EP1255084A1

EP1255084A1 - Dehumidifier

Info

Publication number: EP1255084A1
Application number: EP02253013A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nae Young Lee; Jeong Sang Seo; Yang Mo Son; Ii Ho Shin
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2001-05-03
Filing date: 2002-04-29
Publication date: 2002-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2022-04-29
Also published as: PT1255084E; JP2002349896A; DE60209443D1; CN1384317A; ES2256414T3; EP1255084B1; ATE319052T1; CN1186566C

Abstract

Disclosed is a dehumidifier. The present invention includes a cabinet (20) having an intake port (21) and a blow outlet (23), a heat exchanger (30) installed inside the cabinet (20) so as to carry out dehumidification, a housing (50) installed inside the cabinet (20) and including a body (51) and a cover (53) so as to suck a dehumidified air, main and auxiliary blow parts formed at one side of the housing (50), the main blow part guiding the dehumidified air to the blow outlet (23) of the cabinet, the auxiliary part adjusting a blow direction (57) of the dehumidified air freely, and an air blower (60) installed inside the housing, sucking an air forcibly through the intake port (21) of the cabinet, discharging the dehumidified air forcibly through the main and auxiliary blow parts.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a dehumidifier, such as a dehumidifier for removing indoor humidity, and more particularly, to a dehumidifier for supplying a specific user-determined location with dehumidified air.

Discussion of the Related Art

Generally, dehumidifiers are apparatus for removing moistness (humidity) from air, and include dry dehumidifiers and cooling dehumidifiers in accordance with ways of removing humidity. The present invention relates to cooling dehumidifiers removing air humidity by condensation through heat exchange.
Structure and operation of a general dehumidifier according to a related art is schematically explained by referring to the attached drawings as follows.
FIG. 1 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a general dehumidifier according to a related art, and FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram for operation of the dehumidifier in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a dehumidifier includes a cabinet 1 of which front, rear, and bottom faces are open, a heat exchanger 4 constructed with evaporator 2 and condenser 3 installed inside the cabinet 1 so as to carry out a dehumidifying function, a compressor 5 compressing a refrigerant circulating the heat exchanger 4, an air blower 6 installed at a front or rear of the heat exchanger 4 so as to ventilate an air forcibly, a housing 7 supporting the air blower 6 as well as guiding the air dehumidified through heat exchange to a front panel 11, and a water tank 10 installed at a bottom of the heat exchanger 4 so as to store a condensed water generated from dehumidifying operation.
The front panel 11 is installed at a front of the cabinet 1 so as to blow the dehumidified air into a room. An air filter filtering various particles in an air sucked into the heat exchanger 4 is installed at a rear of the cabinet 1. And, a support plate 8 supporting the compressor 5 and water tank 10 is installed at a bottom of the cabinet 1.
A barrier 9 partitioning spaces in which the compressor 5 and water tank 10 are installed respectively is installed on the support plate 8, and a drain fan 13 guiding a condensed water of the heat exchanger 4 to the-water tank 10 as well as supporting the housing 7 is formed over the barrier 9.
Operation of the above-constructed dehumidifier is as follows. First, an indoor air sucked inside the cabinet through the air filter 12 by means of the air blower 6 passes the heat exchanger 4 so as to be dehumidified, continue to pass the housing 7 and front panel in order, and then blown back to a room.
As known by the operation of the dehumidifier, a blown direction of the dehumidifier is limited somehow in the related art. Namely, the dehumidified air is blown through the front panel 11 only. In this case, the grill installed at the front panel 11 plays a role in distributing the dehumidified air uniformly but fails to concentrate the dehumidified air on a user-demanding random place. Thus, in order to concentrate the dehumidified air on a specific place, the dehumidifier according to the related art should be relocated. Such inconvenience is caused by the limited blow direction of the dehumidified air. Unfortunately, the dehumidifier according to the related art fails to be used for a variety of usages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a dehumidifier that addresses one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
It would be desirable to provide a dehumidifier enabling to supply a specific user-demanding place with a dehumidified air intensively.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a dehumidifier according to the present invention includes a cabinet having an intake port and a blow outlet, a heat exchanger installed inside the cabinet so as to carry out dehumidification, a housing installed inside the cabinet and including a body and a cover so as to suck a dehumidified air, main and auxiliary blow parts formed at one side of the housing, the main blow part guiding the dehumidified air to the blow outlet of the cabinet, the auxiliary part adjusting a blow direction of the dehumidified air freely, and an air blower installed inside the housing, sucking an air forcibly through the intake port of the cabinet, discharging the dehumidified air forcibly through the main and auxiliary blow parts.
Preferably, the auxiliary blow part includes a flexible hose of which blow direction is free to choose or a plurality of blow pipes of which withdrawal length is variable by a sliding movement.
Therefore, the present invention enables to concentrate the dehumidified air on a user-selected place using the hose or blow pipes.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a general dehumidifier according to a related art;
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram for operation of the dehumidifier in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a dehumidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an assembly relation of an auxiliary blowing part of the dehumidifier in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 illustrates a bird's-eye view of a rear face of the dehumidifier in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B illustrate a housing cover and a housing of the dehumidifier in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate cross-sectional views of the dehumidifier for explaining the different states of operation;
FIG. 8 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a dehumidifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an assembly relation of an auxiliary blowing part of the dehumidifier in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B illustrate cross-sectional views of wind direction control members of the dehumidifier in FIG. 8;
FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B illustrates different operational states of the dehumidifier in FIG. 8;
FIG. 12 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a dehumidifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 illustrates a disassembled cross-sectional view of an auxiliary blowing part of the dehumidifier in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B illustrate open bird's-eye vies of the dehumidifier for explaining different operational states of the dehumidifier in FIG. 12; and
FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B illustrate cross-sectional views of a dehumidifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention for explaining different operational states thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

First Embodiment

FIG. 3 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a dehumidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, a dehumidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a cabinet 20 having an intake port 21 at a rear face, a blow outlet 23 at a top face, and a front face which is open, a housing 50 installed inside the cabinet 20 so that a dehumidified air is sucked in, and an air blower 60 installed inside the housing 50 so as to circulate an air forcibly.
And, the housing 50 includes a body 51 having open faces confronting the intake port 21 and blow outlet 23 respectively and a cover 53 having an opening part 55 at a face confronting the intake port 21 of the cabinet 20 so as to be coupled with an open rear face of the body 51.
A heat exchanger 30 includes an evaporator 31 and a condenser 33 and is installed between the intake port 21 of the cabinet 20 and the opening part 55 of the cover 53. The heat exchanger 30 condenses humidity in an air so as to generate a dehumidified air. The heat exchanger 30 is supported by a drain fan 71 placed under a bottom of the heat exchanger 30, and the drain fan 71 is supported by a support plate 73 installed at a bottom of the drain fan 71.
A barrier 75 partitioning a lower space of the cabinet 20 into a front and a rear is built in one body of the support plate 73. A water tank 80 gathering a condensed water through the drain fan 71 is installed at the front of the barrier 75, and the compressor 33 is installed at the rear of the barrier 75 so as to circulate a refrigerant to the heat exchanger 30.
The water tank 80 includes a water storage part 81 mounted on the support plate 73 stably so as to be withdrawn to a front of the cabinet, a viewable window 83 installed at a front edge of the water storage part 81 so as to indicate a water level of the water storage part 81, and a decoration part 85 coupled with front edges of the water storage part 81.
An air filter 22 is installed at the intake port 21 of the cabinet 20 so as to filter particles in a sucked-in air, and a front panel 90 having no additional blow grill is coupled with an upper part of the front face of the cabinet 20. A display part 91 indicating various operational states externally and a plurality of operational buttons 93 are installed at the front panel 90.
The air dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 is sucked into an inner part of the housing 50, and then blown externally through a blow path formed at one side of the housing 50. In this case, the blow path includes a main blow part connected to the blow outlet 23 at the top face of the cabinet 20 and an auxiliary blow part of which blow direction is variable freely in accordance with a user demand.
The main blow part includes the open top face of the housing 50 and the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 23. Thus, a blow direction of the main blow part is fixed. In this case, a louver 24 is installed at a circumference of the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 so as to be revolvable. The louver 24 opens the blow outlet 23 in accordance with a user's selection and is preferably operated by an additional louver-driving motor(not shown in the drawing).
The auxiliary blow part includes an auxiliary blow outlet 57 formed above the opening part 55 of the cover 53 and a hose 120 enabling to be pulled outside the cabinet 20. One end of the hose 120 is connected to the auxiliary blow outlet 57 so as to guide the dehumidified air to a user-demanding specific site. Therefore, the hose 120 is fully accommodated inside the cabinet 20 or pulled out of the cabinet 20. For this function, the hose 120 is preferably a flexible hose so as to provide easy accommodation and withdrawal as well as change the withdrawing direction freely.
In this case, an extending pipe 110 is preferably installed between the auxiliary blow outlet 57 and hose 120 so as to be coupled with the hose 120. Namely, the extending pipe 110 is built in one body of the cover 53 so as to protrude to be connected to the auxiliary blow outlet 57, and one end of the hose 120 is inserted into the extending pipe 110 so as to be coupled with.
For the coupling of the extending pipe 110 and hose 120, as shown in FIG. 4, a coupling protrusion 113 is formed along an inner circumference of the extending pipe 110 and a coupling groove 123 is formed at an outer circumference of one end 121 of the hose 120 inserted inside the extending pipe 110. Namely, the coupling protrusion 113 of the extending pipe 110 is inserted into the coupling groove 123 of the hose 123 so that the hose 120 is strongly fixed to the extending pipe 110.
Meanwhile, a downward slant face 111 is formed at a portion of the extending pipe 110 next to the auxiliary blow outlet 57. The slant face 111 enables to guide outflow of the dehumidified air smoothly. Namely, the dehumidified air, which goes to the extending pipe 110 from the air blower below the auxiliary blow outlet 57, under goes considerable resistance due to the abrupt change of the flow path. Thus, the slant face 111 formed at the one end of the extending pipe 110 enables to guide the dehumidified air inside the extending pipe 110 naturally.
FIG. 5 illustrates a bird's-eye view of a rear face of the dehumidifier in FIG. 3.
Referring to FIG. 5, a penetrating hole 25 is formed at the rear face of the cabinet 20 so that the hose is withdrawn externally. And, the penetrating hole 25 is located above the intake port 21 so as to be at the same level of the auxiliary blow outlet.
In this case, a switch plate 26 is installed so as to control the outflow of the dehumidified air through the hose 120 by opening selectively the penetrating hole at the rear face of the cabinet 20. Namely, when the switch plate 26 closes the penetrating hole 25, the dehumidified air has no chance but to be blown out through the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20. In this case, the switch plate 26 may be a member detachable from the cabinet 20, or another member installed revolvable centering around a hinge point of the cabinet 20.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B illustrate bird's-eye views of the structures and coupling relation of the body 51 and cover 53.
Referring to FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, a plurality of protrusions 53a and 53b are formed at a coupling face of the cover 53 for the easy coupling with the body. Namely, a first protrusion part 53a is formed outside the opening part 55 of the cover 53 so as to have a figure similar to a sidewall 51c of the body 51, and a second protrusion part 53b is formed outside the first protrusion part 53a. In this case, in case of a coupling thereof, the first and second protrusion parts 53a and 53b are tightly attached along inner and outer sides of the sidewall 51c of the body 51, respectively. Hence, the second protrusion part 53b is formed so as to leave a distance as long as a thickness of the sidewall 51c of the body 51 from the first protrusion part 53a. In this case, the second protrusion part plays a considerable role in determining the position for the coupling with the body 51.
Besides, in order to lock the cover 53 to the body 51, a locking hook 51a is formed at one side of a coupling face of the body 51 and a locking groove 53c is formed at a coupling face of the cover 53 so as to be coupled with the locking hook 51a. Moreover, bolt locking holes 51b and 53d are formed at the corresponding locations of the body 51 and cover 53, respectively.
Accordingly, when the body 51 and cover 53 are closely held tight each other through the first and second protrusion parts 53a and 53b, the locking hook 51a is inserted in the locking groove 53c. Additional bolts(not shown in the drawing) are then inserted into the bolt locking holes 51b and 53d to fasten the body 51 and cover 53 strongly.
Preferably, a guide 55a protrudes toward the intake port 21 of the cabinet 20 around the opening part 55 of the cover 53. The guide 55a plays a role in guiding the dehumidified air having passes the heat exchanger toward the air blower more smoothly.
The respective states of the operation of the above-constructed dehumidifier are explained in detail as follows.
FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate cross-sectional views of the dehumidifier for explaining the different states of operation. FIG. 7A shows a state that a dehumidified air is blown outside through the main blow outlet only, while FIG. 7B shows a state that the dehumidified air is blown outside through the auxiliary blow outlet only.
Referring to FIG. 7A, when the hose 120 is fully accommodated in the cabinet 20, the switch plate 26 closes the penetrating hole of the cabinet 20 so that the auxiliary blow part is closed, but the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 becomes open by the actuated louver 24 so that the main blow part is open. Under this circumstance, when power supply is applied to the compressor 35 and air blower 60, the room air passes the air filter 22 and intake port 21 successively so as to be sucked into the heat exchanger 30. Subsequently, the air is dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 and sucked inside the housing through the opening part 55 of the cover 53. The dehumidified air is then blown into a room through the blow outlet 23 opened by a blow force of the air blower 60 installed inside the housing.
Referring to FIG. 7B, the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 is closed by the operation of the louver 24 so as to close the main blow part, while the penetrating hole 25 becomes open by the operation of the switch plate so as to open the auxiliary blow part. In this case, the hose 120 is pulled out to a specific user-demanding position. Under this circumstance, the air dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 is sucked into the housing through the opening part 55 of the cover 53, and then blown to the auxiliary blow outlet 57 of the cover 53. Thereafter, the dehumidified air passes the extending pipe 110 and then is guided by the hose 120 so as to be blown to a specific location.
Considering the process between the intake and outflow of an air in the dehumidifier according to the present invention, it is preferable that the air blower 60 is a centrifugal fan instead of a axial-flow fan. This is because the blow direction of the dehumidified air maintains about 90° with the intake direction of the room air centering on the air blower 60. Therefore, the air blower 60 uses the centrifugal fan such as a sirocco or turbo fan, thereby enabling to carry out a series of process from air intake to outflow more smoothly.

Second Embodiment

A dehumidifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention is described by referring to FIGs. 8 to FIGs. 11B. The dehumidifier according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first only in that the structure of the auxiliary blow part, whereby the description except the following is the same of the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a dehumidifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 8, an auxiliary blow part according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes an auxiliary blow outlet 57 formed at one side of the opening part 55 of the cover 53 and a plurality of blow pipes 210, 220, and 230 interconnected to the auxiliary blow outlet 57 and sliding so as to be drawn out.
The blow pipes includes a fixed blow pipe 210 coupled with the cover 53 and at least one moving blow pipe 220 or 230 operating to slide inside the fixed blow pipe 210. In this case, the fixed blow pipe 210 is preferably built in one body of the cover 53 so as to protrude to be interconnected to the auxiliary blow outlet 57.
The moving blow pipes 220 and 230 includes a first moving blow pipe 220 inserted inside the fixed blow pipe 210 so as to enable a sliding movement and a second moving blow pipe 230 inserted inside the first moving blow pipe 220 so as to enable a sliding movement as well. In this case, a count of the moving blow pipes depends on a demanded withdrawal length. For instance, two of the moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are shown in FIG. 8.
The detailed structure of the fixed blow pipe 210 and the moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are shown in FIG. 9. One end of the fixed blow pipe 210 is coupled with the auxiliary blow outlet 57 of the cover 53, and the other end is coupled with the penetrating hole 25 of the cabinet 20. Therefore, portions pulled outside the cabinet 20 are the moving blow pipes 220 and 230.
In this case, a short sill 211 determining an insertion depth of the first moving blow pipe 220 is formed at an inner side of the fixed blow pipe 210, and a first protrusion 213 is formed at the other end of the fixed blow pipe 210 so as to protrude inward to prevent the detachment of the first moving blow pipe 220. A second protrusion 221 is formed at one end of the first moving blow pipe 220 so as to protrude outward to be caught by the first protrusion 213, and a third protrusion 223 is formed at the other end of the first moving blow pipe 220 so as to protrude to prevent the detachment of the second moving blow pipe 230. Similarly, a fourth protrusion 231 is formed at one end of the second moving blow pipe 230 so as to protrude to be caught by the third protrusion 223. In this case, the moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are pulled freely and externally without being taken apart completely from the fixed blow pipe 210.
Meanwhile, lengths of the first and second moving blow pipes 220 and 230 should be equal to or shorter than the length between the first protrusion 213 and the short sill 211 of the fixed blow pipe 210.
Since the moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are not as flexible as the hose, the blow direction is limited to a certain range. In order to overcome such a limitation, a wind direction control member 240 is preferably installed at the other end of the second moving blow pipe 230 so as to change the blow direction of the dehumidified air.
The present invention proposes the following two kinds of the wind direction control member 240.
In FIG. 10A, a 1/4 sphere 241 of which both vertexes are hinge-jointed to one end of the second moving blow pipe 230 is proposed as the wind direction control member 240. In this case, the blow direction of the dehumidified air is varied in accordance with the rotational degree of the sphere 241. Namely, the sphere 241 guides the dehumidified air so as to blow downward in FIG. 10A. If the sphere 241 rotates counterclockwise at 90° centering around the vertex 241a, the dehumidified air is blown forward. If the sphere 241 rotates clockwise at 90° centering around the vertex 241a, the dehumidified air is blown upward.
Besides, the sphere 241 is just one of the proposed examples for the wind direction control member. Various shapes are available for the wind direction control member, which is installed to be revolvable at the one end of the second moving blow pipe 230, as long as the blow direction of an air is variable in accordance with the revolvable degree thereof.
In FIG. 10B, a flexible wrinkle pipe 243 is proposed as the wind direction control member. In this case, one side 243a of the wrinkle pipe 243 is fixed to an upper semicircle of the one end of the second moving blow pipe 230, and the other side 243b is free from expansion and contraction. Hence, the other side 243b of the wrinkle pipe 243 is expanded or contracted so as to revolve centering around a rotational center 243c at the one end of the second moving blow pipe 230. Thus, the blow direction of the dehumidified air is changed in accordance how much the other side 243b of the wrinkle pipe 243 is expanded. Namely, the dehumidified air is guided by the wrinkle pipe 243 so as to be blown downward. If the other side 243b of the wrinkle pipe 243 is completely contracted, the dehumidified air is blown forward.
Operation of the above-constructed dehumidifier is shown in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B illustrates different operational states of the dehumidifier in FIG. 8.
FIG. 11A illustrates one state that the dehumidified air is blown externally through the main blow part only, while FIG. 11B illustrates the other state that the dehumidified air is blown externally through the auxiliary blow part only.
Referring to FIG. 11A, when the first and second moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are fully inserted inside the fixed blow pipe 210, the switch plate 26 closes the penetrating hole 25 of the cabinet 20 so as to close the auxiliary blow part, but the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 becomes open by the actuated louver 24 so as to open the main blow part. Under this circumstance, when power supply is applied to the compressor 35 and air blower 60, the room air passes the air filter 22 and intake port 21 successively so as to be sucked into the heat exchanger 30. Subsequently, the air is dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 and sucked inside the housing through the opening part 55 of the cover 53. The dehumidified air is then blown into a room through the blow outlet 23 opened by a blow force of the air blower 60 installed inside the housing.
Referring to FIG. 11B, the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 is closed by the operation of the louver 24 so as to close the main blow part, while the penetrating hole 25 becomes open by the operation of the switch plate and the first and second moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are drawn out from the fixed blow pipe 210 respectively so as to open the auxiliary blow part. In this case, the moving blow pipes 220 and 230 are pulled out to a specific user-demanding position. Under this circumstance, the air dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 is sucked into the housing through the opening part 55 of the cover 53, and then blown to the auxiliary blow outlet 57 of the cover 53. Thereafter, the dehumidified air passes the fixed and moving blow pipes 210, 220, and 230 in order, and then is guided by the wind direction control member 240 so as to be blown to a specific location.

Third Embodiment

A dehumidifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention is described by referring to FIGs. 12 to FIGs. 14B. The dehumidifier according to the third embodiment of the present invention differs from the first only in that the structure of the auxiliary blow part, whereby the description except the following is the same of the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 illustrates a disassembled bird's-eye view of a dehumidifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 12, a housing of a dehumidifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention includes is divided right and left into a main blow part 301 and an auxiliary blow part 303 by a partition wall 310 installed between the body 51 and cover 53. In this case, a hose 320 available for withdrawal outside the cabinet 20 is installed in the auxiliary blow part 303.
The partition wall 310 is installed between the body 51 and cover 53 in a vertical direction, whereby the main blow part 301 interconnected to the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 and the auxiliary blow part 303 interconnected to the hose 320 are partitioned right and left into centering around the partition wall 310. In this case, the partition wall 310 may be formed at either the body 51 or the cover 53. For instance, the partition wall 310 is formed at the body 51. Namely, the partition wall 310 is installed vertically at a predetermined site between both sides of the body 51.
In this case, the louver 24 is installed at a circumference of the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 so as to open the blow outlet 23 selectively. The louver 24 is preferably operated by an extra louver motor(not shown in the drawing).
FIG. 13 illustrates a disassembled cross-sectional view of an auxiliary blowing part of the dehumidifier in FIG. 12.
Referring to FIG. 13, in order to install the hose 320, a coupling groove 313 is formed along a lower part of the partition wall 310 and an inner circumference of the body 51 constructing the auxiliary blow part, and a coupling protrusion 321 is formed at an outer lower circumference of the hose 320 so as to be inserted into the coupling groove 313.
In this case, the hose 320 should be accommodated inside the body 51 or drawn out of the cabinet 20. For this, the hose 320 is preferably a flexible hose of which withdrawal direction is variable as well as accommodation and withdrawal are ease.
Meanwhile, In order to accommodate the hose 320 with ease, an upper portion 311 of the partition wall 310 is preferably bent toward the main blow part 301 so as to provide a spare space at an upper part of the auxiliary blow part 303.
The penetrating hole 27, as shown in FIG. 12, is formed at the top face of the cabinet so as to draw out the hose 320 outside the cabinet 20 and the switch plate 28 is installed so as to open/close the penetrating hole 27 selectively. In this case, the penetrating hole is positioned in parallel with the blow outlet 23.
The switch plate 28 may be a member detached from the cabinet 20. And, the switch plate 28 is preferably a member installed to be revolvable centering on a hinge point of the cabinet 20.
The operation of the above-constructed dehumidifier is shown in FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B.
FIG. 14A illustrates one state that the dehumidified air is blown externally through the main blow part only, while FIG. 14B illustrates the other state that the dehumidified air is blown externally through the auxiliary blow part only.
Referring to FIG. 14A, when the hose 320 is fully inserted inside the fixed blow pipe 210, the switch plate 26 closes the penetrating hole 27 of the cabinet 20 so as to close the auxiliary blow part 303, but the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 becomes open by the actuated louver 24 so as to open the main blow part. Under this circumstance, the air is dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 and sucked inside the housing through the opening part 55 of the cover 53. The dehumidified air is then blown into a room through the main blow part 301 and the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20.
Referring to FIG. 114, the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 is closed by the operation of the louver 24 so as to close the main blow part 301, while the penetrating hole 27 becomes open by the operation of the switch plate and the hose 320 is drawn out through the penetrating hole 27 so as to open the auxiliary blow part 303. In this case, the hose 320 is pulled out to reach a specific user-demanding position. Under this circumstance, the air dehumidified through the heat exchanger 30 is sucked into the housing through the opening part 55 of the cover 53 by a suction force of the air blower. Thereafter, the dehumidified air is sucked into the hose 320 through the auxiliary blow part 303, and then guided by the hose 320 so as to be blown to a specific location.

Fourth Embodiment

A dehumidifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is described by referring to FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B. The dehumidifier according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention differs from the first only in that the structure of the auxiliary blow part, whereby the description except the following is the same of the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B illustrate cross-sectional views of a dehumidifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention for explaining different operational states thereof.
Referring to FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B, an auxiliary blow part of a dehumidifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes an auxiliary blow outlet 51d formed at one of airtight sides of the body 51 and a hose 410 connected to the auxiliary blow outlet 51d so as to be withdrawn outside the cabinet 20.
A coupling groove 411 is formed at an outer circumference of one end, and the coupling groove is coupled with the body 51.
Meanwhile, a penetrating hole 29a is formed at one side of the cabinet confronting the auxiliary blow outlet 51d so as to draw out the hose 410 externally. In order to open the penetrating hole 29a selectively, a switch plate 29b is formed near the penetrating hole 29a of the cabinet 20 so as to be revolvable. In this case, the penetrating hole 29a is positioned at the same level of the auxiliary blow outlet 51d of the housing 40, whereby the hose 410 is drawn out in a horizontal direction.
In this case, the hose 410 is preferably a flexible hose so as to provide easy accommodation and withdrawal as well as a free variation of the withdrawal direction.
In the above-constructed dehumidifier, as shown in FIG. 15A, when the hose 410 is fully accommodated inside the cabinet 20 and the switch plate 29b closes the penetrating hole 29 airtight, the auxiliary blow part is closed. Therefore, the dehumidified air sucked between the body 51 and cover is blown into a room through the blow outlet 23 of the cabinet 20 only.
Referring to FIG. 15B, when the louver 24 closes the blow outlet 23 and the switch plate 29b opens the penetrating hole 29a so that the hose 410 is drawn out externally, the auxiliary blow part becomes open only. Therefore, the dehumidified air sucked between the body 51 and cover is sucked into the hose 410 through the auxiliary blow outlet 51d, and then guided by the hose 410 so as to be blown to a specific location.
Accordingly, the present invention provides the dehumidifier having the main blow part of which blow direction of the dehumidified air is fixed and the auxiliary blow part of which blow direction is variable. Therefore, a user enables to supply a specific place intensively with the dehumidified air using the auxiliary blow part, thereby enabling to provide a variety of usages of the dehumidifier. For instance, when a laundry is dried, the dehumidified air is applied to the laundry intensively using the auxiliary blow part so as to maximize a dry effect.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art than various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A dehumidifier comprising:

a cabinet having an intake port and a blow outlet;

a heat exchanger installed inside the cabinet so as to carry out dehumidification;

a housing installed inside the cabinet and including a body and a cover so as to suck a dehumidified air;

main and auxiliary blow parts formed at one side of the housing, the main blow part guiding the dehumidified air to the blow outlet of the cabinet, the auxiliary part adjusting a blow direction of the dehumidified air freely; and

an air blower installed inside the housing, sucking an air forcibly through the intake port of the cabinet, discharging the dehumidified air forcibly through the main and auxiliary blow parts.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, the auxiliary blow part comprising:

an auxiliary blow outlet formed at one side of the cover; and

a hose connected to the auxiliary blow outlet so as to be withdrawn from the cabinet.
The dehumidifier of claim 2, the auxiliary blow part further comprising an extension pipe protruding from the cover so that the hose is inserted therein.
The dehumidifier of claim 3, the auxiliary blow part further comprising:

a coupling protrusion protruding along an inner circumference of the extension pipe; and

a coupling groove formed at an outer circumference of one end of the hose inserted inside the extension pipe so as to receive the coupling protrusion.
The dehumidifier of claim 3, the auxiliary blow part further comprising a slant side near the auxiliary blow outlet of the extension pipe so as to guide an outflow of the dehumidified air smoothly.
The dehumidifier of claim 2, wherein the hose is a flexible hose of which reception and withdrawal direction are free.
The dehumidifier of claim 2, the auxiliary blow part further comprising:

a penetrating hole formed at one side of the cabinet so as to draw out the hose externally; and

a switch plate installed to be revolvable near the penetrating hole of the cabinet so as to open the penetrating hole selectively.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, the auxiliary blow part further comprising:

an auxiliary blow outlet formed at one side of the cover; and

a plurality of blow pipes interconnected to the auxiliary blow outlet so as to be withdrawn outside the cabinet by sliding movement.
The dehumidifier of claim 8, the blow pipe comprising:

a fixed blow pipe coupled with the cover so as to be interconnected to the auxiliary blow outlet; and

at least one moving blow pipe sliding inside the fixed blow pipe.
The dehumidifier of claim 9, the at least one moving blow pipe comprising:

a first moving blow pipe sliding inside the fixed blow pipe; and

a second moving blow pipe sliding inside the first moving blow pipe.
The dehumidifier of claim 10, the auxiliary blow part further comprising a wind direction control member installed at one end of the second moving blow pipe for changing the blow direction of the dehumidified air.
The dehumidifier of claim 11, wherein the wind direction control member is installed to be revolvable at one end of the second moving blow pipe so as to vary a blow direction of an air in accordance with a rotational degree thereof.
The dehumidifier of claim 12, wherein the wind direction control member is a 1/4 sphere of which both vertexes are coupled to be revolvable with the one end of the second moving blow pipe.
The dehumidifier of claim 11, wherein the wind direction control member is a wrinkle pipe of which one end is coupled with the one end of the second moving blow pipe and of which the other end is expanded or contracted so as to change the blow direction of the dehumidified air variably.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, further comprising a partition wall installed inside the housing so as to divide an inner part of the housing into the main blow part and the auxiliary blow part.
The dehumidifier of claim 15, the auxiliary blow part comprising a hose installed inside the housing and enabling to be withdrawn outside the cabinet.
The dehumidifier of claim 16, wherein the hose is a flexible hose of which reception and withdrawal direction are free.
The dehumidifier of claim 16, the auxiliary blow part further comprising:

a coupling groove formed along the partition wall and an inner circumference of the housing; and

a coupling protrusion formed at an outer circumference of one end of the hose so as to be inserted into the coupling groove.
The dehumidifier of claim 16, wherein the partition wall is installed vertically between the body and cover so that the blow direction of the dehumidified air through the main and auxiliary blow parts faces an upper part of the housing.
The dehumidifier of claim 19, wherein an upper portion of the partition wall extends outward so as to provide a spare space part in order to enable easy accommodation of the hose.
The dehumidifier of claim 19, the auxiliary blow part further comprising:

a penetrating hole formed at a top of the cabinet so that the hose is drawn out through the penetrating hole; and

a switch plate installed to be revolvable near the penetrating hole so as to open the penetrating hole selectively.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, the auxiliary blow part comprising:

an auxiliary blow outlet formed at one side of the body; and

a flexible hose connected to the auxiliary blow outlet so as to be withdrawn outside the cabinet.
The dehumidifier of claim 22, the auxiliary blow part further comprising:

a penetrating hole formed at a side of the cabinet confronting the auxiliary blow outlet so as to withdraw the hose externally; and

a switch plate installed to be revolvable near the penetrating hole of the cabinet so as to open the penetrating hole selectively.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, the main blow part comprising:

an open face of the housing at a side confronting the blow outlet of the cabinet; and

a louver installed to be revolvable near the blow outlet of the cabinet so as to open the blow outlet selectively.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, the cover comprising an opening part formed at a face of the cover confronting the intake port of the cabinet so that the dehumidified air is sucked into the housing.
The dehumidifier of claim 25, the cover further comprising a guide protruding toward the intake port of the cabinet around the opening part so as to guide a suction of the dehumidified air smoothly.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, the cover further comprising:

a first protrusion part protruding from a face confronting the body and attached closely to an inner side wall of the body; and

at least one second protrusion part protruding to leave a distance as thick as a side wall of the body from the first protrusion part so as to determine a position for a coupling with the body.
The dehumidifier of claim 1, further comprising:

a locking hook protruding from a coupling face of the body; and

a locking groove at a coupling face of the cover so as to be coupled with the locking hook.