Heating and cooling unit, and heating and cooling apparatus

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional heating and cooling apparatuses, such as multi-air conditioners and fan coil units, suffer from high wind velocity causing drafts, temperature unevenness, and low efficiency, especially in poorly insulated or high thermal load areas, and require additional measures for dew condensation, which increases costs.

Innovation Solution

A heating and cooling unit that mixes feed air with circulated air from the room in a laminar flow manner using an elliptical heat storage pipe and flow dividing fins, reducing pressure loss and enhancing heat transfer, while eliminating the need for separate dew condensation measures by controlling the dew point through air pressure adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If conventional heating and cooling apparatuses (multi air conditioners or fan coil units) blow cold air or warm air directly to the room inside, then cooling or heating effect is achieved, but the wind velocity is too high causing drafts and temperature unevenness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature uniformityVSAvoiddraft
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The air outlet is divided into multiple small holes instead of a single large opening. This segments the high-velocity air stream into multiple low-velocity streams, reducing draft sensation while maintaining cooling effectiveness. The plate with multiple holes acts as a flow distributor that breaks up concentrated air flow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the air outlet have different hole distributions to create localized flow patterns. The plate structure allows different areas to emit air with appropriate velocities and directions, ensuring uniform temperature distribution while preventing drafts in occupied zones.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Temperature

If radiation cooling or radiation heating is used, then comfortable temperature control is achieved, but the air conditioning efficiency is low and the range of use is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomfortable temperature controlVSAvoidair conditioning efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention combines radiation heating/cooling (through the plate radiating heat) with convection cooling (through the water-cooled plate structure) into a single integrated system. This hybrid approach maintains the comfort benefits of radiation while achieving higher efficiency through the added convection mechanism, expanding the applicable range to include spaces with poor thermal insulation or high thermal loads.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If feed air is supplied at high velocity to achieve quick cooling, then cooling efficiency improves, but temperature unevenness and drafts increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidtemperature uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The high-velocity feed air is segmented into multiple low-velocity streams through the multiple holes in the plate. This maintains the total cooling capacity (productivity) while distributing the air flow uniformly across the room, eliminating temperature unevenness and drafts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If additional measures against dew condensation are provided, then dew condensation prevention is achieved, but cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedew condensation preventionVSAvoidcost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The water-cooled plate structure inherently controls the dew point temperature of the supplied air through the cooling water temperature regulation. This self-regulating mechanism prevents dew condensation without requiring additional heating elements or complex control systems, thereby preventing dew condensation while avoiding cost increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution achieves high efficiency and power in air conditioning, reduces drafts and temperature unevenness, expands the apparatus's usage range, and lowers operational costs by integrating dew point control and eliminating the need for additional condensation treatment equipment.

Implementation Method 1

a heat storage radiation member, which is attached in the mixer case in a thermally-conductive manner, for obtaining heat from the mixed air and radiating the heat to the room inside

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectRadiation heating: Thermal Radiation

Implementation Method 2

The heat storage radiation member obtains low heat or high heat from the mixed air and carries out radiation cooling or radiation heating to the room inside

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectRadiation cooling: Thermal Radiation

Data Source

PatentEP2244021B1Heating and cooling unit, and heating and cooling apparatus
Publication Date: 2017.06.14 KIMURA KOHKI CO LTD
  • EP2244021B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2244021B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2244021B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

To provide a heating and cooling unit and a heating and cooling apparatus in which high efficiency and high power are achieved, space unsuitable for air conditioning is less than air conditioning by the conventional radiation panel employing only heat emission as well as a draft and temperature unevenness are not provided, and measures against dew condensation countermeasure are unnecessary. In an induction emission air conditioning apparatus installed in a ceiling( C), it is provided within a casing (19) with a heat exchanger (20) through which a feed air introduced from an outdoor side passes, a fan (22) passing the feed air through the air conditioning heat exchanger (20), and a heating and cooling unit (1) for blowing a mixed air obtained by inducing and suctioning the air in the room inside by using the feed air passing through the heat exchanger (20) so as to mix with the feed air, into the room inside in a laminar manner, and emitting the heat of the mixed air to the room inside, integrally.