US-12624846-B2 - Fan assembly for an air conditioner appliance

US12624846B2US 12624846 B2US12624846 B2US 12624846B2US-12624846-B2

Abstract

An air conditioner unit may include a bulkhead, a vent aperture, and a fan assembly. The bulkhead may define an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. The vent aperture may be defined in the bulkhead. The fan assembly may urge a flow of make-up air from the outdoor portion through the vent aperture to the indoor portion. The fan assembly may include a fan housing and an auxiliary fan. The makeup air duct may be in fluid communication with the vent aperture. The fan housing may include a bottom wall defining a vertical weep hole to permit water to exhaust from the makeup air duct apart from the vent aperture. The auxiliary fan may be positioned within the fan housing.

Inventors

Kenton Merlino
Richard Michael Phillips

Assignees

HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240325

Claims (19)

1 . An air conditioner unit, comprising: a bulkhead defining an indoor portion and an outdoor portion; a vent aperture defined in the bulkhead; and a fan assembly for urging a flow of make-up air from the outdoor portion through the vent aperture to the indoor portion, the fan assembly comprising: a fan housing defining a makeup air duct in fluid communication with the vent aperture, the fan housing comprising a bottom wall defining a vertical weep hole to permit water to exhaust from the makeup air duct apart from the vent aperture, and an auxiliary fan positioned within the fan housing, wherein the fan housing defines a filter slot upstream from the vent aperture, wherein the fan housing defines a filter aperture above the bottom wall and along a lateral direction, the lateral direction being perpendicular to the vertical weep hole and a direction of airflow through the makeup air duct, wherein the fan housing extends across the makeup air duct along the lateral direction between an exterior-facing side and an interior-facing side, wherein the filter aperture is defined at the exterior-facing side, and wherein the vertical weep hole is defined proximal to the interior-facing side.
2 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly further comprises an air filter selectively positioned within the filter slot.
3 . The air conditioner unit of claim 2 , wherein the air filter is disposed above the vertical weep hole.
4 . The air conditioner unit of claim 2 , wherein the fan housing further comprises an elevated ridge extending from the bottom wall through the filter slot, and wherein the air filter is supported on the elevated ridge.
5 . The air conditioner unit of claim 2 , wherein the air filter is positioned downstream of the auxiliary fan.
6 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall is sloped such that the bottom wall defines an upper end within the makeup air duct and a lower end within the makeup air duct.
7 . The air conditioner unit of claim 6 , wherein the vertical weep hole is disposed at the lower end.
8 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the fan housing comprises: a lower portion; and an upper portion joined to the lower portion to define the makeup air duct.
9 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , further comprising a base pan supporting the bulkhead, and wherein a vertical gap is defined between the base pan and the bottom wall of the fan housing.
10 . A fan assembly for urging a flow of make-up air through an air conditioner unit, the fan assembly comprising: a fan housing defining a fan slot, a filter slot, and a makeup air duct, the fan housing comprising a bottom wall defining a vertical weep hole to permit water to exhaust from the makeup air duct; an auxiliary fan positioned within the fan slot of the fan housing; and an air filter positioned within the filter slot above the vertical weep hole, wherein the fan housing defines a filter aperture above the bottom wall and along a lateral direction for inserting or removing the air filter from the filter slot, the lateral direction being perpendicular to the vertical weep hole and a direction of airflow through the makeup air duct, wherein the fan housing extends across the makeup air duct along the lateral direction between an exterior-facing side and an interior-facing side, wherein the filter aperture is defined at the exterior-facing side, and wherein the vertical weep hole is defined proximal to the interior-facing side.
11 . The fan assembly of claim 10 , wherein the fan housing further comprises an elevated ridge extending from the bottom wall through the filter slot, and wherein the air filter is supported on the elevated ridge.
12 . The fan assembly of claim 10 , wherein the air filter is positioned downstream of the auxiliary fan.
13 . The fan assembly of claim 10 , wherein the bottom wall is sloped such that the bottom wall defines an upper end within the makeup air duct and a lower end within the makeup air duct.
14 . The fan assembly of claim 13 , wherein the vertical weep hole is disposed at the lower end.
15 . The fan assembly of claim 10 , wherein the fan housing comprises: a lower portion; and an upper portion joined to the lower portion to define the makeup air duct.
16 . An air conditioner unit, comprising: a bulkhead defining an indoor portion and an outdoor portion; a vent aperture defined in the bulkhead; and a base pan supporting the bulkhead; a fan assembly for urging a flow of make-up air from the outdoor portion through the vent aperture to the indoor portion, the fan assembly comprising: a fan housing defining a makeup air duct in fluid communication with the vent aperture, the fan housing comprising a bottom wall defining a vertical weep hole to permit water to exhaust from the makeup air duct apart from the vent aperture, and an auxiliary fan positioned within the fan housing, wherein the fan housing defines a filter slot upstream from the vent aperture, wherein the fan assembly further comprises an air filter selectively positioned within the filter slot above the vertical weep hole, wherein the fan housing defines a filter aperture above the bottom wall and along a lateral direction for inserting or removing the air filter from the filter slot, the lateral direction being perpendicular to the vertical weep hole and a direction of airflow through the makeup air duct, wherein the fan housing extends across the makeup air duct along the lateral direction between an exterior-facing side and an interior-facing side, wherein the filter aperture is defined at the exterior-facing side, wherein the vertical weep hole is defined proximal to the interior-facing side, and wherein an open vertical gap is defined between the base pan and the bottom wall of the fan housing to permit the draining of condensation within the air conditioner unit.
17 . The air conditioner unit of claim 16 , wherein the fan housing further comprises an elevated ridge extending from the bottom wall through the filter slot, and wherein the air filter is supported on the elevated ridge.
18 . The air conditioner unit of claim 16 , wherein the bottom wall is sloped such that the bottom wall defines an upper end within the makeup air duct and a lower end within the makeup air duct.
19 . The air conditioner unit of claim 18 , wherein the vertical weep hole is disposed at the lower end.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to air conditioner units, and more particularly to fan assemblies for providing make up air in packaged terminal air conditioner units. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Air conditioner or conditioning units are conventionally utilized to adjust the temperature indoors (e.g., within structures such as dwellings and office buildings). Such units commonly include a closed refrigeration loop to heat or cool the indoor air. Typically, the indoor air is recirculated while being heated or cooled. A variety of sizes and configurations are available for such air conditioner units. For example, some units may have one portion installed indoors that is connected to another portion located outdoors (e.g., by tubing or conduit carrying refrigerant). These types of units are typically used for conditioning the air in larger spaces. Another type of air conditioner unit, commonly referred to as single-package vertical units (SPVU) or package terminal air conditioners (PTAC), may be utilized to adjust the temperature in somewhat smaller indoor spaces, for example, a single room or group of rooms of a structure. These units typically operate like split heat pump systems, except that the indoor and outdoor portions are defined by a bulkhead and all system components are housed within a single package that installed in a wall sleeve positioned within an opening of an exterior wall of a building. PTACs often need to draw air from the outdoor portion into the indoor portion. Accordingly, certain PTACs allow for the introduction of make-up air into the indoor space (e.g., through a vent aperture defined in the bulkhead that separates the indoor and outdoor side of the unit). The vent aperture is usually equipped with an auxiliary fan or make-up air module to urge a flow of make-up air from the outdoor side of the PTAC into the conditioned room. Notably, it may be desirable to filter the outdoor air before introducing it into the indoor space. However, the make-up air subsystem is often limited by size constraints, cost constraints, labor constraints, and maintenance/serviceability constraints. Due to these constraints, conventional air filters used in such assemblies may be ineffective in properly filtering the make-up air, particularly at higher flow rates required to meet industry required standards for make-up air flow rate. Separate from or in addition to air flow or filtration considerations for the make-up air, moisture within the make-up air may lead to various issues. For instance, outdoor air may include relatively high amounts of water vapor or moisture (e.g., depending on the ambient environment). In turn, such water vapor may collect and condense within certain portions of the fan assembly or vent aperture. If permitted to accumulate, the condensed water may lead to mildew or mold growth, or may otherwise interfere with proper functioning of various (e.g., electronic) components. Accordingly, improved air conditioner units and systems for filtering make-up air would be useful. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner unit is provided. The air conditioner unit may include a bulkhead, a vent aperture, and a fan assembly. The bulkhead may define an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. The vent aperture may be defined in the bulkhead. The fan assembly may urge a flow of make-up air from the outdoor portion through the vent aperture to the indoor portion. The fan assembly may include a fan housing and an auxiliary fan. The makeup air duct may be in fluid communication with the vent aperture. The fan housing may include a bottom wall defining a vertical weep hole to permit water to exhaust from the makeup air duct apart from the vent aperture. The auxiliary fan may be positioned within the fan housing. In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a fan assembly is provided. The fan assembly may include a fan housing, an auxiliary fan, and an air filter. The fan housing may define a fan slot, a filter slot, and a makeup air duct. The fan housing may include a bottom wall defining a vertical weep hole to permit water to exhaust from the makeup air duct. The auxiliary fan may be positioned within the fan slot of the fan housing. The air filter may be positioned within the filter slot above the vertical weep hole. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. BRIEF D