Air-Conditioning Machine

The present invention relates to a heat pump air conditioner of a wind type with an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger and blowers being disposed in one box body.

As many of the conventional heat pump air conditioners are used exclusively for cooling, the service period thereof is restricted throughout the year. Also, when the indoor air has become foul during operation, the indoor air is required to be ventilated. Thus, some of the heat pump air conditioners of this type are provided with a ventilation function. However, the energy loss caused by the ventilation is unavoidable in this case. Some air-conditioning ventilation fans adapted to reduce the ventilation loss use total heat exchangers, but are not provided with the cooling and heating functions during such use. Also, the conventional heat pump air conditioners of a wind type or the conventional air-conditioning ventilation fans thereof, which are of non-heat-exchange type and are not provided with a separate ventilating function, have a disadvantage in that the energy-saving open-air cooling operation as in the wind fan cannot be effected during the nights of the summer when the outdoor temperature has become lower than the room temperature.

Accordingly, an essential object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning machine, which has many functions such as cooling, heating, ventilating, total heat exchange ventilating operations, or the like, and furthermore saves energy and increases comfort.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning machine, which uses the advantages of the conventional air-conditioning machines, diminishes the disadvantages thereof, and can be used throughout the year.

According to the present invention, an air-conditioning machine wherein an indoor-air circulation wind-passage provided with an indoor heat exchanger and a blower for circulating the indoor air, an outdoor-air circulation wind passage provided with an outdoor heat exchanger and a blower for circulating the outdoor air, and a ventilation wind passage composed of an indoor-air exhaust wind passage and an outdoor-air feed wind passage for performing the ventilation, exchanging heat between the indoor air for the outdoor air, are formed in blocks within the same box body, an opposite flow type heat exchanger is provided at the intersecting portion between the ventilation wind passages, one end of said outdoor-air feed wind passage opens, through the heat exchanger, to the middle portions of said indoor-air circulation wind passage and said outdoor-air circulation wind passage, one end of the indoor-air exhaust wind passage opens, through the same heat exchanger, to the middle portions of said indoor-air circulation wind passage and said outdoor-air circulation wind passage, and dampers or shutters are provided, to open or shut said openings, respectively, at the opposing two faces of the outdoor-air circulation wind passage and the indoor-air circulation wind passage, and the two wind-passage openings on each side of said opposite flow type heat exchanger.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 6 are cross-sectional views, seen from above, in one embodiment, of a heat pump air-conditioner of the present invention, respectively showing the flows of air currents during the cooling and heating operations, during the partial total heat exchange ventilating operation in the cooling and heating operations, during the total heat exchange ventilating operation, and during the simultaneous feed and exhaust ventilating operation with non-heat-recovery;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat pump air conditioner of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a partial appearance view of a total heat exchanger used in the heat pump air conditioner of the present invention.

Before the description of the present invention proceeds, it is to be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the several views of the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, within a box body X of an air conditioning machine in one embodiment of the present invention, there are provided in blocks an indoor-air circulation wind passage 6, an outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5, a ventilation wind passage composed of an indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10 and an outdoor-air feed wind passage 12, and a total heat exchanger 14 of opposite flow type disposed between said indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10 and outdoor-air feed wind passage 12, one end of said outdoor-air feed wind passage 12 being open, through said total heat exchanger 14, to the middle portions of said indoor-air circulation wind passage 6 and said outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5, one end of the indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10 being open, through the same heat exchanger 14, to the middle portions of said indoor-air circulation wind passage 6 and said outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5. Also, an outdoor heat exchanger 1 of a heat pump is provided within one opening X1 of the box body X to be disposed in said outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5, while an indoor heat exchanger 2 of a heat pump is provided within the other opening X2 of the box body X to be disposed in said indoor-air circulation wind passage 6. Cross-flow fans 3 and 4 are provided respectively in the outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5 and indoor-air circulation wind passage 6 as blowers for circulating the outdoor air and the indoor air. Within the outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5 out door air is circulated by the fan 3 driven by a fan motor 7 from the outside atmosphere to an exhaust port 24 disposed in the opening of the box body X toward the outside atmosphere through the outdoor heat-exchanger 1. Also, within the indoor-air circulation wind passage 6 indoor air is circulated by the fan 4 driven by a fan motor 8 from the inside of a room to an exhaust port 23 disposed in the opening X2 of the body X toward the inside of the room through the outdoor heat exchanger 2. In addition, there is provided a compressor 9 for the heat pumps of heat exchangers 1 and 2 within the box body X, shutters 19 and 20 disposed in the openings of the box body X on the front faces of the indoor heat exchanger 2 and the outdoor heat exchanger 1, respectively, outer dampers 21 and 22 which open or shut an indoor air inlet port 11 disposed at the other end of the indoor-air exhaust wind-passage 10 and an outdoor-air inlet port 13 disposed at the other end of the outdoor-air feed wind passage 12, respectively, inner dampers 15 and 16 which are adapted to rotate around respective shafts 17 and 18 to open or shut passages of the total heat exchanger 14 installed between the wind passages 10 and 12, as described below. The total heat exchanger 14 installed at the intersecting portion between the wind passages 10 and 12 has, spacing boards made of kraft paper built up into a laminated layer as shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, an A air currents and a D air currents which have entered the total heat exchanger 14 from the mutually opposite faces respectively disposed toward said indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10 and said outdoor-air feed wind passage 12, are heat-exchanged in opposite air currents. Thereafter, they are distributed into outlets 27 and 26, and 28 and 25, each pair disposed in the right and left faces respectively towards said indoor-air circulation wind passage 6 and said outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5 to respectively form a B air currents and an F air currents, a C air currents and an E air currents thereby to direct the respective air currents out of the total heat exchanger 14. The total heat exchanger 14 is provided with such wind passages as to allow the air currents to flow as described hereinabove. One of each pair of air currents outlets of the total heat exchanger 14 is normally closed by said inner dampers 15 and 16 as shown in FIG. 1 to prevent the feed air currents of the outdoor air from passing into the wind passage 5 for circulating the outdoor air, or the exhaust currents of the indoor air from passing into the wind passage 6 for circulating the indoor air. During the simultaneous feed, exhaust ventilating operation, the dampers 15 and 16 are open as shown in FIG. 6 to short-circuit the wind passage 5 for circulating the outdoor air and the wind passage 6 for circulating the indoor air through the total heat exchanger 14 and to change the direction of flow of the air current developed by the cross-flow fans 3 and 4. Thus, the air currents, which enter the wind passage 6 for circulating the indoor air from the indoor, can be introduced outdoors by the blower 3, while the air currents, which enter the wind passage 5 for circulating the outdoor air from the outdoors can be introduced indoors by the blower 4, thus allowing the ventilation to be performed.

The operation of each unit and the condition of the air current flows in operation modes where the various functions are performed in a wind type heat pump air conditioner of such characters as described hereinabove will be described hereinafter with reference to the FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 6.

FIG. 1 shows the flows of the air currents and the operation of each unit during the cooling or heating operation. The heat pumps 1 and 2 are operated with dampers 15 and 16, and 21 and 22 shut, and shutters 19 and 20 being open. The air flows developed by the fans 3 and 4 from the shutters 19 and 20 to the exhaust ports 23 and 24 through the heat pumps 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 shows the flows of the air currents and the condition of each unit in a case where the total heat exchange ventilation is partially mixed during the air cooling, heating operation. The dampers 21 and 22 are opened from the condition of FIG. 1, to suck the indoor air and the outdoor air from the inlet ports 11 and 13 by the blowers 3 and 4. The total heat exchange of the air is performed within the total heat exchanger 14. In addition to the air currents of FIG. 1, the air flows from the dampers 21 and 22 to the exhaust ports 23 and 24 through the total heat exchanger 14. Thereafter, the air is mixed with the outdoor circulation air and the indoor circulation air. In this case, the ratio of the amount of ventilation air to the total amount of air of the indoor blow-off can be remotely controlled by the regulation of the degrees of opening of the shutters 19 and 20.

FIG. 5 shows the flows of the air currents and the condition of each unit during the total heat exchange ventilation in which the compressor 9, is stopped the dampers 21 and 22 are open and the dampers 15 and 16 and shutters 19 and 20 are shut. In this case, the outdoor air is drawn inward by the blower 4, and is inhaled from the outdoor-air inlet port 13. It passes into the outdoor-air feed wind passage 12 and is exchanged in total heat with the exhaust air from the interior of the room, within the total heat exchanger 14 so as to be fed to the indoors. Similarly, the exhaust air from the indoor is drawn inward by the blower 3. It passes into the indoor-air inlet port 11 and the indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10 and is exchanged in total heat with the feed air from the outdoors, within the total heat exchanger 14 so as to be exhausted outdoors. The functions are completely the same as those of the ordinary air-conditioning ventilating fans. Thusly, total heat exchange ventilation with reduced loss of the heat energy can be performed.

It is to be noted that the amount of ventilation air is 2 m.sup.3 per minute and the exchange efficiency of enthalpy is approximately 60%.

FIG. 6 shows the flows of the air currents and the condition of each unit during the simultaneous feed and exhaust ventilation (non-heat-exchange ventilation). By stopping the compressor 9, opening the dampers 15 and 16, shutting the dampers 21 and 22, opening the shutters 19 and 20, the indoor air which enters the indoor-air circulation wind passage 6 is sucked outdoors by the blower 3 through the total heat exchanger 14, or the outdoor air which enters the outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5 is sucked indoors by the blower 4 through the total heat exchanger 14, thereby to perform the simultaneous feed and exhaust ventilation.

In this case, the total heat exchanger 14 becomes only an air current passage in construction. Both of the currents are not exchanged in heat within the total heat exchanger 14 which provide four outlet openings 25 and 26, and 27 and 28, respectively on the side of the outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5, adjacent indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10 and adjacent the outdoor-air feed wind passage 12 and on the side of the indoor-air circulation wind passage 6, adjacent the indoor-air exhaust wind passage 10, and adjacent outdoor-air feed wind passage 12. In this case, the four outlet openings become short-circuits of both the outdoor-air circulation wind passage 5 and the indoor-air circulation wind passage 6.

On the other hand, the dampers 15 and 16 not only open and shut the wind passages, but also function as controlling plates, which are adapted to vary the direction of air current flow developed by the blowers 3 and 4.

Such ventilating functions as described hereinabove are the same as those of the ordinary ventilating fans or wind fans of the simultaneous feeding and exhausting operations. It is to be noted that the amount of ventilation air developed in accordance with the present embodiment is approximately 3 m.sup.3 per minute.

As described hereinabove, the heat pump air conditioner of the present invention can perform its ventilating operation in partial total heat exchange even during the cooling and heating operation as compared with the conventional one. The long hours' cooling and heating operations can be effected in a closed room, and the ventilation loss can be controlled to the utmost.

The air conditioning machine can be put into use as an air-conditioning ventilating fan, simultaneous feed and exhaust ventilating fan, wind fan or the like, in addition to a cooling heating air conditioner. Thus, energy-saving ventilation, general ventilation, open-air cooling, etc. can be performed. It can become a new heat pump of a wind type, which can be used throughout the year.

Needless to say, similar effects can be provided with the exception of the total heat exchanging function, even if a sensible heat exchanger of similar construction, instead of the total heat exchanger in the disclosed embodiment, is used.

Although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless such changes and modifications otherwise depart from the scope of the present invention, they should be constructed as included therein.