Pneumatic radiation air conditioner

Abstract

A pneumatic radiation air conditioner includes: a radiation unit configured to radiate air-conditioning air; and a fan configured to feed the air-conditioning air to the radiation unit. The radiation unit includes: a first chamber, through which the air-conditioning air flows; a second chamber configured to take in the air-conditioning air discharged from the first chamber and discharge the air-conditioning air and radiate heat of the air-conditioning air to a space to be air conditioned; and an air stream adjuster configured to adjust air velocity distribution and air volume distribution of the air-conditioning air that is discharged from the first chamber to the second chamber.

Claims

1. A pneumatic radiation air conditioner comprising: a radiation unit configured to radiate air-conditioning air; and a fan configured to feed the air-conditioning air to the radiation unit, wherein the radiation unit includes: a first chamber, through which the air-conditioning air flows; a second chamber configured to take in the air-conditioning air discharged from the first chamber and discharge the air-conditioning air and radiate heat of the air-conditioning air to a space to be air conditioned; and an air stream adjuster configured to adjust air velocity distribution and air volume distribution of the air-conditioning air that is discharged from the first chamber to the second chamber, the air stream adjuster includes: a group of first through-holes formed therein, through which the air-conditioning air is discharged to the second chamber, the second chamber including a group of second through-holes formed therein, through which the air-conditioning air is discharged to the space to be air conditioned; a third through-hole, through which the air-conditioning air is discharged to the second chamber; a guide disposed in the third through-hole and configured to guide an air stream; and an airflow path that is a space between the guide and the third through-hole, the airflow path being configured such that an area of passage of the air stream in the airflow path increases from an upwind side to a downwind side, and the guide includes: a support portion disposed such that a gap is formed between the support portion and a peripheral surface of the third through-hole; and a flap portion provided downwind of the support portion, the flap portion being sloped in a manner to expand from the upwind side to the downwind side, the flap portion being configured to change an advancing direction of the air-conditioning air that passes through the gap between the support portion and the peripheral surface of the third through-hole.

2. The pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a total area of the group of second through-holes is greater than a total area of the group of first through-holes.

3. The pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an area of passage of the air-conditioning air in the first chamber decreases from the upwind side to the downwind side.

4. The pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the second chamber includes a heat storage unit constituted by a plurality of plates, the heat storage unit being configured to store the heat of the air-conditioning air discharged from the second chamber and radiate the stored heat, wherein the plurality of plates are arranged such that a gap is formed between every two adjacent plates, the gap allowing the air-conditioning air to pass therethrough.

5. The pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the second chamber includes an air discharger that is formed on a part of the second chamber, the part facing the space to be air conditioned, and the air discharger has a corrugated shape in which ridges and grooves are alternately arranged in a width direction or a depth direction of the space to be air conditioned.

6. The pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger disposed on an air passage between the fan and the radiation unit, the heat exchanger being configured to perform heat exchange of the air-conditioning air.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a building structure, in which a pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to the present invention is installed.

(2) FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner.

(3) FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner.

(4) FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 1, taken along a plane including line A-A of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 4, taken along a plane including line B-B of FIG. 4.

(6) FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 4, taken along a plane including line C-C of FIG. 4.

(7) FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to Embodiment 2.

(8) FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 7, taken along a plane including line D-D of FIG. 7.

(9) FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 8, taken along a plane including line E-E of FIG. 8.

(10) FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of an air stream adjuster of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 8.

(11) FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the air stream adjuster of FIG. 8.

(12) FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the air stream adjuster of FIG. 8.

(13) FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner according to Embodiment 3.

(14) FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a second chamber of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner of FIG. 13, taken along a plane including line F-F of FIG. 13.

(15) FIG. 15 shows a general configuration of a heat exchanger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment 1

(16) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a building structure 200, in which a pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 according to the present invention is installed. Hereinafter, the right-left direction of the building structure 200 in FIG. 1 is referred to as the width direction, and the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1 is referred to as the depth direction. The building structure 200 includes therein a space S to be air conditioned and a ceiling chamber T. The space S to be air conditioned is, for example, a room. The ceiling chamber T is positioned above the space S to be air conditioned, and a ceiling board 210 is installed separating between the ceiling chamber T and the space S to be air conditioned. The ceiling board 210 includes an opening 220 formed therein, through which air-conditioning air from the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 is discharged. The pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 is disposed in the ceiling chamber T, and discharges the air-conditioning air to the space S to be air conditioned.

(17) FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 of FIG. 1, taken along a plane including line A-A of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 of FIG. 4, taken along a plane including line B-B of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 of FIG. 4, taken along a plane including line C-C of FIG. 4.

(18) The pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 includes: a radiation unit R disposed in a casing 23 and configured to discharge the air-conditioning air to the space S to be air conditioned; a heat exchanger 20 configured to perform heat exchange of the air-conditioning air, such as outside air and return air; a fan 21 configured to feed the air-conditioning air to the radiation unit R; and a drain pan 22 positioned below the heat exchanger 20, the drain pan 22 serving to collect water produced by the heat exchanger 20 during cooling and drain the water to the outside. In the drawings, bold dotted arrows each indicate a direction in which the air-conditioning air flows.

(19) The radiation unit R includes: a first chamber 1, through which the air-conditioning air that has passed through the heat exchanger 20 flows; a second chamber 2 positioned below the first chamber 1, the second chamber 2 being configured to take in the air-conditioning air discharged from the first chamber 1 and discharge the air-conditioning air and radiate the heat of the air-conditioning air to the space S to be air conditioned; and an air stream adjuster 3 provided between the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2, the air stream adjuster 3 being configured to adjust the air velocity distribution and air volume distribution of the air-conditioning air that is discharged from the first chamber 1 to the second chamber 2.

(20) The pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 is mounted to the opening 220 of the ceiling board 210 in such a manner that the bottom surface of the second chamber 2 faces the space S to be air conditioned. The casing 23 includes: a return air inlet 11, through which to take in the air (return air) from the space S to be air conditioned via the ceiling chamber T and a duct (not shown); and an outside air inlet 12, through which to take in the outside air. The outside air inlet 12 is connected to the outside of the building structure 200 via a duct 13.

(21) Various types of heat exchangers are adoptable as the heat exchanger 20, such as: one type of heat exchanger that performs heat exchange of the air-conditioning air by utilizing cold water or hot water; another type of heat exchanger that performs heat exchange of the air-conditioning air by utilizing a refrigerant; and other types of heat exchangers. As shown in FIG. 15, the heat exchanger 20 is formed by attaching a group of heat transfer pipes 26 to a group of heat transfer plates 25 by insertion. A heat exchange medium (cold water, hot water, or a refrigerant) is flowed through the inside of the heat transfer pipes 26, and the air-conditioning air is brought into contact with the heat transfer pipes 26 and the heat transfer plates 25. As a result, the air-conditioning air and the heat exchange medium exchange heat with each other, and thereby the air-conditioning air is cooled or heated. Preferably, the outer periphery of each of the heat transfer pipes 26 is ellipse-shaped. However, the outer periphery of each of the heat transfer pipes 26 may be circular-shaped.

(22) As shown in FIG. 4, the air stream adjuster 3 includes a group of first through-holes 4 formed therein. The air-conditioning air from the first chamber 1 flows into the first through-holes 4, and is discharged to the second chamber 2 through the first through-holes 4. The second chamber 2 includes a group of second through-holes 5 formed therein, through which the air-conditioning air is discharged to the space S to be air conditioned. The first chamber 1 includes a flat plate-shaped first air discharger 7 configured to discharge the air-conditioning air through the air stream adjuster 3. The area of passage of the air-conditioning air in the first chamber 1 (i.e., the area of passage as seen in the direction orthogonal to the cross section of FIG. 5) decreases from the upwind side to the downwind side. Accordingly, the air velocity of the air-conditioning air increases from the upwind side to the downwind side in the first chamber 1, and thereby the air-conditioning air can be spread over the entire space in both the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2.

(23) The second chamber 2 includes: a flat plate-shaped second air discharger 8 including the group of second through-holes 5 formed therein, through which the air-conditioning air is discharged to the space S to be air conditioned; a heat storage unit 9 configured to store and radiate the heat of the air-conditioning air; and a flange-equipped frame member 10, to which the second air discharger 8 and the heat storage unit 9 are mounted. The total area of the group of second through-holes 5 is set to be greater than the total area of the group of first through-holes 4. Owing to such setting, the air velocity of the air-conditioning air is gradually reduced by increasing the static pressure of the air-conditioning air in two stages with the group of first through-holes 4 and the group of second through-holes 5, and thereby the air-conditioning air can be spread over the entire space in both the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2. Conceivable examples of the shape of each of the first through-holes 4 and the second through-holes 5 include a perfect circle, an ellipse, an elongated hole, and a thin hole.

(24) As shown in FIG. 5, the heat storage unit 9 is constituted by a plurality of plates 6, which store and radiate the heat of the air-conditioning air. The plates 6 are arranged such that a gap is formed between every two adjacent plates 6, the gap allowing the air-conditioning air to pass therethrough. The plates 6 are provided upright on the second air discharger 8 and extend in a direction in which the air-conditioning air passes. The plates 6 and the second air discharger 8 are made of, for example, aluminum whose thermal conductivity and thermal radiation rate are higher than those of other metals. By passing through between the plurality of plates 6, the air-conditioning air spreads out, and is discharged to the space S to be air conditioned through the second through-holes 5. The heat of the air-conditioning air is thermally transferred to the plurality of plates 6 and the second air discharger 8. The thermally transferred heat is radiated from the plurality of plates 6 to the space S to be air conditioned through the group of second through-holes 5, and also radiated from the second air discharger 8 directly to the space S to be air conditioned. That is, the heat storage unit 9 is used for both storing the heat of the air-conditioning air and straightening the flow of the air-conditioning air.

(25) Each of the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2 is a thin box-shaped chamber. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, each of the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2 has a rectangular flattened shape. Other conceivable examples of the shape of each of the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2 include a long and thin shape, a square shape, and a circular shape.

Embodiment 2

(26) FIGS. 7 to 12 show Embodiment 2 of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the air stream adjuster 3 includes: third through-holes 15, through which the air-conditioning air is discharged to the second chamber 2; guides 16 disposed in the third through-holes 15, respectively; and airflow paths 17. The third through-holes 15 are formed in the first air discharger 7. The airflow paths 17 are formed by: gaps between the guides 16 and the third through-holes 15, the gaps allowing the air-conditioning air to pass therethrough; and spaces diagonally below the gaps. Each airflow path 17 is configured such that the area of passage of an air stream in the airflow path 17 (i.e., the area of passage as seen in the direction orthogonal to the cross section of FIG. 11) increases from the upwind side to the downwind side.

(27) Each guide 16 includes: a support portion 18 disposed such that a gap is formed between the support portion 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the third through-hole 15; and a flap portion 19 provided downwind of the support portion 18, the flap portion 19 being sloped in a manner to expand from the upwind side to the downwind side. The flap portion 19 changes the advancing direction of the air-conditioning air that passes through the gap between the support portion 18 and the peripheral surface of the third through-hole 15. In FIG. 11, for example, a support bar 18a indicated by dotted line may be provided on the upper end of the support portion 18, and the support bar 18a may be brought into contact with the upper peripheral edge of the third through-hole 15. This makes it possible to stably support the guide 16.

(28) FIG. 11 shows one guide 16 whose support portion 18 is provided such that a gap is formed along the entire inner peripheral surface of the third through-hole 15. FIG. 12 shows another guide 16 whose support portion 18 is partly fixed to a part of the inner peripheral surface of the third through-hole 15. With the guide 16 of FIG. 11, streams of the air-conditioning air flowing out of the gap between the support portion 18 and the third through-hole 15 can be caused to flow away from each other by the flap portion 19, and thereby the air-conditioning air can be caused to flow uniformly. On the other hand, with the guide 16 of FIG. 12, the air-conditioning air can be caused to flow in a single direction, i.e., non-uniformly, by the flap portion 19. Thus, by changing the arrangement of the support portion 18 in each third through-hole 15, the air volume distribution of the air-conditioning air can be adjusted freely. The number of third through-holes 15, the number of guides 16, and the number of airflow paths 17 are set in accordance with, for example, a preset air volume and a preset air velocity. In FIG. 9, the shape of each of the third through-holes 15, the guides 16, and the airflow paths 17 is long and thin so that they can be readily formed. Other conceivable examples of the shape of each of the third through-holes 15, the guides 16, and the airflow paths 17 include various shapes, such as a square shape and a circular shape. Since the other configurational features of Embodiment 2 are the same as those of Embodiment 1, the description thereof is omitted.

Embodiment 3

(29) FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show Embodiment 3 of the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the second air discharger 8 of the second chamber 2, the second air discharger 8 facing the space S to be air conditioned, has a corrugated shape. That is, in the present embodiment, the second air discharger 8 is not flat plate-shaped, but has a corrugated shape in which inclined ridges and grooves with sharp ends are alternately arranged in the width direction or depth direction of the space S to be air conditioned. Since the second air discharger 8 has a corrugated shape, the contact area between the air-conditioning air and the second air discharger 8 is greater than in a case where the second air discharger 8 has a flat shape. This makes it possible to improve the thermal radiation performance of the second air discharger 8. The inclination angle and the height of the ridges and grooves, and the number of ridges and grooves, may be set arbitrarily. Since the other configurational features of Embodiment 3 are the same as those of Embodiments 1 and 2, the description thereof is omitted.

(30) It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, although the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 is disposed in the ceiling chamber T in the above-described embodiments, the pneumatic radiation air conditioner 100 may alternatively be installed in a separate room provided to the side of the space S to be air conditioned.

(31) As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiments are therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds thereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(32) 1 first chamber 2 second chamber 4 first through-hole 5 second through-hole 6 plate 7 first air discharger 8 second air discharger 9 heat storage unit 10 frame member 15 third through-hole 16 guide 17 airflow path 18 support portion 19 flap portion 20 heat exchanger 21 fan 23 casing 25 heat transfer plate 26 heat transfer pipe R radiation unit S space to be air conditioned