compartment of an automobile to make the air flow to the vehicle compartment, includes a blower, a blower outlet on the instrument panel, from which an air sent from the blower to which the blower outlet is coupled is blown to the vehicle compartment, and a blower inlet on the instrument panel for the blower outlet, into which the air blown from the blower outlet is drawn. The blower outlet is installed so as to open to the blower inlet along a surface of the instrument panel while the blower inlet is installed so as to open to the blower outlet along the surface of the instrument panel.

A temperature adjustment system for a vehicle including a closed network of interconnected fluid pathways disposed in at least one of a headliner, a door, and an instrument panel of the vehicle. A fluid is disposed in the closed network. A fluid pump pushes the fluid through the closed network. The closed network is not open to an interior cabin of the vehicle and thermodynamically influences a cabin temperature of the vehicle.

A heating structure (1) configured to be installed inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle is disclosed. The heating structure (1) includes at least one resistive layer arranged so as to release heat when an electric current passes through this layer (4), this panel further comprising an electrode array (5) comprising a plurality of contact electrodes (6) arranged so as to be in electrical contact with the resistive layer in order to allow electric current to flow through this resistive layer.

A heater device includes a heat generating portion formed so as to be adjacent to one surface of an insulating substrate and configured to generate heat, and a heat equalizing portion arranged between adjacent heat generating portions and configured to diffuse the heat of the heat generating portion. The heat generating portion has a linear shape, and at least one of a distance between one of the adjacent heat generating portions and the heat equalizing portion and a distance between the other of the adjacent heat generating portions and the heat equalizing portion is equal to or less than a line width of the heat generating portion. In the heat equalizing portion, a distance between one end of one of the adjacent heat generating portions and the other end of the other of the adjacent heat generating portions is longer than the line width of the heat generating portion.

According to some embodiments, a refrigerated railcar comprises a pair of side walls, a roof, a floor, and a refrigeration unit. The floor comprises a bottom structure comprising a plurality of channels for return air flow from an interior of the railcar to the refrigeration unit. The floor further comprises at least two top plates coupled to the bottom structure (e.g., via a pivot rod). Each of the top plates extends longitudinally along the bottom structure and is configured to rotate up and away from the bottom structure proximate one of the side walls of the pair of side walls. Lifting an edge of a top plate opposite the edge of the top plate pivotally coupled to the bottom structure causes the top plate to rotate to an upright position exposing the plurality of channels of the bottom structure.