Refrigeration – Structural installation – Geographic – e.g. – subterranean feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-16
2001-05-08
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Structural installation
Geographic, e.g., subterranean feature
C165S045000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227000
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an energy-saving and refreshing type air conditioning system utilizing rainwater which is used mainly for buildings, such as ordinary houses and public facilities. The system may also be used for clean rooms in semiconductor producing factories or the like, warehouses for storage of foods and goods, civil engineering materials, construction materials or the like.
Conventional air conditioning systems include, for example, (1) a system which comprises introducing air into a pipe, such as a vinyl chloride pipe laid in the ground to cool air in the pipe, and supplying the cooled air into a room, (2) a system which comprises leading water from a well, and passing water through a pipe arranged under a floor to thereby cool air in a room with the water as a cooling medium, and (3) a system which comprises directly passing rainwater stored in a rainwater tank through a pipe arranged under a floor or on a ceiling to thereby cool air in a room with the rainwater as a cooling medium.
The above-described conventional techniques have problems. For example, in the first system, in order to efficiently cool air in the pipe, the pipe is required to be placed in the ground at a depth, for example, 3 m or deeper. This leads to an extremely high cost. On the other hand, if the pipe is laid at a shallow area to prevent such economical disadvantage, air cooling effect is poor. If the pipe is disposed in a large area, a considerably large area is required, resulting in a high cost.
In the second system, a first requirement is that a well is owned. If a well is not available, it is not practical to bore a well with a view to install an air conditioning system in terms of an area of a site and a cost.
In the third system, since rainwater is used as a heat exchange medium, there may be a trouble of water leakage. Further, this system has a problem that a cost of arranging the pipe under a floor or on a ceiling is high, and a maintenance cost is also high.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems inherent in the conventional techniques.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an energy-saving and refreshing type air conditioning apparatus utilizing rainwater which is capable of efficiently supplying cool air to a room by directly cooling air drawn from outside the room or air drawn from the room without using water or the like as a heat exchange medium in contrast to the conventional techniques.
Another object of the invention is to provide an air condition apparatus as stated above, which is simply constructed and substantially free from the troubles inherent in the conventional techniques.
A further object of the invention is to provide an air condition method and apparatus as stated above, which are economically advantageous, and can fully utilize the benefit of nature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above object is attained by providing a refreshing type air conditioning system utilizing rainwater, the system comprising a fresh-air intake pipe or under-floor air intake pipe for taking fresh air, an air duct for passing therethrough air taken through the fresh-air intake pipe or under-floor air intake pipe, a rainwater tank embedded in the ground external to a room, and a fan mounted on a wall or ceiling of the room. The air duct extends through the rainwater tank at a predetermined depth in the rainwater tank to cool air in the air duct. The fan supplies cooled air into the room.
It is preferable that the air conditioning system further comprises a condensation dew basin communicating with the air duct for dehumidification. It is also preferable that the air conditioning system further comprises an air-cleaning and deodorizing box communicating with the air duct.
More preferably, the air duct has one end connected to the fresh-air intake pipe or under-floor air intake pipe, and the other end connected to the power-adjustable fan mounted on the wall or ceiling via the condensation dew basin for dehumidification and the cleaning and deodorizing box; the fresh air is dehumidified with the condensation dew basin and cleaned and deodorized with the cleaning and deodorizing box and supplied to the room by the fan to result in ventilation of the room; the rainwater tank is embedded in the ground and always filled to repletion with rainwater; and the air duct is so laid as to extend through the rainwater tank at a predetermined depth to cool air in the air duct.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the above object is attained by providing a refreshing type air conditioning system utilizing rainwater, the system comprising an air duct for passing air taken through an air outlet provided in a wall or ceiling of a room, a rainwater tank embedded in the ground external to the room, and a fan mounted on the wall or ceiling of the room. The air duct is so laid as to extend through the rainwater tank at a predetermined depth to cool air in the air duct. The fan returns air to the room.
It is preferable that the air conditioning system further comprises a condensation dew basin communicating with the air duct for dehumidification. It is also preferable that the air conditioning system further comprises an air-cleaning and deodorizing box communicating with the air duct.
More preferably, the air duct has one end connected to the air outlet provided in the wall or ceiling, and the other end connected to the power-adjustable fan mounted on the wall or ceiling via the condensation dew basin for dehumidification and the cleaning and deodorizing box; air drawn from the room is dehumidified with the condensation dew basin and cleaned and deodorized with the cleaning and deodorizing box and returned to the room by the fan; the rainwater tank is embedded in the ground and always filled to repletion with rainwater; and the air duct is so laid as to extend through the rainwater tank at a predetermined depth to cool air in the air duct.
In the air conditioning system according to the present invention, the air duct is preferably in a loop-like shape, rectangular spiral shape or meandering shape at the predetermined depth in the rainwater tank. Further, the air duct is preferably made of a vinyl chloride resin pipe. Moreover, rainwater stored in the rainwater tank may preferably be used for flushing of a toilet or sprinkling over a garden, and through an overflow pipe, excess rainwater is preferably allowed to flow into the ground or a water draining basin.
In the refreshing type air conditioning system utilizing rainwater according to the present invention, since air is directly supplied to the room instead of water as a heat exchange medium, energy consumption for the transfer is reduced.
The rainwater tank embedded in the ground constitutes a simplified air conditioning system which utilizes such natural cycle that, in the daytime particularly in summer, rainwater stored in the rainwater tank is used as a cooling medium and, in the night time, rainwater is allowed to cool again through heat exchange between rainwater and soil. In addition, air is directly cooled with the rainwater and supplied to the room, thereby enabling elimination of the drawbacks inherent in the conventional techniques, i.e. complicated pipe arrangement, troubles, such as water leakage due to passing water through the pipe, and also enabling considerable reduction of maintenance cost.
In the air conditioning system where the outside fresh air is taken through the fresh-air intake pipe or the under floor air intake pipe, cooling is effected while effecting ventilation. In this respect, the present invention changes the conventionally established air conditioning concept.
When the blowing power of the fan is adjustable, cooling power can freely be controlled by changing air-flow rate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 213138 (1879-03-01), Shepard
patent: 1297633 (1919-03-01), Ashley
patent: 2178176 (1939-10-01), Lamm
patent: 2829504 (1958-04-01), Schlich
Asakura Tadashi
Irei Satoshi
Doerrler William
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Shulman Mark
Takachiho Corp.
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