US20060254304A1 - Indoor unit of an air conditioner - Google Patents

Indoor unit of an air conditioner Download PDF

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Publication number
US20060254304A1
US20060254304A1 US11/418,191 US41819106A US2006254304A1 US 20060254304 A1 US20060254304 A1 US 20060254304A1 US 41819106 A US41819106 A US 41819106A US 2006254304 A1 US2006254304 A1 US 2006254304A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
fan
casing
air
indoor unit
outlet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US11/418,191
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English (en)
Inventor
Jose Nacenta Anmella
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC
Original Assignee
Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC filed Critical Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC
Assigned to UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA reassignment UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: NACENTA ANMELLA, JOSE MARIA
Publication of US20060254304A1 publication Critical patent/US20060254304A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0018—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by fans
    • F24F1/0022—Centrifugal or radial fans
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0043—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by mounting arrangements
    • F24F1/0047—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by mounting arrangements mounted in the ceiling or at the ceiling
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0059—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers
    • F24F1/0063—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers by the mounting or arrangement of the heat exchangers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
    • F24F13/20—Casings or covers

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner of the type that consists of a hollow casing with vents for the inlet and outlet of air, respectively, being housed therein at least one heat exchanger and a fan that inhales air, through the inlet vent, from the comfort area of a room to the surfaces of the heat exchanger and returns it, through the outlet vent, to said comfort area.
  • the known indoor units of air conditioners consist of an outer casing, in the form of a cabinet, with an air inlet grille or orifice situated preferably, in apparatus to be installed in a horizontal or vertical position, on the lower part and an air outlet grille or orifice situated on the front part of the casing.
  • Said units also comprise a heat exchanger generally consisting, in cooling apparatus, of an evaporator that cools the air that enters the casing through the inlet grille using the evaporation heat of a refrigerant.
  • a fan housed inside the casing is responsible for inhaling the air from the room, directing it towards the heat exchanger of the indoor unit and expelling it towards the outside through the outlet grille or through tubes.
  • An example of an indoor unit of an air conditioner is disclosed in document WO 3033965.
  • the casing of the unit has a front orifice or a grille that extends horizontally, behind which a tangential fan is positioned, inside the casing, which inhales and expels the air in a tangential direction in relation to its axis of rotation.
  • this type of fan with an axis of rotation parallel to the inlet grille or orifice, has been used because the fan motor can be housed inside the casing at one of the ends of the fan, thus increasing the length of the casing to a greater or lesser extent whilst avoiding having to increase the thickness thereof.
  • the thickness of the casing is determined by the diameter of the fan wheel, which, to achieve an optimum airflow, must have a minimum size. As has been mentioned above, this minimum size conditions the thickness of the casing; the greater the airflow, the thicker the casing.
  • centrifugal fans positioned inside the casing in such a way that their axis of rotation is perpendicular to the largest faces of said casing, partly solves the aforementioned problems.
  • the diameter of the fan wheel does not condition the thickness of the casing
  • the size of the drive motor of said fans does condition said thickness.
  • This type of fan is often used in units to be installed horizontally on the ceilings of rooms requiring air conditioning. In this type of installations the thickness of the unit is not particularly relevant as the unit is usually built into the false ceiling of the room and the formwork of the floor above.
  • the indoor unit of an air conditioner that is the object of the invention overcomes the aforementioned problems.
  • Said unit consists of an essentially parallelepipedic straight rectangular hollow casing with vents for the inlet and outlet of air, respectively, being housed therein at least one filter element, at least one heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan that inhales air, through the inlet vent, from the comfort area of a room to the surfaces of the heat exchanger and returns it, through the outlet vent, to said comfort area.
  • the unit is essentially characterised in that it comprises a separator that divides the casing into two transversal cavities, one inlet cavity and one outlet cavity, with an opening for the air to pass from one cavity to the other, the fan being positioned in said opening of the separator, in such a way that its axis of rotation is essentially perpendicular to the largest faces of the casing, said opening constituting the entrance to the air intake of the fan, and in that the heat exchanger is situated on one side or other of the fan, always outside the projection, in an axial direction, of the air intake thereof.
  • the unit is characterised in that the drive motor of the fan is housed therein, and in that the stator of said motor is housed inside a casing situated in the air intake of the fan, fastened to one of the largest faces of the hollow casing of the indoor unit.
  • the fan wheel comprises a flat annulus or flat circle that joins the blades of said wheel, which project from the air intake towards the ends of the fan, the annulus being joined to the rotor of the drive motor of the fan, which is an external rotor motor, and in that the stator of said motor is fastened, by supports, to the face of the casing adjacent to the annulus of the fan wheel.
  • FIG. 1 is a view of the longitudinal section of an indoor unit according to the invention
  • FIGS. 2 a , 2 b and 2 c each show cross-section views of the separator and the fan corresponding to three variants of an indoor unit according to the invention.
  • FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner shown by way of an example in FIG. 1 is formed in a known way by a parallelepipedic straight rectangular hollow casing 2 with vents for the inlet 18 and outlet 19 of air, respectively, being housed therein two filter elements 3 , that cover said air inlet and outlet vents; a heat exchanger 4 ; and a centrifugal fan 5 that inhales air, through the inlet vent 18 , from the comfort area of a room to the surfaces of the heat exchanger 4 and returns it, through the outlet vent 19 , to said comfort area.
  • the indoor unit 1 comprises a separator 6 that divides the casing into two transversal cavities, one inlet cavity 1 a and one outlet cavity 1 b .
  • the separator has an opening 11 (see FIG. 3 ) for the air to pass from the inlet cavity 1 a to the outlet cavity 1 b , always through the centrifugal fan 5 positioned for this purpose on one side of said opening in the separator, its axis of rotation being perpendicular to the largest faces 17 and 17 ′ of the casing 2 , said opening 11 constituting the fan's air intake 7 .
  • the heat exchanger 4 is situated in the inlet cavity 1 a of the casing 2 , outside the projection, in an axial direction, of the fan's air intake 7 .
  • the air flow through the inside of the casing 2 follows an axial direction at the inlet of the fan 5 and flows perpendicular to the axis thereof at the outlet of the fan 5 , the inlet direction and outlet direction of the air thus forming a right angle.
  • the fan 5 is preferably of the type fitted with blades 9 facing forwards (action) or backwards (reaction).
  • Fans fitted with blades facing forwards have a larger number of blades but generate little noise. For the same speed of rotation, this type of fan achieves the same airflow with a smaller fan compared to other types of fan.
  • Fans fitted with blades facing backwards offer better performance than the former type because the old flat blades can be replaced by the latest designs with an aerodynamic profile, making it possible to reach performances of between 75 and 80% although, for the same speed of rotation and number of blades, their mass flow rate and their pressure are lower than fans of the type that have blades facing forwards.
  • the fan works at few revolutions per minute; to be specific, with a motor with 6 or more poles it can work at up to 950 revolutions per minute.
  • the stator 10 of the drive motor 12 is housed inside a casing 13 situated in the air intake 7 of the fan 5 , fastened to one of the largest faces of the hollow casing 2 of the indoor unit.
  • the thickness of the casing 2 adapts to measurements very similar to those of the drive motor 12 , which in turn guarantees an airflow of the proportions between the diameter and the outlet height of the blades of the fan described above.
  • the wheel 8 of the fan 5 comprises a flat annulus 15 that joins the blades 9 of said wheel, which project from the annulus towards the air intake 7 , said annulus 15 being joined to the rotor 14 of the drive motor 12 of the fan 5 .
  • the drive motor 12 is an internal rotor motor, and the stator 10 of said motor is fastened, by corresponding supports 16 ′, to the face 17 ′ opposite the face 17 of the casing 2 that is adjacent to the annulus 15 of the fan wheel.
  • the drive motor 12 is an external rotor motor, and the stator 10 of said motor is fastened, by supports 16 , to the face 17 of the casing 2 adjacent to the annulus 15 of the wheel 8 of the fan 5 .
  • This has an advantage over the previous variant, in that the supports 16 do not have to be adapted to the thickness of the casing 2 .
  • FIG. 2 c shows another variant of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the invention, and more specifically of the separator 6 and the area in which the wheel 8 is located.
  • the face 17 of the casing 2 is not flat and that, unlike the variants in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b , it has a recess 20 that determines a housing wherein the drive motor 12 of the fan 5 is located.
  • Said motor 12 is firmly attached to the casing by means of supports 16 ′ and it also has a second set of wall fastening supports 21 for the attachment thereof to the walls of the room, preferably to the wall adjacent to the ceiling.
  • the recess 20 takes the form of an inverted dome and has a hole through which the axis of rotation of the fan 5 , driven by the rotor 14 of the drive motor 12 is inserted into the casing 2 to thereby transmit the rotational movement to the wheel 8 of the fan 5 .
  • this constructive variant it is not necessary to dismantle the casing 2 to perform any maintenance or repair work on the drive motor 12 .
  • the separator 6 that performs said function.
  • the opening 11 in the separator 6 has a section, like a funnel, that widens in the direction of the airflow.
  • the walls that constitute the air intake of the fan 5 which form part of the separator 6 , are of a concave generatrix whilst the upper profile of the blade 9 is straight.
  • the upper profile of the blades 9 can be curved and that the walls that constitute the air intake of the fan 5 can have a straight generatrix or can have a curvature that is complementary to that of the upper profile of the blades 9 .
  • the opening 11 in the separator 6 does not have a collar to accompany the air inhaled by the fan 5 towards the blades 9 .
  • the separator 6 can have a rounded form to aid the flow of air as it leaves the fan 5 , towards the outlet vent 19 , similar to spiral-shaped casings.
  • the air inlet 18 and outlet 19 vents can be situated on the lateral faces or on the front face of the casing 2 .
  • the heat exchanger 4 it is disposed at an angle to the largest faces 17 and 17 ′ of the casing 2 of the indoor unit 1 , thus maximising the surface area for contact with the air.
  • the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner that is the object of the invention can either be installed in a horizontal position, suspended from the ceiling of the room to be air conditioned, or in a vertical position, resting against one of the walls of said room, occupying a minimum space thanks to the reduction in the thickness of the casing 2 .

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
  • Air-Conditioning Room Units, And Self-Contained Units In General (AREA)
  • Air Filters, Heat-Exchange Apparatuses, And Housings Of Air-Conditioning Units (AREA)
US11/418,191 2005-05-10 2006-05-05 Indoor unit of an air conditioner Abandoned US20060254304A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ESP200501112 2005-05-10
ES200501112A ES2275405B1 (es) 2005-05-10 2005-05-10 Unidad interior de un equipo de aire acondicionado.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20060254304A1 true US20060254304A1 (en) 2006-11-16

Family

ID=36778074

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US11/418,191 Abandoned US20060254304A1 (en) 2005-05-10 2006-05-05 Indoor unit of an air conditioner

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US20060254304A1 (es)
EP (1) EP1726890B1 (es)
AT (1) ATE412856T1 (es)
DE (1) DE602006003372D1 (es)
ES (2) ES2275405B1 (es)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090038333A1 (en) * 2006-10-19 2009-02-12 Lg Electronics Inc. Turbo fan for blowing and refrigerator having the same
US20160131380A1 (en) * 2014-11-10 2016-05-12 Internal Air Flow Dynamics, Llc Method and System for Eliminating Air Pockets, Eliminating Air Stratification, Minimizing Inconsistent Temperature, and Increasing Internal Air Turns
CN106288246A (zh) * 2016-10-28 2017-01-04 合肥美的暖通设备有限公司 一种风管式空调的控制方法
WO2017140203A1 (zh) * 2016-02-19 2017-08-24 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 空调器
US10401040B2 (en) * 2017-03-21 2019-09-03 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Air conditioner

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102016111136A1 (de) * 2016-06-17 2017-12-21 Güntner Gmbh & Co. Kg Luftkühler zur Kühlung der Luft in Räumen, insbesondere in begehbaren Lager- oder Kühlräumen

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2082441A (en) * 1934-06-08 1937-06-01 Air Devices Corp Air conditioner
US5769709A (en) * 1996-03-21 1998-06-23 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Air conditioner having air ports opened and closed by rotatable blades
US6719534B2 (en) * 2001-04-11 2004-04-13 Denso Corporation Vehicle seat blower unit with a motor mounted within a scroll housing and a cooling motor attachment bracket
US7275388B2 (en) * 2001-04-20 2007-10-02 Lg Electronics Inc. Indoor unit for air conditioner
US7318394B2 (en) * 1999-10-29 2008-01-15 Robert Bosch Llc Mount for connecting automotive fan motor to housing
US20080127671A1 (en) * 2004-04-09 2008-06-05 In Gyu Kim Fan for Air Conditioner

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4313493A (en) * 1976-12-13 1982-02-02 Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. Forced air unit
JPS5833454B2 (ja) * 1978-09-06 1983-07-20 三菱電機株式会社 空気調和機
JPS5950895B2 (ja) * 1979-06-25 1984-12-11 三菱電機株式会社 空気調和機
US4367636A (en) * 1980-09-24 1983-01-11 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Air conditioner
JPS5866737A (ja) * 1981-10-19 1983-04-21 Hitachi Ltd セパレ−ト形空気調和機の室内ユニツト
JPS5993130A (ja) * 1982-11-19 1984-05-29 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd 空気調和機
ES273174Y (es) * 1983-06-17 1984-06-01 Nacenta Atmella Jose M Ventiloconvector mejorado
JP2500696B2 (ja) * 1990-02-02 1996-05-29 ダイキン工業株式会社 ファン装置
KR100187226B1 (ko) * 1995-12-13 1999-05-01 김광호 공기 조화기 및 그 제어 방법
KR100727461B1 (ko) * 2004-12-29 2007-06-13 엘지전자 주식회사 공기조화기의 실내기

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2082441A (en) * 1934-06-08 1937-06-01 Air Devices Corp Air conditioner
US5769709A (en) * 1996-03-21 1998-06-23 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Air conditioner having air ports opened and closed by rotatable blades
US7318394B2 (en) * 1999-10-29 2008-01-15 Robert Bosch Llc Mount for connecting automotive fan motor to housing
US6719534B2 (en) * 2001-04-11 2004-04-13 Denso Corporation Vehicle seat blower unit with a motor mounted within a scroll housing and a cooling motor attachment bracket
US7275388B2 (en) * 2001-04-20 2007-10-02 Lg Electronics Inc. Indoor unit for air conditioner
US20080127671A1 (en) * 2004-04-09 2008-06-05 In Gyu Kim Fan for Air Conditioner

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090038333A1 (en) * 2006-10-19 2009-02-12 Lg Electronics Inc. Turbo fan for blowing and refrigerator having the same
US20160131380A1 (en) * 2014-11-10 2016-05-12 Internal Air Flow Dynamics, Llc Method and System for Eliminating Air Pockets, Eliminating Air Stratification, Minimizing Inconsistent Temperature, and Increasing Internal Air Turns
US10473348B2 (en) * 2014-11-10 2019-11-12 Internal Air Flow Dynamics, Llc Method and system for eliminating air stratification via ductless devices
WO2017140203A1 (zh) * 2016-02-19 2017-08-24 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 空调器
US10627132B2 (en) 2016-02-19 2020-04-21 Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. Of Zhuhai Air conditioner
CN106288246A (zh) * 2016-10-28 2017-01-04 合肥美的暖通设备有限公司 一种风管式空调的控制方法
US10401040B2 (en) * 2017-03-21 2019-09-03 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Air conditioner

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES2275405A1 (es) 2007-06-01
ES2314861T3 (es) 2009-03-16
EP1726890B1 (en) 2008-10-29
ES2275405B1 (es) 2008-05-01
DE602006003372D1 (de) 2008-12-11
EP1726890A1 (en) 2006-11-29
ATE412856T1 (de) 2008-11-15

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AS Assignment

Owner name: UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA, SPAIN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NACENTA ANMELLA, JOSE MARIA;REEL/FRAME:018100/0101

Effective date: 20060619

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION