US20230119391A1

US20230119391A1 - Multipurpose Heating and Cooling Single Unit System for Buildings

Info

Publication number: US20230119391A1
Application number: US18/046,548
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul Tinsley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-10-14
Filing date: 2022-10-14
Publication date: 2023-04-20

Abstract

The present invention relates to an improved heating and cooling system for homes, businesses, and more. The system is used for removing heat and humidity from an enclosed area while enabling hot air to heat water present in a hot water tank for various uses, like drying clothes and more. The system has a cabinet including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. A water jacket for the condenser and the evaporator are also disposed in the cabinet. The system allows users to use the hot air and the cold air produced by the system for cooling one place and keeping another place hot simultaneously. The system is easy to install and repair and is cost-effective.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/255,525, which was filed on Oct. 14, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of HVAC systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel and comprehensive system that assists with the heating or cooling of a home, office or other building. The system is comprised of a cabinet, a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator with two water jackets. The system is easy to install and repair, and is cost-effective in its operation. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

By way of background, conventional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems use two basic components or units. A first unit is a condensing unit that includes a compressor, a coil of tubing, and a blower fan. The second unit is an air handler that contains the evaporator coil and a blower fan. The condensing unit is generally placed outside the HVAC unit and the air handler is positioned inside the HVAC unit. However, this conventional arrangement suffers from a number of problems and limitations. For example, such systems require a lot of refrigeration tubing that contains a pressurized refrigeration and a leak, at any point along the tubing, can render the system useless. The repair of such leaks requires skilled technicians and is expensive. Individuals desire a system that requires less refrigeration tubing and a system that can be installed and repaired by a do-it-yourselfer (DIYer).
Further, in conventional systems, the evaporator has fins and air spaces between the tubes containing the refrigerant. The evaporator fins are relatively small. The debris not caught by the air filter of such systems is caught in the evaporator which can interfere with free flow of air.
Conventional systems throw hot air outside the building which renders the hot air unusable. The cold air in conventional systems is used for lowering the temperature of the building and therefore, individuals desire an improved system that enables users to use the hot air produced by the condenser unit. Also, individuals desire a system that can be installed and used inside a building versus typical systems installed outside the building.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved HVAC system that enables individuals to install and repair the system themselves (i.e., DIY) without requiring a technician. There is also a long-felt need in the art for a heating and cooling system that enables users to use the hot air produced by the system. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved HVAC system that can be easily installed in homes, businesses, and more. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for a heating and cooling system for buildings that have integrated condensing units and evaporator units for easy installation and repair. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for an HVAC system that can be installed and used inside homes, businesses, and more. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved system that improves overall heating and cooling efficiency while saving time and money for users.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a multipurpose heating and cooling HVAC system for homes, businesses, and more. The system is a DIY system that can be easily installed and repaired by users without requiring a technicians. Further, the system provides heat transfer through water and not air. The system further comprising a condensing unit for creating a hot refrigerant to produce a hot water jacket, an evaporator unit for cooling down said hot refrigerant to make a cold refrigerant and a cold water jacket wherein the refrigerant is passed from said condensing unit to said evaporator unit via a compressor; and said condensing unit, said compressor and said evaporator unit are integrated in a steel cabinet that can be installed inside a building. A hot water tank receives hot water from said hot water jacket for supplying to one or more hot appliances and the system sends cold water from said cold water jacket to cold appliance and one or more radiators.
In this manner, the improved HVAC system of the present invention accomplishes all of the foregoing objectives and provides users a comprehensive system that assists with heating and cooling of a home, office, or other building. The system combines a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator to reduce excessive maintenance and replacement. The hot water can be used for heating water in a hot water tank before being disposed of, thereby enabling users to use the hot water tank for their use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a multipurpose heating and cooling system for homes, businesses and more. The system further comprising a condensing unit for creating a hot refrigerant to produce a hot water jacket, an evaporator unit for cooling down said hot refrigerant to make a cold refrigerant, and a cold water jacket wherein the refrigerant is passed from said condensing unit to said evaporator unit via a compressor, a hot water tank for receiving hot water from said hot water jacket for supplying to one or more hot appliances, wherein the system sends cold water from said cold water jacket to a cold appliance and one or more radiators, wherein said condensing unit, said compressor, and said evaporator unit are integrated in a steel cabinet that can be installed inside a building.
In yet another embodiment, the condensing unit functions as a boiler for creating a hot water jacket and the evaporating unit functions as a chiller for creating a cold water jacket.
In yet another embodiment, a comprehensive system for providing heating and cooling of an enclosed building is disclosed. The system includes a single metal cabinet, the cabinet includes a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, a self-contained hot water jacket for the condenser and a self-contained cold water jacket for the evaporator, wherein the hot water from the hot water jacket is transported to a hot water tank to heat water stored therein and the cold water from the cold water jacket is transported to at least one cold appliance or radiator.
In yet another embodiment, the hot water from the hot water tank is used by radiators for performing various functions including drying clothes, operating a hair dryer, and more.
In yet another embodiment, the system cools one portion of the building and warms another portion of the building.
Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of a complete one-piece self-contained heat mover (i.e., air conditioner) system of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 2 illustrates an isolated view of a hot water holding tank used in the system of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 3 illustrates a functional diagram showing operation of the air conditioning system of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture; and

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary circuit diagram of the system of the present invention showing the operation of the system in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved HVAC system that enables the individuals to install and repair the system themselves (i.e., DIY) without requiring a technician. There is also a long-felt need in the art for a heating and cooling system that enables users to use the hot air produced by the system. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved HVAC system that be easily installed in homes, businesses, and more. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for a heating and cooling system for buildings that has integrated condensing units and evaporator units for easy installation and repair. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for an HVAC system that can be installed and used inside homes, businesses, and more. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for an improved system that improves overall heating and cooling efficiency while saving time and money for users.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a comprehensive heating and cooling system for providing heating and cooling in an enclosed building. The system includes a single metal cabinet, the cabinet includes a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, a self-contained hot water jacket for the condenser and a self-contained cold water jacket for the evaporator, wherein the hot water from the hot water jacket is transported to a hot water tank to heat water stored therein and the cold water from the cold water jacket is transported to at least one cold appliance or radiator.
Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of the complete one-piece self-contained heat mover (i.e., air conditioner) system 100 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The refrigerant system 100 is designed as a comprehensive system that assists with heating and cooling of a home, office, or other building. More specifically, the system 100 replaces conventional heating and cooling systems for maintaining optimal temperature in a building. The system 100 includes a metal cabinet 102 that includes a condenser unit 104, a compressor unit 106 and an evaporator unit 108 for providing cooling and heating. The inclusion of said three units in a single cabinet 102 greatly reduces the potential for excessive maintenance and replacement. The condenser 104 has a hot water jacket 110 produced by hot refrigerant of the condenser coil (not shown) and the evaporator unit 108 has a corresponding cold water jacket 112 enclosed within the cabinet 102. The heat from the condenser unit 104 is carried through the water and not through air as in conventional air conditioning units. Similarly, the heat from the evaporator unit 108 is also carried out by water of the water jacket 112. Specifically, the hot water from the hot water jacket 110 is transported to a hot water tank (illustrated in FIG. 2 ) for heating the water stored in the tank.
The temperature of both hot and cold water can be transferred simultaneously to external radiators enabling individuals to use heat of the condenser unit 104 and the cold temperature of the evaporator unit 108 at the same time. As an example, the heat from the condenser unit 104 can be used for a sauna or hot tub and is not wasted by discarding the heat unlike conventional HVAC systems.
As illustrated, the condenser unit 104 is connected to a water heater 114 through a 10-PSI pump 130. The water heater 114 receives water supply from the condenser water jacket 110 of the condenser unit 104. The water heater 114 (a part of the hot water tank of FIG. 2 ) can provide hot water to external entities, like a household air conditioner or furnace 116 and one or more radiators 118. The radiator 118 can be used for heating air for blowing clothes dry, hair dryer, and more that eliminates the need for an electrical heater and saves on electricity.
The evaporation unit 108 includes a capillary tube 120 for metering refrigerant from the condenser 104 to the evaporator unit 108. The diameter and the length of the tube 120 is designed to allow a consistent flow of refrigerant from the condenser 104 to the evaporator 108. The pressure of the refrigerant drops down when the refrigerant enters the capillary tube 120 from the condenser 104 due to the low diameter of the tube 120.
The evaporator unit 108 is attached to a second 10-PSI pump 122 for flowing the water from the water jacket 112 to a refrigerator radiator 124. The refrigerator radiator 124 further cools down the temperature of the water flowing from the evaporator unit 108 and can be transferred to one or more house radiators 126. Also, the evaporator unit 108 can be connected to one or more other radiators 128 to use the cold water.
It should be appreciated that the system 100 includes a one-unit cabinet housing condenser 104, compressor 106, and the evaporator 108 and therefore, allows both cold and hot water to be used separately and simultaneously. Further, the system 100 uses switching from air to water for heating and cooling as the heat is taken out by water flowing out of the water jackets
FIG. 2 illustrates an isolated view of the hot water holding tank used in the system 100 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The hot water holding tank 202 has the integrated water heater 114 and is configured to hold hot water that can be provided to radiators for use. The water heater 114 warms the water received from the water jacket of the condenser unit 104.
The tank 202 has an inlet 204 for the water heater 114 to receive water from the condenser water jacket 110 and has an outlet 206 that can be used for transferring water to one or more radiators for external use like hair drying and more. The tank 202 has a pressure release valve 208 for maintaining pressure of the water inside the water tank 202.
In addition to receiving water from the condenser water jacket 110, the water tank 202 has a second inlet 210 for receiving cold water from another supply such as a household supply. Similarly, a third inlet 212 is used for receiving hot water from a supply and can be used for providing to radiators through the outlet 206.
The hot water from the cooling process can be used to heat the water in the hot water tank before it is discharged or otherwise discarded. Further, the system 100 can switch the lines from heat to cool via an electric switch.
FIG. 3 illustrates a functional diagram showing operation of the air conditioning system 100 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. As illustrated in the present embodiment, the boiler hot water 302 at about 180 degrees is received in a boiler chiller tank 304 and is output through the output port 306 to a water tank (as illustrated in FIG.2). The condenser unit 104 has ½″ radiator coils 308 connected to ½″ 300 PSI copper pipe 310 to carry the boiler hot water 302 to compressor 106 (that can be an external compressor as well).
For carrying the refrigeration from the condenser unit 104 to the evaporator unit 108 at a lower pressure, capillary tube 120 is used. The capillary tube 120 is configured to lower the pressure from 300 PSI to 70 PSI. The condenser unit 104 and the evaporator unit 108 are sealed by the insulation unit 312 housed inside ½″ polymer mechanical unit housing 314.
The chiller cold water 316 at 35 degrees is generated by the evaporator unit 108 that is stored in a refrigerator radiator 124 through the port 318 and can be passed to any radiator through the output port 320.
It should be appreciated that the hot water 302 and the chilled water 316 are simultaneously produced by the system 100 and can be used separately for maintaining separate heated and cooled areas in a building and many more uses, like drying clothes and more as stated earlier in the disclosure.
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary circuit diagram of the system 100 of the present invention showing the operation of the system in accordance with the disclosed architecture. As illustrated, hot refrigerant “HR” is released from the boiler “BL” to the compressor 106 from which the hot refrigerant is returned to the chiller “CH”. The boiler “BL” has hot water jacket “HW” and is also connected to a water pump 402. The chiller “CH” cools down the refrigerant and produces cold refrigerant “CR”. The chiller “CH” has cold water jacket “CW” and is also connected to a separate water pump 404.
The water pump 402 pumps the hot water “HW” to water heater tank “WH” which is connected to a condenser 406 to take off excess heat. The hot water is returned “HWR” to hot appliances 408 for using the “HWR” and is also supplied back to the hot water jacket.
The cold water “CW” is provided by the system to cold appliances 410 and radiators 412 and cold water is also returned back “CWR” to the chiller “CH”.
It should be noted that the boiler “BL” may refer to the condenser unit 104 of FIG.1 and the chiller “CH” may refer to the evaporator unit 108 of FIG. 1 . The water heater tank “WH” refers to the water heater tank 202 of FIG.2
Alternative embodiments are contemplated wherein the dimensions of the various components of the system 100 described can be modified to adapt to various cooling and heating requirements of a building and users.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “air conditioning system”, “system”, “one-piece self-contained heat mover system”, “and “multipurpose heating and cooling system” are interchangeable and refer to the multipurpose heating and cooling system 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the multipurpose heating and cooling system 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the multipurpose heating and cooling system 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the multipurpose heating and cooling system 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the multipurpose heating and cooling system 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the multipurpose heating and cooling system 100 be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An HVAC system for providing heating and cooling, the HVAC system comprising:

a single cabinet unit;

a condenser unit comprising a hot water jacket produced by a hot refrigerant of a condenser coil within said single cabinet unit;

a compressor unit; and

an evaporator unit housed comprising a cold water jacket enclosed within said single cabinet unit;

wherein a first heat from said condenser unit is discharged out of said HVAC system through a first flow of hot water discharged to a first pump;

wherein a second heat from said evaporator unit is discharged out of said HVAC system through a second flow of water discharged to a second pump;

wherein said first flow of hot water from said hot water jacket is transported to said first pump and then to a hot water holding tank for heating the water stored in said hot water holding tank;

wherein said second flow of water from said cold water jacket is transported to said second pump and then to a refrigerator radiator; and

further wherein said first flow of hot water is transferred simultaneously to said first pump as said second flow of water is transferred to said second pump.

2. The HVAC system of claim 1, wherein said evaporator unit comprises a capillary tube for metering a refrigerant from said condenser unit.

3. The HVAC system of claim 2, wherein said first pump is a 10-PSI pump.

4. The HVAC system of claim 3, wherein said second pump is a 10-PSI pump.

5. The HVAC system of claim 1, wherein said first pump transfers said first flow of hot water to a water heater.

6. The HVAC system of claim 5, wherein said water heater transfers said first flow of hot water to a radiator.

7. The HVAC system of claim 2, wherein a pressure of said refrigerant decreases from about 300 PSI to about 70 PSI when said refrigerant passes through said capillary tube.

8. The HVAC system of claim 5, wherein said hot water holding tank is integrated with said water heater.

9. The HVAC system of claim 8, wherein said hot water holding tank comprises a first inlet for said water heater to receive said first flow of hot water from said condenser water jacket and an outlet for transporting said water to said radiator.

10. The HVAC system of claim 9, wherein said hot water holding tank comprises a pressure release valve for maintaining a pressure of the water inside said hot water holding tank.

11. The HVAC system of claim 10, wherein said hot water holding tank comprises a second inlet for receiving a cold water from a second water supply source.

12. The HVAC system of claim 11, wherein said hot water holding tank comprises a third inlet for receiving hot water from a third water supply source.

13. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein said condenser unit comprises a ½″ radiator coil connected to a ½″ 300 PSI copper pipe to transport said hot water to said compressor unit.

14. An HVAC system for providing heating and cooling, the HVAC system comprising:

a condenser unit;

a compressor unit;

an evaporator unit, wherein each of the condenser unit, the compressor unit and the evaporator unit is housed in a cabinet unit;

wherein said condenser unit includes a hot water jacket produced by a hot refrigerant of a condenser coil within said cabinet unit;

wherein said evaporator unit includes a cold water jacket enclosed within said cabinet unit;

wherein a heat from said condenser unit is discharged out of said HVAC system through a first flow of hot water discharged from said hot water jacket to a first pump;

wherein a heat from said evaporator unit is discharged out of said HVAC system through a second flow of water discharged from said cold water jacket to a second pump;

wherein said first pump pumps said first flow of hot water to a water heater and a hot water holding tank for heating the water stored in said hot water holding tank;

wherein said second pump pumps said second flow of water to a refrigerator radiator;

wherein said first flow of hot water and said second flow of water are transported simultaneously; and

further wherein said water heater transfers said first flow of hot water to another radiator.

15. The HVAC system of claim 14, wherein said hot water holding tank includes a first inlet for said water heater to receive said first flow of hot water from said condenser water jacket and an outlet for transporting water to said radiator.

16. The HVAC system of claim 15, wherein said hot water holding tank includes a pressure release valve for maintaining pressure of the water inside said hot water holding tank.

17. The HVAC system of claim 16, wherein said hot water holding tank includes a second inlet for receiving cold water from a second water supply source.

18. The HVAC system of claim 17, wherein said hot water holding tank includes a third inlet for receiving hot water from a third water supply source.

19. A method of heating and cooling comprising the steps of:

releasing hot refrigerant from a condenser to a compressor, wherein said hot refrigerant is returned to an evaporator unit and further wherein said condenser includes a hot water jacket connected to a first water pump;

cooling down said hot refrigerant in said evaporator unit;

producing a cold refrigerant, wherein said evaporator unit includes a cold water jacket connected to a second water pump;

pumping a hot water from said first water pump to a water heater connected to said condenser;

pumping a cold water from said second pump to a radiator;

moving said hot water to an appliance for use of said hot water; and

simultaneously transporting said hot water and said cold water.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said water heater includes a hot water holding tank for heating the water stored in said hot water holding tank.