US3762178A - Cooling apparatus with delayed operation blower means - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooling apparatus for cooling the interior of a room, in which a blower is started for introducing air cooled by a cooling means into the room after the cooling means for cooling the air in the room is cooled below a predetermined temperature, so that the interior of the room is free from bad odour during starting period.

Description

United States Patent Yamada et a1.

Oct. 2, 1973 COOLING APPARATUS WITII DELAYED OPERATION BLOWER MEANS Inventors: Kaitti Yamada, Kusatsu; Yoshiyuki Morikawa, Otsu; Hidenosuke Matsumoto, Kusatsu, all of Japan Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,

Ltd., Kadoma-shi, Osaka, Japan Filed: June 28, 1971 Appl. No.: 157,542

Foreign Application Priority Data June 30, 1970 Japan 45/57633 US. Cl. 62/157, 62/180 Int. Cl. F25d 17/01) Field of Search 62/157, 158, 182,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,662,380 12/1953 Sutton 62/155 2,713,249 7/1955 Schordinc.... 62/155 2,899,802 8/1959 McMillan... 62/157 3,063,250 11/1962 Moorman 62/180 Primary Examiner-Meyer Perlin Att0rneyStevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT A cooling apparatus for cooling the interior of a room, in which a blower is started for introducing air cooled by a cooling means into the room after the cooling means for cooling the air in the room is cooled below a predetermined temperature, so that the interior of the room is free from bad odour during starting period.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures COOLING APPARATUS WITH DELAYED OPERATION BLOWER MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus for cooling interior of a room such as a house, an automobile or other vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art In a conventional cooling apparatus, it has been a common practice to start a blower for circulating air in a room at the same time when a compressor is started for feeding cooling medium to a cooling means, so that uncomfortable odour has often been introduced into the room during the starting period of the apparatus. The odour is mainly produced by nicotine, microorganism or zymogenic organism existing on the surfaces of the cooling means and/or a drain pan and carried into the room by the action of the blower. When the cooling means and the drain pan is higher in temperature such as during the starting period, an intense and uncomfortable odour is produced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has an object to provide a cooling apparatus in which a blower for introducing cooled air into a room is started with a predetermined time delay after the starting of means for feeding cooling medium into a cooling means, so that uncomfortable odour is not introduced from the cooling means into the room.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooling apparatus in which a blower for introducing cooled air into the room is started after cooling medium feeding means is started and the temperature of a cooling means is decreased below a predetermined value, so that uncomfortable odour is not introduced into the room.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cooling apparatus which comprises a thermostat for detecting a fact that, after cooling medium feeding means such as a compressor or a pump is started for feeding cooling medium into a cooling means, the temperature of the cooling means is decreased below a predetermined temperature until dew is deposited on the cooling unit, and in which a blower for introducing the air cooled by the cooling unit into a room is started in accordance with the operaion of the thermostat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing pipe line connections for cooling medium and an electrical circuits used in a cooling apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram similar to FIG. 1 but showing another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram similar to FIG. 1 which contains a timer for starting the blower, and

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2 but also containing a timer for commencing operation of the blower as shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 designates a compressor driven by amotor 2. Thereference numeral 3 designates a condenser which is connected through a conduit 4 for cooling medium with the outlet side of thecompressor 1, and 5 designates an expansion valve connected through a conduit 6 with thecondenser 3. It should of course be noted that a capillary tube may be used in the place of theexpansion valve 5. Anevaporator 7 is connected through a conduit 8 with theexpansion valve 5 and through a conduit 9 with the inlet side of the compressor 1. Thecompressor motor 2 is connected in series through a main switch 10 with a power source 11. Thenumeral 12 designates a starting capacitor for thecompressor motor 2. Ablower 13 is provided opposite to thecondenser 3 and theevaporator 7 so as to send the air cooled by theevaporator 7 into a room to be cooled. Theblower 13 is driven by ablower motor 14. In the illustrated embodiment, asecond blower 15 is provided opposite to thecondenser 3 and driven by the blower motor 14.Theblower 15 may of course be driven by a separate motor. Theblower motor 14 is connected at one of the terminals through a main switch 10 with the power source 11 and at the other of the terminals through a contact 17 of a thermostat with the power source 1 l. Thenumeral 18 designates a starting capacitor for theblower motor 14. Thethermostat 16 has a heat-sensingportion 19 arranged in heat exchange relation with theevaporator 7. Thethermostat 16 is of such a type that closes the contact 17 when theevaporator 7 is below a predetermined temperature. Thus, thethermostat 16 may be so adjusted that the contact 17 is closed when the temperature of theevaporator 7 is below the dew point.

In operation of the cooling unit, the main switch 10 is closed. Then, thecompressor motor 2 is started so as to drive the compressor 1. Thus, the cooling medium is compressed by the compressor 1 and circulated through thecondenser 3, theexpansion valve 5 and theevaporator 7. In thecondenser 3, the medium is condensed to discharge heat and, in theevaporator 7, it is again evaporated taking heat therefrom. Thus, theevaporator 7 is gradually cooled down. For a certain period after the start of the compressor 1 during which the surface temperature of theevaporator 7 is above a predetermined value, the contact 17 of the thermostat is kept open, so that theblower motor 14 does not operate. Thereafter, the compressor 1 is continued to operate until the surface temperature of theevaporator 7 is decreased to the predetermined value. This is detected by theheat sensing portion 19 of thethermostat 16. Thus, the contact 17 of thethermostat 16 is closed, so that theblower motor 14 is started to rotate. Therefore, theblowers 13 and 15 are driven to send air through theevaporator 7 and thecondenser 3. Thus, the operation of the cooling apparatus is started.

When theblower motor 14 is started to rotate, dew is deposited on the surface of theevaporator 7. In other words, theevaporator 7 is cooled down below the dew point before theblower 13 is started to rotate, so that there are many dewdrops on the surface of theevaporator 7. Since the dewdrops and the resulting water film are effective to solve and cover nicotine, microorganism or zymogenic organism existing on the surface of theevaporator 7, the air which has passed through theevaporator 7 does not carry uncomfortable odour. In an application where a drain pan is disposed in heat exchange relation with theevaporator 7, dew is also deposited on the drain pan. Thus, it is also effective to prevent uncomfortable odour from the drain pan. The dewdrops on theevaporator 7 gradually flow down onto the drain pan serving also to prevent odour from the drain pan. If theblower motor 14 is maintained stationary even after dew is deposited. on theevaporator 7, it may be possible frosted. Therefore, it is advisable to determine the setting temperature of thethermostat 16 above the frosting temperature. In other words, in an advisable arrangement, the contact 17 of thethermostat 16 is closed after dew is deposited on theevaporator 7 but before it is frosted, so as to operate theblower motor 14 and theblower 13 to send the air cooled by theevaporator 7 into the room to be cooled.

Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described taking reference to FIG. 2. In this example, cooling brine such as water is cooled by acooling unit 20 and fed by means of apump 21 through avalve 22 into a cooling means 23 where it is brought into heat exchange relation with room air sent by means of ablower 24. As in the example of FIG. 1, theblower 24 has ablower motor 25 which is controlled by athermostat 26 having acontact 27. In FIG. 2, thereference numeral 28 designates an electric power source, 29 a heat sensing portion of thethermostat 26, 30 a starting capacitor for theblower motor 25, and 31 a main switch. In FIG. 2, when the brine is cooled sufficiently by thecooling unit 20, the supply of air by theblower 24 may be commenced after passage of a certain period of time from the time when thevalve 22 is opened and the supply of brine to the cooling means 23 begins. In this case, it is of course essential that thepump 21 has already been set in motion to supply the brine with pressure.

Alternatively, with thevalve 22 being opened and the brine being cooled sufficiently by the coolingunit 20, the supply of air by theblower 24 may be started after passage of a certain period of time from the start of supply of the brine to thecooling unit 23 by thepump 21. This arrangement is particularly advantageous for a central cooling system. In each of the aforementioned embodiments, the operation of theblower motor 14 or 25 is delayed from the starting of the compressor 1, thepump 21 or the valve through the action of thethermostat 16 or 26, however, a time delay means such as atimer 32, as shown in FIG. 3, and 33, as shown in FIG. 4. or time delay relay may be used in the place of the thermostat. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the thermostat l6, l7, 18 in FIG. 1 is replaced, for example, by atimer 32. FIG. 4 shows an example in which thethermostat 26, 27, 29 in FIG. 2 is replaced by atime delay relay 33. According to the inventors experiments, a time delay of about 30 seconds can provide a satisfactory result. This deodoring effect is particularly great in the case when the cooling appratus is used for coiling the passenger compartment of an automobile which accommodates a number of persons in a narrow space, unlike the case of cooling a wide sapce by a room air conditioner, and it has been confirmed through the actual experiment that a time delay of about l seconds is sufficient to obtain a satisfactory result.

THE EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a blower for sending cooled air into a room to be cooled is started after the start of a cooling medium feeding means for feeding cooling medium into a cooling means with a predetermined time delay. Therefore, when the cooling means is at a relatively high temperature, that is, when nicotine, microorganism or zymogenic organism is at a condition under which it is apt to produce uncomfortable odour, the blower does not operate so that the odour is not introduced into the room. When the cooling means is cooled down until dew is deposited on its surface, the nicotine, microorganism or zymogenic organism is solved in the dew. Under this condition, the blower is started so that the cooled air is introduced into the room without carrying the uncomfortable odour.

According to the present invention, since the blower is started after the cooling medium feeding means is started to operate and the cooling means is cooled below a predetermined temperature, the blower is always operated with dewdrops deposited on the cooling means. Therefore, there is no possibility of uncomfortable odour introduced into the room.

In the cooling apparatus of the present invention, the blower is operated after the cooling medium feeding means with a predetermined time delay through the action of the time delay means. This ensures that the blower is always started after dew is deposited on the cooling means.

Further, the feature of the present invention is applicable to any of the types in which a compressor, a brine feed pump or a valve in a brine conduit is used as cooling medium feeding means. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to any type of cooling apparatus such as a central cooling system, a usual room air conditioner or auto air conditioner.

We claim:

,I. A cooling apparatus comprising cooling means adapted to be cooled by cooling medium, a pump for feeding cooling medium a blower for introducing air cooled by the cooling means into a room and thermostat means for detecting the fact that the cooling means is cooled down below a temperature at which dewdrops are formed on the surface of the cooling apparatus, under the ambient conditions in which said cooling apparatus is used after the pump is started so as to start the blower.

2. A cooling apparatus comprising cooling means adapted to be cooled by cooling medium,

a pump for feeding the cooling medium into said cooling means a blower for introducing air cooled by the cooling means into a room, and

electrical time delay circuit means for starting said blower with a time delay up to the point when dewdrops are formed on the surface of the cooling apparatus under the ambient conditions in which the cooling apparatus is used after the pump is started.

Claims (2)

1. A cooling apparatus comprising cooling means adapted to be cooled by cooling medium, a pump for feeding cooling medium a blower for introducing air cooled by the cooling means into a room and thermostat means for detecting the fact that the cooling means is cooled down below a temperature at which dewdrops are formed on the surface of the cooling apparatus, under the ambient conditions in which said cooling apparatus is used after the pump is started so as to start the blower.

2. A cooling apparatus comprising cooling means adapted to be cooled by cooling medium, a pump for feeding the cooling medium into said cooling means a blower for introducing air cooled by the cooling means into a room, and electrical time delay circuit means for starting said blower with a time delay up to the point when dewdrops are formed on the surface of the cooling apparatus under the ambient conditions in which the cooling apparatus is used after the pump is started.

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