Abstract
The invention relates to an air conditioning system (1) for the cooling of air, having a condenser heat exchanger (41), a condenser fan (40), and a housing (10). The condenser heat exchanger (41) transfers thermal energy of the air to be cooled to an external air. The housing (10) includes at least one air inlet (42) and an air outlet (43) for the external air. The condenser fan (40) conveys the external air into the housing (10) via the air inlet (42) and discharges it via the air outlet (43). The air outlet (43) is designed such that the external air continues to move in as straight a line as possible after leaving the air outlet (43).
Claims
1. An air conditioning system for cooling of air, comprising: a condenser heat exchanger; a condenser fan; and a housing, wherein the condenser heat exchanger transfers thermal energy of the air to be cooled to an external air, wherein the housing includes at least one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets for the external air, wherein the air outlets open only on a blow-out side of the housing, wherein the condenser fan introduces the external air into the housing via the air inlet and discharges the external air via the air outlets, wherein the air outlets are configured such that the external air continues to move in as straight a line as possible after leaving the air outlets, in order to avoid swirling, and wherein the air outlets open in a straight line and parallel to each other so that the air streams flowing through the air outlets are each directed parallel to each other and away from the housing.
2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein carrier components of the housing are located between the air outlets, and wherein the carrier components carry the condenser heat exchanger, so that the carrier components constitute boundaries of the air outlets and a holding structure for the condenser heat exchanger.
3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein carrier components of the housing are located between the air outlets, and wherein the carrier components carry the condenser heat exchanger, so that the carrier components constitute boundaries of the air outlets and a holding structure for the condenser heat exchanger.
4. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the housing has a plurality of air inlets, wherein the air inlets are connected with three intake sides of the housing, wherein the air inlets and the air outlets are located at different levels of a height of the air conditioning system, and wherein the level of the air inlets is above the level of the air outlets.
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0038] More specifically, there is a multitude of possibilities for configuring and further developing the air conditioning system according to the invention. In this regard, the description below of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
[0039] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an air conditioning unit;
[0040] FIG. 2a shows a section taken through a configuration of an air conditioning system;
[0041] FIG. 2b shows a view of a spatial illustration of the air conditioning system of FIG. 2a without part of the housing;
[0042] FIG. 3a shows an enlarged representation of the section of FIG. 2a in the area of the evaporator;
[0043] FIG. 3b shows a top view of the area of the evaporator;
[0044] FIG. 3c shows a section similar to FIG. 3a taken through an alternative configuration of the area of the evaporator;
[0045] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the bearing surface below the evaporator heat exchanger;
[0046] FIG. 5 shows part of a spatial illustration of the area of the evaporator;
[0047] FIG. 6 shows a view of the upper half of the housing of the air conditioning system;
[0048] FIG. 7 shows a view of the underside of the air conditioning system; and
[0049] FIG. 8 shows a view of the spatial illustration of the underside as well as the rear end face of the air conditioning system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0050] FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an air conditioning system 1 for cooling a room 100. The cooling circuit or refrigeration process implemented with it is described, for example, in WO 2007/042065 A1. The room 100 is, for example, the interior of a travel trailer or a motor home. For this case of application, the air conditioning system 1 is thus mounted on the vehicle roof of the travel trailer or motor home.
[0051] For the refrigeration process, a compressor 2 compresses a gaseous refrigerant, which thus absorbs heat and is conveyed to a condenser 4 through a refrigerant pipe.
[0052] In the condenser 4, the heat of the refrigerant is released to the ambient air (or external air) from the environment around the room 100. In this process, the external air is taken in by means of a condenser fan 40 and, after interaction with the refrigerant, is blown out again in a condenser heat exchanger 41. As a result of the release of heat, the compressed refrigerant will condense.
[0053] The liquid refrigerant, which continues to be under high pressure, is expanded to a lower pressure in an expansion device 5, which is in the form of a restrictor, for example. In the process, the refrigerant cools down.
[0054] In the next step, the refrigerant reaches an evaporator 6, through which the air of the room 100 to be cooled is passed by means of an evaporator fan 60. In the process, the air transfers its heat to the refrigerant, which transitions to the gaseous state. The gaseous refrigerant eventually reaches the compressor 2 again, so that the cooling cycle can be continued.
[0055] The circuit can also be reversed so that the device 1 serves as a space heater.
[0056] The components described of the air conditioning system 1 are located in a housing 10 which—as shown, for example, in WO 2007/042065 A1—is comprised of two shells, depending on the embodiment. Here, the housing 10 and the components are also configured and matched to one another such that the housing serves to fasten the components of the air conditioning system 10 by an interlocking fit.
[0057] FIG. 2a illustrates a sectional view along a longitudinal axis through a configuration of an air conditioning system 1. The end faces of the air conditioning system 1 are thus shown here on the right and left, with the end face on the left here facing the direction of travel and the end face 16 on the right facing away from the direction of travel in the installed state. This refers to the case where the air conditioning system 1 is mounted on the roof of a movable vehicle, such as, for example, a travel trailer or motorhome.
[0058] The air conditioning system 1 has two heat exchangers 41, 61 and two fans 40, 60. The fans 40, 60—in the functional portions of the condenser 4 and the evaporator 6, respectively—each cause air to be directed through the heat exchangers 41, 62 and to be heated or cooled in the process. In the following, the configurations of the two associated areas of the air conditioning system 1 (i.e., evaporator 6 as well as condenser 4) are described in detail and each also in reference to FIG. 2a.
[0059] In this context, one heat exchanger 61 may also be referred to as an inner or internal heat exchanger, since it cools the inner air, that is, the air, to be cooled, of the room 100. This heat exchanger 61 thus interacts with the inner air. The other heat exchanger 41 is used to interact with the external air by transferring the heat of the refrigerant to the external air. Therefore, this heat exchanger 41 may also be referred to as an outer or external heat exchanger.
[0060] The exemplary air conditioning system 1 of FIG. 2a is a so-called roof-mounted air conditioning system, in which the main components are arranged on the roof of the room 100 the air of which is to be cooled. In the ceiling—not illustrated here—there is a passage through which the air enters the air conditioning system 1 and is blown out again from there—as cooled air. Below the ceiling there is then usually also a so-called air distributor for distributing the cooled air in the interior 100.
[0061] The air conditioning system 1 not only effectuates cooling of the indoor air, but also drying. In the process, the moisture in the air accumulates as condensed water (an alternatively used term is condensate) and collects in particular at the evaporator heat exchanger 61.
[0062] The evaporator heat exchanger 61 shown in FIG. 2a has three rows of tubes 62, through which the refrigerant is passed. In section, the tubes 62 appear as circles. This can also be seen in the enlarged view of FIG. 3a. The spatial representation of the tubes is given, for example, in FIG. 5, which also shows how the individual tubes 62 for the refrigerant are connected to each other at the end faces of the evaporator heat exchanger 61.
[0063] Depending on the maximum cooling capacity, different numbers of rows of tubes 62 are provided. It can be seen in FIG. 2a, for example, that there would be room on the right-hand side for another row of tubes 62 or an evaporator heat exchanger 61 of greater depth. In the variant of the air conditioning system 1 of FIG. 3c, this free space is filled by the evaporator heat exchanger 61 having four rows of tubes 62. The space in the housing 10 thus allows the insertion of evaporator heat exchangers 61 of different depths.
[0064] The evaporator heat exchanger 61 stands upright in the housing 10 and the condensed water drips down by the force of gravity. At the base of the evaporator heat exchanger 61, the condensed water is then drained off using suitable geometries—not illustrated here—or, for example, by a pump.
[0065] FIGS. 3a and 3b show, on an enlarged scale, the area around the evaporator heat exchanger 61 of a first configuration and FIG. 3c of a second configuration. FIG. 3a and FIG. 3c each show a lateral section, and FIG. 3b shows a top view of the area shown in FIG. 3a.
[0066] The evaporator heat exchanger 61 is clamped in the housing 10 from above and below, and is thereby held in position by the housing 10. An identical enclosure—as can be seen in particular in FIG. 3b—is provided on the end faces of the evaporator heat exchanger 61, that is, along the axis perpendicular to which the section runs here. This fixing by an interlocking fit between components and the housing 10 is shown, for example, in WO 2007/042065 A1 already cited.
[0067] FIG. 2b, for example, also shows that the evaporator heat exchanger 61 is held in place by the structures of the housing 10 itself. In this FIG. 2b it can also be seen that the evaporator fan 60 is also held in position by the housing 10 itself.
[0068] The (indoor) air to be cooled is moved from left to right—as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3a—toward the evaporator fan 60 through the evaporator heat exchanger 61. See also the middle arrow in FIG. 5.
[0069] In order to prevent, as far as possible, the condensed water from being entrained by the cooled air, the bearing surface 63 in the housing 10 below the evaporator heat exchanger 61 is specially shaped here (see FIG. 3a and FIG. 3c). Furthermore, this shaping of the bearing surface 63 is intended to prevent air from flowing through beneath the evaporator heat exchanger 61 and thus not being cooled.
[0070] As can be seen, this does not involve a flat or planar bearing surface 63, but rather there are individual fins 64 which extend below and along the lower side of the evaporator heat exchanger 61. Located between the fins 64 are valleys in which condensed water can collect and flow off toward drainage openings not shown here. The height of the fins 64 or, correspondingly, the depth of the valleys, which thus serve as collecting pans for the condensed water, determines the amount of condensed water that can be collected. Draining from the valleys occurs, for example, by the action of gravity or by the action of, for example, a pump—also not shown here. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 3a and FIG. 3c, the lower outer edges of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 abut the outer fins and are therefore encompassed laterally by the housing 10.
[0071] The fin structure prevents air from incorrectly passing underneath the evaporator heat exchanger 61 on the side of the air inlet (on the left in each of FIGS. 3a and 3c) into the evaporator heat exchanger 61. On the side on which the cooled air leaves the evaporator heat exchanger 61, a further blockage is produced for the air or the condensed water.
[0072] Furthermore, the fin structure deflects air that might still have moved to below the evaporator heat exchanger 61 in different directions again and again (up and down along the fins 64). This reduces or prevents air from flowing underneath the evaporator heat exchanger 61 and also has the effect of preventing condensed water from being entrained.
[0073] In this regard, the numbers and positions of the fins 64 in the illustrated variant are configured such that one fin 64 is located below each row of tubes 62. Each fin 64 directs the air back into the evaporator heat exchanger 61 and at the same time increases the resistance for the air flowing beneath the evaporator heat exchanger 61 and thus misdirected. If the condensed water drips down, it is carried toward the valleys, each of which is adjacent to a fin 64. Here there are four fins 64, so that an evaporator heat exchanger 61 having four rows of tubes 62 may also be received in the free space (see FIG. 3a) on the right side. This can be seen in FIG. 3c. In the variant of FIG. 3a, thus, an additional fin 64 is provided.
[0074] The condensed water thus drips downward and collects in the valleys between the fins 64 of the bearing surface 63. Since the evaporator heat exchanger 61 stands on the fins 64, the condensed water can therefore not, or only to a very small extent, be entrained from a respective valley toward the evaporator fan 60 by the air flow.
[0075] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the bearing surface 63 with the four fins 64, between which the valleys for collecting the condensed water are located. The bearing surface 63 has a rectangular basic shape, which matches the rectangular footprint of the evaporator heat exchanger 61.
[0076] FIG. 3a and FIG. 3c show a bulge 65 projecting into the space in front of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 in the housing 10 on the left side of the drawing. This bulge 65 can also be seen in FIG. 2a and FIG. 5 to FIG. 7. This bulge 65 is part of the correspondingly shaped housing 10, which has been, for example, injection-molded and/or cast accordingly.
[0077] The bulge 65—protruding out toward the side of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 against which the air flows—projects into the space into which the indoor air to be cooled is guided to pass through the evaporator heat exchanger 61 (see the arrow in FIG. 3a and the middle arrow in FIG. 5).
[0078] As indicated in FIG. 5 by the two horizontally running arrows, the air enters laterally (that is, from the right and left) into the area in front of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 and moves from there toward the evaporator fan 60. Here, the bulge 65 is shaped similar to a wave crest or dune, so that the air is guided into the area in front of the tip of the bulge 65 by the smoothly extending sides.
[0079] It is further apparent from FIG. 5 that the bulge 65 is slightly asymmetrical and therefore has two differently pronounced flanks. The lateral air flows are directed toward the evaporator heat exchanger 61 by the bulge 65. The center of gravity or the tip of the bulge 65 as its maximum extent in the direction of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 is located at the level of the evaporator fan 60 here, which itself is offset with respect to a longitudinal axis of the air conditioning system 1.
[0080] The bulge 65 produces a partial narrowing of the space in front of the evaporator heat exchanger 61. The air enters this space from each side, so that on each of these two sides there is also the largest space between the bulge 65 as a distributor structure and the evaporator heat exchanger 61. The outer contour of the side of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 facing the bulge 65 is essentially given by a flat rectangular shape.
[0081] The position of the bulge 65 relative to the evaporator fan 60 can be seen, for example, with the aid of the inside of the upper half of the housing of FIG. 6. Here, the distributor structure 65 is located at the bottom of the drawing. Above the maximum extent of the bulge 65, there is first the recess for the evaporator heat exchanger 61, which is rectangular in a plan view, and above it—and offset to the right from the center here in the drawing—the recess for the evaporator fan 60. The bulge 65 thus rises into the projected area (or in front of the elongation downward) in front of the position of the evaporator fan 60 (see, e.g., FIG. 5). However, the center of gravity (or the tip) of the bulge 65 is not disposed along the centerline of the evaporator fan 60, but is slightly offset in relation thereto.
[0082] As can be seen in FIG. 3a, FIG. 3c as well as FIG. 6, the bulge 65 also extends with a special shape along the height of the housing 65 or along the height of the evaporator heat exchanger 61.
[0083] The profile of the bulge 65—here viewed along the height of the housing 10 and therefore in the installed state also along the earth's gravitational pull—first constricts the upper space in front of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 to a very narrow area and then widens the area in a type of S-shape. The space in front of the lower part of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 is thus significantly larger and wider than the space in front of the upper part. The constriction in the upper area in the space in front of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 forces the air flowing in from the sides downward, as it were.
[0084] This shape of the bulge 65, which differs laterally and in its height profile, can be seen clearly in FIG. 6 in particular. The distributor structure 65 thus constricts the space in front of that side of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 against which the air flows not only from the two sides (right and left) toward the middle, but also from the bottom upward (in each case starting from the installed state and thus preferably relative to the vehicle roof on which the air conditioning system 1 is mounted). The largest volume thus exists on the right and left sides and at the bottom in the direction of the earth's field or in the direction of the vehicle roof, if the air conditioning system 1 has been mounted on a roof, for example.
[0085] The bulge 65 provides for a uniform velocity distribution of the air in front of the evaporator heat exchanger 61 and in this way improves the cooling behavior thereof, since there is a uniform flow through it. Another advantage is that the air volume is uniformly distributed and therefore the air flows uniformly through the evaporator heat exchanger 61 as well. This also improves the cooling performance. The air to be cooled is thus fanned out and distributed as far as possible over the entire side of the evaporator heat exchanger 61.
[0086] In FIG. 2a (here on the right-hand side in the drawing), that part of the air conditioning system 1 can be seen into which external air is sucked, passed through a condenser heat exchanger 41 and blown out again into the exterior space around the room to be cooled. In the process, the heat extracted from the indoor air is transferred to the exterior air. The condenser fan 40 is used for suction and blowing out.
[0087] It is apparent from FIG. 2b that the condenser fan 40 and the condenser heat exchanger 41 are located in the region of the rear end face 16 of the housing 10. Between the two end faces 16 there are the longitudinal sides 15, of which only one can be seen in FIG. 2b.
[0088] In FIG. 2b, the special shape of the condenser heat exchanger 41 can further be seen. This is the shape of a capital letter “U” or, as an alternative designation, a horseshoe shape. The condenser fan 40 is thus completely surrounded by the condenser heat exchanger 41 except for the opening of the “U”. The condenser fan 40 is located toward the closed end of the U-shape. The condenser fan 40 moves the air into the plane below the condenser heat exchanger 41 and thus—as a result of the guiding by the structure of the air outlets 43—also toward the closed end of the U-shape. The condenser heat exchanger 41 is thus also located above the plane in which the heated exterior air is transported out of the air conditioning system 1. The closed end of the U-shaped condenser heat exchanger 41 is thus arranged toward the end face 16 or the blow-out side 11. Or, in other words, the U-shape is open toward the interior of the housing 10 or the air conditioning system 1. Here, the opening of the U faces the interior of the air conditioning system 1. This means that the area over which the external air can move through the condenser heat exchanger 41 to the condenser fan 40 and out of the air conditioning system 1 again via this fan is as large as possible. The closed side of the U-shape
[0089] Furthermore, FIG. 2b shows that the condenser heat exchanger 41 has a greater distance from the two side flanks of the housing 10, which finally opens out at the rear end face 16 of the housing 10 into pockets 45, of which only one can be seen here. In these pockets 45, the external air flowing in from the longitudinal sides 15 is increasingly redirected towards the closed end of the U-shape of the condenser heat exchanger 41. This also contributes to the fact that most of the external air originates from the longitudinal sides 15 of the housing 10. This further reduces the potential proportion of heated external air sucked in.
[0090] In one configuration—not shown here—there is no opening for the intake of external air at the rear end face 16, but only for the ejection of the external air that has passed through the condenser heat exchanger 41.
[0091] The shape of the pockets 45 is apparent from the upper side of the housing 10, which is shown in FIG. 6.
[0092] At the upper end in the drawing here, which is the rear end face, the U-shaped profile of the condenser heat exchanger 41 and the space around it can be seen. The substantially rectangular shape of the housing 10 results in the pockets 45 around the bottom of the capital letter U of the condenser heat exchanger 41. The fins extend between the air intakes on the two longitudinal sides.
[0093] In FIG. 2a, the two arrows indicate that the intake area—along the axis of the earth or, in the installed state, away from the vehicle roof—is located above the ejection area. The heated air is thus blown out near the vehicle roof. This causes the air to have a higher velocity and to be moved sufficiently far away from the intake openings 42. This provides the advantage that, as far as possible, only the normally tempered external air is sucked in, rather than the air that has already been heated by the air conditioning system 1. This enhances the effectiveness of the air conditioning system 1, since in this way, more heat can be transported away.
[0094] It is further apparent from FIG. 2a that the condenser heat exchanger 41 is substantially directly adjoining the air inlet 42 in the housing 10. Thus, the ambient air is drawn through the condenser heat exchanger 41 by the condenser fan 40. After heat transfer, the warmer air flows through the condenser fan 41 and then back into the environment.
[0095] Altogether, the external air flows into the air conditioning system 1 from a position further away from the vehicle roof, passes through the condenser heat exchanger 41, and is then deflected to a lower position and blown out through the air outlet 43 in the vicinity of the vehicle roof.
[0096] In FIG. 2a, only the rear air inlet 42 and the air outlet 43 located below it can be seen, with the inlet 42 and the outlet 43 being located one above the other and at the rear end of the housing 10. When mounted on a vehicle roof, the end face 16 of the housing 10 or of the air conditioning system 1 is generally arranged opposite to the direction of travel. It can also be seen that the condenser heat exchanger 41 has three rows of tubes.
[0097] It can be seen in FIG. 2a that an air inlet 42 for the ambient air is located at the end face 16 of the air conditioning system 1 opposite to the direction of travel. In particular, the condenser heat exchanger 41 is also located at this rear end face 16. This end face 16 serves at the same time as—in particular the only—blow-out side 11 for blowing out the heated external air and as the intake side 12 for the external air.
[0098] In FIG. 7, the rear end face 16 is located at the top of the drawing. FIG. 7 shows the underside of the air conditioning system 1 and thus the side that rests on the vehicle roof in the installed state.
[0099] In the upper area—or rear area in the installed state—the fan carrier for the condenser fan 40 can be seen. Further air inlets 42 are located along the two longitudinal sides 15, which thus serve as intake sides 12 for the external air. In total, the air conditioning system 1 has air inlets 42 for the external air in its area facing away from the direction of travel on all three outer sides, which can thus be referred to as intake sides 12. The air inlets 42 (of which the individual ducts are visible in the view of FIG. 7) on the longitudinal sides 15 here extend very close to the upper end face 16 of the air conditioning system 1. Therefore, the external air flows from three sides almost completely through the condenser heat exchanger 41.
[0100] The heated air is blown out only through the end face 16—the upper end face in the drawing in FIG. 7—of the air conditioning system 1, more specifically near the vehicle roof, and thus lower than the layer of the ambient air taken in.
[0101] In the illustrated configuration, eight air outlets 43 are provided, between which carrier components 44 are located. The condenser heat exchanger 41 rests on these carrier components 44 (see FIG. 2a). The carrier components 44 thus constitute both the boundaries of the air outlets 43 and the holding structure for the condenser heat exchanger 41. This contributes to the compactness of the air conditioning system 1 and allows the raised arrangement of the condenser heat exchanger 41 relative to the air outlets 43. Furthermore, the carrier components 44 allow the narrowing of the air outlets 43 so that a reaching-in can be prevented. Reaching in is dangerous in particular because it would otherwise be possible to reach as far as the condenser fan 40.
[0102] As can be seen in FIG. 7, the respective end portions of the air outlets 43 extend in a tubular shape and parallel to each other. This prevents swirling and ensures that the air continues to move in as straight a line as possible after leaving the air outlets 43. This generally serves the purpose of guiding the heated air away from the air conditioning system in as undisturbed a manner as possible, and therefore as far away as possible. This increases the expulsion distance of the air.
[0103] The underside of the housing 10 illustrated in FIG. 7 here forms only a part of the ducts of the air outlets 43, via which the air is conducted to the outside. In the assembled state, the bottom of these ducts forms the vehicle roof itself, on which the air conditioning system 1 is mounted.
[0104] The air outlets 43 branch off with wide initial portions from the circular condenser fan 40, and then, after a portion which is as large and elongated as possible, open into the aforementioned tubular end portions. It can be seen that the air outlets 43 have a generally vortex-like shape. Alternatively, at least the inner portion around the condenser fan 40 may also be understood as having the shape of a snail shell. In this case, the air outlet 43 located on the right here has the longest extent. Here, the structure depends on the direction of rotation of the condenser fan 40.
[0105] In FIG. 8, it can also be seen that the external air is sucked in from three intake sides 12 of the housing 10 and is discharged only into one blow-out side 11. Accordingly, the air inlets 42 can be seen here on two sides (longitudinal side 15 and rear end face 16) and an air outlet 43 can be seen on only one side (rear end face 16). The air outlet 43 is located on that blow-out side 11 which, when installed on a vehicle roof, e.g. of a travel trailer or a motorhome, is located contrary to the direction of travel. The external air heated by the interaction with the condenser heat exchanger 41 is therefore further entrained by the headwind while the vehicle is moving. Here, the air inlets 42 on the longitudinal sides 15 consist of the individual shafts and a large slot-like opening thereabove. The single slot of the air inlet 42 at the rear end face 16 is narrower than the two lateral slots on the longitudinal sides 15.
[0106] It is also readily visible on this end face 16 of the housing 10—which is the rear end face in the installed state—how the eight air outlets 43 open out in a straight line and parallel to each other, so that the expelled and heated external air is blown away as far as possible. The air is thus blown out each in the same direction.
[0107] The web-shaped carrier components 44 are located between the air outlets 43. The carrier components 44 bring about the further advantage that persons are prevented from reaching into the air outlets 43.
[0108] FIG. 8 also shows that the air outlets 43 are open at the bottom. This bottom of the air outlets 43 materializes only in the assembled state by means of the bearing surface, which is preferably a vehicle roof of a travel trailer or motor home. To this end, the carrier components 44 have a sufficient depth so that they rest on the bearing surface after assembly.
