Carrier Corporation

John M Palmer

Roger J Voorhis

Daryl G Erbs

Derrick A Marris

Richard J Duell

Mark J Perkovich

Peter G Pierret

Eugene L Mills, Jr

Ronald W Bench

Robert W Peitz, Jr

James P Sodo

Kevin A Kimberly

Anthony P Sardina, Jr

Bradley Odum

James D'Agostino

An air conditioning system includes an outdoor unit and multiple indoor units. Each of the indoor units has its own coil assembly and fan and is dedicated to heating a particular area within a building, for example. Not all of the indoor units operate at the same time. Managing the refrigerant charge level within the active part of the system includes controlling an amount of refrigerant flow through the inactive indoor units. When the active part of the system does not have an adequate charge, an increased return flow from the inactive indoor units to the outdoor unit serves to increase the charge. Under circumstances where there is an overcharge in the active part of the system, the inactive indoor units are effectively used as storage for excess refrigerant on a temporary basis.

Air conditioning system with refrigerant charge management

A device for controlling or metering fluid flow in either direction through a conduit. The device comprises a shell disposed in communication with the conduit. Disposed within the shell is a body having a pair of metering orifices axially extending therethrough. A valve is, disposed within the shell and adapted such that fluid flow in a first direction through the device urges the valve to allow fluid flow through the first metering orifice and closes off the second metering orifice. Upon a flow reversal, the fluid urges the valves means to operate in the opposite manner wherein the first metering orifice is closed off and communication is established through the second metering orifice. The device is adapted for use in a reversible vapor compression air conditioning system. In this application, one metering orifice in the body is sized to provide proper metering for heating mode operation and one metering orifice is sized to provide proper metering for cooling mode operation.

Bidirectional flow control device

A device for controlling or metering fluid flow in either direction through a conduit. The device comprises an elongated body having two end walls forming an internal chamber therebetween. One end wall of the device has a first metering orifice. The other end wall has one or more bypass openings. Disposed within the chamber is a free piston having a rod portion extending therefrom and disposed within the first metering orifice. The free piston and rod portion has a second metering orifice axially extending therethrough and in axial alignment with the first metering orifice. Fluid flow through the device urges piston against the end wall in the direction of fluid flow. In one position, fluid flowing into the device passes through the bypassing the opening(s) of the opposite end wall. Fluid flowing out of the device passes through the second metering orifice in the piston. Upon a flow reversal, the piston is urged against the opposite end wall. In this position, fluid flows through the metering orifice in the end wall then flows in serial fashion through the metering orifice in the piston. The device is adapted for use in a reversible vapor compression air conditioning system. In this application, the metering orifice in the end wall is sized to provide proper metering for heating mode operation. The metering orifice in the piston, in combination with the metering orifice in the end wall, is sized to provide proper metering for cooling mode operation.

A device for controlling or metering fluid flow in either direction through a conduit. The device comprises an elongated body having two end walls forming an internal chamber therebetween. Each end wall further having an aperture extending axially therethrough. Disposed within the chamber is a free floating piston having a first metering orifice and a second metering orifice extending therethrough. Fluid flow through the device urges the piston against the end wall in the direction of fluid flow. In this position, the end wall in the direction of fluid flow closes off the second metering orifice while fluid is permitted to pass through the first metering orifice and into the aperture in the end wall in the direction of fluid flow. Upon a flow reversal, the piston is urged against the opposite end wall. In this position, fluid will flow through the second metering orifice in the piston and exit into the aperture in the end wall in the direction of fluid flow. The device is adapted for use in a reversible vapor compression air conditioning system. In this application, the sizes of the two metering orifices are different so that one can provide proper metering for cooling mode operation and the other can provide proper metering for heating mode operation.

In an outdoor unit of a heat pump having a variable speed compressor, the fan speed is controlled in response to both the speed of the compressor and the temperature of the outdoor refrigerant such that the operating efficiency of the fan and its driving motor can be optimized over a full range of compressor operating speeds.

Outdoor fan control for variable speed heat pump

In a refrigeration system having a compressor driven by a variable speed motor, the refrigerant flow volume through the expansion device is controlled by way of a solenoid driven piston which alternately opens and closes the orifice, with the duty cycle of the solenoid being controlled such that the time period in which the orifice is open is proportional to the speed of the motor. A bypass channel is provided in parallel around the orifice such that a minimal flow is provided to thereby share the load with the modulating orifice and act to dampen the movement of the solenoid piston.

Refrigerant metering in a variable flow system

An outdoor coil temperature detection scheme in a heat pump system effective for developing outdoor ambient temperature indications from outdoor coil temperature data, for use in heat pump control.

Outdoor ambient temperature determination

A method of controllably charging a heat pump system with refrigerant until adequately charged for the cooling mode of operation, including checking the outdoor ambient temperature, injecting sufficient refrigerant to sustain safe compressor operation, operating the compressor at higher or lower rates depending upon the detected ambient temperature level and determining when to halt charging by monitoring indoor coil inlet and suction temperature differences in the heat pump system.

Heat pump charging

An adaptive defrost system for a heat pump wherein the time-between-defrosts is continuously updated by multiplying the last time-between-defrosts by a ratio of the desired and actual differences between the pre-defrost and after-defrost saturated coil temperatures. A single thermistor is used for both pre and after-defrost measurements such that no calibration is required.

Defrost control for variable speed heat pumps

An electronic control box is provided with an internally disposed vent channel which carries ambient air from a bottom opening to the top portion of the control box. The cooling air is then caused to flow downwardly through the control box and over the electronic components by way of a bottom opening which is fluidly connected by a vent tube to a negative pressure area created by the fan. The flow of cooling air through the control box is therefore promoted while maintaining the water-tight integrity of the box.

Passive ventilated control box

The control box for a refrigeration condensing unit has a heat sink mounted on its rear side between the control box and the coil assembly, the heat sink being in the flow path of the cooling air flowing in thru the coil such that the heat dissipation therefrom is substantially enhanced. The heat sink has a plurality of fins formed on its rear side, with the fins extending across the relatively narrow width of the heat sink such that the cooling air flows over the entire length of each of the fins and provides a substantially uniform velocity profile along the heat sink vertical axis.

Growing community of inventors

Syracuse, NY, United States of America

John M Palmer