US3208236A

US3208236A - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: US3208236A
Application number: US341791A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frigerio Alvaro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-01-31
Filing date: 1964-01-31
Publication date: 1965-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 1982-09-28
Also published as: DE1454560A1; FR1382036A; GB1058285A

Description

Sept. 28, 1965 A. FRIGERIO 3,208,236

AIR CONDITIONER Filed Jan. '51, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY SePt- 28, 1965 A. FRIGERIO 3,208,236

AIR CONDITIONER Filed Jan. 3l, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

l 4 INVENTOR United States Patent O 3,208,236 AIR CONDITIONER Alvaro Frigerio, Via Cavalcanti 14, Milan, Italy Filed Jan. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,791 '7 Claims. (Cl. 62-262) This invention relates t a novel arrangement of ducts used for conveying a flow of air in an air-conditioner in order to cool the condenser unit thereof.

According to the invention the-re are provided two concentric conduit means, one for conveying cooling air to the condenser unit of the air-conditioner, the other for discharging the heated cooling air to the atmosphere, the axial dimension of said conduit means being adjustable within certain limits.

The main object of the invention is to provide an airconditioner adapted to be connected with the atmosphere surrounding the room in which the conditioner is located through length-adjustable conduit means which preferably end at an aperture formed in the window-pane.

It is known that there are on sale various types of air-conditioners comprising a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser and means for circulating air. These air* conditioners need openings for communicating with the outside atmosphere for the inlet and outlet of the air for cooling the condenser; usually these openings are formed in external walls or windows and the conditioner is xed so that for all practical purposes it is not portable.

Obviously this represents a disadvantage because the conditioner cannot be brought either from one room to another of the same flat or even from one window to another, and sometimes the presence of the inlet duct inhibits completely or partly use of the rolling shutters or similar means, as well as the opening of the window, in which the inlet opening is formed.

This invention provides a solution that eliminates said disadvantages by means `of a conditioner provided with contiguous concentric and lengthwise adjustable inlet and outlet ducts for the condenser, which can be easily introduced into an opening, for example in :a windowpane, provided with a packing and plug of transparent plastic material, that can be adapted to close the opening, when the conditioner is removed.

It has been found that the contiguity of the inlet and outlet ducts of the air for cooling the condenser does not prejudice the good efficiency of the conditioner; the low temperature difference between the incoming and outgoing air, the material interposed, particularly a plastic material, and the great speed of the air in the ducts prevent or limit very much the heat exchange between the incoming and outgoing air.

The invention refers particularly, but non-exclusively, to conditioners in which the air for cooling the condenser is moved by a centrifugal fan, the inlet of which faces the condenser unit.

The invention will be better understood from the detailed description that follows of embodiments thereof, reference being had to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is an axial sectional view of a conditioner according to the present invention, connected to a window;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the conditioner partially sectioned according to lines II-II of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of different extensible inlet and outlet ducts;

FIG. 4 is a cross section of another type of inlet and outlet ducts.

The conditioner comprises a supporting structure 1, a compressor 2, an impeller 3 driven by a motor 4 and an evaporator 5. In the higher part of this structure a chamber 6 is provided having (see FIG. 2) a condenser unit 7, which faces a side wall of the structure, the condenser '7 is contained within an housing having an inlet aperture and communicating through a coupling duct 8, with the section side of a rotor 9 driven, for example, by a central motor 10.

Round the rotor 9 is a shell 10a communicating with an outlet duct 11, for example concentric with a second duct 12 having a bigger radius so that the cross section of the circular annulus 13 has an almost equal or little greater section than that of the duct 11.

The duct 12 is connected to the structure 1, while the duct 11 can be an extension of the shell 10a, duct 11 for example consisting of plastic material.

The ducts 12 and 13 are length-adjustable. In FIG. 1 is illustrated an embodiment in which two

pipe sections

12a and 11a can slide telescopically over and/or in the

respective ducts

11 and 12, so that the total length a is changeable within wide limits according to ones own desire.

In FIG. 3 a different embodiment is shown, according to which the ducts 11b and 12b are provided in their central part with elastic and extensible bellows 14, that allows their simultaneous extension; FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the two ducts 11e and 12C are divided by an elastic and extensible middle wall 15 and are further provided with an elastic and extensible middle bellows 1419 for all the walls.

The extreme parts of the

ducts

11a and 12a (see FIG. l) are provided with radially extending spacing means 18, for example three of them placed at a distance of the exterior duct 12a can have on its extreme end a seat 19 for a packing 20, with which the contour of the opening formed for example in a windowpane 21 is covered.

Moreover the duct 11a is longer than its correspondent 12a, so that its mouth, compared with that of the duct 12a, is located at a greater distance from the windowpane and an immediate re-entering of the discharged cooling air is practically impossible. The sucked cooling air moves in the direction of the arrows A along the external duct and is discharged in consequence of the pressure originated by the fan in the direction of the arrows B through the duct 11a.

Of course with one of the solutions indicated here, or other ones to be easily foreseen, but always within the spirit of the invention, the ducts can be adapted to an opening easily formed in the window and the body of the conditioner can be placed at any distance from the window; moreover, as the conditioner can be mounted on a support or a dolly with changeable height, it is evident that a conditioner according to the invention will be easily installed, making therefore possible its use in different rooms, its displacement for cleaning etc. During the periods in which it is not used, it will be possible to close the opening in the windows with a patch of transparent plastic material or similar means. The materials employed for the ducts can be of different types, preferred ones being however the plastic niaterials, as for example polyvinyl chloride and various plastic resins.

I claim:

1. In an air conditioner adapted to be placed in a room for cooling air therein and having a condenser compartment containing a condenser, in combination, inlet duct means and outlet duct means having a common wall poT- tion separating said duct means from each other and each of said duct means having an inner end communicating with said compartment and an outer end adapted to cornrnunicate with the atmosphere outside the room to be cooled; and means in said compartment for suckingfresh air through said inlet duct 4means over said condensel` and lfor discharging the thus heated air from the compartment through said outlet duct means, the outer end of said outlet duct means extending beyond the outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged from said compartment from being sucked back through said inlet duct means.

2. In an air conditioner adapted to be placed in a room for cooling air therein and having a condenser compartment containing a condenser, in combination, inlet duct means and outlet duct means having a common wall portion separating said duct means from each other and each of said duct means having an inner end communicating with said compartment and an outer end adapted to communicate with the atmosphere outside the room to be cooled, and means between said ends of said duct means for changing the distance between said ends; and means in said compartment for sucking rfresh air through said inlet duct means over said condenser and for discharging the thus `heated air from the compartment through said outlet duct means, the outer end of said outlet duct means extending beyond the outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged from said compartment from being sucked back through said inlet duct means.

3. In an air conditioner adapted to be placed in a room for cooling air therein and having a condenser compartment containing a condenser, in combination, substantially cylindrical inlet duct means and substantially cylindrical outlet duct means of a smaller diameter than said inlet duct means and extending coaxially arranged with said inlet duct means through the latter and each of said duct means having an inner end communicating with said compartment and an outer end adapted to communicate with the atmosphere outside the room to be cooled and each of said duct means having between said ends a telescoping portion for changing the distance between said ends; and means in said compartment for sucking fresh air through said inlet duct means over said condenser and for discharging the thus heated air from the compartment through said outlet duct means, the outer end of said outlet ductl means extending beyond the outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged from said cornpartment from being sucked back through said inlet duct means.

4. In an air conditioner adapted to be placed in a room for cooling air therein and `having a condenser compartment containing a condenser, in combination, substantially cylindrical inlet duct means and substantially cylindrical outlet duct means of a smaller diameter than said inlet duct means and extending coaxially arranged with said inlet duct means through the latter and each of said duct means having an inner end communicating with said compartment and an outer end adapted to communicate with the atmosphere outside the room to be cooled and each of said duct means having between said ends a telescoping portion for changing the distance between said ends; means in said compartment rfor sucking fresh air through said inlet duct means over said condenser and for discharging the thus heated air r.from the compartment through said outlet duct means, the outer end of said outlet duct means extending beyond the outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged from said compartment from being sucked back through said inlet duct means; means at said outer end of said inlet duct means for sealing the outer surface thereof with respect to an opening in a window pane or the like through which said outer end may extend; and spacer means between said outer ends of said duct means for supporting the outer end of said outlet duct means in the outer end of said inlet duct means.

5. In an air conditioner adapted to be placed in a room for cooling air therein and having a condenser compartment containing a condenser, in combination, inlet duct means and outlet duct means having a common wall portion separating said duct means from each other and each of said duct means having an inner end communicating with said compartment and an outer end adapted to communicate with the atmosphere outside the room to be cooled, and bellows means between said ends of said duct means for changing the distance between said ends; and means in said compartment -for sucking fresh air through said inlet duct means over said condenser and for discharging the thus 'heated air from the compartment through said outlet duct means, the outer end of said outlet duct means extending beyond the outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged from said compartment from being sucked back through said inlet duct means.

6. In an air conditioner adapted to be placed in a room for cooling air therein and having a condenser compartment containing a condenser, in combination, inlet duct means and outlet duct means arranged side by side and having a common wall portion separating said duct means from each other and each of said duct means having an inner end communicating with said compartment and an outer end adapted to communicate with the atmosphere outside the room to be cooled, and bellows means between said ends of said duct means for changing the distance between said ends; and means in said compartment for sucking fresh air through said inlet duct means over said condenser and for discharging the thus heated air yfrom the compartment through said outlet duct means, the outer end of said outlet duct means extending beyond the outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged Ifrom said compartment from being sucked back through said inlet duct means.

7. In an air conditioner for cooling the air in a room, in combination, a housing; a partition dividing the housing into two compartments, one of which communicates with the room to be cooled; means including an evaporator in said one compartment for supplying cooled air to said room; a condenser cooperating with said evaporator and located in the other of said two compartments; and means for sucking fresh air from outside the room over said condenser and for discharging the thus heated air to the outside of the room, said last mentioned means including inlet duct means and outlet duct means having a common wall portion separating said duct means from each other, each of said d-uct means having an inner end and an outer end and means between said ends for changing the distance therebetween, said inner end of said inlet duct means being fixed about an opening in a wall forming said other compartment so as to communicate with the interior of the latter, blower means in said other compartment and having an outlet end tixedly connected to said inner end of said outlet duct means so as to communicate therewith and said blower means having an inlet end, and a duct in said compartment extending from one side of said condenser to said inlet end of said blower means so that air entering said other compartment through said inlet duct means will be sucked by said blower means over said condenser and pass through said duct and said outlet duct means to the outside of the room, said outer end of said outlet duct means extending beyond said outer end of said inlet duct means to prevent heated air discharged through said outlet duct means from being sucked back into said other compartment through said inlet duct means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,055,621 9/36 Chamberlin 98-39 2,099,188 11/37 Ballard 62-427 2,163,691 6/39 Lichty 62--428 2,167,380 7/ 39 Whitlock 62`429 2,204,401 6/40 Butler 62-429 2,210,458 8/ 40 Keilholtz 62-429 2,268,451 12/41 Hull 62-428 2,818,060 12/57 Field 98-62 `3,052,230 9/62 Conrad 98-62 WILLIAM I. WYE, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Examiner.

Claims

4. IN AN AIR CONDITIONER ADAPTED TO PLACED IN A ROOM FOR COOLING AIR THEREIN AND HAVING A CONDENSER COMPARTMENT CONTAINING A CONDENSER, IN COMBINATION, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL INLET DUCT MEANS AND SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL OUTLET DUCT MEANS OF A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN SAID INLET DUCT MEANS AND EXTENDING COAXIALLY ARRANGED WITH SAID INLET DUCT MEANS THROUGH THE LATTER AND EACH OF SAID DUCT MEANS HAVING AN INNER END ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAID COMPARTMENT AND AN OUTER END ADAPTED TO COMMUINCATE WITH THE ATMOSPHERE OUTSIDE THE ROOM TO BE COOLED AND EACH OF SAID DUCT MEANS HAVING BETWEEN SAID ENDS A TELESCOPING PORTION FOR CHANGING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ENDS; MEANS IN SAID COMPARTMENT FOR SUCKING FRESH AIR THROUGH SAID OUTLET DUCT MEANS OVER SAID CONDENSER AND FOR DISCHARGING THE THUS HEATED AIR FROM THE COMPARTMENT THROUGH SAID OUTLET DUCT MEANS, THE OUTER END OF SAID INLET DUCT MEANS EXTENDING BEYOND THE OUTER END OF SAID OUTLET DUCT MEANS TO PREVENT HEATED AIR DISCHARGED FROM SAID COMPARTMENT FROM BEING SUCCKED BACK THROUGH SAID INLET DUCT MEANS; MEANS AT SAID OUTER END OF SAID INLET DUCT MEANS FOR SEALING THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO AN OPENING IN A WINDOW PANE OR THE LIKE THROUGH WHICH SAID OUTER END MAY EXTEND; AND SPACER MEANS BETWEEN SAID OUTER ENDS OF SAID DUCT MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE OUTER END OF SAID OUTLET DUCT MEANS IN THE OUTER END OF SAID INLET DUCT MEANS.