TEMPERATURE CONTROL DEVICE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a temperature control device for controlling air temperature. This device is, for example, an air conditioning system for cooling a room. In one variant, it is an air conditioning system to be mounted on the roof of a vehicle (e.g., a mobile home or caravan). In an alternative variant, it is a heater that heats air.

[0002] In heating systems (so-called air heating systems), it is common practice to transfer the thermal energy obtained from the combustion of, for example, air, diesel, or gasoline to the air. For this purpose, heat exchangers are provided, for example, through which the air to be heated flows.

[0003] The principle underlying air cooling, which involves generating cold using a cooling circuit, has long been known and is described, for example, in WO 2007 / 042065 A1. Such air conditioning systems typically contain two fans and two heat exchangers: One fan and an associated heat exchanger belong to the evaporator, in which the air in the room to be cooled is cooled through interaction with the refrigerant. Another fan and an associated heat exchanger belong to the condenser, in which the thermal energy of the refrigerant is transferred to the ambient air and thus dissipated.

[0004] The components used, the moving air and other resonance effects often result in noises that can be perceived as unpleasant.

[0005] The use of sound barriers is disclosed, for example, in DE 10 2006 050 339 A1.

[0006] Another temperature control device with a compensating ring is disclosed in DE 603 ​​04 308 T2.

[0007] The object underlying the invention is therefore to propose a temperature control device which is characterized by a reduced noise level.

[0008] The invention solves the problem by a temperature control device for temperature control of air according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control device has a fan and a blow-out area in a housing, wherein the fan moves air to the blow-out area, wherein a sound-wave-effective body is arranged in the blow-out area, and wherein the sound-wave-effective body is part of a compensation ring for creating an air channel adjacent to the blow-out area.

[0009] A fan transports air into an exhaust area, through which the air leaves the housing of the temperature control device. In one embodiment, the exhaust area is coupled to an air distributor located in the room whose air is to be tempered, where it ensures the distribution of the cooled or heated room air. In the exhaust area there is a body that is effective in generating sound waves, i.e. it affects the air in terms of noise that is emerging or has already occurred. This body that is effective in generating sound waves is part of a compensation ring. Depending on the design, the body can be an integral part of the compensation ring or, in an alternative embodiment, can be connected to a basic form of the compensation ring. The compensation ring serves to create an air duct adjacent to the exhaust area. The compensation ring thus forms an extension of the area through which the air is guided.In one variant, the compensation ring compensates for height differences when attaching the temperature control device to a base (e.g., a vehicle roof) relative to the exhaust area below the base (correspondingly, in the space below the vehicle roof). Alternatively or additionally, the compensation ring serves to seal a transition between the exhaust area and another component that is connected to the housing or to which a transition from the housing to the roof or ceiling takes place. The compensation ring thus has an at least partially enclosed area into which the air originating from the exhaust area is guided. One advantage of the invention is that installation is simplified, since no component for soundproofing needs to be separately attached or mounted.Furthermore, it is possible to realize different variants of a temperature control device (i.e. with or without noise reduction) with the same housing.

[0010] According to the invention, the compensating ring serves to adjust the height between the housing and a room air distributor. In this embodiment, the compensating ring can thus accommodate, for example, different roof thicknesses. In one embodiment, the compensating ring and at least one height compensating ring serve to adjust the height, and the compensating ring and the height compensating ring are connected to each other by interlocking geometries. The connection is achieved, for example, by plugging them together.

[0011] According to the invention, the sound-wave-effective body is reversibly arranged in the exhaust area. Since the sound-wave-effective body is part of the compensation ring and this is brought into contact with the housing during assembly, the body can thus be removed again.

[0012] In one embodiment, the sound wave-effective body has essentially a cuboid shape.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the sound-wave-effective body has a greater extension in one direction than in at least one direction perpendicular to it. Furthermore, the direction of the greater extension is essentially the direction in which the air leaves the discharge area. The longest interaction path between air and body thus occurs essentially in the direction of flow. Tests have shown that such an orientation produces only slight deflections of the flow with only a slight change in volume. At the same time, significant acoustic effects occur.

[0014] In one embodiment, the sound-wave-effective body consists at least partially of a temperature-resistant material. In one embodiment, the sound-wave-effective body has a temperature-resistant material on at least part of its outer surface.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the sound-wave-effective body is made at least partially of EPP, which is expanded polypropylene.

[0016] According to the invention, the sound-wave-effective body has sound-absorbing properties. The body thus absorbs sound waves, for example, or converts them into kinetic energy. In an alternative or supplementary embodiment, the sound-wave-effective body acts as a resonator. In this embodiment, for example, certain frequency ranges are filtered out or experience a particular amplification or attenuation compared to the overall spectrum.

[0017] The invention consists in the fact that the temperature control device is designed as an air conditioning system, that the air conditioning system has an evaporator, and that the fan moves the air through the evaporator to the exhaust area. The coolant is guided through the evaporator to absorb the thermal energy of the air to be cooled through interaction with the air.

[0018] In detail, there are numerous possibilities for designing and developing the temperature control device according to the invention. Reference is made, on the one hand, to the claims subordinate to claim 1 and, on the other hand, to the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an air conditioning unit and Fig. 2 a cross-section through an air conditioning system design.

[0019] The Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system 1 for cooling a room 100 as an example of a temperature control device. The cooling circuit or refrigeration process implemented with it is described, for example, in WO 2007 / 042065 A1. The room 100 is, for example, the interior of a caravan or mobile home. For this application, the air conditioning system 1 is mounted on the roof of the caravan or mobile home.

[0020] For the refrigeration process, a compressor (alternatively referred to as a compressor) 2 compresses a gaseous refrigerant, which heats up in the process and is transported via a refrigerant line to a condenser (alternatively referred to as a condenser) 3. In the condenser 3, the heat of the refrigerant is released into the ambient air (or outside air) surrounding the room 100. The outside air is sucked in by a corresponding fan and, after interacting with the refrigerant, blown out again in a heat exchanger. Therefore, this unit 3 can also be referred to as an outside air or outdoor heat exchanger. As a result of the release of heat, the compressed refrigerant liquefies. The liquid refrigerant, which is still under high pressure, is expanded to a lower pressure in an expansion device 4, which is designed, for example, as a throttle. The refrigerant cools down in the process.

[0021] In the next step, the refrigerant reaches an evaporator 5, through which the room air of the room 100 to be cooled is passed by means of an evaporator fan 50. The room air transfers its heat to the refrigerant, which transforms into a gaseous state. Thus, component 5 can also be referred to as an internal air or indoor heat exchanger. The gaseous refrigerant finally returns to the compressor 2 so that the cooling cycle can continue. The cooled air, in turn, is blown out of the outlet area 51 by the fan 50 and distributed into the room 100 through a so-called room air distributor 6. In the example shown, the ceiling 101 of the room 100 is interrupted, since the housing 10 with the described components of the air conditioning system 1 is located outside the room 100 and here on the roof 101. The cycle can also be reversed so that the device 1 serves as a room heater.In this case, the condenser 3 described above acts as an evaporator and conversely the evaporator 5 serves as a condenser.

[0022] The Fig. 2 shows a section of a part of an air conditioning system. The exhaust area 51 for the preferably cooled air into the room located below the air conditioning system is visible. The evaporator fan 50 serves to transport the air. An alternative term would be "indoor fan."

[0023] Visible is the cuboid-shaped sound-wave-effective body 7, which here is designed as one piece with the upper compensation ring 70 and whose longer extension is aligned in the direction of the airflow. The compensation ring 70 and three further height compensation rings 71, as well as an end piece below it, define an air duct that connects to the discharge area 51 and opens into the room air distributor (not shown here). The height of this air duct, when installed, depends on the height of the ceiling located between the upper housing and the lower room air distributor (see Fig. 1 ). The compensation ring 70 and the height compensation rings 71 are connected to each other by corresponding geometries. List of reference symbols

[0024] 1 Tempering device 2 compressor 3 Condenser 4 Expansion facility 5 evaporator 6 Room air distributor7 sound wave-effective body 10 Housing 50 Evaporator fan 51 Blow-out area 70 compensation ring 71 Height adjustment ring 100 Space 101 Ceiling

Claims

1. A temperature control device (1) for controlling the temperature of air, comprising a compensating ring (70), the temperature control device (1) being configured as an air conditioning system adapted to be fastened on a vehicle roof of a caravan or a mobile home, the air conditioning system (1) comprising an evaporator (5) and a room air distributor (6), the temperature control device (1) comprising a fan (50) and a blow-out area (51) in a housing (10), the fan (50) moving air through the evaporator (5) to the blow-out area (51), a sound wave-effective body (7) being reversibly arranged in the blow-out area (51), the sound wave-effective body (7) having sound-absorbing properties and / or acting as a resonating body, the sound wave-effective body (7) being part of the compensating ring (70) for producing an air duct adjacent to the blow-out area (51) and opening into the room air distributor (6), and the compensating ring (70) serving as a height compensation between the housing (10) and the room air distributor (6).

2. The temperature control device (1) according to claim 1, the compensating ring (70) and at least one height compensating ring (71) serving as a height compensation, and the compensating ring (70) and the height compensating ring (71) being connected to each other by geometries which latch into each other.

3. The temperature control device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, the sound wave-effective body (7) having a cuboid shape.

4. The temperature control device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, the sound wave-effective body (7) having a greater extension in one direction than in at least one direction perpendicular thereto, and the direction of the greater extension being a direction in which the air exits the blow-out area (51).

5. The temperature control device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, the sound wave-effective body (7) being at least partially made of EPP.