Vortex tube, air conditioning system with vortex tube, and associated control method

Abstract

An air conditioning system, a vortex tube, a vortex generating member, and a method for controlling an air conditioning system are provided. The air conditioning system includes a vortex tube that produces cold air and hot air, a blower device that supplies air to the vortex tube, and an indoor unit located in an indoor space that selectively releases one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortex tube to the indoor space.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a vortex tube that produces cold air and hot air;   a blower device that supplies air to the vortex tube; and   an unit located in a space that selectively releases one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortex tube to the space.   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a generating unit that receives one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortex tube to generate electricity.   
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning system of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the generating unit comprises a sterling engine.   
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a vortex generating member that generates a vortex;   a vortex guide tube that guides the vortex generated by the vortex generating member; and   a valve that releases a part of the vortex delivered from the vortex guide tube and having the remaining of the vortex flow back to the vortex guide tube.   
     
     
         5 . The air conditioning system of  claim 4 , wherein the vortex generating member comprises:
 a plurality of vortex inducing portions arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction,   a division tube formed on an inside of the vortex inducing portions to have the form of a tube and be separate from the vortex inducing portions, and   a through hole formed within the division tube that allows a vortex to pass through the vortex generating member.   
     
     
         6 . The air conditioning system of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the outer circumferential face of the division tube extends toward the valve and has a tapering diameter.   
     
     
         7 . The air conditioning system of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the division tube comprises a vortex inducing groove formed in a spiral form on the outer circumferential face of the division tube.   
     
     
         8 . The air conditioning system of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the vortex guide tube is shaped like a cylinder with a cavity, and includes a vortex generation unit that forms a vortex generation room with the vortex generating member installed therein and a vortex guide tube unit shaped like a tube and piped with a center of the vortex generation room, and   wherein the division tube divides an inside of the vortex generation room in order for a first vortex produced by the vortex inducing portions to be guided by the outer circumferential face of the division tube and for a second vortex flowing back by the valve to be guided to the inside of the division tube.   
     
     
         9 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the unit is shaped like a ring and includes a blower unit with a fluid path through which the cold air or the hot air delivered from the vortex tube flows formed therein, and   wherein the blower unit includes a discharging slit arranged on an inner circumference of the blower unit that releases air forward.   
     
     
         10 . A vortex tube comprising:
 a vortex generating member that generates a vortex;   a vortex guide tube that guides the vortex generated by the vortex generating member; and   a valve that releases a part of the vortex delivered from the vortex guide tube while having the remaining of the vortex flow back to the vortex guide tube,   wherein the vortex generating member comprises a plurality of vortex inducing portions arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, a division tube formed on an inside of the vortex inducing portions to have the form of a tube and be separate from the vortex inducing portions, and a through hole formed within the division tube that allows a vortex to pass through the vortex generating member.   
     
     
         11 . The vortex tube of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the outer circumferential face of the division tube extends toward the valve and has a tapering diameter.   
     
     
         12 . The vortex tube of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the division tube comprises a vortex inducing groove formed in a spiral form on the outer circumferential face of the division tube.   
     
     
         13 . A vortex generating member for vortex tube comprising:
 a plurality of vortex inducing portions arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction;   a division tube formed on an inside of the vortex inducing portions to have the form of a tube and be separate from the vortex inducing portions; and   a through hole formed within the division tube that allows a vortex to pass through the vortex generating member.   
     
     
         14 . The vortex generating member for vortex tube of  claim 13 ,
 wherein the outer circumferential face of the division tube extends toward the valve and has a tapering diameter.   
     
     
         15 . The vortex generating member for vortex tube of  claim 13 ,
 wherein the division tube comprises a vortex inducing groove formed in a spiral form on the outer circumferential face of the division tube.   
     
     
         16 . A method for controlling an air conditioning system, the method comprising:
 determining whether a mode is selected by a user;   determining if the mode selected by the user is a cooling mode; and   upon determining that the selected mode is the cooling mode, guiding cold air produced from a vortex tube to a unit while guiding hot air produced from the vortex tube to a generating unit.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 upon determining that the selected mode is not the cooling mode, guiding cold air produced from a vortex tube to the generating unit while guiding hot air produced from the vortex tube to the unit.   
     
     
         18 . The air conditioning system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the unit is an indoor unit,   the space is an indoor space, and   the indoor unit selectively releases one of the cold air and the hot air produced from the vortex tube to the indoor space.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 ,
 wherein the unit is an indoor unit.