DISTRIBUTE MOISTURE FOR REVAPORIZATION INTO DRY AIR

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/219,204, filed on September 16, 2015, entitled "CONDENSATE WICKING MEDIUM ON INDOOR UNIT FAN SCROLL TO DISTRIBUTE MOISTURE FOR REVAPORIZATION INTO DRY AIR," the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Air conditioning units in small, single-unit structures, or in large structures with many, individually-controlled smaller units such as hotels or the like, typically cool the air within the space to be conditioned using the vapor-compression cycle. This method may be efficient in removing warm, humid air from the space and replacing it with cool, dry air. However, the control of the user is typically solely on the temperature of the space, and not the humidity. In fact, the more cooling that occurs, the more humidity is removed. Typical air conditioners may remove too much of the humidity in the air, and make the air within the space uncomfortable for a user, despite being at their desired temperature. This is especially an issue in places such as a hotel in a warm climate or in a warm season, where many rooms are individually temperature controlled and the air conditioning units are running a great deal to keep the temperature down within the individual units, which removes more and more humidity from the air and leads to user dissatisfaction.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention includes a split system air treatment system having an outdoor unit with a compressor and a condenser and an indoor evaporation unit fluidly connected with the outdoor unit. The indoor evaporation unit has a housing, an evaporator assembly having at least one evaporator coil, a fan assembly including a motor and a fan rotationally coupled to the housing, and a lower fan scroll below the evaporator. The lower fan scroll has a condensate trough and a fan section around the fan. There is a drain connected to the condensate trough to allow movement of water out of the indoor evaporation unit. The lower fan scroll also has a wicking medium located on the fan section and fluidly connected with the condensate trough.

Another aspect of the present invention includes an indoor air conditioning evaporator unit having a unit housing including an inlet and an outlet, an evaporator generally shaped in a U-formation, a fan assembly disposed substantially below the evaporator and having a motor and a fan rotationally coupled to the housing, and a fan scroll below the evaporator. The fan scroll has a condensate trough and a fan section disposed around the fan and configured to decrease the air pressure around the fan, a drain in liquid communication with fan scroll condensate trough and configured to allow movement of water out of the indoor evaporation unit, and a wicking medium disposed on the fan section and in liquid communication with the condensate trough.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of reintroducing moisture removed from an air conditioned space using a split system air conditioner having an outdoor unit with a compressor and a condenser, and an indoor unit having an evaporator and a fan, the method including the steps of forcing ambient air within the air conditioned space into an inlet of the indoor unit by a fan rotationally coupled to and located within the indoor unit, cooling and dehumidifying the air by forcing the air through an evaporator, condensing humidity into liquid on the evaporator, catching the condensed liquid in a condensate trough disposed on a fan scroll and underneath the evaporator using the force of gravity, wicking the liquid from the condensate trough onto a wicking medium disposed on the fan scroll, evaporating the wicked liquid on the wicking medium into the air surrounding the fan, forcing the re-humidified air back into the air conditioned space using the fan within the unit, and sanitizing the wicking medium by utilizing an anti-microbial agent within the wicking medium and drying the wicking medium by running the fan for a predetermined duration after a normal air-conditioning cycle has completed.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a cutaway view of a room utilizing a typical split system air conditioner.

FIG. 2 is a cross section through an indoor unit of a split system air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top section view through an indoor unit of a split system air conditioner according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front section view through an indoor unit of a split system air conditioner according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of a split system air conditioner showing an exploded view of a louver with a wicking medium.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of a split system air conditioner showing a louver with a wicking medium with the housing removed.

FIG. 7A is an embodiment of a condensate trough with a slider gate in the closed position.

FIG. 7B is an embodiment of a condensate trough with a slider gate in the open position. FIG 8A is an embodiment of a condensate trough with a hinged gate.

FIG. 8B is a side view of an embodiment of a condensate trough with a hinged gate in both the open and closed positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS For purposes of description herein, the terms "upper," "lower," "right," "left," "rear,"

"front," "vertical," "horizontal," and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. Fig. 1 generally shows a single unit split system air conditioning unit. The interior space to be conditioned is generally designated by reference numeral 10. Space 10 may be a single- room residential home, a hotel room, a single room within a larger divided structure, or any other volume of interior of a structure where conditioned air may be needed. The air conditioning system has an outdoor unit 24, an indoor unit 22, and a fluid conduit 26 between the indoor unit 22 and the outdoor unit 24. This system may use a vapor-compression cycle as is generally known in the art to cool air flowing within and through the indoor unit 22. The outdoor unit 24 typically may have a condenser and a compressor (not shown) which are fluidly connected to the indoor unit 22. The indoor unit may have an evaporator and a fan, and the fan may force or urge ambient air within the space 10 to be air conditioned over the evaporator, cooling the air, after which the fan may reintroduce the now cooled air into the space 10 to be conditioned. This flow is generally shown by arrows 28 in Fig. 1. The outdoor unit 24 is shown placed on the ground on the exterior of space 10, but it should be known that the outdoor unit 24 may be placed on brackets (not shown) or situated in any other fashion known in the art.

Fig. 2 shows the indoor unit 22 in more detail. The indoor unit 22 has an outer housing 32 that is designed to be aesthetically pleasing on the outside, and hold the evaporator 30 and the fan 38 for air conditioning unit function on the inside. The housing 32 may have an aperture or a series of inlet apertures 34 disposed near the top of the housing. The housing 32 may also have an aperture or series of outlet apertures 36 near the bottom of the housing. The fan 38 is disposed within the housing and is generally configured to force air in through the inlet apertures 34 and out of the outlet apertures 36. The indoor unit could also be spaced within or mounted to the wall, typically such that the unit is not visible to a person within the room being conditioned by the indoor unit. The evaporator 30 is located within the flow of air between the inlet 34 and the fan 38. The evaporator as shown in Fig. 2 has three separate evaporator coils 30a, 30b, and 30c, all fluidly connected. The three evaporator coils may be configured in an upside-down "U" configuration as shown, with the tips of the "U" 130 and 132 located just above the condensate troughs 42 and 48, which are typically configured to receive condensate from the evaporator portion that are positioned immediately above them such that gravity causes the condensate to fall into the trough(s). Typically each of the condensate troughs have a generally upwardly facing U-shaped cross-section such that the condensate is captured within the trough. It should be noted that this is but one configuration of the evaporator 30, and any other configuration of the evaporator 30 and number of evaporator coils may be included. In another embodiment, the fan 38 may be disposed between the inlet 34 and the evaporator 30 in the flow of air.

The indoor unit 22 may also have a fan scroll 54. The fan scroll 54 may include a lower fan scroll 40 and an upper fan scroll 46, although the upper and lower fan scrolls may be a single unit. The lower fan scroll 40 may be operably connected to lower condensate trough 42 disposed below the evaporator 30 and lower than than condensate trough 48. The lower fan scroll 40 may also include a volute portion 44 that is configured to surround at least a lower portion of the fan 38. Similarly, the upper fan scroll 46 includes an upper condensate trough 48 and a volute portion 50 that may surround at least an upper portion of the fan 38. The lower condensate trough 42 and upper condensate trough 48 may disposed below the evaporator 30 at different points, and are configured to catch condensation 52 that forms and falls off of the evaporator 30 as warm humid air is drawn through. The condensate troughs 42 and 48 are also fluidly connected to a drain 64 (see Fig. 6), which is configured to remove liquid from the evaporators out of the indoor unit 22. The fan scroll 54 may also include a wicking medium 56 located on the volute section 44 and/or 50, which allows for at least a portion of the condensed humidity from the evaporators to be reintroduced into the air flow.

Fig. 3 shows a front transparent view of the split system air conditioner indoor unit with the front portion of the evaporator coil 30a removed for clarity. Shown in Fig. 3 is the motor 39 coupled with the fan 38. The motor 39 and fan 38 are rotationally coupled with the indoor unit housing 32. The motor 39 is electrically connected to a control 60. The control may be electrically connected to a user interface (not shown) on the housing 32 of the indoor unit 22. Fig. 4 shows a top cut away view of the split system air conditioner indoor unit with the entire evaporator 30 removed. Shown in Fig. 4 is the lower condensate trough 42 in relationship with the fan 38 and the motor 39, along with the control 60. Going back to Fig. 2, in operation, the air conditioning cycle may be started by a user selection on a user interface, or may be automatically started by the control 60. When the cycle is started, the compressor in the outdoor unit 24 is started which begins pushing the coolant fluid through the vapor compression cycle through the condenser evaporator and back through the compressor, as is know in the art. The fan 38 is also started at the beginning of the air conditioning cycle. As the fan is started air is pulled from the space 10 through the inlet apertures 34, wherein the ambient air enters the indoor unit 22. The fan pulls the air through the inlet 34 and out the outlet 36 as shown by the arrows 28 in Fig. 1.

The air inside the indoor unit 22 is urged over the evaporator 30 where the coolant fluid within the evaporator cools and dehumidifies the air as it passes over the evaporator 30. The humidity that was in the air as vapor may condense on the fins of the evaporator 30. As this condensed water builds up and gains mass, it may begin to fall down the fins of the evaporator 30. When the mass reaches a critical mass, it may fall off the evaporator 30 at points 130 and 132 (the bottom points of the "U" shape) as droplets 52 and fall into the condensate troughs 42 and 48. The now cool and dehumidified air may then be forced through the fan scroll 54 by the fan 38. The volume of the space between the fan 38 and the fan scroll 54 acts as a nozzle such that as the air passes through the volume between the fan 38 and the fan scroll 54 its velocity is increased and its pressure is decreased which accelerates the evaporation of any moisture contained within the wicking medium 56 on the fan scroll 54. The air is then forced out of the outlet 36 and back into the interior space 10.

The wicking media 56 as shown in Fig. 2 is disposed on the lower fan scroll 40, although it should be known that the wicking media 56 also or instead may be located on the upper fan scroll 46. The wicking media 56 may be disposed along substantially the length of the fan scroll 40, but it may also be substantially less than the entire length of the fan scroll 46. The wicking media 56 is typically a hydrophilic urethane, a porous material, typically an artificial porous plastic material, or other known material used to act as an evaporation pad in evaporation cooling systems. Such an evaporation pad typically is a foam material that is a synthetic or organic or combination thereof. The fiber matrix may be a woven cloth, a paper, or a solid material such as polymer with geometrical surface treatment formed therein such as micro-grooves to promote capillary transport of the liquid across the majority of the evaporation pad exposed surface. The medium or media 56 typically will wick the condensate out and away from the troughs sections 42 and/or 48 and down the volute section 44 and 50 of the fan scroll 54 where it can be evaporated by the now cool dry air that is being drawn through the evaporator and toward the outlet 36. The decreased pressure between the fan and the fan scroll allows more of this evaporation from the wicking media into the cool dry air as it passes over the fan scroll 54.

Metering of the condensate may be accomplished in a number of ways. With the wicking medium 56 as shown in Fig. 2, one end of the wicking medium 56 is disposed in the trough 42. Metering of the condensate may be accomplished simply based on the wicking medium material itself, along with the level of liquid in trough 42, and the amount and pressure of the air flowing over the fan scroll 54. As air is passed over the fan scroll 54 and the wicking medium 56, the liquid within wicking medium 56 is removed and replaced by more liquid from the trough 42 as it wicks back into the fan scroll section. If the evaporation pad 56 becomes over-saturated or the control is passive to the point of allowing the pad 56 to supersaturate, an overflow may be collected on the exit of the fan scroll 54 in an overflow trough (not shown) and a conduit may connect the overflow trough to the condensate drain 64.

For more active control of the humidity of the air that is forced back into the space 10, the condensate may be passed through a conduit to a distributor that feeds the wicking media 56 along the upper width or series of conduits feeding the wicking media 56. The conduits may be nothing more than apertures 74 in the trough 42, which are opened by a simple trough-length slide damper 66 or a plug gate system 68 shown in Figs. 7A-8B. The slider 66 would also have apertures 76 that are offset from the trough apertures 74 when liquid is not wanted to advance to the wicking media 56, and the slider 66 could be moved such that the apertures 76 and 74 match up to allow the liquid to the wicking media 56 as shown in Fig. 7B. The plug gate system as shown in Figs. 8A and 8B is similar but instead of a slider it has a gate 68 disposed on the trough 42 via a hinge 70, which is opened when liquid is allowed to advance to the wicking media 56, and closed when liquid is not wanted to be advanced to the wicking media 56.

Still another embodiment has the wicking media 56 disposed on a louver 58 at the outlet 36 of the indoor unit 22 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 shows the wicking medium 56 on a louver 58 that is then installed at the outlet 36 of the indoor unit 22. The wicking medium 56 includes a wicking leg 62 that reaches into the condensate trough 42. The liquid is wicked from the trough 42 down the wicking leg 62 and onto the wicking medium 56 at the louver 58. As air exits the unit 22, it travels over the louver 58 and picks up moisture that is contained within the wicking medium 56 on the louver 58. Fig. 6 shows the louver 58, the wicking medium 56, and the wicking legs 62 in more detail with the housing 32 removed. Control of the air conditioning system may be a direct input system on a user interface

(not shown) on the front of the indoor unit 22. The user may simply push an "On" button when it is desired for air within the space 10 to be cooled and/or dried. In another embodiment the user may set a desired temperature within the space 10, and the indoor unit may use a thermistor or set of thermistors to run the unit to keep the temperature within the space 10 within an acceptable range around the desired temperature input by the user. In still another aspect a user may also input a desired humidity level within the space 10 and the control 60 may open and close the slider 66 or hinged gate 68 to allow more or less moisture from the trough 42 onto the wicking media 46. Control 60 may further be connected to the internet via a wired or wireless connection within the home, hotel room, or other space 10. The control 60 may then gather information relating to local temperature and humidity, and run the air conditioning unit to achieve a desired temperature and/or humidity level within the space 10. The desired humidity and temperature may be input by a user or may be predetermined and set beforehand. Other weather data could be used to help determine when to provide for more moisture addition or removal in the case of high humidity condition where the user might desire a higher level of dehumidification, such as rain front coming. Adjustments could be made in advance for that or similar weather conditions and events. Further, WiFi connection of the control 60 to a smartphone or smart box could be used to allow remote sensing of temperature, humidity, air quality, airspeed, wind chill or room occupancy within the conditioned space 10 which can affect the conditioned space comfort level.

A further benefit of this configuration is that the evaporation of the condensate from the pad 56 will have the effect to further cool the air returning to the room 10, acting as an evaporative cooler and thus providing a slight capacity and energy efficiency lift. However, in this application, the air does not flow directly through the pad 56, but rather, over an exposed surface of the wicking medium 56. If a water tank (not shown) were added into the indoor unit 22, water could be metered out to the evaporation pad 56 during heating mode (if a heat pump system) to provide for moisture addition in dry heating season climates. An indicator, such as a light, a sound, or other notification means, could signal the user to add more water if needed.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described invention and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term "coupled" (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated. It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the invention as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present invention. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.