Sleeping Enclosure Air Conditioner with Stratified Cooling Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning systems are inefficient in localized cooling, as they require significant energy to cool entire spaces, and existing portable systems struggle to provide effective cooling for personal comfort due to high power requirements and turbulence in air jets, leading to reduced cooling efficacy and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A localized personal air conditioning system with a sleeping enclosure featuring an upper air pervious section and a lower air impervious section, combined with an air conditioner unit that includes a heat emitting side with a condenser fan and heat exchanger, and a heat absorbing side with an evaporator fan and air straightener, designed to maximize contact between conditioned air and the person, minimize air leakage, and direct cool air effectively over the body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional air conditioning systems cool entire enclosed spaces, then uniform temperature and comfort level are achieved throughout the space, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the cooling space into two distinct zones: a cooled lower section where occupants are located and an uncooled upper section. The air conditioner injects cool air at the bottom of the space, creating a cool air layer that occupies only the lower portion. This segmentation allows cooling to be provided where needed while avoiding energy waste in unoccupied upper areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides localized cooling quality to the lower section of the space where people are present, rather than uniform cooling throughout the entire volume. The cool air layer is confined to the lower portion through controlled injection and natural stratification, creating different thermal qualities in different spatial zones to match occupancy patterns.
2Temperature
If air is injected at high velocity through vents to create mixing throughout the space, then uniform temperature distribution is achieved, but turbulence increases and cooling efficacy at specific locations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of injecting cool air at high velocity from the top to create downward mixing, the system inverts the approach by injecting cool air at the bottom with low velocity. The cool air naturally rises and spreads along the lower section, providing reliable cooling to occupants without the turbulence and mixing that would dissipate the cooling effect at target locations.
3Ease of operation
If a portable air conditioner is placed inside the room to be cooled, then cooling can be provided locally, but a large diameter air tube is required to exhaust hot air through a window
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the exhaust direction from horizontal (through a window) to vertical (through the roof). The hot air from the condenser is directed upward through a relatively small diameter air tube that penetrates the roof, eliminating the need for large diameter window installations while maintaining portable operation within the room.
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
The system achieves significant energy savings by focusing cooling on the upper body and face, reducing energy consumption and enhancing comfort with a compact, low-cost design that can be powered by solar cells, while maintaining an effective cooling sensation with minimal turbulence and air leakage.
Implementation Method 1
The air conditioner removes heat from the air by passing it through a 'cold side' heat exchanger containing a cool fluid
Implementation Method 2
Outside air is passed through the condenser and increases in temperature as it absorbs heat from the condenser
Implementation Method 3
The energy used to compress the refrigerant gas also appears at the condenser
Implementation Method 4
a small additional amount of power is needed to run the fans to move the inside and outside air
Implementation Method 5
a small additional amount of power is needed to run the fans to move the inside and outside air
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner system including a sleeping enclosure defining a sleeping space into which conditioned air is adapted to be delivered from one end or side of the sleeping space in a manner which maximizes contact between conditioned air and a person or persons in the sleeping space, the sleeping space including an upper air pervious section; and a lower relatively air impervious section adapted to surround a bed in the sleeping space and configured to minimize passage of the conditioned air from the sleeping space through the pervious section or other leakage paths; and an air conditioner unit for generating a conditioned air flow, wherein the impervious section extends to a height above the sleeping surface of the bed at the end or side of the bed opposed to said end or side sufficient to contain the conditioned air as it moves towards and returns from the opposite end or side of the sleeping space, and wherein the impervious section extends to a sufficiently increased height above the sleeping surface at the opposite end or side to allow the direction of air flow to reverse towards said one end or side without substantial loss of conditioned air through the pervious section.