Building fresh air ventilator system

A fresh air ventilator system for a building or the like having a roof comprising:

• a. a conditioned air plenum communicating interiorly of the building for distributing conditioned air therewithin;
• b. a return air aperture communicating interiorly of said building for returning air from within said building;
• c. a thermostat means disposed interiorly of said building for signalling the temperature with respect to a preset temperature;
• d. a ventilator unit disposed on the roof of said building and connected with said conditioned air plenum and said return air aperture;
• said ventilator unit including:
• i. a fresh air inlet adapted to admit fresh air and exclude precipitation;
• said fresh air inlet having fresh air damper means for controlling the quantity, from zero to maximum, of fresh air admitted;
• ii. an air circulating blower connected at its discharge end with said conditioned air plenum and communicating at its suction end with said fresh air inlet and said return air aperture for circulating air within said building;
• iii. an exhaust means for at least periodically exhausting a portion of return air;
• said exhaust means communicating exteriorly of said ventilation unit and said building and having a duct means for conveying said portion of said return air from said return air aperture to said exhaust means;
• iv. a proportioning return air damper means disposed at said return air aperture for proportioning the amount of said return air, from zero to maximum, fed to said circulating blower;
• said proportioning damper means also coacting with said duct means to direct the remaining said return air to said exhaust means;
• v. an air conditioning means for conditioning the air to be circulated into said building;
• said air conditioning means including:
• a heater interposed in said ventilator unit in contact with said air being circulated by said circulating blower;
• and
• an air cooling unit disposed in said ventilator unit;
• said air cooling unit having the elements and sub-assemblies of:
• I. compressor for compressing refrigerant gas;
• Ii. condenser connected with the discharge of said compressor for condensing to a liquid the compressed refrigerant gas;
• Iii. evaporator connected in fluid communication with said condenser for evaporating the condensed liquid refrigerant and simultaneously removing heat from said air being circulated by said evaporator;
• said evaporator being connected with said compressor for conveying the refrigerant gas thereto to repeat the cycle;
• said evaporator being interposed in said ventilator unit in contact with said air being circulated by said circulating blower;
• Iv. condenser air flow passageway encompassing said condenser for conveying ambient air therepast to remove heat therefrom;
• and
• V. a condenser fan disposed in said conditioned air flow passageway so as to blow ambient air past said condenser to remove the heat from the compressed refrigerant gas being flowed through said condenser;
• and
• vi. control means for controlling operation of said blower, said heater and said air cooling unit;
• said control means being responsively connected with said thermostat and drivingly connected with said blower, said heater and said air cooling unit;
• said control means including a controller for determining the type of air conditioning necessary and a damper positioning means for positioning said damper means in accordance with a mode and type of air conditioning necessary;
• said exhaust means including a plurality of motor-driven exhaust fans that are selectively and individually operable for economy and for minimizing pressurization of said building;
• and
• a mode control means is operably connected to effect operation of said ventilator unit in one of two modes;
• a first said mode being designated an unoccupied mode in which said damper positioner means positions said damper means closed to effect full circulation of said return air with no exhaust of return air and no admission of fresh air and with said air conditioning means being responsively connected with said thermostat to control the temperature of the air being circulated within said building;
• a second said mode being designated an occupied mode in which said controller is operably connected to effect operation in one of an air-heating operation and an air-cooling operation with said damper positioner means positioning said damper means into a first position sufficient to admit at least a first predetermined proportion of fresh air with respect to said air being circulated and exhaust said first predetermined proportion of return air;
• said heater being at least periodically responsively connected with said thermostat in said heating operation and said air-cooling unit being at least periodically responsively connected with said thermostat in said cooling operation.