Development of Hybrid Compressor 2004-01-0912

In today's competitive market the automotive industry faces many challenges with fuel consumption and emissions leading the list of issues. To be able to achieve the lowest possible fuel consumption and emissions, the industry is targeting the designs of the whole vehicle including power using accessories. This demands the introduction of new technologies. The air conditioning system is no exception and, as such, a new hybrid compressor has been developed. The terms Hybrid Compressor and DSHC are used hereafter. The DSHC has two scroll compression mechanisms, each independently driven--one by the engine drive belt and the other by an electric motor. In this paper, details of the DSHC construction and operating methodology will be discussed and this unique compressor's high efficiency, which contributes to lower fuel consumption and emissions, will be demonstrated.