Patent Application
20080216441
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system of controlling the temperature of a building.
2. Background
In modern times, it is quite rare to find a home that does not have some sort of heating and cooling system. There are many different kinds of both types of systems and the mechanism by which the heat is transferred to or from the living environment varies considerably. For these homes that utilize these systems, there are many different factors that determine which one to choose and many consumers must compromise due to the limitations of each.
The standard heating or cooling system takes in air (either from outside or re-circulated), conditions it (by raising or lowering the temperature), then forces the air back into the building's interior. The interior temperature then adjusts accordingly. To maintain this difference in temperature and improve efficiency of the heating and cooling systems, the standard method is to insulate the building with insulating material inside the walls, as well as sealing any openings (doors, windows, etc.) to let the least amount of air pass through. The air on the inside of the building is then treated in order to raise or lower its temperature. The result is a temperature gradient between the inside and outside of the building.
There are several disadvantages to the standard heating and cooling methods. Efficiency and uniformity of the interior temperature are the primary issues that face building owners. Hot or cool spots within a home or office are very common and, oftentimes, unavoidable without extensive ductwork and/or additional heating/cooling systems. There are many alternatives available to consumers but they bring about other issues, as well. There is especially the need to have a system that is easily maintained and standard enough to be repairable by most heating and cooling system technicians. It's not preferable to have a system that would require a specialized technician that would perform maintenance or service work on the system.
Efficiency is most affected by the heating or cooling unit itself and the degree of insulation in the building. Many new heating/cooling units are designed with outstanding efficiency in mind as long as they are properly maintained. The problem is typically not with the unit itself, but with the insulation and the inevitable heat transfer between areas of two highly different temperatures. When properly installed and with high quality parts, a building's heating/cooling system can run very efficiently. However, when dealing with large areas or extreme temperatures, it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature even a degree warmer or cooler and it takes a longer time to do so. When temperatures are at their extremes is when utility bills tend to get higher and heating/cooling systems work the least efficiently. At this point, the building owner is faced with high utility bills and, oftentimes, decreased performance of the heating/cooling system.
The uniformity of the interior temperature is a considerable problem with many systems. Forced air systems only work as well as the air can be efficiently circulated. However, at very low temperatures, most heating/cooling systems work less efficiently. An occupant of the building that stood in the path of this air would feel cold since the air coming from the unit would not be substantially greater than room temperature. The room's temperature would be rising but the flow of air would actually make the room feel cooler and less comfortable. In addition, with forced air being used to cool a building, it is typically uncomfortable to be in the vicinity of the air vent(s). The air that comes from the unit is much cooler than we would normally prefer. For many other systems, there tends to be a great difference in temperature between different rooms. This is highly dependent on the ductwork of the forced air system. Most buildings have rooms that are warmer or cooler than others, whether they utilize heat pumps or other types of heating/cooling systems that are situated outdoors. These “hot spots” and “cool spots” greatly decrease the comfort inside a building when temperature conditioned air is forced inside.
Overall, it is the object of this invention to devise a heating and cooling system that is efficient and provides the most comfortable environment with a stable interior temperature.
The purpose of the invention is to create an improved system of climate control over the traditional heating and cooling systems. The basics of the invention can best be described by narrowing the field of view down to a single roomed building. A forced air heating and cooling system is located outside of the building. Essentially, the conditioned air is blown throughout a cavity that encompasses the entire building. The air in this cavity is maintained at a particular temperature. By doing so, the temperature of the interior is also maintained at a comfortable level without blowing heated or cooled air into the room itself. Essentially, these air cavities, coupled with other insulating material, work to give the building even more insulating potential and provide a stable interior temperature.
The invention as described consists of a source of temperature conditioned air, most likely a source of heated air and a separate source of cooled air, a structure as specified, and a system of ductwork which moves air from the source of temperature conditioned air. The source of heated air (above the outside temperature) and cooled air (below the outside temperature) can be of any type, so long as they provide heated and cooled air separately when necessary. This description will refer to both units collectively as the “heating/cooling system.” The abovementioned structure consists of, but is not limited to, insulation material, an outer wall, and an inner wall, all of which form the basic framework of the building. In some instances, there may also be structural joists or studs, though this depends on the building materials and methods.
There is insulating material placed such that it is in direct contact with the inner side of the outer wall and all portions of the inner side of the outer wall except where the outer wall has been removed for some other building component to pass through it. The insulation is of a size which permits there to be a plurality of air cavities through which air can flow freely in the space encompassed between the inner walls, the outer walls, and the insulation. It is also possible to form windows and doors in such a manner that they, too, have inner and outer walls with air cavities between the walls. For instance, if one were to build this invention, a window unit might actually consist of two separate double paned windows, between which there is an air cavity and perhaps holes or a screened area along the sides of the windows to permit air flow between the cavities in the windows and the cavities in the walls. The same can also apply to doors and other building components
On at least one side of the building (where the sides are formed by the outer walls), there is a place of some significant area, and not in the location of a joist or a stud, where the outer wall and the insulating material are not present, such that the air cavity is open to the outside of the building. In this location, there is present an air duct that is closed on all sides except where it comes into contact with the perimeters of the open area on the building. Thus, it is designed such that air can flow from the ductwork to the air cavity and the reverse. This ductwork terminates and is closed at one endpoint. At its other endpoint, it is linearly connected to another piece of ductwork which is closed on all sides except its endpoints such that air can flow from the air cavities into the open ductwork then into the closed ductwork. This closed ductwork is then connected by its other endpoint to the outlet on the heating/cooling system, thereby permitting the heating/cooling system to force air out and into the closed ductwork, into the open ductwork attached to the side of the building, then into the air cavities between the inner and outer walls of the building.
In the first embodiment described above, the object of the system is to create a stable temperature within the much smaller volume of air within the air cavities. In turn, this will provide an extra degree of insulation beyond that which is capable of insulation made of any solid material. This will have the effect of decreasing reliance on forced air heating or cooling on the occupied or living space inside the building, thus stabilizing the temperature more easily and with less energy.
In addition to air being forced into the air cavities, one possible embodiment can also include a duct located on a different side of the building which returns air to the heating/cooling system. The preferred embodiment would be for the building to intake the temperature conditioned air via ductwork located underneath the floor and to exhaust the treated air from ductwork located above the ceiling. It is also possible to only intake air from inside the wall or only input air into the walls, as opposed to having both an intake and an exhaust. The other ductwork could be located inside the occupied/living space encompassed by the inner walls, much as a traditional heating and air system. This would also help to stabilize the air system inside the building (both in the air cavities and in the occupied/living space). Another embodiment could include multiple sections of ductwork which serve the same purpose, be it exhaust of treated air or intake of treated air. This would ultimately depend on the size of the building, climate, and temperature requirements. Ideally, the exhaust and intake ducts would be located on different sides of the building so as to permit the conditioned air to fully circulate and have the greatest effect. Another possibility would be to include an overflow vent which would be a vent through the inner wall, such that it would let the conditioned air flow not only between the walls but also into the interior occupied or living space.
Another alternate embodiment would include any of the above systems with a specialized fairly rigid insulating material that would have interlocking sides all around. This would permit one to put the pieces of insulation up and it would connect at each side somewhat like a puzzle.
The primary purpose of this entire invention, with consideration of all possible embodiments, is to provide a high gradient temperature barrier between the inside and outside of the building and to provide a stable environment inside the building at a lower energy cost. The air cavities between the inner and outer walls will lose or gain heat both to the outside and the inside of the building. However, with the insulation present against the outside wall, the goal is that the heat transfer will be greatest between the air cavity and the occupied/living space of the building, thus maintaining a very stable environment inside the building. The stability in interior temperature will create a much more comfortable environment with much less of a temperature gradient within the occupied/living space. Due to this stabilized temperature and the need to condition a lower volume of air, the system would run much more efficiently than traditional heating and cooling systems.
In the description, the invention has been described with a particular embodiment. However, those skilled in the art may utilize other embodiments and modifications. The invention as described is not limited solely to the preferred embodiments as depicted and described.
This invention is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/904,877 filed the fifth of March, 2007.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60904877 | Mar 2007 | US |
