Portable Air Conditioning Unit

Abstract

A portable air conditioning unit is disclosed herein. The portable air conditioning unit includes a housing; a cold air outlet disposed at a first end of the housing; a hot air outlet disposed at a second end of the housing; a supply air fan disposed inside the housing; and a plurality of refrigeration cycle components disposed inside the housing, the plurality of refrigeration cycle components configured to cool an intake air stream entering the housing, and the supply air fan configured to discharge a cooled air stream through the cold air outlet, and the plurality of refrigeration cycle components further configured to dissipate heat to a condenser air stream entering the housing, and expel a heated condenser air stream through the hot air outlet. In one or more embodiments, the portable air conditioning unit may include a battery pack for powering the portable air conditioning unit.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A portable air conditioning unit, comprising:
 a housing having a first side, a second side, a first end, and a second end, the first side of the housing being oppositely disposed relative to the second side of the housing, and the first end of the housing being oppositely disposed relative to the second end of the housing;   a cold air outlet disposed at the first end of the housing;   a hot air outlet disposed at the second end of the housing;   a supply air fan disposed inside the housing; and   a plurality of refrigeration cycle components disposed inside the housing, the plurality of refrigeration cycle components configured to cool an intake air stream entering the first side and/or the second side of the housing, and the supply air fan configured to discharge a cooled air stream through the cold air outlet at the first end of the housing, and the plurality of refrigeration cycle components further configured to dissipate heat to a condenser air stream entering the first side and/or the second side of the housing, and expel a heated condenser air stream through the hot air outlet at the second end of the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of refrigeration cycle components comprises:
 an evaporator coil configured to transfer heat from the intake air stream entering the first side and/or the second side of the housing to a refrigerant circulated through the evaporator coil so as to cool the intake air stream;   a compressor fluidly coupled to the evaporator coil, the compressor configured to increase a pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor from the evaporator coil;   a condenser coil fluidly coupled to the compressor, the condenser coil configured to transfer heat from the refrigerant entering the condenser coil to the condenser air stream entering the first side and/or the second side of the housing so as to heat the condenser air stream; and   an expansion device fluidly coupled to the condenser coil, the expansion device configured to allow the refrigerant entering the expansion device to decrease in pressure prior to the refrigerant entering the evaporator coil.   
     
     
         3 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 2 , wherein the compressor comprises a double-cylinder compressor. 
     
     
         4 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of refrigeration cycle components further comprises a condenser fan, the condenser fan configured to expel the heated condenser air stream through the hot air outlet at the second end of the housing after the condenser air stream has been heated by the refrigerant in the condenser coil. 
     
     
         5 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the supply air fan is in a form of a centrifugal blower, the cooled air stream configured to enter an axial air inlet of the centrifugal blower, and the centrifugal blower configured to radially discharge the cooled air stream through the cold air outlet of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising a rechargeable battery pack for powering the portable air conditioning unit, the rechargeable battery pack configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical port on the housing of the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         7 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack is configured to be removably attached to a bottom of the housing so as to form a base for the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         8 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 7 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack comprises a release button disposed on a housing of the rechargeable battery pack for detaching the rechargeable battery pack from the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         9 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack comprises a direct current (DC) power output port disposed on a housing of the rechargeable battery pack for powering an external electronic device requiring DC power. 
     
     
         10 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack comprises one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) output ports disposed on a housing of the rechargeable battery pack for powering one or more external electronic devices. 
     
     
         11 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack comprises a direct current (DC) power charging port disposed on a housing of the rechargeable battery pack for enabling the rechargeable battery pack to be recharged using a DC power source. 
     
     
         12 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack comprises a combination charging and power supply port disposed on a housing of the rechargeable battery pack for enabling the rechargeable battery pack to be recharged using an alternating current (AC) power adapter connected to a building power supply, or for enabling the rechargeable battery pack to be electrically coupled to the electrical port on the housing of the portable air conditioning unit for powering the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         13 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising an alternating current (AC) power adapter for powering the portable air conditioning unit from a building power supply, the AC power adapter configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical receptacle on the housing of the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         14 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising a direct current (DC) power adapter for powering the portable air conditioning unit from a vehicle or other DC power source, the DC power adapter configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical receptacle on the housing of the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         15 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising a solar panel for powering the portable air conditioning unit, the solar panel configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical receptacle on the housing of the portable air conditioning unit by means of an electrical power cord. 
     
     
         16 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust duct collar extending from the housing and surrounding the hot air outlet, the exhaust duct collar comprising one or more grooves formed in one or more sides of the exhaust duct collar to accommodate one or more corresponding protrusions on an attachment end portion of a flexible exhaust duct so as to removably attach the flexible exhaust duct to the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         17 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising a supply duct collar extending from the housing and surrounding the cold air outlet, the supply duct collar comprising one or more grooves formed in one or more sides of the supply duct collar to accommodate one or more corresponding protrusions on an attachment end portion of a flexible supply duct so as to removably attach the flexible supply duct to the portable air conditioning unit. 
     
     
         18 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising a control panel disposed on the housing, the control panel including one or more of the following control buttons, visual status indicators, and/or visual displays: (i) a power button, (ii) a first fan speed button for increasing a speed of the supply air fan, (iii) a second fan speed button for decreasing the speed of the supply air fan, (iv) a fan mode button for activating a fan mode of the portable air conditioning unit, (v) a cooling mode status indicator for indicating that the portable air conditioning unit is in a cooling mode, (vi) an outlet air temperature display, (vii) an ambient air temperature display, and (viii) high and low fan speed indicator lights for the supply air fan. 
     
     
         19 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , further comprising a light disposed on the housing; and
 wherein the control panel further comprises a light button for activating and deactivating the light on the housing of the portable air conditioning unit.   
     
     
         20 . The portable air conditioning unit according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first side and second side of the housing comprises an air filter side panel through which the intake air stream enters the housing, the air filter side panel being removable from the housing so that dirt and/or debris is able to be cleaned from the air filter side panel by a user.