Air conditioning apparatus

• US 20040045304A1
• Filed: 01/02/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Choon-Kyoung Park
• Original Assignee: Choon-Kyoung Park
• Inventors: Park, Choon-Kyoung
• Granted Patent: US 6,804,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/183
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/022 comprising a compressor cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/1413 using more than one tilting member, e.g. with several pivoting blades F24F13/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/222 for evacuating condensate
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/225 by evaporating the condensate in the cooling medium, e.g. in air flow from the condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/30 Condensation of water from cooled air
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02

Abstract

Disclosed is a cooling-heating combination air conditioner being provided with an outdoor heat exchanger and an indoor heat exchanger in a single case. The present invention has advantages of freely adjusting a ventilation rate from 0% to 100% with its simple structure without equipping a separate ventilator, and improving efficiency in cooling and heating effectively by recovering an air discharged during a ventilation process and a waste energy of condensed water generated in the indoor heat exchanger and by maximizing a path along which a coolant is circulated according to cooling-heating mode conversion.

Claims

1. An air conditioner including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, expansion valves and an indoor heat exchanger, and carrying out cooling and heating processes by switching circulation direction of a coolant through a four-way valve, the apparatus comprising:

an indoor air exhaust chamber having the indoor heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between the coolant and air, an intake blower for supplying air in a room, and an indoor air outlet functioning as a channel through which the intake blower feeds air into the room;

an outdoor air exhaust chamber having the outdoor heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between the coolant and the air, an exhaust blower for exhausting the air, and an outdoor air outlet functioning as a channel through which the exhaust blower exhausts the air to the outdoors;

an indoor air suction chamber connected to the indoor air exhaust chamber and the outdoor air exhaust chamber via an indoor air circulation damper and an indoor air exhaust damper, respectively, which are adjustable in opening ratio, and having an indoor air suction port functioning as a channel for introducing indoor air which is sucked under suction force of the intake blower and/or the exhaust blower;

an outdoor air suction chamber connected to the indoor air exhaust chamber and the outdoor air exhaust chamber via an outdoor air feeding damper and an outdoor air exhaust damper, respectively, which are adjustable in opening ratio, and having an outdoor air suction port functioning as a channel for introducing outdoor air which is sucked under suction force of the exhaust blower and/or the intake blower; and

a single housing for containing the indoor air exhaust chamber, the outdoor air exhaust chamber, the indoor air suction chamber and the outdoor air suction chamber.

2. The air conditioner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the indoor air exhaust chamber is installed in the housing adjacent to an upper end thereof, the indoor air outlet exposed in a front portion of the housing;

the outdoor air exhaust chamber is installed in the housing adjacent to a lower end thereof, the outdoor air outlet exposed in a rear portion of the housing;

the indoor air suction chamber is installed between the indoor air exhaust chamber and the outdoor air exhaust chamber with the indoor air circulation chamber as a partition from the indoor air exhaust chamber and the outdoor air exhaust chamber as a partition from the outdoor air exhaust chamber, the indoor air suction port exposed in a front portion of the housing; and

the outdoor air suction chamber is installed in the rear of the indoor air suction chamber between the indoor air exhaust chamber and the outdoor air exhaust chamber with the outdoor air feeding chamber as a partition from the indoor air exhaust chamber and the outdoor air exhaust chamber, as a partition from the outdoor air exhaust chamber, the outdoor air suction port exposed in a rear portion of the housing.

3. The air conditioner in accordance with claim 2, wherein the indoor air suction chamber is L-shaped to form an extended portion bounding on a front portion of the outdoor air exhaust chamber, the indoor air suction port disposed in the extended portion adjacent to a lower end thereof.

4. The air conditioner in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a condensate water reservoir under the indoor heat exchanger and having a condensate water pump for discharging condensate water from the condensate water reservoir under a high pressure;

a condensate water outlet under the outdoor heat exchanger; and

a condensate water injector over the outdoor heat exchanger, the condensate water injector communicating with the condensate water pump in a discharging side thereof via a condensate water feeding conduit for injecting condensate water from the condensate water pump toward the outdoor heat exchanger.

5. The air conditioner in accordance with claim 4, further comprising:

condensate water detecting means in the condensate water reservoir for detecting the level of condensate water contained in the condensate water reservoir; and

a control unit for turning on/off the condensate water pump for a given time period if the level of condensate water shows at least a reference value.

6. The air conditioner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger each includes:

a pair of headers to which coolant conduits are connected, respectively, and a number of heat exchange tubes coupled between the headers for functioning as channels through which coolant introduced to one header is fed to the other header,

wherein the apparatus further comprises hollow distributors each disposed between each of the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers and each of the expansion valves, the each distributor having a first end coupled to a coolant conduit and a second end coupled to a number of distribution tubes,

and, wherein the distribution tubes of the each distributor are coupled to ends of the heat exchange tubes of the each heat exchanger, respectively, so as to form a coolant cycle so that coolant is distributed into corresponding ones of the heat exchange tubes via the coolant conduits of the each distributor when introduced into the each heat exchanger from each of the expansion valves, and discharged via the coolant conduits of the each header when discharged toward the each expansion valve via the each heat exchanger in the cooling and heating processes according to switching of the four-way valve.