HEAT PUMP SYSTEM

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/675,356, filed on Jul. 25, 2024, entitled HEAT PUMP SYSTEM, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

While conventional heat pump systems can be more energy efficient than furnaces, they suffer from various drawbacks. For example, a heat pump system can be expensive and/or cumbersome to install, can be unsightly and/or noisy, and may not operate sufficiently in certain climates or environments (e.g., climates with consistent below-freezing temperatures).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present technology will be described and explained through the use of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example heat pump system.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a suitable network that supports one or more heat pump systems.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a heat transfer rod for a heat pump system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a heat transfer rod having a tube-in-tube exchanger.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an integrated interior unit and heat transfer rod.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example method of installing a heat pump system.

In the drawings, some components are not drawn to scale, and some components can be combined for discussion of some of the implementations of the present technology. Moreover, while the technology is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific implementations have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the technology to the particular implementations described. On the contrary, the technology is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the technology as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A heat pump system, or heat pump, is described. The heat pump system may include an interior unit, an exterior unit, and a heat transfer rod coupled to the interior unit and the exterior unit. The heat transfer rod may include a fluid channel that extends between the interior unit and the exterior unit (e.g., positioned at an angle), and a fluid contained within the fluid channel. Via various configurations, the heat pump system utilizes the fluid as a thermal (heat) transfer medium or mechanism that facilitates the cooling (or heating) of an inside space, such as the room of a house.

Thus, in various implementations, the heat pump system described herein may be utilized in various heating/cooling/dehumidifying applications and devices, such as heaters, air conditioners, mini-splits, micro heat pumps, and so on.

Various embodiments of the technology will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and an enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that these embodiments may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments. The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments.

FIG. 1A depicts an example heat pump system 100. The heat pump system 100 includes an exterior unit 120 and interior unit 110 connected through an exterior wall 105 of a structure, such as a house, dwelling, building, room, and so on. The exterior unit 120 and the interior unit 110 are connected or coupled via a heat transfer mechanism 130, such as a heat transfer rod, heat pipe, and/or heat transfer tube.

The heat pump system 100, in some cases, enables a simple installation and enhanced heat transfer efficiency between indoor and outdoor environments, eliminating or mitigating the use of refrigerant plumbing during an installation process and/or its operation (e.g., cooling or heating of a home, dwelling, or interior space of a structure).

For example, the heat pump system 100 may be installed, placed, disposed, mounted, and/or attached at many different locations on exterior walls or ceilings, such as at locations where an electric heater is typically mounted, where the interior unit 110 is disposed, positioned, or located within an internal area or environment of a room and the exterior unit is disposed, positioned, or located in an exterior environment (e.g., outside). Thus, the heat pump system 100 may replace use of an electric heater, providing a similar design profile along with an increased heating efficiency, while also providing both heating, cooling, and/or dehumidification for the room or other interior space.

In some embodiments, the exterior unit 120 includes a heat pump compressor, which compresses a heat transfer fluid, or refrigerant, by raising its temperature and pressure. The exterior unit 120 also includes a heat exchanger 122, which transfers heat between the refrigerant and the external environment, and a blower 124 or fan, which circulates air over the heat exchanger to facilitate the heat exchange and/or heat transfer. In some cases, the exterior unit 120 may include a mounting plate that serves to assist in mounting the exterior unit 120 to an outside or exterior surface of the exterior wall 105 (e.g., a drilling guide for hole placement to facilitate drilling a hole at an angle (e.g., between 2 and 20 degrees, with respect to a horizontal plane) so that condensate travels through the heat pump system 100 and to the exterior environment).

In some embodiments, the interior unit 110 includes a thermostat 112 (e.g., having a user interface for user settings control), which measures a temperature of a room or inside environment and/or a control unit 114, which senses when a room is occupied to control the heating/cooling of the room (e.g., to provide efficient heating and cooling of the room).

The interior unit 110 may also include a power cord 116 that connects to a nearest wall outlet 118 to supply power to the interior unit 110 and/or components of the heat pump system 100. The control unit 114 may also communicate via a home wiring system or wireless communications network to heat pump systems and/or other HVAC or smart home devices (e.g., in other rooms) to coordinate the heating and cooling of the room (e.g., to control operation of the heat pump system 100), multiple rooms (e.g., a floor of rooms or spaces), a building or structure, and so on.

Further, the interior unit 110 includes a heat exchanger 115 that exchanges heat between a fluid within the heat transfer mechanism 140 and an inside environment of a dwelling within which the interior unit 110 is installed. An air handler 117, which is coupled to the heat exchanger 115, may include a blower 119 or fan that provides cooled air (e.g., in a cooling mode) and/or heated air (e.g., in a warming mode) to the inside environment (e.g., the blower 119 forces air through the heat exchanger 115 and distributes the heated or cooled air into an indoor space).

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a suitable network 150 that supports one or more heat pump systems 100. The heat pump system 100 may be coupled to a central control system 170, which communicates with a single heat pump system 100 and/or all heat pump systems 100A-C of a structure 160 via a communication network 175 (e.g., the Internet or a smart home network). The control system 170 may facilitate remote control from anywhere in the world (e.g., via a mobile device 180) and/or via a smart thermostat or home control 185.

For example, local control of the heat pump system 100 may be performed directly through wireless communication with the mobile device 180 or other smart devices/Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as where the heat pump system 100 acts or operates as a IoT device on a home network. In some cases, the heat pump systems 100A-C may communicate with one another and/or act as a single controllable group of devices with respect to the control system 170.

In some cases, the network 150 may support night and/or motion-activated lighting solutions both inside and outside of a structure, and/or house wireless components to create a mesh network throughout the structure (e.g., extended by peer-to-peer wireless communication or over a home wiring system). Thus, a home/building may include an array of units, where one or more units are installed in various rooms or spaces.

FIGS. 1A-1B and the components, systems, servers, and devices depicted herein provide a general computing environment and network within which the technology described herein can be implemented. Further, the systems, methods, and techniques introduced here can be implemented as special-purpose hardware (for example, circuitry), as programmable circuitry appropriately programmed with software and/or firmware, or as a combination of special-purpose and programmable circuitry. Hence, implementations can include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which can be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical discs, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), magneto-optical disks, ROMs, random access memories (RAMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

The network 175 can depict any network, such as a wired or wireless local area network (LAN), a wired or wireless wide area network (WAN), the Internet or some other public or private network, a cellular (e.g., 4G, LTE, 5G, or 6G network), a smart home network, and so on. While the connections between the various devices and the network 175 are shown as separate connections, these connections can be any kind of local, wide area, wired, or wireless network, public or private.

As described herein, the interior unit 110 and the exterior unit 120 are coupled via the heat transfer mechanism 130, which may be mounted at an angle (e.g., 2-20 degrees) with respect to a horizontal axis or plane (e.g., an x-axis) of the heat pump system 100. The heat transfer mechanism 130, in some cases, includes a cylindrical heat transfer rod or tube that contains a heat transfer fluid (e.g., a fluid capable of performing a thermal transfer from one location to another, such as a refrigerant, water, and/or ethylene or propylene glycol).

For example, the cylindrical heat transfer rod may extend from and/or be coupled to the exterior unit 120 and the internal unit 110, acting as a primary conduit for the transfer of heat (e.g., via conduction, convection, and so on) within the heat pump system 100.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a heat transfer rod 200 for a heat pump system, such as the heat pump system 100. The heat transfer rod 200 may include an interior baffle 205, which creates two (or more) separate channels 207 within the rod, and an impeller 210, which circulates a heat exchange fluid or heat transfer fluid 203 within the channels 207. The impeller 210 may be driven off of a compressor motor (e.g., within the exterior unit 120), such that additional motors and/or controls are not used to circulate the heat transfer fluid through the channels 207 of the heat transfer rod 200.

In some cases, the interior baffle 205 and/or the heat transfer rod 200 (e.g., a housing of the heat transfer rod 200) may be formed of a thermally insulating material to avoid heat transferring between the fluid within the channels 207 and/or when exiting to the internal unit 110 (via a thermal clamp ring 250 that couples the heat transfer rod 200 to the internal unit 110. Thus, the use of insulating materials for the interior baffle 205 and/or the housing of the heat transfer rod 200 may increase the thermal efficiency of the heat pump system 100, among other benefits.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod 200 includes an insulation sleeve 230 that covers (or partially covers) the heat transfer rod 200. The insulation sleeve 230, formed of a thermally insulating material, may house, contain, or otherwise include electrical conductors 220 to transfer electricity within the heat pump system 100 and/or to perform data communications between the interior unit 110 and exterior unit 120.

The insulation sleeve 230 may include a condensation channel 240 that carries condensate (e.g., water) away from the interior unit 110 to the outside unit 120 (e.g., when in cooling mode). For example, in cooling mode, the condensation channel 240 is configured to transport condensate through the insulation sleeve 230 via gravity and deposit the condensate on fins of the heat exchanger 122 to improve overall cooling performed by the heat pump system 100. As described herein, the heat pump system 100 may be angled (e.g., between 2 and 20 degrees, with respect to a horizontal plane, as depicted in FIG. 2) to facilitate the passage of condensate from the interior to the exterior of a room or building.

In some cases, the internal unit 110 may include a built-in connector that connects to the electrical conductors 220 housed within the insulation sleeve 230 to transfer electricity and/or information between the interior unit 110 and the exterior unit 120. Further, as described herein, the internal unit 110 includes the thermal clamp ring 250 (e.g., a clamping cylindrical sleeve) that provides a strong thermal connection between the heat exchanger 115 and the heat transfer rod 200. A housing or covering may contain the heat transfer rod 200 and/or the various components described herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a heat transfer rod 300 having a tube-in-tube exchanger 310. The tube-in-tube exchanger 310 included an inner tube 312 and an outer tube 314 via which a heat transfer fluid 315 travels from one end of the heat transfer rod 300 to the other end (e.g., between the internal unit 110 and the external unit 120). For example, the heat transfer fluid 315 (e.g., a refrigerant) enters an inlet fitting via an input conduit 322 (or valve), is routed (e.g., flows) between the inner tube 312 and the outer tube 314, and exits via an output conduit 324 (or valve). In some cases, such as limiting undesired heat transfer between the different tubes (e.g., to maintain a thermal barrier between the fluid in the different tubes) the inner tube 312 may be formed of thermally insulating material (e.g., ceramic or polymer-based foam) and/or be covered by an insulating layer 325.

In some cases, a helical passageway 330 or other flow-diverting heat transfer components, between the inner tube 312 and the outer tube 314, includes a helical heat transfer component 332 that is disposed within the helical passageway 330. The helical heat transfer component 332 causes the heat transfer fluid 315 to flow between the inner tube 312 and the outer tube 314 and/or is disposed/placed at a point of heat transfer into the interior unit 110 (e.g., proximate to the thermal clamp ring 250) to improve, enhance, or otherwise cause heat transfer by causing/forcing the fluid through the helical passageway 330.

Similar to the heat transfer rod 200, the heat transfer rod 300 may include or be covered by an insulation sleeve 340, which may include a condensation channel (e.g., the condensation channel 240), electrical conductors, (e.g., the electrical conductors 220), and so on. A housing or covering may contain the heat transfer rod 200 and/or the various components described herein.

In some embodiments, a heat transfer rod (e.g., the heat transfer rod 200 or 300), via the use of a heat transfer fluid (e.g., the heat transfer fluid 207), may be directly or permanently connected to the interior unit 110. FIG. 4 depicts integrated interior unit 400 and heat transfer rod (e.g., the heat transfer rod 200). A blower 410 (or fan motor) of the interior unit 400 is directly and/or mechanically coupled to the impeller 210 of the heat transfer rod 200. Via the coupling, movement/rotation of the blower 410 may cause a heat transfer fluid to circulate through an associated heat exchange (e.g., the heat exchanger 115) and/or the heat transfer rod 200. In doing so, an external fluid does not enter the interior unit 400 (and thus not the inside of a room or house), and the heat pump system 100 may thus utilize hydrocarbon-based refrigerants without drawbacks associated with introducing the refrigerants to an indoor environment, among other benefits.

In some embodiments, the configuration of the heat pump system 100 facilitates an efficient, easy, and cost-effective installation. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example method 500 of installing a heat pump system, such as the heat pump system 100.

In step 510, a mounting plate is attached or secured to an exterior wall (e.g., the exterior wall 105) with screws or other fasteners of a structure (e.g., house or dwelling). For example, locating the heat pump system 100 may benefit from knowledge of where the system 100 may be placed (e.g., pierce the wall). Thus, a radiofrequency (RF) or magnetic transmitter/receiver may be provided with an installation kit to assist an installer/homeowner when positioning the mounting plate relative to a desired interior location, or vice versa (e.g., a protrusion spot on the interior or exterior wall).

In step 520, an angled hole is drilled through the exterior wall using a guide disposed on the mounting plate. As described herein, the angle ensures that condensate flows from the interior unit 110 to the exterior unit 120 (via gravity).

In step 530, a heat transfer rod (e.g., the heat transfer rod 200 or 300) is inserted through the drilled hole from the exterior to the interior of the structure.

In step 540, an exterior unit (e.g., the exterior unit 120) is attached or coupled to the heat transfer rod via the mounting plate (e.g., securing the heat transfer rod into place).

In step 550, an interior unit (e.g., the interior unit 110) is attached or coupled to the heat transfer rod. For example, an interior heat exchanger (e.g., the heat exchanger 115) is clamped to the heat transfer rod 130, ensuring a solid thermal connection or coupling. Thus, the design and/or size of the heat tube system 100 may facilitate a quick and efficient homeowner installation on any exterior wall, where drilling a small (e.g., ˜2″) hole from the outside to the inside of a house is the only impact to the house.

As described herein, the heat pump system 100 may be configured to be installed to both heat and cool rooms within a room of a house or office, outbuildings (e.g., garages), temporary installations or structures, and so on.

In some cases, the heat pump system 100 may be installed to heat and cool domestic hot water. For example, the interior unit 110 may be replaced by a fluid heat exchanger that is connected to a domestic hot water system to heat and/or cool water circulated by the hot water system.

Example Embodiments of the Heat Pump System

The heat pump system may be implemented in a variety of applications, installations, apparatuses, devices, systems, and so on.

In some embodiments, a heat pump system includes an interior unit, an exterior unit, and a heat transfer rod coupled to the interior unit and the exterior unit, wherein the heat transfer rod includes a fluid channel that extends between the interior unit and the exterior unit, and a fluid contained within the fluid channel.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod is coupled to the interior unit and the exterior unit at an angle with respect to a horizontal axis of the heat pump system.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod includes: an interior baffle that separates an internal area of the heat transfer rod into two channels and an impeller that circulates the fluid through the two channels within the internal area.

In some cases, the interior baffle and/or fluid return channel are formed of a thermally insulating material.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod includes: an inner tube, an outer tube, a helical passageway that couples the inner tube to the outer tube, and a helical heat transfer component, disposed within the helical passageway, which causes the fluid to flow between the inner tube and the outer tube.

In some cases, the inner tube is formed of a thermally insulating material.

In some cases, the heat pump includes an insulating sleeve that surrounds the heat transfer rod, wherein the insulating sleeve includes a condensate channel configured to cause flow of condensate to the exterior unit.

In some cases, the heat pump includes a housing that at least partially encloses the insulating sleeve and the heat transfer rod.

In some cases, the heat pump includes an electrical conduit, disposed under the insulating sleeve, which extends from the interior unit to the exterior unit and a data communication component, disposed under the insulating sleeve, which extends from the interior unit to the exterior unit.

In some cases, the heat pump includes a clamp ring that couples the heat transfer rod to the interior unit.

In some cases, the interior unit includes a control component configured to control operation of the heat pump system and a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the fluid and an inside environment of a dwelling within which the interior unit is installed.

In some cases, the exterior unit includes a heat pump compressor configured to compress the fluid, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the fluid and an outside environment of a dwelling, and a blower configured to circulate air over the heat exchanger.

In some cases, the fluid is a refrigerant.

In some cases, the interior unit includes a blower that is configured to circulate the fluid within the fluid channel.

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an interior unit, an exterior unit; and a heat transfer rod coupled to the interior unit and the exterior unit, including: an interior baffle that separates an internal area of the heat transfer rod into two fluid channels and an impeller that circulates the fluid through the two fluid channels within the internal area.

In some cases, the apparatus includes an insulating sleeve that surrounds the heat transfer rod, wherein the insulating sleeve includes a condensate channel configured to cause flow of condensate to the exterior unit.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod is coupled to the interior unit and the exterior unit at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane.

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an interior unit, an exterior unit, a heat transfer rod coupled to the interior unit and configured to circulate a heat transfer fluid between the interior unit and the exterior unit, and an insulating sleeve that surrounds the heat transfer rod, wherein the insulating sleeve includes a condensate channel configured to cause flow of condensate to the exterior unit.

In some cases, the apparatus includes an electrical conduit, disposed under the insulating sleeve, which extends from the interior unit to the exterior unit and a data communication component, disposed under the insulating sleeve, which extends from the interior unit to the exterior unit.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod includes an interior baffle that separates an internal area of the heat transfer rod into two fluid channels and an impeller that circulates the heat transfer fluid through the two fluid channels within the internal area.

In some cases, the heat transfer rod includes an inner tube, an outer tube, a helical passageway between the inner tube to the outer tube, and a helical heat transfer component, disposed within the helical passageway, which causes the heat transfer fluid to increase the heat transfer rate to the outer tube.

CONCLUSION

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling of connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or”, in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the disclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the disclosure.

These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of the above Detailed Description. While the above description describes certain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the teachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the apparatus may vary considerably in its implementation details, while still being encompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure under the claims.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited except as by the appended claims.