Portable air conditioner with dual cooling system

Abstract

A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system is disclosed. The portable air conditioner with the double cooling system comprises an outdoor unit and an indoor unit formed as a single unit, wherein a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are provided within the internal space of a case. The portable air conditioner may include a condenser cooling unit for cooling a condenser heated by a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that passes through the compressor and is transferred to the condenser using condensate generated in the evaporator, wherein a bidirectional fan rotating in both directions is provided within the case, and the condenser and the evaporator are arranged opposite each other on one side and the other side of the bidirectional fan.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system, and more specifically, to a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system that can rapidly cool high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant passing through a compressor by spraying condensate generated in an evaporator into a condenser, and can reduce power consumption and increase cooling efficiency by supplying additional cooling water in addition to the condensate generated in the evaporator to continuously spray condensate. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, an air conditioner is a device designed to vary the temperature of an indoor space through the heat exchange action of a refrigerant that repeatedly performs a cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation, and is composed of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit.

[0003] The outdoor unit includes a compressor and a condenser, and since it generates relatively high heat during cooling operation, it is primarily installed permanently outdoors.

[0004] The indoor unit is permanently installed inside the air conditioning space and configured to discharge cold air into the indoor space through an evaporator.

[0005] Also, the condensate generated during heat exchange in the evaporator is discharged to the outside through a separate condensate pipe.

[0006] Therefore, in conventional stationary air conditioners, the outdoor and indoor units are connected by piping at fixed locations to allow for the circulation of refrigerant, which results in difficulties in installation and a burden of installation costs.

[0007] Meanwhile, portable air conditioners are being researched, developed, and commercialized to solve the problems of the conventional technology mentioned above.

[0008] In other words, the demand for portable air conditioners is increasing due to their advantages of mobility and no installation costs, and continuous research and development is being conducted.

[0009] Meanwhile, a 'portable air conditioner (Republic of Korea Registered Patent 10-1593657)' has been proposed in the past to improve cooling efficiency by using collected condensate to supercool the refrigerant of the portable air conditioner.

[0010] These conventional portable air conditioners are configured to spray the collected condensate into a condenser and collect the sprayed condensate again.

[0011] However, only a small amount of condensate is generated in the evaporator, and when the condensate sprayed into the condenser is sprayed into the heated condenser, it evaporates and is easily consumed, so after a certain period of time, it becomes difficult to cool the condenser with the condensate.

[0012] Therefore, in order to increase the cooling efficiency of portable air conditioners, it is necessary to devise measures that can continuously spray condensate onto the condenser by solving the problems of the conventional portable air conditioners described above. Prior art literature

[0013] Republic of Korea Registered Patent 10-1593657 The problem to be solved

[0014] The objective of the present invention is to provide a portable air conditioner equipped with a double cooling system that can solve these problems by rapidly cooling high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that has passed through a compressor by spraying condensate generated in an evaporator into a condenser, and by continuously spraying condensate by additionally supplying separate cooling water in addition to the condensate generated in the evaporator, thereby reducing power consumption and increasing cooling efficiency. means of solving the problem

[0015] A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to an embodiment of the technical concept of the present invention for achieving the above objective is a portable air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are integrated, wherein a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are provided in the internal space of a case, and the portable air conditioner may include a condenser cooling unit for cooling the condenser heated by a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that passes through the compressor and is transferred to the condenser using condensate generated in the evaporator, wherein a bidirectional fan that rotates in both directions is provided inside the case, and the condenser and the evaporator are arranged opposite each other on one side and the other side of the bidirectional fan.

[0016] Additionally, the condenser cooling unit may include a condensate storage unit in which condensate generated in the evaporator is stored; and a condensate spraying module that draws the condensate stored in the condensate storage unit upward to cause the condensate to scatter.

[0017] Additionally, the condensate spray module may include a motor that provides rotational force; and a spray fan that is axially coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor and rotates, and is provided in the condensate storage unit to spray the condensate contained in the condensate storage unit in an upward direction.

[0018] In addition, the portable air conditioner may further include a cooling water supply unit for additionally supplying cooling water to the condensate storage unit in preparation for the depletion of condensate generated in the evaporator.

[0019] Additionally, the cooling water supply unit may include: a cooling water storage tank disposed below the condenser and storing cooling water; a pump for pumping cooling water stored in the cooling water storage tank to the condensate storage unit; an intake pipe with one end connected to one side of the pump and the other end extending to the cooling water storage tank; and an exhaust pipe with one end connected to the other side of the pump and the other end extending to the condensate storage unit.

[0020] In addition, the condensate storage unit may further have a condensate drain hole formed therein so that the condensate can be drained into the cooling water storage tank when the water level is above a preset level.

[0021] In addition, the spray fan may be made of a disc, and a plurality of scattering grooves may be formed along the edge.

[0022] In addition, the above scattering groove may be formed by a section piece formed to protrude at regular intervals on the edge portion of the spray fan.

[0023] In addition, the above-mentioned section may be formed such that the height of the protrusion gradually decreases from the inner side of the spray fan to the outer periphery.

[0024] In addition, the above scattering groove may be formed so as to be carved in a curved shape from the inner side of the spray pan toward the outer periphery.

[0025] In addition, the spray fan may be equipped with a closing membrane that closes the outer side of the scattering groove so as to temporarily accommodate condensate when rotating.

[0026] In addition, the above-mentioned closing membrane may be provided to close a scattering groove at a set position among a plurality of scattering grooves.

[0027] In addition, the above-mentioned closing membrane may be formed so that its width gradually narrows from the inner side of the spray fan toward the outer periphery.

[0028] In addition, the above-mentioned closing membrane may be formed so that its width gradually narrows along the rotational direction of the spray fan.

[0029] In addition, a through hole may be further formed in the above scattering groove so that condensate can pass through an adjacent scattering groove. Effects of the invention

[0030] A portable air conditioner equipped with a double cooling system according to the present invention can rapidly cool high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that has passed through a compressor by spraying condensate generated in an evaporator into a condenser, and has the effect of lowering power consumption and increasing cooling efficiency by supplying additional cooling water in addition to the condensate generated in the evaporator to continuously spray condensate. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a key part of a spray fan according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6 to 8 are enlarged perspective views of a key part of a spray fan according to another embodiment of the present invention equipped with a closing membrane. FIG. 9 is a front view of a spray fan according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a through hole is formed in the scattering groove. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0032] In order to fully understand the present invention, the operational advantages of the present invention, and the objectives achieved by the implementation of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and the contents described therein.

[0033] The present invention will be described in detail below by explaining preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the attached drawings. Identical reference numerals in each drawing indicate identical components.

[0034] The present invention relates to a portable air conditioner equipped with a double cooling system that can rapidly cool high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant passing through a compressor by spraying condensate generated in an evaporator into a condenser, and can reduce power consumption and increase cooling efficiency by supplying additional cooling water in addition to the condensate generated in the evaporator to continuously spray condensate.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a key part of a spray fan according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a portable air conditioner (1) with a double cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a portable air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are integrated, wherein a compressor (30), a condenser (40), an expansion valve (50), and an evaporator (60) are provided in the internal space of a case (10).

[0037] The portable air conditioner (1) to which the double cooling system of the present invention is applied basically operates on the same principle as a conventional air conditioner and is a device for varying the temperature of an indoor space by the heat exchange action of a refrigerant that repeatedly performs a cycle of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation, and a detailed description of the compressor (30), condenser (40), expansion valve (50), and evaporator (60) is omitted.

[0038] First, the case (10) is provided with a space for a compressor (30), a condenser (40), an expansion valve (50), and an evaporator (60). On one side, a hot air discharge port (11) for discharging heat generated from the condenser (40) is provided, and on the other side, a cold air discharge port (12) for discharging cold air cooled through the evaporator (60) may be provided.

[0039] Additionally, a condenser filter (13) for filtering outside air is provided on the front of the case (10) where the condenser (40) is located, in the part where outside air is introduced, and an evaporator filter (14) for filtering outside air is provided on the rear of the case (10) where the evaporator (60) is located, in the part where outside air is introduced.

[0040] Additionally, an operating panel (15) for controlling the overall operation of the portable air conditioner (1) to which the double cooling system of the present invention is applied may be provided on the upper part of the case (10), but the position of the operating panel (15) may be changed and is not limited to any one.

[0041] Meanwhile, the portable air conditioner (1) to which the double cooling system of the present invention is applied is equipped with a bidirectional fan (20) that rotates in both directions inside the case (10), and the condenser (40) and the evaporator (60) may be arranged opposite each other on one side and the other side of the bidirectional fan (20).

[0042] The above-mentioned bidirectional fan (20) is formed as an integrated structure in which a rotating shaft is provided in both directions from the center of the motor so that both sides rotate in conjunction, and the bidirectional fan (20) is configured to rotate so that when the motor rotates, it can draw in outside air from the outside to the inside.

[0043] When the above-mentioned bidirectional fan (20) rotates in this way, outside air is introduced through the condenser filter (13) and through the evaporator filter (14), and the heat generated in the condenser (40) is discharged to the outside of the case (10) through the hot air discharge port (11), and the cold air generated in the evaporator (60) can be discharged to the outside of the case (10) through the cold air discharge port (12).

[0044] At this time, a separate pipe (not shown) is connected to the hot air discharge port (11) so that hot air can be discharged to the outside while being separated from the space where cold air is discharged.

[0045] Meanwhile, to improve the cooling efficiency of the portable air conditioner (1) to which the double cooling system of the present invention is applied, the condenser cooling unit (100) may be included to cool the condenser (40) heated by the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that passes through the compressor (30) and is transferred to the condenser (40) using the condensate generated in the evaporator (60).

[0046] The above condenser cooling unit (100) may include a condensate storage unit (110) in which condensate generated in the evaporator (60) is stored, and a condensate spray module (120) that draws up the condensate stored in the condensate storage unit (110) in an upward direction to cause the condensate to scatter.

[0047] The above-mentioned condensate storage unit (100) can be installed so as to be built inside the case (10) and positioned below the condenser (40) and the evaporator (60).

[0048] The above condensate storage unit (100) is a space for receiving condensate generated from the evaporator (60) as it falls, and is configured to receive condensate extending from the lower position of the evaporator (60) to the lower position of the condenser (40).

[0049] The above condensate spray module (120) is a device for spraying condensate contained in the condensate storage unit (110) toward the condenser (40), and may include a motor (121) that provides rotational force and a spray fan (130) that is axially coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor (121) and rotates, and is provided in the condensate storage unit (110) to spray the condensate contained in the condensate storage unit (110) upward (toward the condenser).

[0050] That is, the condensate generated by the evaporator (60) falls into the condensate storage unit (100) and is received therein, and when the spray fan (130) rotates due to the rotation of the motor (121), the condensate received in the condensate storage unit (100) is pulled up to the upper side of the condenser (40) position and can be scattered.

[0051] At this time, as a suction force is generated to allow outside air to flow in through the condenser filter (13) by the rotation of the bidirectional fan (20), the condensed water that is drawn up to the position of the condenser (40) by the spray fan (130) comes into contact with the condenser (40), thereby enabling the condenser (40) in a heated state to be cooled.

[0052] Meanwhile, the spray fan (130) may be made of a disc, and a plurality of scattering grooves (131) may be formed along the edge.

[0053] At this time, the above scattering groove (131) can be formed by a section (132) formed to protrude at regular intervals on the edge portion of the spray fan (130).

[0054] That is, when the spray fan (130) is rotated by the rotation of the motor (121) while submerged in condensate up to a height below the rotation axis, the condensate contained in the condensate storage unit (110) can be drawn up in an upward direction by the scattering groove (131).

[0055] For example, the spray fan (130) can draw up the condensate contained in the condensate storage unit (110) in an upward direction using a principle similar to that of a water mill.

[0056] That is, the spray fan (130) can draw up a predetermined amount of condensate when rotating and scatter the condensate upward by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation.

[0057] Meanwhile, the above section (132) may be formed such that the height of the protrusion gradually decreases from the inner side to the outer periphery of the spray fan (130).

[0058] Accordingly, the part with a high height of the above-mentioned section (132) can accumulate a relatively large amount of condensate, and the part with a low height of the above-mentioned section (132) can easily allow the condensate to escape from the spray fan (130).

[0059] That is, a predetermined amount of condensate is drawn upward by the spray fan (130), and can be scattered upward with rotational force by the centrifugal force of the spray fan (130).

[0060] Additionally, the scattering groove (131) may be formed such that it is grooved in a curved shape from the inner side of the spray fan (130) toward the outer periphery.

[0061] That is, as the above-mentioned section (132) is formed to protrude in a curve, the above-mentioned scattering groove (131) can be formed to be grooved in a curve, and accordingly, it is possible to smoothly draw up condensed water while rotating in the rotational direction of the spray fan (130).

[0062] Meanwhile, the above-described portable air conditioner (1) may further include a cooling water supply unit (200) for additionally supplying cooling water to the condensate storage unit (110) in preparation for the depletion of condensate generated in the evaporator (60).

[0063] For example, the amount of condensate generated in the evaporator (60) is limited and can only be generated in small quantities, so the condensate can be easily consumed as the condenser cooling unit (100) operates.

[0064] To solve this problem, additionally, cooling water is supplied through the cooling water supply unit (200) to serve as a substitute for condensate.

[0065] The above cooling water supply unit (200) may include a cooling water storage tank (210) in which cooling water is stored and which is positioned below the condenser (40), a pump (220) for pumping the cooling water stored in the cooling water storage tank (210) to the condensate storage unit (110), an intake pipe (230) in which one end is connected to one side of the pump (220) and the other end extends to the cooling water storage tank (210), and an exhaust pipe (240) in which one end is connected to the other side of the pump (220) and the other end extends to the condensate storage unit (110).

[0066] That is, the coolant storage tank (210) is always prepared with coolant filled, and as the pump (220) operates, the coolant stored in the coolant storage tank (210) is pumped through the intake pipe (230), and the pumped coolant is transferred to the condensate storage unit (110) through the exhaust pipe (240) so that it can be filled in place of the condensate that is depleted or insufficient.

[0067] Meanwhile, the condensate storage unit (110) may further have a condensate drain hole (not shown 0) formed therein so that the condensate can be drained into the cooling water storage tank (210) when the water level is above a preset level.

[0068] FIGS. 6 to 8 are enlarged perspective views of a key part of a spray fan according to another embodiment of the present invention equipped with a closing membrane.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 6, the spray fan (130) may be provided with a closing membrane (133) that closes the outside of the scattering groove (131) so as to temporarily accommodate condensate when rotating.

[0070] That is, the above-mentioned closing membrane (133) allows for drawing up more condensate compared to when there is no closing membrane (133).

[0071] For example, when there is no closing membrane (133), the time the condensate remains when the spray fan (130) rotates is relatively shorter compared to when the closing membrane (133) is provided, and as a result, the amount of condensate scattered is relatively small.

[0072] Accordingly, as the above-mentioned closing membrane (133) is provided, a larger amount of condensate can be drawn up and scattered, and as a result, the amount of condensate sprayed into the condenser (40) increases, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 7, as another embodiment, the closing membrane (133) may be configured to close the scattering groove (131) at a set position among the plurality of scattering grooves (131).

[0074] That is, some of the scattering grooves (131) are provided with a closing membrane (133), while others are formed in an open state without a closing membrane (133), so that the amount of scattered condensate can be controlled.

[0075] In this case, the condensate scattered from the scattering groove (131) equipped with the closing membrane (133) is formed such that the particle size is larger than that of the scattering groove (131) not equipped with the closing membrane (133) due to the amount drawn up, so the contact area in contact with the condenser (40) can be relatively large.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 8, as another embodiment, the closing membrane (133') may be formed to gradually narrow in width from the inside of the spray pan (130) toward the outer periphery.

[0077] That is, the condensate receiving space can be formed large by the wide portion of the above-mentioned closing membrane (133'), and by gradually narrowing the width, the condensate can be smoothly ejected and scattered from the scattering groove (131).

[0078] At this time, it is preferable that the above-mentioned closing membrane (133') be formed so that its width gradually narrows along the rotational direction of the spray fan (130).

[0079] This is to ensure that when the spray fan (130) rotates and draws up the condensate, a predetermined amount of condensate is not easily discharged through the scattering groove (131) but is discharged while reaching a set position.

[0080] FIG. 9 is a front view of a spray fan according to another embodiment of the present invention in which a through hole is formed in the scattering groove.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 9, as another embodiment, a passage hole (134) may be further formed in the scattering groove (131) so that condensate can pass through an adjacent scattering groove (131).

[0082] That is, the above-mentioned passage hole (134) is formed to connect the entire plurality of scattering grooves (131), thereby extending the time that some condensate contained inside the scattering grooves (131) remains in the scattering grooves (131) by passing through the passage hole (134) for a certain period of time instead of being immediately discharged, so that when the spray fan (130) rotates, the condensate is prevented from being discharged toward the side before being drawn up toward the upper direction and scattered, thereby allowing the condensate to be scattered at the upper position where the condenser (40) is located.

[0083] A portable air conditioner equipped with a double cooling system based on the technical concept of the present invention can rapidly cool high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that has passed through the compressor by spraying condensate generated in the evaporator into the condenser, and has the effect of lowering power consumption and increasing cooling efficiency by supplying additional cooling water in addition to the condensate generated in the evaporator to continuously spray condensate.

[0084] As explained above, the best embodiments are disclosed in the drawings and specification. Specific terms have been used herein, but they are used only for the purpose of describing the invention and are not intended to limit the meaning or the scope of the invention as described in the claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0085] 1: Portable air conditioner 10: Case 11: Hot air outlet 12: Cold air outlet 13: Condenser filter 14: Evaporator filter 15: Control Panel 20: Two-way Fan 30: Compressor 40: Condenser 50: Expansion valve 60: Evaporator 100: Condenser cooling section 110: Condensate storage section 120: Condensate spray module 121: Motor 130: Spray fan 131: Spread groove 132: Compartment 133, 133': Closure 134: Pass-through hole 200: Coolant supply section 210: Coolant storage tank 220: Pump 230: Intake pipe 240: Exhaust pipe

Claims

Claim 1 A portable air conditioner comprising an outdoor unit and an indoor unit formed as a single unit, wherein a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are provided within the internal space of a case, wherein the portable air conditioner comprises: a bidirectional fan that rotates in both directions within the case, wherein the condenser and the evaporator are arranged opposite each other on one side and the other side of the bidirectional fan, and a condenser cooling unit for cooling the condenser heated by a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant that passes through the compressor and is transferred to the condenser using condensate generated in the evaporator; wherein the condenser cooling unit comprises: a condensate storage unit in which condensate generated in the evaporator is stored; and a condensate spray module that draws the condensate stored in the condensate storage unit upward to cause the condensate to spray; wherein the condensate spray module comprises a motor that provides rotational force; and a spray fan that is axially coupled to the rotating shaft of the motor and rotates, and is provided in the condensate storage unit to scatter the condensate contained in the condensate storage unit in an upward direction; the portable air conditioner further includes a cooling water supply unit for additionally supplying cooling water to the condensate storage unit in preparation for the depletion of the condensate generated in the evaporator; the cooling water supply unit includes: a cooling water storage tank disposed below the condenser and storing cooling water; a pump for pumping the cooling water stored in the cooling water storage tank to the condensate storage unit; and an intake pipe having one end connected to one side of the pump and the other end extending to the cooling water storage tank. A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system, comprising: an exhaust pipe having one end connected to the other side of the pump and the other end extending to the condensate storage section; wherein the spray fan is made of a disc and has a plurality of scattering grooves formed along the edge portion, and the scattering grooves are formed by partition pieces protruding at regular intervals on the edge portion of the spray fan, and the partition pieces are formed such that the height of the protrusion gradually decreases from the inner side of the spray fan to the outer periphery. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that the condensate storage unit further has a condensate drain hole formed therein so that the condensate can be drained into a cooling water storage tank when the condensate reaches a level higher than a preset level. Claim 7 delete Claim 8 delete Claim 9 delete Claim 10 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied, wherein, in claim 1, the scattering groove is formed such that it is grooved in a curved shape from the inner side of the spray fan toward the outer periphery. Claim 11 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system according to claim 10, characterized in that the spray fan is equipped with a closing membrane that closes the outer side of the scattering groove to temporarily accommodate condensate when rotating. Claim 12 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied, characterized in that, in claim 11, the closing membrane is configured to close a scattering groove at a set position among a plurality of scattering grooves. Claim 13 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system according to claim 11, characterized in that the closing membrane is formed to gradually narrow in width from the inner side of the spray fan toward the outer periphery. Claim 14 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system according to claim 13, characterized in that the closing membrane is formed to gradually narrow in width along the rotational direction of the spray fan. Claim 15 A portable air conditioner with a double cooling system applied, characterized in that, in the above-mentioned scattering groove, a passage hole is further formed so that condensate can pass through an adjacent scattering groove.

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