Patent ID: 7805960

Claim:
A system for conditioning the air in an environment, comprising: an air inlet conveyor comprising an outside environment air inlet in fluid communication with an outside environment, a recirculated air inlet in fluid communication with a vehicle compartment, a mixing chamber in which air from the outside environment air inlet mixes with air from the recirculated air inlet, and an inlet hatch device configured to alternatively select air flow from at least one of the outside environment air inlet and the recirculated air inlet for delivery out of the air inlet conveyor, the inlet hatch device positioned at an upstream region of the mixing chamber, a first air flow inlet path and a second air flow inlet path positioned downstream of the mixing chamber and spaced apart from the inlet hatch device, the second air flow inlet path being spaced apart and separate from the first air flow inlet path such that air downstream of the inlet hatch device and in the mixing chamber is divided into a first flow of air that travels along the first air flow inlet path and a second flow of air that travels along the second air flow inlet path; and at least one pair of heat-exchanger units in fluid communication with the air inlet conveyor, each of the heat-exchanger units being downstream of the mixing chamber and configured to reduce the temperature of the air selected by the inlet hatch device and delivered out of the air inlet conveyor along respective ones of the first and second air flow inlet paths, each heat-exchanger unit having a cyclic and reciprocal operation with respect to the other heat-exchanger unit, in such a way that in a first half-cycle a first heat-exchanger unit reduces the temperature of the air flowing therethrough, while in a second half-cycle, the first heat-exchanger unit increases the temperature of the air flowing therethrough; an outlet conveyor assembly in fluid communication with the at least one pair of heat-exchanger units, the outlet conveyor assembly comprising a recirculated air outlet in fluid communication with the vehicle compartment, an outside environment outlet in fluid communication with the outside environment, and a outlet hatch device configured to alternatively deliver air from the pair of heat-exchanger units to the outside environment.