WO2021016694A1 - Improvement to temporary auxiliary supports for supporting a split internal air-conditioning unit close to a vertical installation wall, the supports being of different lengths - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention pertains to the field of auxiliary equipment for installing air-conditioning equipment. More specifically, the present improvement relates to temporary supports for installation of the internal air-conditioning unit. During installation of internal units, the internal unit needs to be supported to carry out the installation, and this support is often provided by an assistant. To enable the installer to work alone and to facilitate positional adjustments of the internal unit, the present invention teaches an improvement to temporary auxiliary supports (10 and 11) for supporting a split internal air-conditioning unit (80) close to a vertical installation wall. The upper proximal portion of said supports is provided with a hook (32) that is designed to engage an upper hook (71) of a permanent support (70). The auxiliary supports (10 and 11) are also provided with thin rods (30 and 31) in the thickness thereof, the auxiliary support (10) being provided with a long rod (30) in the length thereof and the auxiliary support (11) being provided with a short rod (31) in the length thereof, and the distal portions of said auxiliary supports (10 and 11) temporarily support the internal unit (80). This support is provided by means of an engagement area (60) that connects transversely with the rod (30, 31). The engagement area (60) has an orifice (61) traversed by adjustment means (20) of the lead of the internal unit.

Description

IMPROVEMENT IN TEMPORARY AUXILIARY SUPPORTS FOR SUPPORTING AN INTERNAL AIR CONDITIONING UNIT OF THE SPLIT TYPE NEAR A VERTICAL INSTALLATION WALL BEING THE SUPPORTS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS

[001] The present specification for a utility model patent belongs to the field of auxiliary equipment for the installation of air conditioning equipment. More specifically, this improvement deals with temporary supports for installing the internal air conditioning unit, air humidifier, heating, ventilation units, among others.

[002] Thus, the term indoor unit must be interpreted here in the broadest sense, given that the various current climate control technologies have several features, such as equipment with HVAC technology, which means equipment capable of promoting: heating, ventilation and air conditioning. That is, the term indoor air conditioning unit refers to any indoor unit of a split-type air conditioning system capable of producing adequate thermal comfort and / or air quality.

[003] The term split is here interpreted as air conditioning systems that have at least two units. The first is the indoor unit for which the improved support is intended. This indoor unit is also known as an "evaporator" and the other is the outdoor unit, also known as a "condenser". Such an air conditioning system may have one or more evaporators connected to one or more condensers. Here these terms are interpreted in the same way in the singular or plural.

[004] The installation of this split air conditioning system requires the interconnection of the indoor unit with the outdoor unit by means of refrigerant pipes for circulation refrigerant gas between the two units. The improved auxiliary supports are useful exactly when installing this system. More specifically, this auxiliary support is of great use during the installation of the indoor unit for its correct positioning and connection of the refrigerant pipes.

[005] During the installation of the indoor unit there is a need to support it, mainly, during the connection of the refrigerant piping and connection of the electric cables. The refrigerant piping, in most cases, passes through the wall, staying close to it, in order to reach the indoor unit longitudinally.

[006] As the indoor unit will be installed on the wall, it must be positioned next to the refrigerant piping to make the connection and tighten it. The positioning of the indoor unit must be such that one side of it is closer to the wall and the other side is a little more spaced to engage the connections and tighten them. The space should not be large, just enough to make the connection and tighten in order not to force the piping when the final positioning of the indoor unit on the wall.

[007] If the connection is made too far from the wall, there will be excess piping and the tubes, usually copper, will not have enough flexibility to accommodate between the wall and the indoor unit. When taking the indoor unit to fit in the final support, the piping may break or it may not be properly accommodated.

[008] If there is no temporary auxiliary support to support the indoor unit during this indoor unit installation procedure, a second person, a helper, would be needed to hold the indoor unit during installation. In addition to being hard and tedious work, the need for a helper makes the total cost of installation more expensive. Some places are tall or difficult to access due to the presence of furniture or other decorative objects.

[009] The present support eliminates the need for a helper to install this type of split-type air conditioning system. Additionally, the use of this improved support assists in the proper spacing between the indoor unit and the wall.

[0010] In order to provide temporary support for an indoor unit some inventions are known from the state of the art.

[0011] The US patent document US2015107277 teaches a portable and reusable installation platform to facilitate the installation or maintenance of an air conditioner on a vertical wall that includes at least one support base on which at least part of the air conditioner is positioned during installation or maintenance. In this disclosure, a support leg is shown that extends downwards from the support base and is configured to lean against the wall to support the weight of the air conditioner placed on the support base.

[0012] In this American revelation, fixation occurs through the lower hook of the definitive support and an elongated support leg with a proximal and distal portion. The distal portion of the support leg is pivotally connected to the support base between the medial and distal point of the support base.

[0013] The articulating system present in the American patent document is not present in the improved support disclosed here. The present improvement is advantageously simpler and has a pair of slim supports that take up little space and are light and easy to transport.

[0014] The American revelation uses a more complex system to build a platform on which the indoor unit is supported. In the present improvement, advantageously, no platform is necessary, the supports are connected to the upper hooks of the definitive support and its distal portion of the rods support the indoor unit by means of a fitting area.

[0015] The US patent document US10113754 reveals some realizations such as the details for the fixing hook and the shape of the support, which can take some preferential forms such as a reinforced angle bracket or a cross support bar to support the weight of the indoor unit. This document also shown are some preferred ways of supporting said wall supports.

[0016] This improvement adds a series of advantages compared to the state of the art documents. The supports revealed here are simpler to manufacture, as the support rod is thin and can even be stamped. This support provides raw material savings resulting in a more economical and lighter product.

[0017] In addition to being light and easy to transport (taking up little space in the installers' tool bag), the product is equipped with a tensioner that fixes the support to the bottom hook of the final support, making the installation safer. The use of the tensioner prevents any force applied from the bottom up to disengage the auxiliary support from the definitive support, which could cause the indoor unit to fall and even a more serious accident. Said force applied from the bottom upwards could be an accidental bumping of the installer or the escape of some tool during installation or any other carelessness of the installer during the placement of the indoor unit that may cause the removal of the auxiliary support from the upper hook of the final support. . Thus, this improvement provides additional security for the installation of the indoor unit.

[0018] Another functional advantage of the present improvement in auxiliary support is the fitting area, positioned in the distal portion of the support, the fitting area is where the indoor unit is actually supported. Bearing in mind that the support rod is thin, if the rod was supported directly on the indoor unit, it could crack, break or cause any type of damage to the indoor unit housing. The housings of the indoor units are usually made of fragile polymeric material that could be damaged in a reduced support area. In order to preserve the housing of the evaporator unit during installation, a larger support area was provided in the present improvement to provide a secure fit. In addition, the support area is provided with a means of regulating plumb, which advantageously adjusts the inclination of the indoor unit for a perfect fit of the connections of the refrigerant pipes. [0019] Having been shown the advantages and functional improvements in view of the state of the art follows the summary description of the present improvement.

[0020] The present disclosure deals with an improvement in temporary auxiliary supports to support an internal split air conditioning unit close to a vertical installation wall.

[0021] The auxiliary supports are provided in the upper proximal portion of a hook suitable for fitting in a upper hook of a definitive support of the indoor unit, and the auxiliary supports are also spaced according to the position of the upper hooks of the definitive support, being the support fixed to the wall.

[0022] The auxiliary supports are provided with thin rods in their thickness, one auxiliary support with a long rod in its length and the other auxiliary support with a short rod in its length.

[0023] The distal portions of said auxiliary supports temporarily support the indoor unit, where said support is provided by means of a fitting area that is transversely connected with the rod, the thickness of the contact surface of the fitting area being greater than stems thickness.

[0024] The fitting area extends downwards in its length and is provided with a hole through which a means of regulating the plumb of the indoor air conditioning unit is passed.

[0025] The lower proximal portion of the auxiliary supports is also provided with a base that rests on the definitive support or on the wall, the base is also provided with a fitting for a tensioner that is fixed by means of a hook to the lower hook of the support definitive.

[0026] The present improvement has some preferential achievements that will now be presented, through the figures that will be briefly described.

[0027] Figure 1 shows the side view of the auxiliary support with the long rod. That The figure shows the auxiliary support fitted to the final support, the tensioner being a spring.

[0028] Figure 2 shows the side view of the auxiliary support with the shortest stem. The figure shows the auxiliary support outside the definitive support.

[0029] Figure 3 shows the front view of the auxiliary support. The upper part of the figure shows the docking area with the indoor unit. Note also the detail of the hole where a screw is inserted to adjust the plumb. The bottom part shows the base of the auxiliary support.

[0030] Figures 4 shows the top view of the long auxiliary support.

[0031] Figures 5 shows the top view of the short auxiliary support.

[0032] Figure 6 shows the top view of a pair of auxiliary supports, one short and the other long, supporting an indoor unit. This figure shows the auxiliary supports attached to the final support, which in turn is attached to a vertical installation wall.

[0033] Summarized the figures, now follows the detailed description of the improvement. As shown in figures 1 and 2, a hook (32) is provided in the proximal portion of the auxiliary supports (10, 11). This hook (32) attaches to the upper hook (71) of the final support (70). When fitting the indoor unit (80) to the distal portion of the auxiliary support (10, 11) the force applied downwards on that end of the auxiliary support (10, 11) will tend to rotate the auxiliary support (10, 11). This does not occur, due to the propping of the support base (33) on the wall (90). As this strength of the support base (33) is eminently normal to the wall and it is also not convenient for the auxiliary support (10, 11) to have a very long arm, between the hook (32) and the support base (33) is it is appropriate to fix the auxiliary support (10) by means of a tensioner (50) so that the auxiliary support (10, 11) does not come loose.

[0034] The support base (33) can rest on both the wall (90) and the final support (70) depending on the model of the latter. [0035] Exemplarily the tensioner (50) is a spring or it could also be a rubber strip or even another material with little elasticity as long as it promotes the fixation of the support base (33) to the final support or to the wall (90) or fixing at any other convenient point.

[0036] In the present embodiment, a spring was used as a tensioner (50). The spring is then fixed to the support base (33) by means of an oblong hole (34). The other fixation point chosen was the definitive support itself (70) where a hook (51) is provided on the tensioner (50) for fixing to the lower hook (72) of the definitive support (70).

[0037] All "L" shaped support is preferably made of thin and light material, such as a metal plate or alternatively it can be manufactured with polymeric synthetic material.

[0038] In the distal portion of the auxiliary support (10), a fitting area (60) is provided for fixing the indoor unit (80). The upper part of this docking area (60) acts as a hook for fixing the indoor unit (80). In its upper portion, this contact area is greater than the thickness of the thin rod (30), as can be seen in figures 4 and 5. This larger contact area is intended not to damage the housing of the indoor unit (80), since most of these units are built with fragile material. If there was no locking area (60), the lift would be applied in a very small area and the pressure exerted could damage the housing material of the indoor unit (80). That is, the fitting area (60) provides a larger contact area in order not to damage the material. In addition, as shown in figure 3, the fitting area (60) extends downwards, with an exemplary provision for a screw (20) that is passed through a hole (61) with a thread for adjusting the plumb of the indoor unit (80). When the screw is turned by means of a butterfly (21) the screw moves forward or backward. The end of the screw (20) meets the housing of the internal unit (80) by pushing it in a rotational movement upwards or in the retraction of the screw (20) allowing it to descend by gravity into the internal unit (80). This movement makes the plumb of the indoor unit (80) and is useful during its installation in order to adjust its position according to the need of the installer to promote the correct and adequate union of the copper tubes.

[0039] Figure 2 shows the shortest auxiliary support (11) with the same characteristics already presented as the longest auxiliary support (10). The size difference between the auxiliary supports (10) and (11) is useful and convenient since one side of the indoor unit (80) must be positioned closer to the wall (90) while the other side must be positioned a little further from the to provide sufficient space for the installer to work. This space is necessary for the connection of electrical pipes and cables. On the other hand, this space cannot be large, since the pipes must be accommodated close to the wall. If the space is very large, there will not be enough flexibility of the copper tubes for accommodation and the indoor unit (80) and it may not fit in the final support (70). The size of the auxiliary supports (10 and 11) has already been designed to provide adequate spacing for the installer's work, without compromising the accommodation of the refrigerant pipes, as shown exemplarily (without scale) in figure 6.

[0040] Figure 6 shows the top view of the auxiliary supports (10 and 11) supporting an indoor unit (80).

[0041] The present improvement may alternatively have more than two auxiliary supports of different sizes depending on the definitive support model (70) and internal unit (80). That is, alternatively there may be three auxiliary supports with long, medium and short size.

[0042] In order to better understand the component parts of the present improvement, they are listed below:

• 10 - long auxiliary support for indoor unit (80);

• 11 - short auxiliary support for indoor unit (80);

• 20 - means of regulating the plumb of the indoor unit (80); • 21 - throttle (20);

• 30 - long support rod (10);

• 31 - short support rod (11);

• 32 - hook to fit the upper hook (71) of the support (70);

• 33 - support base of the supports (10 and 11);

• 34 - fitting the intended (50);

• 50 - tensioner;

• 51 - tensioner hook to be attached to the bottom hook (72) of the final support (70);

• 60 - fitting area of the indoor unit (80);

• 61 - through hole of the plumb adjustment means (20);

• 70 - definitive support for the indoor unit (80);

• 71 - upper hook (71) of the definitive support (70);

• 72 - lower hook (71) of the final support (70);

• 80 - internal air conditioning unit;

• 90 - installation wall.

Claims

1) Improvement in temporary auxiliary supports (10 and 11) to support an indoor unit (80) of split type air conditioning close to a vertical installation wall (90), where the auxiliary supports (10 and 11) are provided in the portion upper proximal of a hook (32) characterized by the fact that said hook (32) is suitable for fitting a upper hook (71) of a definitive support (70) of the indoor unit (80), with the supports still spaced according to position of the upper hooks (71) of the definitive support (70), the definitive support (70) being fixed to the wall (90); the auxiliary supports (10 and 11) are provided with rods (30 and 31) thin in their thickness, the auxiliary support (10) being provided with a long rod (30) in its length and the auxiliary support (11) provided with a short rod (31) in its length, the distal portions of said auxiliary supports (10 and 11) temporarily supporting the internal unit (80), where said support is made by means of a fitting area (60) which connects transversely with the rod (30, 31), the thickness of the contact surface of the fitting area (60) being greater than the thickness of the rods (30 and 31), with the fitting area (60) extending downwards in its length and is provided with an orifice (61) through which a means for regulating (20) the plumb of the indoor air conditioning unit is passed; the lower proximal portion of the supports (10 and 11) is also provided with a base (33) that rests on the final support (70) or on the wall (90), the base (33) is also provided with a socket (34) for a tensioner (50) that is fixed by means of a hook (51) to the lower hook (71) of the final support (70).