Air conditioning capable of controlling ventilation and humidity, and control method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10775059-B2
Application number	US-201615777130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

Provided are an air conditioner capable of indoor ventilation and humidity control with a simple structure and a method of controlling the same. The air conditioner comprises: a first air flow channel; a second air flow channel; a dehumidification rotor which comprises a first region provided on the first air flow channel, a second region provided on the second air flow channel, and an adsorbent which alternately passes through the first region and the second region and adsorbs moisture in the first region or the second region; and a control unit which controls so that, when in a ventilation mode, indoor air introduced through the first air flow channel is discharged to the outdoors through the second air flow channel and the second region, and air introduced from the outdoors is introduced to the indoors through the first air flow channel and the first region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioner comprising:
a first air flow path provided to communicate with an indoor area, the first air flow path including an inlet and an outlet, both the inlet and outlet of the first air flow path being provided in the indoor area;
a second air flow path provided to communicate with an outdoor area, the second air flow path including an inlet and an outlet, both the inlet and outlet of the second air flow path being provided in the outdoor area;
a dehumidifying rotor including a first region provided along the first air flow path, a second region provided along the second air flow path, and an adsorbing material which alternately passes through the first region and the second region according to rotation of the dehumidifying rotor and adsorbs moisture in the first region or the second region;
an extraction flow path is provided to be branched from the first air flow path and connected to the second air flow path such that air introduced from the indoor area flows to the second region;
a third air flow path through which the outdoor air is introduced is connected to the first air flow path; and
a control unit configured to control indoor air introduced through the first air flow path so that the indoor air is discharged to the outdoor area through the extraction flow path and the second air flow path and the second region and control air introduced from the outdoor area through the third air flow path so that the introduced air flows into the indoor area through the first air flow path and the first region during a ventilation mode.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein, when a humidification mode for humidifying the indoor area is set at the control unit and the air conditioner is operated in the humidification mode, moisture is supplied to air flowing toward the second region by a moisture supplier, and the moisture of the air passing through the second region flows to the first region by rotation of the dehumidifying rotor, is evaporated in the first region, and humidifies the indoor area.

3. The air conditioner of claim 2 , wherein a surface of the adsorbing material is coated with a desiccant polymer.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein:
the first air flow path includes a first inlet flow path configured to connect the inlet through which air in the indoor area is introduced and an inlet end of the first region, and a first outlet flow path configured to connect an outlet end of the first region and an outlet through which the air is discharged to the indoor area;
the extraction flow path is provided to be branched from the first inlet flow path; and
a cooling unit configured to cool air from which moisture is removed while passing through the first region is provided, and the cooling unit includes an evaporative cooler in which heat is exchanged between indoor air flowing in the extraction flow path and outdoor air flowing in the first outlet flow path.

5. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein:
the evaporative cooler includes a wet channel connected to the extraction flow path, a dry channel connected to the first outlet flow path, and a moisture supplier configured to supply moisture to air flowing in the wet channel; and
the moisture supplied to the air flowing in the wet channel by the moisture supplier is adsorbed in the second region, is evaporated in the first region by rotation of the dehumidifying rotor, and humidifies the indoor area.

6. The air conditioner of claim 5 , further comprising a first heater configured to heat air passing through the first inlet flow path which is a front end of the first region.

7. The air conditioner of claim 5 , further comprising a third heater configured to heat air flowing in the first outlet flow path after passing through the first region.

8. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein:
a first damper configured to open or close an air flow path is provided in the first inlet flow path; and
when the first damper is closed during the ventilation mode, the indoor air is discharged to the outdoor area through the first inlet flow path, the extraction flow path, and the second air flow path.

9. The air conditioner of claim 8 , further comprising a second damper configured to open or close one side end of the second air flow path,
wherein, when the first damper and the second damper are closed during the ventilation mode, the indoor air is discharged to the outdoor area through the first inlet flow path, the extraction flow path, the second region, and the second air flow path.

10. The air conditioner of claim 8 , further comprising the third air flow path through which the outdoor air is introduced is connected to the first inlet flow path.

11. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein:
an extraction blower configured to cause air to flow is provided on the extraction flow path;
a first flow path blower configured to introduce air from one side of the indoor area and cause the air to flow to the other side of the indoor area is provided on the first air flow path;
a second flow path blower configured to introduce air from one side of the outdoor area and cause the air to flow to the other side of the outdoor area is provided on the second air flow path; and
the first flow path blower and the second flow path blower blow in opposite directions.

12. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a filter configured to filter foreign material of air introduced into the indoor area is provided in each of the first air flow path.

13. A method of controlling an air conditioner including a first air flow path provided to communicate with an indoor area, the first air flow path including an inlet and an outlet, both the inlet and outlet of the first air flow path being provided in the indoor area, a second air flow path provided to communicate with an outdoor area, the second air flow path including an inlet and an outlet, both the inlet and outlet of the second air flow path being provided in the outdoor area, and a dehumidifying rotor including a first region provided along the first air flow path, a second region provided along the second air flow path, and an adsorbing material which alternately passes through the first region and the second region according to rotation of the dehumidifying rotor and adsorbs moisture in the first region or the second region, and an extraction flow path is provided to be branched from the first air flow path and connected to the second air flow path such that air introduced from the indoor area flows to the second region, a third air flow path through which the outdoor air is introduced is connected to the first air flow path, the method comprising:
discharging indoor air introduced through the extraction flow path and the second region and the first air flow path to an outdoor area through the second air flow path; and
introducing air introduced from the outdoor area through the third air flow path into the indoor area through the first air flow path and ventilating the indoor area.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the indoor air is discharged to the outdoor area after passing through the second region, the outdoor air is introduced into the indoor area after passing through the first region, the dehumidifying rotor is rotated, and heat is exchanged between the indoor air and the outdoor air.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, during the ventilating of the indoor area, when the air conditioner is operated in a humidification mode for humidifying the indoor area, moisture is supplied to air flowing toward the second region by a moisture supplier, and the moisture of the ai

Assignees

• Kyungdong Navien Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Dong Keun
• Jin Won Jae
• Ryu Kyeong Hun

Classifications

• F24F3/1423

  with a moving bed of solid desiccants, e.g. a rotary wheel supporting solid desiccants · CPC title

• F24F2221/34

  Heater, e.g. gas burner, electric air heater · CPC title

• F24F6/00

  Air-humidification {, e.g. cooling by humidification} · CPC title

• F24F11/0008

  for air-humidification (F24F11/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F2011/0002

  for admittance of outside air · CPC title