Patent Publication Number: US-9885499-B2

Title: Refrigerant air conditioner for boats in ports and marinas

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a refrigerant air conditioner for boats in ports and marinas. Such a refrigerant air conditioner is inserted in a pedestal that can be used also in camping areas for recreational vehicles and temporary shelters. 
     PRIOR ART 
     The International Patent Application PCT/IB2014/061551 of the same Applicant discloses a multi-service pedestal, in particular for ports and marinas, being provided with a support structure and adapted to supply a variety of utilities, such as electricity, tap water, telephone and television connections, to a boat moored at a pier or quay. 
     The multi-service pedestal further has a central conditioning apparatus adapted to be connected to a terminal unit onboard the moored boat for conditioning the air within it by heat exchange with a conditioning liquid. 
     In the above mentioned patent application the central conditioning apparatus that is a machine acting as a chiller or as a heat pump depending on the direction of the refrigerant or operating fluid in a flow circuit of the same machine includes an open loop heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the operating fluid and cooling water being sucked for example from a basin near the multi-service pedestal, and a closed loop heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the operating fluid and a conditioning liquid. The terminal unit is a fan coil for the conditioning liquid that is connected to the closed loop heat exchanger by delivery pipes and return pipes. 
     The multi-service pedestal according to the patent application above mentioned succeed to overcome the problem of providing conditioned air to a moored boat without air conditioner. However, the multi-service pedestal above mentioned has a conditioning system that requires multiple heat exchanges: a first between the operating fluid and the external water, a second between operating fluid and conditioning liquid, a third between conditioning liquid and air of the room to be conditioned. These heat exchanges imply a rather complex conditioning system, a great number of components and then a high cost. 
     The present invention aims to overcome the above drawbacks. 
     A main object of the present invention is to provide a simple and cheap refrigerant air conditioner for boats in ports and marinas by virtue of a reduced number of components. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide an air conditioner able to operate for warming and chilling boats in a simple way with reduced operating and maintenance costs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to achieve the objects above mentioned, the present invention, as defined in claim  1  enclosed to the present description, provides a refrigerant air conditioner for boats in ports and marinas, comprising a compressor, an external heat exchanger, a room heat exchanger cooperating with a fan, wherein the compressor and the external heat exchanger are contained within an air conditioner container forming part of a multi-service pedestal, equipped with a support structure situated on a pier or quay, and the internal heat exchanger is placed in a boat moored to the pier or quay. 
     Advantageously, the invention makes a simple, reliable and cheap air conditioner available to a user. The user has only to host onboard an internal heat exchanger connected to the other components of the conditioning system that are located in the container on the multi-service pedestal on the quay or pier, by a hose acting as a sheath that contains two other pipes for the refrigerant, i.e. a delivery pipe and a return pipe. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention will be more evident from the description of embodiments of the present air conditioner, depicted by way of indicative and not limiting examples in the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of the refrigerant air conditioner according to the invention whose main external and internal components are shown superiorly and inferiorly, respectively; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic side view of a first installation example for the refrigerant air conditioner in  FIG. 1 , whose external components are in a container inserted in a multi-service pedestal, mounted on a pier, and the internal components are on a moored boat; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic side view of a second installation example for the refrigerant air conditioner similar to that in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged rear view of the multi-service pedestal in the second installation example in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic side view of a third installation example without the refrigerant air conditioner; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the multi-service pedestal shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; and 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are a perspective view of a variant of the multi-service pedestal with a conditioner container that is detached and connected, respectively, to the multi-service pedestal. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made initially to  FIG. 1  that is a schematic representation of the refrigerant air conditioner according to the invention; particularly a flow chart for the refrigerant and the cooling water are shown. Main external and internal components of the air conditioner are shown superiorly and inferiorly, respectively. The internal components are those inside the room to be conditioned. 
     The external components CE comprise a compressor  1 , a four-way valve  2 , a pressure switch  3 , an external heat exchanger  4 , an intake pump  5 , a no-return valve  6 , external solenoid valves  7 ,  8 . The internal components CI comprise internal solenoid valves  9 ,  10 , an internal check valve  11 , a fan  12 , an internal heat exchanger  13 , a small collecting tank  14  and a drainage pump  15 . 
     Pipes for refrigerant flow are depicted as single continuous lines, and the pipes for the water flow are represented with single dashed lines; single continuous lines and single dashed lines are not denoted with numeral references. 
     The external heat exchanger  4  is an open loop heat exchanger in which the pipe of refrigerant or operating fluid, represented with single continuous line, comes from the compressor  1  through the four-way valve  2  and exits the external heat exchanger  4  toward the no-return valve  6 . Cooling water comes from an adjacent water basin through a pipe, represented with single dashed line, by the intake pump  5 , passes through the external heat exchanger  4  and exits it for returning into the water basin. 
     The solenoid valves  7 ,  8  separate the external components CE of the conditioner from the connections to the internal components CI having the solenoid valves  9 ,  10 , similar to the solenoid valves  7 ,  8 , the check valve  11  and the internal heat exchanger  13  that is provided with the fan  12  for conditioning the room in which it is placed. 
     Reference is made now to  FIG. 2  that is a diagrammatic side view of a first installation example for the refrigerant air conditioner in  FIG. 1 . Its external components CE above described are in a container  16  inserted in a multi-service pedestal  17  mounted on a pier P. The internal components CI are on a moored boat B. The connection between the components CE and the components CI is made through two refrigerant delivery and return pipes  18 ,  18 , respectively, and an electric connection line  19  between inside and outside. The electric connection line  19  allows the conditioner to be operated by a not shown thermostat, situated inside the moored boat B. 
     The multi-service pedestal  17  has a support structure  20  with a substantially inverted squared S-shaped profile, if an upward inclined extension, as described below, is ignored. Placed in the upper part of the support structure  20  is the container  16  inside which are the external components CE of the air conditioner. A housing  21  for a group of utilities is removably placed on the L-shaped lower part of the support structure  20 . 
     When the container  16  is inside the pedestal  17 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the air conditioner can work for conditioning air inside the boat B. The external heat exchanger  4 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , has a thermal exchange with the water basin SA, whose sucked cooling water passes through a filter  22 . 
     The arrow G, pointing upwards, indicates the direction of the cooling water flow in an intake pipe TA. The arrow H, pointing towards the water basin SA indicates the direction of the cooling water flow after cooling in a discharge pipe TS. It can be noted that the intake pipe TA and the discharge pipe TS, by passing inside the support structure  20 , put in communication the open loop external heat exchanger  4  with the water basin SA. 
     Alternatively the intake pipe TA and the discharge pipe TS can pass outside the support structure  20 . This is shown in  FIG. 3  that is a diagrammatic side view of a second installation example for the refrigerant air conditioner similar to the first example shown in  FIG. 2 . Identical or similar parts are indicated with the same numerals. The second installation example differs from the first because the intake pipe TA and the discharge pipe TS exit laterally the pedestal  17 , in particular from the rear of the container  16  of the air conditioner. This is shown in more detail in  FIG. 4  that is an enlarged rear view of the multi-service pedestal in the second installation example of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The support structure  20  shows behind a cutout  23  in order to permit the passage of pipes and connections from a rear side  24  of the container  16  of the air conditioner. The intake pipe TA and the discharge pipe TS of the cooling water, as well as the delivery and return pipes  18 ,  18  of the refrigerant and the electric connection line  19 , pass through the cutout  23 , that can be closed with a removable panel as shown in the following. Indicated as  25  on the rear side of the container  16  is a power cord of the conditioning system. 
     The pedestal  17  is best shown in  FIG. 6  that is an exploded perspective view of the multi-service pedestal  17  represented in  FIG. 2 . The squared S-shaped profile is formed by an L-shaped lower part and by an inverted C-shaped upper part  35  with a vertical side  27  and parallel sides  28 ,  29 . Support elements  30  between these parallel sides  28 ,  29  serve to stiffen the inverted C-shaped upper part  35 . The support elements  30  shaped as a logo, for example distinctive of the port or marina that use the multi-service pedestal. However, it should be evident that such support elements  30  can have an anonymous form like simple bars. 
     The inverted C-shaped upper part  35  extends upwards in a portion  31  inclined backward in order to sustain, advantageously, a computer display S. As shown in the figures, the support element  30  extends from the upper part  35  to the portion  31  inclined backward. The inverted C-shaped upper part  35  is intended to receive removable in the inverted C-shaped recess the container  16 , which is suitably retained and blocked. The container  16  has side grip handles  32 , and is frontally coated with slats of wood or composite material like other front parts of the support structure  20 . Among these, there is a closure panel  42  of the cutout  23  (shown in  FIG. 4 ), which is aesthetically useful for the support structure  20  when the container  16  is removed from the upper part  35  of the support structure  20 . 
     The inverted C-shaped upper part  35  can be connected with cylindrical hinges  33  to the inverted L-shaped lower part  26 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . After the removal of the container  16 , the upper part  35  can rotate around the hinges  33  in the direction shown by the arrow F in  FIG. 6 . As a result of this rotation, the container  21  can be received for the multi-service pedestal utilities in the inverted L-shaped lower part  26 . The utility container  21  is retained in position by the upper part  35  that has on the horizontal side  28  a covering element (not denoted with a numeral reference) intended to position itself on the utility container  21  and to block it when the upper part  35  is in an operating position as shown in  FIG. 3 . The utility container as well as the utilities themselves right inside are not illustrated, nor described in more detail as generally known, insofar as typical of the pedestals for ports and marinas. 
     With regards to that, reference is made to  FIG. 5 , which is a diagrammatic side view of a third installation example of a multi-service pedestal without the refrigerant air conditioner. In this figure it can be seen that the air conditioner container, as well as the cooling water intake and discharge pipes, the internal cooling system components, the delivery and return pipes of the refrigerant and the electric connection line between the external and internal components of the cooling system, has been removed. 
     A user U is shown at the computer display of the multi-service pedestal  17 . The display S, which can be a touch screen display, can be used in order to receive weather and marine forecast, and any other service information or advertising. 
     The display, placed on the surface of the portion  31  inclined backwards in order to obtain an optimal vision, through cable or Wi-Fi connections, allows the user to benefit from an interacting dedicated service promotion, as well as an advertising program. 
     Reference is made now to  FIGS. 7  e  8 , which are a perspective view of a variant of the multi-service pedestal with a conditioner container that is detached and connected, respectively, to the multi-service pedestal. 
     A multi-service pedestal  36  has a substantially prismatic shaped support structure  37  that ends superiously with an inclined plane  34  sustaining a display S. The external components of the air conditioner according to the present invention are inside a container  38  provided with small feet  39  in order to lie on the ground near the support structure  37 . The support structure  37  is provided with union means that connect the container  38  to the support structure  37 . In an example the union means are in the form of a flip-open arm  40  that connects the cooling air conditioner container  38  to the support structure  37  by means of a lock  41 . 
     In  FIG. 7  the container  38  is shown separated from the support structure  37 , and the flip-open arm  40  is shown rotated in an arrow L direction until a horizontal position. In  FIG. 8  the container  38  is put close to the support structure  37  in the position indicated by an arrow M, and an arrow N indicates the closure of the flip-open arm on the container  38  by means of the lock  41 . 
     Evident are the advantages of the present invention, consisting in a combination of a multi-service pedestal for ports and marinas and of an air conditioning system. The multi-service pedestal supplies chilled and warmed air to the inside of boats that have no fixed air conditioner onboard due to dimensions or cost thereof. 
     The operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention is similar in both the example of multi-service pedestal shown in  FIGS. 2 to 6 , where the multi-service pedestal  17  has an air conditioner container  16  inserted advantageously removably inside the support structure  20 , and that one shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , where the multi-service pedestal  36  has an air conditioner container  38  connectable to the side of the support structure  37 . 
     When a boat B requests an air conditioning inside, the air conditioner container  16  or  38  is inserted or put close, respectively, to the support structure  20  or  37  and connected to the above described pipes. These pipes connect the external heat exchanger with the cooling water of the surrounding basin in the case of a hydraulic cooling and connect the external components of the air conditioner with the internal components of the boat. A regulation of temperature inside the boat is accomplished through a thermostat that is a component internal to the boat, being connected by an electric connection line to the external components inside the container  16  or  38 . 
     It can be understood that the prefixed objects have been achieved; first of all, the object of providing a refrigerant air conditioner for boats in ports and marinas that is simple and cheap, in virtue of a reduced number of components, able to operate for warming and chilling boats in a simple way, with reduced operating and maintenance costs. 
     If the external heat exchanger was air cooled, the refrigerant air conditioner according to the invention could be used also in camping grounds for leisure vehicles and provisional shelters.