Portable Air Conditioner And Heating Unit

Abstract

This invention relates to an air conditioner and heating unit and particularly to one of a portable type wherein the evaporator is contained in one unit and the compressor and condenser in another unit, each unit being separately encased. Flexible refrigerant hoses and releasable couplings are provided for connecting the refrigeration equipment of the evaporator unit with the refrigerator equipment of the compressor-condenser unit. Suitable electrical power cables are also provided for supplying power to both units. The units and cables assemble in an outer casing in the form of a luggage-type suitcase for transporting and storing.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In many applications it is desirable to provide temporary means for cooling or heating a selected room which does not justify a permanent air-conditioning installation. Boat cabins, camping trailers, and many other types of applications fall into this category, for their use is somewhat limited. Air-conditioning units of the prior art, including the so-called portable window air conditioners are awkward to transport, require a good deal of time and effort to install, and in the case of window air conditioners, require a window for mounting which in itself disqualifies their use for many applications.

The portable air conditioner and heater of this invention is truly portable. It is relatively small and compact, easy to transport, and cam be installed and removed very quickly and easily. No tools or window fittings are required.

When assembled for transporting or storing the unit resembles a luggage-type suitcase with a handle mounted on the top for carrying. Inside the casing are two separately encased units; an evaporator unit containing an evaporator coil, expansion device, and fan, and a condenser unit containing a condenser, compressor, and fan. For operation in the air-conditioning mode, the units are separated with the evaporator unit placed in the room to be cooled and the condenser unit placed outside the room. For the heat mode, the positions of the units are simply reversed. Reversing the refrigeration cycle is not required. Flexible refrigerant hoses with releasable couplings and power cables are provided for connecting the refrigeration components of the evaporator unit with the refrigeration components of the condenser unit. The hoses and cables are small to fit easily under a door, window, or other suitable opening to the room.

For transporting or storing, the evaporator unit fits on top of the condenser unit. An upper frame portion of the same size as the condenser unit is placed over the evaporator unit and latched to the condenser unit to provide a carrying frame. The evaporator unit is smaller in width than the condenser unit to define a compartment under the upper frame portion for storing the power cables and refrigerant hoses. Both units are then enclosed with side panels that snap onto the carrying frame to give a suitcase appearance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the portable air-conditioning and heating unit of this invention assembled for transporting and storing;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded isometric views of the portable air conditioning unit and heating unit of this invention illustrating removal of the outer carrying case and indicating relative positions of the evaporator and condenser units in its transporting and storing configuration;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are isometric views of the evaporator and condenser units shown connected for operation;

FIG. 6 is generally a section on an enlarged scale taken along the left side of FIG. 3 to show the internal components of the evaporator and condenser units;

FIG. 7 is generally an enlarged plan view of FIG. 3 with parts of the casing broken away to illustrate the relative positions of the components within the units; and

FIG. 8 is generally an enlarged front elevation view of FIG. 3 with parts of the casing broken away to show the relative positions of the components within the units.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring primarily to FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawing, there is shown a portable air conditioner and heating unit 10 enclosed in a casing 12. The casing 12 is of the general appearance and size of a standard luggage-type suitcase, of the two- or three-suit type, and includes a carrying handle 14 mounted to the top of a carrying frame 16. The handle 14 is pivotally mounted by suitable brackets 18 so that the handle 14, when not in use, can be made to lie flat against the casing 12.

The casing 12 includes side panels 20 and 22 which attach to the carrying frame 16 by any suitable means such as snaps, latches, or the like. The side panels 20 and 22 form with the carrying frame 16 a protective covering for the air-conditioning components. The carrying frame 16 has an upper portion 26 fastened to a lower portion 28 by latches 30.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 through 5 the air conditioner and heater 10 is comprised of two major units: an evaporator unit 32 and a condenser unit 34 each of which are separately encased. The lower portion 28 of the carrying frame 16 forms the sides and bottom of a casing 36 for the condenser unit 34. The evaporator unit 32 is releasably mounted on top of the condenser unit 34 and is somewhat smaller in width so that the upper portion 26 of the carrying frame 16 defines, with the evaporator casing 40, a compartment 42 for storing the refrigerant hoses and power cables as will be explained.

The evaporator unit 32 has a grill 50 mounted on an air intake side 51 of its casing 40, and a plurality of louver sections 52, 53, and 54 on an air outlet side 55 of its casing 40. Also mounted to the outlet side 55 of the casing 40 is a motor 58 which drives an evaporator fan 60 for operation inside the evaporator unit 32 and in a manner to draw air from the inlet to the outlet side of the evaporator unit as shown by the arrows of FIG. 5. An evaporator coil 64 is mounted in the evaporator unit 32 and is positioned between its intake side 51 and fan 60 such that air passing through the unit passes over the coil 64.

An expansion device, such as a capillary tube 66, is connected between an inlet end 68 of the evaporator coil 64 and a fitting 70 mounted in an end wall 72 of the evaporator unit 32. The outlet side 74 of the evaporator coil 64 is connected to a fitting 76 also mounted in the side wall 72 of the evaporator unit 32.

The bottom of the evaporator unit 32 is internally formed as at 80 in a reservoir for collecting condensate from the evaporator coil 64. A condensate pump 82 driven by the motor 58 may also be provided for pumping the collected condensate from the reservoir 80. As an alternative a condensate drain tube 84 connected by a suitable fitting in the wall of the evaporator unit and in communication with the reservoir 80 may be used to drain the reservoir.

A power cable 86 supplies power to the entire air conditioner having one end connected internally in the evaporator unit 32 to a control unit 87, the other end having a plug 88 for connection to an AC power source.

The control unit 87 has knobs 91 and 92 for controlling the various operations of the unit as is commonly known in the art. Such controls include, for example, means for turning the unit on and off, means for selecting various fan speeds for the evaporator fan 60, and means for controlling the temperature of the air through the evaporator unit. This latter means includes a temperature-sensing device 94 for sensing the temperature of the air moving through the evaporator unit and for controlling the operation of the unit in accordance with the control settings. A power cable 96 electrically connects the motor 58 to the control unit 87 for supplying power to the evaporator motor and fan assembly. Another power cable 97 extends through the wall 72 of the evaporator unit 32 with a plug 98 on one end, the other end connected electrically to the control unit 87. As will be seen, the plug 98 connects to the compressor power receptacle.

The compressor unit 34 generally includes a compressor 100, an electrical motor 101, a fan 102, and a condenser coil 103. The condenser unit 34 can be thought of as divided into two compartments: one containing the compressor 100 and the other containing the motor 101, fan 102, and condenser 103 as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. A grill 104 is mounted in an air outlet side 105 of the condenser unit 34 with the motor 101 mounted to the wall of an air inlet side 106. Another grill 107 is mounted in the side 106 surrounding the motor 101. The fan 102 is connected to the motor for rotation within the condenser unit 34 and in a manner to draw air through the condenser unit from the inlet grill to the outlet grill, as shown by the arrows of FIG. 5.

The condenser coil 103 is mounted between the fan 102 and the grill 104 so that air pulled through the condenser unit 34 by the fan 102 passes over the condenser 103. An inlet side 108 of the condenser coil 103 is connected to an outlet fitting 110 of the compressor 100 through a vibration loop 112. An outlet side 114 of the condenser coil 103 is connected through tubing 116 to the receptacle portion 118 of a quick disconnect, refrigerant-type coupling 120. An inlet fitting 122 of the compressor 100 is connected through a suction line vibration loop 124 to the receptacle portion 126 of another quick disconnect, refrigerant-type coupling 128. The compressor 100 is mounted in the unit 34 on mounting cushions 130.

A power receptacle 132 is mounted in the wall of the condenser unit 32 for receiving the plug 98 of the power cable 97 from the evaporator unit 32. The receptacle 132 is connected by a power cable 134 to a terminal box 136 on the side of the compressor 100. Power is fed from the terminal box 136 through a cable 138 to operate the motor 101. A pair of power cables 140 and 141 connect from the terminal unit 136 to a capacitor 142 for operating the compressor 100.

A flexible suction hose 144 is connected at one end to the fitting 76 with a refrigerant-type, quick disconnect plug 146 mounted to the other end for mating with the receptacle 126. A flexible discharge hose 148 has one end connected to the fitting 70 with a refrigerant-type, quick disconnect plug 150 mounted to the other end for mating with the receptacle 118.

Operation

When not in operation the air-conditioning and heating unit 10 is transported and stored as shown in FIG. 1. To operate the unit in the air-conditioning mode, the side panels 20 and 22 are removed and the latches 30 released to remove the upper portion 26 of the carrying frame 16. The evaporator unit 32 is separated from the condenser unit 34 and placed in the area to be air conditioned. This area might be the interior of a room, a boat, a car, a parked aircraft, a truck, a trailer, or the like. The condenser unit 34 is placed outside the room. For operation in the heating mode, the positions of the evaporator and condenser units are reversed. No reverse cycling of the refrigerant is necessary. The cable 97 and hoses 144 and 148 are fed through a suitable opening in the room such as under a window or door and connected to the condenser unit 34 with the power plug 98 connected to the power receptacle 132, the quick disconnect plug 146 connected to the coupling receptacle 126, and the quick disconnect plug 150 connected to the coupling receptacle 118. The power plug 88 is connected to any suitable AC power receptacle.

The unit is then turned on and properly adjusted with the control knobs 91 and 92 of the control unit 87. With the unit on, power is fed from the AC power supply through the cables 86 and 96 to operate the evaporator motor 58 and fan 60, through the cable 97, receptacle 132, and cable 134 to operate the compressor 100, and through the cable 138 to operate the motor 101 and fan 102.

With power supplied to the unit, refrigerant in vapor form is fed from the outlet side 74 of the evaporator coil 64 through the flexible hose 144, the quick disconnect coupling 128, and the suction line vibration loop 124 to the inlet fitting 122 of the compressor 100. The compressor 100 compresses the vapor to increase its temperature as is commonly known in the art and feeds the compressed vapor from its outlet fitting 110, through the discharge line vibration loop 112 to the inlet side 108 of the condenser coil 103. Air drawn over the condenser coil 103 by the fan 102 absorbs heat from, and thereby cools and liquefies, the refrigerant. The refrigerant continues its cycle through the tube 116, the quick disconnect coupling 120, the flexible discharge hose 148, the fitting 70, and the capillary tube 66 from where it expands and cools. The cold refrigerant is fed through the evaporator coil 64 to complete the refrigeration cycle. As the cold refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil 64, the fan 60 draws air through the evaporator unit 32 as shown by the arrows of FIG. 5 which air is cooled by giving off heat to the refrigerant. Condensate collecting on the evaporation coil drips into the reservoir 80 and is drained through the drain hose 84.

Hence, this invention provides a complete air-conditioning and heating unit which assembles in a suitcase-type casing for ease in transporting, and which can be quickly and easily disassembled and connected for operation.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A portable air conditioner and heater comprising an evaporator unit having an evaporator means and an expansion device, a condenser unit having a condenser means and a compressor means, the units being separately encased, means for connecting the output of the compressor means to the input of the condenser means, means for connecting the output of the expansion device to the input of the evaporator means, means for releasably mounting the evaporator unit casing to the condenser unit casing, flexible hose means between the units connecting the output of the evaporator means to the input of the compressor means and the output of the condenser means to the input of the expansion device, and means for enclosing the units with their casings connected together to resemble a luggage-type suitcase for transporting and storing.

2. The air conditioner and heater of claim 1 including releasable connector means for connecting the flexible hose means between the units.

3. The air conditioner and heater of claim 2 wherein the flexible hose means includes a suction hose having one end connected to the output of the evaporator means, a discharge hose having one end connected to the input of the expansion device, first and second couplings mounted in the condenser unit casing, means for connecting the input of the compressor means to the first coupling, means for connecting the output of the condenser means to the second coupling, means for connecting the other end of the suction hose to the first coupling, and means for connecting the other end of the discharge hose to the second coupling, each of the couplings being of a releasable type.

4. In a portable air conditioner and heater comprising an evaporator unit having an evaporator means and an expansion device, a condenser unit having a condenser means and a compressor means, the units being separately encased, means for connecting the output of the compressor means to the input of the condenser means, means for connecting the output of the expansion device to the input of the evaporator means, means for releasably mounting to the evaporator unit casing to the condenser unit casing, and flexible hose means between the units connecting the output of the evaporator means to the input of the compressor means and the output of the condenser means to the input of the expansion device, the improvement which comprises a carrying case for storing and transporting the air conditioner, the carrying case having a frame with upper and lower portions forming the ends, top, and bottom of the carrying case, the lower portion also forming the ends and bottom of the condenser unit casing, means for positioning the evaporator unit on top of the condenser unit, and means for releasably connecting the upper and lower portions with the upper portion fitting over the evaporator unit.

5. The air conditioner and heater of claim 4 including a compartment within the outer casing for storing the flexible refrigerant hoses.

6. The air conditioner and heater of claim 5 wherein the evaporator unit is shorter in length than the condenser unit, and the storage compartment for the hoses is between the evaporator unit and the upper frame portion of the carrying case.

7. The air conditioner and heater of claim 4 including side panels releasably connected to the frame, the side panels and frame forming the carrying case for the units.

8. The air conditioner and heater of claim 1 including means for supplying power to the unit.

9. The air conditioner and heater of claim 8 wherein the power supply means includes a first power cord for supplying power from a power source to one of the units, and a second power cord releasably connected between the units for supplying power to the other of the units.

10. A portable air conditioner comprising an evaporator unit having an evaporator means and an expansion device, a condenser unit having a condenser means and a compressor means, the units being separately encased, and means for enclosing the units together to resemble a luggage-type suitcase for transporting and storing.

11. A portable air conditioner comprising an evaporator unit having an evaporator means and an expansion device, a condenser unit having a condenser means and a compressor means, the units being separately encased, and means for enclosing the units together to resemble a luggage-type suitcase for transporting and storing, said enclosing means including a frame with upper and lower portions forming the ends, top, and bottom of a carrying case, the lower portion also forming the ends and bottom of the condenser unit casing, means for positioning the evaporator unit on top of the condenser unit, and means for releasably connecting the upper and lower portions with the upper portion fitting over the evaporator unit.

12. The air conditioner of claim 11 including side panels releasably connected to the frame, the side panels and frame forming the carrying case for the units.

13. The air conditioner of claim 12 including flexible refrigerant hoses for connecting the refrigeration equipment of the evaporator unit with the refrigeration equipment of the condenser unit, and a compartment within the carrying case for storing the hoses.