Patent Application
20210222892
The inventive concept relates generally to a heating and cooling window unit.
Currently there are a number of solutions for heating and cooling a room. One of these solutions attempts to utilize central air units and systems, but this solution fails to meet the needs of the market because not all houses are equipped with them nor can be retrofitted into an older home. Another solution attempts to utilize space heaters, but this solution is similarly unable to meet the needs of the market because they can be dangerous and take up valuable indoor living space. Still another solution for older homes seeks to utilize air conditioning units or minisplits or PTAC units, but these solutions also fail to meet market needs because they only produce cold air or require complicated mounting and ductwork installation in some cases. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the market for an apparatus that is both a room heating and cooling unit.
There is provided an individual air treatment window unit device or apparatus that is versatile in providing both heating and cooling of air directed to the inside of a home from a window location without the need for complex and expensive ductwork installation. Furthermore, it would also be advantageous to have an air treatment apparatus that is easily removable and can be relocated to another part of the home or office depending on the needs of the user. Still further, it would be advantageous to have an apparatus that is touch controlled. The inventive concept advantageously fills the aforementioned deficiencies by providing a heating/cooling window unit which provides a way for users to heat or cool a room at minimum individual cost and operational costs.
In one example embodiment, there is provided a heating and cooling window unit having a touch control panel electrically coupled to an internal printed circuit board (PCB), having a microprocessor or microcontroller, in the unit housing which in turn is electrically coupled to a heat pump and a fan that moves air over an internally housed coil. The apparatus fulfills the need for a window unit for winter and summer that is quieter than other window units and includes a brightness control panel for ease of use in low light environments.
The air treatment units described herein are an improvement over the prior art in that a belt-driven cross flow fan that allows the unit to be more narrow versus units that use a direct drive cross flow fan with the motor beside the cross flow fan. Further, in one embodiment, an indoor drain port that is on the indoor side of the inventive window/wall unit allows for defrost and condensate water to drain indoors with a drain system. Inverter heat pump compressor technology allows the unit to save energy and operate quieter than traditional compressor technology. It is more cost effective to install the unit described herein using a window heat pump versus a PTAC or through the wall unit. Finally, the units described herein are quieter than a regular window unit.
Among other things, it is an advantage of the inventive concept to provide a heating/cooling window unit that does not suffer from any of the problems or deficiencies associated with prior solutions.
The inventive concept now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the detailed description and any preferred and/or particular embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete and will fully convey the full scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art.
Following are more detailed descriptions of various related concepts related to, and embodiments of, methods and apparatus according to the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that various aspects of the subject matter introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the subject matter is not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.
The inventive concept includes a heating/cooling window unit or air treatment device designed for use as a year-round heating and cooling window unit. In this example embodiment, there is provided a DC inverter window heat pump that features a new component layout, an inverter variable speed compressor with low outdoor temperature performance −13° F. (−25° C.), and a cross flow evaporator fan for much quieter performance than the typical window air conditioner. The inventive component layout allows the evaporator coil, cross flow evaporator fan and top discharge grill to all be the full width of an A/C unit, which allows for a lot more space for air flow. Further, more space for air flow, a belt driven cross flow evaporator fan, and relocation of the control board helps clear up a lot more space for air flow through the evaporator coil. As a direct drive cross flow evaporator fan would normally take up space, with the fan motor being beside the cross flow evaporator fan, which would then block room for airflow, and in some cases make the unit wider than necessary. The full width evaporator coil, and full width cross flow evaporator fan in the inventive air treatment unit and the novel component layout also provides even air distribution through the discharge vent. A low temperature performance DC inverter compressor is used instead of a fixed speed compressor. This will reduce the operating noise of the window heat pump unit, and provide 100% heating capacities at 5° F. (−15° C.) and high heating capacities at −13° F. (−25° C.). The DC inverter window heat pump will provide heating and cooling for year round use, so there is no need to remove the window heat pump unit in the colder seasons.
In the various embodiments described, preferred compressor units for DC inverter window heat pump or device 100 include the Mitsubishi Electric H2i hyper heating inverter compressors (for WINDWORKS 9K-18K BTU units) that are used in the Mitsubishi Electric H2i FH series mini split outdoor units, designed to provide heating in low temperatures, these compressors can operate at outdoor temperatures as low as −13° F. (−25° C.) in heating mode. The preferred compressor for the larger 25K BTU inverter window heat pumps are the compressors used in the SAMSUNG FJM Max Heat unit, with this compressor also operating at temperatures as low as −13° F. (−25° C.). The expected capacities of the inventive inverter window heat pumps are: −6K BTU, 9K BTU, 12K BTU, 18K BTU, 25K BTU, and 28K BTU.
Referring to the figures,
In this example embodiment, an inverter compressor unit 160 is located within the housing 110 and coupled to the condenser coil member 140, the inverter compressor unit 160 being designed to convert the heated refrigerant gas received into the liquid refrigerant. Also included is a printed circuit board 170 with a controller designed to provide control signals to the inverter compressor 160 and to the first and the second fan blower units 130/132 and 150/152, respectively. Unit 100 further includes a reverse valve unit 180 located within the housing 110 and is operatively coupled to the inverter compressor 160 and is designed to be responsive to the printed circuit board and controller 170.
In this example embodiment, the heating/cooling unit 100 further includes a thermal and sound insulative barrier 190 located within the housing and separating the evaporator coil member 120 and condenser coil member 140. Unit 100 also includes a touchpad controller (or control panel 111) on an external surface of the housing adjacent the inlet vents which is a capacitive touch device in this embodiment. The capacitive touch buttons are: Filter Reset, Timer, Fan, Mode, Sleep, WIFI, and all “+” and “−” symbols. Everything on the control panel is lit up with LED lighting. All LED's for text and number are white, all LED's for selection indicators are yellow except for the red LED for Filter Reset and the blue LED for the power button. The control brightness can be adjusted with the “+” and “−” symbols on either side of the sun icon.
Referring now to
In this example embodiment, an inverter compressor unit 260 is located within the housing 210 and coupled to the condenser coil member 240, the inverter compressor unit 260 being designed to convert the heated refrigerant gas received into the liquid refrigerant. Also included is a printed circuit board 270 with a controller designed to provide control signals to the inverter compressor 260 and to the first and the second fan blower units 230/232 and 250/252, respectively. Unit 200 further includes a reverse valve unit 280 located within the housing 210 and is operatively coupled to the inverter compressor 260 and is designed to be responsive to the printed circuit board and controller 270.
In this example embodiment, the heating/cooling unit 200 further includes a thermal and sound insulative barrier 290 located within the housing and separating the evaporator coil member 220 and condenser coil member 240. Unit 200 also includes a touchpad controller (or control panel 211) on an external surface of the housing adjacent the inlet vents which is a capacitive touch device in this embodiment.
Referring now to
The above described inventive concept provides the advantages of a new component layout for an indoor air treatment unit that features more space for air flow. The described unit provides both heating and cooling year-round and a quieter performance than the typical window air conditioner. There is also no need to remove this air treatment unit during colder seasons. A capacitive touch control panel provides a modern and decorative element to the room and a brightness of control panel can be adjusted for low light conditions.
The following patents are incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,568,201; 9,970,669; and 10,752,089.
While the inventive concept has been described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the inventive concept is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Upon reading the teachings of this disclosure many modifications and other embodiments of the inventive concept will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this inventive concept pertains, and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims. It is indeed intended that the scope of the inventive concept should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application with Ser. No. 62/964,569, filed on Jan. 22, 2020, with the same title and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62964569 | Jan 2020 | US |
