AIR-CONDITIONING APPARATUS WITH MANUAL DEHUMIDIFYING FUNCTION AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME
An air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function and a method for operating the same are disclosed. The air-conditioning apparatus is applied to an equipment room for air conditioning and dehumidifying the equipment room. The method of operating the air-conditioning apparatus includes the following steps: First, a temperature-sensing unit and a humidity-sensing unit are used to sense an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity in the equipment room, respectively. Afterward, a display unit is used to display the sensed ambient temperature and the sensed ambient relative humidity. Afterward, the air-conditioning apparatus is judged by a control unit to be manually controlled to execute the dehumidifying function. Afterward, the control unit of the air-conditioning apparatus is used to provide a variable air control and a variable water control for dehumidifying the equipment room. Finally, the air-conditioning apparatus is judged to complete dehumidifying or not by comparing a calculated dew point to a pre-determined threshold dew point.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an air-conditioning apparatus with a dehumidifying function and a method for operating the same, and more particularly to an air-conditioning apparatus with a dehumidifying function and a method for operating the same, which are applied to an equipment room for air conditioning and dehumidifying the equipment room.
2. Description of Prior Art
An equipment room is usually to be in an over-high humidity condition because the door of the equipment room is unclosed when an air conditioner is initially installed or operated. Hence, server hosts or other equipment in the equipment room would be damaged due to corroded circuits under the over-high humidity environment. Under this condition, a good dehumidifying way needs to be used to solve the above-mentioned problem.
At present, there are usually no particular dehumidifying designs to dry the humid equipment room, besides blocking the return air of the air conditioner through newspapers or cardboards. This way needs to spend more time to dehumidify over-high humidity; however, the dehumidifying effect is usually not desirable, thus resulting in much energy consumes, poor effectiveness, and schedule delay.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function and a method for operating the same to provide a good air regulation of the equipment room, thus ensuring that the server hosts or other equipment can normally work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function is disclosed. The air-conditioning apparatus is applied to an equipment room for air conditioning and dehumidifying the equipment room. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a control unit, a temperature-sensing unit, a humidity-sensing unit, a display unit, an operation unit, a water control unit, and an air control unit.
The temperature-sensing unit is electrically connected to the control unit for sensing an ambient temperature. The humidity-sensing unit is electrically connected to the control unit for sensing an ambient relative humidity. The display unit is electrically connected to the control unit for displaying the ambient temperature sensed through the temperature-sensing unit and the ambient relative humidity sensed through the humidity-sensing unit. The operation unit is electrically connected to the control unit for operating the air-conditioning apparatus to execute a manual dehumidifying operation or a manual air-conditioning operation. The water control unit is electrically connected to the control unit for dehumidifying air flowed into the air-conditioning apparatus through a condensation operation. The air control unit is electrically connected to the control unit for sending the dehumidified air out the air-conditioning apparatus.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for operating an air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function for air conditioning and dehumidifying an equipment room is disclosed. The method of operating the air-conditioning apparatus includes the following steps: First, a temperature-sensing unit and a humidity-sensing unit are provided to sense an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity, respectively. Afterward, a display unit is provided to display the ambient temperature and the ambient relative humidity. Afterward, a control unit is provided to judge a manual dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is executed. Afterward, the control unit is provided to execute a variable air control and a variable water control of the air-conditioning apparatus. Finally, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is judged whether completed according to a dew point.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for operating an air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function for air conditioning and dehumidifying an equipment room is disclosed. The method of operating the air-conditioning apparatus includes the following steps: First, a temperature-sensing unit and a humidity-sensing unit are provided to sense an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity, respectively. Afterward, a display unit is provided to display the ambient temperature and the ambient relative humidity. Afterward, a control unit is provided to judge a manual dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is executed. Afterward, the control unit is provided to execute a variable air control and a variable water control of the air-conditioning apparatus. Afterward, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is judged whether completed according to a dew point. Finally, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is judged whether completed according to a dehumidifying time when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.
The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes an exemplary embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail.
Reference is made to
The temperature-sensing unit 104 is electrically connected to the control unit 102 for sensing an ambient temperature Ta. The humidity-sensing unit 106 is electrically connected to the control unit 102 for sensing an ambient relative humidity Ha. The display unit 108 is electrically connected to the control unit 102 for displaying the ambient temperature Ta sensed through the temperature-sensing unit 104 and the ambient relative humidity Ha sensed through the humidity-sensing unit 106. The operation unit 110 is electrically connected to the control unit 102 for operating the air-conditioning apparatus 10 to execute a manual dehumidifying operation or a manual air-conditioning operation. The water control unit 112 is electrically connected to the control unit 102 for dehumidifying air flowed into the air-conditioning apparatus 10 through a condensation operation. The air control unit 114 is electrically connected to the control unit 102 for sending the dehumidified air out the air-conditioning apparatus 10.
In particular, the control unit 102 includes a calculation unit (not shown) and a comparison unit (not shown). The calculation unit calculates a dew point of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 according to the sensed ambient temperature Ta and the sensed ambient relative humidity Ha. The comparison unit compares the calculated dew point to a threshold dew point to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 is completed or not. In addition, the control unit 102 further includes a timing unit (not shown). The timing unit sets a dehumidifying time to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 is completed or not.
The detail operation of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 is described as follows. Reference is made to
The user can determine to manually operate the air-conditioning apparatus 10 to execute the dehumidifying operation or the air-conditioning operation to the equipment room according to the displayed temperature and relative humidity or his/her practical experiences. In addition, a buzzer (not shown) can be also installed in the air-conditioning apparatus 10 to remind the user because of the over-high humidity to manually operate the air-conditioning apparatus 10 to execute the dehumidifying operation to the equipment room.
The user can manually operate the operation unit 110 to control the air-conditioning apparatus 10 for dehumidifying the equipment room. Reference is made to
When the user presses the dehumidifying operation button for dehumidifying the equipment room, the water control unit 112 of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 dehumidifies the air flowed into the air-conditioning apparatus 10 by a condensation way of externally injecting low-temperature ice water into the water control unit 112. In particular, the water control unit 112 can be a three-way water pipe assemblage. The water quantity of the water control unit 112 can be controlled using a variable water control by the control unit 102. In this embodiment, the variable water control is to provide a maximum water control to the water control unit 112. That is, the maximum water quantity of the water control unit 112 is provided for significantly condensing the air flowed into the air-conditioning apparatus 10. In addition, when the user presses the dehumidifying operation for dehumidifying the equipment room, the air control unit 114 of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 can send the dehumidified air (namely, the dry air) out from the air-conditioning apparatus 10. In particular, the air control unit 114 can be a variable speed fan. The air quantity of the air control unit 114 can be controlled using a variable air control by the control unit 102. In this embodiment, the variable air control is to provide a minimum air control to the air control unit 114. That is, the minimum air quantity and air speed of the air control unit 114 is provided for weakly and slowly sending the dehumidified air (dry air) out from the air-conditioning apparatus 10, thus great significantly avoiding the un-dehumidified air being sent out so as to prevent server hosts or other equipment of the equipment room from being damaged because of the humid air.
Especially to deserve to be mentioned, the fan would generate a large torque output when the fan is operated in a low speed. Hence, the variable air control of the fan is typically set to 30%, thus increasing the use life of the fan, even over 10 years. However, in order to prevent server hosts or other equipment of the equipment room from being damaged because of the humid air, the variable air control of the fan is usually set less than 30%, thus reducing the amount of the un-dehumidified air sent out from the air-conditioning apparatus 10. In addition, the water quantity of the three-way water pipe assemblage can be controlled to achieve the maximum water control. That is, the variable water control of the three-way water pipe assemblage is typically set to 100%, thus significantly condensing the air flowed into the air-conditioning apparatus 10.
The air-conditioning apparatus 10 can judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 is completed or not according to the dew point or the dehumidifying time when the user determine to manually operate air-conditioning apparatus 10 to execute the dehumidifying operation. Because the dew point can be calculated according to the ambient temperature Ta and the ambient relative humidity Ha (using the Magnus-Tetens Approximation), a threshold dew point is set to compare the calculated dew point to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus 10 is completed or not. In addition, a dehumidifying time is set to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not. Furthermore, the user can also determine to manually operate the air-conditioning apparatus 10 to execute the dehumidifying operation, the air-conditioning operation, or the standby operation according to the displayed temperature and relative humidity or his/her practical experiences.
Reference is made to
The air-conditioning apparatus is controlled to execute the dehumidifying control through a control unit (S50) when the user manually operates the air-conditioning apparatus to execute the dehumidifying operation (S40). Also, the dehumidifying control includes a variable air control (S502) and a variable water control (S504). In particular, the variable air control is a minimum air control and the variable water control is a maximum water control. In order to provide the optimal dehumidifying ability of the air-conditioning apparatus, the air-conditioning apparatus provides a maximum water control to a water control unit (as shown in
Afterward, a dew point is calculated to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not (S60). In this step, because the dew point can be calculated according to an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity, a threshold dew point can be set to compare the calculated dew point to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not. For example, the threshold dew point is set to 5° C. Because the air-conditioning apparatus continuously works, the calculated dew point of the equipment room gradually decreases. The dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed when the calculated dew point is less than the threshold dew point. On the other hand, the air-conditioning apparatus continuously works to execute the dehumidifying operation when the calculated dew point is greater than or equal to the threshold dew point.
Especially to deserve to be mentioned, the dew point of the equipment room can be calculated by using the Magnus-Tetens Approximation according to the following formula:
Wherein, these terms Td, T, RH, ln represent a calculated dew point, an ambient temperature, an ambient relative humidity, and a natural log operation, respectively. Also, the two terms a and b are both constants, and are 17.27 and 237.7° C., respectively.
In addition, the approximation formula is suitable for use under the following conditions: 0° C.<T<60° C., 1%<RH<100%, and 0° C.<Td<50° C.
The step (S30) (namely, the standby operation of the air-conditioning apparatus) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed. As mentioned above, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed when the calculated dew point of the equipment room is less than the threshold dew point. At this time, the air-conditioning apparatus is standby. Hence, the user can determine to manually operate air-conditioning apparatus to execute the air-conditioning operation or dehumidifying operation once again by re-setting the different threshold dew points. The step (S50) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed. That is, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is continuously executed when the calculated dew point is still greater than or equal to the threshold dew point.
Reference is made to
The air-conditioning apparatus is controlled to execute the dehumidifying control through a control unit (S50) when the user manually operates the air-conditioning apparatus to execute the dehumidifying operation (S40). Also, the dehumidifying control includes a variable air control (S502) and a variable water control (S504). Afterward, a dew point is calculated to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not (S60). The step (S30) (namely, the standby operation of the air-conditioning apparatus) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed. On the other hand, a dehumidifying time is judged whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed (S70). In the step (S70), the user can use a timing unit to set the dehumidifying time of the air-conditioning apparatus. For example, the dehumidifying time is set to 12 hours. The dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed when the air-conditioning apparatus continuously works to execute the dehumidifying operation over 12 hours. On the other hand, the air-conditioning apparatus continuously works to execute the dehumidifying operation when the dehumidifying time of the air-conditioning apparatus is less than 12 hours. The step (S30) (namely, the standby operation of the air-conditioning apparatus) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed. On the other hand, the step (S50) (namely, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed. Furthermore, the user can also determine to manually operate the air-conditioning apparatus to execute the dehumidifying operation, the air-conditioning operation, or the standby operation according to the displayed temperature and relative humidity or his/her practical experiences. Accordingly, the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus can be flexibly executed according to the dew point control and the dehumidifying time control.
In conclusion, the present invention has following advantages:
1. The user can manually operate the air-conditioning apparatus to execute the dehumidifying operation to provide a good air regulation of the equipment room, thus ensuring that the server hosts or other equipment can normally work;
2. The operation unit is provided to the user for conveniently operating the air-conditioning apparatus to execute a manual dehumidifying operation or a manual air-conditioning operation; and
3. The dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus can be flexibly executed according to the dew point control and the dehumidifying time control.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. An air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function applied to an equipment room for air conditioning and dehumidifying the equipment room; the air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
- a control unit;
- a temperature-sensing unit electrically connected to the control unit for sensing an ambient temperature;
- a humidity-sensing unit electrically connected to the control unit for sensing an ambient relative humidity;
- a display unit electrically connected to the control unit for displaying the ambient temperature sensed through the temperature-sensing unit and the ambient relative humidity sensed through the humidity-sensing unit;
- an operation unit electrically connected to the control unit for operating the air-conditioning apparatus to execute a manual dehumidifying operation or a manual air-conditioning operation;
- a water control unit electrically connected to the control unit for dehumidifying air flowed into the air-conditioning apparatus through a condensation operation; and
- an air control unit electrically connected to the control unit for sending the dehumidified air out the air-conditioning apparatus.
2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprising:
- a calculation unit calculating a dew point of the air-conditioning apparatus according to the sensed ambient temperature and the sensed ambient relative humidity; and
- a comparison unit comparing the calculated dew point to a threshold dew point to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not.
3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprising a timing unit setting a dehumidifying time to judge whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not.
4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation unit is manually operated by a user.
5. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation unit is a liquid crystal module (LCM).
6. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the water control unit is a water-cooled condenser.
7. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air control unit is a variable speed fan.
8. A method for operating an air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function for air conditioning and dehumidifying an equipment room; steps of operating the air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
- (a) sensing an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity through a temperature-sensing unit and a humidity-sensing unit, respectively;
- (b) displaying the ambient temperature and the ambient relative humidity through a display unit;
- (c) judging a manual dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus being executed through a control unit;
- (d) executing a variable air control and a variable water control of the air-conditioning apparatus through the control unit; and
- (e) judging whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not according to a dew point.
9. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 8, after the step (b) further comprising:
- (c2) judging a manual air-conditioning operation of the air-conditioning apparatus being executed through the control unit.
10. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 8, in the step (e), the step (b) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed.
11. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 8, in the step (e), the step (d) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed.
12. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 8, in the step (d), the variable air control is a minimum air control.
13. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 8, in the step (d), the variable water control is a maximum water control.
14. A method for operating an air-conditioning apparatus with a manual dehumidifying function for air conditioning and dehumidifying an equipment room; steps of operating the air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
- (a) sensing an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity through a temperature-sensing unit and a humidity-sensing unit, respectively;
- (b) displaying the ambient temperature and the ambient relative humidity through a display unit;
- (c) judging a manual dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus being executed through a control unit;
- (d) executing a variable air control and a variable water control of the air-conditioning apparatus through the control unit;
- (e) judging whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not according to a dew point; and
- (f) judging whether the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed or not according to a dehumidifying time when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed.
15. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, after the step (b) further comprising:
- (c2) judging a manual air-conditioning operation of the air-conditioning apparatus being executed through the control unit.
16. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, in the step (e), the step (b) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed.
17. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, in the step (f), the step (b) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is completed.
18. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, in the step (f), the step (d) is re-executed when the dehumidifying operation of the air-conditioning apparatus is not completed.
19. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, in the step (d), the variable air control is a minimum air control.
20. The method for operating the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, in the step (d), the variable water control is a maximum water control.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 10, 2011
Publication Date: Oct 4, 2012
Inventors: Hui-Chien Kao (Taoyuan County), Jen-Te Liang (Taoyuan County)
Application Number: 13/207,219
International Classification: F25D 29/00 (20060101); F25D 17/06 (20060101);