U.S. patent application number 15/235601 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-07 for air conditioning device.
The applicant listed for this patent is MOAI ELECTRONICS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Yu-Te CHOU, Cheng-Wei HO, Ching-Chung HSIAO, Yu-Jen HUANG, Ming-Shun HUNG, Min-Yu LIN, Yi-Yang LIN.
Application Number | 20170350609 15/235601 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57444699 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170350609 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HSIAO; Ching-Chung ; et
al. |
December 7, 2017 |
AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE
Abstract
An air conditioning device includes a duct module and a heat
exchange module. The duct module includes a temperature control
unit disposed at a second region of the duct module, a first air
flow guide unit disposed between a first region and the second
region of the duct module, and a first liquid energy conducting
element disposed at the first region of the duct module. The heat
exchange module has a delivery duct, an accommodating case, a
driver unit, a second air flow guide unit, a heat exchanger and a
second liquid energy conducting element. The driver unit drives
condensed water to pass through the delivery duct. The second air
flow guide unit provides an air flow to the heat exchanger for
exhausting waste heat. The second liquid energy conducting element
performs heat exchange to cool down.
Inventors: |
HSIAO; Ching-Chung; (Hsinchu
City, TW) ; LIN; Yi-Yang; (Hsinchu City, TW) ;
CHOU; Yu-Te; (Hsinchu City, TW) ; HO; Cheng-Wei;
(Hsinchu City, TW) ; HUNG; Ming-Shun; (Hsinchu
City, TW) ; HUANG; Yu-Jen; (Hsinchu City, TW)
; LIN; Min-Yu; (Hsinchu City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MOAI ELECTRONICS CORPORATION |
Hsinchu City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
57444699 |
Appl. No.: |
15/235601 |
Filed: |
August 12, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02B 30/54 20130101;
F24F 5/0035 20130101; F24F 11/30 20180101; F24F 2110/10 20180101;
F24F 5/0042 20130101; F24F 13/222 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 5/00 20060101
F24F005/00; F24F 11/00 20060101 F24F011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 6, 2016 |
TW |
105208515 |
Claims
1. An air conditioning device, comprising: a duct module having
opposing first region and second region, the duct module
comprising: a temperature control unit disposed at the second
region of the duct module; a first air flow guide unit disposed at
the first region, the second region, or between the first region
and the second region of the duct module; and a first liquid energy
conducting element disposed at the first region of the duct module;
and a heat exchange module coupled to the duct module for
processing waste heat produced by the temperature control unit.
2. The air conditioning device of claim 1, wherein the heat
exchange module further comprises: an accommodating case configured
for collecting condensed water produced by the temperature control
unit; a heat exchanger configured for removing the waste heat
produced by the temperature control unit; a second liquid energy
conducting element configured for removing waste heat produced by
the heat exchanger; a delivery duct configured for coupling the
second liquid energy conducting element, the accommodating case and
the duct module; a driver unit configured for driving the condensed
water to pass through the delivery duct and flow between the second
liquid energy conducting element and the accommodating case; and a
second air flow guide unit configured for producing an air flow to
the heat exchanger, such that the waste heat produced by the heat
exchanger is delivered to the second liquid energy conducting
element through the air flow, to cool down temperature through heat
exchange.
3. The air conditioning device of claim 2, wherein the heat
exchanger is disposed between the second liquid energy conducting
element and the second air flow guide unit.
4. The air conditioning device of claim 1, wherein the first liquid
energy conducting element comprises a water inlet, a water outlet,
and a water curtain module disposed inside the first region of the
duct module, wherein the condensed water is drawn to the water
curtain module through the water inlet and drawn out by the water
outlet.
5. The air conditioning device of claim 1, comprising a plurality
of the duct modules.
6. The air conditioning device of claim 5, further comprising a
control module configured for controlling on/off or configuration
of the temperature control unit or the first air flow guide
unit.
7. The air conditioning device of claim 6, wherein the control
module comprises a setting unit configured for setting up a
threshold temperature of the duct module, and outputting a
corresponding first control signal to the temperature control unit,
and the control module controls the on/off or the configuration of
the temperature control unit by the first control signal.
8. The air conditioning device of claim 7, further comprising a
detecting module configured for detecting a temperature of the
second region of the duct module, producing a corresponding
temperature signal, and sending the corresponding temperature
signal to the control module, wherein the control module further
outputs a corresponding second control signal to the temperature
control unit or the first air flow guide unit based on the
threshold temperature set by the setting unit and the temperature
signal, and the control module further controls the on/off or the
configuration of the temperature control unit or the first air flow
guide unit by the second temperature control signal.
9. The air conditioning device of claim 8, further comprising a
power module configured for providing an operational power to the
duct module, the heat exchange module, the control module and the
detecting module.
10. The air conditioning device of claim 9, further comprising an
air collecting unit having an inlet facing the second region of the
duct module and an outlet at which the detecting module is
disposed.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to air conditioning devices,
and, more specifically, to an air conditioning device using an air
conditioning system coupled with an evaporation cooling technique,
through circulating the condensed water to process the waste
heat.
2. Description of Related Art
[0002] The thermoelectric cooling chip based air conditioning
device is a popular choice for a compact size air conditioning
device as it is compact in size, makes no noises, does not use a
refrigerant and is environmentally friendly, as compared to the
traditional compression type air conditioning device.
[0003] However, the thermoelectric cooling chip operates by
circulating the cooling effect provided on the surface to cool down
the ambient temperature. When the temperature of the air flow is
high during hot weather day plus particle pollution, it can likely
adversely affect the efficiency of heat exchange, thereby reducing
the cooling effect.
[0004] Besides, when one side of the thermoelectric cooling chip is
performing the cooling operation, the other side of the
thermoelectric cooling chip is performing the heating operation,
and the generated waste heat is exhausted to the ambient and also
indirectly raises the difficulty of cooling by the air conditioning
device.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need to solve the prior art problems
increasing the cooling efficiency and solving the problem of
exhausted waste heat produced by the thermoelectric cooling
chip.
SUMMARY
[0006] In light of solving the foregoing problems of the prior art,
the present disclosure provides an air conditioning device,
comprising: a duct module and a heat exchange module. The duct
module has opposing first and second regions, and comprises: a
temperature control unit disposed at the second region of the duct
module; a first air flow guide unit disposed at the first region, a
second region or between the first region and the second region of
the duct module; and a first liquid energy conducting element
disposed at the first region of the duct module.
[0007] The heat exchange module is coupled to the duct module and
configured for processing the waste heat produced by the
temperature control unit, and has an accommodating case, a heat
exchanger, a second liquid energy conducting element, a delivery
duct, a driver unit and a second air flow guide unit. The
accommodating case is used to collect the condensed water produced
by the temperature control unit. The heat exchanger is used to
remove the waste heat produced by the temperature control unit. The
second liquid energy conducting element is used to remove the waste
heat produced by the heat exchanger. The delivery duct is used to
couple the second liquid energy conducting element, the
accommodating case and the duct module in series. The driver unit
is used to drive the condensed water to pass the delivery duct,
such that the condensed water flows between the second liquid
energy conducting element and the accommodating case. The second
air flow guide unit is used to provide air flow to the heat
exchanger. Therefore, the waste heat generated by the heat
exchanger is allowed to be delivered to the second liquid energy
conducting element to carry out the process of cooling by heat
exchange.
[0008] In an embodiment, the heat exchanger is disposed between the
second liquid energy conducting element and the second air flow
guide unit.
[0009] In an embodiment, the first liquid energy conducting element
comprises a water inlet, a water outlet and a water curtain module,
the water curtain module is disposed in the inner side of the first
region of the duct module, through the water inlet the condensed
water is drawn to the water curtain module, and drawn out by the
water outlet.
[0010] In an embodiment, the air conditioning device comprises a
plurality of the duct modules.
[0011] In an embodiment, the air conditioning device further
comprises a control module configured for controlling the on/off or
the configuration of the temperature control unit or the first air
flow guide unit.
[0012] In an embodiment, the control module comprises a setting
unit which is used to set up the threshold temperature of the duct
module and output a corresponding first control signal to the
temperature control unit, such that control module controls the
on/off or the configuration of the temperature control unit based
on the first control signal.
[0013] In an embodiment, the air conditioning device further
comprises a detecting module, which is used to detect the
temperature of the second region of the duct module, generate a
temperature signal, and send the temperature signal to the control
module, the control module outputs the corresponding second control
signal to the temperature control unit or first air flow guide unit
based on the threshold temperature set by the setting unit and the
temperature signal, and the control module further controls the
on/off or the configuration of the temperature control unit or the
first air flow guide unit based on the second control signal.
[0014] In an embodiment, the air conditioning device further
comprises a power module for providing the operation power to the
duct module, the heat exchange module, the control module and the
detecting module.
[0015] In an embodiment, the air conditioning device further
comprises an air collecting unit that has an air flow inlet facing
towards the second region of the duct module and an air flow outlet
around wherein the detecting module is disposed.
[0016] In comparison with the prior art, the air conditioning
device according to the present disclosure has a water curtain
based evaporation cooling system, which is capable of purification
and first cooling, followed by a second cooling, such that the
overall cooling efficiency is improved. The air conditioning device
of the present disclosure is also capable of recycle the condensed
water generated by the thermoelectric cooling chip to reduce the
waste heat in the system, thereby effectively controlling the
temperature balance within the system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an application framework
of an air condition device according to the present disclosure for
processing condensed water.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an application framework
of a water curtain of the air conditioning device according to the
present disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of the air
conditioning device according to the present disclosure.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the multiple duct modules
of the air conditioning device according to the present
disclosure.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of multiple
duct modules of the air conditioning device according to the
present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0022] The present disclosure is described by the following
specific embodiments. Those with ordinary skills in the arts can
readily understand other advantages and functions of the present
disclosure after reading the disclosure of this specification.
[0023] It should be noted that the structures, ratios, sizes shown
in the drawings appended to this specification are to be construed
in conjunction with the disclosure of this specification in order
to facilitate understanding of those skilled in the art. They are
not meant, in any ways, to limit the implementations of the present
disclosure, and therefore have no substantial technical meaning.
Without affecting the effects created and objectives achieved by
the present disclosure, any modifications, changes or adjustments
to the structures, ratio relationships or sizes, are to be
construed as fall within the range covered by the technical
contents disclosed herein. Meanwhile, terms, such as "on", "in",
"at", "inner", "external", "one", "a" and the like, are for
illustrative purposes only, and are not meant to limit the range
implementable by the present disclosure. Any changes or adjustments
made to their relative relationships, without modifying the
substantial technical contents, are also to be construed as within
the range implementable by the present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an application framework
of an air condition device according to the present disclosure for
processing condensed water. The air conditioning device comprises a
duct module 1 having opposing first and second regions 11 and 12,
and a heat exchange module 2 disposed at the second region 12. The
duct module 1 comprises a temperature control unit 13 disposed at
the second region 12, a first air flow guide unit 14 disposed
between the first region 11 and second region 12, and a first
liquid energy conducting element 15 disposed at the first region
11. It should be noted that the first air flow guide unit 14 may
also be disposed at the first region 11 or the second region 12. In
an embodiment, the temperature control unit 13 is a thermoelectric
cooling chip capable of producing temperature gradient, by
generating cooling or heating ends when charged, and the first air
flow guide unit 14 can be a fan powered by electricity. The fan is
operated to generate an air flow, the direction flow of which is
indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1. The air flow enters the first
region 11, passes through the cooling end of the temperature
control unit 13, and then exists from the second region 12.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchange module 2 is coupled to
the duct module 1, for processing the waste heat produced by the
temperature control unit 13. In an embodiment, the heat exchange
module 2 comprises a delivery duct 21, an accommodating case 22, a
driver unit 23, a second air flow guide unit 24, a heat exchanger
25 and a second liquid energy conducting element 26. The
accommodating case 22 is used to collect the condensed water
generated when the cooling ends of the temperature control unit 13
(thermoelectric cooling chip) are in contact with the air. The
delivery duct 21 is used to couple the second liquid energy
conducting element 26, the accommodating case 22 and the duct
module 1 in series. In an embodiment, the second liquid energy
conducting element 26 is a water curtain. The driver unit 23 may be
a motor (the number of which can be single or more than one). The
second air flow guide unit 24 may be a fan. The heat exchanger 25
can be disposed between the second liquid energy conducting element
26 and the second air flow guide unit 24, i.e., between the water
curtain and the fan. After the condensed water is collected in the
accommodating case 22, the start-up motor is used to drive the
condensed water to flow through the delivery duct 21 to the second
liquid energy conducting element 26 (water curtain), the waste heat
generated from the heating ends of the temperature control unit 13
(thermoelectric cooling chip) is guided to the heat exchanger 25,
the waste heat is outputted through the air flow blown towards the
heat exchanger 25 generated by the second air flow guide unit 24
(fan), and the waste heat is then in contact with the second liquid
energy conducting element 26 for cooling down the temperature by
heat exchange.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the application framework
of the water curtain of the air conditioning device according to
the present disclosure, wherein the arrow direction is the
direction of water flow. It should be noted that FIG. 1 mainly
illustrates the application framework of the temperature control
unit 13 which collects the condensed water to the second liquid
energy conducting element 26 for processing the waste heat, while
FIG. 2 mainly illustrates the application frame work of drawing the
condensed water from the accommodating case 22 to the first region
11 of the duct module 1, for cooling the air. In other words, the
condensed water collected from the temperature control unit 13 can
be stored in the accommodating case 22 and then delivered to the
second liquid energy conducting element 26 and the first region 11
of the duct module 1 via the operation of the driver unit 23.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the first liquid energy conducting
element 15 may comprise a water inlet 151, a water outlet 152 and a
water curtain module 153. The water curtain module 153 is disposed
on the inner side of the first region 11 of the duct module 1. The
condensed water stored in the accommodating case 22 is drawn from
the water inlet 15 to the water curtain module 153, the air
entering the first region 11 would pass the water curtain module
153, to carry out the first purification and cooling down, and then
the condensed water is drawn back to the accommodating case 22,
while the purified air enters to the second region 12 to be in
contact with the temperature control unit 13. In an embodiment, the
water curtain module 153 is a cylindrical structure.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of duct modules 1 which are
used to exemplify an embodiment of the present disclosure. However,
in other embodiments, it is applicable to have a single duct module
1 in the air conditioning device according to the present
disclosure. The arrow direction shown in FIG. 4 is provided to
indicate the direction of the air flow, so as to clearly illustrate
the operation of multiple ducts configuration in the air
conditioning device of the present disclosure.
[0029] Referring to both FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, FIG. 3 is a block
diagram showing the functions of the air conditioning device
according to the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the air
conditioning device further comprises a control module 3 configured
for controlling the on/off or the configuration of the temperature
control unit 13 and the first air flow guide unit 14. In an
embodiment, the aforesaid on/off or the configuration actions
include controlling the on/off and loading strength of the
temperature control unit 13 (such as a thermoelectric cooling
chip), or controlling the on/off action, operational time, and
rotational speed of the first air flow guide unit 14 (such as a
fan), etc.
[0030] The control module 3 may comprise a setting unit 31
configured for setting up the threshold temperature for the duct
module 1, and outputting the corresponding first control signal to
each of the temperature control unit 13 or the first air flow guide
unit 14, and the control module 3 controls the on/off action or the
configuration of the temperature control unit 13 or the first air
flow guide unit 14 by the first control signal.
[0031] The air conditioning device according to the present
disclosure may further comprise a detecting module 4 configured for
detecting the temperature of the air flow generated by the first
air flow guide unit 14, at the time when it flows from the second
region 12 of the duct module 1, and generating a corresponding
temperature signal to the control module 3. Then the control module
3 in response outputs a corresponding second control signal to each
of the temperature control unit 13 or the first air flow guide unit
14 based on the threshold temperature set up by the setting unit 31
and the temperature signal, such that the control module 3 further
controls the on/off action or the configuration of the temperature
control unit 13 or the first air flow guide unit 14 by the second
control signal.
[0032] FIG. 5 shows the operation of multiple duct modules of the
air conditioning device according to the present disclosure. With
regard to the air conditioning device having a plurality of duct
modules 1 as proposed according to the present disclosure, the
operational efficiency distributed to each duct module 1 determines
the overall output efficiency of the air conditioning device of the
present disclosure, i.e., the maximum cooling strength that can be
reached at a fixed power load. This embodiment of the present
disclosure illustrates the operational steps S1 to S11 of the two
duct modules 1A and 1B, as an example below. However, this should
not limit the scope of the present disclosure. A person skilled in
the art can easily conceived the operation with more duct modules
1.
[0033] Firstly in step S1, the threshold temperature of the two
duct modules 1A and 1B are set by the setting unit 31, wherein the
threshold temperature is the target temperature for each duct
module 1 desired to be reached in operation, and then the
temperature control unit 13 and first air flow guide unit 14 of
each duct module are started up. Steps S2 and S3 are then followed,
wherein the control module 3 adjusts the first air flow guide units
14A and 14B of the duct modules 1A and 1B to be low loading (such
as 30% loading, low rotational speed for the fan), or zero loading.
At this time, the two duct modules are storing the cold, and a
variable frequency motor technique can be applied in the control
module 3 to not only capable of controlling the on/off the air flow
generated by the first air flow guide unit 14, but also adjusting
the magnitude of the air flow.
[0034] Subsequently, steps S4 to S7 are performed, for detecting
the real time temperature of the duct modules 1A and 1B by the
detecting module 4. When the real time temperature of the duct
module 1A is lower than or equal to the cooling threshold
temperature, the control module 3 changes the first air flow guide
unit 14A to be high loading (such as 70% loading, higher rotational
speed for the fan) or full loading, to allow the duct module 1A
distribute the cold. The detecting module 4 would not carry out the
first temperature detection for the duct module 1B, to allow the
duct module 1B to continue to store cold, in order to separate the
time of operation of the duct module 1A, and when the duct module
1B is higher than or equal to the cold distribution threshold
temperature, the control module 3 then changes the first air flow
guide unit 14B to low loading or zero loading.
[0035] Steps S8 to S11 are then performed to repeat steps S4 and
S5, wherein the detecting module 4 detects the real time
temperature of the duct modules 1A and 1B, and when the real time
temperature of the duct module 1A is higher than or equal to the
cold distribution threshold temperature, the control module 3
changes the first air flow guide unit 14A to be low loading or zero
loading, to allow the duct module 1A to store cold, and on the
other hand when the real time temperature of the duct module 1B is
lower than or equal to the cooling threshold temperature, the
control module 3 changes the first air flow guide unit 14B to be
high loading or full loading, to allow the duct module 1B to
distribute cold.
[0036] As such, through the aforementioned repeating cycles of
alternate cooling, the output of the air conditioning device is
able to be maintained in a stable low temperature, and energy is
thus saved. Besides, the control module 3 can not only control the
loading of the first air flow guide unit 14, but also adjust the
loading of the temperature control unit 13, such that the cooling
or heating efficiency is enhanced through such efficient
distribution.
[0037] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air
conditioning device may further comprise a power module 5
configured for providing the operational energy for the duct module
1, the heat exchange module 2, the control module 3 and the
detecting module 4.
[0038] All embodiments of the air conditioning device according to
the present disclosure with multiple ducts or single duct may
further comprise an air collecting unit 6. The air collecting unit
6 has an air inlet 61 and an air outlet 62. The air inlet 61 faces
towards the second region 12 of each duct module 1. The detecting
module 4 can be disposed around the air outlet 62. In an
embodiment, the air conditioning device according to the present
disclosure utilizes the function of the air collecting unit 6 to
collect the air flow generated from multiple duct modules 1, so as
to increase the efficiency of cooling or heating.
[0039] In summary, the air conditioning device according to the
present disclosure is based on the concept of a thermoelectric
cooling chip, with the additional water curtain structure and waste
heat treatment, which not only increase the efficiency of cooling,
but also reduce the amount of waste heat exhausted outside, to
reach a balance in temperature, which cannot be achieved by other
air condition device on the market today.
[0040] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the
principles of the present disclosure, and should not be construed
as to limit the present disclosure in any way. The above
embodiments can be modified by those with ordinary skill in the art
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as
defined in the following appended claims.
* * * * *