GB2450958A

GB2450958A - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: GB2450958A
Application number: GB0808370A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marko Haekkinen; Pekka Kiriavainen
Original assignee: Halton Oy
Current assignee: Halton Oy
Priority date: 2007-05-09
Filing date: 2008-05-08
Publication date: 2009-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2028-05-08
Also published as: SE0801026L; SE533235C2; GB0808370D0; DE102008001652A1; FI20075330L; GB2450958B; RU2008118389A; FI20075330A0

Abstract

An air conditioner 100 comprises a heat exchanger 14 used to either cool or heat a room 'H' with the heat exchanger 14 located between end plates 13a1, 13a2 and being located in a housing 10 formed of a one piece plate blank having a perforation 10a for the passage of airflow L2 circulated from the room 'H'. Housing 10 may comprise of a bottom plate (11a1 fig 2), side plates (11a2) and a top plate (11a3) having bent locking edges (11a4) that engage with a locking notch (17, fig 4) of a locking part (16), which is attached to the end plates 13a1, 13a2. The circulated airflow L2 from the room 'H' may be brought into the air conditioner 100 from the side. The air conditioner 100 may also comprise of a fresh air supply chamber 12 communicating fresh air L1 from outside the room 'H' via a duct 'P' into a mixing chamber 'B' via nozzles 12a1 or a nozzle gap and thereby inducing the circulated airflow L2 from the room 'H', which may be heated or cooled by the heat exchanger 14. Mixing chamber 'B' thus creates a combined airflow L1 + L2 that is heated or cooled for communicating to the room 'H'. The one piece plate blank forming the housing 10 may be bent into an acute angle a less than 90 degrees (fig 6) so that a spring force causes locking edges (11a4) to lock with the locking notch (17) in tension.

Description

1 2450958 Air conditioner The invention concerns an air

conditioner.

Known from the state of the art are air conditioners, which comprise a heat exchanger. Such device solutions are known, in which a blowing fan is used to conduct fresh air from out of doors into the air conditioner's supply air chamber, from which it is made to flow through nozzles or a nozzle gap into a mixing chamber. Said airflow induces a circulated airflow to flow through a heat exchanger from the room to join the concerned supply airflow, and the combined airflow L1+L2 is made to flow further into the room space. One task for the air made to flow from the supply air chamber is thus to induce the circulated airflow from the room to flow through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is used to either cool or heat the room air.

The above-mentioned supply air terminal device is surrounded by a housing structure, which in the applicant's earlier solutions is formed by numerous separate structural parts; a bottom cover plate, a separate side latticework and a separate top cover plate.

This application presents an improvement on the above-mentioned structure.

According to the present invention there is provided an air conditioner, which comprises a heat exchanger, which is used to either cool or heat the room air and which heat exchanger is located in between end plates of the device, characterized in that the air conditioner in between the end plates comprises a housing, which is formed of one integrated plate blank and which comprises a perforation for the airflow.

According to another aspect of the present invention the housing may comprise a bottom plate, side plates, top plates and at their end a bent edge, which functions as a locking edge.

The air conditioner may be a so-called active beam, which comprises a closed bottom plate part and side plate parts comprising a perforation, whereby a circulated airflow can be brought from the side into contact with a heat exchanger.

The air-conditioning beam may comprise a supply air chamber and in connection with this a nozzle gap or nozzles, from which an airflow is brought into a mixing chamber, which airflow induces a circulated airflow to flow through a heat exchanger into a mixing chamber, and in which device solution the combined airflow is removed from the mixing chamber to leave the device, whereby the housing body comprises a perforation in both side plates of the housing.

The air conditioner in the top plate part of the housing body may comprise an edge bent from it, which edge functions as a locking edge and can be placed in connection with the locking part's locking edge into a locking notch at both ends of the air-conditioning beam in connection with their end plates.

The air conditioner as the housing body may comprise a structure, which is made of one integrated plate blank and which before it is put in its place is bent into an acute angle in between the bottom plate part and the side plate part, whereby a spring-like flexible structure is formed, which has the effect that the locking edge will remain in contact against the locking part's opposite edge, that is, the locking edge in the locking notch.

The locking part may be formed of one plate-like structure, which is attached by rivets to the air-conditioning beam's end plate inside it.

The housing body in the bottom plate may comprise a perforation and that the side plates are solid and they close the device against flows from the side, whereby the housing body is fitted into a so-called passive beam, which comprises a heat exchanger and in which no fresh supply airflow is brought into the device from out of doors and in which the heat exchanger is located between the end plates, by which the circulated airflow of the room is cooled by the heat exchanger.

It was realized in the invention to form the housing surrounding the supply air terminal device of one integrated plate structure, in which perforations are formed at desired places for the airflow. For example, in a device solution blowing upwards, the housing structure is formed of a profile comprising a bottom plate part closing the device from below, side plate parts comprising a perforation for conducting the circulated airflow to the heat exchanger and a top plate part comprising a bent edge, which can be set in a locking position into a locking notch behind the locking edge of a locking part located at the ends of the device.

The end of the device thus in connection with the end plate comprises a locking part, such as a locking plate. This comprises a locking notch, into which an edge of the housing surrounding the device can be placed. Thus the housing body in question is attached at the ends of the device to the air conditioner's body structure in such a way that the end edges of the housing body are placed against the inside end surfaces of the end plate of the air-conditioning beam. In this way the structure will have a neat outward appearance and the suspension is firm.

The invention is also suitable for use in connection with a so-called passive beam, which means a device solution comprising a heat exchanger only, whereby the room's circulated airflow L2 when ascended to the ceiling will arrive in the heat exchanger from above, it will be cooled there and it will descend downwards when cooled. Heat is thus transferred from the room's circulated airflow into the heat exchanger's heat carrier liquid. According to the invention, the solution concerned also has a housing body in between the ends of the beam, which housing body is formed of one integrated plate structure, which comprises a bottom plate part, side plate parts and a top plate part and therein a coupling edge, which is bent in relation to the surface plane of the top plate part into a certain angle, whereby the structure can be attached at the edge at four spots in between the end plates of the beam into four coupling notches in the locking plates. In this embodiment, too, the ends of the passive beam comprise an inside separate locking part, which has a locking notch for placing and edge of the housing body into the concerned locking notch in a locking situation.

To make sure that the protecting housing will allow airfiows through the protecting housing, the protecting housing in this passive beam embodiment is perforated below, that is, in connection with the bottom plate. Thus, in a cooling case the airflow will arrive from above in the heat exchanger and it will exit through the perforation of the bottom plate of the housing structure into the room and the space under the ceiling.

For the housing structure to have a certain spring force and a certain hold at its locking edge, the plate blank is formed in such a way that the blank is bent into an acute angle, such as an angle of less than 90 (87 ). When putting the housing in its place, the housing can be bent at its edge in such a way that a holding force is formed; which is the housing body's spring force. Thus, the housing body with its spring force tends to pull the housing body's edge to close with the locking edge in the locking notch at the end of the beam structure in the inside locking plates of the beam structure's end plates.

The air conditioner, such as an air-conditioning beam according to the invention is characterized by the features presented in the claims.

The invention will be described in the following by referring to some advantageous embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings of the appended figures, but there is no intention to restrict the invention to these embodiments only.

Figure 1 shows an air conditioner according to the invention, a so-called air-conditioning beam, in which a housing according to the invention is used.

Figure 2 shows a separate view of the housing case for the device according to Figure 1.

Figure 3 A shows a so-called passive beam structure, to which a housing according to the invention can also be applied.

Figure 3 B shows a separate view of the housing for the passive beam.

Figure 4 shows an inside locking plate located in connection with the end plate of the air-conditioning beam, which locking plate comprises a locking notch for an edge of the housing.

Figure 5 illustrates the support of the housing according to the invention at its edges into the locking notches of the locking part.

Figure 6 shows a profile shape bent of one common plate blank before it is mounted in its place into the locking notches.

Figure 1 shows the housing solution according to the invention in an air-conditioning beam, in a so-called active beam. The presentation is an axonometric partial view.

Figure 2 shows the housing 10 for the device according to Figure 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the air conditioner 100 is a so-called air conditioning beam. It comprises a housing 10 according to the invention, which is formed of one integrated plate and which comprises a bottom part 11 a1, side parts 11 a2, top parts 11 a3 and locking edges 11 a bent from these. The end plates 13 are shown as a partial view in order to give prominence to the other structural parts.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the housing, that is, the housing body 10 is formed of one integrated plate blank in such a way that it is bent into an angle of less than 900, that is, into an acute angle a, whereby a is, for example, about 87 (in Figure 6). Hereby a certain spring force is made possible, which will shut the locking edge 11 a4 against an opposite locking edge in the locking notch 17. The air conditioner's 100 housing case 10 is placed at its locking edges 11a4 into the opposite locking parts 16 into its locking notch 17 in such a way that the housing body 10 will tension the structure, so that the edge 1 1a4 will be pressed under the housing body's own spring force against the locking edge 17' in the locking part's 16 locking notch 17. The locking notch 17 is preferably an elongated groove comprising an end and edges 17'. The locking part 16 is a plate-like part, which is placed in connection with each end plate 13 of the device 100 on both sides of the device 100. In this manner the housing is placed neatly in between the end plates 13 of the device 100, so that the end edges N of the housing 10 will be placed against the inner surfaces 13a of the device's 100 end plates 13. The structure is hereby steady and the structure has a neat outward appearance.

Air flows through the side perforation lOb in the housing body 10 to the heat exchanger 14. Fresh air L1 is conducted from outside from supply duct P into supply air chamber 12 and through its nozzles 12a1, 12a2.. or nozzle gap into mixing chamber B, and the airflow L1 induces a circulated airflow L2 from the room H to heat exchanger 14. The combined airflow L,+L2 is removed upwards from the device 100. By using the heat exchanger 14 the airflow is either cooled or heated. The device 100 is closed at the bottom. The housing structure 10 is one integrated plate structure, which comprises a bottom part 11 a1, side parts 11 a2 and top parts ha3 as well as bent edges 1la4 belonging to these. A perforation IOa is made in the side parts 11 a2 for the airflow L2 from the room space H. The housing body 10 is placed and suspended at the housing body's top edge 11 a4 to both end plates 13 of the device 100 and in connection with each end plate 13 on two sides. The end plates 13 comprise a locking part 16, which comprises a locking notch 17 and therein a locking edge 17' for the housing body's 10 edge ha4. The housing body's 10 edge ha4 can be mounted into the locking part's 16 locking notch 17, whereby the housing body 10 is mounted in its place and it is located at its end edges N against the front surfaces l3a of the device's end plates 13 in a neat and steady manner.

Figures 3A, 3B show the air conditioner 100 as a so-called passive beam solution, which comprises no arrangements for a fresh supply airflow. The passive beam also comprises a heat exchanger 14, whereby the heat exchanger 14 is used to cool the room air L2. The airflow arrives in the passive beam's 100 heat exchanger 14 from above, it is cooled in the heat exchanger 14 and it descends downwards in the room H. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the housing body 10 is located in the same way as in the preceding embodiment in the locking notch 17 against the locking edges 17' of the locking pieces 16 located in connection with the device's end plates 13.

Thus, the housing body 10 has no support elsewhere and the suspension takes place simply with the aid of two suspension edges 11 a4 at their ends, that is, at four points.

Figure 3 B shows a housing body 10 for the device according to Figure 3A.

As shown in the figure, the air-conditioning beam's 100 housing body 10 comprises a bottom plate 1 1a1, side plates ha2, top plates ha3 and in their edge attaching edges 11 a.4. In addition, both plates comprise perforations 1 Oh. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the perforation lOa is located for the room airflow L2 in the side plate parts I 1a2, and as shown in Figure 5, the perforation lOa is located in the bottom plate part ha1.

Figure 4 illustrates the arrangement according to the invention. The air-conditioning beam's 100 housing body 10 comprises a bottom plate ha1, side plates 11a2, top plate parts 1 Ia3 and a locking edge ha4 bent from the top plate part II a. In the locking, it is located against the locking part's 16 locking edge 17' behind it in the locking notch 17, into which it is placed.

Figure 5 is a separate view of the locking part 16 and the locking notch 17.

Figure 6 illustrates how a spring force is formed as a result of bending the blank into an acute angle a.

Claims

Claims 1. An air conditioner comprising a heat exchanger for cooling or

heating air, the heat exchanger being located in between end plates of the air conditioner, wherein the air conditioner in between the end plates comprises a housing, which is formed of one integrated plate blank and which comprises a perforation for the airflow.
2. An air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a bottom plate, side plates, top plates and at their end a bent edge, which functions as a locking edge.
3. An air conditioner according to any preceding claim, wherein the air conditioner is a so-called active beam, which comprises a closed bottom plate part and side plate parts comprising a perforation, whereby a circulated airflow can be brought from the side into contact with a heat exchanger.
4. An air conditioner according to the preceding claim, wherein the air-conditioning beam comprises a supply air chamber and in connection with this a nozzle gap or nozzles, from which an airflow is brought into a mixing chamber, which airflow induces a circulated airflow to flow through a heat exchanger into a mixing chamber, and in which device solution the combined airflow is removed from the mixing chamber to leave the device, whereby the housing body comprises a perforation in both side plates of the housing.
5. An air conditioner according to any preceding claim, wherein the air conditioner in the top plate part of the housing body comprises an edge bent from it, which edge functions as a locking edge and it can be placed in connection with the locking part's locking edge into a locking notch at both ends of the air-conditioning beam in connection with their end plates.
6. An air conditioner according to any preceding claim, wherein the air conditioner as the housing body comprises a structure, which is made of one integrated plate blank and which before it is put in its place is bent into an acute angle in between the bottom plate part and the side plate part, whereby a spring-like flexible structure is formed, which has the effect that the locking edge will remain in contact against the locking part's opposite edge, that is, the locking edge in the locking notch.
7. An air conditioner according to any preceding claim, wherein the locking part is formed of one plate-like structure, which is attached by rivets to the air-conditioning beam's end plate inside it.
8. An air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the housing body in the bottom plate comprises a perforation and that the side plates are solid and they close the device against flows from the side, whereby the housing body is fitted into a so-called passive beam, which comprises a heat exchanger and in which no fresh supply airflow is brought into the device from out of doors and in which the heat exchanger is located between the end plates, by which the circulated airflow of the room is cooled by the heat exchanger.