WO2002053981A1

WO2002053981A1 - Modular enclosure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner

Info

Publication number: WO2002053981A1
Application number: PCT/BR2000/000149
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luciano Da Luz Moraes; Juan Carlos Carne Correa
Original assignee: Carrier Corporation; Springer-Carrier S.A.
Priority date: 2000-12-28
Filing date: 2000-12-28
Publication date: 2002-07-11

Abstract

The invention relates to an enclosure for an outdoor unit (10) of an air conditioner of the type including a heat exchange coil (34), a compressor (36), a fan and fan motor (38). The enclosure includes a bottom enclosure section (12) defining a rear section (35) which includes structure for operably supporting the compressor and the fan motor. The bottom enclosure section further defines a front section which includes structure for operably supporting the lower end of one of one or more different sized heat exchangers. Each of the one of one or more different sized heat exchangers has the same given width and a height that varies with the capacity of the air conditioner. A rear top enclosure section (16) is configured to cooperate with the bottom enclosure section (13) to enclose the rear section. The enclosure for an outdoor unit having a given one of one or more different sized heat exchangers is completed by selecting one of one or more front top sections (14). Each of one of one or more front top sections is configured to cooperate with the given heat exchanger and the bottom enclosure section to operably support and enclose the given heat exchanger.

Description

MODULAR ENCLOSURE FOR AN OUTDOOR UNIT OF AN AIR CONDITIONER

Technical Field

The invention relates to an enclosure for an air conditioner outdoor unit, and more particularly to an enclosure that has a modular section that may be changed to adapt to different capacity units.

Background Art

A well known type of air conditioning system, often referred to as a split system, includes separate indoor and outdoor units. The outdoor unit includes a compressor, a heat exchanger, a fan and motor assembly and associated electrical control components. The indoor unit includes a heat exchanger and a fan. In operation, the indoor fan draws air into the indoor unit, through an inlet thereof and forces the air over the indoor heat exchanger and then out of the indoor unit, through an outlet opening therein.

The outdoor fan draws air into the outdoor unit, through an inlet, forces that air over the outdoor heat exchanger and then forces that air out of the outdoor unit through an outlet therein. A compressor located in the outdoor unit causes a refrigeration fluid to circulate through and between the indoor/outdoor heat exchangers. At the indoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air passing over that heat exchanger, cooling that air. At the same time, at the outdoor heat exchanger, the air passing over the heat exchanger absorbs heat from the refrigerant passing therethrough.

The outdoor units of such systems are typically designed as a series of units having varying air conditioning capacities. Smaller capacity units of course would require a smaller enclosure for the components while medium capacity and larger capacity units may require several larger size enclosures for the components. Designing separate enclosures is expensive regardless of whether the enclosures are made from sheet metal or from molded plastic materials. When made from molded plastic materials a large component of the expense is the cost of the tooling required for the molding of large thermoplastic parts.

It is accordingly deemed desirable to have an enclosure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that is adaptable to a variety of capacities while making use of as many common enclosure components as possible.

Disclosure Of The Invention

The invention relates to an enclosure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner of the type including a heat exchange coil, a compressor, a fan and fan motor. The enclosure includes a bottom enclosure section defining a rear section which includes structure for operably supporting the compressor and the fan motor. The bottom enclosure section further defines a front section which includes structure for operably supporting the lower end of one of one or more different sized heat exchangers. Each of the one of one or more different sized heat exchangers has the same given width and a height that varies with the capacity of the air conditioner. A rear top enclosure section is configured to cooperate with the bottom enclosure section to enclose the rear section. The enclosure for an outdoor unit having a given one of one or more different sized heat exchangers is completed by selecting one of one or more front top sections. Each of one of one or more front top sections is configured to cooperate with the given heat exchanger and the bottom enclosure section to operably support and enclose the given heat exchanger.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention may be better understood and its objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the enclosure of an air conditioner outdoor unit according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective exploded view of the air conditioning unit of Figure 1 making use of one given heat exchanger and one front top section;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the unit shown in Figure 1 illustrating the top sections of the enclosure removed therefrom;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a front top section for use with a larger heat exchanger;

Figure 5 is a side view of the unit of Figure 1 partially broken away to show the cooperation between one size heat exchanger and its cooperating front top section;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating a larger heat exchanger and its cooperating front top section;

Figure 7 is a top front perspective view of the bottom enclosure section of the unit shown in the other drawing figures; and

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 taken from the top rear thereof.

The Best Mode For Carrying Out The Invention and Industrial Applicability

The drawing Figures illustrate an outdoor unit 10 of a split system air conditioning system which has an enclosure according to the present invention. Briefly, the enclosure includes a bottom section 12, a front top section 14 and a rear top section 16. As will be appreciated the three sections 12, 14 and 16 may be assembled to one another to form a box shaped enclosure for the unit 10.

As best seen in Figure 2, the bottom section 12 includes a bottom wall 18, a front wall 20, a rear wall 22 and side walls 24. The walls 18, 20, 22 and 24 cooperate to define the open topped substantially rectangular bottom section 12. Further, each of the front, rear and side walls 20, 22 and 24, respectively, define an upper edge generally bearing the reference numeral 26.

Integrally molded into the bottom section 12 is the lower half of a dividing wall 28. The dividing wall includes solid wall sections 30 and the lower half of an arcuate shaped opening 32 which as will be seen defines a part of the condenser fan orifice. The region 31 between the front wall 20 and the dividing wall 28 is configured to receive and support the lower portion of the outdoor unit heat exchanger 34.

As will be discussed in detail below, the air conditioning unit 10 and enclosure of the invention are designed to accommodate several different sizes of heat exchanger 34 and mating modular front top sections 14. Figures 4 and 6 illustrate one of the one or more combinations of different sized heat exchangers and front top sections contemplated by the invention. All of the other drawing figures illustrate an embodiment having a smaller heat exchanger and its front top section. In order to fully appreciate the assembly of the unit, a detailed description of the smaller embodiment will follow and thereafter a description of the components of Figures 4 and 6.

The region of the bottom section 12 rearwardly of the dividing wall 28 is referred to as the service region 35 of the outdoor unit 10 and is provided with various structural supports for mounting of the unit's compressor 36, fan motor 38, control box 40 and other components of the unit's refrigeration and electrical system. All of the above components are illustrated in their operable positions installed within the service region 35 of the bottom section 12 in Figures 2 and 3. The manner in which these components are mounted in the bottom section is not a part of the present invention and will not be described in any further detail herein. It will be noted that underlying the bottom wall 18 of the bottom section are a pair of longitudinally extending metal plates 42 which are attached to the bottom and function to provide structural rigidity to the bottom section 12 as well as providing structure facilitating mounting of the unit 10.

The front top section 14 of the enclosure includes a top wall 44, a front wall 46 and two substantially identical end walls 48. The front 46 and the two end walls 48 each define a lower edge 50 which is configured to be received by mating portions of the upper edges 26 of the front wall 20 and the side walls 24 of the bottom section 12. Attachment of the front top section 14 is by way of threaded fasteners 52 which extend through mating openings 51 provided in the lower edge 50 of the side walls 48 and axially aligned openings 54 in the side walls 24 of the bottom section. As is best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the front top section 14 has integrally molded therein the upper half of the dividing wall 28. This wall section includes the top half of the opening 32 defining the condenser fan orifice.

As best appreciated from looking at Figure 3, when the front top section 14 is installed to the bottom section 12, the top wall 44 and the end walls 48 each define a planar rearwardly facing surface, generally 56. Further, the upper edges 26 of the rear wall 22 and the side walls 24 of the bottom section 12 also define substantially planar surfaces. As will be seen, these surfaces (56, 26) facilitate the installation and removal of the rear top section 16 to/from the assembly of the bottom section 12 and the front top section 14.

The rear top section 16 includes a top wall 58, a rear wall 60 and two side walls 62. The rear wall 60 and the two side walls 62 each have a lower edge 64 defining a downwardly facing planar surface. In a like manner, the top wall 58 and the two side walls 62 each have a front edge 66 defining a substantially planar surface.

As is evident from the drawing Figures, the rear top section 16 is the last section assembled to form the box shaped enclosure for the air conditioner unit 10. The planar surfaces defined by the front edges 66 of the top wall 58 and the side walls 62 of the rear top section are configured to engage the planar surfaces defined by the edges 56 of the top wall 44 and the side walls 48 of the front top section 14. When so engaged suitable threaded fasteners 68 extend through axially mating openings in the top wall 58 of the rear top section and the top wall 44 of the front top section to thereby removably attach the components to one another. Additional threaded fasteners 68 pass through openings in the lower edge 64 of the rear wall 60 of the rear top section and into mating axially aligned openings in the top edge 26 of the rear wall 22 of the bottom section 12.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the bottom section 12 with no components installed to show the molded heat exchanger support structure in the heat exchanger support region 31. As is evident from Figures 2 and 3 the heat exchanger 34 is of the cross flow type having parallel spaced vertically extending tube sheets 70 at the opposite ends thereof. Installation of the heat exchanger within the bottom section 12 is a matter of simply aligning the two tube sheets 70 with vertically extending tube sheet engaging and support structure, all generally designated by reference numeral 72 in Figures 7 and 8. This structure is configured to engage both the front and the rear of each of the tube sheets 70 and to restrain the heat exchanger from lateral or front to rear motion when the heat exchanger is lowered into the heat exchanger support region 31 with the lower ends of the tube sheets in contact with the bottom wall 18 of the bottom section. Each air conditioning unit contemplated by the present invention has the same dimension between the tube sheets and the same width tube sheets. Larger capacity heat exchangers have only an increase in the vertical dimension of the tube sheets, and of course additional tubes and fins to provide the increased heat exchange capacity.

This relationship is illustrated with reference to Figures 5 and 6 wherein Figure 5 is a side view of an air conditioning unit of the smaller size described in connection with the other drawing figures hereinabove. Figure 6 illustrates a higher capacity unit 80 having a larger heat exchanger 82 which, as set forth above, has a width identical to that of the heat exchanger illustrated in Figure 5 and the other drawing figures and a height which is substantially greater.

The front top section 74 of the higher capacity unit 80 is illustrated in Figures 4 and 6 and corresponding views of the front top section 14 for the smaller capacity unit are shown in Figures 3 and 5. Looking collectively at these drawing figures it will be seen that both front top sections 14 and 74 are provided with vertically extending tube sheet engaging and support structure 76 which is in axial alignment with the tube sheet support structure 72 of the bottom section 12 when the top sections 14 and 74 are attached to the bottom section to thereby provide full support for their respective heat exchangers. While the tube sheet engaging and support structure 76 formed in the front top sections 14 and 74 is shown in only one corner of the top sections in the drawing figures it should be appreciated that this structure is substantially identical to that found in the bottom section 12, which is illustrated in detail in Figures 7 and 8, and engages the tube sheets in the same manner to provide the desired support for the heat exchanger 34.

With continued reference to Figures 3 and 4, it will be noted that the dividing wall 28 the solid sections 30 and arcuate opening 32 therein are the same for both embodiments. The only differences between the front top section 14 and the larger front top section 74 is in the height of the side walls 48a, the front wall 46a, and the provision of a rear wall 78. The rear wall 78 extends upwardly from the planar surface 56 and blends into the top wall 44a through a curved transition 84.

Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different capacity air conditioning units 10 having heat exchangers 34 of varying heights may be accommodated by varying only the front top section 14 of the air conditioning unit's enclosure. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the bottom section 12 and rear top section 16 are designed to be of sufficient size to accommodate different compressors 36 and other components which will match the size of the different heat exchangers 34. The invention thus allows varying the size of the enclosure for an air conditioning unit to accommodate different capacities while varying only a small component of the air conditioning unit's enclosure.

Claims

1. An enclosure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, the unit being of the type including a heat exchange coil, a compressor, a fan and a fan motor, wherein the improvement comprises: a bottom enclosure section comprising a rear section which includes structure for operably supporting said compressor and said fan motor, and a front section which includes structure for operably supporting the lower end of one, of one or more different sized heat exchangers, each of said heat exchangers having the same given width and a height that varies with the capacity of the air conditioner; a rear top section configured to cooperate with said bottom enclosure section to enclose said rear section thereof; and one, of one or more front top sections, each of which is configured to cooperate with one of said one or more heat exchangers and said bottom enclosure section to operably support and enclose said one heat exchanger.

2. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein said bottom enclosure section further includes a substantially vertically upwardly extending wall configured to separate said rear section from said front section, said wall having an arcuate opening therein forming the lower half of a fan orifice opening extending between said rear section and said front section; and wherein said one of one or more front top sections has a substantially vertically downwardly extending wall formed therein which is configured to cooperate with said upwardly extending wall of said bottom enclosure section to separate said rear section from said front section, said downwardly extending wall having an arcuate opening therein forming the upper half of said fan orifice opening extending between said rear section and said first section.

3. The enclosure of claim 2 wherein said arcuate opening formed in said vertically upwardly extending wall is of a predetermined size regardless of which of said one of one or more different sized heat exchangers is used; and said arcuate opening formed in said downwardly extending wall in said one of one or more front top sections is of said same predetermined size regardless of which of said one of one or more different sized heat exchangers is used.