AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM HAVING FIRST UNIT WITH INTEGRATED ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE

Abstract

An air conditioning system includes a first unit including having a housing; a compressor contained within the housing; an enclosure including: an energy storage device; a power converter coupled to the energy storage device, the power converter configured to supply electrical power to the compressor; wherein the enclosure is mounted on or inside the housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 63/769,216 filed Mar. 10, 2025, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments described herein relate to air conditioning systems.

Air conditioning systems (e.g., heating, cooling, humidity control, etc.) are typically electrically powered. The use of energy storages systems, such as batteries or capacitors, in air conditioning systems has been proposed. For example, published international application number WO2024263731, in the name of Carrier Corporation, describes self-powered air conditioning systems including an energy storage device.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment, an air conditioning system includes a first unit including having a housing; a compressor contained within the housing; an enclosure including: an energy storage device; a power converter coupled to the energy storage device, the power converter configured to supply electrical power to the compressor; wherein the enclosure is mounted on or inside the housing.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include wherein the first unit is a side discharge unit; wherein the enclosure is mounted on top of the housing.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include wherein the first unit is a top discharge unit; wherein the enclosure is mounted on a side of the housing.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include wherein the first unit is a top discharge unit; wherein the enclosure is mounted inside the housing.

In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include wherein the power converter includes: an AC/DC converter providing DC power to a DC link; and a DC/AC converter connected to the DC link and configured to provide AC power to the compressor; wherein the energy storage device is connected to the DC link to provide DC power to the DC link and to receive DC power from the DC link.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature and non-limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a system in an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a controller in an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts an electrical architecture in an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a side discharge first unit with an integrated energy storage device in an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts a top discharge first unit with an integrated energy storage device in an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein relate to air conditioning systems that include electrical energy storage system(s) (e.g., batteries, capacitors, supercapacitors) to provide power in addition to, or in place of, an electrical power grid. The entire contents of published international application number WO2024263731 are incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 1 depicts a system 100 in an example embodiment. The system 100 includes components of an air conditioning system. The phrase “air conditioning” is intended to include one or more of heating, cooling, ventilation, humidification, dehumidification, refrigeration, hot water heating, chilling water or fluid, air filtration, and other known air processing operations, or a combination of any of the above. The air conditioning system may include known types of systems such as heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, chillers, split systems, packaged systems, all-in-one systems, etc. The air conditioning system 100 includes a first unit 200 and one or more second units 250. Depending on the nature of the air conditioning system, the first unit 200 and the second unit(s) 250 may be separately located (indoors or outdoors) or co-located (indoors or outdoors). For example, in a split system, the first unit 200 is an outdoor unit (e.g., compressor and heat exchanger) and the second unit(s) 250 are indoor units (e.g., expansion mechanisms, heat exchangers). In a packaged system (e.g., rooftop or ground), the first unit 200 and the second unit 250 are co-located in a single footprint outside a building. In a chiller, the first unit 200 and the second unit 250 may be co-located (both indoor or outdoor) or separately located. Certain all-in-one systems may have the first unit 200 and the second unit 250 co-located inside a building.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the first unit 200 may be an outdoor unit of a split system located on ground level next to a building 102, on a rooftop of the building 102 or any other location. The second unit(s) 250 may be located inside the building 102, as is common with split systems. It is understood that FIG. 1 is one example, and embodiments are not limited to split systems.

The system 100 may be a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system that employs a single first unit 200 (e.g., outdoors) and a plurality of second units 250 (e.g., indoors) to provide air conditioning (e.g., heating and/or cooling, etc.) to various indoor zones, with the ability to adjust the refrigerant flow to each zone based on individual temperature needs.

The system 100 includes a controller 220, a power converter 230 and an energy storage device (ESD) 240. FIG. 1 is an example embodiment, and the location of components is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1. For example, the power converter 230, energy storage device 240 and controller 220 may be separate from the first unit 200, which houses the compressor 242, drive 244, fan 246 and load(s) 248. The first unit 200 may include a control unit (not shown) for controlling operation of the first unit 200. This allows components of the described embodiments to be retrofit to existing first units 200 of air conditioning systems and/or second units 250 of air conditioning systems. One or more of the power converter 230, energy storage device 240 and controller 220 may be located in the first unit 200. One or more of the power converter 230, energy storage device 240 and controller 220 may be located adjacent to or outside the first unit 200. One or more of the power converter 230, energy storage device 240 and controller 220 may be located in building 102.

The first unit 200 may include a heat exchanger (not shown) that will serve as a condenser/gas cooler and/or as an evaporator, as part of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

In the FIGURES, the locations of all components in the drawings are examples, and embodiments include modification of the locations of components shown in the drawings. For example, components illustrated as connected to the first unit 200, may be retrofit components added to an existing first unit 200. Although shown as separate boxes, elements may be joined into sub-assemblies and assemblies, anywhere in the system, indoor or outdoor, without departing from embodiments of the disclosure.

The controller 220 may communicate with an air conditioning system controller and/or an energy storage device controller. In some embodiments, a single controller may implement all the functions of the controller 220, air conditioning controller and energy storage device controller. The controller 220 communicates with components of the described systems using wired and/or wireless connections, which are not illustrated in the drawings.

The system of FIG. 1, and embodiments thereof described herein, allow for one or more components of the air conditioning system, and other loads not associated with the air conditioning system, to be powered solely by an AC power grid 302, powered solely by the energy storage device 240, and powered by both the AC power grid 302 and the energy storage device 240, in conjunction. The one or more components of the air conditioning system include components in the first unit 200 and components in the second unit 250.

FIG. 2 depicts the controller 220 in accordance with an embodiment. The controller 220 includes a sensor interface 222 that can obtain operational parameters of the air conditioning system, such as pressures, temperatures, etc. As known in the art, the controller 220 can adjust operation of the air conditioning system based on sensed operational parameters. The controller 220 includes a processor 224 that controls operation of the system 100. The processor 224 may be implemented using a general-purpose microprocessor executing a computer program stored on a storage medium to perform the operations described herein. Alternatively, the processor 224 may be implemented in hardware (e.g., ASIC, FPGA) or in a combination of hardware/software. The processor 224 allows the controller 220 to perform computations locally, also referred to as edge computing. The processor 224 can send commands to other components of the air conditioning system 100 based on a result of the local computations.

The controller 220 includes a memory 226 that may store a computer program executable by the processor 224, reference data, sensor data, etc. The memory 226 may be implemented using known devices, such as random access memory. The controller 220 includes a communication unit 228 which allows the controller 220 to communicate with other components of the system 100, such as first unit 200, second units 250 and a thermostat 260. The communication unit 228 may be implemented using wired connections (e.g., LAN, ethernet, twisted pair, etc.) and/or wireless connections (e.g., Wi-Fi, near field communications (“NFC”), Bluetooth, etc.).

In some embodiments, communication unit 228 may provide high-speed data communications over existing wiring systems and/or communication with newer equipment having a high-speed bus, while maintaining communications with existing equipment (e.g., having RS-485 communications bus). In some embodiments, an HVAC equipment may include 4 wires used for data communications, Power, Ground, Data+, and Data-. Of these lines, Data+and Data-are used to carry the low-speed, standard RS-485 data. The power line is used to power the wall control and comes from a second unit 250. This same power line is carried to the first unit 200 although it is generally not used. The ability to take advantage of the power and ground lines of the 4-wire system (referred to as “Power Line Communications” (PLC) technology) allows digital/data signals to be sent over power lines. In some embodiments, PLC technology may allow for data transmission at or near gigabit speed rates using standard 2-conductor wiring. This includes the 2 wires represented by Power and Ground of the HVAC equipment. It should be appreciated that other data transmission speeds may be possible. In some embodiments, the communication unit 228 of the present disclosure may be configured such that, while the PLC high-speed communication is occurring over the Power and Ground line of the 4-wire system, the low-speed RS-485 communication can also be occurring on the Data+ and Data− lines. In some embodiments, the ability to use high speed communications or a combination of high speed and low speed communications enable the controller 220 to utilize machine-learning (ML) based or artificial intelligence (AI) based, algorithms. In some embodiments, the high speed and low speed communications may occur approximately simultaneously (e.g., within milliseconds of one another). This may allow the standard HVAC wire to communicate with both RS-485 controlled equipment as well as HVAC equipment which contains the additional PLC transceivers. This may be advantageous because both new high-speed HVAC equipment and existing RS-485 HVAC equipment can co-exist on existing wiring of the building.

Referring to FIG. 1, the power converter 230 is used to perform any necessary power conversions including one or more of AC-AC, AC-DC, DC-AC and DC-DC. The power converter 230 may include several power converters at different locations in the system 100. The power converter(s) 230 may operate in a bi-directional manner so that one or more power conversions are bi-directional. As shown in FIG. 1, the power converter 230 is connected to AC and/or DC power sources and/or loads. The power converter 230 may also provide power to loads in the building 102, including the second units 250 (if in the building 102), the thermostat 260 and loads 270. In conventional modes, the loads in building 102 will receive AC power from the AC power grid directly. The controller 220 may choose whether the power will come from the AC power grid 302 or from the power converter 230. Example embodiments of the power converter 230 are described herein.

The energy storage device 240 is configured to provide, under certain circumstances, at least a portion of the power to operate one or more of components of the air conditioning system, such as the first unit 200, the second unit(s) 250, along with the indoor load(s) 270, and any other loads. The energy storage device 240 may be implemented using apparatus for storing electrical energy including one or more of, for example, a battery, battery modules, battery cells, capacitors, supercapacitors, etc. The battery 240 may include several cells in either modular form or as a stand-alone, multi-cell array. The battery 240 may be made of a single or multiple packaged self-contained systems, battery modules or individual cells. The battery 240, such as a complete plug and play battery, may include a box, wires, cells, and modules. For example, the battery 240 may include a group of cells configured into a self-contained mechanical and electrical unit. The energy storage device 240 may include other components (e.g., an ESD management system (ESDMS)) that are electrically coupled to the energy storage device 240 and may be adapted to communicate directly or through the ESDMS to controller 220.

The first unit 200 also includes components used as part of the air conditioning system, and includes a compressor 242, one or more drives 244, a fan 246, and other loads 248, and a control unit (not shown). A heat exchanger (not shown) in the first unit 200 may act as evaporator or condenser/gas cooler. These components are described in further detail herein when relevant to embodiments.

In a split system, inside the building 102, one or more second units 250 are positioned to condition one or more zones of the building 102. The second units 250 may be employed using a variety of known second units, including variable air volume (VAV) units, liquid cooled second units, fan coil units, furnaces, air handler (s), etc., which usually include heat exchangers. In other types of systems (e.g., packaged or chillers) the second unit(s) 250 may be located outdoors and include any form of heat exchangers such as cooling towers, etc.

An optional thermostat 260 provides a user interface for the air conditioning system, and allows the user to enter operational modes of the air conditioning system, enter setpoints for various zones of the air conditioning system, etc. The indoor loads 270 may be supplied electrical power by the first unit 200. The indoor loads 270 include a wide variety of loads, such as appliances, lighting, electric vehicle chargers, etc. A thermostat 260 is not required and other techniques may be used for control of the air conditioning system.

FIG. 3 depicts an electrical architecture for a first unit 200 in an example embodiment. The location of components in FIG. 3 is an example, and any of the components may be located as part of the first unit 200, part of the second unit(s) 250 or as separate from the first unit 200 or second unit(s) 250. This allows for retrofitting components to an existing air condition system. Although shown as separate boxes, elements may be joined into sub-assemblies and assemblies, anywhere in the system, indoor or outdoor, without departing from embodiments of the disclosure.

Not all components of the first unit 200 are shown for ease of illustration and explanation. As shown in FIG. 3, AC power from an AC power grid 302 is supplied through a grid disconnect 304 to a power converter 230. The power converter 230 includes an AC/DC converter 370 and a DC/AC converter 372. The output of the DC/AC converter 372 is provided to the compressor 242, through a compressor drive 244. If the compressor 242 is fixed speed, the compressor drive 244 may be a switch, such as a contactor or relay. If the compressor 242 is variable speed, the compressor drive 244 may be a variable frequency drive (VFD) configured to provide the proper drive signals to the compressor 242 under control of the controller 220. The power converter 230 and the drive 244 may be part of a common assembly.

Both the AC/DC converter 370 and the DC/AC converter 372 operate under the control of the controller 220. Between the AC/DC converter 370 and the DC/AC converter 372 is a DC link 371 that is connected to the energy storage device 240, optionally through the DC/DC converter 241. Under this arrangement, the energy storage device 240 may be charged by the power converter 230. Alternatively, the energy storage device 240 may provide DC power to the DC link 371 to power the DC/AC converter 372 and the compressor 242. This allows the first unit 200 to operate independent of, or in conjunction with, the AC power grid 302. The AC/DC converter 370 may be bi-directional to allow the energy storage device 240 to provide power to, and be charged from, the AC power grid 302.

The controller 220, the power converter 230, the energy storage device 240, and the DC/DC converter 241 may be retrofit to an existing first unit 200. This allows the energy storage device 240 to be added to existing air conditioning systems to enable the first unit 200 to operate independent of the AC power grid 302 or operate under power from both the AC power grid 302 and the energy storage device 240. It allows also for auxiliary power sources to be added in a modular way.

The electrical architecture of FIG. 3 allows one or more components of the air conditioning system (first unit 200 and/or second unit(s) 250) to be powered exclusively by the AC power grid 302, exclusively by the energy storage device 240, or powered by both the energy storage device 240 and the AC power grid 302, in conjunction. Power supplied by the AC power grid 302 can be limited by the controller 220 controlling the various power converters. Other loads can be powered exclusively by the AC power grid 302, exclusively by the energy storage device 240, or powered by both the energy storage device 240 and the AC power grid 302.

FIG. 4 depicts a physical layout of a first unit 200. FIG. 4 depicts a side discharge first unit 200 (e.g., an outdoor unit) with an integrated energy storage device 240 in an example embodiment. The first unit 200 includes a housing 400 that includes typical components of an air conditioning system including the compressor 242, drive 244, fan(s) 246, heat exchanger(s) (not shown), expansion device (not shown), etc. The first unit 200 is a side discharge unit, meaning outside air is drawn into the first unit 200 through a side air inlet 402 and air is discharged from the first unit 200 through one or more side air outlet(s) 404.

An enclosure 500 is positioned on a top surface of the first unit 200. The enclosure 500 includes the energy storage device 240, optional DC-DC converter 241, the power converter 230 and the controller 220. The enclosure 500 may include other components not shown for ease of illustration. The enclosure 500 may be a weatherproof enclosure designed to protect electronic components from environmental factors such as moisture, dust, temperature fluctuations, and physical damage. The enclosure 500 may include gaskets or seals around the edges of doors and panels to prevent the ingress of water and dust. These seals may be made from rubber or silicone to ensure a tight fit. To manage heat dissipation, the enclosure 500 may include vents or louvers that allow for airflow while still preventing the entry of water and debris. The enclosure 500 may include filters to maintain clean airflow through the enclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a physical layout of a first unit 200 in another embodiment. FIG. 5 depicts a top discharge first unit 200 (e.g., an outdoor unit) with an integrated energy storage device 240 in an example embodiment. The first unit 200 includes a housing 400 that includes typical components of an air conditioning system including the compressor 242, drive 244, fan(s) (not shown), heat exchanger(s) (not shown), expansion device (not shown), etc. The first unit 200 is a top discharge unit, meaning outside air is drawn into the first unit 200 through a side air inlet 402 and air is discharged from the first unit 200 through one or more top air outlet(s) 404.

An enclosure 500 may be positioned in multiple location. In an example embodiment, the enclosure 500 is positioned on the side of the housing 400 and external to the first unit 200. In another example embodiment, the enclosure 500 is positioned on inside the housing 400 and at the bottom of the housing 400. The enclosure 500 includes the energy storage device 240, optional DC-DC converter 241, the power converter 230 and the controller 220. The enclosure 500 may include other components not shown for ease of illustration. The enclosure 500 may be a weatherproof enclosure designed to protect electronic components from environmental factors such as moisture, dust, temperature fluctuations, and physical damage. The enclosure 500 may include gaskets or seals around the edges of doors and panels to prevent the ingress of water and dust. These seals may be made from rubber or silicone to ensure a tight fit. To manage heat dissipation, the enclosure 500 may include vents or louvers that allow for airflow while still preventing the entry of water and debris. The enclosure 500 may include filters to maintain clean airflow through the enclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that various example embodiments are shown and described herein, each having certain features in the particular embodiments, but the present disclosure is not thus limited. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system comprising:

a first unit including having a housing;

a compressor contained within the housing;

an enclosure including: an energy storage device; a power converter coupled to the energy storage device, the power converter configured to supply electrical power to the compressor;

wherein the enclosure is mounted on or inside the housing.

2. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the first unit is a side discharge unit;

wherein the enclosure is mounted on top of the housing.

3. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the first unit is a top discharge unit;

wherein the enclosure is mounted on a side of the housing.

4. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the first unit is a top discharge unit;

wherein the enclosure is mounted inside the housing.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the power converter includes:

an AC/DC converter providing DC power to a DC link; and

a DC/AC converter connected to the DC link and configured to provide AC power to the compressor;

wherein the energy storage device is connected to the DC link to provide DC power to the DC link and to receive DC power from the DC link.