Patent Application
20240369255
The present subject matter relates generally to air conditioning appliances, and more particularly to package terminal air conditioner units and single-package vertical units.
Air conditioner or conditioning units are conventionally utilized to adjust the temperature indoors, e.g., within structures such as dwellings and office buildings. Such units commonly include a closed refrigeration loop to heat or cool the indoor air. Typically, the indoor air is recirculated while being heated or cooled. A variety of sizes and configurations are available for such air conditioner units. For example, some units may have one portion installed within the indoors that is connected to another portion located outdoors, e.g., by ducting or conduit carrying refrigerant. These types of units are typically used for conditioning the air in larger spaces.
Another type of air conditioner unit, commonly referred to as single-package vertical units (SPVU) or package terminal air conditioners (PTAC), may be utilized to adjust the temperature in, for example, a single room or group of rooms of a structure. These units typically operate like split heat pump systems, except that the indoor and outdoor portions are defined by a bulkhead and all system components are housed within a single package that is installed in a wall sleeve positioned within an opening of an exterior wall of a building. In this regard, such units commonly include an indoor portion that communicates (e.g., exchanges air) with the area within a building and an outdoor portion that generally communicates (e.g., exchanges air) with the area outside a building. Accordingly, the air conditioner unit generally extends through, for example, an outer wall of the structure, or is otherwise ducted to the outdoors.
Ducting extending through an outer wall of the structure or otherwise ducted to the outdoors may operate at outdoor ambient temperatures near zero degrees Fahrenheit, and may accordingly pull cold air through the ducting. Condensation forms on the ducting when the ducting is cooled below the dew point of the indoor space. Condensation at the ducting result in deterioration of air conditioner components, air conditioner unit performance, or other diminished quality of conditioned air.
Accordingly, an air conditioner unit that addresses one or more of the above issues would be advantageous and beneficial.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary embodiment, an air conditioner unit is provided. The air conditioning unit includes a cabinet having a bulkhead mounted within the cabinet to define an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. A refrigeration loop includes an outdoor heat exchanger positioned within the outdoor portion and an indoor heat exchanger positioned within the indoor portion. A compressor is operably coupled to the refrigeration loop and is configured for urging a flow of refrigerant through the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger. A makeup air duct extends in fluid communication to the indoor portion of the cabinet. The makeup air duct includes a body and a transition portion in which the body and the transition portion are formed of a polymer foam material.
In another exemplary embodiment, a single-package vertical air conditioner unit is provided. The air conditioning unit includes a cabinet having a bulkhead mounted within the cabinet to define an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. A refrigeration loop includes an outdoor heat exchanger positioned within the outdoor portion and an indoor heat exchanger positioned within the indoor portion. A compressor is operably coupled to the refrigeration loop and is configured for urging a flow of refrigerant through the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger. A makeup air duct extends in fluid communication to the indoor portion of the cabinet. The makeup air duct includes a body and a transition portion in which the body and the transition portion are formed of a polymer foam material.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative flow direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the flow direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the flow direction to which the fluid flows. As used herein, terms of approximation, such as “substantially,” “generally,” or “about” include values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction. For example, “generally vertical” includes directions within ten degrees of vertical in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counter-clockwise.
Embodiments of an air conditioner appliance are provided herein including a polymer duct configured to provide outside air to a cooling system of the air conditioner appliance. The polymer duct may form a Make Up Air (MAU) duct, such as may extend through an outer wall of a building or other structure or otherwise extending to an outdoor environment, such as may pull cold air through the MAU duct. The duct may include a body formed of expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam or expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. In various embodiments, the duct includes the body formed substantially entirely or entirely of polymer foam, such as to substantially or completely eliminate metallic structures (e.g., sheet metal components) from the duct. In still some embodiments, the duct including the body formed of polymer foam reduces or eliminates a separate insulating material layer.
Embodiments of the air conditioner appliance and duct provided herein may address one or more issues described above, and may provide advantages and benefits associated with reducing or eliminating condensation at ducting extending between a cooling system and an outdoor environment.
Turning now to the figures,
Air conditioner 100 includes a package housing or cabinet 102 supporting and defining an indoor portion 104 and an outdoor portion 106. Air conditioner 100 generally defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T. Each direction V, L, T is perpendicular to each other, such that a mutually orthogonal coordinate system is generally defined.
In some embodiments, cabinet 102 contains various other components of the air conditioner 100. Cabinet 102 may include, for example, a rear opening 110 (e.g., with or without a grill or grate thereacross) and a front opening 112 (e.g., with or without a grill or grate thereacross) may be spaced apart from each other along the transverse direction T. The rear opening 110 may be part of the outdoor portion 106, while the front opening 112 is part of the indoor portion 104. Components of the outdoor portion 106, such as an outdoor heat exchanger 120, outdoor fan 124, and compressor 126 may be enclosed within cabinet 102 between front opening 112 and rear opening 110. In certain embodiments, one or more components of outdoor portion 106 are mounted on a base pan 136, as shown. According to exemplary embodiments, base pan 136 may be received within a drain pan, e.g., for collecting condensation formed during operation.
During certain operations, air 114 may be drawn to outdoor portion 106 through rear opening 110. Specifically, an outdoor inlet 128 defined through cabinet 102 may receive outdoor air 114 motivated by outdoor fan 124. Within cabinet 102, the received outdoor air 114 may be motivated through or across outdoor fan 124. Moreover, at least a portion of the outdoor air 114 may be motivated through or across outdoor heat exchanger 120 before exiting the rear opening 110 at an outdoor outlet 130. It is noted that although outdoor inlet 128 is illustrated as being defined above outdoor outlet 130, alternative embodiments may reverse this relative orientation (e.g., such that outdoor inlet 128 is defined below outdoor outlet 130) or provide outdoor inlet 128 beside outdoor outlet 130 in a side-by-side orientation, or another suitable orientation.
As shown, indoor portion 104 may include an indoor heat exchanger 122, a blower fan 142, and a heating unit. These components may, for example, be housed behind the front opening 112. A bulkhead 134 may generally support or house various other components or portions thereof of the indoor portion 104, such as the blower fan 142. Bulkhead 134 may generally separate and define the indoor portion 104 and outdoor portion 106 within cabinet 102. Additionally, or alternatively, bulkhead 134 or indoor heat exchanger 122 may be mounted on base pan 136 (e.g., at a higher vertical position than outdoor heat exchanger 120), as shown.
During certain operations, air 116 may be drawn to indoor portion 104 through front opening 112. In some embodiments, an indoor inlet 138 defined through cabinet 102 may receive indoor air 116 motivated by blower fan 142. At least a portion of the indoor air 116 may be motivated through or across indoor heat exchanger 122 (e.g., before passing to bulkhead 134). From blower fan 142, indoor air 116 may be motivated (e.g., across heating unit) and returned to the indoor area of the room through an indoor outlet 140 defined through cabinet 102 (e.g., above indoor inlet 138 along the vertical direction V), such as depicted schematically by outlet air 119. Optionally, one or more conduits (not pictured) may be mounted on or downstream from indoor outlet 140 to further guide air 119 from air conditioner 100. It is noted that although indoor outlet 140 is illustrated as generally directing air upward, it is understood that indoor outlet 140 may be defined in alternative embodiments to direct air in any other suitable direction.
Outdoor and indoor heat exchanger 120, 122 may be components of a thermodynamic assembly (i.e., sealed system), which may be operated as a refrigeration assembly (and thus perform a refrigeration cycle) or, in the case of the heat pump unit embodiment, a heat pump (and thus perform a heat pump cycle). Thus, as is understood, exemplary heat pump unit embodiments may be selectively operated perform a refrigeration cycle at certain instances (e.g., while in a cooling mode) and a heat pump cycle at other instances (e.g., while in a heating mode). By contrast, exemplary A/C exclusive unit embodiments may be unable to perform a heat pump cycle (e.g., while in the heating mode), but still perform a refrigeration cycle (e.g., while in a cooling mode).
The sealed system may, for example, further include compressor 126 (e.g., mounted on base pan 136) and an expansion device (e.g., expansion valve or capillary tube—not pictured), both of which may be in fluid communication with the heat exchangers 120, 122 to flow refrigerant therethrough, as is generally understood. The outdoor and indoor heat exchanger 120, 122 may each include coils 146, 148, as illustrated, through which a refrigerant may flow for heat exchange purposes, as is generally understood.
According to an example embodiment, compressor 126 may be a variable speed compressor. In this regard, compressor 126 may be operated at various speeds depending on the current air conditioning needs of the room and the demand on the sealed system. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, compressor 126 may be configured to operate at any speed between a minimum speed, e.g., 1500 revolutions per minute (RPM), to a maximum rated speed, e.g., 3500 RPM. Notably, the use of variable speed compressor 126 enables efficient operation of the sealed system, minimizes unnecessary noise when compressor 126 does not need to operate at full speed, and ensures a comfortable environment within the room.
According to exemplary embodiments, air conditioner 100 may further include a duct 200 to direct air to cabinet 102. Duct 200 may be selectively attached to (e.g., fixed to or mounted against) cabinet 102 (e.g., via a suitable mechanical fastener, adhesive, gasket, etc.) and extend through a structure wall 150 (e.g., an outer wall of the structure within which air conditioner 100 is installed) and above a floor of the structure. For instance, duct 200 extends along an axial direction X (e.g., parallel to the transverse direction T) through a hole or channel in the structure wall 150 that passes from an internal surface 154 to an external surface 156. The duct 200 may form a makeup air duct configured to receive outdoor air 118, which may be referred to as makeup air, and provide the outdoor air 118 to the air conditioner 100. For instance, makeup air 118 may be provided to the indoor portion 104. In some embodiments, makeup air 118 may be provided through front opening 112. Air 118 may be allowed to egress through indoor outlet 140.
In various embodiments, duct 200 is a polymer makeup air duct. In certain embodiments, duct 200 includes a body 210 formed of expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam or expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. Body 210 may be a unitary, monolithic component formed of EPP foam or EPS foam. In particular embodiments, body 210 is formed substantially entirely or entirely of polymer foam. For instance, the polymer foam body 210 may advantageously eliminate brackets, fasteners, or mounts, such as may reduce or eliminate metallic structures (e.g., sheet metal components) from the duct 200. In still some embodiments, the duct 200 including the polymer foam body 210 reduces or eliminates a separate insulating material layer.
In still various embodiments, duct 200 may include transition portion 220 configured to change direction of received air 118 from a first direction (e.g., along transverse direction T) to a second direction (e.g., along vertical direction V). For instance, transition portion 220 may form an angled elbow, such as having an angle of approximately 90 degrees, or other desired angle corresponding to a desired airflow direction. Transition portion 220 may be formed of EPP foam or EPS foam. In certain embodiments, duct 200 includes body 210 and transition portion 220 formed as a unitary, monolithic structure. In still some embodiments, duct 200 may include a single substrate material having the EPP foam or EPS foam.
Embodiments of the duct 200 such as described may mitigate or eliminate deterioration or condensation as may be associated with sheet metal makeup air ducts. Certain embodiments including EPP foam may allow for sufficient flexibility or bending while mitigating or eliminating issues related to sheet metal makeup air ducts, such as issues relating to differences in outdoor environment temperature or humidity, or further in contrast to indoor environment temperature or humidity.
The operation of air conditioner 100 including compressor 126 (and thus the sealed system generally), blower fan 142, outdoor fan 124, heating unit, and other suitable components may be controlled by a control board or controller. Controller may be in communication (via for example a suitable wired or wireless connection) to such components of the air conditioner 100. By way of example, the controller may include a memory and one or more processing devices such as microprocessors, CPUs or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of air conditioner 100. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH.
Air conditioner 100 may additionally include a control panel 160 and one or more user inputs, which may be included in control panel 160. The user inputs may be in communication with the controller. A user of the air conditioner 100 may interact with the user inputs to operate the air conditioner 100, and user commands may be transmitted between the user inputs and controller to facilitate operation of the air conditioner 100 based on such user commands. A display may additionally be provided in the control panel 160, and may be in communication with the controller. Display may, for example be a touchscreen or other text-readable display screen, or alternatively may simply be a light that can be activated and deactivated as required to provide an indication of, for example, an event or setting for the air conditioner 100.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
