# US 2025/0146702 A1 · Air conditioner > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0146702 A1 - Document ID: US20250146702A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 19/016,048 - Filed: 2025-01-10 - Published: 2025-05-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-20 - Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yuji SAKANO; Ryuta IIJIMA; Shigeki YOSHIDA; Naokatsu OSAWA; Masashi ICHIHASHI; Manabu SHIRAI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250146702A1 ## CPC - F24F 1/0007: Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units (self-contained units F24F1/02) - F24F 13/06: Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser - F24F 1/0087: with humidification means - F24F 1/0323: by the mounting or arrangement of the heat exchangers - F24F 5/0035: {using evaporation} - F24F 13/22: Means for preventing condensation or evacuating condensate - F24F 1/039: using water to enhance cooling, e.g. spraying onto condensers - F24F 12/00: Use of energy recovery systems in air conditioning, ventilation or screening (with both heat and humidity transfer between supplied and exhausted air F24F3/147) - F24F 12/001: {with heat-exchange between supplied and exhausted air} - F24F 2006/008: {Air-humidifier with water reservoir} - Y02B 30/54: Free-cooling systems - F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract An air conditioner includes a housing having a first outlet and a second outlet, a first channel communicating with the first outlet, a second channel communicating with the second outlet, a tank unit configured to hold water for cooling first air and second air, the first air flowing through the first channel, the second air flowing through the second channel, a cooling unit configured to cool the first air by heat of vaporization of water held in the tank unit, a water supply channel for supplying water held in the tank unit to the cooling unit, and a water recovery channel for collecting water remaining in the cooling unit to the tank unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air conditioner, comprising: a housing having an inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet; a suction channel communicating with the inlet; a first channel communicating with the first outlet; a second channel communicating with the second outlet; a tank unit configured to hold water for cooling first air and second air, the first air flowing through the first channel, the second air flowing through the second channel; a cooling unit includes: a sensible heat exchanger configured to cool the second air by heat exchange with water supplied from the tank unit and cool the first air by sensible heat exchange between the cooled second air and the first air, and a vaporization filter configured to cool the first air by heat of vaporization of water supplied from the tank unit; a water supply channel for supplying water held in the tank unit to the cooling unit; and a water recovery channel for collecting water remaining in the cooling unit to the tank unit, wherein the sensible heat exchanger is provided with first paths through which the first air flows and second paths through which the second air flows; and the inlet is communicated with entrances of the first paths and the second paths through the suction channel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a drain pan provided below the sensible heat exchanger, wherein the tank unit includes a first tank communicating with the drain pan through the water recovery channel and with the water supply channel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the first tank is provided below the drain pan. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the water recovery channel includes: a first water recovery channel communicating with the vaporization filter and the first tank, and a second water recovery channel communicating with the drain pan and the first tank. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the tank unit includes a second tank configured to hold water to be supplied from outside the housing and to be supplied to the first tank. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the first tank has a volume smaller than the second tank has. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein, when an amount of water in the first tank is lower than or equal to a predetermined value, the water in the second tank is supplied to the first tank. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein an amount of water to be supplied from the second tank to the first tank at a time is smaller than or equal to half a total value of a volume of the first tank, a volume of the water supply channel, and a volume of the water recovery channel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the first tank is below the cooling unit, and a bottom surface of the first tank is below a bottom surface of the second tank. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the vaporization filter is disposed downstream of the sensible heat exchanger in a flow direction of the first air. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the second channel has a portion provided downstream of the sensible heat exchanger in a flow direction of the second air and including a gas-liquid separator to turn a flow direction of the second channel from a lower side to an upper side. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The air conditioner according to claim 11, further comprising: a fan configured to convey the first air; and a fan motor configured to rotate the fan, wherein the fan motor is disposed downstream of the gas-liquid separation mechanism in the flow direction of the second air. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising: a first fan configured to convey the first air; and a fan motor configured to rotate the first fan, wherein the fan motor is provided in the second channel and disposed downstream of the sensible heat exchanger in the flow direction of the second air. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The air conditioner according to claim 13, further comprising a second fan configured to convey the second air, wherein the fan motor is shared by the first fan and the second fan. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The air conditioner according to claim 13, further comprising a partition plate provided between the first fan and the fan motor, the separation plate separating the first channel from the second channel.