AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR ADJUSTING TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY

• US 20150115047A1
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Uchida, Hideki, Okamoto, Yasunori, Ishida, Koichi, Nakagawa, Yoshihiro, Iwata, Tetsurou
• Granted Patent: US 9,261,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/1.E
• 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 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/83 by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/84 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/153 with subsequent heating, i.e. with the air, given the required humidity in the central station, passing a heating element to achieve the required temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An air conditioning system processes sensible heat load and latent heat load of a target space, and adjusts temperature and humidity of the target space. The air conditioning system includes a cooling heat exchanger circulating a heating medium to cool and dehumidify air blown into the target space, a heater heating the air cooled and dehumidified by the heat exchanger, a stage speed variable blower fan creating a flow of the air blown into the target space through the heat exchanger and the heater, and control unit. The control unit has a quantity of cooling adjusting unit adjusting a quantity of cooling supplied from the heating medium to the air in the heat exchanger, a quantity of heating adjusting unit adjusting a quantity of heating supplied from the heater to the air, and a blown air flow volume adjusting unit adjusting an air flow volume supplied by the blower fan.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system configured to process a sensible heat load and a latent heat load of a target space to an extent required, and to adjust a temperature and humidity of the target space to target levels, the air conditioning system comprising:

a cooling heat exchanger arranged and configured to circulate a heating medium usable to cool air blown into the target space, to cause heat exchange between the heating medium and the air, and to cool and dehumidify the air;

a heater arranged and configured to heat the air cooled and dehumidified by the cooling heat exchanger;

a blower fan arranged and configured to create a flow of the air blown into the target space through the cooling heat exchanger and the heater, the blower fan being a fan in which a speed of rotation can be varied in stages of the speed of rotation; and

a control unit having

a quantity of cooling adjusting unit configured to adjust quantity of cooling supplied from the heating medium to the air in the cooling heat exchanger,

a quantity of heating adjusting unit configured to adjust a quantity of heating supplied from the heater to the air, and

a blown air flow volume adjusting unit configured to adjust an air flow volume supplied by the blower fan,

the control unit being configured to

find the quantity of cooling and the quantity of heating required to process the sensible heat load and latent heat load requirement at each stage of the speed of rotation of the blower fan, and

adjust the quantity of cooling, the quantity of heating, and the supplied air flow by selecting a combination in which the supplied air flow is the lowest from among combinations of the quantity of cooling, the quantity of heating, and the supplied air flow capable of processing the sensible heat load and latent heat load requirement.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit is further configured to find the quantity of cooling and the quantity of heating required to process the sensible heat load and latent heat load requirement for a stage above and a stage below a current stage of the speed of rotation of the blower fan.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, further comprising

a cooling device arranged and configured to cool the heating medium exchanging heat with the air;

and

a heating medium circuit having a pump, the heating medium circuit being arranged and configured to circulate the heating medium between the cooling device and the cooling heat exchanger,

the quantity of cooling adjusting unit adjusts the quantity of cooling by varying at least one of

the quantity of cooling of the heating medium performed by the cooling device, and

a flow rate of the heating medium circulating in the cooling heat exchanger,

the heating medium circuit further includes a flow control valve arranged and configured to adjust the flow rate of the heating medium,

the pump has an adjustable capacity,

the heater is an electric heater having a variable output in stages,

the quantity of cooling adjusting unit adjusts the flow rate of the heating medium circulating in the cooling heat exchanger by at least one of varying the capacity of the pump and varying a degree of opening of the flow control valve,

the quantity of heating adjusting unit adjusts the quantity of heating of the air by varying the output of the heater, and

the blown air flow volume adjusting unit adjusts the supplied air flow by varying the speed of rotation of the blower fan.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising

a cooling device arranged and configured to cool the heating medium exchanging heat with the air;

and

a heating medium circuit having a pump, the heating medium circuit being arranged and configured to circulate the heating medium between the cooling device and the cooling heat exchanger,

the quantity of cooling adjusting unit adjusts the quantity of cooling by varying at least one of

the quantity of cooling of the heating medium performed by the cooling device, and

a flow rate of the heating medium circulating in the cooling heat exchanger,

the heating medium circuit further includes a flow control valve arranged and configured to adjust the flow rate of the heating medium,

the pump has an adjustable capacity,

the heater is an electric heater having a variable output in stages,

the quantity of cooling adjusting unit adjusts the flow rate of the heating medium circulating in the cooling heat exchanger by at least one of varying the capacity of the pump and varying a degree of opening of the flow control valve,

the quantity of heating adjusting unit adjusts the quantity of heating of the air by varying the output of the heater, and

the blown air flow volume adjusting unit adjusts the supplied air flow by varying the speed of rotation of the blower fan.