US20150267926A1

US20150267926A1 - Air conditioning system

Info

Publication number: US20150267926A1
Application number: US14/640,479
Authority: US
Inventors: Mitsunori Matsubara; Chaohong Xiao; Xiaowen Wu; Yixia Deng; Wanting Zeng; Daisuke Tsubosa
Original assignee: Panasonic Ecology Systems Guangdong Co Ltd; Panasonic Corp
Current assignee: Panasonic Ecology Systems Guangdong Co Ltd; Panasonic Corp
Priority date: 2014-03-20
Filing date: 2015-03-06
Publication date: 2015-09-24
Also published as: CA2882585A1; CN104930607A

Abstract

An air conditioning system includes a main room having an air conditioner and an air ventilating device mounted therein and at least one sub-room each communicating with the main room through the air ventilating device mounted in the main room. The air ventilating device distributes the air in the main room to the respective sub-rooms communicating with the main room. With the air conditioning system of the present invention, the noise in the sub-room can be reduced, the electricity power consumption can be reduced, and the energy can be saved.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201410105567.5 filed on Mar. 20, 2014 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioning system.
2. Description of the Related Art
An air conditioner is an apparatus for drawing indoor air into its main body to cool, heat, filter, or dehumidify the air and then discharge the air to the indoor space. Generally, there are two kinds of air conditioning system in the prior arts. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are respectively schematic views of these two kinds of air conditioning system.
FIG. 1 shows a kind of air conditioning system in the prior arts. As shown in FIG. 1, small- size air conditioners 1, 2, 3 are respectively mounted in a sitting room 20, two bed rooms 10 and have powers respectively corresponding to the areas of the sitting room 20 and the two bed rooms 10. Because there are air conditioners 2, 3 mounted in the bed rooms 10 and when the air conditioners 2, 3 are operated, they will generate noises and interfere with a user when the user takes a rest in the bed rooms 10. In addition, for each of the air conditioners 1, 2, and 3, it needs to mount an indoor machine and an outdoor machine, which not only occupies outdoor space, but also has a high mounting cost and large man-hours. Also, the total energy consumption of the air conditioners 1, 2, and 3 is high.
FIG. 2 shows another kind of air conditioning system in the prior arts. As shown in FIG. 2, a large-size air conditioner 4 is mounted in a sitting room 20 and has a power corresponding to the total area of the sitting room 20 and two bed rooms 10, and air exiting parts 5 are respectively mounted in the sitting room 20 and the two bed rooms 10. The large-size air conditioner 4 and the air exiting parts 5 are connected through ducts 6. The air in the sitting room 20 is sucked by the large-size air conditioner 4 and then discharged to the rooms from the air exiting parts 5 in the sitting room 20 and the two bed rooms 10 through the ducts 6. With the air conditioning system of FIG. 2, the large-size air conditioner 4 mounted in the sitting room 20 must have a larger power and thus its power consumption is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system which can reduce the noise in a sub-room such as a bed room, and reduce power consumption and save energy.
According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning system comprising a main room having an air conditioner and an air ventilating device mounted therein and at least one sub-room each communicating with the main room through the air ventilating device mounted in the main room. The air ventilating device distributes the air in the main room to the respective sub-rooms communicating with the main room.
The air ventilating device may correspond to one or more sub-rooms.
The air ventilating device may be a ceiling-embedded air ventilating fan, and each sub-room may be provided with an air exiting part; the ceiling-embedded air ventilating fan is connected with the air exiting part in the sub-room via a duct.
The air ventilating device may be provided with a control part, and the main room or the sub-room may be provided with a remote controller communicating with the control part.
The sub-room may be provided with a temperature sensor communicating with the control part.
Each sub-room may be provided with an air exiting part, the air ventilating device is connected with the air exiting part, and the air exiting part and the air ventilating device may be disposed at a lower portion of a side wall of the sub-room.
With the air conditioning system of the present invention, the noise in the sub-room can be reduced, the electricity power consumption can be reduced, and the energy can be saved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system in the prior arts;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another air conditioning system in the prior arts;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an air conditioning system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE IVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

First Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A dwelling house is taken as an example of the first embodiment. The dwelling house has a main room such as a sitting room, a sub-room such as a bed room, a reading room or a kitchen or other room. For the sake of description, FIG. 3 shows two bed rooms. However, the number of the bed rooms is not limited. There may be one or more bed rooms.
As shown in FIG. 3, a sitting room 110 is provided with an air conditioner 140 and air ventilating devices 150; two bed rooms 120 each communicates with the sitting room 110 by the respective air ventilating devices 150 mounted in the sitting room 110. The air ventilating devices 150 discharge the air in the sitting room 110 to the bed rooms 120 communicated with the sitting room 110.
With the above configuration, the air having been conditioned by the air conditioner 140 in the sitting room 110, such as cold air after cooling, is not discharged to the sitting room 110 and the respective bed rooms 120 through the ducts as in the prior arts, but is directly discharged only to the sitting room 110. Therefore, the air conditioner 140 in the sitting room 110 can have a power simply corresponding to the area of the sitting room 110. The cold air, after discharged to the sitting room 110, is sucked by the air ventilating device 150 in the sitting room 110 and is then discharged to the bed rooms 120. As a result, the cold air enters the bed rooms 120. In this way, even there is no air conditioner 140 in the bed rooms 120, cooling effect can be obtained in the bed rooms 120. Therefore, the space and the working hours for mounting the air conditioners 140 can be saved, the electricity power consumption can be reduced and the energy can be saved.
The ventilating device 150 may be a ceiling-embedded ventilating fan mounted between the ceiling and the top of the room. Each of the bed room 120 is provided with an air exiting part 160. The ceiling-embedded ventilating fans are respectively connected to the air exiting parts 160 in the bed rooms 120 through ducts 170.
With the above configuration, under the effect of the air conditioner 140, the cold air, after discharged to the sitting room 110, is sucked by the ceiling-embedded ventilating fans in the sitting room 110, and then flows to the respective air exiting parts 160 in the bed rooms 120 through the ducts 170 and is discharged to the bed rooms 120. Because there is no fan motor in the air exiting parts 160 in the bed rooms 120, there will be no noise generated by the running of the fan motor, the users in the bed rooms 120 can be provided with a quiet environment.
In the embodiment, the number of the air ventilating devices 150 is the same as the number of the bed rooms 120. That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence relation between the air ventilating devices 150 and the bed rooms 120. However, it is possible to use a one-to-many correspondence relation between the air ventilating devices 150 and the bed rooms 120. That is, one air ventilating device 150 communicates with a plurality of bed rooms 120. The air ventilating device 150 may be provided with a plurality of air outlets, and each air outlet corresponds to a bed room 120. Alternatively, the air ventilating device 150 may be provided with only one air outlet, and the one air outlet communicates with the plurality of bed rooms 120 through a Y-shaped three-way duct.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, a dwelling house is taken as an example as in the first embodiment. A main room may be a sitting room, and a sub-room may be a bed room, a reading room or a kitchen or other room. For the sake of description, FIG. 4 shows two bed rooms. However, the number of the bed rooms is not limited. There may be one or more bed rooms.
The second embodiment differs from thefirst embodiment in that the air ventilating device 150 is provided with a control part 210 therein, and the sitting room 110 or thebed room 120 is provided with a remote controller 220 which is disposed at a position on the wall of the sitting room 110 or thebed room 120 reachable by a hand of a user and which communicates with the control part 210 for setting a temperature or an air flow amount. The bed room 120 is provided with a temperature sensor 230 communicating with the control part 210.
Further, although the control part 210 and the remote controller 220 are shown to communicate with each other by a wireless connection, a wire connection therebetween is also possible. Although the temperature sensor 230 and the control part 210 are shown to communicate with each other by a wireless connection, a wire connection therebetween is also possible.
With the above configuration, the air flow amount from the air exiting part 160, which has been conditioned by the air conditioner 140 in the sitting room 110, can be adjusted by the remote controller 220. Specifically, for example, buttons (not shown) of the remote controller 220 representing high, intermediate and low air flow amounts on can be pressed, and then the remote controller 220 transmits a signal and the control part 210 receives the signal to determine the air flow amount of the air ventilating device 150.
Thus, with the above configuration, the air flow amount blowing toward the bed room 120 can be easily set and the temperature in the bed room 120 can also be easily adjusted at hand.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an air conditioning system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that an air exiting part 310 and an air ventilating device 320 are disposed at a lower portion of a side wall 340 of a bed room 330.
With the above configuration, the air 380 (shown by dashed line) after conditioned by the air conditioner (not shown) in a sitting room 350 is sucked by the air ventilating device 320 and then is discharged toward the bed room 330 from the air exiting part 310 disposed at the lower portion of the bed room 330 through a duct 360 connected with the air exiting part 310.
Further, the ventilating device 320 or the air exiting part 310 may be mounted at a position where a person may stand. In this way, it will be easy to mount the ventilating device 320 or the air exiting part 310 in the bed room 330.
Further, when the air blowing off from the air conditioner in the sitting room 350 is heated air, since the heated air will rise up, and the heated air is blown off at the lower portion of the bed room 330, there will be a homogeneous heating effect in the whole bed room 330.
Further, when the remote controller 220 is used to set a desired temperature, a signal is transmitted from the remote controller 220 to the control part 210. The temperature sensor 230 detects the temperature in the bed room 330, and then the temperature set by the remote controller 220 is compared with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 230, if the temperature difference is large, a large amount of air is blown off; if the temperature difference is small, a less amount of air is blown off.
Therefore, with the above configuration, the air flow amount in the bed room 330 can be easily set, and the air flow amount in the bed room 330 can be easily adjusted at hand.
Further, the air ventilating device 320 may use a well-known fan and a motor such as a DC motor. With the DC motor, when the air amount needs to be controlled to a certain amount, a rotary speed of the DC motor can be finely adjusted.
Further, the air ventilating device 320 or the air exiting part 310 may be provided with an electrostatic atomizer (not shown) so that negative ions in water can be blown toward the bed room 330 and produce a deodorizing effect.
In all the above embodiments, the air conditioner may be replaced with an air ventilating device for sucking fresh outdoor air. In these cases, the concept of the present invention can also apply. That is, a main room is provided with an air ventilating apparatus communicating with the outdoor for sucking outdoor fresh air into the main room and an air ventilating device communicating with a sub-room for discharging fresh air in the main room to an air exiting part in the sub-room. As compared with a case in which each sub-room is provided with an air ventilating device communicating with the outdoor, according to the concept of the present invention, it does not need to perforate a hole in a wall of the bed room adjacent to the outdoor. Therefore, the rain or the like in the outdoor can be prevented from entering the sub-room. Further, because there is no fan motor provided at the air exiting part in the sub-room, no running noise will be generated. The user in the sub-room can have a quiet environment for rest. Of course, both an air conditioner and an air ventilating apparatus communicating with the outdoor can be provided in the main room, and the air in the main room can be transmitted to the sub-room by an air ventilating device communicating with the sub-room. In this way, both the air having been conditioned by the air conditioner and the fresh air from the outdoor can be transmitted to the sub-room as desired by a user, and it is not necessary to provide an air ventilating device in the sub-room.
As mentioned above, a sitting room is just an example of a main room. It is possible that a machine room (a room where machinery equipments are installed) or a bed room serves as a main room according to actual environment in use. If a main room is a machine room, all the other rooms of the dweller can have a low noise. On the other hand, considering that a room where a dweller is often present needs to be air-conditioned much, a bed room can also be used as a main room.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is,:

1. An air conditioning system, comprising:

a main room having an air conditioner and an air ventilating device mounted therein; and

at least one sub-room each communicating with the main room through the air ventilating device mounted in the main room, the air ventilating device distributes the air in the main room to the respective sub-rooms communicating with the main room.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein The air ventilating device corresponds to one or more sub-rooms.

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

the air ventilating device is a ceiling-embedded air ventilating fan;

each sub-room is provided with an air exiting part; and

the ceiling-embedded air ventilating fan is connected with the air exiting part in the sub-room via a duct.

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

the air ventilating device is provided with a control part, and

the main room or the sub-room is provided with a remote controller connected with the control part.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 4, wherein

the sub-room is provided with a temperature sensor communicating with the control part.

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

each sub-room is provided with an air exiting part,

the air ventilating device is connected with the air exiting part, and

the air exiting part and the air ventilating device are disposed at a lower portion of a side wall of the sub-room.