Air conditioning unit for mounting on a roof

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning unit for temperature control, in particular cooling, of the air in a room. The air conditioning unit is designed for mounting on a roof, e.g., on the roof of a vehicle (e.g., a motorhome or a caravan).

[0002] The underlying principle of air cooling, which involves generating cold using a refrigeration circuit, is described, for example, in WO 2007 / 042065 A1. In so-called roof-mounted air conditioners, used, for example, in caravans or motorhomes, the components of the refrigeration circuit (i.e., fan, heat exchanger, evaporator, condenser) are housed in a casing on the vehicle's roof. The only component inside the vehicle is an interior air distributor. A continuous opening in the roof connects the casing to the interior air distributor. When the air conditioner is installed, the connection between the casing and the roof must be sealed to prevent any fluid from entering the vehicle's interior through this opening. One challenge is that roofs can vary depending on the manufacturer. Therefore, different seals are required. Furthermore, air conditioners can be available in different performance classes.This usually involves components of different sizes and therefore different housing sizes. Consequently, a wide variety of different seals may be required.

[0003] Sealing of air conditioning units on roofs is described, for example, in DE 20 2017 102 919 U1 or JP H07-156 644 A. Fixing an air conditioning unit to a roof is addressed, for example, in EP 3 411 250 B1, JP S63-312 263 A or US 2020 / 0198438 A1.

[0004] EP 3 109 078 describes a cover for an air conditioning system into which components are mounted. A lower housing half can consist of one or two parts. The design of an indoor air distributor can be found, for example, in DE 10 2021 000 190 A1.

[0005] Air conditioning systems whose lower housing half can consist of one or two parts are also known from DE 10 2015 211 592 A1, EP 3 995 332 A1 and EP 3 995 333 A1.

[0006] The object underlying the invention is to propose an air conditioning unit that is characterized by simplified installation on a roof.

[0007] The invention solves the problem by providing an air conditioning unit for roof mounting, comprising a housing, an internal air distributor, a support, and at least one extension unit. In its mounted state, the housing rests on the support, and the support rests on the roof. The support is connectable to, or already connected to, the at least one extension unit. The housing, with the corresponding components for the cooling circuit, is placed on a support that rests on the roof in its mounted state. Thus, in its mounted state, the support is located between the housing and the roof. Depending on the specific design, the support is adapted to one or more different roof structures. Furthermore, the support is designed such that at least one extension unit can be connected to it or is already connected to it.The edition therefore generally allows for the addition of an extension unit.

[0008] Furthermore, when assembled, the support is connected to at least one extension unit, so that the housing rests on the support and on the at least one extension unit. Therefore, the housing is so large that the support alone is insufficient; at least one extension unit is required, on which the housing rests in addition to the support.

[0009] In addition, the support has a mechanical interface, and the extension unit has a corresponding interface. The support and the extension unit are thus mechanically connected. Appropriate interfaces or profiles are provided for this purpose. The interfaces are preferably located on the end faces of the support and the extension unit.

[0010] The mechanical interface of the support and the corresponding interface of the extension unit are designed and coordinated in such a way as to create a dovetail joint.

[0011] One embodiment involves the extension unit having an additional mechanical interface, and this additional mechanical interface is designed identically to the mechanical interface of the support. In this embodiment, the extension unit has two interfaces: One interface serves for connection to the support and is therefore designed to correspond to the interface of the support. The other interface allows connection to another extension unit, and it is designed like the interface of the support. Therefore, a support can be extended to any desired length by connecting several identical extension units in succession.

[0012] One design involves the support being in the form of a board.

[0013] One embodiment provides that the mounting bracket and / or extension unit has a compensating structure, that this compensating structure faces the roof when installed, and that it serves to compensate for roof irregularities. The compensating structure smooths out roof irregularities, such as bumps or grooves, resulting in a flat mounting surface for the air conditioning unit housing. The compensating structure thus compensates for roof elevations or depressions. In one embodiment, the compensating structure is designed for a specific type of vehicle roof. In an alternative embodiment, a single compensating structure can compensate for at least two different roof types.

[0014] One embodiment involves the mounting bracket and / or extension unit having a positioning unit. This positioning unit, when mounted, faces away from the roof and serves to align the mounting bracket or extension unit with the housing. A common challenge when mounting the air conditioning unit housing on the vehicle roof is ensuring the roof recess is correctly aligned. In this embodiment, the mounting bracket and / or extension unit incorporates a positioning unit that, for example, acts as a stop surface for the housing. Alternatively or additionally, the positioning unit is designed to create a positive fit with a section of the housing.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the support and / or the extension unit consists at least partially of a material with a density of less than 100 kg per cubic meter. The material is therefore preferably very lightweight. In one embodiment, the material is expanded polypropylene (EPP), whose density is, for example, between 100 kg / m³ and 20 kg / m³.

[0016] On the side of the support and / or extension unit facing away from the housing and therefore towards the roof, a structure for sealing and / or leveling the surface of the roof is provided in one embodiment.

[0017] One embodiment of the air conditioning unit provides that a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator are arranged within the housing, forming a cooling circuit. According to this embodiment, all components for generating a cooling circuit are located within the housing and thus outside the room.

[0018] In detail, there are numerous possibilities for designing and further developing the climate control device according to the invention. Reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an air conditioning unit installed on a roof, Fig. 2 a top view of the top of a support with an extension unit and Fig. 3 a top view of the underside of the combination on support and extension unit of the Fig. 2 .

[0019] The Fig. 1 Figure 1 schematically shows the structure of an air conditioning unit for cooling a room 100 located beneath a roof 101. In the implemented cooling circuit, a compressor 201 compresses a gaseous refrigerant, which heats up and is transported via a refrigerant line to a condenser 202. In the condenser 202, the heat of the refrigerant is transferred to the ambient air (or outside air) from the surrounding area via a heat exchanger (not shown). The liquid refrigerant, still under high pressure, is expanded to a lower pressure in an expansion device 203, which is designed, for example, as a throttle, thereby cooling it. In the evaporator 204, the air is cooled via another heat exchanger by transferring its thermal energy to the refrigerant. This causes the refrigerant to transition into a gaseous state.The gaseous refrigerant eventually returns to compressor 201, so that the cooling cycle can continue.

[0020] Room 100 is, for example, the interior of a caravan or motorhome. The components of the air conditioning unit for carrying out the cooling process are located in housing 1, which rests on the roof 101. Inside room 100 is the indoor air distributor 2, through which air from room 100—the air to be cooled—is extracted and through which the air cooled by the air conditioning unit is introduced into room 100. The air distributor 2 is mounted on the inside of the roof 101. A continuous ceiling opening separates the components in housing 1 on the roof 101 from the indoor air distributor 2 beneath the roof 101. The air to be tempered enters the housing 1 (or the components located therein) through it, and the tempered air enters the air distributor 2. In the illustrated embodiment, a support 3 and an extension unit 4 are located between the housing 1 and the outside of the roof 101.In the illustrated version, the support 3 has a recess located above the continuous recess in the roof 101 and below the opening of the housing 1.

[0021] The Fig. 2 Figure 3 shows a support 3 connected to an extension unit 4. The support 3 has a recess through which air is guided. At one end, there is a mechanical interface 30 for connection to the extension unit 4. The extension unit 4 has an interface 40 corresponding to the mechanical interface 30. This creates a dovetail joint. At the other end of the extension unit 4, there is another mechanical interface 41, designed in the same way as the mechanical interface 30 of the support 3. This allows the extension unit 4 to be connected to another identical extension unit 4, thereby extending the entire assembly.

[0022] The two circular positioning units 31, which are used for mounting the housing 1 relative to the support 3, can be seen on this upper surface of the support 3.

[0023] In the Fig. 3 The underside of the support 3 and the extension unit 4 is shown. The respective compensating structures 32, 42 are visible, forming continuous strips in the depicted configuration. When mounted on the roof 101, these compensating structures 32, 42 are located between elongated protrusions of the roof 101. Therefore, a smooth surface is created on the upper side for the housing 1.

[0024] A circumferential groove can still be seen around the recess of support 3, into which a permanently elastic sealant is inserted during assembly.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning device for installation on a roof (101), comprising a housing (1), an internal air distributor (2), a support (3) and at least one extension unit (4), wherein, in an installed state, the housing (1) rests on the support (3) and the support (3) rests on the roof (101), wherein the support (3) can be connected or is connected to the at least one extension unit (4), wherein, in the event that, in the installed state, the support (3) is connected to at least one extension unit (4), the housing (1) rests on the support (3) and on the at least one extension unit (4), wherein the support (3) has a mechanical interface (30), and wherein the extension unit (4) has an interface (40) corresponding to the mechanical interface (30), characterized in that the mechanical interface (30) of the support (3) and the corresponding interface (40) of the extension unit (4) are configured and matched to each other such that a dovetail connection is obtained.

2. The air-conditioning device according to claim 1, wherein the extension unit (4) has a further mechanical interface (41), and wherein the further mechanical interface (41) is configured in the same way as the mechanical interface (30) of the support (3).

3. The air-conditioning device according to either of claims 1 to 2, wherein the support (3) is configured in the form of a board.

4. The air-conditioning device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support (3) and / or the extension unit (4) have / has a compensating structure (32, 42), wherein in the installed state, the compensating structure (32, 42) faces the roof (101), and wherein the compensating structure (32, 42) serves to compensate structures on the roof (101).

5. The air conditioning device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support (3) and / or the extension unit (4) have / has a positioning unit (31), wherein, in the installed state, the positioning unit (31) faces away from the roof (101), and wherein the positioning unit (31) serves to provide relative orientation between the support (3) or the extension unit (4) and the housing (1).

6. The air conditioning device according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the support (3) and / or the extension unit (4) consist(s) at least partially of a material the density of which is less than 100 kg per cubic meter, and wherein it is preferably expanded polypropylene.