DK3002523T3 - COOLING, AIR CONDITIONING OR HEATING SYSTEM WITH TELESCOPIC AIR STORAGE DEVICES - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a system for cooling, air conditioning or heating a building based on the heat-pump principle and using exterior air as an exterior source.

Systems referred to as packaged systems which contain, within the one same unit, all of the functional components namely: condenser, compressor, evaporator and expansion member, are known. One of these two exchangers through which the exterior air circulates is referred to in what follows as the first exchanger.

Other systems said to be of the split system type, in which the main unit contains a compressor, an expansion member and an air exchanger or first exchanger, are known. The second exchanger, the role of which is to release or absorb the heat energy of the building according to whether the apparatus is being used for producing heat or for producing cold is, for its part, placed in a secondary unit connected to the main unit by a set of pipes and electrical connections.

In the two types of system described hereinabove, the exterior air is aspirated into the first exchanger then discharged to the outside at a lower or higher temperature depending on whether the system is operating in heating mode or in air-conditioning mode.

Document US 6092377 discloses an air-conditioning system according to the preamble of Claim 1.

Once these systems have been installed it has been found, in certain installation configurations, that there is a phenomenon whereby the systems aspirate air that they have discharged.

Now, aspirating the discharged air may lead to a significant drop in system performance.

This phenomenon whereby discharged air is re-aspirated, may have a number of different origins. In the case of a system situated outside, the phenomenon is generally caused by the presence of obstacles (bushes, walls, mounds, system mounting structure, etc.) which may force the incoming and outgoing air flows to mix; in the case of a system situated indoors, the exterior air is generally collected then rejected (via one or more wall openings) in a fairly small area, so that the proximity of the incoming and outgoing air flows may cause them to mix.

The present invention seeks to at least partially overcome the problem as set out hereinabove by proposing a system for cooling, air conditioning or heating a building based on the heat pump principle, characterized in that it comprises: a heat exchange unit which performs an exchange of heat with the exterior air external to the said unit and which comprises at least one heat exchanger, namely an evaporator or a condenser, through which a heat-transfer fluid circulates, the unit comprising an inlet for the aspirating exterior air, an outlet for discharged air, and means for drawing air in at the inlet so that it passes through the said at least one exchanger and is discharged at the outlet, separation means separating the discharge air coming from the outlet of the heat exchange unit from the exterior air which is intended to enter the heat exchange unit, the said air separation means being arranged in front of the outlet of the heat exchange unit and extending longitudinally in the axial continuation of the said outlet and away from the latter so as to channel the discharge air leaving the outlet, the said air separation means being configured so that their longitudinal extension can vary.

The air separation means thus allow the discharge air leaving the outlet of the heat exchange unit to be channelled over a certain axial distance (dependent on their longitudinal extension) and therefore allow the discharge air to be separated from the exterior air that is aspirated thereby. The discharged air is thus carried away from the discharge-air outlet and is very quickly removed from the aspiration zone of the heat exchange unit, thus contributing to minimizing the phenomenon whereby discharged air is re-aspirated. These separation means are therefore particularly effective in combatting the phenomenon whereby discharged air is reaspirated in so far as they do not generate any disruptive recirculation of air that could contribute to the abovementioned phenomenon that is to be avoided. The heat exchange unit can be placed outside a building, partially inside a reinforcement or wall opening, or inside a building.

Moreover, thanks to the variable longitudinal extension of the air separation means (for example, parts that can be moved axially relative to one another or telescopic air separation means) it is possible to vary the length or longitudinal extension of the said means when desired (according to the application) and thus, for example, to adapt this length to different building wall thicknesses. As a result, whatever the thickness of the wall (within certain limits however, which are dictated by the minimum and maximum length that can be obtained by varying the longitudinal extension of the air separation means), the heat exchange unit can be arranged in the building always at the same distance from the wall. In general, the system is designed to minimize this distance, the only length to vary being that of the separation means so as to adapt to suit the wall thickness.

The space taken up by such a system is therefore small for a broad range of installations which are dependent on the wall thickness of the building. It then follows that the volume occupied by such a system in the room of the building in which it is installed is small.

The air separation means comprise, for example, a sheath of variable longitudinal extension which can be formed of one or more parts, which may or may not be assembled with one another and which are removable from one another.

According to other features considered in isolation or in combination with one another: the air separation means are telescopic; these means may for example take the form of a telescopic sheath formed of several parts assembled and axially movable relative to one another while at the same time remaining assembled/joined together for use; these means may alternatively take the form of separate parts which, once assembled, for example by nesting, form a sheath; the air separation means comprise a first part arranged in front of the outlet of the heat exchange unit and a second part arranged a distance from the outlet, in the axial extension of the first part and assembled therewith, the two parts being movable relative to one another along the longitudinal axis along which the two parts are arranged so as to vary the longitudinal extension of the assembly formed of the said two parts.

The two axial parts thus allow the discharge air leaving the outlet of the heat exchange unit to be channelled and therefore separated from the exterior air which is aspirated by this unit. The exterior air can thus be aspirated around the second axial part over a bore section that is larger than the bore section over which the discharge air leaves. The discharged air is therefore very quickly removed from the aspiration zone, thus contributing to minimizing the phenomenon whereby the discharged air is re-aspirated. These separation means comprising two parts are therefore particularly effective in combatting the phenomenon whereby discharged air is re-aspirated, in so far as they do not generate disruptive recirculation of air that could contribute to the aforementioned phenomenon that is to be avoided. The heat exchange unit can be positioned outside a building, partly inside a reinforcement or a wall opening, or inside a building.

Moreover, thanks to the two parts of the air separation means that can be moved axially relative to one another (for example telescopic air separation means) it is possible to vary the length or longitudinal extension of the said means and thus adapt this length to different building wall thicknesses. As a result, whatever the wall thickness (within certain limits however which are dictated by the minimum and maximum length that can be obtained by axial movement of the two parts which have been assembled, for example, by nesting), the heat exchange unit can be positioned in the building always at the same distance from the wall. In general, the system is designed to minimize this distance, the only length to vary being that of the two parts assembled with one another so as to adapt to suit the wall thickness. According to other features considered in isolation or in combination with one another : the two assembled parts of the air separation means form a discharge sheath allowing the discharge air coming from the outlet of the heat exchange unit to be channelled; advantageously, the bore section of the discharge sheath is smaller than the bore section for aspirating the air, which means that the discharged air is very quickly removed from the aspiration zone, thus contributing to minimizing the phenomenon whereby discharged air is re-aspirated; the two parts of the air separation means can be nested in one another along the longitudinal axis; the first part of the air separation means is nested inside the second part of the air separation means; the air separation means comprise at least one air deflector which is designed to prevent air discharged by the outlet of the heat exchange unit from being aspirated by the exterior-air inlet of the heat exchange unit; the said at least one air deflector is designed to keep the incoming and outgoing air flows apart and thus further reduce the risk of discharged air being re-aspirated; the said at least one air deflector is fixed to the second part of the air separation means also comprises an air deflector; the second part of the air separation means comprises an emerging end and the said at least one deflector extends around the said emerging end; the said at least one deflector takes the form of a plate, the interior peripheral edge of which is fixed to the emerging end of the second part of the air separation means and which extends transversely around the said emerging end so as to obstruct part of the aspiration of exterior air; the plate comprises an exterior peripheral edge which is shaped in such a way as to allow the plate to be fixed to a part of the building (for example a frame) , while at the same time leaving one or more zones around the plate uncovered so that exterior air can enter; the air separation means are arranged behind a grating allowing air to pass in both directions.

The invention also relates to a building, characterized in that it comprises, installed in the said building, a system for cooling, air conditioning or heating the building as briefly explained hereinabove, the building comprising a wall delimiting the inside of the building from the outside and in which there is formed an opening placing the inside and the outside of the said building in communication, the heat exchange unit being arranged inside the building and the air separation means at least partially penetrating the opening over a length of penetration that is dependent on the thickness of the wall.

According to one possible feature, the system for cooling, air conditioning or heating the building is designed so that the aspirating exterior air and the discharge air are forced to flow through the opening.

Further features and advantages will become apparent during the course of the following description, given solely by way of nonlimiting example and made with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general arrangement showing the installation of a system according to one embodiment of the invention inside a building;

Figure 2 is a view from above, showing the installation of the first heat exchange unit in the housing of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front face of the first heat exchange unit of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view from above, showing the front wall of the first heat exchange unit and the first part of the discharge sheath opposite;

Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view from the rear of the housing of Figure 1 (with certain walls omitted) incorporating the first heat exchange unit and partially inset into the opening in the wall of the building;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the open front face of the housing and of the first part of the discharge sheath opposite;

Figure 7 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of the housing of Figure 5 showing the male and female sheath parts nested one inside the other;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the discharge sheath part fixed to the deflector and to the exterior frame inside the wall opening;

Figure 9 illustrates, mounted inside the wall opening of Figure 8, the interior frame and the discharge sheath part fixed therein;

Figure 10 is a view of the front face of the deflector fixed to the discharge sheath part inside the wall opening;

Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view of all of the components of the system according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figures 12a and 12b are perspective views showing the adaptability of the system to suit building walls of different thicknesses .

The system for cooling, air conditioning or heating a building having telescopic air separation means will now be described in the context of an embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 12b in which the system has separate heat exchange units, with one of the units housed in a housing.

The telescopic air separation means can of course be applied to other systems, such as packaged types of system in which the units are not separate, that is to say in which all the components of the refrigeration circuit (notably evaporator, compressor, condenser and expansion member) are contained within the same cabinet, housing or enclosure.

In general, the telescopic air separation means make it possible to adapt to suit different wall thicknesses and to position the housing as close as possible to a wall of the building or on the inside of the wall, to a varying depth (reducing the space taken up in the room in which the housing is installed).

It will be noted that everything described hereinabove and in the description hereinbelow also applies to air separation means, the longitudinal extension of which can vary and the telescopic function of which is achieved in a different way (for example a one-piece sheath made up of several parts or portions assembled with one another and able to slide relative to one another) .

As depicted in Figure 1 and denoted by the general reference 10, a building such as a dwelling comprises several rooms or spaces, of which only two, referenced 12, 14 have been depicted. A heating system 20 according to one embodiment of the invention is installed in the building. This system is based on the heat pump principle and is of the type having separate heat exchange units (also known by the technical term "split") .

The system 20 thus comprises a first heat exchange unit 22 (visible in Figure 2) which is installed in the unheated space 12 and which comprises a compressor, an evaporator (first exchanger) and an expansion member.

This first unit is contained inside a housing 24 which is visible alone in Figure 1.

The system also comprises a second heat exchange unit 26 installed in the space 14 that is heated, for example, by underfloor heating 28. The second unit 26 comprises, for example, a condenser (second exchanger not depicted) and regulating equipment with components devoted to control of the heating system and management of the climatic comfort of the dwelling. The condenser makes it possible to heat the water (secondary fluid) circulating in the pipes 30 which supply the pipes of the underfloor heating 28.

According to an alternative form which has not been depicted, one or more other "second" heat exchange units 2 6 may be installed in other spaces or rooms of the building (in what is known as a "multi-split" technology).

As depicted in Figure 1, the first heat exchange unit 22 is connected to the second 26 by refrigeration connections 32 which carry the state-change heat-transfer fluid (primary fluid) which is used in the refrigeration circuit.

The first heat exchange unit 22 is illustrated in a view from above and schematically in Figure 2 and comprises, inside an enclosure 23, the main components of this unit, namely: a heat exchanger of the evaporator type 32 (first exchanger) which may, when viewed from above, have the overall shape of an L (Fig. 2) or a straight shape (or even some other shape) and through which the aforementioned heat-transfer fluid circulates, a fan 34, the function of which is to aspirate air that enters the enclosure 23 of the unit 22 in order to cause it to pass through the exchanger 32 and discharge it at the outlet of the enclosure 23, an expansion member 36 arranged upstream of the evaporator 32 and which allows the heat-transfer fluid to enter the evaporator at low pressure and low temperature, a compressor 38 arranged at the outlet of the evaporator 32 which increases the pressure and temperature of the fluid in the gaseous state. The member 36 and the compressor 38 are not depicted individually but represented as a single block.

As depicted in Figure 2, the enclosure 23 housed inside the housing 24 illustrated in dotted line comprises, when viewed from above, four walls 23a-d and a wall forming a base 23e. The enclosure also comprises a top wall 23f which is not visible in this figure but is visible in Figure 3.

The two adjacent walls 23a, 23b (which form a corner of the enclosure) are perforated (fitted with gratings) so as to allow air to enter the enclosure 23 from the side and from the back, as illustrated by the respective arrows A1 and A2. Air enters under the effect of the aspiration means 34 so that this air passes through the evaporator 32 and therewith performs an exchange of heat (evaporating the heat-transfer fluid inside the evaporator and cooling the aspirated air).

The other two adjacent walls 23c, 23d form an opposite corner of the enclosure. The wall 23d, referred to as the front wall, is opposite the air inlet rear wall 23b and is pierced with a through-opening 40 visible in Figure 3, facing which the fan 34 is positioned. Air that has passed through the evaporator 32 is then discharged through this opening 40 which constitutes a discharge air outlet for the heat exchange unit 22 .

The peripheral zone or shroud 40a bordering this opening has a frustoconical overall shape with the widening directed towards the outside of the enclosure, in the direction of the discharged air A3 (Figure 4).

This type of heat exchange unit is installed in the conventional way on the outside of buildings and, to this end, the opening 40 is normally closed by a grating.

In this embodiment, this grating has been removed and the heat exchange unit 22 is placed inside the building, inside the housing 24.

This type of heat exchange unit is, for example, the one found in heat pumps marketed by the Atlantic company under the trade name "Alfea Extensa + 6".

Figure 5 illustrates (viewed from the rear of the housing) the first heat exchange unit 22 housed inside the housing 24, some of the walls of which have been removed for the sake of visibility.

In Figure 2, the two opposite side walls 24a, 24b of the housing have been depicted in dotted line, as has the end wall 24c.

As illustrated in Figures 2, 5 and 6, the housing 24 is open over its entire front face (delimited laterally by the opposite walls 24a and 24b) , namely on that side of the housing that is opposite to the end wall 24c. The first unit 22 is placed facing the opening 24e in the front face of the housing, the opening 40 for the outlet of the discharged air A3 facing the frontal opening 24e of the housing.

The unit 22 is offset laterally inside the housing so as to leave more space between the side wall 23a of the unit and the side wall 24a of the housing than between the side wall 23c of the unit and the opposite side wall 24b of the housing.

Thus, the unit 22 is offset with respect to the opening 24e in such a way as to be tangential to the side wall 24b, thus leaving clear a lateral passage behind the opening 24e, between the side wall 24a and the wall 23a of the enclosure 23.

This arrangement encourages air outside the building to enter (symbolized by the arrow AO in Figure 2) the housing on the side where the unit has an air inlet.

Likewise, the unit 22 is set away from the end wall 24c of the housing and set close to the opening 24e in order to leave enough space for air entering the unit 22 to be conducted through the rear wall 23b. This incoming air passes beforehand, on the one hand, through the lateral passage situated behind the opening 24e, between the side wall 24a and the wall 23a of the enclosure 23 and, on the other hand, over the top wall 23f of the enclosure 23.

As depicted in Figures 5 and 7, the wall 11 of the building is pierced with a through-opening referred to as a wall opening 13 which places the inside and the outside of the building in communication. The opening 13 extends along a longitudinal dimension referred to as the depth, being delimited at its periphery by portions of longitudinal wall 13a-d visible in Figure 8 (this figure shows part of the system according to the invention installed in the opening 13).

The housing 24 has transverse dimensions that correspond to those of the wall opening 13 and is thus partially inset into this opening 13 (over part of the depth of the opening 13) so that the opening 24e of the housing faces the said opening 13 and communicates therewith. That allows it to derive full benefit from the arrival of air external to the building (via the opening 24e) into the housing.

The housing 24 comprises a framework made up of a number of vertical and horizontal members (crossmembers and longitudinal members) assembled with one another and which form the edge corners of the housing (Figure 5).

The walls 24a-c and a top wall 24f (Figures 1 and 5) are added and attached to these members in order to close the housing on all of its faces.

It will be noted that, in this example, at least two walls, the walls 24b and 24c, are mounted removably so that the heat exchange unit 22 can be installed in the housing and also so as to allow access to the inside of the housing if need be (e.g. for maintenance) . The walls or panels that close the housing are thermally insulated in order to limit heat losses.

The housing 24 also comprises a bottom wall or base 41, for example made of metal, on which a plate 42 for collecting condensates from the exchanger 32 is positioned.

The unit 22 rests on guide elements 44, 46, for example two of these (Figure 5) . These are, for example, two parallel rails mounted respectively in two recesses chased into the thickness of the plate from one edge which is arranged on the side of the end wall of the housing and extends as far as the opposite edge arranged on the open side of the housing.

Each rail 44, 46 is itself mounted on anti-vibration mounts, not depicted, of the vibration-damping pad type (also known as "silent blocks"), for example four of these, which are fixed to the base 41.

The layout of these parallel rails allows the legs of the unit 22 to be positioned thereon and slid in a translational movement until the said unit arrives at its installation zone adjacent to the opening 24e and illustrated in Figure 2. Because the enclosure 23 of the unit 22 has been mounted with damping on the rails 44, 46 which are fixed to the antivibration mounts, the transmission of vibrations from the enclosure to the base is very much limited (thereby reducing noise levels) .

The system 20 also comprises air separation means separating the discharge air Δ3 (Figure 2) from the air AO coming from outside the building and entering the housing so as to supply the air inlet of the unit 22.

The air separation means 70 (illustrated schematically in Figure 7) extend longitudinally (the longitudinal axis of extension X corresponds to the depth of the wall opening 13) from the outlet 40 of the unit 22 and away therefrom. As depicted schematically in an assembled manner in Figure 7, the means 70 comprise two distinct parts which can be nested one inside the other along a greater or lesser length of nesting or of penetration so that the total length (extension along the longitudinal axis X) of the two nested parts can be varied.

These means 70 for example take the form of a discharge sheath comprising a male sheath part 72 (first part) and a female sheath part 90 (second part) which are depicted separately in Figures 6 and 8 respectively.

As depicted in Figure 6, the male sheath part 72 is mounted on a base 74 (of transverse extension) which is fixed between two vertical members 76, 78 by axial returns 75a, 75b. The members 76, 78 are both fixed to the top and bottom horizontal members 80 and 82 of a frame referred to as the interior frame 79 which delimits the exterior periphery of the opening 24e of the housing. The frame 79 comprises a chassis made up of four members, two horizontal ones 80, 82 connected to two vertical ones 83, 84, and which each extend axially (along the longitudinal axis of extension of the air separation means 70). The frame 79 also comprises a peripheral rim 85 which extends transversely around the chassis at one of its two longitudinal ends. As depicted in Figures 5, 9 and 11, the chassis is intended to be engaged in the opening 13 and fit against the longitudinal wall portions 13a-d delimiting this opening. The rim 85 presses against the interior face of the wall 11 which faces towards the interior of the room and, more particularly, against a peripheral zone of this face that borders the opening 13. Fasteners such as screws allow the frame 79 to be fastened to the interior face of the wall 11. The housing 24 is partially inset into the chassis as depicted in Figures 5 and 6. The male sheath part 72 has, for example, a cylindrical overall shape and a circular bore section. The male sheath part has a first end 72a connected to the base 74 and an opposite, free, second end 72b which is intended to collaborate with the female sheath part 90 illustrated in Figure 8.

As illustrated in Figure 6, the unit 22 is positioned inside the housing, against the base 74, in such a way that the air discharge outlet opening 40 of the unit faces the internal bore section of the male sheath part 72. The unit 22 nevertheless remains distinct from and independent of the base and of the male sheath part 72. A seal 81 is interposed between the base 74 and that zone of the wall 23d of the unit 22 that surrounds the opening 40 (Figure 11) .

As illustrated in Figure 8, the female sheath part 90 has, for example, a cylindrical overall shape and a circular bore section. The female sheath part 90 has a free first end 90a which may be flared depending on the configuration, so as to make it easier to introduce the free second end 72b (Figure 6) into it.

The female sheath part 90 has an emerging opposite second end 90b around which an air deflector 92 is attached by its interior peripheral edge 92a.

The deflector 92 visible on the side of its front face in Figure 10 takes the form of a plate which surrounds the second end 90b. The plate extends transversely with respect to the direction of longitudinal extension of the female sheath part 90 so as to meet an exterior frame 94 to which the said plate is fixed by its exterior peripheral edge 92b. The deflectorforming plate 92 has the overall shape of a collar which is enlarged on two opposite lateral sides so that it can be fixed laterally by returns (Figure 8) to two vertical members 94a, 94b of the exterior frame 94. The plate 92 is also fixed by its lower edge to the lower horizontal member 94c of the frame (Figures 8 and 10).

The exterior peripheral edge 92b of the plate is thus shaped in such a way as to allow attachment to the frame, while at the same time leaving several zones clear for the passage of exterior air through the wall opening 13 so that it can enter the housing via the open side thereof.

More particularly, the plate 92 is cut out in such a way as to leave clear two lower air inlet passage zones Z1 and Z2 and a large upper air inlet zone Z3 (Figures 8 and 10) .

The plate 92 thus makes it possible to separate, on the one hand, the air A3 discharged by the outlet 40 of the heat-exchange unit 22 and channelled by the discharge sheath, the two parts 72 and 90 of which are nested one inside the other (as in Figure 7) as far as its emerging end 90b and, on the other hand, the exterior air entering via the wall opening 13. This then prevents discharged air from being re-aspirated together with the incoming exterior air, thanks to the plate 92 .

It will be noted with reference to Figure 4 (this figure depicts the position of the male sheath part 72 in front of the outlet opening 40 of the heat-exchange unit 22 using dotted lines) that the first end 72a of the male sheath part is, for example, positioned in register with the reduced-diameter interior peripheral edge 40al of the opening 40 (interior diameter of the shroud 40a) rather than with the enlarged-diameter exterior peripheral edge (exterior diameter of the shroud 40a).

Thus, by preventing the bore section from increasing, the discharge air A3 maintains a high velocity in the discharge sheath and at the emerging end thereof. This discharge-air outlet velocity also contributes to preventing the discharged air from being re-aspirated at the inlet of the system.

As already mentioned, the second end 72b of the male sheath part 72 is nested inside the first end 90a of the female sheath part 90 (Figure 7).

This arrangement prevents droplets of condensate that could be flung out by the fan 34 from escaping through the gap between the two nested sheath parts.

Furthermore, this arrangement reduces the drops in pressure head and is more aesthetically attractive than the reverse arrangement (with the sheath part 90 nested inside the sheath part 72).

Nevertheless, the reverse arrangement is entirely conceivable as an alternative.

As depicted in Figures 8 and 10, the exterior frame 94 to which the deflector 92 and the sheath part 90 are fixed is mounted in the opening 13 and fastened to the wall 11 (from the inside of the building for safety reasons).

As illustrated in Figures 5, 7 and 8, the exterior frame 94 is closed by a grating 100 which extends in a transverse plane. This grating 100 chiefly allows air to pass through it in both directions. This grating also acts as an aesthetically pleasing trim over the wall opening 13, prevents access by persons and animals, and affords protection against rainwater. The exterior frame 94 and the grating 100 may be mounted flush with the exterior face of the wall 11 or recessed into the wall opening 13 (Figures 7, 8 and 10) .

In Figure 9, the chassis of the exterior frame 79 has been introduced into the opening 13 and fastened to the wall 11 via its rim 85 and associated fasteners.

The two sheath parts 72 and 90 have been nested one inside the other (as in Figure 7) so that the length of the discharge sheath thus formed which extends into the opening 13 can be adapted to suit the thickness of the wall 11.

The interior frame 79 bears two parallel horizontal arms 95, 96 (Figure 9) which extend longitudinally away from the rim 85 to which they are fastened (towards the inside of the room of the building). These arms 95, 96 form support elements for the housing 24, part of which is intended to rest on them when installed (Figure 5), another part of the housing resting against the chassis as a result of having been inset into the latter. The housing is also fixed to the upper horizontal member of the interior frame 79 (Figure 5) via two inclined fixing arms Bl, B2 which also play a part in supporting the housing.

Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view of the various components of the system in this embodiment and the order in which they are assembled relative to one another: the deflector 92 and the female sheath part 90 fixed to the exterior frame, the male sheath part 72 fixed to the interior frame 79 and the housing 24 which contains the heat-exchange unit 22. It will be noted that the top wall 24f has been deliberately simplified because the hatch 24g has not been depicted therein.

Figures 12a and 12b illustrate how the system according to the embodiment of the invention is adapted, through the telescopic discharge sheath described hereinabove, to suit walls 11a, lib of varying thicknesses. The length of extension is thus greater for a wall of small thickness 11a (e.g.: 150 mm) than for a wall of great thickness lib (e.g. : 360 mm) . In Figure 12a, the frame 94 is mounted flush to the wall 11a and the horizontal rim 97a attached to the frame and which rests on the lower horizontal wall of the opening 13 is short. In Figure 12b, the frame 94 is mounted recessed into the opening 13 and the horizontal rim 97b of the exterior frame is longer. The horizontal rims 97a and 97b are weather strips which allow rainwater to be removed without causing it to run down the walls .

Claims (14)

A cooling, air conditioning or heating system (20) for a building (10), which is based on the heat pump principle and comprises: - a heat exchange unit (22) ensuring heat exchange with the air outside the unit and comprising at least one heat exchanger (32), namely an evaporator or condenser, in which a heat transferring medium circulates, the unit comprising an inlet for the suction of the outside air, an outlet (40) for the air being discharged, and suction means (34) for the incoming air so that it passes through the at least one exchanger and is discharged to the outlet - means (70) for separating the air which is discharged from the outlet of the heat exchange unit and the external air intended to enter in the heat exchange unit, which means for separating the air are located in front of the outlet (40) of the heat exchange unit and extend longitudinally in the axial extension of the outlet and away from the this to channel the air from the outlet (40) which is discharged, characterized in that the means for separating the air are configured so that their longitudinal extension can vary. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the air separation devices (70) are telescopic. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air separation devices comprise a first part (72) located in front of the heat exchange unit outlet (40) and a second part (90) located in a certain position. spacing from the outlet in the axial extension of the first part and which is fixed to the latter, the two parts (72, 90) being displaceable relative to each other along the longitudinal axis (X) along which the two parts are positioned so that the longitudinal extent of the whole formed by the two parts can be varied. System according to claim 3, characterized in that the two fixed parts (72, 90) of the air separation devices (70) form a discharge duct which allows the air from the heat exchange unit outlet to be channeled out. System according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the two parts (72, 90) of the air separation devices can be embedded in one another according to the longitudinal axis (X). System according to claim 5, characterized in that the first part (72) of the air separation devices is embedded in the second part (90) of the air separation devices. System according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the means for separating the air comprise at least one air deflection device (92) intended to prevent the air which is discharged through the outlet of the heat exchange unit from being sucked into the exterior air inlet of the heat exchanger. System according to claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the at least one air deflection device (92) is attached to the second part (90) of the air separation devices. System according to claim 8, characterized in that the second part (90) of the air separation devices has an open end (90b) and the at least one deflection device (92) extends around the open end. System according to claim 9, characterized in that the at least one deflection device is in the form of a plate (92), the inner peripheral edge (92a) of which is fixed to the open end (90b) of the second part (90) of the devices. for separating the air and extending transversely around the open end to block part of the suction of outside air. System according to claim 10, characterized in that the plate comprises an outer peripheral edge (92b) which is profiled so as to enable the plate to be fixed to a building element, at the same time one or more areas (Z1-Z3) around the plate. is left empty for the intake of outside air. System according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the means for separating the air (70) are located behind a grid (100) which permits the passage of the air in both directions. Building (10), characterized in that it, installed in the building, comprises a cooling, air conditioning or heating system (20) for the building according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the building comprising a wall (11) defining the interior portion of the building from the exterior portion into which an opening (13) is disposed which connects the interior of the building to the exterior, the heat exchange unit (22) being disposed internally of the building, and the devices (70) for separating the air at least partially penetrates the opening (13) according to an penetration length which depends on the thickness of the wall. Building according to claim 13, characterized in that the cooling, air conditioning or heating system of the building is designed so that the outside air which is sucked in and the air which is discharged are forced to circulate inside the opening (13). .