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AssigneeThe Rovac Corporation
InventorsThomas C. Edwards, Amir L. Ecker
Estimating the term…
An air conditioning system for an enclosed space, capable of operating as a heat pump in the winter and as a refrigerator in the summer, of the type employing a unitary compressor and expander having a common rotor with vanes defining enclosed compartments for positive compression and expansion of air. An indoor heat exchanger and outdoor heat exchanger are provided with one being connected between the outlet port of the compressor and the inlet port of the expander and the other being connected from the outlet port of the expander to the inlet port of the compressor thereby to complete a loop which is charged with air. Valves are interposed for effectively interchanging the connections of the heat exchangers so that the indoor heat exchanger is used for warming in winter and cooling in summer. The outdoor heat exchanger is in the form of a solar-directed panel having a heat absorption surface and air passages for convection cooling. Means are provided for exposing the heat absorption surface and closing the air passages in the winter and for shielding the absorption surface and opening the air passages in the summer. A cold storage device is provided to serve as a heat source and to freeze water during the winter and with the melting of the resulting ice augmenting cooling effect during the summer. A heat storage device is also used to store heat during a winter day for release during the winter night. The loop is pressurized with air, the pressure being correctively varied by thermostatic control to vary the heat rate, thereby to maintain a set temperature both winter and summer in the enclosed space. The air in the loop is preferably moistened and a regenerator is optionally provided to increase the capacity of the system under extreme temperature conditions.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, and indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, an outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchangers being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, valve means for effectively interchanging the connections of the heat exchangers thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, the outdoor heat exchanger being in the form of a solar panel having an air conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled to the conduit for warming the conduit by solar radiation, the panel having means defining cooling air passages thermally coupled to the conduit for cooling the conduit by flow of ambient air, and means for alternatively abling and disabling the heat absorbing surfaces and the cooling air passages thereby causing the same outdoor heat exchanger to act as a solar heat absorber in winter and heat dissipating device in summer.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, an indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, an outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchangers being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, valve means for effectively interchanging the connections of the heat exchangers thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, the outdoor heat exchanger being in the form of a solar panel having an air conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled to the conduit for warming the conduit by solar radiation, the panel having means defining cooling air passages thermally coupled to the conduit for cooling the conduit by flow of ambient air, means for alternatively abling and disabling the heat absorption surfaces and the cooling air passages thereby causing the outdoor heat exchanger to act as a solar heat absorber in winter and heat dissipating device in summer, means for injecting air into the loop to raise the pressure in the heat exchanger in secondary position to substantially above atmospheric to increase the heat rate of the system during periods of high demand and means for bleeding air from the loop to reduce the heat rate of the system during periods of relatively lower demand.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means including vanes for positive compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, indoor heat exchanger means in the enclosed space, outdoor heat exchanger means in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchanger means being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger means being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, valve means for effectively interchanging the connections of the heat exchanger means thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger means to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, the outdoor heat exchanger means including a solar panel having a conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled thereto for warming the conduit by solar radiation, the outdoor heat exchanger means having passages for cooling by flow of ambient air, means for alternatively abling and disabling the heat absorption surfaces and the cooling air passages thereby permitting the outdoor heat exchanger means to act as a solar heat absorber in winter and a heat dissipating device in summer, the pressure in the heat exchanger in secondary position being substantially above atmospheric pressure.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means including vanes for positive compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, indoor heat exchanger means in the enclosed space, outdoor heat exchanger means in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchanger means being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger means being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, valve means for effectively interchanging the connections of the heat exchanger means thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger means to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, the outdoor heat exchanger means including a solar panel having a conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled thereto for warming the conduit by solar radiation, the outdoor heat exchanger means having passages for cooling by flow of ambient air, means for alternatively abling and disabling the heat absorption surfaces and the cooling air passages thereby permitting the outdoor heat exchanger means to act as a solar heat absorber in winter and a heat dissipating device in summer, means for sensing the temperature in the enclosed space and for producing an output signal at the temperature varies above and below a set level, means for injecting air into the loop so that the pressure in the secondary heat exchanger is substantially greater than atmospheric to increase the heat rate of the system, means for bleeding air from the loop to reduce the pressure and thereby relatively reduce the heat rate, and means responsive to the output signal for alternatively actuating the injecting means and the bleeding means for maintenance of the temperature at the set level.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means including vanes for positive compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, indoor heat exchanger means in the enclosed space, outdoor heat exchanger means in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchanger means being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger means being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, transfer valve means for effectively interchanging the connections of the heat exchanger means thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger means to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, means for injecting air into the loop so that the pressure in the secondary heat exchanger is substantially greater than atmospheric to increase the heat rate of the system for winter operation, and means for bleeding air from the loop to reduce the pressure and thereby relatively reduce the heat rate for summer operation.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive displacement compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, an indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, an outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, the indoor heat exchanger being connected between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the outdoor heat exchanger being connected between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, the outdoor heat exchanger including a solar panel having an air conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled to the conduit for warming the conduit by solar radiation, means for injecting air into the loop to raise the pressure in the secondary heat exchanger substantially above atmospheric to increase the heat rate of the system during periods of high demand and means for bleeding air from the loop to reduce the heat rate of the system during periods of relatively lower demand.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space, the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, a compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive displacement compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, an indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, an outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchangers being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a loop charged with air, and valve means for effectively interchanging the connections to the heat exchangers thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, the outdoor heat exchanger including a solar panel having an air conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled to the conduit for warming the conduit by solar radiation, a cold storage device, the valve means including means for interposing the cold storage device in the loop in series with the outlet port of the expander in winter and in series with the inlet port of the expander in summer.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space, the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive displacement compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, an indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, an outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchangers being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a loop charged with air, valve means for effectively interchanging the connections to the heat exchangers thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, the outdoor heat exchanger including a solar panel having an air conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled to the conduit for warming the conduit by solar radiation, a heat storage device, the valve means including means for interposing the heat storage device in series with the outlet port of the compressor during winter daytime hours and in series with the inlet port of the compressor during the winter night.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space, the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive displacement compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, an indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, and outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, one of the heat exchangers being connected in primary position between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the other heat exchanger being connected in secondary position between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, valve means for effectively interchanging the connections to the heat exchangers thereby permitting the indoor heat exchanger to be employed for warming in winter and for cooling in summer, a cold storage device, the valve means including means for interposing the cold storage device in series with the output port of the expander in winter and in series with the input port of the expander in summer, a heat storage device, and auxiliary valve means for interposing the heat storage device in series with the outlet port of the compressor during winter daytime hours and in series with the inlet of the compressor during the winter night.
In an air conditioning system for an enclosed space, the combination comprising a compressor having an inlet port and an outlet port, an expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, the compressor and expander having rotor means coupled together and including vanes for positive displacement compression and expansion as the rotor means is driven, an indoor heat exchanger in the enclosed space, an outdoor heat exchanger in the ambient atmosphere, the indoor heat exchanger being connected for heat dissipation between the compressor outlet port and the expander inlet port and the outdoor heat exchanger being connected for heat absorption between the expander outlet port and the compressor inlet port to complete a loop charged with air, the outdoor heat exchanger being formed of a solar panel having an air conduit and having heat absorbing surfaces thermally coupled to the conduit for warming the conduit by solar radiation, a heat storage device having an air conduit, and valve means for interposing the heat storage device in series with the outlet port of the compressor during winter daytime hours and in series with the inlet port of the compressor during the winter night.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or
Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by f24f1/00 or f24f3/00
Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00 , e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an…
Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00 , e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an…
Term ended 27 Dec 1994 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
In my prior patent application Ser. No. 627,114 entitled Heat Pump-Refrigeration System with Water Injection and Regenerative Heat Exchanger, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,285 issued Apr. 12, 1977, there is disclosed a winter-summer air conditioning system employing a compressor-expander with indoor and outdoor heat exchangers as well as a regenerative heat exchanger and with valves for shifting between winter and summer operation. In such system the air discharged at the expander outlet port is at atmospheric pressure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a winter-summer air conditioning system employing a compressor-expander having indoor and outdoor heat exchangers with one of the heat exchangers being connected in primary position and the other in secondary position to complete a closed loop having a charge of air, sufficient air being injected into the system so that the secondary heat exchanger operates at a pressure substantially above atmospheric pressure thereby to bring about a substantial increase in the heat rate, or capacity, of the system as well as the capability of operating over a wide range of rate depending upon thermal demand.
It is a related object to provide a winter-summer air conditioning system employing a compressor-expander and which includes means for sensing the indoor temperature and for bringing about a corrective change in the heat rate of the system to maintain the temperature at a set level.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system constructed in accordance with the present invention employing a solar panel as a heat absorber and operating in the winter, or heat pump, mode;
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the compressor-expander used in the system of FIG. 1;
While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that we do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiments shown, but intend, on the contrary, to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Turning now to the drawings there is shown in FIG. 1 an enclosed living space 11, typically a house having a foundation 12, insulated side wall 13, and insulated roof 14, all constructed to reduce heat loss to the outside environment 15. In the discussion which immediately follows, it will be assumed that it is desired to maintain a temperature of 75.degree. F within the living space while the temperature outside is 0.degree. F.
The heart of the present air conditioning system is a compressor-expander 16 which may be mounted in an enclosure supported outside of the house upon a suitable concrete slab 18, or, alternatively, because the unit is inherently compact, a place may be readily found for it within the house. As shown in FIG. 2, the compressor-expander 16 has a chamber 19 of oval configuration. It will be understood that the chamber is enclosed at its ends, with parallel end members which are now shown but which are described in prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,327 which issued Sept. 9, 1975. Rotatable within the chamber is a rotor 20 having radially extending slideable vanes which may, for example, be 10 in number and which have been designated 21-30 inclusive. The rotor has a shaft 32 which is journaled in bearings (not shown) mounted in the respective end members, the shaft being connected to a driving motor 33. The speed of the driving motor may be on the order of 1750 rpm. The vanes are all pressed outwardly, in their respective slots, with the assistance of centrifugal force, to form enclosed compartments 21'-30', respectively, which cyclically undergo a decrease and then an increase in volume in succeeding half cycles. The vanes are preferably guided in their inward and outward movement by providing each of the vanes with rollers rolling in cam tracks, as illustrated in above mentioned '327 patent. Thus assuming that the rotor turns in the direction shown by the arrows, the left hand half of the device acts as a positive compressor having an inlet port 41 and an outlet port 42, while the right hand side acts as a positive expander having an inlet port 43 and an outlet port 44.