Retractable handle for air valve heat pump

The present invention relates to a heat pump that utilizes unidirection refrigerant wherein air directed across the condenser and evaporator is redirected for different operations. While the heat pump is operating in the cooling mode, manually operable dampers are positioned so that outdoor air is circulated through the condenser and indoor air is circulated through the evaporator. Conversely, in the heating mode, the dampers are manually positioned so that outdoor air is circulated through the evaporator; and indoor air is circulated through the condenser for heating the air.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to air conditioners known as heat pumps: and, more 
particularly, to a reverse air cycle air conditioner that may be used for 
cooling or heating by redirecting air distribution. 
There are two common types of heat pumps, or air conditioners that are used 
for heating as well as cooling. One type of heat pump reverses the 
refrigerant flow, thus the functions of the evaporator and condenser 
interchange. This type has disadvantages; including the use of a 
relatively expensive reversing valve, and other components necessary to 
allow the interchange of heat exchangers that may be costly to replace and 
maintain. 
Another type of heat pump utilizes unidirection refrigerant flow wherein 
the condenser and evaporator retain their functions, but the air directed 
across them is redirected for different operations. While the heat pump is 
operating in the cooling mode, outdoor air is passed in heat exchange 
relationship with the condenser for liquifying the refrigerant and outside 
again; and indoor air is passed in heat exchange relationship with the 
evaporator for cooling the air circulated again. Conversely, in the 
heating mode, outdoor air passes in heat exchange relationship with the 
evaporator for vaporizing the refrigerant, then outside again; and indoor 
air is passed in heat exchange relationship with the condenser for heating 
the air and circulated again. 
One prior art U.S. Pat. No., 2,878,657-Atchison, assigned to General 
Electric Company, the assignee of the present invention, discloses the 
latter type heat pump wherein the air conditioning unit includes a 
plurality of air controlling valves each of which is associated with an 
opposed inlet and outlet opening of the unit that permit selective control 
of the air flowing into and discharging from the unit in order to direct 
air either from the outside or from within the enclosure over either of 
the heat exchangers disposed within separate compartments of the unit. 
Another prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,446, discloses a unit having 
a rotatable damper that can mutually and exclusively place the condenser 
and evaporator in the desired degree of communication with the outdoor or 
the indoor. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an air conditioning apparatus for 
conditioning air in an enclosure having a wall opening, and more 
particularly to an air conditioner including a housing adapted to be 
positioned in the wall opening with one side of said housing facing the 
outdoors and the opposite side of the housing facing said enclosure. A 
central chamber is defined by spaced partitions dividing the housing into 
an evaporator compartment and a condenser compartment. Arranged in the 
housing is a refrigerating system including a condenser in the condenser 
compartment, an evaporator in the evaporator compartment and a compressor 
in the central compartment. Positioned in each of the compartments is a 
fan shroud that substantially divides the evaporator and condenser 
compartments into inlet and outlet sections, each of the sections having 
an opening in both the indoor and outdoor facing side of the housing. A 
fan is positioned in each of the shrouds for circulating air through the 
evaporator and condenser compartments in a direction from the inlet 
section to the outlet section. Manually operable air valve means are 
provided for controlling the flow of air through the evaporator and 
condenser compartments for heating or cooling the enclosure. The air valve 
means include a first damper slidably arranged in the indoor facing side 
of the housing that is associated with the indoor facing openings of the 
compartments and a second interconnected damper slidably arranged in the 
outdoor facing side of the housing that is associated with the outdoor 
facing opening of the compartments. Hand operated retractable handles are 
provided adjacent the vertical edge of the indoor damper for moving the 
damper between compartment openings. The damper are selectively positioned 
to a first cooling position wherein the indoor facing openings of the 
evaporator compartment communicate with the enclosure and the outdoor 
facing openings of the condenser compartment communicate with the outdoors 
for cooling the air, and to a second heating position wherein the indoor 
facing openings in the condenser compartment communicate with the indoors 
for heating the air.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is 
shown an air conditioner unit 10 including a housing 12 that is adapted to 
be arranged in an opening 14 in the wall 16 of an enclosure to be 
conditioned. The housing 12 is generally rectangular in shape (FIG. 2) and 
includes bottom and top walls 18 and 20 respectively interconnected by 
longer side walls 22 and 24. The housing walls (FIG. 1) define generally a 
front opening 26 disposed in the enclosure side of wall 16 and a rear 
opening 28 disposed in the outdoor side of wall 16. Arranged over the 
front opening 26 of housing 12 is a front grille or appearance member 25 
which includes appropriate air deflecting vanes 27, while a grille 29 is 
positioned over the rear opening 28. 
Mounted within the housing 12 in a manner to be fully described hereinafter 
is a removably arranged chassis 30. Mounted on chassis 30, is the air 
conditioner refrigeration system including an evaporator 32 and a 
condenser 34 connected in refrigerant flow relationship with a compressor 
36. Referring to FIGS. 1-2, it will be seen that the chassis 30 includes a 
plurality of parallel spaced partitions that divide the housing 12 to 
include a central or machine compartment 38, which houses the compressor 
36 and a control box 39, an upper or evaporator compartment 40 and a lower 
or condenser compartment 42. The partitions of chassis 30 include two 
spaced substantially parallel central partitions 44 and 46 which define 
the central compartment 38. An upper fan shroud partition member 48 
substantially divides the upper evaporator compartment 40 into an inlet 
area 50 defined by member 48 and partition 46 and an outlet area 52 
defined by member 48 and the upper wall 20 of housing 12. The evaporator 
32 is securely held between the partitions 46 and 48 in the inlet area 50. 
A lower fan shroud partition 54 substantially divides the lower condenser 
compartment 42 into an inlet area 58 defined by the member 54 and 
partition 44 and an outlet area 56 defined by member 54 and sump pan 60 
arranged in the lower wall 18 of housing 12. The condenser 34 is securely 
held between the partitions 44 and 54 in the inlet area 58. 
Air is circulated by a fan 72 arranged in shroud 48 from the evaporator 
inlet section 50 to evaporator outlet section 52 and similarly air is 
circulated by a fan 73 arranged in shroud 54 from the condenser inlet 58 
to condenser outlet section 56. 
Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the inlet and outlet sections of 
the evaporator and condenser compartments are arranged within the 
rectangular housing 12 with each section having a pair of openings 
therein, one cummunicating with opening 28 facing the outdoors, and a 
second opening communicating with opening 26 facing the enclosure whereby 
air can be both introduced and discharged from the evaporator and 
condenser compartments in two different directions. More specifically, the 
evaporator compartment inlet section 50 contains openings 100 and 102 and 
the outlet section 52 contains openings 104 and 106 in the indoor and 
outdoor side respectively of housing 12. Similarly condenser compartment 
inlet section 58 is provided with openings 108 and 110, and the outlet 
section 56 is provided with opening 112 and 114 in the indoor and outdoor 
side respectively of housing 12. As will be hereinafter explained, the 
inlet and outlet openings of each compartment on the indoor and outdoor 
side of housing 12 is provided with means for selectively controlling the 
air flow through the condenser and evaporator compartments. 
As may be seen in FIG. 1, the front openings 26 and 28 of housing 12 are 
provided with channel or track portions 113 that extend completely around 
the openings. Each opening 26 and 28 is provided with means for 
controlling air flow through the evaporator and condenser compartments. In 
the present embodiment, air flow is controlled by a pair of air valves or 
dampers 118 and 120 that are fitted for vertical movement in the track 
portions 116 on the openings 26 and 28 respectively. To this end, the 
dampers 118 and 120 are provided with guide portions 114 that extend 
outwardly from, and along substantially the entire vertical edges of each 
damper. The guides 114 are dimensioned to be received in the track 113 as 
shown in FIG. 3. 
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the dampers are 
interconnected to insure proper location of one damper over a compartment 
inlet and outlet opening one one side of the housing by movement of the 
other damper arranged on the other side of the housing. To this end (FIG. 
2), there is provided a first set of four rollers 124 rotatably mounted on 
the side wall 24 of housing 12 and a similar set of four rollers 126 
rotatably mounted on the side wall 22 of housing 12. With reference to 
FIG. 1, it will be seen that the rollers are mounted near the corner 
portions of the side walls to, in effect, outline a rectangle on each side 
wall. Arranged on rollers 124 is an endless cable 128, while an endless 
cable 130 is arranged on the rollers 126. The front damper 118 is secured 
to each vertical pass of the cables 128, 130 at a point where they 
communicate with the front opening 26, while the back damper 120 is 
secured to the cables 128, 130 at a point where they communicate with the 
back opening 28. To this end, the dampers are provided with fastening 
members 132 located on the back or inner wall along the vertical edge of 
the dampers. With the dampers properly positioned relative to the 
compartment openings, the fastening members 132 are then crimped to the 
cables. Accordingly, vertical movement of the front damper 118 positioned 
in the enclosure side of housing 12 will cause an opposite vertical 
movement of the back damper 120 positioned in the outdoor side of the 
housing 12. 
In use with the dampers 118, 120 arranged in the heating position shown in 
FIG. 1, the air flow through the conditioner 10 is such as to heat the air 
circulated from the enclosure. That is in the heating mode with the damper 
118 closing the enclosure side inlet openings 100 and outlet opening 104 
of evaporator compartment 40, air from the enclosure is drawn into the 
condenser compartment 42 through inlet 108 where it is passed through the 
condenser 34 heated and then back into the enclosure through outlet 112. 
In the heating mode, damper 120 closes the outside inlet openings 110 and 
outlet opening 114 of the condenser compartment 42 and air from the 
outdoors is drawn into the evaporator compartment through inlet 102 where 
it is passed through the evaporator 32 and back into the outdoors through 
outlet 106. 
In the cooling mode the indoor damper 118 would be positioned over the 
enclosure side condenser inlet 108 and outlet 112 section openings so that 
enclosure air is drawn into the evaporator compartment through uncovered 
inlet 100 where it is passed through the evaporator and cooled and then 
back into the enclosure through outlet 104. In this mode the outdoor 
damper 120 would be positioned over the outdoor evaporator inlet 102 and 
outlet 106 openings so that outdoor air is drawn into the uncovered 
condenser compartment 42 through inlet 110 where it is passed through the 
condenser and then back into the outdoors through outlet 114. 
Means are provided by the present invention to facilitate movement of the 
dampers by the user to either the heating or cooling position explained 
hereinabove. To this end, a pair of retractable handles 115 are arranged 
on the indoor damper 118. The handles 115 include a mounting portion 117 
and a grip or handle portion 119. The mounting portion 117 of each handle 
is slidably arranged in a bracket or support member 121. The support 
members 121 are arranged on the outer wall adjacent the vertical edge 
portion 114 of damper 118 and includes flange portions 123 suitably 
secured to the front wall of damper 118 by any suitable means and a sleeve 
portion 125 spaced from the front wall of damper 118 to slidably receive 
portion 117 of handle 115. The handle portion 117 is positioned adjacent 
the front wall of housing 12 and extends through a cutout 127 formed in 
the side walls of the grille 25. The arrangement allows free vertical 
movement of the handle when the damper is moved between operative 
positions. 
In their retracted position, as shown in FIG. 3, the handle portion 119 
extends beyond the housing 12, a distance sufficient to allow the user to 
grip and pull out the handle 115 to its extended position shown in broken 
lines. Once in their extended position, the handles may be conviently used 
to move damper 118 to its selected position, through the above described 
interconnected cable system, which simultaneously positions the outdoor 
damper 120. 
Control means are provided that prevent operation of the unit in the event 
the damper doors or air valves are not positioned properly relative to the 
selected inlet and outlet openings. To this end, there is mounted in the 
control box 39 a pair of switches 136 and 138. The switch 136 is a heater 
control switch through which a resistance heater 140 is energized. The 
switch 136 is moved to its control position when the damper 118 is in its 
up position and enclosure air is accordingly circulating through the 
condenser compartment 42. The switch 136 also orients the thermostat 142 
so that it functions during the heating cycle between a lower ambient and 
a higher set temperature. The switch 138 is effective in locking out the 
heater 140 when the damper is in its down or cooling position and 
enclosure air is accordingly circulating through the evaporator 
compartment 40. Besides locking out the circuit to the heater 140, the 
switch 138 orients the thermostat 142 so that it functions during the 
cooling cycle between a higher ambient and lower set temperature. Another 
feature of the switch arrangement is to prevent operation of the air 
conditioner if both switches are closed. In effect, the switches are so 
arranged that the damper 118 must be either in its fully up heating 
position which means damper 120 is in its fully lowered position or in its 
down position, or cooling position which means damper 120 is in its fully 
up position. 
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment 
described heretofore is considered to be the presently preferred form of 
this invention. In accordance with the Patent Statutes, changes may be 
made in the disclosed apparatus and the manner in which it is used without 
actually departing from the true spirit and scope of this invention.