U.S. patent application number 16/565446 was filed with the patent office on 2021-03-11 for self-cleaning system and method for air conditioners.
The applicant listed for this patent is Alexander Hamilton. Invention is credited to Alexander Hamilton.
Application Number | 20210071898 16/565446 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004467404 |
Filed Date | 2021-03-11 |
![](/patent/app/20210071898/US20210071898A1-20210311-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20210071898/US20210071898A1-20210311-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20210071898/US20210071898A1-20210311-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20210071898/US20210071898A1-20210311-D00003.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20210071898 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hamilton; Alexander |
March 11, 2021 |
SELF-CLEANING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AIR CONDITIONERS
Abstract
The present invention relates to a self-cleaning system for an
air conditioner, comprising: a drain pan installed on an evaporator
side of the air conditioner, the drain pan operative to collect
condensate from the evaporator side; a pump coupled to the drain
pan, the pump operative to pump the collected condensate through a
set of piping; and a plurality of spray nozzles installed on a
condenser side of the air conditioner, the spray nozzles coupled to
the set of piping and operative to spray the collected condensate
over a condenser in the condenser side, wherein the pump further
comprises a control mechanism operative to trigger a cleaning cycle
of pumping and spraying of the collected condensate.
Inventors: |
Hamilton; Alexander; (West
Vancouver, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hamilton; Alexander |
West Vancouver |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004467404 |
Appl. No.: |
16/565446 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 2110/65 20180101;
F24F 11/70 20180101; F24F 2013/227 20130101; F24F 2221/16 20130101;
F24F 2221/225 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/70 20060101
F24F011/70 |
Claims
1. An air conditioner, the air conditioner comprising an evaporator
side and a condenser side, comprising: a drain pan installed on the
evaporator side, the drain pan operative to collect condensate from
the evaporator side; a pump coupled to the drain pan, the pump
operative to pump the collected condensate through a set of piping;
and a plurality of spray nozzles installed on the condenser side,
the spray nozzles coupled to the set of piping and operative to
spray the collected condensate over a condenser in the condenser
side, wherein the pump further comprises a control mechanism
operative to trigger a cleaning cycle of pumping and spraying of
the collected condensate.
2. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the control mechanism
for the pump is comprised of: a float-based mechanism, a
timer-based mechanism, and a combination thereof.
3. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein the control mechanism is
a timer-based mechanism and is operative to trigger a cleaning
cycle of a fixed time length.
4. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein the control mechanism is
a combination of a timer-based mechanism and a float-based
mechanism where the timer-based mechanism is a primary control
mechanism and the float-based mechanism is a secondary control
mechanism.
5. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein the control mechanism
may further be remotely operated.
6. The air conditioner of claim 1, further comprising an injection
mechanism to add one or more cleaning agents to the condensate
prior to the cleaning cycle.
7. The air conditioner of claim 6, wherein the injection mechanism
is coupled to the control mechanism such that the injection
mechanism is triggered prior to the pump.
8. The air conditioner of claim 6, wherein the injection mechanism
is accessible from the exterior of the air conditioner for addition
and replacement of cleaning agents.
9. The air conditioner of claim 6, wherein the cleaning agent
comprises one or more decalcifiers.
10. The air conditioner of claim 1, where the pump is positioned
within the interior of the drain pan.
11. A self-cleaning system for an air conditioner, comprising: a
drain pan installed on an evaporator side of the air conditioner,
the drain pan operative to collect condensate from the evaporator
side; a pump coupled to the drain pan, the pump operative to pump
the collected condensate through a set of piping; and a plurality
of spray nozzles installed on a condenser side of the air
conditioner, the spray nozzles coupled to the set of piping and
operative to spray the collected condensate over a condenser in the
condenser side, wherein the pump further comprises a control
mechanism operative to trigger a cleaning cycle of pumping and
spraying of the collected condensate.
12. The self-cleaning system of claim 11, wherein the control
mechanism for the pump is comprised of: a float-based mechanism, a
timer-based mechanism, and a combination thereof.
13. The self-cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the control
mechanism is a timer-based mechanism and is operative to trigger a
cleaning cycle of a fixed time length.
14. The self-cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the control
mechanism is a combination of a timer-based mechanism and a
float-based mechanism where the timer-based mechanism is a primary
control mechanism and the float-based mechanism is a secondary
control mechanism.
15. The self-cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the control
mechanism may further be remotely operated.
16. The self-cleaning system of claim 11, further comprising an
injection mechanism to add one or more cleaning agents to the
condensate prior to the cleaning cycle.
17. The self-cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the injection
mechanism is coupled to the control mechanism such that the
injection mechanism is triggered prior to the pump.
18. The self-cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the injection
mechanism is accessible from the exterior of the air conditioner
for addition and replacement of cleaning agents.
19. The self-cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the cleaning
agent comprises one or more decalcifiers.
20. The self-cleaning system of claim 11, where the pump is
positioned within the interior of the drain pan.
21. A kit for a self-cleaning system for an air conditioner,
comprising: a drain pan for installation on an evaporator side of
the air conditioner, the drain pan operative to collect condensate
from the evaporator side of the air conditioner; a pump coupled to
the drain pan, the pump operative to pump the collected condensate
through a set of piping; and a plurality of spray nozzles for
installation on a condenser side of the air conditioner, the spray
nozzles coupled to the set of piping and operative to spray the
collected condensate over a condenser in the condenser side,
wherein the pump further comprises a control mechanism operative to
trigger a cleaning cycle of pumping and spraying of the collected
condensate.
22. The kit of claim 21, wherein the control mechanism for the pump
is comprised of: a float-based mechanism, a timer-based mechanism,
and a combination thereof.
23. The kit of claim 22, wherein the control mechanism is a
timer-based mechanism and is operative to trigger a cleaning cycle
of a fixed time length.
24. The kit of claim 22, wherein the control mechanism is a
combination of a timer-based mechanism and a float-based mechanism
where the timer-based mechanism is a primary control mechanism and
the float-based mechanism is a secondary control mechanism.
25. The kit of claim 22, wherein the control mechanism may further
be remotely operated.
26. The kit of claim 21, further comprising an injection mechanism
to add one or more cleaning agents to the condensate prior to the
cleaning cycle.
27. The kit of claim 26, wherein the injection mechanism is coupled
to the control mechanism such that the injection mechanism is
triggered prior to the pump.
28. The kit of claim 26, wherein the injection mechanism is
accessible from the exterior of the air conditioner for addition
and replacement of cleaning agents.
29. The kit of claim 26, wherein the cleaning agent comprises one
or more decalcifiers.
30. The kit of claim 21, where the pump is positioned within the
interior of the drain pan.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present specification relates generally to air
conditioners and more specifically to a self-cleaning system for an
air conditioner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The following includes information that may be useful in
understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that
any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to
the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any
publication or document that is specifically or implicitly
referenced is prior art.
[0003] Industrial roof mounted air conditioners are in common use
in modern society. The air conditioner cools incoming external air
and withdraws warm internal air to provide climate control for one
or more rooms in the building. Such air conditioners often see use
in applications require climate control for building and rooms
subject to internal heating, such as restaurants.
[0004] However, these environments also increase the buildup on the
air conditioner condenser of contaminants, particularly airborne
particles of grease and dust, that are drawn in with the interior
air. Over time, the accumulation of these particles degrades the
efficiency and performance of the condenser and the air
conditioner. Attempting to clean the condenser can require shutting
down the air conditioning unit, which may not be possible in some
applications which require 24/7 operation.
[0005] Thus, while manual cleaning of the air conditioner may be
possible, it would be desirable to modify an air conditioner to be
self-cleaning during operation, preferably with a minimum of
additional components.
[0006] Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the
art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is
provided an air conditioner with a self-cleaning system for the
condenser side of the air conditioner.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a self-cleaning system for an air conditioner, comprising:
a drain pan installed on an evaporator side of the air conditioner,
the drain pan operative to collect condensate from the evaporator
side; a pump coupled to the drain pan, the pump operative to pump
the collected condensate through a set of piping; and a plurality
of spray nozzles installed on a condenser side of the air
conditioner, the spray nozzles coupled to the set of piping and
operative to spray the collected condensate over a condenser in the
condenser side, wherein the pump further comprises a control
mechanism operative to trigger a cleaning cycle of pumping and
spraying of the collected condensate.
[0009] According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is
provided an air conditioner, the air conditioner comprising an
evaporator side and a condenser side, comprising: a drain pan
installed on the evaporator side, the drain pan operative to
collect condensate from the evaporator side; a pump coupled to the
drain pan, the pump operative to pump the collected condensate
through a set of piping; and a plurality of spray nozzles installed
on the condenser side, the spray nozzles coupled to the set of
piping and operative to spray the collected condensate over a
condenser in the condenser side, wherein the pump further comprises
a control mechanism operative to trigger a cleaning cycle of
pumping and spraying of the collected condensate.
[0010] For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects,
advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described
herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such
advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular
embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or
carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or
group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving
other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features
of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly
pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the
specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of
the present invention will become better understood with reference
to the following drawings and detailed description.
[0011] Other aspects and features according to the present
application will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the
art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the
invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings
which show, by way of example only, embodiments of the invention,
and how they may be carried into effect, and in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a transparent top view of an air conditioner with
a self-cleaning system according to an embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a side cut-away view of FIG. 1; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of self-cleaning
according to the system of FIG. 1.
[0016] Like reference numerals indicated like or corresponding
elements in the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0017] The present invention relates to air conditioners and more
specifically to a self-cleaning air conditioner with a
self-cleaning system for the condenser side of the air
conditioner.
[0018] According to an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, an air
conditioner 100 is composed of an evaporator side 110 and a
condenser side 120. The evaporator side 110 has a blower fan 130 to
drive air through the air conditioner 100 over the evaporator 115
and into the ventilation system of the room or building being
cooled. The condenser side 120 has a condenser 140 to cool air
traveling through the air conditioner 100, and a condenser fan 150
draw air from the ventilation system of the room/building over the
condenser 140.
[0019] As the air is cooled over the evaporator side 110,
condensation forms and gradually accumulates ("condensate") on the
evaporator 115 and is typically allowed to drip off and run off the
roof to drain. However, in the present embodiment, a drain pan 160
is provided at the bottom of the air conditioner under the
evaporator side 110 to collect the condensate. The accumulated
condensate may then be pumped via pump 170 and piping 180 to be
expelled through nozzles 190 located over and/or around condenser
140 on the condenser side 120 of air conditioner 100. The drain pan
160 may be sized based on the amount of condensate required, from a
defined area under the evaporator 115, to covering the entire
bottom of the evaporator side 110.
[0020] The expelled condensate is thus sprayed over condenser 140,
both cooling the condenser 140 as well as removing any accumulated
waste or particles on the condenser 140. The sprayed condensate is
then allowed to drain away from the air conditioner over the roof
or by other means as is previously known. This overall process is
referred to herein as a cleaning cycle. As discussed above, the
nozzles 190 may be distributed over the top and/or sides of the
body of the condenser side to ensure full coverage over condenser
140 during the cleaning cycle.
[0021] In order to control the timing and pattern of spraying, a
control mechanism 200 may be coupled to pump 170 to control
operating timing and patterns. One type of control mechanism is a
float-based mechanism, which uses a float 210 inside drain pan 160.
As the collected condensate in drain pan 160 accumulates, the float
210 rises, and when float 210 reaches a specified level, the pump
170 is triggered to begin the spraying process. As the level of
accumulated condensate thereby decreases, the float 210 will sink,
and again, when it reaches a specified level, pump 170 is triggered
to stop. The float-based mechanism provides additionally safety by
ensuring that the level of the accumulated condensate does not
exceed the capacity of the drain pan 160, as well as ensuring that
pump 170 is not operated without a sufficient volume of accumulated
condensate to ensure operation.
[0022] Another type of control mechanism is timer-based. A timer
220 is coupled to pump 170 and used to control the timing and
duration of pump activity. The timer 220 may be set either locally
or remotely. For example, the timer 220 may activate every hour to
trigger pump 170 to begin the spraying process. The timer 220 may
then further specify a duration for the spraying process, for
example, 30 seconds, based on the capacity of the drain pan 160 as
well as the required time estimate to effect proper cleaning of the
condenser 140. The timer-based control mechanism provides for
regular cleaning cycles independently of the condensate collection
rate.
[0023] Additionally, the float-based control mechanism and
timer-based control mechanism may be combined to provide both the
safety and cleaning advantages gained via each mechanism. For
example, the timer-based mechanism may be used as a primary control
mechanism, with the float-based system acting as a backup to
prevent the collected condensate from overflowing or running dry
during pumping.
[0024] Additionally, an injection mechanism 230 may be added to
allow for the addition of cleaning agents, such as decalcifiers, to
the collected condensate prior to spraying to increase the
effectiveness of the cleaning cycle. The specific construction of
the injection mechanism 230 depends on the nature of the cleaning
agents. For example, a solid cleaning agent may be used, which is
exposed to the collected condensate and dissolves into the
collected condensate over time. Alternatively, a liquid cleaning
agent may be used, in which case the injection mechanism may be
coupled to the trigger mechanism of the pump 170 to permit the
cleaning agent to be added to the collected condensate just prior
to commencement of the cleaning process. The injection mechanism
230 may also have an exterior access point to permit monitoring and
replacement of the cleaning agent without requiring access or
disassembly of the air conditioner 100 or condenser 140. Also,
cleaning agents may not be added at ever cleaning cycle, but rather
as needed for maintenance requirements depending on operations,
such as a monthly or annual maintenance requirement.
[0025] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning cycle 300 starts
by collecting (310) condensate from the evaporator side in the
drain pan, and then triggering (320) the pump via the control
mechanism to pump (330) the collected condensate through suitable
piping and to the nozzles to spray (340) the collected condensate
over the condenser for cleaning. The sprayed condensate is then
allowed to runoff (35) for drainage/disposal. Optionally, as shown
by dashed lines, the injector for the cleaning agents may be
triggered (325) along with the pump.
[0026] The described air conditioner 100 is based on a commercial
rooftop-style air conditioner, however, the embodiments described
herein may be adapted to residential or other types of air
conditioners. For example, residential air conditioners may require
adaptations to allow for runoff collection and disposal, as it may
not merely run off as is possible with rooftop air conditioners.
Further, the embodiments may be adapted for other applications that
allow for collection of condensates, such as refrigeration systems,
in addition to the air conditioning system described herein.
[0027] It should also be noted that the steps described in the
method of use can be carried out in many different orders according
to user preference. The use of "step of" should not be interpreted
as "step for", in the claims herein. It should also be noted that,
under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design
preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost,
structural requirements, available materials, technological
advances, etc., other methods are taught herein.
[0028] The embodiments of the invention described herein are
exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements
can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent
results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit
and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing
abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the
public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and
practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal
terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory
inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of
the application.
[0029] The present invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof. Certain adaptations and modifications of
the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments are considered to be
illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being
indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing
description and all changes which come within the meaning and range
of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced
therein.
* * * * *