BUILDING STRUCTURE FOR CRAWL SPACE MOUNTED APPARATUS

Abstract

A building structure for crawl space mounted air conditioning apparatus comprises a crawl space defined by at least one crawl space wall including at least one exterior wall within which a ducted condensing unit (DCU) of the air conditioning apparatus is mountable. The crawl space is configured with at least one through-hole opening formed in the at least one exterior wall for enclosing an element of the air conditioning apparatus which is in fluid communication with the DCU.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of building structures. More particularly, the invention relates to a building structure for crawl space mounted air conditioning apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many air conditioning systems are of the split type that comprises an outdoor unit that includes a compressor, condenser and fan for drawing ambient air across the condenser, an indoor unit including an evaporator and a fan for drawing the interior air across the evaporator so that the conditioned air will be discharged to the space to be conditioned, and a conduit through which refrigerant flows in a closed cooling or heating cycle between the outdoor and indoor units.

However, the outdoor unit housed in a large-sized casing is unsightly and also adds noise pollution. These deficiencies are exacerbated in an urban environment or in a multi-family dwelling where a high population density results in a proliferation of outdoor units.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a building structure that facilitates the installation of a split air conditioning system that does not detract from the appearance of the building, yet that provides a superior air conditioning effect.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A building structure for crawl space mounted air conditioning apparatus comprises a crawl space defined by at least one crawl space wall including at least one exterior wall within which a ducted condensing unit (DCU) of the air conditioning apparatus is mountable, said crawl space being configured with at least one through-hole opening formed in said at least one exterior wall for enclosing an element of the air conditioning apparatus which is in fluid communication with the DCU.

In one embodiment, the at least one through-hole opening is a duct opening within which an air discharge duct extending from an exhaust opening of the DCU is fixed.

The crawl space may be additionally configured with at least one penetration formed in a ceiling of the crawl space, a corresponding conduit through which flows a refrigerant adapted to condition at least one interior room of the building extending upwardly through said at least one penetration to an indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus. When the at least one penetration is formed in a central region of the crawl space ceiling that overlies the DCU, for example, a vent opening formed in an additional exterior crawl space wall that is spaced from the crawl space wall to which the duct opening for the air discharge duct is fixed remains unblocked by the DCU.

The additional exterior crawl space wall may be formed with a duct opening within which an air intake duct extending to an intake opening of the DCU is fixed.

In another embodiment, the at least one through-hole opening is a penetration through which passes a corresponding conduit for facilitating the flow therethrough of a refrigerant adapted to condition at least one interior room of the building to an indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus.

In one aspect, the crawl space is additionally configured with a drain element through which condensate produced by the DCU is dischargeable.

In one aspect, the building structure is further configured with one or more mounting elements for mounting the DCU, wherein the DCU has a casing for enclosing DCU components including a freestanding compressor and a condenser coil, said one or more mounting elements configured to mount the casing having a maximum height approximately equal to the height of the compressor and less than the height of the at least one exterior crawl space wall.

In another embodiment, the at least one through-hole opening is an opening through which DCU exhaust air is exhausted to the atmosphere and the one or more mounting elements is a frame member surrounding the opening through which DCU exhaust air is exhausted to the atmosphere, wherein said frame member is configured in such a way that an exhaust opening of the DCU is aligned with the opening through which DCU exhaust air is exhausted to the atmosphere.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a crawl space;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the front of a building, showing another type of crawl space;

FIG. 3 is a perspective and schematic, exploded view of one type of a ducted condensing unit;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the top of another type of a ducted condensing unit, showing with the casing thereof partially removed;

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of a building structure, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of an exterior crawl space wall usable in conjunction with the building structure of FIG. 5, showing a through-hole opening formed therewithin for enclosing an air conditioning element;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a casing of a ducted condensing unit used in conjunction with the building structure of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a casing of a ducted condensing unit used in conjunction with another embodiment of a building structure; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a building structure, according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A building structure facilitates the mounting of the outdoor unit of a split-type air conditioning system within a crawl space of the building. The building structure includes at least one through-hole opening formed in an exterior wall of the crawl space for enclosing an element of the air conditioning system.

A crawl space is generally used to elevate the lowest floors of residential buildings above a base flood elevation, and is surrounded by crawl space walls typically ranging in height ranging from two to four ft. An individual entering the crawl space, due to its low height, is forced to move around the crawl space on his hands and knees. While a crawl space cannot be used as living space, it can be a convenient and inconspicuous place to install building service elements, such as electrical, plumbing, and ventilating elements. The underlying surface of the crawl space is often soil, although a finished floor may be provided.

An exemplary crawl space 5 is illustrated in FIG. 1. Crawl space 5 is delimited by a crawl space exterior wall 7 that may be flush with the exterior wall 9 of the overlying first floor. Vent opening 2, generally rectangular, formed in crawl space wall 7 provides access to the building service elements installed within crawl space 5, as well as the air flow needed for ventilation purposes. A screen 11 may be positioned within vent opening 2 to allow air to flow therethrough, but preventing the passage of animals, insects, and debris. If so desired, vent opening 2 may be provided with a closure 12 such as a window pane that can be selectively opened and closed. Crawl space 5 may span the entire surface area of the building, or only a portion thereof.

Due to the low height of the crawl space walls 7, crawl space 5 is not suitable for the installation therewithin of a conventional outdoor unit having a height of approximately 40 in. Even if the outside unit were able to be physically positioned within the crawl space, the axial fan located at the top of the outside unit and rotating about a vertical axis, which is adapted to draw air across the condenser to assist in condensing the high pressure and high temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor, would be spaced by only a few inches from the crawl space ceiling. The small clearance between the fan and the crawl space ceiling restricts the flow of heated air exiting the fan, resulting in overheating and possible malfunction of the fan and of the compressor. In some outdoor units, an axial fan rotating about a horizontal axis is used. If such an outdoor unit were in use in a crawl space, the exhaust air could not be discharged to the atmosphere, and the closed confined crawl space would eventually overheat.

FIG. 2 illustrates another type of crawl space. The illustrated crawl space 15 is a below-deck crawl space that is defined between an underlying ground surface 16 and a deck 17, generally elevated above an incline associated with ground surface 16. The small clearance associated with crawl space 15 is also unsuitable for the installation therewithin of a conventional outdoor unit.

The use of a ducted condensing unit (DCU) 20A schematically illustrated in FIG. 3 will obviate the geometric constraints related to mounting an outside unit within a crawl space. DCU 20A comprises compressor 21, condenser coil 24, which may be of a multidirectional shape, through which flows pressurized refrigerant received from compressor, one or more centrifugal fans 25, and PCB 26 for controlling the operation of compressor 21 and each fan 25. Air is drawn into intake opening 28, which may be protected by a grille, by each centrifugal fan 25 and is forced to flow, in accordance with the configuration of condenser coil 24 and the DCU casing 27, across the width of condenser coil 24 and along the entire length thereof in order to condense the refrigerant. The exhaust heat transferred from the refrigerant to the air flow exiting condenser coil 24 is drawn through each centrifugal fan 25 and discharged through each exhaust opening 29.

As opposed to the conventional large-dimensioned outdoor unit that employs an axial fan rotating about a vertical axis to induce air flow axially along the shaft of the fan blades, DCU 20A employs the one or more centrifugal fans 25 to induce radial air flow, generally 90 degrees relative to the horizontally oriented shaft driving the fan wheel on which are mounted backward-curved blades. The outer diameter of each centrifugal fan housing from which the radial air flow exits through a corresponding exhaust opening 29 under the influence of centrifugal force is therefore able to be significantly smaller than the outer diameter of an axial fan, resulting in a relatively small DCU height of approximately 11 inches that can easily be mounted in a crawl space without being subjected to overheating.

Alternatively, a DCU 20B schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 may be used. DCU 20B having a similar configuration as DCU 20A of FIG. 3 may employ a plurality of axial fans 32 provided with a horizontally oriented shaft, allowing the height of the axial fans to be less than the freestanding compressor 21 and the height of DCU casing 37 to be approximately 11 inches.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which schematically illustrates building structure 40, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Building structure 40 is configured with interior crawl space 5 located directly below lowermost floor 42. Interior crawl space 5 is defined by at least first crawl space wall 7 formed with vent opening 2 and by second crawl space wall 47, which are shown to be mutually parallel.

DCU 30 is positioned at a central region of crawl space 5, so as not to block vent opening 2 and to permit passage of a maintenance worker therethrough in order to access the building service elements, if installed within the crawl space. DCU 30, shown to be significantly spaced from crawl space ceiling 41, is also positioned to the side of or underneath the building service elements, by virtue of the small DCU dimensions. The casing of DCU 30 may be attached to crawl space floor 37 via one or more mounting elements 31 or, alternatively, may be positioned in freestanding unattached relation with respect to crawl space floor 37 when unfinished, such as an earthen floor.

The mounting of DCU 30 within the confines of an interior crawl space 5 advantageously allows it to operate under reduced heating and cooling loads than a conventional outdoor unit mounted outdoors and exposed to outside conditions.

Another advantage of the central positioning of DCU 30 is that the intake and exhaust air is able to be separated. If DCU 20A of FIG. 3 configured with intake opening 28 and exhaust opening 29 being in side by side relation were employed without use of externally mounted ducts, the heated exhaust air often infiltrates into the intake air, lowering the thermodynamic efficiency of the cycle due to the increased temperature of the intake air. The exhaust air is hot when DCU 30 is operating in a cooling mode and is cold when DCU 30 is operating in a heating mode.

The casing 31 of DCU 30, which facilitates efficient operation of the air conditioning system in conjunction with building structure 40, is illustrated in FIG. 7. Casing 31 has a rectilinear configuration, although other configurations are also possible. Front and rear service access panels 33 are provided to ensure that intake opening 38 and exhaust opening 39 will be substantially mutually parallel. DCU 30 may be of the same height of DCU 20A of FIG. 3, and comprises the same air conditioning components as DCU 20A, while the internal arrangement of the air conditioning components is different to accommodate the substantially mutually parallel relation of intake opening 38 and exhaust opening 39. The substantially mutually parallel relation of intake opening 38 and exhaust opening 39 ensures that the exhaust air will not infiltrate into the intake air even if externally mounted ducts were not employed.

Referring back to FIG. 5, second exterior crawl space wall 47 of building structure 40 is formed with a duct opening 49 within which an air discharge duct 52, e.g. metallic, extending from exhaust opening 39 of DCU 30 is fixed. Air discharge duct 52 may be coupled, releasably or fixedly, to the periphery of exhaust opening 39 and of duct opening 49 by a corresponding bracket, or other mounting means 56 well known to those skilled in the art. The heated exhaust air flows through air discharge duct 52 from exhaust opening 39 of DCU 30 to duct opening 49, from which it is exhausted to the atmosphere, thus preventing overheating of crawl space 5 and infiltration into the intake air.

Building structure 40 may also be configured with an air intake duct 51 extending from duct opening 48 formed in exterior crawl space wall 7 to intake opening 38 of DCU 30, to the periphery of which it is coupled by mounting means 56. As shown in FIG. 6, duct opening 48 is formed to the side of vent opening 2 to accommodate air intake duct 51 without blocking the entry of a maintenance worker through vent opening 2. A grille may be mounted onto one or more of duct opening 48, air intake duct 51 and air discharge duct 52, directly or by means of an adapter, as protection against environmental conditions.

It will be appreciated that building structure 40 may be configured without an air intake duct since an adequate flow of intake air may be supplied via vent opening, depending on the geographical location and on the given time or season.

In another embodiment, when there is a sufficient supply of intake air via the vent opening, building structure 40 may be configured without both an air intake duct and an air discharge duct. A ductless DCU may be mounted on exterior crawl space wall 47 by a frame member surrounding opening 49 in such a way that the exhaust opening of the DCU is aligned with opening 49, allowing the exhaust air to be exhausted to the atmosphere.

Building structure 40 is also configured with one or more penetrations 57 formed in crawl space ceiling 41 to accommodate the extension therethrough of a corresponding number of vertically extending conduits 59, e.g. copper conduits, through which the refrigerant circulates between DCU 30 and indoor unit 62 and through which electrical wires may extend. When the building is a multi-story building and indoor unit 62 is mounted in attic space 68, although it will be appreciated that indoor unit 62 may be mounted in any other suitable interior space, building structure 40 is also configured with one or more penetrations 66 and 67 formed in the ceiling of first floor 42 and second floor 64, respectively, through which each conduit 59 extends. Indoor unit 62 may operate in conjunction with a central air conditioning system.

When indoor unit 62 is a heat exchanger operable in a cooling mode, cooled liquid refrigerant under high pressure exits the condenser coil of DCU 30 and flows upwardly to an expansion valve of indoor unit 62, which restricts the flow of the refrigerant and causes its pressure to be reduced. The low-pressure liquid refrigerant flows to the evaporator, across which interior air from an interior room of building structure 40 to be conditioned is drawn by the fan of indoor unit 62, and absorbs heat from the interior air. The conditioned air is discharged to the interior room, and the refrigerant is changed to a gaseous state. The heated low-pressure gaseous refrigerant then flows downwardly to the compressor of DCU 30 to repeat the cycle.

Indoor unit 62 may also be configured as an air handling unit (AHU) comprising a mixing box within which is blended air from a return duct exiting the room to be conditioned and air from a supply duct, and a blower for forcing the blended air to flow across an evaporator containing the refrigerant, or as a fan coil unit (FCU) provided with a coil through which the refrigerant flows and a fan to condition a room without being connecting to ductwork.

Building structure 40 may also be configured with a drain element 69 through which condensate produced, for example in a heating mode, is dischargeable. Drain element 69 may be provided in proximity to the condenser coil, or to any other region of DCU 30.

Drain element 69 may be a pipe that is installed at the lowest point of crawl space 5 and that slopes underground towards the street, or may be a perforated pipe installed in a trench and surrounded with drain rock. The collected condensate may be gravitationally drained, for example to the sewerage system of the building, or may be delivered by a pump to a drain system. Drain element 69 may pass through a thin polymeric vapor barrier placed over a dirt crawl space floor adapted to reduce the amount of water vapor transfer from the dirt crawl space floor to the crawl space air. Alternatively, drain element 69 may be any other drain element well known to those skilled in the art.

For the cooling mode, a drain element, e.g. elongated, may be fixated within a vertical drain pipe extending through penetrations 57, 66 and 67, to receive condensate generated by indoor unit 62. Such a drain element is configured in such a way to discharge the condensate while bypassing DCU 30.

In another embodiment, a DCU 70 shown in FIG. 8 may be employed. Casing 71 of DCU 70 has a rectilinear configuration, although other configurations are also possible. Access panels 74 and 75 are provided to ensure that intake opening 78 and exhaust opening 79 will be substantially mutually perpendicular. DCU 70 may be of the same height of DCU 20A of FIG. 3, and comprises the same air conditioning components as DCU 20A, while the internal arrangement of the air conditioning components is different to accommodate the substantially mutually perpendicular relation of intake opening 78 and exhaust opening 79. The substantially mutually perpendicular relation of intake opening 78 and exhaust opening 79 ensures that the exhaust air will not infiltrate into the intake air even if externally mounted ducts were not employed. Air intake and air discharge ducts, if employed, are mounted in crawl space walls that are angularly spaced from each other, for example perpendicular to each other.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates building structure 80, according to another embodiment of the invention, which is configured with crawl space 15 located directly below deck 17. Below-deck crawl space 15 is defined at least by ground surface 16, deck 17 and crawl space wall 87, which is an extension of the exterior wall 9 of the overlying first floor. DCU 90, which may be configured according to any embodiment described herein, is mounted externally onto crawl space wall 87 by frame member 82. One or more penetrations 86 are formed in crawl space wall 87 to accommodate the extension therethrough of a corresponding number of conduits 59, e.g. copper conduits, through which the refrigerant circulates between DCU 90 and the previously described indoor unit 62 and through which electrical wires may also extend. Each of the conduits 59 may extend horizontally into an adjacent basement 88, and then vertically through penetrations 57, 66 and 67 to indoor unit 62.

While some embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be apparent that the invention can be carried out with many modifications, variations and adaptations, and with the use of numerous equivalents or alternative solutions that are within the scope of persons skilled in the art, without exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A building structure for crawl space mounted air conditioning apparatus, comprising a crawl space defined by a crawl space floor which is a lowermost surface of the building, a crawl space ceiling, and at least one crawl space wall extending upwardly from said crawl space floor and including at least one exterior wall, within which said crawl space a ducted condensing unit of the air conditioning apparatus is mountable, said crawl space being configured with at least one through-hole opening formed in said at least one exterior wall which is in fluid communication with the ducted condensing unit.

2. The building structure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one through-hole opening is a duct opening, wherein an air discharge duct for directing exhaust air discharged from an exhaust opening of the ducted condensing unit adapted to receive air exiting a condenser coil of the ducted condensing unit is fixed within said duct opening.

3. The building structure according to claim 1, wherein the crawl space is additionally configured with at least one penetration formed in the crawl space ceiling, a corresponding conduit through which flows a refrigerant adapted to condition at least one interior room of the building extending upwardly through said at least one penetration to an indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus.

4. The building structure according to claim 3, wherein the at least one penetration is formed in a central region of the crawl space ceiling that overlies the ducted condensing unit.

5. The building structure according to claim 2, wherein a vent opening formed in an additional exterior crawl space wall that is spaced from the exterior wall formed with the duct opening within which the air discharge duct is fixed remains unblocked by the ducted condensing unit.

6. The building structure according to claim 5, wherein the additional exterior crawl space wall is formed with an additional duct opening within which an air intake duct extending to an intake opening of the ducted condensing unit is fixed.

7. The building structure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one through-hole opening is a penetration through which passes a corresponding conduit for facilitating the flow therethrough of a refrigerant adapted to condition at least one interior room of the building to an indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus.

8. The building structure according to claim 1, wherein the crawl space is additionally configured with a drain element through which condensate produced by the ducted condensing unit is dischargeable.

9. The building structure according to claim 1, further configured with one or more mounting elements configured to mount a casing of the ducted condensing unit, wherein the casing is adapted to enclose ducted condensing unit components including a freestanding compressor for pressurizing circulating refrigerant and a condenser coil for condensing the pressurizing refrigerant and has a height less than the height of the at least one exterior crawl space wall.

10. The building structure according to claim 9, wherein the at least one through-hole opening is an opening through which ducted condensing unit exhaust air is exhausted to the atmosphere and the one or more mounting elements is a frame member surrounding the opening through which ducted condensing unit exhaust air is exhausted to the atmosphere, wherein said frame member is configured in such a way that an exhaust opening of the ducted condensing unit is aligned with the opening through which ducted condensing unit exhaust air is exhausted to the atmosphere.

11. A building configured with crawl space mounted air conditioning apparatus, comprising: a) a crawl space defined by a crawl space floor which is a lowermost surface of the building, a crawl space ceiling, and at least one crawl space wall extending upwardly from said crawl space floor and including at least one exterior wall; andb) a ducted condensing unit of the air conditioning apparatus which is mounted on said crawl space floor,wherein said crawl space is configured with at least one through-hole opening formed in said at least one exterior wall which is in fluid communication with the ducted condensing unit.

12. The building according to claim 11, wherein the ducted condensing unit comprises a fan, a freestanding compressor, a condenser coil, and a casing that encloses the compressor and condenser coil and that has a height which is less than one-half of the height of the at least one crawl space wall, to prevent overheating of the fan and of the compressor.

13. The building according to claim 12, wherein the crawl space is located directly below a lowermost floor of the building.

14. The building according to claim 11, wherein the at least one through-hole opening is a duct opening within which an air discharge duct extending from an exhaust opening of the ducted condensing unit is fixed.

15. The building according to claim 14, wherein the crawl space is additionally configured with a vent opening formed in an additional exterior crawl space wall that is spaced from the exterior wall formed with the duct opening within which the air discharge duct is fixed, said vent opening remaining unblocked by the ducted condensing unit.

16. The building structure according to claim 11, wherein the crawl space is additionally configured with at least one penetration formed in the crawl space ceiling, a corresponding conduit through which flows a refrigerant adapted to condition at least one interior room of the building extending upwardly through said at least one penetration to an indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus.

17. The building according to claim 16, wherein the at least one penetration is formed in a central region of the crawl space ceiling that overlies the ducted condensing unit.

18. The building according to claim 12, wherein the crawl space is further configured with one or more mounting elements configured to mount the casing of the ducted condensing unit onto the crawl space floor.

19. The building according to claim 11, wherein an element of the air conditioning apparatus which is in fluid communication with the ducted condensing unit is enclosed by the at least one through-hole opening.

20. The building according to claim 19, wherein the element of the air conditioning apparatus which is enclosed by the at least one through-hole opening is a corresponding conduit through which flows a refrigerant for use in conditioning at least one interior room of the building.