DEVICE FOR FILLING AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEMS WITH A COOLANT IN THE FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE VEHICLE

Abstract

A device for filling air conditioning systems with a refrigerant during final vehicle assembly, wherein the air conditioning system comprises a connection valve on its low and high pressure sides, via which the air conditioning system can be pressure tested, evacuated, and filled, which facilitates maintenance operations in the life cycle of the system, wherein said connection valves have different geometrical contours between the high and low pressure side and to ensure that only the respective approved refrigerant is filled into the air conditioning system, and wherein the filling is performed using a filling system brought via adapters into an operative connection with the connection valves on the low and high pressure sides. The device is designed to allow filling with two different refrigerants using just two adapters and still ensures that a proper refrigerant is filled into the respective air conditioning system.

Claims

1. A device for filling air conditioning systems with a refrigerant during final vehicle assembly, wherein the air conditioning systems to be filled comprise one connection valve each on their high pressure and on their low-pressure sides, which connection valves differ in their geometrical contour to prevent mix-ups between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side and at the same time to ensure that only the respective approved refrigerant is filled into the air conditioning system, and wherein the device can be brought into an operative connection with connection valves on the low-pressure side and on the high-pressure side using low pressure and high pressure adapters; wherein just one high pressure adapter and one low pressure adapter is provided for two different refrigerants R134 and R1234yf, wherein the connection valves of the air conditioning systems to be filled have different geometries for the two different refrigerants R134 and R1234yf, wherein the high-pressure adapter via which the air conditioning system is filled includes mechanical components which interact to prevent a connection valve that does not match the preselected refrigerant from being opened for filling, in that, by preselecting the type of one of the two different refrigerants R134 and R1234yf, a stop piston in the adapter can be positioned so that the high-pressure adapter can detect a correct and/or incorrect vehicle port using an associated path measuring system, wherein the device comprises clamping system that includes a slider with a magnet, a stop piston with an integrated plunger, a path measuring system and clamping balls, wherein the slider takes different positions based on the respective geometrical design of the connection valves, which are detected by the magnet via the path measuring system, wherein the slider is designed so that, in its normal position, it closes the adapter with a gasket designed as an O-ring, wherein the stop piston, in accordance with a preselected type on the filling system, can be placed in positions for the one refrigerant R134a (lower position) and/or the other refrigerant R1234yf (upper position), wherein these two positions allow movement of the slider in these predetermined end positions only, wherein the plunger integrated in the stop piston can perform a limited stroke to open the connection valves of the vehicle port, wherein the respective stroke movement is performed depending on the respective position of the stop piston, starting from the preset position for the one refrigerant, R134a, or the other refrigerant, R1234yf, and wherein the clamping balls are held by a pin due to the required unobstructed clamping path.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure adapter has a separate filling line with a filling valve for each refrigerant.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the low-pressure adapter is designed to be mounted on both media-specific connection valves of the air conditioning system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] An exemplary embodiment is described below with reference to the drawing. Wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 shows connection valves for the refrigerants R1234yf and R134a according to prior art

[0015] FIG. 2 shows the general structure of a filling system with media separation according to prior art

[0016] FIG. 3 shows the general structure of a novel filling system with combined filling

[0017] FIG. 4 shows the clamping system of the device in normal position according to the invention

[0018] FIGS. 5 to 9 show various operating positions of a clamping system according to FIG. 4

[0019] FIG. 10 shows a detail of the clamping system for fixing the position of clamping balls

[0020] FIG. 11 shows a detail of the clamping system with a carrier for clamping balls

[0021] FIG. 12 shows a detail of the clamping system with an additional locking system for clamping balls

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The device shown in the drawing is designed for filling air conditioning systems (so-called MACs) with a refrigerant during final vehicle assembly. The air conditioning system to be filled comprises one connection valve each on its low-pressure side and on its high-pressure side via which the air conditioning system can be pressure tested, evacuated, and filled and which allows the performance of maintenance operations in the further life cycle of the air conditioning system. The geometrical contours of the connection valves are of different designs to prevent mix-ups between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side and at the same time to ensure that only the respective approved refrigerant is filled into the air conditioning system. The filling process is performed using a filling system, which is brought into an operative connection with the connection valves on the low-pressure side and on the high-pressure side via adapters.

[0023] The main aspect of the device per the invention is that only one high-pressure adapter and one low-pressure adapter are provided for two different refrigerants R134a and R1234yf. The high-pressure adapter via which the air conditioning system is filled includes mechanical components which interact to prevent an unexpected vehicle valve from being opened for filling. Furthermore, the high-pressure adapter can detect a correct or incorrect vehicle port using an associated path measuring system.

[0024] FIG. 4 shows the general structure of the clamping system designed according to the invention. This design includes a slider 1, a stop piston 2, and a path measuring system 6 as its major components. A magnet 4 is assigned to the slider 1. The stop piston 2 comprises an integrated plunger 3.

[0025] The slider 1 takes different positions depending on the dimensions (measure L1 from SAE J639), which can be detected by the integrated magnet 4 via the path measuring system 6.

[0026] The stop piston 3 is set in accordance with the preselected type on the filling system to either the positions R134a (lower position) or R1234yf (upper position). These two positions allow movement of the slider 1 in these predetermined end positions only. The plunger 3 integrated in the stop piston 2 has a limited stroke for opening the valve in the vehicle port. Depending on the position of the stop piston 2, this defined stroke starts either from the preset position for R134a or R1234yf.

[0027] The slider 1 is further designed so that it closes the adapter in its normal position; for this purpose, an O-ring gasket 5 is provided on the slider 1.

[0028] The following operations are performed in a complete filling cycle:

[0029] The type of vehicle to be filled is selected manually by the worker or automatically at the filling system. Then the stop piston 2 travels to the respective position for the refrigerant R134a or the refrigerant R1234yf.

[0030] The worker places the adapter over the vehicle port, in which process the slider 1 is moved in accordance with the dimensions of the vehicle port, and tries to tighten the adapter.

[0031] There are four scenarios to be mentioned, which will be explained in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.

[0032] FIG. 5: The system expects a vehicle port for the refrigerant R134a and finds this port.

[0033] As a result of the vehicle type selection, the stop piston 2 is in position R134a (bottom). The vehicle port for R134a is present. The slider 1 with the magnet 4 is shifted to the R134a position. The path measuring system 6 confirms the position. The adapter can successfully be tightened. The slider 1 is open. The plunger 3 can open the vehicle valve. Filling is therefore possible.

[0034] FIG. 6: The system expects a vehicle port for the refrigerant R1234yf and finds this port.

[0035] As a result of the vehicle type selection, the stop piston 2 is in position R1234yf (top). The vehicle port for R1234yf is present. The slider 1 with the magnet 4 is shifted to the R1234yf position. The path measuring system 6 confirms the position. The adapter can successfully be tightened. The slider 1 is open. The plunger 3 can open the vehicle valve. Filling is therefore possible.

[0036] FIGS. 7 and 8: The system expects a vehicle port for the R134a refrigerant but is given a vehicle port for the R1234yf refrigerant instead.

[0037] As a result of the vehicle type selection, the stop piston 2 is in position R134a (bottom). The vehicle port for R1234yf is present. The slider 1 with the magnet 1 is limited to the position for R134a by the stop piston 2. The adapter cannot be tightened successfully. There is no positive locking connection, and the vehicle port is pressed out during clamping. The path measuring system 6 detects the incorrect position. The slider 1 goes to its normal position and closes the coupling. The plunger 3 cannot open the vehicle valve because clamping was not successful. Filling is therefore not possible.

[0038] FIG. 9: The system expects a vehicle port for the R1234yf refrigerant but is given a vehicle port for the R134a refrigerant instead.

[0039] As a result of the vehicle type selection, the stop piston 2 is in position R1234yf (top). The vehicle port for R134a is present. The slider 1 with the magnet 4 is limited to the position for R1234yf by the stop piston 2 and is only shifted to the position for R134a. The adapter can be tightened successfully, there is a positive locking connection. The path measuring system 6 detects the incorrect position. The slider 1 is open. The plunger 3 cannot open the vehicle valve because the stroke of the plunger 3 is not sufficient to open the valve in the vehicle. Filling is therefore not possible.

[0040] It should further be considered that the adapter must be clamped in a positive locking, vacuum and pressure tight manner. This is achieved through clamping balls being engaged in a circumferential groove 10 of the vehicle port that can be seen in FIG. 10.

[0041] In a clamping system that is fitted to a refrigerant port, these clamping balls can be held in a carrier due to the positive locking connection and will not fall out during clamping/unclamping, see FIG. 11.

[0042] If the clamping system is to be extended to different vehicle ports, the clamping balls must be held by a different design to provide the required greater freedom of actuating travel. A suitable variant is shown in FIG. 12. The clamping balls are equipped with a pin that holds them in the extended range of travel.

[0043] The present technical solution provides a clamping system that uses mechanical stops and locks and a high degree of prevention of mixing-up filling refrigerants and prevention of filling refrigerant into the wrong vehicle port despite having significantly fewer components compared to prior art. At the same time, a path measuring system indicates the vehicle port (R134a or R1234yf) onto which the adapter has been placed.