Description

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to air conditioning systems for air conditioning of buildings. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air conditioning system which can improve heating and cooling efficiency, does not require stopping of heating in winter for defrosting an outdoor unit, and can make effective response to variation of a load. Background Art

[2] Generally, the air conditioning system has been used for cooling/heating and ventilation of a room by utilizing phase change of refrigerant by means of the outdoor unit installed on an outside of the building.

[3] RG. 1 illustrates a related art air conditioning system, provided with a cabinet 10 installed in the room of the building, an indoor heat exchanger 17 mounted in the cabinet 10 for making cooling/heating of room air, a compressor 18, an outdoor heat exchanger 19, and an expansion valve 20 connected to the indoor heat exchanger 17 and mounted to the outside of the building.

[4] The cabinet 10 is provided with an inlet 11 and an outlet 12 in communication with a room space, and an air discharge opening 14 for discharging room air drawn through the inlet 11 to the outside of the room, and an air suction opening 13 for drawing outdoor air into the cabinet 10.

[5] Mounted in the cabinet 10, there are an inlet side fan 15 for drawing room air into the cabinet 10 through the inlet 11, and an outlet side fan 16 for discharging conditioned air to the room through the outlet 12.

[6] According to this, the inlet side fan 15 draws air from the room through the inlet 11 and discharges to the outside of the room through the air discharge opening 14, and the discharge side fan 16 draws outdoor air into the cabinet 10 through the air suction opening 13, makes the outdoor air to pass through indoor heat exchanger 17 to heat exchange at the indoor heat exchanger 17, and discharges into the room through the outlet 12.

[7] The refrigerant circulation with respect to the indoor heat exchanger 17 is as follows in room heating and room cooling. In the room heating, high temperature, high pressure refrigerant is directly introduced from the compressor 18 to the indoor heat exchanger 17 to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the air passing through the indoor

heat exchanger 17, when the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 17 dissipates the heat, is condensed into liquid refrigerant, transferred to, and expanded at, the expansion valve 20 to have a pressure thereof dropped, and passes through, vaporized at, the outdoor heat exchanger 19 into gas refrigerant, and returns to the compressor 18, again.

[8] In room cooling, the high temperature, high pressure refrigerant from the compressor 18 is directly introduced to, and dissipates heat thereof at, the outdoor heat exchanger 19 to condense into liquid refrigerant, passes through the expansion valve 20 to have a pressure thereof dropped, and passes through, and vaporizes at, the indoor heat exchanger 17 to turn into gas refrigerant. In this instance, since the refrigerant absorbs heat from an environment as the refrigerant vaporizes, i.e., takes heat from the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 17, to drop a temperature of the air being supplied to the room, the room cooling can be made. The refrigerant passed through the indoor heat exchanger 17 is introduced into the compressor 18, again. An unexplained reference numeral 21 denotes a filter, for filtering air before being discharged to the room from the cabinet 10 to clean the air. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[9] Hbwever, the related art air conditioning system has a problem in that heat dissipation efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger is poor in room cooling in summer due to a warm weather, and heat absorption efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger is very poor in room heating in winter due to cold weather, thereby having very poor room cooling/heating efficiency.

[10] Particularly, in winter when the temperature drops down to below zero, the related art outdoor heat exchanger which heats the room becomes colder due to the vaporization of the refrigerant to cause frosting of moisture in the air such that the heat exchange is impossible, that leads the room heating operation impossible. Moreover, in a defrosting operation (an operation for providing the refrigerant from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger at first, i.e., a room cooling operation) for removing the frost, since the refrigerant vaporizes at the indoor heat exchanger during the defrosting operation, to cool the room which is, contrary to this, required to be heated, continuous room heating can not be made.

[11] Moreover, the related art air conditioning system has a problem in that, because.the ■ indoor heat exchanger has a fixed size, an air conditioning load can not be varied with

variation of room oooling/heating load of the room. Technical Solution

[12] To solve the problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system which can improve room cooling/heating efficiency, and enables continuous room heating without being stopped due to frost on an outdoor unit in winter, and variation of an air conditioning load according to variation of a room cooling/heating load.

[13] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, an air conditioning system including at least one air conditioning unit for discharging room air, and drawing outdoor air to make at least one of ventilation and air cleaning, and at least one heat reoovery unit for recovering heat from room air being discharged from the air conditioning unit and transferring the heat to outdoor air being drawn into the air conditioning unit in room heating, and transferring heat to the room air being discharged from the air conditioning unit and recovering the heat from the outdoor air being drawn into the air conditioning unit in room cooling.

[14] The air conditioning unit includes a case having an inlet and an outlet both in communication with a room, an air suction opening and an air discharge opening both in communication with an outside of the room for drawing the outdoor air and discharging room air, and at least one fan for drawing room air and discharging to an outside of room and drawing the outdoor air and discharging to the room.

[15] Preferably, the air conditioning unit includes at least one heat exchanger for cooling or heating the room.

[16] The air conditioning system may further include an outdoor unit connected to the heat exchanger for supplying/recovering heat to/from the air being discharged to the room for making room heating or room cooling.

[17] In the meantime, the heat recovery unit includes a compressing device for compressing the refrigerant, an expansion device for expanding the refrigerant, a first heat exchanger on an air suction opening side for making heat exchange with the outdoor air being introduced into the case from the outside of room, and a second heat exchanger on an air discharge opening side for making heat exchange with the room air being discharged to the outside of room.

[18]. . In this case, the air conditioning system may further include an outdoor unit connected to the heat exchanger for recovering heat from the room air being discharged from the air conditioning unit, and supplying the heat to the air being

discharged to the room with the heat exchanger, or transferring heat the heat exchanger recovers from the air being discharged to the room to the room air being discharged from the air conditioning unit.

[19] In this instance, the outdoor unit includes a compressing device for compressing the refrigerant, an expansion device for expanding the refrigerant, and an outdoor heat exchanger on an air discharge opening side for making heat exchange with the room air being discharged to the outside of room.

[20] The air discharge opening includes at least two sub-air discharge openings, and second heat exchanger of the heat recovery unit and the outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit are mounted to the two sub-air discharge openings, for making heat exchange with the room air being discharged to the outside of room, respectively.

[21] Or, one heat exchanger may be mounted to an air discharge opening side, and the heat exchanger is divided into the second heat exchanger of the heat recovery unit and the outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit.

[22] In another aspect of the present invention, an air conditioning system includes an air conditioning unit for performing at least one of ventilation of a room and air cleaning, having at least one heat exchanger for room cooling or heating, and an outdoor unit mounted to the air discharge opening side of the air conditioning unit for making heat exchange with the room air being discharged to an outside of room, the outdoor unit connected to the heat exchanger to form a qcle. Advantageous Effects

[23] The present invention has following advantageous effects.

[24] The air conditioning system of the present invention can improve heating and cooling efficiency, does not require stopping of heating in winter for defrosting the outdoor unit, and can make effective response to variation of a load. Brief Description of the Drawings

[25] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure.

[26] In the drawings:

[27] FKJ. 1 is a diagram illustrating a related art air conditioning system, schematically;

[28] FKJ. 2 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning system in accordance with a first . preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically;

[29] FKJ. 3 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning system in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically; and

[30] FlG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning system in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically.

[31] <Description of major symbols in the drawings>

[32] 100: air conditioning unit 101: inlet

[33] 102: outlet 121: air suction opening

[34] 112: air discharging opening 121 : suction fan

[35] 122: discharge fan 130: heat exchanger

[36] 140: outdoor unit 141: compressor

[37] 142: expansion valve 143: outdoor heat exchanger

[38] 200: heat recovery unit 210: compressor

[39] 220: expansion device 230: first heat exchanger

[40] 240: second heat exchanger

Mode for the Invention

[41] Reference will now be made in detail to the specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[42] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning system in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention schematically, FlG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning system in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention schematically, and FlG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning system in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, schematically.

[43] Referring to FlG.1 , the air conditioning system in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an air conditioning unit 100 and a heat recovery unit 200.

[44] The air conditioning unit 100 includes a case 110 installed on one side, or an inside or outside a ceiling, of a room of a building, an inlet 101 in one side of the case 110 in communication with the room for drawing air from the room, and an outlet 102 in the other side of the case 110 in communication with the room for discharging air conditioned air to the room.

[45] In one side of the case 110, the air conditioning unit also includes an air discharging opening 112 in communication with an outside of the room for discharging the air

drawn through the inlet 101 to the outside of the room, and an air suction opening 111 in communication with the outside of room for drawing air into the case 110 from the outside of the room.

[46] An air flow through the inlet 101 and the air discharging opening 112 is made with a suction fan 121, and an air flow through the suction opening 111 and the air outlet 102 is made with a discharge fan 122. Though the embodiment shows a case both the suction fan 121 and the discharge fan 122 are provided as an air circulation device, a similar effect can be obtained by providing only one fan mounted to an appropriate location in the case 110. Of course, if necessary, more than three or four fans may be mounted.

[47] In the meantime, mounted in the case 110, there is a heat exchanger 130 for heat exchange of outdoor air drawn into the case 110 through the suction opening 111 and a portion of room air drawn through the inlet 101 and failed to be discharged to an outside of the room as both of the outdoor air and the room air flows toward the outlet 102, a filter 150 for filtering foreign matters and the like from the air before the air passes through the heat exchanger 130, and a humidifying member 160 for maintaining humidity of the room to a certain level. The filter 150 and the humidifying member 160 may or may not be mounted at user's option.

[48] The air conditioning unit 100 includes an outdoor unit 140 connected to the heat exchanger 130, having a compressor 141, an outdoor heat exchanger 143, an expansion valve 142, wherein the compressor 141, the outdoor heat exchanger 143, the expansion valve 142, and the heat exchanger 130 in the case 110 form a refrigerating qcle to perform the air conditioning.

[49] That is, in room heating, the high temperature, high pressure refrigerant is directly introduced into the heat exchanger 130 from the compressor 141, and transfers heat thereof to the air passing through the heat exchanger 130, and the refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger 130 dissipates heat and is condensed into liquid refrigerant, expanded at the expansion valve 142, passes through and vaporizes at the outdoor heat exchanger 143 in a state a pressure thereof is dropped to become gaseous refrigerant, and returns to the compressor 141, again.

[50] In room cooling, the high temperature, high pressure refrigerant is directly introduced into the outdoor heat exchanger 143 from the compressor 141 and dissipates heat thereof at the outdoor heat exchanger 143 so as to be condensed into liquid refrigerant, passes through, and is involved in a pressure drop at, the expansion valve 142, passes through, and vaporizes at the heat exchanger 130 into gaseous re-

frigerant. Since the refrigerant absorbs heat from surroundings as the refrigerant vaporizes, i.e., takes heat from the air passing through the heat exchanger 130, to drop a temperature of the air being supplied to the room, the room cooling can be made. As the refrigerant passed through the heat exchanger 130 is introduced to the compressor 141 again, one qcle is completed.

[51] In the meantime, referring to FKJ. 2, the air conditioning system of the present invention includes the heat recovery unit 200 at the air suction opening 111 and the air discharge opening 112 of the air conditioning unit 100, wherein the heat recovery unit 200 includes a compressing device 210 and an expansion device 220, a first heat exchanger 230 on a suction opening 111 side connected to the compressing device 210 and the expansion device 220, and a second heat exchanger 240 on an air discharge opening 112 side connected to the compressing device 210 and the expansion device 220.

[52] In room heating, the heat recovery unit 200 recovers heat from the heated warm room air being discharged to the outside of room with the second heat exchanger 240 on the air discharge opening 112 side and transfers the recovered heat to cold outdoor air with the first heat exchanger 230 on the air suction opening 111 side, to introduce the recovered heat into the case 110.

[53] In room cooling, the heat recovery unit 200 takes heat from the second heat exchanger 240 on the air discharge opening 112 side with the cooled cold room air being discharged to the outside of room and recovers heat from outdoor air being introduced through the air suction opening 111 with the first heat exchanger 230, to introduce cold air into the case 110.

[54] According to this, the first heat exchanger 230 serves to preheat the air before the heat exchanger 130 in room heating and cooling, and enables to make continuous room heating without stopping of the room heating by putting the heat recovery unit 200 into operation for the room heating while the compressor 141 is stopped in a case the outdoor heat exchanger 143 of the outdoor unit 140 is frosted in room heating in winter. An unexplained reference numeral 301 denotes a suction duct for making the air suction opening 111 in communication with the outside of room, and 302 denotes a discharge duct for making the air discharge opening 112 in communication with the outside of room. The first heat exchanger 230 and the second heat exchanger 240 may be mounted to be in contact with the air suction opening 111 and the air discharge . . opening 112 respectively, or anywhere of insides of the suction duct 301 and the discharge duct 302 respectively.

[55] In the meantime, the heat reoovery unit 200 has an effect to enhance efficiency of the room heating and room cooling. In room heating, the refrigerant compressed at the compressor 210 is introduced into, and condensed at, the first heat exchanger 230, expanded at the expansion device 220, and vaporizes at the second heat exchanger 240. In this instance, since it is desirable that the second heat exchanger 240 recovers the heat as much as possible, the efficiency is the higher as the air passing through the second heat exchanger 240 contains the heat the more. In the meantime, since warm air is supplied to the room in room heating, to discharge the warm air through the air discharge opening 112, the heat recovery unit 200 can heat the room with high efficiency in the room heating.

[56] In room cooling, the refrigerant compressed at the compressor 210 is introduced into, and condensed at, the second heat exchanger 240, expanded at the expansion device 220, and vaporizes at the first heat exchanger 230. In this instance, since it is desirable that the second heat exchanger 240 dissipates the heat as much as possible, the efficiency is the higher as the air passing through the second heat exchanger 240 contains the heat the less. In the meantime, since cold air is supplied to the room in room cooling, to discharge the cold air through the air discharge opening 112, the heat recovery unit 200 can cool the room with high efficiency in the room cooling.

[57] Thus, the heat recovery unit 200 can exert high efficiency in room heating and room cooling.

[58] Moreover, the first heat exchanger 230 may be designed to have a size or an area changed to have a size or area different from the heat exchanger 130 so that the first heat exchanger 230 has a room cooling or heating capacity different from the heat exchanger 130 for enabling to vary an air conditioning load with variation of the room cooling/heating load. That is, the air conditioning load can be varied by operating the heat exchanger 130 only, or the first heat exchanger 230 only, or both the heat exchanger 130 and the first heat exchanger 230.

[59] In the meantime, referring to FKJ. 3, the air conditioning system in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention also includes an air conditioning unit 100 and a heat recovery unit 200.

[60] Since the air conditioning unit 100 and the heat recovery unit 200 in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention are identical to the air conditioning unit and the heat recovery unit in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FKJ. 2, detailed description of the air conditioning unit 100 and the heat recovery unit 200 will be omitted.

[61] Fbwever, the air conditioning unit 100 of the air conditioning system in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FKJ. 3 is different in that the air discharge opening is divided into two sub-air discharge openings 112a and 112b, and an outdoor heat exchanger 143 of an outdoor unit 140 is installed to one of the sub-air discharge openings.

[62] That is, the second sub-air discharge opening 112b has the second heat exchanger

240 of the heat recovery unit 200 mounted thereto, and the first sub-air discharge opening 112a has the outdoor heat exchanger 143 of the outdoor unit 140 mounted thereto. The first sub-air discharge opening 112a and the second sub-air discharge opening 112b are made to be in communication with an outside of room by a first sub- air discharge duct 302a and a second sub-air discharge duct 302b respectively, and the second heat exchanger 240 and the outdoor heat exchanger 143 may be installed anywhere in the first sub-air discharge duct 302a and the second sub-air discharge duct 302h

[63] According to this, the air conditioning unit 100 can recover heat from the warm room air being discharged in room heating more effectively with the outdoor heat exchanger 143 installed on a first sub-air discharge opening 112a side for the heat exchanger 130 to transfer the heat to the air being supplied to the room more effectively, and transfers heat to cold air being discharged more effectively with the outdoor heat exchanger 143 in room cooling, for the heat exchanger 130 to make the air being supplied to the room cool more effectively.

[64] Moreover, by mounting the outdoor heat exchanger 143 on a first sub-air discharge opening 112a side, making the warm room air being discharged to pass through the outdoor heat exchanger 143, frosting of the outdoor heat exchanger 143 in winter can be prevented.

[65] In the meantime, alike the air conditioning system in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FKJ.3, the air conditioning system in accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FKJ. 4 also includes an air conditioning unit 100 and a heat recovery unit 200. Since the air conditioning unit 100 and the heat recovery unit 200 in accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention are identical to the air conditioning unit and the heat recovery unit in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FKJ. 3, detailed description of the air conditioning unit 100 and the heat recovery unit 200 will be omitted.

[66] H)wever, the air conditioning unit 100 of the air conditioning system in accordance

with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FKJ. 4 is different from the second embodiment in that one air discharge opening is provided and one heat exchanger 112 is provided to the air discharge opening 112, and the heat exchanger is divided into a second heat exchanger 240 of a heat recovery unit 200 and an outdoor heat exchanger 143 of an outdoor unit 140.

[67] Therefore, the second heat exchanger 240 and the outdoor heat exchanger 143 are divisions of one heat exchanger. Others are identical to the second embodiment, actually.

[68] Though the present invention has been described in the first, second, and third embodiments with reference to FKJS. 2 to 4 typically, the present invention is not limited to above embodiments, but the present invention is applicable to all kinds of air conditioning systems having the air conditioning unit and the heat recovery unit. Industrial Applicability

[69] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system which can improve heating and cooling efficiency, does not require stopping of heating in winter for defrosting an outdoor unit, and can make effective response to variation of a load, thereby applicable to production of air conditioning systems.