Refrigeration – Automatic control – Of external fluid or means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2001-03-06
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Of external fluid or means
C062S186000, C062S235100, C062S238700, C062S508000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196010
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a temperature control enclosure for exterior compressor/condensers used for air conditioning and heat pumps that will automatically allow those units to operate at air temperatures as close to the optimum temperature.
Heretofore, out-of-doors compressors/condensers for air conditioning and/or heat pumps have been subjected to all seasonal weather conditions. As a result, those operating units functioned relatively inefficiently, when extreme hot or cold atmospheric temperatures occurred, thus requiring the units to operate for longer periods of time to attain the desired interior housing facility temperatures. In cold or freezing temperatures, particularly those operating units for heat pumps were relatively inefficient. It is well known that the present state-of-the-art for those exterior units, when in use specifically for heat pumps, can no longer operate to provide any heat input when a specific low exterior air temperature is reached. Such units stop operating at specific low temperatures, known as their balance points, and the interior facility ambient temperature must then be maintained by means of electrical resistance heater(s) located within the system, which are extremely costly to operate and are considered to be emergency heating sources. Disabling of the compressor/condensers occurs when the temperature sensors on the operating unit(s) freeze-up, or when snow or ice cover prevents adequate air circulation through the unit.
Frequently, compressor/condenser manufactures will issue installation instructions for those exterior units indicating that such units should be installed at a minimum height above the surface on which they rest so as to exceed the particular predicted area annual maximum snowfall height. When severe unusual snowfall conditions occur, such manufacturer's information has been found to be ineffective in that the snow and ice must still be cleared from the operating unit for it to operate. All of those extreme weather conditions contribute to excessive electric service costs and shorten the “life-expectancy” of the compressor/condensers.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the present invention is to shelter exterior compressors/condensers from severe atmospheric conditions, during any and all seasons, and to control the temperature of air flowing through those operating units to obtain the maximum operating efficiency during all such seasons by providing a temperature control enclosure. Specifically, as exterior temperature increases occur, the non-electrical temperature sensing device operates to allow adequate ventilation of the enclosure while minimizing the entry of natural light into the enclosure by closed horizontal slat blinds to ensure that the air passing through the compressor/condenser is as cool as possible for operation of those units. During relatively cold or frigid temperatures, i.e. below 40 degrees F., the enclosure allows re-circulation of the air which is being partially warmed by maximum entry of natural light, or sunlight entering through transparent glass panes on top and front of the enclosure and through attached open horizontal slat blinds, and by radiant heat emanating from a nonfreezing liquid filled piping reservoir that is mounted on three insulated walls of the interior of the enclosure. The non-freezing liquid in that piping is heated (or cooled) by a device which extracts heat (or cold) from the main compressor/condenser conduit entering the facility and feeds such tempered liquid by separate conduit means to the piping reservoir mounted on the insulated enclosure.
According to this invention, there is provided an upstanding multi-sided enclosure having a roof comprised of a small horizontal insulated wall-like section along with a slanted thermal glazed movable front section and a horizontal thermal dual-glazed front section, the structure being adapted in size and function as a temperature control enclosure for out-of-doors components of a housing air conditioning and/or heat pump system, and further provided with integral means for internal ambient temperature regulation about the enclosed air conditioning and/or heat pump elements, further comprising:
(a) an upstanding elongate rectangular framing assembly comprised of rigid linear elements all the variable lengths adapted to be securely attached to one another along their longitudinal ends;
(b) a plurality of planar side walls mounted on the framing assembly so as to form closed linear edges along the vertical corners of the assembly;
(c) a slanted-topped structure sized to engage seatingly along its own periphery with the upper rectangular periphery of the conjoined side walls, the slanted top and front wall comprising planar, rectangular segments conjoined along their linear edges, and further comprising transparent materials of construction, such as shatter-proof, glazed glass or polyacrylate plastic;
(d) a first angular panel located in the slanted top of the enclosure in contact with at least three of the side walls, equipped with a swivel axis and hinged together along one linear dimension thereof with a second front wall panel also in contact with at least three of the side walls and equipped with a swivel axis, both panels to be caused to open or closed by an associated control means and those panels further equipped with means to minimize or maximize natural light infiltration into the enclosure;
(e) a first rigid member pivotally interconnecting the hinged slanted top and front movable panels with a point of attachment on the conjoined hinge, and adapted to pull each linear dimensioned end of both panels inwardly into the enclosure thereby allowing the non-hinged unattached uppermost linear dimension of the top slanted panel and the lowermost linear dimension of the front panel to move outwardly to an open position and also forcing the inner horizontal slatted blinds to close;
(f) a second rigid member pivotally interconnecting the first rigid member and a temperature sensing operating device extension arm, with said interconnecting rigid member swiveling on a lateral fulcrum advantaged pivot point, and such pivot point being located along and attached to an “L”-shaped angle member extending horizontally and mounted on the structural frame of the enclosure on two sides;
(g) a nonelectric temperature sensing operating device attached to the L-shaped angle member, having an extension arm that is activated by ambient temperature sensing means located within the temperature sensing operating device and adapted to respond to preset upper and lower temperature limits, moving the second rigid member pivotally in conjunction with the first rigid member to cause the top and front panel to swivel inwardly or outwardly as temperatures change within the enclosure, subsequently, causing either exterior air to flow through the enclosure or air within the enclosure to be re-circulated.
The present temperature control zone enclosure consists of a four-sided square or rectangular structure with a small flat section and a larger sloping section forming the roof. A skeletal rigid frame of structural members, e.g. light metallic beams, supports attachable insulated wall sections and the slanted window-like thermal glazed moveable section and flat wall-like section forming the roof. Three of the walls are composed of a like inner and outer layer of a rigid material impervious to seasonal weather conditions, e.g. sheet aluminum, with an insulation material layer sandwiched between those inner and outer layers. The fourth and front wall of the enclosure is composed of a lower smaller portion composed of the same material as in the other three walls while the larger remaining portion is a window-like thermal glazed movable panel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3584466 (1971-06-01), Kaufman
patent: 3759056 (1973-09-01), Graber
patent: 4317334 (1982-03-01), Burgess
Doerrler William
Norman Marc
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