MXPA01000860A - One-piece vent and exhaust door for an air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

A room air conditioner (12) of the type having a partition dividing indoor and outdoor sections (20, 22) is provided with vent and exhaust openings (66, 68) for exhausting air into the outdoor section (20) and for venting outdoor air into the indoor section (22). A combination vent and exhaust door (76) is mounted on the partition in the outdoor section (20). The combination vent and exhaust door (76) is configured to be selectively operable to a first position wherein the vent opening is closed and the exhaust opening is open, a second position wherein both the vent opening and the exhaust opening are closed and a third position wherein the vent opening is open and the exhaust opening is closed. An actuator mechanism is mechanically linked to the combination door for selectively operating the door to each of the three positions.

Description

DOOR OF DISCHARGE AND EXIT OF ONE PIECE FOR AN AIR CONDITIONER FIELD OF THE INVENTION. This invention relates generally to air conditioning units and more particularly to a door for venting and unloading a part of a room air conditioner and means for operating that door. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A room air conditioner is a self-contained unit having interior and exterior sections that are divided by a transversely extending partition wall. The lower section includes a condensing coil and a fan to circulate the outside air through the condensing coil and a fan to circulate the outside air through the condensing coil in order to cool the refrigerant flowing through the system. The inner section includes an evaporator coil and an evaporator that draws air from the relatively warm room or room and passes it through the evaporator coil to cool it and then discharges the cooled air back into the room. Rather than circulating the same room air at times, it is sometimes desirable to extract some of the contaminated air from the room to the outside. In addition, it may be especially desirable, under ambient conditions with cold temperature bring the external air to distribute it in the room. These functions have traditionally been performed with the use of exhalation ventilation ports respectively, which upon opening allow the selective flow of air between the external and internal sections. The doors are commonly located in a strategic position to take advantage of the pressure differences that selectively cause the outside air to flow through the ventilation port to the internal section or for the internal air to flow through the exhaust port to the external section . Since pressure differences are normally only sufficient for one or another of the venting and discharging functions, but not for both simultaneously, it has become common practice to provide a single selector mechanism to operate both devices with a single manual operation to open One door at a time. However, due to the need to locate the two doors in different places, as required by the pressure drop discussed above, the control mechanism has been mounted on a different component in one or both of the doors. In some cases, even the ventilation and discharge doors are mounted in different components. Typically, such devices are shown in US Patent No. 3,823,574 issued to the assignee of the present invention. Although effective these devices have been relatively complex and have traditionally included a relatively large number of interconnecting parts. As well as in addition to the obvious disadvantages of complicating the assembly and operation process, adequate spatial interrelations between the different parts have been found to be somewhat difficult to establish and maintain. That is, not only is there an increase in tolerance for the combination of numerous parts, but also the difficulties in maintaining proper alignment of operation are enhanced by the fact that these different components are attached to different mounting members whose relative or total positions They are difficult to control. For example, in the system described in the patent mentioned above, the doors are mounted to the partition but the functional levers are mounted to the control box. Since the position of the control box with respect to the division may vary, this may lead to improper adjustment or operation of the control mechanism interconnecting the levers and doors. The US patent no. 5 010 742"drive mechanism for ventilation and discharge doors" is granted to the assignee of the present invention. The patent '742 discloses a room air conditioner having a snail with ventilation and exit openings therein formed. A ventilation door and an exhaust or discharge door are provided to selectively open or close the ventilation and exhaust openings. An actuator mechanism mounted on the snail is mechanically linked to the ventilation and exhaust doors to provide selective operation. Although the '742 patent seeks to reduce the number of components of the system, it requires cam mechanisms, springs and other connecting devices in order to coordinate the selective opening and closing of the doors. Therefore, it continues to be desirable to bring to a minimum the number of components in and in that way the cost of the air conditioning units having capacities, both of ventilation and of discharge or exhalation. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A room air conditioner of the type having a division between the internal and external sections is provided with the ventilation and discharge opening to draw air to the external section and to ventilate air external to the internal section. A combination of ventilation and discharge door is mounted in the division in the external section. The combination of ventilation and discharge door that configures to be selectively operable to a first position where the ventilation opening is closed and the discharge opening is open. A second position where both the ventilation opening and the exit opening are closed and a third position where the ventilation opening is open and the discharge opening is closed. An actuator mechanism is mechanically linked to the combined door to operate selectively at each of the three positions. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS. The invention can be better understood and its objects and advantages will become more apparent to the technicians with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of an air conditioning unit embodying the present invention, with an outer cover and a number of internal components removed therefrom to facilitate illustration of the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged view similar to Figure 1 of the ventilation of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the upper cover / partition structure with the actuating door and lever of the present invention exploded therefrom.

Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the scroll or scroll of the air conditioning unit of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a front view of the air conditioning unit of Figure 1 with the evaporator coil and the volute removed from it, showing the ventilation door and the actuator mechanism in the unloading position. Figure 6 is a planar top view of the unit as shown in Figure 5. Figures 7 and 8 are views similar to Figure 5 and 6 showing the ventilation door and drive mechanism in the closed condition. Figures 9 and 10 are views similar to Figures 5 and 6 showing the ventilation door and the drive mechanism in the open ventilation condition. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the assembly of the upper division and the volute. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY. Referring first to Figure 1, the invention is generally shown at 10 as embodied in a quarter window air conditioner 12. The outer cover and many of the exterior components of the room air conditioning window are not shown in order to facilitate illustration of the invention. The air conditioner 12 includes a base tray 14 which is divided by a vertically extending partition having a lower section 6 an upper section 18 for defining the boundaries between the external and internal sections 20 and 22 respectively of the air conditioner . The upper section 18 of to the division, forms a part of a large and molded plastic component 24 that includes a top portion 26 and left and right side walls 28 and 30 respectively. It should be appreciated that Figures 1 to 4 illustrate the air conditioner from the rear side, while Figures 5 to 10 illustrate the air conditioner in the more conventional orientation from the front thereof. The left and right conventions will be adopted with respect to the view of the air conditioner from the front, this is as illustrated in figures 5, 7 and 9, therefore the right and left sides as seen in figure 1 to 4 will be reversed. The large plastic component 24 cooperates with the upper part of a volute structure 32 which is best shown in Figures 4 and 11. The upper volute structure 32 includes a flat upper part 34, left and right end walls 36 and 38 respectively and a right rear wall section 40 adjacent to the right end wall 38. An intermediate wall 42 extending downwards, has a semicircular opening 44 which cooperates there with a curved wall section 46. to define an upper volute chamber 58 which in turn cooperates with the volute chamber 48 formed by a lower volute structure 50 which is illustrated in figures 5, 7 and 9. The lower volute structure 50 includes the semicircular opening 52 which cooperates with the opening 54 of the upper volute structure to form the evaporator fan opening. A fan wheel (not shown) is rotatably disposed within the upper and lower volute chambers 58 and 48. The fan wheel has its axis aligned with that of the passage formed by the openings 44 and 52. When the fan wheel operates it is rotated by its impeller motor to draw return air from the room and cause it to flow through the evaporator coil to cool and then through the opening and into the fan where it is directed radially outwards and upwards through a passage defined by the edge 54 of the curved wall 46 and the interior of the left end wall 36 to a fan discharge structure of elongated rectangular shape 56, through which the cooled air is supplied to the air being cooled. It should be recognized that when the fan is in operation, a relative low pressure condition will exist in the inner section on the coil side of the evaporator in the upper division section 18 in the generally adjacent region of the upper volute chamber 58, area of low pressure that is indicated by the figure 60 in Figure 11. Consequently within another portion of the inner section, this is on the discharge side of the fan, there will be a relatively high pressure area within the fan discharge structure 56 That area of high pressure is indicated generally by the figure 62 as best seen in Figure 4. A rectangular exhaust flow opening 66 extends through the rear wall 40 of the volute, which communicates the area of 62 high pressure with the back of the scroll. Now viewing Figures 3 and 5 through 10, a flat section 64 of the upper partition 18 is provided with a rectangular exhaust opening extending vertically 66 near the upper end thereof and an identically formed ventilation opening 68 remaining directly below the exhalation opening spaced from it by a horizontal spacer 70. during operation of the air conditioner 12, the region in the outer section adjacent to the openings 66 and 68 generally indicated by the reference number 72 is a pressure that is higher than the low pressure region 60 and lower than the region Low pressure 62. The opening and selective closing of the openings 6, 68 is performed by the operation of the present invention as will be described in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that when air flows is allowed through the exhaust opening 66, air flows from the elevated pressure region 62 into the air discharge structure 66 through the exhaust openings 63 in the volute, through the exhaust opening 66 in the wall 64 and into the interior of the external section 20. Likewise, when the ventilation opening 68 is open for the flow of free air therethrough, the outside air the outer section will pass to the low pressure region 60 passing from the relatively high pressure region 72 in the outer section through the ventilation opening 68 to the internal pressure region 60 and then through an arcuate shaped cut 74 in the curved wall 46 of the upper volute structure 32 where it is mixed with the cooled air, which has passed through the evaporator and is directed to the room by the fan through the flow path described above and upwards through the air discharge 56. Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 through 10, a combined exhalation and ventilation door in a part 76 is shown to be selectively operable to allow the ventilation or exhalation or no flow through either the exhaust system or the ventilation system, by selectively blocking or allowing flow through the exhaust and vent openings 66 and 68. The one-piece door 76 comprises a rectangular shaped flat wall section 78 and a driving arm 80 formed integrally with the right hand edge 82 of the wall section and extending to the right of it (using the conventions stated above from left and right). The wall 78 has a lower edge 84 which is adapted to the horizontally slidable and slidably received notch 86 formed in the wall 64 adjacent to the lower end of the ventilation opening 78. As best seen in Figure 3, the flat section 64 of the partition 18 has raised sections 88 thereof which extend from the horizontal notch 86 on opposite sides of the ventilation opening 68 and end in a stringer 90 that faces upwards extending horizontally, extending parallel to the notch 86. The rectangular wall 78 of the door 76 has a horizontally extending rib 92, which has formed on the rear wall thereof a downward facing wall (not shown) that is it adapts to rest on the sill 90 and that allows the horizontal translation of the one-piece door assembly. Extending from the top of the wall 78 is an L-shaped flange 94, which defines a horizontal leg 96 that is adapted to engage a support surface 98 that extends horizontally in the upper part of the flat wall section. 64. That support structure also allows a free horizontal translation of the door assembly 76. The drive arm 80 includes a first horizontally extending section 100 which is an extension of the horizontal rib 92. A second horizontal section 102 extends from the right horizontal edge 82 of the wall and is spaced apart from and is parallel to the first section 100. An actuator engaging with the element 104 extends between the right-hand ends of the sections 100 and 102 and has a circular cross section there . A section of diagonal support and several support sections that extend vertically, indicated in general 106 serve to interconnect structurally the horizontal sections 100, 102 and the right edge 82. An actuator arm support 108 is integrally molded in the wall 64 and is adapted to receive the lower arm 102 there in a manner that allows in horizontal translation providing vertical support and restraint and horizontal to the actuator arm 80. Referring still to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 through 10, an elongated actuating lever 110 is supported on a horizontal structural surface 112 formed in the molded plastic component 24 to the left of the wall lateral 30 on the right. The lever has an external end 114 for being engaged by the operator for manual adjustment of the ventilation / exhaust door 76. The lever is pivotally mounted at an intermediate point 116 to the horizontal support and terminates at an elongated bifurcated end 118 that extends through a horizontally extending opening 119 in the partition wall 64. The bifurcated end 118 is configured to engage with the circular cross-section element 104 at the end of the actuator arm 80. Thus configured with the one-piece door 76 mounted as illustrated in Fig. 2, driving the external end 114 of the actuating lever 110 will result in a horizontal translation of the bifurcated end 118 and transmission of that movement to the door in one piece. When that translation occurs, the door remains in a confronting relationship with the flat wall 64 and the exhaust and vent openings 66 and 68 as the circular member 106 moves through the elongated opening in the bifurcated end 118. As best FIGS. 6, 8 and 10 show a cooperating toothed structure 142 provided on the actuating lever 110 and the horizontal surface 112 for stopping the arm in each of the selected positions. The operation of the one-piece door 76 for selectively closing or opening the exhaust and vent openings 66, will be better understood by the description of the rectangular wall 78 of the door as three sections corresponding to three operating positions of the door. actuator lever 110 and door assembly 76. The three sections, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, have received reference numerals 120, 122 and 124 and each comprises a substantially rectangular upper and lower region, in FIG. an overlapping relationship with one another so that each of the first, second and third sections 120, 122 and 124 define a section of the wall 78 that specifically extend vertically. Now viewing the first section 120, the lower region 126 is solid and does not allow air flow to its through, the upper region 128 is provided with a plurality of aperture 130 therethrough, which allow the flow of air. The second section 122 has upper and lower sections 134 and 132 which are both solid and which do not allow the flow of air therethrough. The third section 124 has an upper section 138 which is solid and does not allow air flow therethrough and a lower section 136 having a plurality of openings 140 therethrough, which will allow free flow of air. As previously mentioned, the exhaust / vent system 10 of the present invention is operable between three positions. A first position that will allow the exhalation, a second position that will not allow either the exhalation or ventilation, and a third position that will allow ventilation. Figures 2, 5 and 6 illustrate the invention 10 in the first or exhaust position. In that position, the upper section 128 of the first wall section 120 is above the exhaust opening 66 thus allowing free flow of air through the exhaust system as described above. At the same time, the lower solid region 126 of the first wall section 120 is above the ventilation opening 68 thus preventing flow through the ventilation flow path.

The second operating position is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, where the outer end 114 of the actuating lever 110 has been moved to the position to the right as seen in FIG. 6 to a central position as seen in FIG. 8, thus horizontally moving the door of a piece 76 to the position illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 where the upper and lower regions 132 and 134 of the second section 122 are in an overlapping relationship with the exhaust opening 66 and the opening of ventilation 68 respectively preventing thus the flow of air through any of those systems. Finally figures 9 and 10 illustrate the invention in the third or ventilation position, where the outer end 114 of the actuating lever 110 has been moved to the left end and the one-piece door 76 has been moved to a position where the third section 124 of the wall is in overlapping relationship with the exhaust and vent openings 66 and 68, as a result the system is allowed to operate in the ventilation mode with air flow through the openings 140 in the lower section 124 thus allowing flow through the vent opening 68 and the ventilation flow path as described above. In this position the upper section 138 closes the ventilation opening 66 preventing the passage of air therethrough.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS.

1. In a room-type air conditioner that has a partition or barrier that divides the internal and external sections and that has openings for ventilation and exhalation to expel air to the outer section and to ventilate air outside the internal section, there is presented an improved control mechanism comprising: a combined ventilation and exhaust door mounted on the partition or barrier in the external section, the door being configured to selectively operate at a first position wherein the opening ventilation closes and the exhalation opening opens; - a second position where the ventilation opening closes and the exhalation opening closes, - a third position where the ventilation opening opens and the exhalation opening closes; - an actuator mechanism mechanically linked to the combined door to selectively operate the door at each of the three positions. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vent opening and the exhaust opening are in a vertically spaced relation one with the other in a substantially flat wall section of the barrier. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the door comprises a substantially flat wall configured to be mounted on the barrier in an overlapping relationship to the ventilation openings and to the exhalation opening, the wall having: a first section that is extends vertically, the first section having an upper region that at least partially opens to the flow of air therethrough, and a lower region which will not allow the flow of air therethrough; a second section that extends vertically, the second section tending an upper region that will not allow the flow of air through it and a lower region that will not allow the flow of air therethrough; and - a third section extending vertically, the third section having a top region that will not allow the flow of air therethrough and a bottom region that is at least partially open to the flow of air therethrough; whereupon when the door is in the first position, the section that extend vertically from the wall covers the ventilation and exhaust openings, when the door is in the second position, the second section extending vertically from the wall covers the ventilation and exhaust openings and when the door is in the third position, the third section that extend vertically covers the ventilation and exhaust openings. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the combination, ventilation and exhaust door has a substantially rectangular shape and is supported on the partition for a horizontal movement between those positions. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the door has a drive arm extending from an edge extending vertically therefrom and further including a drive arm extending from a position on the section internal of that barrier, which is configured to couple the drive arm and to be manipulated manually, to a horizontally selective displacement of the door in each of those three positions.