Patent Publication Number: US-7908879-B1

Title: Multifunctional ceiling air-conditioning circulation machine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a multifunctional ceiling air-conditioning circulation machine, and more particularly to an all-in-one machine with the functions of a circulation fan, an air-conditioner, an air box, an air duct, an air outlet, a re-circulation outlet, and an air filter/purifier. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     When offices or factories are interiorly decorated, the ceiling is often made by light steel frame in a grid shape. Thereafter, the ceiling is placed in the grid frame. This kind of the construction way is simple and has low cost. Thus, it is widely used. 
     In order to enhance the convection of the indoor air, an air-conditioning circulation machine or a fan is often placed into the grid frame. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a circulation fan  12  extra for a ceiling steel frame is installed at the bottom of an upper housing  11 . A lower housing  13  includes an air outflow hole  14  formed in a circular shape and corresponding to the circulation fan  12 . An air outflow disc  15  is positioned within the air outflow hole  14  such that the air is expelled from the air outflow disc  15  when the air is sucked from an air inflow opening  16  at the rim of the lower housing  13 . In this way, an increased convection of the indoor air is guaranteed. 
     In general, a conventional circulation fan  10  simply has the ventilation and air blowing functions and does not come with an air-conditioning function, and thus it is necessary to install an air-conditioning blower  20  as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  on a ceiling or a steel frame, and the air-conditioning blower  20  comprises an air blower  21 , an evaporator  22 , an air collection box  23 , an air duct  24 , an air outlet  25  and a re-circulation outlet  26 , wherein the evaporator  22  is provided for absorbing heat to produce an expansion effect by a high-pressure refrigerant from a compressor  27 , and the air blower  21  sucks cold air around the evaporator  22  into the air collection box  23  from the rear direction, and the air duct  24  sends the cold air to each room A, B, C . . . N However, the manufacture and application of the aforementioned air-conditioning blower  20  still have the following drawbacks: 
     1. The conventional air-conditioning blower  20  usually supplies cold air to several rooms A, B, C . . . N at the same time, and thus it is necessary to adopt a high-power machine. Such arrangement not only results in a large volume only, but also results in a heavy weight of the machine, so that it is very difficult to hang and install such machine on the ceiling. 
     2. The conventional air-conditioning blower  20  sends cold air through the air duct  24 , but some rooms far from the air collection box  23  require a very long air duct  24 . Such arrangement not only incurs a higher material cost, but also incurs a higher loss of cold air as well as affecting the air-conditioning effect. 
     3. To have a balanced air pressure for each room A, B, C . . . N, it is necessary to have air inlets and re-circulation outlets  26  at many places of the ceiling. Such arrangement not only affects the aesthetic appearance, but also increases the cost. 
     In view of the aforementioned drawbacks, the inventor of the present invention conducted extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a multifunctional ceiling air-conditioning circulation machine in accordance with the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional ceiling air-conditioning circulation machine that integrates the functions of a circulation fan, an air conditioner, an air guide and an air re-circulation into the machine to be mounted on a ceiling or a steel frame, and a standalone air conditioner is installed in each small area of the ceiling, so that the volume and the weight of the machine can be minimized, not just facilitating the construction only, but also allowing a flexible way of installing the air conditioners at different positions of the ceiling as needed, and overcoming the loss of cold air due to a too-long air duct, so as to achieve the effects of a convenient installation and improve the efficiency of supplying cold air. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional ceiling air-conditioning circulation machine having a filter installed on a re-circulation outlet to provide the function of an air purifier. 
     In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the invention includes: 
     a) a base, having a square fixing frame formed around the periphery of the base, a concave circular groove formed at the center of the base, a plurality of exhaustion outlets formed between an internal side of the square fixing frame and an external side of the concave circular groove, and a plurality of ribs formed at the center of the circular hole on an internal side of he concave circular groove for supporting the fan holder; 
     b) an evaporator, substantially in a circular shape, and installed on the concave circular groove; 
     c) a fan, installed in the evaporator, and comprised of a motor and a fan vane, wherein the motor is mounted onto the fan holder, and the fan vane is installed in a direction facing upward; 
     d) a water pump, installed in an extended area on an external side of the concave circular groove, for discharging condensate water dripped from the evaporator to the concave circular groove through a drain pipe to the outside; 
     e) a cover, covered onto the square fixing frame of the base; and 
     f) a controller, including a control unit and wireless signal receiver, wherein the control unit is electrically coupled to the fan and the water pump for controlling the fan and the water pump to be turned ON or OFF. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a conventional circulation fan; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are a perspective view and a schematic view of a conventional air-conditioning blower respectively; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective top view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of some components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of a condenser separated from a base in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of a condenser combined with a base in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of Section  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of Section  10 - 10  of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic view of a liquid level detector of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic circuit diagram of a control circuit of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic view of an application of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 to 12  for a multifunctional machine  100  installed on a steel frame or a ceiling  200  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the machine  100  comprises the following components: 
     A base  30  includes a square fixing frame  31  formed around the periphery of the base  30  for facilitating mounting the base onto a steel frame or a square frame of a ceiling  200  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 13  respectively, and the fixing frame  31  includes a plurality of radial support frames  37  extended inwardly from the periphery of the fixing frame  31 , a plurality of exhaustion outlets  36  formed between an internal side of the fixing frame  31  and an external side of the concave circular groove  32 , and a plurality of ribs  33  formed at the center of the circular hole  35  on the internal side of the concave circular groove  32  for supporting the fan holder  34 , and the concave circular groove  32  of this embodiment has an U-shaped cross-section opened upward. 
     An evaporator  40  is substantially in a circular shape and installed on the concave circular groove  33 . In other words, the evaporator  40  is installed into the concave circular groove  32  and comprises a circulation pipe  41  and a plurality of heat dissipating fins  42  passed thereon. Since the evaporator  40  is a prior art, therefore its operating principle will not be described here, and the present invention is characterized in that the evaporator  40  is a circular body as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , and the circular body has a gap  43 , such that the circulation pipe  41  can be connected to an input pipe  411  and a re-circulation pipe  412  to an exterior of the machine  100  through the gap  43  to facilitate connecting an air-conditioner system  101  at a far end. In this embodiment, the evaporator  40  is an integrally formed circular body, but the invention is not limited to such arrangement only, and the invention may adopt a plurality of circular bodies. 
     A fan  50  is installed in the evaporator  40  and comprised of a motor  51  and a fan vane  53 , wherein the motor  51  is mounted onto the fan holder  34 , and the fan vane  52  is installed in a direction facing upward. 
     A water pump  60  is installed in an extended area  321  on an external side of the concave circular groove  32  for discharging condensate water dripped from the evaporator  40  to the concave circular groove  32  through a drain pipe  61  to a condensate water recycling unit  102  installed externally. In this embodiment, the water pump  60  includes a liquid level detector  62  installed on a side of the water pump  60  in accordance with a preferred embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , and the liquid level detector  62  includes a buoy  621  that can be displaced on a shaft lever  632  according to a change of water level, and a magnet  622  installed in the buoy  621  and a reed switch  624  installed at a position of the shaft lever  623  and opposite to the magnet  622 . In other words, if the condensate water in the concave circular groove  32  has reached a predetermined height, the buoy  621  will rise and the magnet  622  will induce the reed switch  624 , such that a detection signal is transmitted through a conductive wire  625  to turn on the water pump  60  to discharge the condensate water through the drain pipe  61  to the outside. If the present invention does not have a water pump  60 , then the condensate water produced by the evaporator  40  will be accumulated and then overflown from the concave circular groove  32 . To accommodate and install the water pump  60 , it is necessary to have an extended area  321  on the external side of the concave circular groove  32 , wherein the extended area  321  slightly wider than the concave circular groove  32  is provided for allowing pumped water to be entered into the water pump  60 . 
     A cover  70  is covered onto the square fixing frame  31  of the base  30 , and the cover  70  includes an insulating layer  71  on an internal side of the cover  70 , wherein the insulating layer  71  is formed by polyfoam, so that the cold air produced by the evaporator  40  can be kept in the cover  70  to prevent condensate water from dripping from an external surface of the cover  70 . 
     A controller  80  includes a control unit  81  and a wireless signal receiver  82 , wherein the control unit  81  is electrically coupled to the fan  50  and the water pump  60  for controlling the fan  50  and the water pump  60  to be turned ON or OFF. The wireless signal receiver  82  is installed on the base  30 , and particularly at a position on the radial support frame  37  in this preferred embodiment, and the displaying lamp  821  is exposed form the bottom of the base  30 , such that when a user operates a remote controller  83  under the ceiling, a better receiving effect can be achieved, and a displaying lamp can be observed. In addition, the control unit  81  such as a circuit board is installed in a casing and on an external side of the cover  70 , and electrically coupled to a wireless signal receiver  82  on the base  30  in accordance the present invention. If the wireless signal receiver  82  receives a signal of the remote controller  83 , then the control unit  81  will turn on or off the fan  50 . As to the water pump  60  as shown in  FIG. 12 , the control unit  81  is operated to obtain a power supply  84 , and then the liquid level detector  62  is used for controlling the water pump  60  to be turned ON/OFF to discharge the condensate water timely. In addition, the evaporator  40  is connected to the air-conditioner system  101 , so that the air-conditioner system  101  can be turned off individually. Of course, the control unit  81  can be electrically coupled to the air-conditioner system  101 , so that the remote controller  83  can be used to turn on or off air-conditioner system  101  through the controller  80 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  9 , the fan holder  34  of the present invention includes a bearing housing  341  at the center of the bottom of the fan holder  34 , a bearing  342  and an axle  343  installed on the bearing housing  341 , and a guide disc  90  is installed from bottom to top into the circular hole  35  of the concave circular groove  32 , and a joint portion  91  is disposed at the center of the guide disc  90  and opposite to the axle  343 , and a bolt  94  is used for fixing the guide disc  90  to the bottom of axle  343  in a bottom-to-top direction, so that the guide disc  90  can be rotated freely under the fan holder  34 . In addition, the guide disc  90  includes a plurality of radial partitioning plates  92  and a plurality of concentric conical circular air guide plates  93  extended outwardly from the center of the joint portion  91 , wherein each air guide plate  93  is a through hole, and each conical circular air guide plate  93  is arranged with the middle protruded downwardly and the external periphery raised progressively to form an upwardly curved arc shape. In the design of the guide disc  90  in accordance with the present invention, the fan  50  is rotated for sucking air to form an air flow in the circular hole  35 . Now, a force exertion surface of the air flow is formed at a vertical plane of a side of each radial partitioning plate  92 , and the joint portion  91  is used as the center of axis for a slow rotation. In other words, the guide disc  90  will be rotated in the same direction of the fan  50  without the need of installing a driving motor at an edge of the guide disc  90 . The invention constitutes a structure without a motive power source and achieves the self-rotation and air guide effects. 
     The guide disc  90  further includes a circular filter  96  mounted onto an internal surface of the guide disc  90 , so that dusts in the air can be filtered to achieve the effect of purifying the air. In addition, the evaporator  40  further includes a plurality of arc filters  95  installed at the internal periphery of the evaporator  40  as shown in  FIG. 6 , wherein one arc filter  95  is used for illustrating the invention. In fact, several arc filters  95  can be used to form a circular body as shown in  FIG. 10 , such that the filter can be replaced from the bottom of the circular hole  35  for cleaning, so as to assure the smooth ventilation of the evaporator  40 . 
     In summation of the description above, the present invention has the following effects and advantages: 
     1. The fan  50  can be used for producing convections when the evaporator  40  of the present invention is not turned on, so that the machine  100  can be used as a circulation fan. 
     2. The fan  50  can be used for drawing air in a room into the evaporator  40  through the circular hole  35  when the evaporator  40  is turned on, and then the air is entered into the room from the exhaustion outlet  36  at the external periphery of the concave circular groove  32  to constitute an air-cool convection, so that the machine  100  can be used as an air conditioner, and the air-conditioning system can be a system that uses a refrigerant or ice water. 
     3. The exhaustion outlet  36  of the present invention is equivalent to the air outlet  25  as shown in  FIG. 2 , and the cover  70  is used to replace the conventional air duct  24  and the air box  23 , and the circular hole  35  under the fan  50  is used to replace the conventional re-circulation outlet  26 , and thus the present invention can integrate the functions of a circulation fan, an air conditioner, an air guide and an air re-circulation into a machine mounted onto a ceiling or a steel frame. In addition, each small area can be used for installing a standalone air conditioner, so that the volume and the weight of the machine can be minimized. The invention not only facilitates the construction, but also provides a flexible way of installing the air conditioners at different positions of the ceiling as needed, and overcoming the loss of cold air due to a too-long air duct, so as to achieve the effects of a convenient installation and improve the efficiency of supplying cold air.