US3390542A - Air conditioning - Google Patents

Description

R. P. PERRY ETAL AIR CONDITIONING July 2, 1968 Original Filed Aug. 5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 8 S g "T 8 "+1 w v it 5 n a: M I T T-1w m L L INVENTOR ROBERTRPERRY wwzs M. FARRELL BY Mimfiqim Wad/ml? A'IT RNEYS y 1968 R. P. PERRY ETAL 3,390,542

'AIR CONDITIONING Original Filed Aug. 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet, 2

INVENTOR ROBERT PERRY JAIME S M. FARRELL July 2, 1968 R. P. PERRY ETAL AIR CONDITIONING 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Aug. 5, 1965 United States Patent 3,390,542 AIR CONDITIONING Robert P. Perry and James M. Farrell, Greenville, Mich,

assignors to Hupp Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Virginia Continuation of application Ser. No. 477,432, Aug. 5, 1965. This application Dec. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 603,689 11 Claims. (Cl. 62-262) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A room air conditioner and front panel assembly having controllable openings and passages to permit selective operation for normal cooling, for connecting essentially the entire output of the air conditioner blower to the outside atmosphere, to exhaust stale air from the room or for utilizing essentially the entire output of the blower to deliver outside fresh air into the room.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 477,432, filed Aug. 5, 1965, now abandoned, for Air Conditioning.

This invention relates to air conditioners and more particularly to air flow control structures for window air conditioners.

It has long been considered that the only function of an air conditioner, particularly a window unit, is the reduction of air temperature and the resulting dehumidification of the air. Continuing efforts in the air conditioner industry have led to marked improvements in the eificiency with which the cooling function is performed. Thermostats and other automatic controls are now universally provided to permit regulation of the air temperature.

Little progress has been made, however, in improving the performance of air conditioners with respect to the other factors upon which the comfort of the user depends.

Frequently, the result of operation of an air conditioner is to fill a room with cooled stale odor laden air. If the room served by the air conditioner is occupied by smokers or is used for cooking or serving food the air may become so oppressive that the advantages of the air conditioner are nullified and it becomes necessary to shut the air conditioner off and open windows or doors to obtain fresh air. Thus, it often happens that an air conditioner, which is functioning properly and in the manner intended by the manufacturer, fails completely to provide any true degree of user comfort.

Many modern air conditioners include means for exhausting air and introducing fresh air. However, all known prior efforts in this direction have been almost completely unsuccessful. Many, if not all, prior air conditioners are capable of producing a flow of exhaust air or fresh air up to a maximum of about 15% of the total air flow. Such a flow rate, is totally ineffective to produce the desired results.

There are many circumstances under which artificial cooling of the air is not required, and ventilation, i.e., the exhaust of stale air or the supply of fresh air is adequate to meet comfort requirements. Under such conditions a window fan would satisfactorily meet the need for air conditioning. However, prior air conditioners are ineffective under such conditions unless they are used in the normal manner to artificially cool the 3,398,542 Patented July 2, 1968 air since they provide a totally inadequate flow of fresh air or exhaust air.

Further, prior air conditioners provide little or no effective control of dehumidification.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, it is a principal purpose and object of the present invention to provide improved air conditioners overcoming these disadvantages and providing true comfort control principally by providing for an effective supply of fresh air, for effectively exhausting stale air, and an effective dehumidification control system.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved air conditioners which satisfy the foregoing requirements without the addition of moving parts and without increasing the cost of the unit.

It is also an object to provide improved air conditioners including a novel air flow control system which permits the use of the air conditioner as a reversible window fan and which provides substantially the same flow of fresh air or exhaust air as delivered when the air conditioner is used in the normal manner for cooling.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide improved front panels for air conditioners including a novel dehumidification control, the panels being effective to seal the air conditioner during periods of non-use while enhancing the appearance of the unit during such periods.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a window air conditioner incorporating the present invention showing the air control louvers and panels in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the air control louvers and panels in fully open position;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view corresponding to a horizontal section illustrating the internal air flow pattern; and

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view corresponding to a vertical section also illustrating the air flow pattern.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, detailed reference will first be made to the air conditioner front panel illustrated in FIGURES 1-4. The panel assembly which is preferably formed entirely of plastic includes a generally rectangular frame having top, bottom and end walls 20, 22, 24 and 26, respectively. The walls are provided with re-entrant portions a-26a which enhance the appearance of the unit, increase its strength and provide surfaces for mounting the louvers and panels to be described below.

A wall 28 extends horizontally between the end walls 24 and 26 to divide the front panel into an upper air outlet section and a lower air inlet section. The upper air outlet section is, in turn, vertically bisected by a channel shaped -wall 30 connecting the top wall 20 and the horizontal divider wall 28. The flow of air through the outlet section is controlled by sets of louvers 32 and 34 ivotally mounted at their opposite ends on pins 36 and 38 rotatively supported in openings provided in the re-entrant wall portions 24a and 26a, respectively. The

louvers 32 and 34 are connected at their inner ends by integral rods 40 received in notches 41 of the side walls of the vertical wall 30. A retainer 43 closes the inner edges of channel wall 30 and holds the rods 40 in position. Formed integrally with each of the connecting rods 40 is a gear segment 42, each of the gear segments being engageable with a rack 44 vertically slidable in the divider wall 30. An operating knob 46 projects forwardly through a slot 48 in the wall 30 to permit manual manipulation of the rack 44 to adjust all of the louvers 32 and 34 simultaneously between the full closed position shown in FIGURE 1 and the fully open position shown in FIGURE 2. As shown in FIGURE 4 the edges of the louvers overlap when they are in closed position to provide a tight closure for the entire air outlet section.

The air inlet section is formed by a plurality of fixed horizontal louvers 50 which extend completely across the air conditioner between the side walls 24 and 26 except where they are interrupted by a control panel section indicated generally at 52. To add rigidity to the structure, the louvers 50 are connected by vertical reinforcing strips 54 spaced at regular intervals along the length of the louvers 50. The control panel includes a temperature control knob 58, a master control knob 60, which may be used to operate the blowers with or without the compressor, a fresh air control knob 62 and an exhaust air control knob 64, the operation of which will be described below.

The fiow of air into the air intake section is controlled by a unique mechanism comprising three slidable panels 66, 68 and 70, which are preferably formed of relatively light sheet metal and are provided with a decorative front cover, for example, a wood grained design. The panels are mounted in upper and lower slide guides 72 and 74, respectively, suitably secured to the horizontal divider wall 28 and the bottom wall 22. The slide guides 72 and 74 are provided with three tracks, 76, 78 and 88, the edges of panel 66 being received in the front tracks 80; the edges of intermediate panel 68 being received in the intermediate tracks 78; and the edges of end panel 70 being received in the inner tracks '76. At its left edge as viewed in FIGURE 1, the end panel 66 is provided with an outwardly projecting ridge 82 to facilitate manual manipulation of the panel. The end panel 70 is provided with a somewhat longer projection 84 for the same purpose. The right-hand edge of the panel 66, both edges of the intermediate panel 68 and the left-hand edge of the end panel 70 are provided with re-entrant curved positions 86, 87, 88 and 89, which interfit when the panels are moved to their extended position as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. The adjustability of the panels 66, 68 and 70, is such that they may be used effectively to establish a variety of operating conditions.

For example, during the winter months or during other periods of non-use, the panels are moved to the position shown on FIGURES 1 and 3, in which they provide a relatively air tight seal, protect the control panel 52, and enhance the appearance of the unit. As described below this position is also used when a supply of fresh air is required. The panels are moved to the fully open position shown in FIGURE 2 when the maximum cooling is desired. For increased dehumidification as explained below the panel 70 is moved beneath the panel 68 so as to block a substantial portion of the air inlet opening.

As shown in FIGURES and 6, the air conditioner unit, on which the front panel of FIGURES 1-4 is installed, comprises the usual housing 90 enclosing a compressor 92, an evaporator coil 94, a condenser coil 96, a motor 98 driving a blower 100 associated with the condenser coil and a blower 102 associated with the evaporator coil. The compressor, the evaporator and the condenser are inter-connected in the usual manner by a conduit system which has been omitted for clarity.

As is well known, when the air conditioner is in operation on the cooling cycle, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 92 delivered to the condenser 96 for cooling and then passes through a capillary tube or expansion valve (not shown) to the evaporator 94 from which it returns to the inlet side of the compressor 92.

The condenser 96 is isolated from the remainder of the air conditioner by a vertical wall 104 having an inlet opening 106 adjacent the blower 100. The evaporator compartment 94 is separated from the compressor and the condenser by a vertical wall 108. Extending from the wall 108 to the front of the air conditioner over the top of the evaporator coil 94 and at the level of the front panel divider wall 28 is a horizontal wall 110 having an opening 112 for the passage of air delivered by the blower 102. The evaporator compartment is completed by a vertical wall 114 extending from the bottom of the unit to the divider wall 110 and between the wall 108 and the front edge of the evaporator 94.

An exhaust air door 118 normally closes an opening 120 in the portion of the wall 108 immediately adjacent the outlet of blower 102. The door 118 is in the form of a hood which is effective to intercept substantially all of the air delivered by the blower 102. The opening 120 and the door 118 may also be located anywhere in the wall 108 above the divider 110. A fresh air door 122 normally closes an opening 124 in the portion of the wall 108 below the horizontal wall 110. The opening 124 is covered by a removable filter 125. The openings 120 and 124 are suificiently large to accommodate without substantial restriction the total flow of air produced by the blower 102. The doors 118 and 122 are connected in a conventional manner for operation by the controls 64 and 62, respectively.

The operation of the air conditioner will now be considered assuming first that maximum cooling is desired. Under these conditions the front panel will be adjusted to the position shown in FIGURE 2 for maximum opening in both the air inlet section and the air outlet section. The controls 62 and 64 will be adjusted so as to close the doors 118 and 122. Under these conditions the blower 102 will draw air inwardly through the air inlet section of the front panel over the evaporator 94 thence through the opening 112 in the wall 110 for return to the room through the air outlet section formed by the louvers 32 and 34. Simultaneously the blower 100 will draw air in through louvers (not shown) in the side walls of the air conditioner housing 90 at the opposite ends of the passage formed between the two vertical walls 104 and 108. The air will pass through the opening 106 flow over the condenser 96 and return to the outside atmosphere.

Frequently, dehumidification is more important than temperature reduction. For example, on many damp Spring and Fall days when temperatures are pleasant, complete comfort may be obtained simply by dehumidifying the air without substantial cooling. This result may be obtained by moving the panel 68 to its fully extended position as shown in FIGURE 1 and sliding the panel 70 to a position behind the panel 68. In this position the panels effectively block flow over approximately 50% of the area of the evaporator coil. The resulting reduced flow of air produces a substantial dehumidification while reducing the total cooling effect by increasing the proportion of latent heat removed from the air.

Under the frequently encountered conditions under which only ventilation is necessary, the unit may be adjusted so that the flow of air issuing from the outlet section consists entirely of fresh air from the outside atmosphere or so that no air issues from the unit and substantially the full capacity of the blower 102 is utilized to draw air through the inlet section and deliver it to the outside atmosphere.

When a supply of fresh air is desired, panels 66, 68 and 70, are moved to the position of FIGURE 1 to tightly close the entire air intake section. The louvers 32 and 34 are moved to the open position shown in FIGURE 2. The control knob 62 is moved to open the door 122 and the blower control 60 is moved to a position which causes operation of the blower 102 without causing operation of the compressor 92. When the unit is adjusted in this manner the air flow to the inlet of the blower 102 is blocked except for the passage through the opening 124 opposite the fresh air door 122. Because of the large size of this opening, the blower 102 is capable of moving substantially the same volume of air as it does when the air conditioner is operated in a normal cooling cycle with the panels 66, 68 and 70 open. The air passes from the blower and through the opening 112 to the region above the horizontal partition 110 for delivery to the room through the open louvers 32 and 34. Thus, fresh, filtered air is supplied to the room at a rate which is many times that achieved by prior units.

When it is desired to exhaust stale or smoke laden air from the room, the front panels 66, 68 and 70, are moved to the position shown in FIGURE 2 to fully open the air intake section of the unit. The louvers 32 and 34 are moved to the closed position shown in FIGURE 1 thus completely blocking the flow of air into the room. Fresh air door 122 is closed by operation of the control knob 62 and the exhaust door 118 is open by operation of the control knob 64. Blower 102 is then placed in operation by the control knob 60 without causing operation of the compressor 92. Under these circumstances air can flow out of the unit only through the open door 118 which is large enough to accommodate, without substantial restriction, the normal rated fiow capacity of the blower 102.

It is to be noted that the controls 62 and 64 are effective to move the doors 118 and 122 to any intermediate position between full open and full closed position. Similarly, the arrangement of the panels 66, 68 and 70, is such that the effective size of the air inlet section can be adjusted to any position between full closed and full open. Also, the louvers 32 and 34 are completely adjustable between full open and full closed positions. Accordingly, by proper operation of these controls, the air conditioner can be adjusted so as to produce substantially any desired degree of cooling, dehumidification, fresh air supply, or exhaust and in this respect the unit of the present invention has a degree of flexibility of operation not approached by the units of the prior art.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictice, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in a wall of a room to dispose the front portion thereof within said room and the rear portion thereof outside said room and having a motor driven blower comprising a front panel assembly covering the front portion of said air conditioner within the room, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, means for selectively closing and opening each of said sections independently, duct structure within said air conditioner for connecting the inlet of said blower to said air inlet section and the outlet of said blower to said air outlet section, first passage means for connecting the inlet of said blower to the outside atmosphere, second passage means for connecting the outlet of said blower to the outside atmosphere, means in said front portion operable to open and close each of said passage means whereby when said air inlet section and said second passage means are closed, and said air outlet section and said first passage means are open, the

blower supplies only air from the outside atmosphere into said room, and when said air inlet section and said second passage means are open, and said air outlet section and said first passage means are closed, all of the air moved by said blower is withdrawn from said room through said air inlet section and delivered to the outside atmosphere through said second passage means.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 wherein said means for selectively opening and closing said air outlet section comprises a plurality of louvers pivotally carried by said front panel assembly, and means for simultaneously pivoting each of said louvers between positions in which they are normal to the plane of said front panel assembly and in which they are essentially co-planar with said front panel assembly.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 wherein the means for selectively closing and opening said air inlet section comprises a plurality of panels slidably carried by said front panel assembly, the aggregate area of said slidable panels being at least equal to the area of said air inlet section, and said panels being slidable one beneath the other to open said air inlet section.

4. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in the wall of the room to dispose the front portion thereof within said room and the rear portion thereof outside of said room comprising, an evaporator coil extending across a portion of the front of said unit, the height of said coil being substantially less than the height of said unit, a motor driven blower adjacent said evaporator coil, a condenser coil extending across the rear of said unit, a compressor between said coils and operatively connected to said coils, a vertical wall extending the full height of said unit to isolate said blower and said evaporator coil from the compressor, the condenser and the outside atmosphere, a horizontal wall extending from said vertical wall to the front of said unit immediately above said evaporator coil and said blower, means forming an opening in said horizontal wall to permit the passage of air delivered by said blower therethrough, a front panel assembly covering the front of said unit, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, said sections being disposed below and above said horizontal wall, respectively, means for selectively closing and opening each of said sections, means forming a fresh air opening in said vertical wall below said horizontal wall, a fresh air door for selectively opening and closing said fresh air opening, means forming an exhaust air opening in said vertical wall adjacent the delivery side of said blower, an exhaust air door for selectively opening and closing said exhaust air opening, and means .on said front portion operable to open and close each of said doors, whereby said unit may be so adjusted that said blower draws air through said air inlet section and delivers it through said air outlet section or air exhaust opening, or said blower draws air through said fresh air opening for delivery through said air outlet section.

5. A front panel assembly for an air conditioner unit comprising a peripheral frame having top, bottom and end walls, a divider extending across said panel assembly between said end walls to divide said panel assembly into an upper air outlet section and a lower air inlet section, a plurality of louvers pivotally carried by said panel assembly and extending across said air outlet section, means for simultaneously pivoting said louvers between an open position in which said louvers are normal to the plane of said panel assembly, and a closed position in which said louvers are essentially co-planar with said panel assembly, a plurality of movable panels carried by said front panel assembly below said divider for sliding movement transversely of said front panel assembly, said movable panels being positioned in offset relation whereby they may be moved to a stacked position one behind the other or to an extended position where they completely close said air inlet section.

6. The front panel assembly according to claim wherein the adjacent edges .of said movable panels are provided with curved re-entrant portions adapted to interfit when the panels are moved to their extended position.

7. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in the wall of a room to dispose the front portion thereof within said room and the rear portion thereof outside of said room comprising, an evaporator coil extending across a portion of the front of said unit, the height of said coil being substantially less than the height of said unit, a motor driven blower adjacent said evaporator coil, a condenser coil extending across the rear of said unit, a compressor between said coils and operatively connected to said coils, a vertical wall extending the full height of said unit to isolate said blower and said evaporator coil from the compressor, the condenser and the outside atmosphere, a horizontal wall extending from said vertical wall to the front of said unit immediately above said evaporator coil and said blower, means forming an opening in said horizontal wall to permit the passage of air delivered by said blower therethrough, a front panel assembly covering the front of said unit, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, said sections being disposed below and above said horizontal wall, respectively, means for selectively closing and opening at least said inlet section, means forming a fresh air opening in said vertical wall below said horizontal wall, a fresh air door for selectively opening and closing said fresh air opening, and means on said front portion operable to open and close said door whereby when said air inlet section is closed and said door is .open said blower draws air solely through said fresh air opening for delivery through said air outlet section.

8. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in the wall of a room to dispose the front portion thereof within said room and the rear portion thereof outside of said room comprising, an evaporator coil extending across a portion of the front of said unit, the height of said coil being substantially less than the height of said unit, a motor driven blower adjacent said evaporator coil, a condenser coil extending across the rear of said unit, a compressor between said coils and operatively connected to said coils, a vertical wall extending the full height of said unit to isolate said blower and said evaporator coil from the compressor, the condenser and the outside atmosphere, a horizontal wall extending from said vertical wall to the front of said unit immediately above said evaporator coil and said blower, means forming an opening in said horizontal wall to permit the passage of air delivered by said blower therethrough, a front panel assembly covering the front of said unit, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, said sections being disposed below and above said horizontal wall, respectively, means for selectively closing and opening at least said outlet section, means forming an exhaust air opening in said vertical wall adjacent the delivery side of said blower, an exhaust air door for selectively opening and closing said exhaust air opening, and means on said front portion operable to open and close said door, whereby when said door is open and said air outlet section is closed said blower draws air through said air inlet section and delivers it through said air exhaust opening.

9. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in a wall of a room and having a motor driven blower comprising, a front panel assembly covering the front portion of said air conditioner within the room, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, means for selectively closing and opening each of said sections independently, duct structure within said air conditioner for connecting the inlet of said blower to said air inlet section and the outlet of said blower to said air outlet section, first passage ill) means for connecting the inlet of said blower to the outside atmosphere, said first passage means being sufficiently large to accommodate, without substantial restriction, the total How of air produced by said blower, second passage means connecting the outlet of said blower to the outside atmosphere, said second passage means being sufficiently large to accommodate, without substantial restriction, the entire output of said blower, means in said front portion operable to open and close said first and second passage means independently whereby when said air inlet section and said second passage means are closed and said air outlet section and said first passage means are opened the blower supplies only air from the outside atmosphere into said room and when said air inlet section and said second passage means are open and said first passage means and said air outlet section are closed all of the air moved by said blower is withdrawn from said room through said air inlet section and delivered to the outside atmosphere through said second passage means.

10. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in the wall of a room to dispose the front portion thereof within said room and the rear portion thereof outside of said room comprising, a front panel assembly covering the front of said unit, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, an evaporator coil extending across a portion of the front of said unit behind one of said panel sections, a motor driven blower positioned to produce a flow of air over said evaporator coil, a condenser coil in the rear portion of said unit, a compressor operatively connected to said coils, a vertical wall extending the full height of said unit to isolate said blower and said evaporator coil from the compressor, the condenser and the outside atmosphere, an additional wall extending from said vertical wall to the front of said unit and terminating at its forward edge immediately adjacent the junction of said panel sections, means forming an opening in said additional wall to permit the passage of air delivered by said blower therethrough, means for selectively closing and opening at least said air inlet section, means forming a fresh air opening in said vertical wall, a fresh air door for selectively opening and closing said fresh air opening, and means on said front portion operable to open and close said door whereby when said air inlet section is closed and said door is open said blower draws air solely through said fresh air opening for delivery through said air outlet section.

11. An air conditioner unit adapted to project through a window or like opening in the wall of a room to dispose the front portion thereof within said room and the rear portion thereof outside of said room comprising, a front panel assembly covering the front of said unit, said panel assembly having an air inlet section and an air outlet section, and evaporator coil extending across a portion of the front of said unit behind one of said panel sections, a motor driven blower positioned to produce a flow of air over said evaporator coil, a condenser coil in the rear portion of said unit, a compressor operatively connected to said coils, a vertical Wall extending the full height of said unit to isolate said blower and said evaporator coil from the compressor, the condenser and the outside atmosphere, an additional wall extending from said vertical wall to the front of said unit and terminating at its forward edge immediately adjacent the junction of said panel sections, means forming an opening in said horizontal wall to permit the passage of air delivered by said blower therethrough, means for selectively closing and opening at least said air outlet section, means forming an exhaust air opening in said vertical wall adjacent the delivery side of said blower, an exhaust air door for selectively opening and closing said exhaust air opening, and means on said front portion operable to open and close said door, whereby when said door is open and said air outlet section is closed said blower draws air through said air inlet section and delivers it solely through said air exhaust opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Kuhlenschmidt 9894 Rose 62427 Tatoy 62262 Metcalfe 62262 Ulich 62262 Schwartz 98-94 Schwarz 62262 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner.

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