Air conditioner units having improved condensate removal assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9791165-B2
Application number	US-201514860789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2015
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

Air conditioner units are provided. An air conditioner unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger disposed in an outdoor portion, an indoor heat exchanger disposed in an indoor portion, and a bulkhead disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner unit further includes a pump disposed in the outdoor portion, and a conduit in fluid communication with the pump. The air conditioner unit further includes a receptacle disposed in the indoor portion, the receptacle in fluid communication with the conduit for receiving fluid from the conduit. The receptacle includes a tray defining a channel, and a riser extending from a bottom wall of the tray. The riser includes a raised surface disposed above the bottom wall along a vertical direction. A bore extends through and is defined in the raised surface and the bottom wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner unit, comprising:
an outdoor heat exchanger disposed in an outdoor portion;
an indoor heat exchanger disposed in an indoor portion;
a bulkhead disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger along a transverse direction, the bulkhead defining the indoor portion and the outdoor portion, the bulkhead comprising a first sidewall, a second sidewall spaced apart from the first sidewall along a lateral direction, and a rear wall extending laterally between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the rear wall comprising an indoor facing surface and an opposing outdoor facing surface;
a pump disposed in the outdoor portion;
a conduit in fluid communication with the pump and extending between a first end disposed in the outdoor portion and a second end disposed in the indoor portion; and
a receptacle disposed in the indoor portion, the receptacle in fluid communication with the conduit for receiving fluid from the conduit, the receptacle comprising:
a tray defining a channel, the tray comprising a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls extending from the bottom wall, the plurality of sidewalls comprising a rear wall proximate the bulkhead and a front sidewall distal from the bulkhead relative to the rear sidewall;
a riser extending from a bottom wall of the tray and comprising a raised surface disposed above the bottom wall along a vertical direction, wherein the channel and the riser define a lower fill area and an upper fill area; and
a bore extending through and defined in the raised surface and the bottom wall,
wherein the front sidewall extends above the indoor heat exchanger and defines a cutout extending through the front sidewall, wherein the cutout is directed toward the indoor heat exchanger to guide an overflow fluid thereto, and wherein a height of the front sidewall at a location of the cutout is less than a minimum height of the rear sidewall and greater than a maximum height of the riser.

2. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the cutout extends from a top edge of the front sidewall.

3. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the riser is a boss, and wherein only a single bore extends through and is defined in the raised surface.

4. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the riser is a shelf, and wherein a plurality of bores extend through and are defined in the raised surface and the bottom wall.

5. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the bore is a plurality of bores.

6. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein fluid received from the conduit flows from the conduit into the lower fill area.

7. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the receptacle is coupled to the indoor heat exchanger.

8. The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the indoor heat exchanger is an evaporator.

9. The air conditioner unit of claim 8 , wherein the evaporator comprises an evaporator tube and a plurality of fins extending from the evaporator tube, and wherein the receptacle further comprises a clip extending from the bottom wall, the clip connectable to the tube to couple the receptacle to the evaporator.

10. An air conditioner unit, comprising:
a condenser disposed in an outdoor portion;
an evaporator disposed in an indoor portion;
a bulkhead disposed between the condenser and the evaporator along a transverse direction, the bulkhead defining the indoor portion and the outdoor portion, the bulkhead comprising a first sidewall, a second sidewall spaced apart from the first sidewall along a lateral direction, and a rear wall extending laterally between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the rear wall comprising an indoor facing surface and an opposing outdoor facing surface;
a pump disposed in the outdoor portion;
a conduit in fluid communication with the pump and extending between a first end disposed in the outdoor portion and a second end disposed in the indoor portion; and
a receptacle disposed in the indoor portion and coupled to the evaporator, the receptacle in fluid communication with the conduit for receiving fluid from the conduit, the receptacle comprising:
a tray defining a channel, the tray comprising a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls extending from the bottom wall, the plurality of sidewalls comprising a rear wall proximate the bulkhead and a front sidewall distal from the bulkhead relative to the rear sidewall;
a riser extending from a bottom wall of the tray and comprising a raised surface disposed above the bottom wall along a vertical direction, wherein the channel and the riser define a lower fill area and an upper fill area; and
a bore extending through and defined in the raised surface and the bottom wall,
wherein the front sidewall extends above the indoor heat exchanger and defines a cutout extending through the front sidewall, wherein the cutout is directed toward the evaporator to guide an overflow fluid thereto, and wherein a height of the front sidewall at a location of the cutout is less than a minimum height of the rear sidewall and greater than a maximum height of the riser.

11. The air conditioner unit of claim 10 , wherein the cutout extends from a top edge of the front sidewall.

12. The air conditioner unit of claim 10 , wherein the riser is a boss, and wherein only a single bore extends through and is defined in the raised surface.

13. The air conditioner unit of claim 10 , wherein the riser is a shelf, and wherein a plurality of bores extend through and are defined in the raised surface and the bottom wall.

14. The air conditioner unit of claim 10 , wherein the bore is a plurality of bores.

15. The air conditioner unit of claim 10 , wherein fluid received from the conduit flows from the conduit into the lower fill area.

16. The air conditioner unit of claim 10 , wherein the evaporator comprises an evaporator tube and a plurality of fins extending from the evaporator tube, and wherein the receptacle further comprises a clip extending from the bottom wall, the clip connectable to the tube to couple the receptacle to the evaporator.

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• McKay Brian Bernard
• Jewell Robert William
• Vedachalam Sugumar

Classifications

• F24F13/224 Primary

  in a window-type room air conditioner · CPC title

• F28F17/005

  Means for draining condensates from heat exchangers, e.g. from evaporators (F28B9/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F6/02

  by evaporation of water in the air · CPC title

• F24F1/027

  mounted in wall openings, e.g. in windows · CPC title