Patent Grant
11686487
The present disclosure relates to heat pumps and air conditioning systems used for adjusting temperature and humidity within a space and, more particularly, to a multi-functional heat pump apparatus capable of independently heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air supplied to the space.
Air conditioners not only cool the indoor environment, usually they simultaneously dehumidify it. During the summer months, this typically works well because the system runs regularly to keep the space cool and dry. However, in the “bridge months” of spring and fall when there is little demand for air conditioning, the system does not run and therefore cannot dehumidify the air, which can lead to overly-humid indoor conditions. Furthermore, conditions may exist where air in the space is at a comfortable temperature, in the range of about 70° to 75° F., but the relative humidity remains uncomfortably high. In these conditions, a conventional cooling system is capable of dehumidification only by further cooling the air in the space, thus lowering the temperature to a level that is uncomfortable to the occupants.
Conventional approaches to addressing this problem include acquiring a stand-alone dehumidifier for the home, or running the air conditioning system to dehumidify the air then re-heating the supply air to keep from over-cooling the space. These approaches have drawbacks in that they are often expensive to install and require the addition of more equipment, plumbing, and refrigerant. Furthermore, conventional air conditioning systems may suffer decreased efficiency due to the additional pressure drop of the reheat heat exchanger(s) which increase fan power requirements, or the additional energy required to re-heat the supply air. A compact, efficient, and economical air conditioning system which independently heats, cools, and dehumidifies air in a space as required throughout the year would be a welcome advance in the art.
The present disclosure addresses the above mentioned need for an economical heat pump system which heats, cools, and dehumidifies air in a space consistently throughout the year. Furthermore, the disclosure addresses the need for a heat pump system capable of dehumidifying air and simultaneously keeping temperature of the space comfortable for one or more occupants. The multi-functional heat pump system for separately heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air disclosed herein includes at least two portions of an indoor heat exchanger, a compressor, a reversing valve, a thermal expansion valve/check valve combination, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a three-way switching valve. The indoor heat exchangers exchange heat between a working medium and air to be conditioned. The indoor heat exchangers operate as parallel evaporators downstream of the outdoor heat exchanger in cooling mode, as parallel condensers upstream of the outdoor heat exchanger in heating mode, and is series, the first as a condenser and the second as an evaporator downstream of the outdoor heat exchanger in dehumidifying mode. The indoor heat exchangers receive the working medium from the thermal expansion valve in cooling mode, from the compressor in heating mode, and the first from the outdoor heat exchanger and the second from the thermal expansion valve via an auxiliary circuit in the dehumidifying mode. The reversing valve reverses flow through the heat exchangers and the thermal expansion valve reduces pressure of the working medium. The outdoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the working medium and outside air. The three-way switching valve switches flow of the working medium through the indoor heat exchangers from parallel operation in heating and cooling modes to series operation in dehumidifying mode.
In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to an indoor unit for use with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. In an example embodiment, the indoor unit includes an enclosure, a first coil assembly, and a second coil assembly. In a cooling mode or a heating mode, the first coil and second coil are arranged in parallel fluid communication, and in a dehumidifying mode the first coil and second coil are arranged in serial fluid communication. In some embodiments of the indoor unit, the first coil assembly and the second coil comprise first and second portions, respectively, of a single coil assembly.
In some embodiments, the first and/or second coil assembly forms a heat exchanger having first and second ends. A thermal expansion valve is coupled in series with a first end of the heat exchanging coil, and a reverse bypass valve is coupled in parallel with the thermal expansion valve.
In some embodiments, the indoor unit includes a first fluid circuit and a bypass fluid circuit, and a three-way valve which, in the cooling mode or the heating mode, directs working medium between the first fluid circuit and a first end of the first coil assembly and a first end of the second coil assembly. In the dehumidifying mode, the three-way valve directs working medium between the first fluid circuit and a second end of the first coil assembly.
In some embodiments, the indoor unit includes a second fluid circuit, and a solenoid valve. In the cooling mode or the heating mode, the solenoid valve directs working medium between the second fluid circuit and a second end of the first coil assembly and a second end of the first coil assembly. In the dehumidifying mode, the solenoid valve directs working medium between the second fluid circuit and a second end of the second coil assembly and prevents working fluid from flowing between the second fluid circuit and the second end of the first coil assembly.
In some embodiments, the indoor unit includes a controller adapted to receive a control signal indicating an indoor unit state selected from the group consisting of cooling mode, heating mode, and dehumidifying mode. In some embodiments, when the controller receives a control signal indicating an indoor unit state of cooling mode or heating mode, the controller causes the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly to be configured in parallel fluid communication. In some embodiments, when the controller receives a control signal indicating an indoor unit state of dehumidifying mode, the controller causes the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly to be configured in a serial fluid communication.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of operating a heating, cooling, and ventilation system to condition air of a given space. In an example embodiment, the method includes providing an indoor unit comprising a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly, wherein the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly are individually configurable to operate in a heating mode or a cooling mode. The method includes cooling air of a given space by operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a cooling mode, heating air of a given space by operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a heating mode, and dehumidifying air of a given space by operating the first coil assembly in a heating mode and operating the second coil assembly in a cooling mode.
In some embodiments, cooling air of a given space includes coupling the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a parallel configuration. In some embodiments, the method includes operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly as evaporator coils.
In some embodiments, heating air of a given space includes coupling the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a parallel configuration. In some embodiments, the method includes operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly as condenser coils.
In some embodiments, dehumidifying air of a given space includes coupling the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a series configuration. In some embodiments, the method includes operating the first coil assembly as a condenser coil and operating the second coil assembly as an evaporator coil.
In some embodiments, dehumidifying air of a given space includes reducing the speed of an outdoor coil fan of an outdoor unit coupled to the indoor unit. In some embodiments, dehumidifying air of a given space includes deactivating an outdoor coil fan of an outdoor unit coupled to the indoor unit.
In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a system for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air of a given space. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a thermostat and an indoor unit. The thermostat includes a graphical user interface for rendering information and displaying a selection of a plurality of modes and to receive a selection of a mode from a user. The thermostat includes at least one processor configured to execute computer program instructions defined by modules of the thermostat. The thermostat modules include a data communications module configured to receive sensor data variables from one or more sensing devices, the sensing devices configured to send an environmental parameter of the given space; an analysis module configured to dynamically analyze the received sensor data variables to determine an environmental state of the given space and generate a control signal based on based on the received mode selection and the determined state of the given space; and a control module operatively coupled to the thermostat and configured to control one or more auxiliary units based on the control signal. The indoor unit includes a first coil assembly, a second coil assembly, and one or more auxiliary units operatively associated with the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly. The auxiliary unit is responsive to the control module to configure the first and second coils in one of a cooling mode, heating mode, or a dehumidifying mode. In a cooling mode or a heating mode, the auxiliary unit configures the first coil and second coil to operate in parallel fluid communication. In a dehumidifying mode, the auxiliary unit configures the first coil and second coil to operate in serial fluid communication.
In some embodiments, the one or more sensing devices generate a variable indicative of any one, some, or all of an ambient temperature, an ambient pressure, and/or an ambient humidity of the given space.
In some embodiments, the auxiliary unit is selected from the group consisting of a three way valve and a solenoid valve.
In some embodiments, the system includes an outdoor unit having a heat exchanger fan, wherein the control module is in communication with the heat exchanger fan and is configured to operate the heat exchanger fan of the outdoor unit at reduced speed during dehumidifying mode. In some embodiments, the control module is configured to deactivate the heat exchanger fan of the outdoor unit during dehumidifying mode.
Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Various embodiments of the disclosed system and method are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, wherein:
The various aspects of the present disclosure mentioned above are described in further detail with reference to the aforementioned figures and the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments.
Particular illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms. Well-known functions or constructions and repetitive matter are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary or redundant detail. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. In this description, as well as in the drawings, like-referenced numbers represent elements which may perform the same, similar, or equivalent functions. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The word “example” may be used interchangeably with the term “exemplary.” To facilitate the explanation and description of the features of the example embodiments, terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right” and so forth may be used with reference to the drawings. However the use of such terms describing orientation should not be viewed as limiting either on the use of the invention, or the breadth of the claims to follow.
The present disclosure is directed to a multi-functional heat pump apparatus for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air of a space. In an embodiment, the multi-functional heat pump apparatus comprises two indoor heat exchangers, a compressor, a reversing valve, a thermal expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a three-way switching valve. The two indoor heat exchangers exchange heat between a working medium and the air to be conditioned. In cooling mode, the indoor heat exchangers are configured in parallel and act as evaporators. In heating mode, the indoor heat exchangers are configured in parallel and act as condensers. In dehumidifying mode, the indoor heat exchangers are configured in series where one acts a condenser to heat the air to be conditioned and the other acts as an evaporator to cool and dehumidify the air to be conditioned. This arrangement provides effective dehumidification with little or no change in sensible heat (temperature) of the air to be conditioned as the sensible heating from one indoor heat exchanger largely neutralizes the sensible cooling from the other. The indoor heat exchangers receive the working medium from the thermal expansion valve in cooling mode, from the compressor in heating mode, and from the thermal expansion valve via an auxiliary circuit in the dehumidifying mode. The reversing valve reverses flow and the thermal expansion valve reduces pressure of the working medium. The outdoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the working medium and outside air. The three-way switching valve switches flow of the working medium.
With reference to
In cooling mode, the working medium is received from outdoor unit 114 via fluid circuit 112 and flows through the three-way switching valve 106, through TXV 1071a and TXV 1072a and into the upper connection of indoor coils 101a and 101b, respectively. The working medium exits via the lower connection of indoor coils 101a and 101b and returns to outdoor unit 114 via fluid circuit 113, then reaches the compressor 102 via the reversing valve 103. The working medium then flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 105 and back to the three-way switching valve 106 to repeat the vapor-compression cycle.
In the illustrated embodiments, TXV device 104 incorporates a bypass check valve 104b that enables the working medium to bypass TXV 104a when flowing in the reverse direction from the operative direction of TVX 104a, as will be readily understood with reference to the drawings and description herein. In embodiments, TXV 104a and check valve 104b are integral to TXV device 104. In other embodiments, TXV 104a and check valve 104b are individual units that are plumbed together. TXV devices 1071 and 1072 may similarly be configured as integral or individual TVX components, as desired.
As used herein “working medium” refers to a refrigerant. A refrigerant is a substance or mixture, usually a fluid, used in a heat pump and refrigeration cycle. In most cycles the refrigerant undergoes phase transitions from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants having favorable thermodynamic properties and are noncorrosive to mechanical components, for example, non-halogenated hydrocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, etc., are used. In an embodiment, the working medium is R-410A refrigerant.
The indoor heat exchanger 101 comprises indoor coils 101a and 101b which are of similar size and configured in an A-shaped geometry or a V-shaped geometry as will be familiar to the skilled artisan. In cooling mode, the flow of the working medium through both indoor coils 101a, 101b of the indoor heat exchanger 101 is in the same direction. That is, the indoor coils 101a, 101b of indoor heat exchanger 101 are configured in a parallel configuration in cooling mode as illustrated in
The working medium vapor is compressed by the compressor 102 to high pressure, increasing the temperature of the working medium. High pressure high temperature working medium flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 105. The outdoor fan 111 blows outside air over the outdoor coils 105a of the outdoor heat exchanger 105 to exchange heat of the hot working medium with the outside air, condensing the working medium from vapor to liquid. The low temperature high pressure working medium liquid bypasses TXV 104a via check valve 104b, flows through fluid circuit 112 and three-way valve 106 to TXV valves 1071a and 1072a to lower the pressure and saturation temperature of the working medium. The low pressure working medium is passed to the indoor heat exchanger 101 where heat from the indoor airstream evaporates the liquid working medium to vapor again to complete and repeat the vapor-compression cooling cycle. In this way, the space is cooled to the setpoint temperature, providing comfort for the occupant(s).
Notably, the disclosed use of two individual TXV valves 1071a and 1072a for indoor coils 101a and 101b allows the use of smaller TVX units rather than the conventional arrangement of one larger TXV for both indoor coils, which provides a second benefit. The disclosed arrangement greatly reduces or eliminates the chance of an imbalance condition between the two indoor coils 101a, 101b of the indoor heat exchanger 101, also known as a flooding/starving condition, while in cooling mode. In this scenario, one indoor coil 101a may experience less airflow, causing it to run colder, which results in more condensation on the indoor coil 101a, which further restricts airflow, resulting in a self-reinforcing cycle causing a flooding condition. The other indoor coil 101b may experience greater airflow and run warmer, creating a self-reinforcing starvation condition. The provision of two TXV valves 1071a and 1072a ensures the refrigerant flow to each indoor coil 101a and 101b is self-regulated by its respective TXV device which avoids the onset of an imbalance condition.
In some embodiments, while in dehumidifying mode, the outdoor fan 111 is operated at reduced speed, or turned off completely. This effectively decrease the amount of heat exchange occurring at outdoor coil 105a and thus increases the amount of heat available to indoor coil 101a to more effectively warm the indoor air and achieve minimal change in sensible heat. Indeed, since the heating capacity of indoor coil 101a of indoor heat exchanger 101 is approximately equal to the sensible capacity of indoor coil 101b of indoor heat exchanger 101, when the air exiting indoor coils 101a and 101b is mixed, there is very little temperature change between the entering and exiting air. Thus, substantial dehumidification is achieved with little or no change in temperature. The value of the disclosed dehumidifying mode is that it decouples the latent and sensible capacities of multi-functional heat pump apparatus 100. This is advantageous in times of low sensible load but significant latent load like nighttime in humid climates and “bridge months” between heating and cooling.
As used herein, the “computing device” is an electronic device, for example, a personal computer, a tablet computing device, a mobile computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a portable computing device, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, a wearable device such as the Google Glass™ of Google Inc., the Apple Watch® of Apple Inc., etc., a touch centric device, a workstation, a server, a client device, a portable electronic device, a network enabled computing device, an interactive network enabled communication device, a gaming device, a set top box, a television, an image capture device, a web browser, a portable media player, a disc player such as a Blu-ray Disc® player of the Blu-ray Disc Association, a video recorder, an audio recorder, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a theater system, any entertainment system, any other suitable computing equipment, combinations of multiple pieces of computing equipment, etc.
In an embodiment, the electronic device is a hybrid device that combines the functionality of multiple devices. Examples of a hybrid electronic device comprise a cellular telephone that includes media player functionality, a gaming device that includes a wireless communications capability, a cellular telephone that includes game and electronic mail (email) functions, and a portable device that receives email, supports mobile telephone calls, has music player functionality, and supports web browsing. In an embodiment, computing equipment is used to implement applications such as media playback applications, for example, iTunes® from Apple Inc., a web browser, a mapping application, an electronic mail (email) application, a calendar application, etc. In another embodiment, computing equipment, for example, one or more servers are associated with one or more online services.
In another embodiment, the sensing devices 211 are connected to the thermostat 201 via a communication network 216. The communications network 216 is a network, for example, the internet, an intranet, a wired network, a wireless network, a communication network that implements Bluetooth® of Bluetooth SIG, Inc., a network that implements Wi-Fi® of Wi-Fi Alliance Corporation, an ultra-wideband communication network (UWB), a wireless universal serial bus (USB) communication network, a communication network that implements ZigBee® of ZigBee Alliance Corporation, a general packet radio service (GPRS) network, a mobile telecommunication network such as a global system for mobile (GSM) communications network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a third generation (3G) mobile communication network, a fourth generation (4G) mobile communication network, a long-term evolution (LTE) mobile communication network, a public telephone network, etc., a local area network, a wide area network, an internet connection network, an infrared communication network, etc., or a network formed from any combination of these networks. The sensing device 211 comprises one or more sensors 212, a communications module 213, and a battery 214 as a power source.
In an embodiment, the one or more sensing devices 211 include, for example, temperature sensing devices, pressure sensing devices, and humidity sensing devices, and so forth. The one or more sensing devices 211 detect temperature, pressure, humidity, etc., of the given space. The one or more sensors 212 generate multiple sensor data variables based on the ambient temperature, ambient pressure, ambient humidity, etc., of the given space. The memory unit 204 stores the generated sensor data variables. The processor 205 is communicatively coupled to the memory unit 204. The processor 205 is configured to execute the computer program instructions defined by the multi-functional heat pump system 200. The processor 205 refers to any one or more microprocessors, central processor (CPU) devices, finite state machines, computers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, logic, a logic device, an user circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a chip, etc., or any combination thereof, capable of executing computer programs or a series of commands, instructions, or state transitions. In an embodiment, the processor 205 is implemented as a processor set comprising, for example, a programmed microprocessor and a math or graphics co-processor. The processor 205 is selected, for example, from the Intel® processors such as the Itanium® microprocessor or the Pentium® processors, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD®) processors such as the Athlon® processor, UltraSPARC® processors, microSPARC® processors, Hp® processors, International Business Machines (IBM®) processors such as the PowerPC® microprocessor, the MIPS® reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor of MIPS Technologies, Inc., RISC based computer processors of ARM Holdings, Motorola® processors, Qualcomm® processors, etc. The multi-functional heat pump system 200 disclosed herein is not limited to employing a processor 205. In an embodiment, the multi-functional heat pump system 200 employs a controller, a microcontroller, and/or a gate array device. The processor 205 executes the modules, for example, 203, 206, 207, 208, etc., of the multi-functional heat pump system 200.
The analyzing module 206 analyzes the generated sensor data variables to recognize a state of the given space based on existing sensor data variables stored in the memory unit 204. The triggering module 207 triggers one or more auxiliary units 215 based on the recognized state of the given space or an input received from a user via the I/O controller 209. The auxiliary units 215 include, for example, the solenoid valve 110, the reversing valve 103, and the three-way switching valve 106, etc., exemplarily illustrated in
It should be understood that while the example embodiments in the foregoing description and drawings are directed to a heat pump system, the described cooling and dehumidifying modes are also suitable for use with an air conditioning-only type of system.
It should be understood that any of aspects 1-8, any of aspects 9-17, and/or any of aspects 18-21 may be combined with each other in any combination.
Aspect 1. An indoor unit for use with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, comprising an enclosure, a first coil assembly, and a second coil assembly, wherein in a cooling mode or a heating mode the first coil and second coil are in parallel fluid communication, and in a dehumidifying mode the first coil and second coil are in serial fluid communication.
Aspect 2. The indoor unit in accordance with aspect 1, wherein the first and/or second coil assembly comprises a heat exchanging coil having first and second ends, a thermal expansion valve coupled in series with a first end of the heat exchanging coil, and a reverse bypass valve coupled in parallel with the thermal expansion valve.
Aspect 3. The indoor unit in accordance with any of aspects 1-2, further comprising a first fluid circuit and a bypass fluid circuit, and a three-way valve which in the cooling mode or the heating mode directs working medium between the first fluid circuit and a first end of the first coil assembly and a first end of the second coil assembly, and which in the dehumidifying mode directs working medium between the first fluid circuit and a second end of the first coil assembly.
Aspect 4. The indoor unit in accordance with any of aspects 1-3, further comprising a second fluid circuit, and a solenoid valve which in the cooling mode or the heating mode directs working medium between the second fluid circuit and a second end of the first coil assembly and a second end of the first coil assembly, and which in the dehumidifying mode directs working medium between the second fluid circuit and a second end of the second coil assembly and prevents working fluid from flowing between the second fluid circuit and the second end of the first coil assembly.
Aspect 5. The indoor unit in accordance with any of aspects 1-4, further comprising a controller adapted to receive a control signal indicating an indoor unit state selected from the group consisting of cooling mode, heating mode, and dehumidifying mode.
Aspect 6. The indoor unit in accordance with any of aspects 1-5, wherein when the controller receives a control signal indicating an indoor unit state of cooling mode or heating mode, the controller causes the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly to be configured in parallel fluid communication.
Aspect 7. The indoor unit in accordance with any of aspects 1-6, wherein when the controller receives a control signal indicating an indoor unit state of dehumidifying mode, the controller causes the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly to be configured in a serial fluid communication.
Aspect 8. The indoor unit in accordance with any of aspects 1-7, wherein the first coil assembly and the second coil comprise first and second portions, respectively, of a single coil assembly.
Aspect 9. A method of operating a heating, cooling, and ventilation system to condition air of a given space, the method comprising providing an indoor unit comprising a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly, wherein the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly are individually configurable to operate in a heating mode or a cooling mode; cooling air of a given space by operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a cooling mode; heating air of a given space by operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a heating mode; and dehumidifying air of a given space by operating the first coil assembly in a heating mode and operating the second coil assembly in a cooling mode.
Aspect 10. The method of aspect 9, wherein cooling air of a given space includes coupling the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a parallel configuration.
Aspect 11. The method of any of aspects 9-10, further comprising operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly as evaporator coils.
Aspect 12. The method of any of aspects 9-11, wherein heating air of a given space includes coupling the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a parallel configuration.
Aspect 13. The method of any of aspects 9-12, further comprising operating the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly as condenser coils.
Aspect 14. The method of any of aspects 9-13, wherein dehumidifying air of a given space includes coupling the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly in a series configuration.
Aspect 15. The method of any of aspects 9-14, further comprising operating the first coil assembly as a condenser coil and operating the second coil assembly as an evaporator coil.
Aspect 16. The method of any of aspects 9-15, wherein dehumidifying air of a given space includes reducing the speed of an outdoor coil fan of an outdoor unit coupled to the indoor unit.
Aspect 17. The method of any of aspects 9-16, wherein dehumidifying air of a given space includes deactivating an outdoor coil fan of an outdoor unit coupled to the indoor unit.
Aspect 18. A system for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air of a given space, comprising a thermostat comprising a graphical user interface for rendering information and displaying a selection of a plurality of modes, the graphical user interface configured to receive a selection of a mode from a user; at least one processor configured to execute computer program instructions defined by modules of the thermostat, the modules comprising: a data communications module configured to receive sensor data variables from one or more sensing devices, the sensing devices configured to send an environmental parameter of the given space; an analysis module configured to dynamically analyze the received sensor data variables to determine an environmental state of the given space and generate a control signal based on based on the received mode selection and the determined state of the given space; a control module operatively coupled to the thermostat and configured to control one or more auxiliary units based on the control signal; and an indoor unit, comprising: a first coil assembly; a second coil assembly; and an auxiliary unit operatively associated with the first coil assembly and the second coil assembly and responsive to the control module to configure in a cooling mode or a heating mode the first coil and second coil in parallel fluid communication, and to configure in a dehumidifying mode the first coil and second coil in serial fluid communication.
Aspect 19. The system of aspect 18, wherein the one or more sensing devices generate a variable indicative of ambient temperature, ambient pressure, and/or ambient humidity of the given space.
Aspect 20. The system of any of aspects 18-19, wherein the auxiliary units are selected from the group consisting of a three way valve and a solenoid valve.
Aspect 21. The system of any of aspects 18-20, further comprising an outdoor unit having a heat exchanger fan, wherein the control module is in communication with the heat exchanger fan and is configured to operate the fan at reduced speed during dehumidifying mode.
Particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms. Well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in any appropriately detailed structure.
This application is a Divisional of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 15/485,439 entitled “MULTI-FUNCTIONAL HEAT PUMP APPARATUS” and filed Apr. 12, 2017, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/322,042 entitled “MULTI-FUNCTIONAL HEAT PUMP APPARATUS” and filed Apr. 13, 2016, the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3257822 | Abbott | Jun 1966 | A |
| 3627030 | Lorenz | Dec 1971 | A |
| 3722580 | Braver | Mar 1973 | A |
| 3779031 | Akiyama | Dec 1973 | A |
| 3798920 | Morgan | Mar 1974 | A |
| 4040268 | Howard | Aug 1977 | A |
| 4086781 | Brody et al. | May 1978 | A |
| 4739627 | Baumann | Apr 1988 | A |
| 5088295 | Shapiro-Baruch | Feb 1992 | A |
| 5311451 | Barrett | May 1994 | A |
| 5346129 | Shah et al. | Sep 1994 | A |
| 5461877 | Shaw et al. | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5537822 | Shnaid et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5598715 | Edmisten | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5752389 | Harper | May 1998 | A |
| 5911747 | Gauthier | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5915473 | Ganesh et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5950709 | Krueger et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5987908 | Wetzel | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6012296 | Shah | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6079626 | Hartman | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6170271 | Sullivan | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6212892 | Rafalovich | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6272873 | Bass | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6381970 | Eber et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6427461 | Whinery et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 6487457 | Hull et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6557771 | Shah | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6644049 | Alford | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6672082 | Maeda et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| 6694756 | Taras et al. | Feb 2004 | B1 |
| 6708505 | Nakamura et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6711907 | Dinnage et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6725915 | Wheat et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6742582 | Wheat et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 6792766 | Osborne et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 6826921 | Uselton | Dec 2004 | B1 |
| 6851621 | Wacker et al. | Feb 2005 | B1 |
| 7055759 | Wacker et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7062930 | Raybum | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7083109 | Pouchak | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7165414 | Wright | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 7275384 | Taras et al. | Oct 2007 | B2 |
| 7341201 | Stanimirovic | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| 7565813 | Pouchak | Jul 2009 | B2 |
| 7574871 | Bloemer et al. | Aug 2009 | B2 |
| 7726140 | Rayburn et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7845185 | Knight et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
| 8091375 | Crawford | Jan 2012 | B2 |
| 8147302 | Desrochers et al. | Apr 2012 | B2 |
| 8220721 | Flohr | Jul 2012 | B2 |
| 8255087 | Bennett et al. | Aug 2012 | B2 |
| 8397522 | Springer et al. | Mar 2013 | B2 |
| 8640472 | Dieckmann et al. | Feb 2014 | B2 |
| 8757506 | Zhou et al. | Jun 2014 | B2 |
| 9347676 | Uselton | May 2016 | B2 |
| 20040089002 | Rayburn | May 2004 | A1 |
| 20040211553 | Hancock | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20060234621 | Desrochers et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20006028871 | Knight et al. | Dec 2006 | |
| 20070000274 | Li | Jan 2007 | A1 |
| 20070138307 | Khoo | Jun 2007 | A1 |
| 20070257121 | Chapman et al. | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20070295477 | Mueller et al. | Dec 2007 | A1 |
| 20080156891 | Zhou et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
| 20080173035 | Thayer et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
| 20090277193 | Springer et al. | Nov 2009 | A1 |
| 20100071868 | Reifel et al. | Mar 2010 | A1 |
| 20100199652 | Lemofouet et al. | Aug 2010 | A1 |
| 20100298987 | Bennett et al. | Nov 2010 | A1 |
| 20100298989 | Hess et al. | Nov 2010 | A1 |
| 20100307733 | Karamanos et al. | Dec 2010 | A1 |
| 20110167846 | Knight et al. | Jul 2011 | A1 |
| 20130056177 | Coutu et al. | Mar 2013 | A1 |
| 20130067939 | Dinh | Mar 2013 | A1 |
| 20130248147 | Wintemute et al. | Sep 2013 | A1 |
| 20140129197 | Sons et al. | May 2014 | A1 |
| 20140260367 | Coutu et al. | Sep 2014 | A1 |
| 20150247646 | Song et al. | Sep 2015 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 20120121583 | Apr 2012 | KR |
| 20120121583 | Jun 2012 | KR |
| Entry |
|---|
| FOR1, Dehumidifier and controlling method thereof, 2012, Full Document (Year: 2012). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210131689 A1 | May 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62322042 | Apr 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15485439 | Apr 2017 | US |
| Child | 17138201 | US |
