US2231797A - Air conditioning unit - Google Patents

Description

Feb; '11, 1941. CARSON 2,231,797

AIR counr'rrouru UNIT Filed Jan. 24-, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 11, 1941.

c. c. CARSON AIR CONDITIONING UNIT 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 Filed Jah. 24, 19:58

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,231,791 AIR CONDITIONING UNIT Clifford C. Carson, St. Louis, Mo. Application January 24, 1938, Serial No. 186,714

7 Claims.

This invention relates to air conditioning units and, among other objects, aims to provide a relatively simple, rugged and economical convertible heating and cooling unit employing a single heat exchanger for both winter and summer air conditioning. The main idea is to provide a dependable convertible unit of the type employing the well known Airblanket principle disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 1,820,779; 1,820,780; 1,820,893; 2,001,834; 2,076,339; 2,093,306 and- 2,093,349 as well as my pending application Ser. No. 130,575, flied March 12, 1937.

vOther aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when considered 5 in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a' diagrammatic sectional view of a building showing two units installed therein with the broken lines indicating the direction of air 20 currents for heating and cooling merely for illustrative purposes;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a unit embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is'a side elevation of the unit; and 23 Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. I

The embodiment of the apparatus here shown is primarily designed to deliver conditioned air into a room or enclosure and to distribute the air 30 substantially uniformly throughout the inhabitable portion of the room as well as to increase the heat exchanging efilciency. As explained in the aforesaid patents and application, when the apparatus is used as a heating unit, it has provi- 35 sion for discharging a" stream or stratum of air at relatively high velocity in the form of a.confining curtain above and adjacent to a conditioned or heated air stream'which is directed towardor into the space to be heated. The air 49 curtain prevents the lighter heated air from rising rapidly above the inhabitable area and causes it to circulate throughout the area. When the unit is converted into a'summer air cooler, it employs a similar air curtain which is discharged 45 below a stream of cooled air and serves to distribute the cooled air more uniformly. The air. curtain sustains the cooled air suflicientlyto prevent it from falling precipitately to the fioor and causing cold spots as well as stratification of cold 50 air at the floor, The invention provides means for converting the unitinto a heater or cooler by directing the confining or sustaining curtain above or below the conditioned stream of air and also for controllingthe direction of discharge of 55 the conditioned stream.

Referring to Fig. 1, two suspension units it! and H are shown in a building l2 representing a factory. The unit I0 is shown as being employed as a heater and the broken lines indicate the general, direction of theseparate streams is- 5 suing therefrom, the arrows representing the confining air curtain. The unit H is shown merely for illustration as being converted into an air cooler. The arrows leading from it represent the sustaining air curtain.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the unit there shown is like the ones shown in Fig. 1. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to units of the suspension type but may be embodied in floor units and many other types. In this example, the unit has a generally rectangular casing |3 preferably made of sheet metal. It is open at the front and back and has ears or lugs I4 at its opposite sides to receive suspension rods I5. It is also shown as having rearwardly bent partitions l6 and H inside of the upper and lower walls cooperating with spaced partitions l8 and I9 extending across the casing to produce upper and lower air passages or by-pass channels 20 and 2|. The upper passage is shown as being directed downwardly at an angle to the horizontal and the lower passage upwardly at an angle to the horizontal. Within the casing between the partitions l8 and I3, there is shown a conventional heat exchanger comprising headers 22 and 23 to which are connected circulating tubes 24 having the usual heat exchanging fins 25. Air is adapted to be blown into heat exchanging contact with the tubes and their heat exchanging fins by a suitable fan 26 shown as being driven by an electric motor 21 mounted on a shelf 28 which is supported by a frame 29 secured to the back wall of the casing. The rear portion of the casing provides a plenum chamber from which the air is delivered through the exchanger and the passages 20 and 2|.

The air emerging from the unit is directed into the room or .enclosure through pivoted louvres 30 arranged between the forward ends of the partitions 8 and I9 and connected by links 3| to a vertical bar 32 to be operated by a pivoted lever 33 so that they may be adjusted as shown in Fig. 4 either to direct the air downwardly or upwardly at an angle to the horizontal, depending upon whether the unit is used as a heater or cooler. I

The air, conduits or passages 20 and 2| for delivering the air curtains are shown as being controlled by dampers 34 and 35, respectively, ar-

ranged at their inner ends and they are interconnected by pivoted links 38, 3l-and a strap metal bar 38 which, in turn, is connected to be operated by the lever 33 simultaneously with the louvres 30. The arrangement is such that one of the dampers opens its air passage while the other closes its passage in the plenum chamber and they rotate in the opposite direction from that of the louvres. The bar 38 is shown as having a pin 39 projecting into an elongated slot ll in the lever to permit relative swinging movement without binding. The free end of the lever is shown as terminating in a point to indicate the position of the louvres and the dampers. At the upper extreme of its movement the louvres and dampers are in proper position toconvert the unit into a heater for winter use. The letter W on the casing wall opposite the end of the lever indicates the winter position and the letter S at the other extreme of the movement of the lever indicates the summer position. The lever is adapted to be held in its adjusted position by means of a wing nut 4| on a bolt 42 which operates in an arcuate slot 43. .Thus, it will be seen that it is only necessary to move the lever from one extreme to the other or adjust it properly to direct the air streams in the desired direction and convert the unit into either a heater or a cooler. It will, of course, be understood, that steam or any other suitable heating medium may be employed in the heat exchanger for heating purposes; while cold water or any suitable cooling .the curtain so that it is fluid or a refrigerant may be used for cooling purposes. The fluid is circulated through the heater by means 01' an inlet pipe 44 and an outlet pipe 45 connected to the upper and lower headers respectively.

. when the unit is used for cooling, any water of condensation which collects onthe tubes and headers will drain to the bottom into a channel 46 formed by the lower partition I! and, thence, through a drain pipe 41. This arrangement prevents the water from dripping into the passage 2| and being carried outgby the sustaining air curtain. If the unit is used as a heater and it is desired to introduce some moisture into the heated air, the trough or channel 46 below the header 23 may be supplied with water so that the water-vapor rising therefrom will mix wi h the current of conditioned or heated air.

Referring again to the relative arrangement the parts, Fig. 4 shows the positiom of the louvres and the dampers when the unit has been converted into a heater. The confining stream or curtain of relatively high velocity and relatively cold air is then discharged through the nozzle of conduit 2| above the louvres. In this instance, it is directed downwardly at an angle to the horizontal because of the suspended position of the unit so that'the curtain is projected toward the inhabitable portion of the building. The louvres are likewise adjusted to discharge the conditioned or heated air downwardly at, substantially the same angle to the horizontal and parallel with confined by the curtain to circulate in the inhabitable space and will give 'up a .very substantial portion of its contained, heat, before it is permitted to rise through the,

curtain and/or mix with the air in the curtain.

When the'lmit is converted into a cooler, the

louvres and the dampers are adjusted to the dotted line positions shown in Fig. 4, so that the cooled and/or dehumidifled air will discharge up wardly at an acute angle'to the horizontal into the space to be cooled and the sustaining curtain of air is discharged substantiallvparallel with it' from the nozzle of the passage II. This is desirable because of the greater density of the cooled air. In both cases, room air is recirculated through the curtain es. However, it is contemplated that outside air and/or a mixture of room air and outside air may be used for this purpose, as clearly disclosed in some of the aforesaid patents. Moreover, the dampers and louvres may be adjusted to their intermediate positions to discharge confining air curtains or streamsone above and the other below the conditioned stream to prevent eddy currents and otherwise improve the distribution of the conditioned air.

Obviously, the present invention is not re stricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations. The scope of the invention will be determined by the chains.

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning unit comprising, in combination, a casing; a fan mounted in said casing; a heat exchangen within the casing; a by-pass channel above the heat exchanger; a by-pass channel below the heat exchanger; -a single control means to open one by-pass channel and close prising, in combination, a casing providing a substantially rectangular passage having upper and lower partitions Joined by vertical side walls; means for producing a stream of air through said passage; means to change the temperature of a portion of the air passing therethrough; means to by-pass a portion of the air passing therethrough without a change in its temperature; and manually operable means for directing the by-passed or unconditioned air either above or below said stream of conditioned air.

3. A unit air conditioner of the class described 45 comprising, in combination, a casing; a fan connected to move a stream of air through said casing; a heat exchanger within the casing; a

'neously operable damper means to cause a portion of the air delivered by the fan to pass through either of the nomles and be projected into the room or space to be conditioned, without its temperature being changed by the heat exchanger. 5

4. A umt air conditioner of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing; a fan mounted onthe casing to move air therethrough; means to divide the stream of air produced by the Ian into two independent streams .f discharging through separate outlets; means either to heat or cool the air in one of said streams; and manually operable means for controlling the two streams 01 air one above the other so that the upper stream is always colder than the lower. "5; Apparatus of the class described comprising a; heat exchanger; means for producing a stream or air flowing therethrough; means for simul- .taneously producing a separate stream of air either above or below the stream issuing from the heat exchanger; means for controlling said second stream to make it project either above or belowsaid iirstmentioned stream; and means to control the direction of flowot -said streams. 7

6. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a casing; air moving means, heat transfer means; and moisture collecting and drainage means, all housed in said casing and so disposed relative to each other as to produce a central stream of air the condition of which is changed by passage over the members of the heat transfer means; means to alter the direction of discharge 0! said stream; means to produce a separate, adjacent curtain-like stream of all, the temperature of which is unaflected by passage through theapparatus; and manually operable means for directing the curtain-like stream either above or below the conditioned stream.

7. A unit air conditioner oi the class described changing means within the casing; a fan directing a stream of air through the casing; two bypass conduits in the casing, one above and the other below said heat exchanging means; and means to control the flow of air therethrough so that a confining stream of air may be delivered either above a heated stream or below a cooled stream issuing from said heat exchanger.,

CLIFFORD C. CARSON.

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