Patent Grant
11781758
The present disclosure in some aspects relates generally to modular air conditioning systems. More specifically, various embodiments relate to an air conditioning system that can be formed to include an outdoor unit and at least one indoor unit, wherein the units can be interconnected using a hose that can be user serviceable and/or modular in a manner that can allow reconfiguration and/or user serviceability.
In the prior art there is a wide variety of devices available for cooling desired locations such as a room in a home. In the most general terms, these cooling devices draw heat from the room into a coolant working fluid. Once the fluid has absorbed the heat, it is then routed to a location that is remote from the room so that the heat absorbed into the fluid can be discharged from the fluid into the remote location, typically outdoors. Such cooling devices, also known as room air conditioners, may be categorized as window air conditioners, where the unit resides in a window with the cooling unit on the interior and the heat discharge unit on the outside, split air conditioners, where the location of unit containing the air cooling unit and the heat discharging outdoor unit are separated from one another or unitary air conditioners, wherein the air cooling unit and the heat discharging outdoor unit are fixed relative to one another within a single housing.
One of the difficulties encountered with prior art window air conditioners and unitary air conditioners is noise. Since the entire unit is contained within a single housing the fans, pumps and fluid compressors are all positioned in a concentrated, self-contained unit. As a result, such units are typically noisy to operate. Further, since the heat absorbing and heat discharging units are both positioned in the same housing, accommodations need to be made with respect to positioning of the units so that they do not operate as a closed loop within the room to be cooled. This is done in the case of a window air conditioner by placing it in a window with the cooling portion on the interior and the heat discharge portion at the exterior, creating the additional problem of blocking a window. Similarly, freestanding unitary devices must be positioned so that an air discharge duct leads to the exterior of the room and allows heat to be discharged via the duct.
In contrast to unitary air conditioners, split air conditioners can provide for the interior cooling portion and the heat discharge assembly to be separated from one another in order to overcome some of the above noted issues. In various embodiments of split air conditioning systems, the noisiest portion of the air conditioning system can be placed outdoors in a location that is remote from the room to be cooled. One type of split air conditioner is a saddle mount air conditioner. A saddle mount air conditioner can include a low-profile service channel disposed between an indoor, air-cooling unit and an outdoor, heat discharging unit to permit air, condensate water, coolant, and electricity to pass between each unit. The service channel may be placed on the sill of a window so that the indoor unit and the outdoor unit straddle the sill such that they are significantly below the horizontal level of the sill. Other larger split units can require that, after installation of the interior and exterior units, connective piping be installed and charged with refrigerant. Such installations can require professional technicians to complete and charge the refrigerant piping, thereby greatly increasing the cost of the installation.
Even larger air conditioning systems can employ large chiller or cooling tower devices that serve to cool a working fluid at an exterior location. The working fluid can then be distributed to a heat exchanger to cool a secondary cooling loop or directly through a large piping network wherein flow is controlled to multiple zones to provide selective cooling at the end location. Such systems may provide multiple zone control but can require the permanent installation of a large and complex arrangement of pipes and automatic control valves.
In any of the above noted installations, in various examples there is very little an end user can do to service or reconfigure the air conditioning system. While a user may install and remove a window mount or unitary air conditioner, the problem of noise within the space exists in many embodiments. When opting for a split or chiller-based system the user must in some examples make due with the system as installed because of the large network of piping or the fact that the refrigerant lines contain high pressure refrigerant which must be handled by a licensed installer.
Still another difficulty some types of installations is that they lack significant control over the directionality of the cooling. While such devices have vanes or fins to direct the cooled air to some degree, the cooling is still limited to a region that surrounds the device. Since the installation of the device is fixed in various examples, either because the unit sits in a window or the interior portion of a split system is permanently affixed to a wall, redirection of the cooling effect is nearly impossible. In addition, such systems can be generally paired in a manner that provides a single cooling coil (evaporator) with a single heat dissipation coil (condenser) thereby eliminating the possibility of modularity or the addition of extra evaporators in connection with a single condenser and compressor.
In view of the above-described shortcomings associated with some examples of window and split system air conditioners, there is a need for a modular air conditioner that operates on the basic principle of a split system yet allows user serviceability and modular components such that the system is flexible. There is a further need for a modular air conditioning system that includes at least one indoor cooling unit that has an integrated cold store therein such that the temperature of the cold store is maintained by a circulating coolant fluid through hose connections with an outdoor heat dissipation unit.
In this regard, the present disclosure provides example embodiments of a modular air conditioner that operates on the basic principle of a split system yet allows user serviceability and modular components such that the system is flexible. Examples of modular air conditioning system are provided that is optimized for efficiently cooling the occupants of a room. The system in some embodiments includes an outdoor unit, at least one indoor unit and a user-serviceable hose that extends between the outdoor and indoor units. The outdoor unit can contain a compressor, an air-cooled condenser, a coolant to fluid heat exchanger, a fan and various other components such as controls. The indoor unit can contain a fan, a fluid pump, a cold fluid storage tank and a fluid to air heat exchanger. A hose can be a detachable hose that includes three lumens therein that act as a cold fluid supply, a fluid return and wiring for power and control signals.
In an example of operation, the outdoor unit operates using a heat pump/air conditioning cycle to reduce the temperature of the coolant or working fluid, which in turn extracts heat from a circulating fluid via the coolant to fluid heat exchanger. The cooled circulating fluid can then be circulated, via the hose, between the outdoor and indoor units wherein the cooled fluid reduces the overall temperature of the cold fluid storage tank. When cooling is needed in the indoor space, cold fluid from the cold fluid storage tank is circulated through the fluid-to-air heat exchanger where the fan circulates room air across the heat exchanger producing a cooling effect. This arrangement can allow a room cooling function and the fluid cooling function to be decoupled from one another in a temporal sense in some embodiments such that the control system only operates the outdoor unit when the temperature of the circulating fluid rises above a certain set point.
To further enhance the modularity of the system, in various embodiments the indoor and/or outdoor units are arranged such that they include multiple hose connection points so that multiple indoor units can be connected to a single outdoor unit. Such connections may be made directly from each of the indoor units to the outdoor units or in a daisy chain arrangement. Additionally, the indoor unit may include such functionality as heat sensors and servo directed louvers to direct cooling airflow to hotspots in a room (e.g., room occupants). Further, in some embodiments the indoor unit may be configured to collect condensate and deposit it back into the cold fluid loop. The outdoor unit can then be configured in some embodiments to eject some fluid from the loop (e.g., should the fluid capacity of the loop be exceeded by the addition of condensate).
Accordingly, it is an object of various embodiments to provide a modular air conditioner that operates on the basic principle of a split system yet allows user serviceability and modular components such that the system is flexible. It is an object of various embodiments to provide a modular air conditioning system that includes at least one indoor cooling unit that has a detachable cold storage therein such that the temperature of the cold store is maintained by a circulating coolant fluid through hose connections with an outdoor heat dissipation unit. It is an object of various embodiments to provide a modular air conditioning system that includes at least one indoor cooling unit that has a detachable cold storage unit therein such that the cooling operation conducted by the indoor and outdoor units are temporally separated thereby allowing operation of the system at its highest efficiency.
These together with other objects, along with various features of novelty that characterize various embodiments, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of operating advantages and the specific objects can be attained in some examples, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated at least one preferred embodiment.
Various embodiments can comprise, consist essentially of or comprise one or more of the following features:
A) An “outdoor” unit containing a compressor, air cooled condenser, coolant-to-fluid heat exchanger, cooling fan, and associated components.
B) A mounting bracket for the outdoor unit which can be mounted to the structure in a multiple of ways, including suspended like a saddle over the windowsill, or attached directly to a vertical or horizontal surface of the structure, mounted on the ground, or mounted on the floor inside the structure (e.g., could use it as a portable dual-hose AC in embodiments where the bracket has wheels and may include a sensor to tell the outdoor unit it is being used inside).
C) An indoor unit comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of one or more of a fan, fluid pump for circulating fluid through a hose to the “outdoor” unit, a user control panel, a removable insulated cold fluid storage tank, a fluid to air heat exchanger, servo-controlled louvers for directing airflow, and heat sensors. An insulated cold fluid storage tank can be attached at the base of the indoor unit in some examples, or can be removable. Servo-controlled louvers can be controlled by heat sensors in some embodiments, directing airflow at hot occupants of a room. A fluid-to-air heat exchanger of some examples can collect condensate and add it to the circulating cold fluid loop. For example, if the system exceeds fluid capacity, the excess can be ejected by the outdoor unit (e.g., when it is used outside).
D) A detachable three lumen hose containing a cold fluid send, a fluid return, and power/control signals. The indoor unit in some examples has a connection point to connect the hose. The outdoor unit in some examples has multiple connection points to connect a single or multiple indoor units. In various embodiments, hoses can be connected to each other to extend the overall length of a hose run.
E) A non-toxic low freezing point coolant fluid, for example, water mixed with polyethylene glycol.
F) A “demand” control system, which in some embodiments only runs the outdoor unit when the temperature of the circulating fluid rises above a set point, and can in some examples optionally control the speed of the compressor. The indoor unit in various embodiments can run continuously and modulate the speed of the fans or coolant fluid pump to increase or decrease the rate of heat exchange. This can allow a near-constant indoor temperature to be maintained in some examples without the temperature swings of various conventional on/off controllers. The control system in some embodiments can also contain intelligence to run “store cold” when it is most efficient to do so, (e.g., at night). The insulated cold fluid storage tank can be chilled to extra low temperatures for use later, for example when the outdoor and ambient temperatures are elevated.
Now referring to the drawings, embodiments of a modular climate control system are shown and generally illustrated in the figures. As can be seen in the example embodiment of
Various embodiments can provide a modular air conditioning system that is optimized for efficiently cooling the occupants of a room. Turning to the example exterior unit 16 in more detail, the exterior unit can contain a system 20 for controlling the temperature of a working fluid. The system 20 for controlling the temperature may be a heat pump or a traditional compressor. In various cases of a heat pump, the system 20 can provide, add or remove heat to/from the working fluid. In contrast, in some examples where only a traditional compressor is provided, the system 20 removes heat from the working fluid. Further, the exterior unit 16 can include a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger 18 that can allow the exchange of heat between the working fluid on one side of the heat exchanger 18 and the circulating fluid on the other side of the heat exchanger 18. A fan and various other components such as controls may also be included in the exterior unit 16.
The interior unit 10 can contain at least a fan 14 and a fluid to air heat exchanger 12. In some preferred embodiments, the interior unit 10 also includes a fluid pump and a circulating fluid storage tank that can operate as described below in more detail.
The circulation hose 22 can be a detachable hose that extends between the interior 10 and exterior units 16. For example, as can be seen in
It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that within the scope of the present disclosure we have described an outdoor unit, however, it should be appreciated that the outdoor unit may be positioned indoors as well at a location wherein the user is not concerned about the potential for heat gain. Further, it is anticipated within the scope of the present disclosure that the air-cooled condenser may be a fluid cooled condenser, and more particularly, in some examples, a condenser that is cooled using ground source water.
As illustrated in the example of
The cooled circulating fluid 34 can then be circulated, via the circulation hose 22, between the exterior 16 and interior 10 units. As was illustrated in the example of
It is of further note that the circulating fluid in some embodiments can be a non-toxic, low freezing point coolant such as salt brine of water mixed with polyethylene glycol. This can be contrasted with various prior art systems that can circulate a refrigerant such as Freon or R-10 between indoor and outdoor units. The arrangement of various embodiments can allow a user to selectively connect an indoor unit with an outdoor unit using a modular hose arrangement thereby eliminating a great deal of complexity and cost. Further, in various examples, such an arrangement can allow for freedom in placing the indoor unit as need for maximum cooling effect and occupant comfort. In some embodiments, the circulation hoses 22 are attached to the indoor 10 and outdoor 16 units using a quick release style coupler 42. In various examples, such quick release couplers 42 can include a valving therein that prevents leakage of circulating fluid 34 when the circulation hoses 22 are disconnected.
To further enhance the modularity of the system in some embodiments, the indoor and/or outdoor units can be arranged such that they include multiple hose connection points so that multiple indoor units can be connected to a single outdoor unit. Such connections may be parallel or made directly from each of the indoor units 10 to the outdoor unit 16 as shown in the example of
It should be further appreciated by one skilled in the art that the arrangement of the present disclosure could operate equally well as a heating system. In operation, in some embodiments the only change that would need to be made is that the outdoor unit would be run as a heat pump rather than as an air conditioner. In this manner rather than cooling the circulating fluid, the outdoor would heat the circulating fluid. Optionally, the indoor units may instead include a supplemental heating arrangement such as an electrical heating coil.
The present disclosure provides embodiments of a modular air conditioner that operates on the basic principle of a split system yet allows user serviceability and modular components such that the system is flexible. Further the present disclosure provides embodiments of a modular air conditioning system that includes at least one indoor cooling unit that has an integrated cold storage therein such that the temperature of the cold store is maintained by a circulating coolant fluid through user serviceable hose connections with an outdoor heat dissipation unit. For these reasons, various embodiments represent a significant advancement in the art, which has substantial commercial merit.
While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying various examples, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.
Embodiments of the disclosure can be described in view of the following description clauses:
A modular air conditioner is provided that operates on the basic principle of a split system yet allows user serviceability and modular components such that the system is flexible. The system in some examples generally includes an outdoor unit, at least one indoor unit and a user serviceable hose that extends between the outdoor and indoor units. The outdoor unit can contain a compressor, an air-cooled condenser, a coolant to fluid heat exchanger, a fan and various other components such as controls. The indoor unit can contain a fan, a fluid pump, a cold fluid storage tank and a fluid-to-air heat exchanger. The hose can be a detachable hose that includes three lumens therein that act as a cold fluid supply, a fluid return and wiring for power and control signals.
Various embodiments can be defined by one or more of the following clauses:
1. A modular climate control system comprising:
at least one user positionable interior unit, said interior unit including a fluid to air heat exchanger and a fan to circulate air across said fluid to air heat exchanger;
an exterior unit including a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger and a system for supplying a working fluid having a controlled temperature to a first side of said fluid to fluid heat exchanger; and a circulation hose connected between a fluid side of said fluid to air heat exchanger and a second side of said fluid to fluid heat exchanger, said circulation hose allowing a circulating fluid to transport heat between said at least one interior unit and said exterior unit, wherein said circulating fluid is a non-toxic, user serviceable fluid and wherein said circulation hose is coupled to said at least one interior unit and said exterior unit in a releasable manner.
2. The modular climate control system of clause 1, wherein said system for supplying a working fluid is a heat pump and said working fluid is a refrigerant.
3. The modular climate control system of clause 2, wherein said heat pump can heat or cool said working fluid which in turn heats or cools said circulating fluid.
4. The modular climate control system of clause 3, said interior unit further comprising: a fluid storage reservoir therein to store heated or cooled working fluid until required.
5. The modular climate control system of clause 4, wherein said interior unit includes a condensate pump that deposits condensate into said fluid storage reservoir.
6. The modular climate control system of clause 1, wherein said system for supplying a working fluid is an air conditioning compressor and said working fluid is a refrigerant.
7. The modular climate control system of clause 6, wherein said air conditioning compressor cools said working fluid which in turn cools said circulating fluid.
8. The modular climate control system of clause 7, said interior unit further comprising: a fluid storage reservoir therein to store cooled working fluid until required.
9. The modular climate control system of clause 8, wherein said interior unit includes a condensate pump that deposits condensate into said fluid storage reservoir.
10. The modular climate control system of clause 1, wherein said circulating fluid is selected from the group consisting of: brine, water and glycol.
11. The modular climate control system of clause 10, wherein said circulation hose includes a first lumen to supply circulating fluid to said interior unit a second lumen to return circulating fluid to said exterior unit and a third lumen to provide power to said interior unit.
12. The modular climate control system of clause 11, wherein said interior unit includes a condensate pump and said circulation hose includes a fourth lumen to transport condensate to said exterior unit.
13. The modular climate control system of clause 11, wherein said circulation hose is affixed to said interior and exterior units using modular quick release connectors.
14. The modular climate control system of clause 13, wherein said quick release connectors include valves therein to contain said circulating fluid when said circulation hose is disconnected.
15. The modular climate control system of clause 1, further comprising:
a plurality of interior units interconnected to said exterior unit by a plurality of connection hoses.
16. The modular climate control system of clause 15, wherein said interior units are connected in series.
17. The modular climate control system of clause 15, wherein said interior units are connected in parallel.
18. The modular climate control system of clause 15, wherein said circulation hoses are affixed to said interior and exterior units using modular quick release connectors.
19. The modular climate control system of clause 18, wherein said quick release connectors include valves therein to contain said circulating fluid when said circulation hose is disconnected.
20. The modular climate control system of clause 1, wherein said at least one interior unit includes a fluid storage reservoir.
This application is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 16/987,735, filed Aug. 7, 2020, entitled “MODULAR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM,”, which is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/724,036, filed Mar. 15, 2010, entitled “MODULAR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM,”, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,775,054, and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/159,960, filed Mar. 13, 2009, entitled “MODULAR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM.” These applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.
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| Child | 17948524 | US | |
| Parent | 12724036 | Mar 2010 | US |
| Child | 16987735 | US |
