Climate control and dehumidification system and method

• US 7,721,560 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2005
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Designed Climate, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Designed Climate, Inc.
• Inventors: Carpenter, Frank K.
• Primary Examiner(s): JIANG, CHEN WEN
• Application Number:
  US11/185,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• Field of Search: 621/761, 621/766, 621/765, 62/92, 62/93, 236/44.C
• US Class Current: 62/176.6
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0008 for air-humidification F24F11/30 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A system for controlling temperature and humidity in an enclosure, that has a central air conditioning system; a dehumidifier attached to a return air duct of the central air conditioning system; and a system control unit that comprises a thermostat, dehumidstat and can control a cooling solenoid valve to provide temperature control, and control a dehumidifier solenoid valve to provide humidity control. The cooling solenoid valve and the dehumidifier solenoid valve can be independently activated based on the temperature and humidity of the enclosure. Embodiments of the present invention include systems that are easily modify existing air conditioning systems.

Claims

1. A central air conditioning system for controlling temperature and humidity in an enclosure, comprising:

a control unit that has a thermostat and a dehumidistat and can direct a cooling and dehumidification cycle and a dehumidification-only cycle;

a supply duct and a return duct;

an outdoor condensing unit that comprises a condenser unit and a fan;

an air handler disposed between the return duct and the supply duct that comprises a blower fan for circulating air into the supply duct, an evaporator coil, and a re-heating coil that maintains a refrigerant flood level from one cycle to the other;

refrigerant line system joining the compressor, evaporator coil, and the re-heating coil;

a cooling solenoid valve; and

a dehumidifier solenoid valve downstream from the re-heating coil;

wherein the control unit, based on the temperature and the humidity of the enclosure, is capable of independently activating the cooling solenoid valve and the dehumidifier solenoid valve to direct refrigerant to the re-heating coil to allow for a dehumidification-only cycle within the enclosure while providing air to the supply duct that is substantially the same temperature as the air in the return duct, and wherein when the control unit independently activates the dehumidification solenoid to maintain refrigerant in the re-heating coil at a maintained flood level from one cycle to another cycle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein re-heating coil is operable based on settable, pre-determined humidity value, and the cooling function of the system is independently operable based on a settable temperature value.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, when the temperature of the enclosure reaches a pre-determined temperature, and the relative humidity is above a predetermined humidity, the control unit maintains the function of the air conditioner, and increases the temperature of the reheating coil by directing refrigerant there through, to maintain a more consistent air temperature between the air entering the air handler and the air leaving the air handler.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cooling solenoid is disposed on a refrigerant line between the compressor and the evaporator coil.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dehumidifier solenoid is disposed on a refrigerant line between the reheating coil and the evaporator coil.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cooling solenoid is disposed on a refrigerant line between the compressor and the evaporator coil, and the dehumidifier solenoid is disposed on a refrigerant line between the reheating coil and the evaporator coil.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the refrigerant line system includes a reheating coil loop, with the flow of refrigerant through the reheating coil determined by the activation of the cooling solenoid and the dehumidifying solenoid.

8. A method of controlling a climate of an interior space, comprising:

(i) providing a central air conditioning system that includes;

a supply duct and a return duct;

an outdoor condensing unit that comprises a condenser unit and a fan;

an air handler disposed between the return duct and the supply duct that comprises a blower fan for circulating air into the supply duct, an evaporator coil, and a re-heating coil;

refrigerant lines joining the compressor, evaporator coil, and the re-heating coil;

a cooling solenoid valve;

a dehumidifier solenoid valve downstream from the re-heating coil; and

a control unit that has a thermostat and a dehumidistat and is capable of independently activating the cooling solenoid valve and the dehumidifier solenoid valve to allow for a dehumidification-only cycle in the interior space and to provide a maintained flood level in the re-heating coil from one cycle to another cycle;

(ii) setting the thermostat to a selected temperature or temperature range;

(iii) setting the dehumidistat to a selected humidity or humidity range;

(iv) controlling the cooling function of the central air conditioning system based on the temperature of the interior space;

controlling the operation of the dehumidification unit based on the humidity of the interior space.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the control unit, to operate the system in a cooling mode, opens the cooling solenoid and closes the dehumidification solenoid, to reduce passage of the refrigerant liquid to the re-heating coil.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the control unit, to operate the system in a dehumidification mode, closes the cooling solenoid and opens the dehumidification solenoid, to allow increased passage of refrigerant liquid to the re-heating coil.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein when the temperature of the enclosure is reduced to a pre-determined temperature value, and the relative humidity of the enclosure is above a pre-determined humidity value, the control maintains the function of the air conditioner, and increases the temperature of the reheat coil to maintain a more consistent air temperature between the return air and the supply air.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the controlling the cooling function step is independent from the controlling the humidity step, and wherein the operation of the controlling the temperature step is based on the temperature of the enclosure.

13. A method of controlling a climate of an interior space, composing:

providing a control unit that has a thermostat and a dehumidistat;

providing a central air conditioning unit;

providing a system of ducts that include a return duct;

providing a dehumidifier unit attached to and fed by a return air duct of the central air conditioning system, wherein the dehumidifier unit comprises;

(i) a blower for returning air to the return duct, (ii) an evaporator coil, (iii) a re-heating coil for reheating the air returned to the return duct, (iv) a condenser that releases at least a portion of extracted heat outside the enclosure, (v) a compressor, (vi) cooling liquid lines joining the evaporator, re-heating coil, condenser and compressor, and (vii) a solenoid valve downstream from the re-heating coil;

setting the thermostat to a selected temperature or temperature range;

setting the dehumidistat to a selected humidity or humidity range;

controlling the cooling function of the central air conditioning system based on the temperature in the interior space;

controlling the operation of the dehumidifier based on the humidity of the interior space, wherein the control unit directs the follow of coolant through the dehumidifier evaporator coil and the dehumidifier re-heating coil based on the humidity level detected in the interior space, and wherein the control unit operates said solenoid valve downstream from the re-heating coil to maintain refrigerant in the re-heating coil at a maintained flood level from one cycle to another cycle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, when based on the temperature of interior space, cooling is required;

and, when based on the humidity of the interior space, dehumidification is not required, the control unit operates the central air conditioning system and closes the dehumidifier unit solenoid.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the cooling function step is independent from the controlling the dehumidifier step, and wherein the operation of the controlling the temperature step is based on the temperature of the enclosure.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, when based on the temperature of interior space, cooling is not required;

and, when based on the humidity of the interior space, dehumidification is required, the control unit prevents operation of the cooling function of the central air conditioning system and opens the dehumidifier unit solenoid.