Air conditioner with dehumidifying mode

Abstract

An air conditioning apparatus having a dehumidifying mode so that the apparatus is able both to cool and dehumidify air in a space to be conditioned and also to dehumidify air in the space with no sensible cooling of the air. The apparatus has two heat exchangers in its indoor section and two heat exchangers in its outdoor section. In its cooling mode, the apparatus operates much as a conventional vapor compression air conditioner, with both outside heat exchangers operating in series as a single evaporator. A four way reversing valve shifts to align the apparatus for its dehumidifying mode. In that mode, hot refrigerant is directed to one of the inside heat exchangers before reaching one of the outside heat exchangers that continues to function as a condenser. The cooled refrigerant bypasses the second outside heat exchanger before passing through the second inside heat exchanger that continues to function as a evaporator. Air to be conditioned flows through the indoor section so that, in the dehumidiying mode, air heated by passing over the one inside heat exchanger is mixed with air cooled and dehumidified by passing over the second inside heat exchanger at the air outlet of the air conditioner to produce a stream of dehumidified air at the approximate temperature of the inlet air. The invention is particularly suited to room air conditioner applications but may be used in other types of air conditioning systems.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.