HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM USING COMPRESSED FLUID
First Claim
1. A system for controlling ambient air temperature of an enclosed living space, comprising:
- an electronic controller configured to receive a signal indicative of a current temperature of the living space, wherein, based on the received signal, the electronic controller determines whether the living space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired temperature;
a source of compressed air;
a temperature-conditioning module, comprising thermal energy controlling means coupled to a heat exchanger mass, wherein the thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed air, as dictated by the electronic controller, and the heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed air to a desired value;
a conduit for delivering the compressed air to the thermal energy controlling means;
a valve coupled to the conduit for regulating a flow of the compressed air, as dictated by the electronic controller; and
an outlet port at one end of the heat exchanger mass for releasing a flow of compressed air to be directed towards the living space.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Use of compressed air for indoor ambient temperature conditioning is disclosed. Thermal energy is imparted to or extracted from a quantity of compressed air, and the compressed air is then directed to be released inside a structure enclosing a space, whose ambient temperature needs to be controlled. Thus, the compressed air may be used as a direct heat conduction/extraction medium. A flow of external air is created over a heat exchanger mass (a “heating mass” or a “cooling mass”), so that thermal energy of the compressed air flowing inside the heat exchanger mass is transferred to the external flow of air flowing outside the heat exchanger mass. Thus, in addition to being a direct heat conduction/extraction medium, the compressed air is being used as a heat transfer medium, that ultimately gets mixed with the flow of external air. A fresh supply of external air may be used rather than using re-circulated air, in order to maintain a high quality of breathable air. A local feedback loop may be used to route back a portion of temperature-conditioned air produced by a system according to the present invention, to regulate a flow of external air over a heat exchanger mass. Other types of environmentally benign compressible fluids may be used as a heat transport/transfer fluid instead of compressed air.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A system for controlling ambient air temperature of an enclosed living space, comprising:
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an electronic controller configured to receive a signal indicative of a current temperature of the living space, wherein, based on the received signal, the electronic controller determines whether the living space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired temperature; a source of compressed air; a temperature-conditioning module, comprising thermal energy controlling means coupled to a heat exchanger mass, wherein the thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed air, as dictated by the electronic controller, and the heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed air to a desired value; a conduit for delivering the compressed air to the thermal energy controlling means; a valve coupled to the conduit for regulating a flow of the compressed air, as dictated by the electronic controller; and an outlet port at one end of the heat exchanger mass for releasing a flow of compressed air to be directed towards the living space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 36)
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17. A system for individually controlling ambient temperatures of a plurality of localized spaces, comprising:
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a central electronic controller configured to receive a plurality of signals, each signal indicative of a current temperature of a corresponding localized space, wherein, based on a respective received signal, the central electronic controller determines whether the corresponding localized space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired local temperature; a source of compressed air; a plurality of local temperature-conditioning modules, each local temperature conditioning module comprising local thermal energy controlling means coupled to a local heat exchanger mass, wherein the local thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed air delivered locally, as dictated by the central electronic controller, and the local heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed air to a desired local value; a plurality of local conduits branching out from a main conduit for delivering a portion of compressed air to the corresponding local thermal energy controlling means, wherein each local conduit is fitted with a valve for regulating a local flow of the compressed air, as dictated by the central electronic controller; and a plurality of local outlet ports, each local outlet port directing a local flow of temperature-conditioned air into the localized space, the temperature-conditioned air comprising air encompassing the localized space that flows over the local heat exchanger mass and compressed air released at an end of the local heat exchanger mass. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for controlling a temperature of an enclosed space included in an apparatus, comprising:
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an electronic controller configured to receive a signal indicative of a current temperature of the enclosed space, wherein, based on the received signal, the electronic controller determines whether the enclosed space needs to be heated or cooled to reach a desired temperature; a source of a compressed fluid; a temperature-conditioning module, comprising thermal energy controlling means coupled to a heat exchanger mass, wherein the thermal energy controlling means is configured to actively control a thermal energy of the compressed fluid, as dictated by the electronic controller, and the heat exchanger mass is configured to adjust the temperature of the compressed fluid to a desired value; a conduit for delivering the compressed fluid to the thermal energy controlling means; a valve coupled to the conduit for regulating a flow of the compressed fluid, as dictated by the electronic controller; and an outlet port at one end of the heat exchanger mass for releasing a flow of compressed fluid to be directed towards the enclosed space. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification