AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE FOR INSTALLATION CLOSE TO THE CEILING

Description

The invention relates to an air conditioning device for installation close to the ceiling, according to claim 1.

Modern room concepts are notable in that ceilings are kept open, which means that technology which is otherwise installed in a ceiling space remains visible. These concepts often dispense with other types of ceiling systems. Such concepts are used, for example, in rooms with ceiling heights of 3 to 5 meters, for example in offices, entrance areas of office buildings, supermarkets, or even hotels. Appropriate elements for lighting, for acoustic damping or for air conditioning are often suspended from bare concrete ceilings. These concepts use circular lights, in particular annular lights, acoustic panels or air outlets. Known air conditioning devices are designed as ceiling boxes, which do not have the appropriate compactness for the described purpose and do not blend in with the room design in a visually advantageous manner.

Owing to the demands placed on air conditioning devices, these have a bulky design in order to create space within a housing for the fans, heat exchangers, pumps, electrical components and the like. Therefore, extending above the device, which is exclusively visible in known concepts, there are further device components which remain visible in the case of open ceilings and disturb the room concept.

Taking this as a starting point, the object of the present invention consists in providing an air conditioning device for installation close to the ceiling, which has a particularly compact design and is suitable for installation close to the ceiling.

An air conditioning device for achieving this object has the features of claim 1. Accordingly, it is provided that the air conditioning device has a device body, which can be fastened particularly close to a ceiling of the room to be air-conditioned by a top side. A lower region of the device body, in particular a downward facing bottom side, of the device body, is closed. A further essential feature of the invention consists in that a circumferential wall of the device body has at least one air outlet for discharging air. As a result of this compact construction of the air conditioning device according to the invention, it is possible to mount it particularly close to a ceiling of a room. Any technical components, which are otherwise located on the device body, are integrated in the device body,

The invention preferably moreover provides that the wall encircling the device body has, in an upper half, in particular in an upper third or an upper quarter, the at least one air outlet for discharging air. In particular, it is conceivable that the circumferential wall has two, three, four or more air outlets, these air outlets being arranged annularly around the device body. The invention may preferably provide that the circumferential wall has six to eight air outlets, which are annularly associated with the circumferential wall. As a result of the annular positioning of the air outlets around the, in particular, cylindrical device body, a particularly homogeneous near field, and also far field, of the air flow can be produced, whereby a particularly pleasant climate can be produced in the room. Through the use of multiple air outlets, the outflowing air acquires sufficient momentum to achieve a satisfactory horizontal spread into the room. Simulations have shown that, in particular, the use of six to eight air outlets contributes to a homogeneous far field.

A further advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention may provide that the air outlets are formed by adjacent wedges, the wedges being arranged star-like in the air conditioning device. Multiple wedges, which face outward with their longer side and inward with their shorter side, are arranged in an outer edge region within the device body. The number of air outlets is determined by the number of wedges. If using six wedges which are associated with the edge region of the device body at the same angular distance, six air outlets are produced. Due to the form of the wedges, six mutually separate, but diverging, air jets are firstly produced in the near field of the air conditioning device. That is to say, outflowing air is not produced between two adjacent air jets in the near field. Furthermore, the wedges are designed in such a way that the air jets come together again in the far field of the air conditioning device, i.e. after a few meters, so that a homogeneous air curtain is produced.

A particularly advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention may provide that the wedges have different designs, in particular different lengths and/or opening angles, in order to produce a homogeneous outflow behavior of the air. The wedges have different forms owing to the positioning of the technical components within the device body, in particular owing to an eccentric positioning of a fan. Since the air within the device body is supplied to the wedges at different speeds and under different pressures owing to the positioning of the technical components, the form of the wedges is adapted to their respective position relative to the technical components so that the exiting air jets are at least virtually identical. Therefore, as a result of the position-dependent form of the wedges, it is possible to produce a symmetrical near field, in spite of the eccentric position of the technical components within the device body.

Finally, it is moreover conceivable that at least one air inlet is arranged on the top side, in particular above the at least one air outlet, it being possible to suck supply air in through the at least one air inlet, in particular over a spatial angle of 360°, with the air inlet preferably having a filter. The air inlet is located on the top side of the device body and has, for example, a circular design. The air surrounding the air conditioning device is sucked in a result of producing a negative pressure, for example via a fan, within the device body. The air is sucked in through a narrow annular gap around the top side of the device. In the installed state, this gap is delimited at the top by the ceiling. Owing to the star-like air outlets, determined by the wedges, clearances through which the supply air may be sucked into the air inlet are produced between the star-shaped airflows. Due to this geometry of the star-shaped air outlets, which results in the discharge air acquiring significant momentum, and the geometry of the air inlet, through which the supply air is sucked in through the clearances over a 360 ° spatial angle, the induction between the different pressure regions can be reduced, whereby the room can be air-conditioned in a particularly effective manner.

It is moreover preferably provided that a fan, preferably an axial fan, and/or an annular heat exchanger is/are arranged within the device body, the fan and/or the heat exchanger being positioned eccentrically in the, in particular, cylindrical device body. In order to create additional space within the device body, the fan and the heat exchanger are arranged eccentrically. As a result, sufficient volume is created in an edge region within the device body to accommodate further components which would otherwise be arranged on the top side of the device. The fan is located slightly above the annular heat exchanger, or in the heat exchanger, so that supply air may be conducted effectively through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is positioned precisely in the device body so that the air conditioned in the heat exchanger may exit through the outlets. The eccentricity may be several centimeters.

Moreover, it is conceivable that a pump, preferably a condensate pump, control electronics and other electronic components are arranged in a free crescent-shaped region between the heat exchanger and an inner wall of the device body. Moreover, it is conceivable that further components associated with the heat exchanger, for example valves and the like, are arranged in this region. Moreover, it is conceivable that a supply and discharge flow for a cooling agent is located in this region, as well as electrical connections for providing the device with electrical energy and/or control information.

In particular, it is conceivable that the pump and the control electronics and the other electronic components are arranged in a molded part, with a top side of the molded part forming at least one wedge. This molded part is designed in such a way that it can be joined to the crescent-shaped region with form fit. It is designed in such a way that it substantially protects the said components from external influences. An essential feature of this molded part consists in that it is designed in such a way that it likewise forms at least a wedge or a component of the wedge so that an appropriate outlet for a homogeneous near field is also provided in the angular region in which the molded part is located.

It is furthermore conceivable that the wedges and an, in particular, eccentric inlet opening for the supply air are formed by a cover part, which is connected to the device body and forms the top side of the air conditioning device. In particular, this plate-like cover part has the downward facing wedges at an outer edge region, and also the inlet opening in the center or eccentric from the center. This device cover is mounted on the device body in such a way that the wedges are positioned between the heat exchanger and the circumferential wall of the device body. The inlet opening is positioned directly above the fan. An exemplary embodiment of the invention may provide that all components, such as, in particular, the fan, the heat exchanger and the like, are fastened on the cover part. To this end, strut-like fastening means are provided, which can be screwed into the wedges by their ends.

It is preferably furthermore conceivable that a bottom shell, preferably a condensate tray, is arranged on the bottom side of the device body, this bottom shell being mounted so as to be axially movable relative to the device body, in particular relative to a cover part. This bottom shell may also be designed as part of the device body. The bottom shell can be lowered, for example by 10-20 cm, to enable access to the interior of the air conditioning device. By lowering the bottom shell, it is possible to carry out cleaning and maintenance work, specifically without having to remove the device or the bottom shell completely from the cover. After the work is completed, the bottom shell can be guided back into the starting position again and locked.

It is furthermore preferably conceivable that a housing of the air conditioning device can be fastened on the bottom side, this housing in particular being the circumferential wall. This housing or the circumferential wall can be equipped with different materials or different colored variants of a wall, so that the external appearance of the air conditioning device can be flexibly altered. It is conceivable that different colored screens, which are designed to be magnetic, can be releasably connected to the wall.

A further advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention may provide that the device body, the bottom shell and/or the molded part are made from a foamed plastic, preferably from expanded polypropylene (EPP). Moreover, it is conceivable that the said components of the device are made from metal or another plastic or a combination thereof. The use of EPP is particularly advantageous since this material is easy to handle and is particularly light. Moreover, it has an acoustic damping effect so that any noises from the fan may be reduced.

Finally, the invention may provide that a diameter of the air conditioning device is 500 mm to 1000 mm, in particular 600 mm to 900 mm, preferably 850 mm, and a height is 100 mm to 400 mm, in particular 150 mm to 300 mm, preferably 200 mm. These dimensions enable the air conditioning device to be advantageously integrated in existing room concepts. In particular, due to the compactness, the device can be installed in rooms of different designs in a number of different ways.

A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of an air conditioning device,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of the open air conditioning device according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of the open air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 shows a sectional illustration through the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 shows an exploded illustration of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 shows a further exploded illustration of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 shows a view of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 8 shows a view of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1, without filter

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the open air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 10 shows a schematic illustration of airflows during operation of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 11 shows a further schematic illustration of airflows during operation of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1, and

FIG. 12 shows a further schematic illustration of airflows during operation of the air conditioning device according to FIG. 1.

A side view of a possible exemplary embodiment of an air conditioning device 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. This air conditioning device 10 is suited to being installed particularly close to the ceiling in a room and, due to its compactness and the installation option associated therewith, to being integrated in modern room concepts. By virtue of a particularly homogeneous emission of the conditioned air, a particularly advantageous room climate can be produced by this air conditioning device 10.

The air conditioning device 10 consists substantially of a device body 11, in which the essential technical components are accommodated. It is provided that the device body 11 or a cover part 12 of the device body 11 can be mounted with its top side 13 at a distance of a few centimeters, preferably 5-20 cm, below a ceiling 14. This is illustrated highly schematically in FIG. 10, for example. A bottom side 15 of the device body 11 faces downward, i.e. in the opposite direction to the ceiling 14. This bottom side 15 is closed according to the invention and expressly has no openings for supply air or discharge air. The device body 11 moreover has a circumferential wall 16. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, this wall 16 is cylindrical. However, it is also conceivable that the cross section of this wall 16 has a polygonal design. The circumferential edge 17 of the cover part 12, which likewise has a cylindrical design, may be part of the wall 16. Accordingly, the air conditioning device 10 as a whole is cylindrical and has a diameter 35 of 60 cm to 100 cm, preferably 85 cm.

A tubular inlet 18 and a tubular outlet 19 are located on the cover part 12. The air conditioning device 10 can be supplied with an appropriate cooling agent, for example water, via the inlet 18 and the outlet 19. To this end, the inlet 18 and the outlet 19 can be integrated in the ceiling 14. It is equally conceivable that the electrical connections (not illustrated) for the air conditioning device 10 are guided into the ceiling.

An opening 20, through which supply air may be sucked into the device body 11, is moreover associated with the cover part 12. A filter element 21 for filtering the inflowing air can be seen in a side view in FIG. 1, which filter element is located above the opening 20. In FIG. 1, multiple air outlets 22 can likewise be seen in the wall 16. These air outlets 22 serve to discharge the conditioned air to the environment. These air outlets 22 are substantially formed by wedges 23, which are located between the air outlets 22 in each case, or the air outlets 22 are formed between the wedges 23. An essential feature of the invention consists in that the air outlets 22 are arranged annularly around the device body 11 as a whole or the wall 16. The air outlets 22 are located in a region associated with the top side 13 or in an upper third or quarter of the wall 16. As a result, the opening 20 for letting the air in and the air outlets 22 for letting the air out are very close to one another.

A perspective view of the device body 11 without the cover part 12 is illustrated in FIG. 2. A fan 24 for producing a negative pressure in the device body 11 and a heat exchanger 25 for conditioning the air are thus visible. This fan 24 may be an axial fan. This fan 24 is arranged within an annular heat exchanger 25. The heat exchanger 25 has multiple rings arranged one inside another, which are arranged concentrically to the fan 24. It can likewise be seen from FIG. 2 that the heat exchanger 25 is connected to the inlet 18 and the outlet 19. The wall 16, which is illustrated in part in FIG. 2, has a wide edge region 26, in which six receptacles 27 are located. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, these receptacles 27 all have different designs. The receptacles 27 serve to receive the wedges 23, which are arranged on a bottom side 28 of the cover part 12. The wedges 23 arranged on the bottom side 28 of the cover part 12 are illustrated in FIG. 3. This shows a view of the cover part 12 from below. All components, which are also illustrated in FIG. 2, are mounted on the cover part 12 here. Two struts 29, which are fastened in two opposing wedges 23 in each case, are used for this purpose.

A sectional illustration of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 4. For a better understanding of the technical design of the air conditioning device 10, auxiliary lines 30 describing a right-angle coordinate system are illustrated in FIG. 4, the geometrical center point of the cylindrical air conditioning device 10 being located at the zero point of this system.

This sectional illustration substantially shows that the fan 24 and the heat exchanger 25 are arranged eccentrically within the device body 11, i.e. not at the point of intersection of the auxiliary lines 30. As a result of this eccentric arrangement, which is already evident in FIGS. 2 and 3, a crescent-shaped region 31 may form between the heat exchanger 25 and the wall 16. This additional free region 31 serves to receive technical components, for example electronics, valves and the like. As a result of arranging these components in this region 31 within the device body 11, it is possible to achieve a situation in which further components do not have to be attached to the top side 13 of the device body 11. As a result, it is also possible to realize the installation of the air conditioning device 10 close to the ceiling.

The arrangement and the form of the wedges 23 can moreover be seen in FIG. 4. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, the device 10 has six wedges 23, which are arranged at the same angular distance 32 from one another on the edge region 26. In this view, it is also clear that the edge region 26 does not represent a symmetrical ring, but is likewise designed to be eccentric. The angular distance 32 between the wedges 23 is determined substantially by the number of wedges 23 and by the width of the wedges 23. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, this angular distance 32 is between 40° and 50° or 43°. The width 33 of the wedges is 100 mm to 140 mm, preferably 122 mm. Accordingly, the wedges 23 occupy an angular region 34 of 15°-20°, preferably 17°. It is likewise very clear from this view that the form of the six wedges 23 differs. These adapted forms of the wedges 23 are due to the eccentricity of the fan 24 and the heat exchanger 25. As a result of the fan 24 not being positioned centrally within the device body 11, the circulating air strikes the wedges 23 at different speeds and with differing momentum. In order to still produce a homogeneous flow pattern outside the device 10, the forms of the wedges 23 are designed such that the outflowing airflows are substantially the same for all air outlets 22.

An exploded illustration of the air conditioning device 10 is illustrated in FIG. 5. In particular, this illustration highlights the configuration of the cover part 12 and the device body 11. The cover part 12 is substantially a plate with an edge 17. The opening 20, which can be covered by the filter element 21, is located eccentrically in the cover part 12. This opening 20 serves to conduct air 40 sucked in by the fan 24 into the device 10 and then through the heat exchanger 25. The wedges 23, which are arranged on the bottom side 28 of the cover part 12, are likewise visible. When the cover part 14 comes together with the device body 11, these wedges 23 become joined to the corresponding receptacles 27 of the edge region 26. The molded part 36, which is added to the crescent-like region 31 within the device body 11 in the manner of a housing, is likewise illustrated in FIG. 5. This molded part 36 functions in two ways: On the one hand, it serves to protect the electronic components, valves and the like, which are arranged in the crescent-like region 31, and, on the other, the molded part 36 also forms receptacles 27 or parts of a receptacle 27 for the wedges 23 on a top side. As a result of this molded part 36, the formation of the circumferential air outlets 22 can therefore proceed in spite of the components arranged in the device body 11.

The cover part 12, the device body 11 and the molded part 36 may each be made from a foamed plastic, preferably from an expanded polypropylene (EPP). As a result, the device 10 as a whole is particularly light and easy to produce. Moreover, EPP may have an acoustic damping effect. However, it is also conceivable that the above-mentioned parts of the device 10 are produced from another material. In particular, connecting means for connecting the components may be metallic.

The perspective illustration of FIG. 5 is illustrated from another direction in FIG. 6. The bottom side 28 of the cover part 12 is substantially visible here. The different forms of the wedges 23 are clear from this illustration. The exemplary embodiment of the opening 20 illustrated here provides that this opening extends downward in the direction of the fan 24 in a funnel-like manner. As a result, the air is guided to the fan more efficiently. Moreover, this FIG. 6 reveals that the bottom side 15 of the device body 11 is closed. The exchange of air, i.e. the sucking-in and guiding-away of the air, therefore takes place exclusively in the upper region of the air conditioning device.

The top side 13 of the air conditioning device 10 or the cover part 12 in each case is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. Whilst the filter element 21 is illustrated in FIG. 7, it has been omitted in FIG. 8 to illustrate the fan.

The cover part 12 and the device body 11 may be axially displaceable with respect to one another so that the device body 11 can be moved away downward for cleaning and maintenance purposes, specifically without needing to separate the device body 11 from the cover part 12. This option in a specific exemplary embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 9. By lowering the cover part 12, the device 10 can be cleaned or serviced whilst suspended from the ceiling 14. It is conceivable that the device body 11 can be lowered by a length 37 of 100 mm to 200 mm, preferably 155 mm. The height of the cover 38 may be 20 mm-50 mm, preferably 35 mm. The height 39 of the device body 11 may be 100 mm-200 mm, preferably 143 mm. To lower the cover part 12, it may be provided that the device body 11 can be lowered on the struts 29. To this end, it is necessary to release corresponding securing means, for example, in order to lower the device body 11 and to re-fasten it accordingly when the device body 11 is brought back into the starting position after maintenance. Moreover, it is conceivable that a bottom shell 45 is arranged on the bottom side 15 of the device body 11. This bottom shell may be designed as a condensate tray and serves to catch condensed water. This shell 45 can be cleaned or emptied during maintenance.

The flow of air during operation of the air conditioning device 10 is illustrated schematically in FIG. 10-12 . FIG. 10 reveals that, when the fan is running 24, the supply air 40 is sucked substantially from below into the gap between the air conditioning device 10 and the ceiling 14. The supply air 40 is guided precisely past the points at which the wedges 23 are located between the air outlets 22. The discharge air 41 is then discharged from the device 10 in the horizontal direction through the air outlets 22.

The airflow within the air conditioning device 10 is clearly shown in the perspective illustration according to FIG. 11. This illustration reveals that the supply air 40 is sucked into the opening 20 via the cover part 12, specifically in particular at the points at which the wedges 43 are located. The air is then guided through the heat exchanger 25 and returned back to the room horizontally as discharge air from the air outlets 22. FIG. 11 reveals particularly clearly that the supply air 40 is guided into the device 10 precisely at the point where discharge air 41 not discharged. The supply air 40 and the discharge air 41 therefore alternate in a star shape around the whole air conditioning device 10.

A simulation of the discharge air 41 in the near field 42 directly around the air conditioning device 10 and in the far field 43 is illustrated in FIG. 12. This illustration shows very clearly that the wedges 23 form a type of “air shade” 44. The discharge air 41 flowing out through the air outlets 22 between the wedges 23 is guided outward in a diverging manner and surrounds the air shades 44. Due to the divergence of the discharge air 41, this comes together in the far field 43 so that a very homogeneous airflow is distributed across the room, which results in a particularly pleasant climate. Furthermore, although the air shades 44 formed differ due to the differing wedges 23, they form in such a way that a homogeneous far field 43 is ultimately produced. Finally, this view also reveals very clearly that the supply air 40 is sucked into the device 10 precisely in the regions in which the air shades 44 are located.

It should be expressly noted that the invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment illustrated here. Instead, it is conceivable that the invention is also realized by other embodiments.