AIR-CONDITIONING UNIT, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCORPORATING SAME, AND AIR-CONDITIONING CHANNEL SWITCHING METHOD

• US 20140093269A1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Keisuke Yuasa, Tomoyasu Hirasawa
• Inventors: HIRASAWA, Tomoyasu, Takehara, Kenichi, Fujiya, Hiromitsu, Yuasa, Keisuke, Toda, Yasuaki, Ikeda, Keisuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,360,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/92
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/00 Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2011/0006 using low temperature external supply air to assist cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/206 Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1645 for conducting air through the machine, e.g. cooling

Abstract

An air-conditioning unit includes an air conditioner to control air temperature, a first channel to guide air supplied from the air conditioner to a conditioning target, a heat exchange channel through which the air supplied from the air conditioner exchanges heat with the conditioning target, a second channel to guide air from the conditioning target either outside the air-conditioning unit or to the air conditioner, and a channel switching unit to cause the air conditioner to suck in either external air or the air guided from the conditioning target.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning unit comprising:

an air conditioner to control air temperature;

a first channel to guide air supplied from the air conditioner to a conditioning target;

a heat exchange channel through which the air supplied from the air conditioner exchanges heat with the conditioning target;

a second channel to guide air from the conditioning target either outside the air-conditioning unit or to the air conditioner; and

a channel switching unit to cause the air conditioner to suck in either external air or the air guided from the conditioning target.

2. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third channel bifurcating from the second channel and leading to a first external vent opened to the outside; and

a fourth channel bifurcating from the second channel and leading to a second external vent opened to the outside;

wherein the channel switching unit compares temperature of air in the second channel and external air temperature, and

according to a result of comparison between the temperature of air in the second channel and the external air temperature, the channel switching unit switches an air-conditioning channel between a circulating route that includes the second channel and an external-air intake route to exhaust air from the second external vent and to introduce external air from the first external vent into the air conditioner.

3. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, wherein the first and second external vents are positioned so that the air exhausted from the second external vent is not introduced into the air-conditioning unit from the first external vent.

4. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 3, wherein the first and second external vents are positioned in different faces of the air-conditioning unit.

5. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, further comprising a shield provided between the first and second external vents to inhibit the air exhausted from the second external vent from entering the first external vent.

6. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 5, wherein the shield is planar, the second external vent is disposed above the planar shield, and the first external vent is disposed beneath the planar shield.

7. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 5, wherein the shield comprises a duct communicating with the second external vent.

8. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, further comprising a filter provided in the second channel positioned upstream from the fourth channel in a direction in which air flows inside the air-conditioning unit.

9. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, further comprising at least one additional heat exchange channel through which the air supplied from the air conditioner exchanges heat with a conditioning target.

10. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, wherein, to cool the conditioning target, the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the external-air intake route when the external air temperature is lower than the temperature of air in the second channel, and the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the circulating route when the external air temperature is higher than the temperature of air in the second channel.

11. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, wherein, to heat the conditioning target, the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the external-air intake route when the external air temperature is higher than the temperature of air in the second channel, and the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the circulating route when the external air temperature is lower than the temperature of air in the second channel.

12. The air-conditioning unit according to claim 2, wherein, when the air-conditioning unit starts operation, the external-air intake route is selected as the air-conditioning channel.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the conditioning target; and

the air-conditioning unit according to claim 1.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a forward channel to guide the air supplied from the air-conditioning unit to the conditioning target; and

an exhaust channel to guide the air from the conditioning target to the second channel.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first channel is connected to the forward channel, the second channel is connected to the exhaust channel, and the air-conditioning unit is removably attachable to a body of the image forming apparatus.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a discharge sheet tray provided between the first and second external vents,

wherein the discharge sheet tray serves as a shield to inhibit the air exhausted from the second external vent from entering the first external vent.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the discharge sheet tray and the second external vent are arranged such that the air exhausted from the second external vent is guided to sheets discharged onto the discharge sheet tray.

18. A method of switching an air-conditioning channel in an air-conditioning unit that includes an air conditioner, a first channel to guide air from the air conditioner to a conditioning target, and a second channel to guide air from the conditioning target either outside the air-conditioning unit or to the air conditioner,

the method comprising:

comparing temperature of air in the second channel and external air temperature; and

switching, according to a result of the comparing, an air-conditioning channel between a circulating route to circulate air inside the air-conditioning unit and an external-air intake route to exhaust air outside and to introduce external air into the air-conditioning unit,

wherein, to cool the conditioning target, the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the external-air intake route when the external air temperature is lower than the temperature of air in the second channel, and the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the circulating route when the external air temperature is higher than the temperature of air in the second channel, and

to heat the conditioning target, the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the external-air intake route when the external air temperature is higher than the temperature of air in the second channel, and the channel switching unit switches the air-conditioning channel to the circulating route when the external air temperature is lower than the temperature of air in the second channel.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the air-conditioning unit is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, and the conditioning target is positioned inside a body of the image forming apparatus.