FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for air-conditioning of a space, and more particularly a system that integrates an air conditioner, at least an aircirculating means and at least a ventilation means for facilitating air-conditioning process of a space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fans have been widely used to evenly distribute and circulate surrounding air for increasing occupant comfort in a warm environment, in which the fans have rotating blades that moves to increase air speed and to generate a wind-chill effect. Fans works by helping to evaporate sweat and increase heat exchange via convection in order to achieve the cooling effect. On the other hand, air conditioners have been generally used for conditioning air in a space by involving active change in air temperature and humidity to bring rapid cooling or heating effect to occupant. The air conditioners actively remove the excess heat within a space and transfer thereof to the outside air, in which this process involves evaporation and condensation of a refrigerant that carries the heat. However, this require a higher energy consumption as compared to that of the fans as the cooling effect provided by the air conditioners is much greater as compared to that of the fans.

Recently, there are a few examples over the prior art aiming to provide a system that integrates the fan and the air conditioner for an improved air- conditioning process of a space. For example, US10801508B2 discloses a system for controlling thermal comfort in a space, in which the system includes an air conditioner for conditioning air in the space, a sensor for measuring a temperature in the space, a controller for controlling the air conditioner based on the temperature sensed by the sensor, and a fan for circulating air within the space based on the temperature sensed by the sensor. The controller is adapted for regulating the operation of the fan to improve air circulation and to increase rate of cooling or heating of the air conditioner for an improved thermal comfort and energy conservation. The system further includes automated dampers for diverting air to occupied zones and away from unoccupied zones to reduce waste of conditioned air on unoccupied zones. Nevertheless, the air conditioner is the only source of actively providing cooled air in the system of the prior art. There is no disclosure in the prior art document on providing an auxiliary source of supplying cooler air in order to further reduce load of the air conditioner. Also, there is no inflow of fresh air into the confined space as the system is mainly for facilitating circulation of the conditioned air inside the space.

Further, CN108005937A discloses a system of controlling a ceiling fan and an air conditioner for providing thermal comfort. When the indoor temperature is detected to be high, the ceiling fan is controlled to operate at a higher speed while the air conditioner is turned on for cooling. When the indoor temperature drops to a lower temperature, the ceiling fan is adjusted to a lower speed and the operation of the air conditioner is stopped so as to keep circulation of the indoor air, thereby improving occupant comfort. Nonetheless, there is no disclosure in the prior art document on having an auxiliary source for supplying cooler air apart from the air conditioner to enable the air conditioner to work at a lower capacity. Also, the system of the prior art is aimed for circulating the indoor air and there is no fresh air introduced for the purpose of improving occupant comfort in a more efficient manner.

On the other hand, US7992630B2 has made use of a ventilation means with the air conditioner for enhancing indoor comfort and cooling interior space of a building by utilizing outdoor air ventilation and vapour compression cooling, aiming to reduce energy costs and to minimize energy consumption during periods of peak electric demands. The system comprises an integrated outside air ventilation system and a vapour compression cooling system, in which the outside air ventilation system operates by opening an outside air damper and operating a ventilation cooling fan when the outdoor temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, and the vapour compression cooling system is activated by turning on an air conditioner when the outdoor temperature is not lower than the indoor temperature. However, such system is not provided with any aircirculating means such as fans that could further distribute and move cooled air across the indoor environment so as to increase temperature evenness of the indoor environment. Without the aid of air-circulating means, a thorough cooling of the room is hardly to be achieved or it may need a longer duration to achieve the same.

Accordingly, it can be seen in the prior art documents that there exists a need to have an improved system that is capable of facilitating air-conditioning process of an indoor space for providing occupant comfort in a shorter period as well as saving more energy required to achieve the target indoor condition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a system that provides occupant comfort in a space with reduced energy consumption.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that integrates an air conditioner with at least an air-circulating means and at least a ventilation means for improving air-conditioning process of a space.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a system that facilitates mixing of indoor conditioned air and outdoor fresh air for accelerating air-conditioning process of a space, thereby reducing power consumption of the process.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that promotes air exchange between an indoor environment and an outdoor environment for enhancing indoor air quality so as to provide a comfortable environment to occupants.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an integrated system comprising an air conditioner, at least an air-circulating means and at least a ventilation means, in which their operation to be controlled based on any one or a combination of an indoor temperature, an outdoor temperature and a set temperature so as to avoid unnecessary power usage.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the above objects can be accomplished by the provision of a system that facilitates air-conditioning of a space. The system comprises an air conditioner for conditioning air in a space, a fan for circulating air within the space, and a ventilation unit for supplying outdoor air to the space. The system further comprises a controller for interconnecting operation of the air conditioner, the fan and the ventilation unit, and for controlling thereof to regulate air condition of the space.

In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller is configured for controlling the fan and the ventilation unit to operate in a way to facilitate air-conditioning process of the space, in which the fan is controlled for circulating the air within the space and the ventilation unit is controlled for supplying outdoor air to the space in a predetermined manner, thereby accelerating the air-conditioning process of the space to meet a desired condition.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller controls the operation of the air conditioner, the fan and the ventilation unit to regulate the air condition of the space based on a temperature of the space, a set temperature, an outdoor ambient temperature or any combination thereof.

The system further comprises an outdoor temperature sensor for detecting the outdoor ambient temperature and an indoor temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the space. The outdoor temperature sensor is disposed at any appropriate position outside the space; while the indoor temperature sensor is disposed at any appropriate position within the space. Alternatively, the indoor temperature sensor could be an existing temperature sensor of the air conditioner.

The controller of the present invention is configured to turn on the fan during operation of the air conditioner for circulating the conditioned air supplied by the air conditioner within the space so as to facilitate the air-conditioning process of the space. The controller is further configured to turn on the ventilation unit for supplying the outdoor air to the space when the outdoor ambient temperature is lower than the temperature of the space. The controller will maintain the operation of the fan for facilitating mixing of the supplied outdoor air with the air of the space and also stop the operation of the air conditioner upon switching on the ventilation unit. Once the temperature of the space meets the set temperature, the controller will stop the operation of the ventilation unit, while continuing the operation of the fan to circulate the air of the space.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the controller may stop the operation of the air conditioner when the temperature of the space is close to the set temperature and the ventilation unit is on.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller would maintain the operation of the air conditioner upon switching on the ventilation unit until the temperature of the space meets the set temperature.

Moreover, the system of the present invention may further comprise any one or a combination of an air purification unit for purifying the air within the space, a humidifying unit for humidifying the air within the space, and a dehumidifying unit for dehumidifying the air within the space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS The features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a simplified configuration of a system for facilitating air- conditioning process of a space according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an example showing interrelationship between an air conditioner, a fan and a ventilation unit in a system for facilitating air-conditioning process of a space according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an example showing interrelationship between an air conditioner, a fan and a ventilation unit in a system for facilitating air-conditioning process of a space according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The abovementioned and other features and objects of this invention will become more apparent and better understood by reference to the following detailed description. It should be understood that the detailed description made known below is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise form disclosed as the invention may assume various alternative forms. All the relevant modifications and alterations made to the present invention as covered in the detailed description should be construed to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the configuration of the invention is not limited to the configuration mentioned in the following description.

The present invention relates to a system (100) for improving air- conditioning process of an indoor space, in which the air-conditioning process of the space is facilitated by the system (100) that integrates at least an aircirculating means and at least a ventilation means to operate with an air conditioner (120) in a manner that improves overall indoor comfort and reduces energy consumption of the air conditioner (120). In the present invention, the indoor comfort may refer to thermal comfort, a good indoor air quality or combination thereof. In the system (100) of the present invention, incorporation of the air-circulating means and the ventilation means with the air conditioner (120) is beneficial in accelerating air-conditioning process of the space and lessening load of the air conditioner (120) as the air conditioner (120) is not required to operate at its maximum capacity for a longer period. Taking room cooling as an example, the ventilation means may serve as an auxiliary source of cool air when the outdoor air is having a temperature lower than that of the indoor air for reducing the load of the air conditioner (120), whereas the aircirculating means could aid in improving distribution and temperature evenness of the cool air over the space to increase overall cooling efficiency.

With reference to Figure 1 , the system (100) of the present invention comprising an air conditioner (120) for conditioning air in a space, a fan (140) as the air-circulating means for circulating air within the space, a ventilation unit (160) as the ventilation means for supplying outdoor air as a source of fresh air or/and cool air to the space, and a controller (1 10) for interconnecting operation of the air conditioner (120), the fan (140) and the ventilation unit (160) and further controlling thereof to regulate the air condition of the space. In order to facilitate operation of the air conditioner (120), the fan (140) is controlled for circulating the air within the space, whereas the ventilation unit (160) is controlled for supplying outdoor air to the space in a predetermined manner, thereby accelerating the air- conditioning process of the space to meet a desired condition of indoor comfort.

In the present invention, the air circulating means is not limited to the fan (140) that is generally equipped with blades. Other suitable type of air-circulating means that may have similar applicability for circulating air within a space could be considered in other embodiments of the present invention, such as air multiplier. More preferably, the air-circulating means is a ceiling fan with exposed, rotating blades that is installed within the space. On the other hand, the ventilation unit (160) serves as the ventilation means and it is preferably, but not limited to, a heat recovery ventilator or an energy recovery ventilator.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller (1 10) controls the operation of the air conditioner (120), the fan (140) and the ventilation unit (160) to regulate the air condition of the space based on any one or a combination of a temperature of the space, a set temperature, and an outdoor ambient temperature. The controller (110) is able to control the operating parameters of the air conditioner (120) including temperature, fan speed and operating duration, and to control the operation of the fan (140) in terms of its fan speed and operating duration. Further, the controller (1 10) is able to control operation of the ventilation unit (160) by limiting amount of inflow air per unit of time and its operating duration.

The set temperature may be referred to as a target or ideal temperature to be achieved by the controller (1 10) or the air conditioner (120) for the space. The set temperature can be set by a user using any type of controller, such as remote control device that is either mobile or fixed to a location. The set temperature could be also set by the user through a mobile application installed in a mobile device such as mobile phone, tablet or laptop. In another possible embodiment of the present invention, the controller (110) may be programmed to automatically suggest the set temperature based on a range of temperatures that were frequently selected by the user in the past.

The system (100) further comprises an outdoor temperature sensor (102) for detecting an outdoor ambient temperature. The outdoor temperature sensor (102) may be disposed at a location that is able to detect the ambient temperature outside the indoor space. The system (100) also comprises an indoor temperature sensor (104) to be disposed at an appropriate position within the space for detecting a temperature of the space. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the indoor temperature sensor (104) could be an existing temperature sensor of the air conditioner (120), preferably disposed within the indoor unit of the air conditioner (120). It could be possibly used by the system (100) of the present invention for detecting the temperature of the space without requiring additional indoor temperature sensor to be installed in the space.

Figure 2 is an example showing interrelationship between the air conditioner (120), the fan (140) and the ventilation unit (160) in the system (100) of the present invention. With reference to Figure 2, the air conditioner (120) is turned on under State 1 . The controller (1 10) is configured to turn on the fan (140) during operation of the air conditioner (120), for circulating the conditioned air supplied by the air conditioner (120) within the space so as to facilitate the air- conditioning process. This may improve overall cooling rate and achieve temperature evenness of the space within a shorter duration. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the controller (1 10) may turn on the fan (140) upon starting operation of the air conditioner (120).

When the outdoor ambient temperature is detected to be lower than the temperature of the space, the controller (110) will then turn on the ventilation unit (160) for supplying the outdoor air to the space under State 2. The operation of the air conditioner (120) could be stopped by the controller (1 10) under the same condition. In other words, the operation of the air conditioner (120) is stopped upon switching on the ventilation unit (160).

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the controller (110) may be configured to stop the operation of the air conditioner (120) when the temperature of the space is close to the set temperature. Under this condition, the operation of the air conditioner (120) is not necessarily to be terminated by the controller (1 10) upon switching on the ventilation unit (160). It could be stopped later after a certain duration of the operation of the ventilation unit (160) so that the air conditioner (120) could work together with the ventilation unit (160) to enable the temperature of the space to come close to the set temperature. Preferably, the operation of the air conditioner (120) is stopped by the controller (1 10) when the temperature of space is detected to be close to the set temperature with a preferred temperature difference of about 0.5°C to 5°C.

On the other hand, the controller (1 10) is preferably maintaining the operation of the fan (140) for facilitating mixing of the outdoor air supplied by the ventilation unit (160) with the air of the space. When the temperature of the space is detected to meet the set temperature, the controller (1 10) will stop the operation of the ventilation unit (160), while maintaining the operation of the fan (140) to circulate the air of the space under State 3.

The ventilation unit (160) plays the role of facilitating air-conditioning process of the space when the air conditioner (120) is not in operation, thereby saving power to be consumed by the air conditioner (120). It may also possibly help to dilute indoor pollutants concentration when there is an air exchange between the indoor space and the outdoor environment.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the controller (110) may turn on the ventilation unit (160) and maintain the operation of the air conditioner (120) when the outdoor ambient temperature is detected to be lower than the temperature of the space under State 2. Further, the controller (110) is preferably maintaining the operation of the fan (140) under this condition. Such configuration could be beneficial for cooling down the space in a much faster way as there are two sources of cool air supplied by the air conditioner (120) and the ventilation unit (160), while the fan (140) is able to facilitate mixing of the air within the space. Furthermore, operation of the ventilation unit (160) and the fan (140) could aid in reducing the working load of the air conditioner (120) and also shortening the operating duration as initially required by the air conditioner (120) in order to meet the set temperature, thereby decreasing energy usage of the air conditioner (120) as well as the overall power consumption. Apart from that, the operation of the air conditioner (120) may further help to control indoor humidity of the space at an optimal level as the inflow of outdoor air may contain a higher humidity, in which the air conditioner (120) could aid in decreasing air humidity.

When the temperature of the space is detected to meet the set temperature, the controller (110) may be configured to stop the operation of the air conditioner (120) and the ventilation unit (160), while maintaining the operation of the fan (140) to circulate the air of the space under State 3.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller (1 10) may switch on the ventilation unit (160) under State 2 when the outdoor ambient temperature as detected is lower than a first predetermined temperature, and the temperature of the space as detected is lower than a second predetermined temperature, as shown in Figure 3. The first and second predetermined temperatures are defined by processing the set temperature using a first and a second offset temperature respectively. The first predetermined temperature may be determined by deducting the set temperature with the first offset temperature, while the second predetermined temperature may be determined by adding the second offset temperature to the set temperature. The first and second offset temperatures could be either the same or different depending on the applications and models in which the system (100) of the present invention is implemented. Preferably, the first and second offset temperatures may be in a range of about 0.5°C to 10°C.

Further, with reference to Figure 3, the controller (1 10) may turn off the air conditioner (120) under State 2 when the outdoor ambient temperature as detected is lower than a first predetermined temperature, and the temperature of the space as detected is lower than a second predetermined temperature. In a different embodiment of the present invention, the controller (110) may possibly maintain the operation of the air conditioner (120) under State 2 when switching on the ventilation unit (160), instead of having its operation being stopped by the controller (110). In other possible embodiments of the present invention, the system (100) of the present invention may further comprise any one or a combination of an air purification unit for purifying the air within the space, a humidifying unit for humidifying the air within the space, and a dehumidifying unit for dehumidifying the air within the space. The system (100) of the present invention could further improve air purification rate of the air purification unit as compared to that of the air purification unit only. On the other hand, the system (100) of the present invention could further facilitate humidification or dehumidification operation performed by the humidifying unit or the dehumidifying unit, in which the system (100) may aid in controlling indoor air humidity at optimum level at a faster rate as compared to that of the humidifying unit or the dehumidifying unit only.

Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and appended claims.