AU733026B3 - Evaporative air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT Invention Title: EVAPORATIVE AIR CONDITIONER Name of Applicant: BRIVIS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 EVAPORATIVE AIR CONDITIONER The present invention relates to an evaporative air conditioner.

The present invention relates particularly to an evaporative air conditioner that conforms to the roofline of a house.

Conventional domestic air conditioners comprise: a housing defined by side walls, a base, and a top wall, with one or more of the side walls comprising water absorbent porous panels; (ii) a water distribution system to supply water to the panels; (iii) a fan for drawing air into the housing via the panels such that the air is cooled via heat exchange with water in the panels; and (iv) an outlet for discharging cooled air from the housing into ductwork for distributing the cooled air.

Conventional domestic air conditioners are usually roof-mounted, with the housing being supported well above the roof-line by means of a hollow dropper tube which also defines part of the ductwork for supplying cooled air to a house. The-positioning of the -3housing well above the roof-line makes the conventional domestic air conditioners a prominent feature of houses that, in many instances, detracts from the overall appearance of houses and is an adverse factor on marketing of conventional air conditioners.

An object of the present invention is to provide a roof-mounted evaporative air conditioner which is not as prominent as conventional domestic roof-mounted air conditioners.

According to the present invention there is provided an evaporative air conditioner for mounting to an inclined roof of a house, which air conditioner includes: a housing defined by: a base which has an outlet for air flow from the housing; a plurality of side walls, with at least one side wall having a water absorbent panel that defines an inlet for air flow into the housing; and a top wall; wherein the housing is formed so that the base conforms to the pitch of the roof and defines an upper section and a lower section and the side walls are vertical and the top wall is horizontal when the air conditioner is located on the roof; a water distribution system for supplying water to an upper edge of the panel, the water distribution system including: a water trough formed in the lower section of the base when the air conditioner is located on the inclined roof; and a means for pumping water from the water trough to the upper edge of the" 4 panel; and a fan assembly for drawing air into the housing via the panel for cooling air by evaporating water in the panel.

The present invention is based on the realisation that forming an evaporative air conditioner having a housing with a base that conforms generally to the pitch of a roof and side walls that extend vertically when the air conditioner is mounted to the roof makes the air conditioner compatible with and not a prominent feature of the roof. In particular, the present invention makes it possible to minimise the spacing of the top wall of the housing above the roof.

It is preferred that the housing has 4 sides walls, with one side wall forming a front of the housing, another side wall forming a rear of the oo 20 housing, and the remaining two side walls forming opposed parallel sides of the housing, the 4 side walls having the water absorbent panels, and the area of the side wall panel at the front of the housing being greater than the area of the side wall panel at the rear of the housing.

e It is preferred that the base includes a cylindrical side wall that defines the air flow outlet and that the cylindrical side wall be perpendicular to a major plane of the base.

It is preferred that the base be located on or a short distance only above the roof-line of the roof.

5 It is preferred that the base include a generally wave-like configuration when viewed in side elevation, with a convex lower section, a concave middle section, and a convex upper section. The applicant has found that the wave-like configuration enables the base to match closely a range of different roof pitches.

It is preferred that the water distribution system includes a water distribution tray positioned in an upper section of the housing and arranged to distribute water to the panel(s).

It is preferred that the water distribution system be adapted to supply different flow rates of water to each panel. This is an important feature in a situation where the air conditioner comprises panels in the front and rear side walls of the housing so as to enable the water supply to the panels to be adjusted to take into account the different sizes of the panels.

The present invention is described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of an evaporative air conditioner in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through the air conditioner; Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 in 6 Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 in Figure 2.

The preferred embodiment of the evaporative air conditioner shown in the figures is mounted on a roof 11 of a house and is operable to supply cooled air via ductwork 25 to the rooms of the house. Typically, the pitch of the roof is 17-350 to the horizontal.

With reference to the Figures, the evaporative air conditioner includes a housing, generally identified by the numeral 3, having a base 5, 4 side walls (namely, at the front, back and 2 sides of the housing) including water absorbent porous panels 7, and a top wall 9.

With particular reference to Figure 2, the housing is constructed so that, in use, when the evaporative air conditioner is mounted on the roof 11, the base 5 conforms closely to the pitch of the roof 11, the side wall panels 7 extend vertically, and the top wall 5 extends horizontally. As can be seen in Figure 2, with this construction of the housing-the base 5 is inclined relative to the vertically extending side wall panels 7 and the sizes of the side wall-panels 7 are different at the front and rear of the housing. This is a different arrangement to conventional evaporative air conditioners that have side wall panels that are perpendicular to the base and are of the same size at the front and rear of the housing. This construction of the housing 3 makes the evaporative air conditioner compatible with and not a prominent feature of the roof 7 11. In particular, unlike many conventional air conditioners that are mounted on dropper tubes that locate the air conditioners well above the roof-line, the air conditioner shown in the figures is located close to the roof-line.

With reference to Figure i, in order to accommodate a range of pitch variations, while maintaining compatibility of the air conditioner with the roof 11, the base 5 includes a wave-like configuration in side elevation, with a convex lower section 13, a concave middle section 15, and a convex upper section 17.

Whilst not an essential feature of the present invention, an important feature is that the structural components of the preferred embodiment of the air conditioner are located in or underneath the housing 3 so that the principal purpose of the visible exterior construction of the roof-mounted housing is to optimise the compatibility of the air conditioner and the roof 11.

With reference toFigure 2, the'air conditioner includes a collar 19 located underneath the base 5 that is connected by bolts (not shown) or other suitable means to the roof 11, and more particularly to the roof frame 21, and defines a support for the housing 3 and the other components of the air conditioner.

The base 5 of the housing 3 is formed with an opening 23 which defines an outlet for cooled air from the housing 3. With reference to Figures 2 and 4, the 8 base 5 includes a cylindrical side wall 27 that defines the outlet. As can best be seen in Figure 2, the cylindrical side wall 27 is perpendicular to a major plane of the base 5, i.e. the plane in which a major part of the inclined base is located. The collar 19 is aligned with and forms an extension of the outlet opening 23 and provides a mounting surface for the ductwork 25 so that, in use, cooled air from the housing 3 flows via the outlet opening 23 and the collar 19 into the ductwork 25 and, thereafter, is distributed to the rooms of the house.

The air conditioner further includes a water distribution system for distributing water to the side wall panels 7.

The water distribution system includes a water distribution tray 35 mounted in an upper section of the housing 3. With particular reference to Figure 3, the tray 35 has a central opening 47 which defines an inlet for supplying water to the tray 35. Furthermore, the' tray 35 has a slightly downwardly sloping surface over which, in use, water flows towards the periphery of the tray 35. The tray 35 further includes an upwardly extending wall 39 at the periphery of the tray 35 and a series of water outlets 37 inboard of the wall 39. The outlet openings 37 are positioned so that, inuse, water from the inlet opening 47 flows through the outlet openings 37 onto the upper surface of the side wall panels 7.

The water distribution system further includes a water trough 41 in the lower section of the base 5, and 9 a means (not shown) for pumping water from the water trough 41 to the inlet in the tray 35. In use, the water trough 41 receives water from a main supply (not shown) and as runoff from the side wall panels 7.

The water distribution system is adapted to supply different flow rates of water to the side wall panels 7 to take into account the different sizes of the panels 7.

The evaporative air conditioner further includes a suspension system for supporting the housing 3 and other components of the air conditioner from the roof 11.

The suspension system includes: 4 support members 29 that are connected to the collar 19 and extend upwardly from the collar 19 to the upper corners of the housing 3; and (ii) 4 suspension arms 31 which are arranged so that one suspension arm 31 extends downwardly from each support member 29 and is connected at a lower end to the base In effect, the housing 3 and other components of the air conditioner are suspended via the abovedescribed suspension system.

In order to further strengthen the support for 10 the housing 3, the air conditioner further includes 4 brace members 33 that extend generally horizontally outwardly from the collar 19 and are connected to the lower ends of the suspension arms 31.

Each assembly of the support members 29, the suspension arms 31 and the brace members 33 define a triangular structure that is a particularly effective support for the air conditioner.

The air conditioner further includes an axial fan (not shown) positioned in the collar 19 and operable to draw air into the housing 3 through the side wall panels 7 and to force cooled air through the outlet opening 23, the collar 19, and the ductwork The air conditioner further includes water management and electronic control systems 51 for controlling the operation of the air conditioner located in a chamber 53 moulded in the base The above-described preferred embodiment of the air conditioner of the present invention operates efficiently and effectively.

Many modifications may be made to the preferred embodiment of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (2)

1. 2. The air conditioner defined in claim 1 wherein the housing has 4 sides walls, with one side wall forming a front of the housing, another side wall forming a rear of the housing, and the remaining two 12 side walls forming opposed parallel sides of the housing, the 4 side walls having the water absorbent panels, and the area of the side wall panel at the front of the housing being greater than the area of the side wall panel at the rear of the housing.
2. 3. The evaporative air conditioner defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the base includes a cylindrical side wall that defines the air flow outlet and the cylindrical side wall is perpendicular to a major plane of the base. Dated this 3rd day of January 2001 BRIVIS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia