EP1553361A1

EP1553361A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: EP1553361A1
Application number: EP03756601A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Masaki Ohtsuka; Yukishige Shiraichi
Original assignee: Sharp Corp
Current assignee: Sharp Corp
Priority date: 2002-09-25
Filing date: 2003-09-22
Publication date: 2005-07-13
Also published as: JP4017483B2; JP2004116859A; CN1685179A; EP1553361A4; WO2004029519A1; HK1084438A1; AU2003299108A1; CN1303375C

Abstract

Three transverse louvers (11a, 11b, 11c) are arranged side by side in a spout port (5). When conditioned air is discharged upward, the central and lower transverse louvers (11c, 11b) are disposed in a standard position substantially parallel with the air flowing through the central and lower regions of an air feed path (6) so as to discharge the main stream downward as indicated (A1). The upper transverse louver (11a) is disposed upward inclined with respect to the air flow passing through the upper region of the air feed path (6), so that the air passing through the upper region of the air feed path (6) is led by the transverse louver (11a) to be discharged along the upper wall (6a) of the air feed path (6). The air discharged upward is drawn to the main stream (A1) by the Coanda effect and led in the direction of the main stream, as indicated by arrow (A4).

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to an air conditioner that conditions the air introduced inside and delivers the conditioned air throughout the room, and in particular, to an air conditioner capable of discharging the air upward.

Background art

Conventional air conditioners discharge the air in substantially horizontal and downward directions. Therefore, when the air is continuously discharged under the condition that the room temperature is around the set temperature, the user is constantly exposed to cold wind or warm wind, thus causing a problem of user discomfort. Moreover, in the dehumidifying and cooling modes, this condition decreases user's local body temperature, thus imposing a health problem on the user.
Accordingly, Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-232531 discloses an air conditioner that can discharge the conditioned air in horizontal and downward directions, and can discharge the conditioned air in an upward direction when the room temperature has reached around the set temperature. Fig. 9 is a side cross section showing an example of the indoor unit of an air conditioner that discharges the air in an upward direction.
The indoor unit 1 disposed near a room ceiling R has a main body held by a cabinet 2 that is attached on the wall. A front panel 3 is removably attached to the cabinet 2. The front panel 3 has an upper surface and a front surface provided with air inlets 4a and 4c, respectively.
An air outlet 5 in a substantially rectangular shape is provided in the space between the lower end portion of the front panel 3 and the lower end portion of the cabinet 2. The air outlet 5 extends in the width direction of the indoor unit 1. An air feed path 6 is formed inside the indoor unit 1. The air feed path 6 leads to the air inlets 4a and 4c, and the air outlet 5. An air feed fan 7 is disposed in the air feed path 6. Driving the air feed fan 7 causes the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to be discharged through the air outlet 5.
The air feed path 6 includes an upper wall 6a and a lower wall 6b. The upper wall 6a is so tilted as to ascend forward near the air outlet 5. The lower wall 6b is so tilted as to descend forward near the air outlet 5. Therefore, the air feed path 6 becomes gradually wider toward the air outlet 5 that is located downstream. This structure allows conversion of the kinetic energy of the air flowing through the air feed path 6 into static pressure. Thus, the load imposed on the air feed fan 7 can be reduced to thereby increase the air volume.
An air filter 8 is positioned so as to face the front panel 3. The air filter collects and removes dust contained in the air that has been introduced through the air inlets 4a and 4c. An indoor heat exchanger 9 is arranged in the air feed path 6, between the air feed fan 7 and the air filter 8.
The indoor heat exchanger 9 is connected to a compressor (not shown) disposed outdoors. A refrigeration cycle is operated by driving the compressor. The operation of the refrigeration cycle in the cooling mode cools down the indoor heat exchanger 9 to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature. The operation of the refrigeration cycle in the heating mode heats the indoor heat exchanger 9 to a temperature higher than the ambient temperature. Drain pans 10 are provided below a front and a back portion of the indoor heat exchanger 9. The drain pans 10 collect dew that drips from the indoor heat exchanger 9 in the cooling and dehumidifying modes.
The air outlet 5 includes transverse louvers 11a and 11b that face outward and that can change the vertical discharge angle. The transverse louver 11a opens and closes the upper region of the air outlet 5. The transverse louver 11b opens and closes the lower region of the air outlet 5. The air discharge direction can be changed between a downward and an upward direction by the transverse louvers 11a and 11b. Vertical louvers 12 are provided behind the transverse louvers 11a and 11b. The vertical louvers 12 can change the horizontal discharge angle.
In the air conditioner provided with the above-mentioned structure, when the air conditioner starts its operation, the air feed fan 7 is driven into rotation. A refrigerant fed from an outdoor unit (not shown) flows into the indoor heat exchanger 9 to operate a refrigerant cycle. The rotation of the air feed fan 7 draws the air into the indoor unit 1 through the air inlets 4a and 4c. Dust contained in this air is removed by the air filter 8.
The air introduced into the indoor unit 1 is subjected to heat exchange conducted by the indoor heat exchanger 9 so as to be cooled or heated. The conditioned air then passes through the air feed path 6, and the horizontal direction of the conditioned air is controlled by the vertical louver 12. The conditioned air is then discharged through the air outlet 5 by being directed downward, as indicated by arrow A1, by the transverse louvers 11a and 11b that are oriented downward, thereby achieving indoor air conditioning.
In a stable state where the room temperature is stable, the transverse louvers 11a and 11b are oriented upward as shown in Fig. 10. This causes the conditioned air to be discharged upward as indicated by arrow A2, thereby preventing cool air or warm air from constantly hitting the user, which alleviates the user discomfort. Moreover, a decrease in the local body temperature can be avoided.
There is also known an air conditioner having an ion generator that generates ions in the indoor unit 1, as disclosed in Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-89868. This air conditioner discharges ions along with conditioned air through the air outlet 5, thereby providing a relaxation effect and an air purification effect achieved by sterilization or the like.
According to the above-mentioned conventional air conditioner shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the air discharged through the air outlet 5 is directed downward or upward along the transverse louvers 11a and 11b, respectively. When the air is discharged downward, as shown in Fig. 9, the conditioned air does not flow along the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6. Thus, the air at room temperature is drawn by the air discharged in the direction shown by the arrow A1, thus flowing into the air feed path 6 as indicated by an arrow B2.
In this condition, the air that has flowed into the air feed path 6 stays in contact with the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6. This air is then cooled down to the dew-point temperature by the conditioned air in the cooling and dehumidifying modes, thereby causing a problem of condensation 99 occurring on the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6.
Similarly, when the air is discharged upward, as shown in Fig. 10, the conditioned air is discharged in a direction indicated by arrow A2. Drawn by this air, the air at room temperature flows into the air feed path 6 from the bottom as indicated by arrow B1. Consequently, the air that has flowed into the air feed path 6 stays in contact with the lower wall 6b of the air feed path 6, thereby causing a problem of dew condensation 99 occurring on the lower wall 6b of the air feed path 6. The transverse louver 11b also encounters a problem of condensation occurring on the surface thereof, because air at different temperatures makes contact with the different surfaces of the transverse louver 11b.
The air feed path 6 widens toward the air outlet 5. The conditioned air, therefore, flows toward the air outlet 5 while radially widening. Thus, as shown in Fig. 9, when the air is discharged downward, the air in the upper region of the air outlet 5 collides with the upper transverse louver 11a, causing an increase in pressure loss.
Similarly, when the air is discharged upward as shown in Fig. 10, the air in the lower region of the air outlet 5 collides with the lower transverse louver 11b, causing an increase in pressure loss. Furthermore, the collision causes the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to separate from the upper wall 6a and the lower wall 6b. This decreases the flow area, so that the conversion efficiency with which kinetic energy is converted into static pressure deteriorates, thereby leading to a problem of reduced air volume being delivered by the air feed fan 7.
In an air conditioner that discharges ions along with conditioned air, the ions impact the transverse louvers 11a and 11b, so that the ions lose their charge. This destroys or deactivates the ions, leading to a problem of reduced volume of ions being emitted inside the room.

Disclosure of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner capable of avoiding condensation and also avoiding a decrease in air volume. It is another object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner capable of avoiding a decrease in ion emission volume.

[Means for Achieving the Object]

To achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, an air conditioner for conditioning air introduced through an air inlet, changing a wind direction of air flowing through an air feed path upward or downward by wind direction change means, and then discharging the air through an air outlet is characterized in that the wind direction change means uses a Coanda effect to change the wind direction of the air discharged through the air outlet.
This configuration allows conditioning of the air introduced through the air inlet. The air then passes through the air feed path and is discharged, e.g., downward, through the air outlet. Part of the air is discharged upward by the wind direction change means. The wind direction of the air discharged upward is changed to the direction of the mainstream air by the Coanda effect. The air feed path is structured such that its upper wall is so tilted as to ascend forward. Therefore, the air feed path widens toward a downstream side thereof.
When the conditioned air is discharged upward by the wind direction change means, part of the air flows along the lower wall of the air feed path to be discharged through the lower region of the air outlet. This air is drawn by the mainstream air, which is discharged upward, by the Coanda effect so as to be directed upward. When the conditioned air is discharged downward by the wind direction change means, part of the air flows along the upper wall of the air feed path to be discharged through the upper region of the air outlet. This air is drawn by the mainstream air, which is discharged downward, by the Coanda effect so as to be directed downward.
The wind direction change means can be easily achieved by the use of a plurality of wind direction plates that are attached to the air outlet and of which directions can be changed. When the air is discharged upward through the air outlet, the highest wind direction plate is arranged at a standard position along the air flowing through the upper region of the air feed path. This arrangement permits the air flowing through the upper region of the air feed path to be directed in the extension direction from the wind direction plate. When the air is discharged downward through the air outlet, the highest wind direction plate is so arranged as to be increasingly close to the upper wall of the air feed path toward a downstream side thereof starting from the standard position. This allows part of the air to flow along the upper wall of the air feed path. Then this air is led into the room along the mainstream air that is discharged downward.
When the air is discharged downward through the air outlet, the lowest wind direction plate is arranged at a standard position along the air flowing through the lower region of the air feed path. This arrangement permits the air flowing through the lower region of the air feed path to be direction in the extension direction from the wind direction plate. When the air is discharged upward through the air outlet, the lowest wind direction plate is so arranged as to be close to the lower wall of the air feed path toward a downstream side thereof starting from the standard position. This arrangement allows part of the air to flow along the lower wall of the air feed path. Then this air is led into the room along the mainstream air that is discharged upward.
It is preferable to provide three or more wind direction plates because this allows easy control of the discharge direction of the mainstream with these wind direction plates excluding the highest or lowest one. It is more preferable to provide three wind direction plates because this allows easy control of the direction of each wind direction plate:

Brief description of drawings

[Fig. 1] A side cross section showing the indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 2] A side cross section showing how air is discharged downward by the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 3] A side cross section showing how air is discharged upward by the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 4] A circuit diagram of a refrigeration cycle operated by the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 5] A plan view showing a remote controller for the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 6] A plan view showing the remote controller for the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 7] A side cross section showing how air is discharged downward by the indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 8] A side cross section showing how air is discharged upward by the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[Fig. 9] A side cross section showing how air is discharged downward by the indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner.
[Fig. 10] A side cross section showing how air is discharged upward by the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner.

Best mode for carrying out the invention

Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of convenience, the same portions as those found in the conventional air conditioner shown in Figs. 9 and 10 are identified with the same numerals. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
An indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is disposed near a room ceiling R, and has a main body held by a cabinet 2 that is attached on a room wall. A front panel 3 is removably attached to the cabinet 2. The front panel 3 has an upper surface and a front surface provided with air inlets 4a and 4c, respectively.
An air outlet 5 in a substantially rectangular shape is provided in the space between the lower end portion of the front panel 3 and the lower end portion of the cabinet 2. The air outlet 5 extends in the width direction of the indoor unit 1. An air feed path 6 is formed inside the indoor unit 1. The air feed path 6 leads to the air inlets 4a and 4c, and the air outlet 5. An air feed fan 7 is disposed in the air feed path 6. Driving the air feed fan 7 causes the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to be discharged through the air outlet 5.
The air feed path 6 includes an upper wall 6a and a lower wall 6b. The upper wall 6a is so tilted as to ascend forward near the air outlet 5. The lower wall 6b is so tilted as to descend forward near the air outlet 5. Therefore, the air feed path 6 becomes gradually wider toward the air outlet 5 that is located downstream. This structure allows conversion of the kinetic energy of the air flowing through the air feed path 6 into static pressure. Thus, the load imposed on the air feed fan 7 can be reduced to thereby increase the air volume.
An air filter 8 is positioned so as to face the front panel 3. The air filter 8 collects and removes dust contained in the air that has been introduced through the air inlets 4a and 4c. An indoor heat exchanger 9 is arranged in the air feed path 6 between the air feed fan 7 and the air filter 8.
Drain pans 10 are provided below a front and a back portion of the indoor heat exchanger 9. The drain pans 10 collect dew that drips from the indoor heat exchanger 9 in the cooling and dehumidifying modes. An ion generator 30 that generates ions is provided adjacent to the front-side of the drain pan 10. The ion generator 30 has a discharge surface 30a that faces the air feed path 6.
The air outlet 5 includes transverse louvers 11a and 11b that face outward and that can change the vertical discharge angle. The transverse louver 11a opens and closes the upper region of the air outlet 5. The transverse louver 11b opens and closes the lower region of the air outlet 5. The air discharge direction can be changed between a downward and an upward direction by the transverse louvers 11a and 11b. Vertical louvers 12 are provided behind the transverse louvers 11a and 11b. The vertical louvers 12 can change the horizontal discharge angle.
Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the refrigeration cycle operated in the air conditioner. An outdoor unit (not shown) is connected to the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner, and includes a compressor 62, a four-way selector valve 63, an outdoor heat exchanger 64, an air feed fan 65, and a valve mechanism 66. The compressor 62 has one end thereof connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 64 through the four-way selector valve 63 by a refrigerant pipe 67. The compressor 62 has the other end thereof connected to the indoor heat exchanger 9 through the four-way selector valve 63 by the refrigerant pipe 67. The outdoor heat exchanger 64 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 9 through the valve mechanism 66 by the refrigerant pipe 67.
When the cooling mode is started, the compressor 62 is driven and the air feed fan 7 is rotated. As a result, a refrigeration cycle 68 is created, in which a refrigerant passes from the compressor 62 through the four-way selector valve 63, the outdoor heat exchanger 64, the valve mechanism 66, the indoor heat exchanger 9, and the four-way selector valve 63 back to the compressor 62.
In the cooling mode, the operation of the refrigeration cycle 68 cools down the indoor heat exchanger 9 to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature. In the heating mode, the four-way selector valve 63 is switched to rotate the air feed fan 65, thereby circulating the refrigerant in the direction reverse to the above-mentioned direction. As a result, the indoor heat exchanger 9 is heated to a temperature higher than the ambient temperature.
Fig. 5 shows a remote controller 31 that can communicate with the indoor unit 1. The remote controller 31 includes a display 35 that displays the room temperature, the operation condition, etc., and an operation portion 36 provided with various control buttons. An operation stop button 37 provided on the operation portion 36 switches on and off the air conditioner. The operation portion 36 is also provided with a switch button 38, an upward-downward wind direction button 32. The switch button 38 makes switching among cooling, heating, and dehumidifying modes.
The upward-downward wind direction button 32 changes the orientation of the transverse louvers 11a and 11b to permit the user to set a desired wind direction. In this case, it is preferable that downward-forward discharge and upward-forward discharge be alternatively selected by operating the upward-downward wind direction button 32, which makes it easy to recognize the operation of the remote controller 31.
A different name may be given to the upward-downward wind direction button 32. Indicating on or near this button the effect provided by the button clearly tells the function carried out by the button, offering improved convenience. As shown in Fig. 6, sliding a cover 31a located at the lower portion exposes an operation portion 36a that permits manual setting of detailed operations.
Fig. 2 shows how air is discharged downward by the air conditioner provided with the above-mentioned structure. When the air conditioner starts its operation, the air feed fan 7 is driven into rotation. A refrigerant fed from the outdoor unit (not shown) flows into the indoor heat exchanger 9 to start a refrigerant cycle. The rotation of the air feed fan 7 introduces the air into the indoor unit 1 through the air inlets 4a and 4b. Dust contained in this air is removed by the air filter 8. The ion generator 30 is driven to emit ions from the discharge surface 30a into the air feed path 6.
The air introduced into the indoor unit 1 is subjected to heat exchange conducted by the indoor heat exchanger 9 so as to be cooled down or heated. The conditioned air then passes through the air feed path 6, and the horizontal direction of the conditioned air is controlled by the vertical louvers 12. The lower transverse louver 11b is arranged at a standard position substantially parallel with the air flowing through the lower region of the air feed path 6. This arrangement allows the air flowing through the lower region of the air feed path 6 to be led in the extension direction from the transverse louver 11b.
The upper transverse louver 11a is arranged with such a tilt that the upper transverse louver 11a is increasingly close to the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6 toward a downstream side thereof relative to the air flow passing through the upper region of the air feed path 6. A large amount of air passes through the substantially central region of the air feed path 6, thus resulting in a large angle being formed between the air flow and the transverse louver 11a. Therefore, the air is discharged not along the transverse louver 11a but in the direction of air flow in which the air has been traveling before reaching the air outlet 5. This causes the mainstream of a large proportion of the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to be discharged in the direction of the air flow that passes through the substantially central region and the lower region, as shown by arrow A1.
The air passing through the upper region of the air feed path 6 is directed by the transverse louvers 11a to be discharged along the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6. Here, since the mainstream air is discharged through the air outlet 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow A1, a small amount of air passes through between the upper wall 6a and the transverse louver 11a. Thus the discharged air is drawn by the mainstream (A1) due to the Coanda effect so that the discharged air is led in the direction of the mainstream as indicated by arrow A4. This results in downward discharge of the conditioned air along with ions, thereby achieving air conditioning of the room while providing air purification and relaxation effects.
When the indoor temperature is stable, the upper transverse louver 11a is arranged at a standard position substantially parallel with the air flowing through the upper region of the air feed path 6, as shown in Fig. 3. This arrangement allows the air flowing through the upper region of the air feed path 6 to be led in the extension direction from the transverse louver 11a.
The lower transverse louver 11b is arranged with such a tilt that the lower transverse louver 11b is increasingly close to the lower wall 6b of the air feed path 6 toward a downstream side thereof relative to the air flow passing through the lower region of the air feed path 6. A large amount of air passes through the substantially central region of the air feed path 6, thus resulting in a large angle being formed between the air flow and the transverse louver 11b. Therefore, the air is discharged not along the transverse louver 11b but in the direction of air flow in which the air has being traveling before reaching the air outlet 5. This causes the mainstream of a large proportion of the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to be discharged in the direction of the air flow that passes through the substantially central region and the upper region, as shown by arrow A2.
The air passing through the lower region of the air feed path 6 is directed by the transverse louver 11b to be discharged along the lower wall 6a of the air feed path 6. Here, since the mainstream air is discharged through the air outlet 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow A2, a small amount of air passes through between the lower wall 6b and the transverse louver 11b. Thus the discharged air is drawn by the mainstream (A2) due to the Coanda effect so that the discharged air is led in the direction of the mainstream as indicated by arrow A5. This prevents the user from being constantly exposed to cold wind or warm wind, thus alleviating the user discomfort and also avoiding a decrease in his or her local body temperature.
According to this embodiment, when the conditioned air is discharged downward, the upper transverse louver 11a is so tilted as to be increasingly close to the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6 toward a downstream side thereof relative to the air flow passing through the upper region of the air feed path 6. Thus, the upper air in the air feed path 6 flows in contact with the upper wall 6a. As a result, air at room temperature does not flow along the upper wall 6a through the air outlet 5 as shown by arrow B2 (see Fig. 2), thus preventing condensation from occurring on the upper wall 6a.
Similarly, when the conditioned air is discharged upward, the lower transverse louver 11b is so tilted as to be increasingly close to the lower wall 6b of the air feed path 6 toward a downstream side thereof relative to the air flow passing through the lower region of the air feed path 6. Thus, the lower air in the air feed path 6 flows in contact with the lower wall 6b. As a result, air at room temperature does not flow along the lower wall 6b through the air outlet 5 as shown by arrow B1 (see Fig. 3), thus preventing condensation from occurring on the lower wall 6b.
In Fig. 2, the air in the upper region of the air feed path 6 attempts to flow upward along the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6; therefore, the amount of air blocked by the upper transverse louver 11a is small. Similarly, in Fig. 3, the air in the lower region of the air feed path 6 attempts to flow through the air feed path 6 downward; therefore, the amount of air blocked by the lower transverse louver 11b is small.
This can alleviate the collision between the air flows and the transverse louvers 11a and 11b, and also can avoid the diminishing of the flow area of the air discharged through the air outlet 5 so as to efficiently convert kinetic energy into static pressure. This in turn can avoid the lowering of the air volume offered by the air conditioner. In addition, ion loss can be avoided, thus improving sterilization and relaxation effects.
Fig. 5 is a side cross section of indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the invention. For the sake of convenience, the same portions as those found in the first embodiment described above and shown in Figs. 1 to 4 are identified with the same numerals. In this embodiment, three transverse louvers 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged side by side vertically at an air outlet 5. The other portions are the same as in the first embodiment.
When the air conditioner starts its operation, an air feed fan 7 is driven into rotation. A refrigerant fed from an outdoor unit (not shown) flows into an indoor heat exchanger 9 to operate a refrigerant cycle. The rotation of the air feed fan 7 permits air to be sucked into an indoor unit 1 through air inlets 4a and 4c. Dust contained in this air is removed by an air filter 8. An ion generator 30 is driven to emit ions from a discharge surface 30a into an air feed path 6.
The air introduced into the indoor unit 1 is subjected to heat exchange conducted by the indoor heat exchanger 9 so as to be cooled or heated. The conditioned air then passes through the air feed path 6, and the horizontal direction of the conditioned air is controlled by vertical louvers 12. The middle and lower transverse louvers 11c and 11b are arranged at their respective standard positions substantially parallel with the air flowing through the middle and lower regions, respectively, of the air feed path 6. This arrangement allows the air flowing through the middle and lower regions of the air feed path 6 to be led in the extension directions from the transverse louvers 11c and 11b, respectively.
The upper transverse louver 11a is arranged with such a tilt that the upper transverse louver 11a is increasingly close to an upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6 toward a downstream side thereof relative to the air flow passing through the upper region of the air feed path 6. A large amount of air passes through between the transverse louvers 11c and 11a, thus resulting in a large angle being formed between the air flow and the transverse louver 11a. Therefore, the air is discharged not along the transverse louver 11a but in the direction of air flow in which the air has been traveling before reaching the air outlet 5. This causes the mainstream of a large proportion of the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to be discharged in the direction of the air flow that passes through the substantially central region and the lower region, as shown by arrow A1.
The air passing through the upper region of the air feed path 6 is directed by the transverse louvers 11a to be discharged along the upper wall 6a of the air feed path 6. Here, since the mainstream air is discharged through the air outlet 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow A1, a small amount of air passes through between the upper wall 6a and the transverse louver 11a. Thus the discharged air is drawn by the mainstream (A1) due to the Coanda effect so that the discharged air is led in the direction of the mainstream as indicated by arrow A4. This results in downward discharge of the conditioned air along with ions, thereby achieving air conditioning of the room while providing air purification and relaxation effects.
When the indoor temperature is stable, the upper and middle transverse louvers 11a and 11c are arranged at their respective standard positions substantially parallel with the air flowing through the upper and middle regions, respectively, of the air feed path 6, as shown in Fig. 8. This arrangement allows the air flowing through the upper and middle regions of the air feed path 6 to be led in the extension direction from the transverse louvers 11a and 11c, respectively.
The lower transverse louver 11b is arranged with such a tilt that the lower transverse louver 11b is increasingly close to a lower wall 6b of the air feed path 6 toward a downstream side thereof relative to the air flow passing through the lower region of the air feed path 6. A large amount of air passes through between the transverse louvers 11c and 11b, thus resulting in a large angle being formed between the air flow and the transverse louver 11b. Therefore, the air is discharged not along the transverse louver 11b but in the direction of air flow in which the air has been traveling before reaching the air outlet 5. This causes the mainstream of a large proportion of the air flowing through the air feed path 6 to be discharged in the direction of the air flow that passes through the substantially central region and the upper region, as shown by arrow A2.
The air passing through the lower region of the air feed path 6 is directed by the transverse louver 11b to be discharged along the lower wall 6a of the air feed path 6. Here, since the mainstream air is discharged through the air outlet 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow A2, a small amount of air flows through between the lower wall 6b and the transverse louver 11b. Thus the discharged air is drawn by the main stream (A2) due to the Coanda effect so that the discharged air is led in the direction of the mainstream as indicated by arrow A5.
This embodiment offers the same effects as does the first embodiment. The two transverse louvers excluding either the highest transverse louver 11a or the lowest transverse louver 11b can control the wind direction of the air discharged through the air outlet 5. The first embodiment -has difficulties in controlling the wind direction of the mainstream air, because a slight change in the direction of a transverse louver causes a great change in the wind direction. The second embodiment, however, achieves easy control of the mainstream direction. The wind direction can be more easily controlled than in the first embodiment, even when four or more transverse louvers are provided. The control becomes more complicated when four or more transverse louvers are used. Thus, it is particularly preferable to provide three transverse louvers.

Industrial applicability

According to the present invention, wind direction change means uses the Coanda effect to change the wind direction of the air discharged through an air outlet. This allows the conditioned air to make contact with the wall surface of an air feed path near the air outlet during its discharge, thus avoiding condensation occurring on the wall surface of the air feed path.
Moreover, the present invention can alleviate the impact between the air flow and the wind direction change means. Further, the invention can avoid the diminishing of the flow area of the air discharged through the air outlet to efficiently convert kinetic energy into static pressure, thus avoiding the lowering of the air volume provided by the air conditioner. In the case where an ion generator is provided, ion loss can be avoided, thus improving sterilization and relaxation effects.
According to the present invention, the wind direction change means can be formed by a plurality of wind direction plates. The use of two of the three wind direction plates, excluding either the highest wind direction plate or the lowest wind direction plate, allows easy control of the wind direction of the air discharged through the air outlet so as to change the wind direction by the Coanda effect. Furthermore, the use of three wind direction plates can make easy direction control.

Claims

An air conditioner for conditioning air introduced through an air inlet, changing upward or downward a wind direction of air flowing through an air feed path by wind direction change means, and then discharging the air through an air outlet,
wherein the wind direction change means uses a Coanda effect to change the wind direction of the air discharged through the air outlet.
The air conditioner according to claim 1,
wherein the air feed path widens toward a downstream side thereof, and the wind direction change means uses the Coanda effect to direct upward a wind direction of air discharged through a lower region of the air outlet.
The air conditioner according to claim 1,
wherein the air feed path widens toward a downstream side thereof, and the wind direction change means uses the Coanda effect to direct downward a wind direction of air discharged through an upper region of the air outlet.
The air conditioner according to one of claims 2 and 3,
wherein an upper wall of the air feed path is so tilted as to ascend forward.
The air conditioner according to one of claims 1 to 4,
wherein the wind direction change means comprises a plurality of wind direction plates that are attached to the air outlet and of which directions can be changed.
The air conditioner according to claim 5,
wherein, when the air is discharged upward through the air outlet, the highest wind direction plate is arranged at a standard position along air flowing through an upper region of the air feed path, and when the air is discharged downward through the air outlet, the highest wind direction plate is so arranged as to be increasingly close to an upper wall of the air feed path toward a downstream side thereof starting from the standard position.
The air conditioner according to claim 5,
wherein, when the air is discharged downward through the air outlet, the lowest wind direction plate is arranged at a standard position along air flowing through a lower region of the air feed path, and when the air is discharged upward through the air outlet, the lowest wind direction plate is so arranged as to be increasingly close to a lower wall of the air feed path toward a downstream side thereof starting from the standard position.
The air conditioner according to one of claims 5 to 7,
wherein, as the wind direction plate, three or more wind direction plates are provided side by side vertically and a discharge direction of the air is controlled by changing the directions of the wind direction plates excluding the highest or the lowest wind direction plate.
The air conditioner according to one of claims 5 to 7,
wherein, as the wind direction plate, three wind plates are provided.