EP2752625B1

EP2752625B1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: EP2752625B1
Application number: EP12826816.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hiroyuki Iida
Original assignee: Sharp Corp
Current assignee: Sharp Corp
Priority date: 2011-08-29
Filing date: 2012-05-30
Publication date: 2020-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-30
Also published as: CN103765120A; WO2013031317A1; EP2752625A4; EP2752625A1; CN103765120B; JP5215441B2; JP2013047580A

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an air conditioner including, in an indoor unit thereof, a panel which can be upwardly and downwardly opened.

Background Art

A blow-out port is formed in the front surface of a cabinet in an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and warm air or cool air is blown out from the blow-out port. A panel for changing the direction of air blown out from the blow-out port according to cooling and heating operation is provided in front of the blow-out port.
Patent Literature 1 describes an air conditioner in which a panel covering the front surface of the cabinet is provided so as to be able to be upwardly and downwardly opened about upper and lower shafts, and in which the panel is upwardly opened about the upper shaft and downwardly opened about the lower shaft.

Citation List

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 4237238
JP 2011 047579 discloses an air conditioner capable of sending out air from a blowout port to both an upward direction and a downward direction, and eliminating the necessity of attaching a heat insulating material to an opening/closing member.

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem

In the above-described air conditioner, the panel is opened respectively about the upper and lower fixed shafts. When the panel is downwardly opened, the upper-shaft-side end edge of the panel is located above the opening edge of the blow-out port. That is, the upper wall of the blow-out port is separated from the air guide panel. Even when air is blown out from the blow-out port, the air is not made to flow directly along the air guide panel. The air blown out from the blow-out port hits the air guide panel away from the blow-out port, so as to be directed downward by being guided by the air guide panel.
In this way, it is difficult to say that the air guide panel fully exhibits the function of guiding the air blown out from the blow-out port. For this reason, an auxiliary flap for controlling the air direction needs to be provided in the vicinity of the blow-out port. However, when the flap is provided in the vicinity of the blow-out port, the flap becomes air-blowing resistance to cause air flow pressure loss, so that the air cannot be sent to a distant place.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of efficiently sending air by using an air guide panel.

Solution to Problem

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner as recited by claim 1. An air conditioner according to the present invention is configured such that a blow-out port is formed in the front surface of a cabinet, such that an air guide panel formed larger than the blow-out port is provided in front of the blow-out port, such that the air guide panel is configured to be able to be upwardly and downwardly opened respectively about upper and lower shafts, and such that, when the air guide panel is closed, the air guide panel is located in front of the blow-out port, and one of the upper and lower shafts is made movable. When the air guide panel is opened about the one shaft, the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the one shaft, is brought close to the blow-out port, and the air guide panel serves as a part of the blow-out port.
Since the air guide panel is made larger than the blow-out port, the end edge of the air guide panel is located away from the blow-out port. When the air guide panel is rotated and opened about the one shaft, the one shaft is moved to be close to the blow-out port, and thereby the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the one shaft, is located in the vicinity of the blow-out port. Thereby, the blow-out port is made continuous with the air guide panel, so that the blow-out port is extended. As a result, the air can be guided over a long distance, and hence the air can be sent in a desired direction by using the air guide panel.
When the air guide panel is opened about the one shaft, a gap is formed between the opening edge of the blow-out port and the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the one shaft. The air blown out from the gap flows along with the air guide panel. The air blown out from the gap prevents the occurrence of dew condensation on the outer surface of the air guide panel.
A panel movement section configured to move the air guide panel to the front side in order to open the air guide panel, and a shaft movement section configured to move the one shaft so as to bring the one shaft close to the blow-out port are provided. By the operation of the panel movement section and the shaft movement section, the one shaft of the air guide panel is brought close to the blow-out port while the air guide panel is opened. Thereby, the end edge of the air guide panel near the one shaft, the end edge being located on the side of the one shaft, is brought close to the opening edge of the blow-out port.
A holding body configured to hold the other shaft of the upper and lower shafts is provided, and the shaft movement section holds the one shaft. When the air guide panel is opened about the one shaft, the holding body releases the holding of the other shaft, and the shaft movement section moves the one shaft while holding the one shaft. When the air guide panel is opened about the other shaft, the shaft movement section releases the holding of the one shaft while the holding body holds the other shaft.
The panel movement section includes an arm attached to the air guide panel, a movable body configured to movably support the arm, and a drive section configured to move the movable body so that the arm is projected and retracted from and into the cabinet. The shaft movement section is connected to the drive section, and the drive section moves, toward the blow-out port, the shaft movement section holding the one shaft. The drive section is commonly used by the panel movement section and the shaft movement section, and hence it is not necessary to provide the drive section for each of the panel movement section and the shaft movement section.
The shaft movement section includes a pair of a first holding body and a second holding body, between which the one shaft is sandwiched and held, and the first and second holding bodies are configured to be able to be moved independently of each other. When the first holding body and the second holding body are moved to be close to each other, the one shaft is sandwiched and held between the first holding body and the second holding body. When the first holding body and the second holding body are moved to be away from each other, the holding of the one shaft is released.
The one shaft is formed as the upper shaft, and the other shaft is formed as the lower shaft. The air guide panel is downwardly opened about the one shaft, and is upwardly opened about the other shaft. When the air guide panel is downwardly opened, the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft, is brought close to the blow-out port, so that the air guide panel is made continuous with the upper wall of the blow-out port.
The upper opening edge of the blow-out port is formed so as to be curved from a horizontal direction to an upward direction. When the air guide panel is formed into the curved shape, and when the air guide panel is opened about the one shaft, the air guide panel serves as an upper wall of the blow-out port which is curved toward the front side from a horizontal direction to an obliquely downward direction.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

With the present invention, the air guide panel larger than the blow-out port serves as a part of the blow-out port, and thereby the blow-out port is extended. The flow of air can be controlled by using the air guide panel, and hence the air blowing efficiency can be improved.

Brief Description of Drawings

[Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
[Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit, in which Figure 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit when an air guide panel is held in the closed attitude, in which Figure 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit when the air guide panel is downwardly opened, and in which Figure 2(c) is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit when the air guide panel is upwardly opened.
[Figure 3] Figure 3 is a control block diagram of the air conditioner.
[Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a blow-out unit.
[Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a case of an opening and closing section.
[Figure 6] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the opening and closing section seen from the inner surface side.
[Figure 7] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the opening and closing section seen from the outer surface side.
[Figure 8] Figure 8 is a side view of a drive section, in which Figure 8(a) is a side view of the outer surface side of the drive section, and in which Figure 8(b) is a side view of the inner surface side of the drive section.
[Figure 9] Figure 9 shows the opening and closing section at the non-operation time, in which Figure 9(a) is a view showing the movement of an arm, in which Figure 9(b) is a view showing the movement of a holding body, and in which Figure 9(c) is a view showing the movement of a pin of the holding body.
[Figure 10] Figure 10 shows the opening and closing section at the start of upward opening operation, in which Figure 10(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 10(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 10(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 11] Figure 11 shows the opening and closing section at the start of upward opening of the air guide panel, in which Figure 11(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 11(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 11(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 12] Figure 12 shows the opening and closing section in the middle of the upward opening operation, in which Figure 12(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 12(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 12(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 13] Figure 13 shows the opening and closing section in the upward fully opened state, in which Figure 13(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 13(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 13(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 14] Figure 14 shows the opening and closing section at the start of downward opening operation, in which Figure 14(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 14(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 14(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 15] Figure 15 shows the opening and closing section at the start of downward opening of the air guide panel, in which Figure 15(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 15(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 15(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 16] Figure 16 shows the opening and closing section in the middle of the downward opening operation, in which Figure 16(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 16(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 16(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.
[Figure 17] Figure 17 shows the opening and closing section in the downward fully opened state, in which Figure 17(a) is a view showing the movement of the arm, in which Figure 17(b) is a view showing the movement of the holding body, and in which Figure 17(c) is a view showing the movement of the pin of the holding body.

Description of Embodiments

Figure 1 and Figure 2 show an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a present embodiment. The indoor unit includes a heat exchanger 1 and an indoor fan 2 which are housed in a cabinet 3. A suction port 4 is formed in the upper surface of the cabinet 3. A curved surface is formed in a region from the front surface to the bottom surface of the cabinet 3, and a blow-out port 5 is formed in the curved surface.
An air passageway 6 extending from the suction port 4 to the blow-out port 5 is formed in the inside of the cabinet 3, and the heat exchanger 1 and the indoor fan 2 are arranged in the air passageway 6. A filter is arranged between the suction port 4 and the heat exchanger 1, so as to remove dust from the indoor air sucked from the suction port 4.
An air guide panel 10, which opens and closes the blow-out port 5, is provided at the cabinet 3. The air guide panel 10 is configured to be able to be upwardly and downwardly opened, and is supported by the cabinet 3 in an openable and closable manner.
The air guide panel 10 is rotated about upper and lower shafts in the different directions to thereby be opened in one of the upward and downward directions. As shown in Figure 2(b), at the time of heating operation, the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened about an upper shaft 11. When held in the downwardly opened attitude, the air guide panel 10 covers the front of the blow-out port 5 and suppresses the flow of warm air blown out toward the front side so as to guide the warm air toward the floor surface. It should be noted that also at the time of rapid cooling operation, the air guide panel 10 is held in the downwardly opened attitude to allow the cool air to be blown out toward the floor surface, so that the rapid cooling is performed.
As shown in Figure 2(c), at the time of cooling operation, the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened about a lower shaft 12. When held in the upwardly opened attitude, the air guide panel 10 guides the cool air in the obliquely upward direction so that the cool air is blown out along the ceiling. As shown in Figure 2(a), at the non-operation time, the air guide panel 10 is held in the closed attitude and covers the blow-out port 5 so as to be integrated with the cabinet 3.
In the air conditioner, an outdoor unit (not shown) corresponding to the indoor unit is installed in an outdoor location. A compressor, a heat exchanger, a four way valve, an outdoor fan, and the like, are incorporated in the outdoor unit, and a refrigerating cycle 13 is formed by these components and the heat exchanger 1 on the indoor side. Further, as shown in Figure 3, a control apparatus 14 which controls the refrigerating cycle 13 is provided in the indoor unit. The control apparatus 14 made of a microcomputer performs cooling and heating operation by controlling the refrigerating cycle 13 on the basis of a user's instruction and detection signals of various sensors 15, such as temperature sensors which detect the room temperature and the outdoor air temperature. At this time, the control apparatus 14 opens and closes the air guide panel 10 by controlling an opening and closing section 16 configured to open and close the air guide panel 10 according to the cooling or heating operation.
The cabinet 3 is formed in a laterally (left and right) long box shape by a rear side rear plate 17, left and right side covers, and a front side front panel 18. A blow-out unit 20 for forming the blow-out port 5 is provided in the cabinet 3. The front panel 18 is located at a front side upper portion of the cabinet 3, and the blow-out unit 20 is incorporated in a space ranging from the front side lower portion surrounded by the front panel 3 and the left and right side covers, to the bottom surface. The blow-out unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 17 with screws, and the like.
As shown in Figure 4, the blow-out unit 20 is formed into a tube shape by upper, lower, left and right walls. The front side of the blow-out unit 20 serves as the blow-out port 5, and the internal space of the blow-out unit 20 is made to communicate with the air passageway 6. The rear side portion of an upper wall 21 of the blow-out unit 20 is formed to be substantially horizontal, and the front side portion of the upper wall 21 is bent obliquely upward so as to be connected to a front wall 22 inclined obliquely upward. A lower wall 23 of the blow-out unit 20 is inclined downward from the rear side to the front side. Left and right side walls 24 of the blow-out unit 20 are vertically formed, and the front edge of each of the side walls 24 is curved.
The front surface of the blow-out unit 20 is located on a slightly rear side of the front surface of the front panel 18 and of the front surfaces of the side covers. In front of the blow-out unit 20, a recessed portion lowered by one step is formed in a region ranging from the front surface to the bottom surface of the cabinet 3. The air guide panel 10 is arranged in the recessed portion. The air guide panel 10 is formed to be larger than the blow-out unit 20 in the left-right direction and is located in front of the blow-out unit 20, so as to cover the blow-out unit 20 and the left and right side covers.
Here, the opening edge of the blow-out port 5 is formed by the boundary between the upper wall 21 and the front wall 22, the front edge of the lower wall 23, and the front edges of the left and right side walls 24. The boundary of the upper wall 21 and the front wall 22 is a fold parallel in the left-right direction and located at a position at which the wall surface is bent from a horizontal direction to an obliquely upward direction. It should be noted that an air direction plate 25 is provided at the blow-out unit 20. The direction of the air direction plate 25 is changed in the left-right direction, so as to change the air direction in the left-right direction. Further, an ion generation unit 26 is attached to the blow-out unit 20.
When the air guide panel 10 is opened, and when the air guide panel 10 is located in the vicinity of the blow-out port 5, the air guide panel 10 can be used as a part of the blow-out port 5, so that efficient air blowing can be performed. Therefore, in order to use the air guide panel 10 for improving the air blowing efficiency, the opening and closing section 16 opens and closes the air guide panel 10 while moving the air guide panel 10.
As shown in Figure 5 to Figure 7, the opening and closing section 16 includes a panel movement section 27 configured to move the air guide panel 10 toward the front side in order to open the air guide panel 10, a shaft movement section 28 configured to hold the upper shaft 11 and to move the upper shaft 11 to be close to the blow-out port 5, and a lower shaft holding body 29 configured to hold the lower shaft 12. As shown in Figure 1, a pair of the opening and closing sections 16 are respectively incorporated in left and right side portions of the cabinet 3. The opening and closing section 16 are arranged on the outer side of the blow-out port 5.
The air guide panel 10 in the closed attitude covers the blow-out port 5. The upper end edge of the air guide panel 10 is located obliquely below the front wall 22 of the blow-out unit 20. At this time, the upper shaft 11 is located at a position on the front upper side of and away from the blow-out port 5. The lower shaft 12 is located in the vicinity of the opening edge of the blow-out port 5.
When the air guide panel 10 is opened and closed about the upper shaft 11, the panel movement section 27 moves the air guide panel 10, and the lower shaft holding body 29 releases the holding of the lower shaft 12. Further, the shaft movement section 28 moves the upper shaft 11 while holding the upper shaft 11. The upper shaft 11 is brought close to the blow-out port 5, and the air guide panel 10 is opened while being brought close to the blow-out port 5. When the air guide panel 10 is opened and closed about the lower shaft 12, the panel movement section 27 moves the air guide panel 10, and also the shaft movement section 28 releases the holding of the upper shaft 11, while the lower shaft holding body 29 holds the lower shaft 12. The air guide panel 10 is opened while the lower shaft 12 is not moved.
When the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened about the upper shaft 11, the upper end edge of the air guide panel 10 is located at a position close to the opening edge of the blow-out port 5. When the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, the lower end edge of the air guide panel 10 is located at a position close to the blow-out port 5, and the position of the lower end edge of the air guide panel 10 is hardly changed.
The air guide panel 10 is formed by one curved panel and covers the recessed portion of the cabinet 3. The air guide panel 10 in the closed attitude configures the curved surface of the cabinet 3. The width of the air guide panel 10 is set to be the same as the width of the cabinet 3 and is set larger than the width of the blow-out port 5.
As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7, a support 30 is provided at each of the left and right sides of the inner surface of the air guide panel 10. The air guide panel 10 is detachably attached to the support 30. An arm 31 is rotatably attached to the support 30 and is supported by the cabinet 3. That is, the air guide panel 10 is detachably attached to the cabinet 3 via the arm 31.
The upper and lower shafts 11 and 12 are provided on the side of the air guide panel 10. The upper shaft 11 is provided on the front side of the support 30 and is located in the vicinity of the upper end edge of the air guide panel 10. The lower shaft 12 is provided on the rear side of the support 30 and is located in the vicinity of the lower end edge of the air guide panel 10. The upper and lower shafts 11 and 12 are arranged along the left and right direction, and both ends of each of the upper and lower shafts 11 and 12 are supported by the support 30 so as to be separated from the support 30. The upper and lower shafts 11 and 12 are located at the outer side of the blow-out port 5 in the front-and-rear and left-and-right directions, and are located in front of the blow-out port 5. Therefore, the upper and lower shafts 11 and 12 do not impede the flow of the air blown out from the blow-out port 5.
It should be noted that the support 30 may be integrated with the air guide panel 10. The arm 31 is directly attached to the air guide panel 10. In this case, the arm 31 is detachably attached to the air guide panel 10, and thereby the air guide panel 10 can be detachably attached to the cabinet 3.
The opening and closing section 16 is housed in a case 32 so as to be configured as a unit. The case 32 is attached to the cabinet 3 with screws, or the like. The case 32 is formed so as to be able to be divided into a left-right pair of an inner case 32a and an outer case 32b. The inner case 32a is located on the inner surface side of the cabinet 3, and the outer case 32b is located on the outer surface side of the cabinet 3. The inner surface side of the cabinet 3 is the side facing the blow-out port 5 in the left-right direction. The outer surface side is the side facing each of the left and right side covers of the cabinet 3.
The curved surface formed on the front lower portion of the case 32 faces the air guide panel 10, and an opening 33, into and out of which the arm 31 is moved, is formed in the curved surface. The arm 31 connected to the air guide panel 10 is projected and retracted through the opening 33 of the case 32.
The panel movement section 27 includes the arm 31 attached to the air guide panel 10, a movable body 35 configured to movably support the arm 31, and a drive section 36 configured to move the movable body 35 so as to make the arm 31 projected and retracted from and into the cabinet 3.
The drive section 36 is a drive gear configured to be rotationally driven by a motor 37, and is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft 38 formed in the outer case 32b. The motor 37 is mounted to the outer case 32b, and a motor gear 39 attached to a motor shaft engages with the gear formed in the outer periphery of the drive section 36. When the motor 37 is driven, the drive section 36 is rotated. The motor 37 can be rotated normally and reversely, and is driven according to the opening direction of the air guide panel 10, so that the drive section 36 is rotated in the normal direction or in the reverse direction. The left and right drive sections 36 are rotated in synchronization with each other. Here, when seen from the front of the drive section 36, the direction in which the drive section 36 is rotated toward the front side is set as the normal direction, and the direction in which the drive section 36 is rotated toward the rear side is set as the reverse direction. When the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened, the drive section 36 is rotated in the reverse direction. When the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, the drive section 36 is rotated in the normal direction.
As shown in Figure 8, a linear groove 40 is formed on the inner surface side of the drive section 36. The linear groove 40 is formed in the radial direction to stride over the fixed shaft 38. The movable body 35 is fitted slidably to the linear groove 40. A bearing 41, to which the fixed shaft 38 is fitted, is projectingly provided in the linear groove 40, and a hole 42, through which the bearing 41 passes, is formed at the center of the movable body 35. When the movable body 35 is fitted to the linear groove 40, and when a cap 43 is attached to the fixed shaft 38 fitted into the bearing 41, the movable body 35 is pressed so as not to come off from the drive section 36. One side of the linear groove 40 is formed lower than the other side, and one side of the movable body 35 is made to be able to project to the outer side from the drive section 36. It should be noted that a level difference is provided on the one side of the linear groove 40, and the movable body 35 is brought into contact with the level difference so as to be prevented from coming off from the linear groove 40.
An arm shaft 45 is projectingly provided on the one side of the movable body 35, and the arm shaft 45 is fitted into a shaft hole 46 formed on the rear side of the arm 31. The front side of the arm 31 is rotatably attached to the support 30 via a shaft pin 47. The arm 31 is rotatably supported by the movable body 35. That is, the arm 31 is indirectly supported by the cabinet 3 in a movable manner.
Further, in order to adjust the projection of the arm 31 according to opening and closing of the air guide panel 10, an arm guide section 48 configured to regulate the movement of the arm 31 is provided. As shown in Figure 7, the arm guide section 48 is a guide groove configured to guide the arm shaft 45. The arm guide section 48 is formed in the inner surface of the inner case 32a, and the arm shaft 45 passing through the arm 31 is movably held at the arm guide section 48.
The arm guide section 48 is configured by an upper guide configured to guide the arm 31 at the time when the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, and a lower guide configured to guide the arm 31 at the time when the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened. When the air guide panel 10 is opened, and when the movable body 35 is moved in the circumferential direction according to the rotation of the drive section 36, the rear side of the arm 31 is moved along the upper guide or the lower guide, so as to make the movable body 35 slide radially along the linear groove 40. It should be noted that the front side of the arm 31 is not moved. Subsequently, the movable body 35 is made to slide while being moved in the circumferential direction, and the arm 31 as a whole is moved toward the front side of the cabinet 3. When the air guide panel 10 is closed, the movable body 35 and the arm 31 are moved reversely to the movement described above.
The arm guide section 48 is a groove having an approximate C-shape and is configured by three curved grooves. One guide groove is formed in such a manner that an intermediate groove 50 having a small curvature is arranged between an upper groove 51 and a lower groove 52 each having a curvature larger than the curvature of the intermediate groove 50. The upper guide is formed by the upper half of the intermediate groove 50 and the upper groove 51, and the lower guide is formed by the lower half of the intermediate groove 50 and the lower groove 52. The lower groove 52 is formed so that the distance between the lower groove 52 and the center of the fixed shaft 38 is longer than the distance between the upper groove 51 and the center of the fixed shaft 38.
Further, the branch point between the upper guide and the lower guide is located in the intermediate groove 50, and the position of the branch point is set as the stop position of the arm 31. When the rear side of the arm 31 is located at the stop position, the air guide panel 10 is in the closed attitude.
In the upper guide, the area of the intermediate groove 50 is set as the attachment and detachment area used at the time when the upper shaft 11 is held or released while the air guide panel 10 is closed, and the area of the upper groove 51 is set as the opening and closing area used at the time when the air guide panel 10 is opened and closed. Similarly, in the lower guide, the area of the intermediate groove 50 is set as the attachment and detachment area used at the time when the lower shaft 12 is held or released while the air guide panel 10 is closed, and the area of the lower groove 52 is set as the opening and closing area used at the time when the air guide panel 10 is opened and closed.
In the attachment and detachment area, the arm shaft 45 is moved through the intermediate groove 50, and the rear side of the arm 31 is moved on the circular arc centered on a pivot 47 on the front side of the arm 31. Thereby, the movement of the arm 31 is regulated, so that the front side of the arm 31 is prevented from projecting from the opening 33 of the case 32. In the opening and closing area, the arm shaft 45 is moved through the upper groove 51 or the lower groove 52. The upper groove 51 and the lower groove 52 are formed so as to approach the front surface of the case 32. Therefore, when the air guide panel 10 is opened, the arm shaft 45 is moved toward the front side, so that the arm 31 is gradually projected from the case 32. On the contrary, when the air guide panel 10 is closed, the arm shaft 45 is moved toward the rear side, and the arm 31 is gradually returned to the inside of the case 32.
As shown in Figure 6, the lower shaft holding body 29 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 55 which is projectingly provided at the inner case 32a. The lower shaft holding body 29 has a claw 56 configured to hook and hold the lower shaft 12, and a lever 57 is formed integrally with the claw 56. The claw 56 is projected from the case 32, and a projecting piece 58 is formed at the case 32 so as to face the claw 56. The lower shaft 12 is held by being sandwiched between the claw 56 and the projecting piece 58. When the claw 56 is separated from the projecting piece 48, the holding of the lower shaft 12 is released.
The lower shaft holding body 29 is moved by the drive section 36, and the claw 56 is brought close to and away from the projecting piece 58. When the claw 56 is brought close to the projecting piece 58, the claw 56 holds the lower shaft 12. When the claw 56 is brought away from the projecting piece 58, the holding of the lower shaft 12 is released. As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8, a plate cam 59 for moving the lower shaft holding body 29 is provided integrally with the drive section 36. The plate cam 59 is formed on the outer surface side of the drive section 36. A spring 60 for pressing the lever 57 onto the plate cam 59 is provided. One end of the spring 60 is attached to the outer case 32b, and the other end of the spring 60 is attached to the lower shaft holding body 29.
A large circle section 61 and a small circle section 62 are formed in the plate cam 59. In a state where the lever 57 of the lower shaft holding body 29 is brought into contact with the large circle section 61, even when the drive section 36 is rotated, the lower shaft holding body 29 is not moved. The lower shaft holding body 29 maintains the state of holding the lower shaft 12. When the lever 57 is brought into contact with the small circle section 62, the lower shaft holding body 29 is rotated about the support shaft 55 according to the rotation of the drive section 36, so that the claw 56 is brought close to and away from the projecting piece 58. At this time, the holding of the lower shaft 12 is released.
The shaft movement section 28 includes a pair of a first upper shaft holding body 70 and a second upper shaft holding body 71 between which the upper shaft 11 is sandwiched and held. The first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are made to be movable independently of each other. The first upper shaft holding body 70 and the second upper shaft holding body 71 are arranged on the outer surface side of the drive section 36, and are rotatably supported by a holding shaft 72 which is projectingly provided at the outer case 32b. The first upper shaft holding body 70 and the second upper shaft holding body 71 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The fixed shaft 38 is made to pass through each of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71. A through-hole 73, through which the fixed shaft 38 is made to pass, is formed in each of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 so that, even when the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are moved, the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are prevented from coming into contact with the fixed shaft 38.
The first upper shaft holding body 70 and the second upper shaft holding body 71 are respectively provided with hooks 70a and 71a for sandwiching the upper shaft 11 therebetween, and the hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is located below the hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71. A long hole 74 is formed in the curved surface of the case 32, and each of the hooks 70a and 71a is made to project from the case 32 through the long hole 74 and is made movable toward the blow-out port 5. Further, a shutter 75 for closing the long hole 74 is formed at the second upper shaft holding body 71. When each of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 is moved so as to bring each of the hooks 70a and 71a close to the blow-out port 5, the shutter 75 is moved to the position of closing the long hole 74. It should be noted that, when each of the hooks 70a and 71a is located at the position of holding the upper shaft 11, the long hole 74 is closed by the outer peripheral surface of the second upper shaft holding body 71.
When the hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is brought close to and away from the hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71, the upper shaft 11 is held by the hooks 70a and 71a or the holding of the upper shaft 11 is released. Further, when, while the upper shaft 11 is sandwiched between the hooks 70a and 71a, the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are integrally moved, the upper shaft 11 is moved on a circle centered on the holding shaft 72.
The shaft movement section 28 is connected to the drive section 36 which moves the shaft movement section 28 toward the blow-out port 5. A shaft guide section is provided, which, when the shaft movement section 28 is moved, guides the movement of each of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 according to the opening and closing direction of the air guide panel 10.
As shown in Figure 6 to Figure 8, the shaft guide section is configured by a groove cam 80, and pins 70b and 71b respectively provided at the first upper shaft holding body 70 and the second upper shaft holding body 71. The groove cam 80 is provided at the drive section 36 and formed in the outer side surface of the plate cam 59. A pin hole 81, through which the pin 70b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is made to pass, is formed in the second upper shaft holding body 71 arranged side by side with the first upper shaft holding body 70 in the left-right direction. The pins 70b and 71b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 and the second upper shaft holding body 71 are fitted into the groove cam 80. By the rotation of the drive section 36, the pins 70b and 71b are moved along the groove cam 80 in the radial direction of the drive section 36. When the pins 70b and 71b are moved, each of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 is moved by being rotated about the holding shaft 72.
The groove cam 80 is configured by a first groove 82 for guiding the pins 70b and 71b at the time of the upward opening operation, and a second groove 83 for guiding the pins 70b and 71b at the time of the downward opening operation. The groove cam 80 is formed of one continuous groove and is divided into the first groove 82 and the second groove 83 by using, as a boundary, a start point S at which the pins 70b and 71b are located at the time when the upper shaft 11 is held by the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71. The second groove 83 is formed as one groove extending from the start point S toward the upper side and is formed in a curved shape gradually separated from the fixed shaft 38. The first groove 82 is a groove which extends from the start point S toward the lower side and which is formed on a circle centered on the fixed shaft 38. The first groove 82 is provided with a branch groove 84 separated in the vicinity of the start point S from the fixed shaft 38. The pin 71b of the second upper shaft holding body 71 passes through the groove formed on the circle, and the pin 70b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 passes through the branch groove 84 and then through the circular groove.
When each of the pins 70b and 71b of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 passes through the same groove, the movement of each of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 becomes the same. When the pin 70b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 passes through the branch groove 84, the movement of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is different from the movement of the second upper shaft holding body 71. That is, the hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is brought close to and away from the hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71.
When the air guide panel 10 is in the closed attitude, the pins 70b and 71b are both located at the start point S of the groove cam 80. When the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened, and when the movable body 35 is rotated according to the rotation of the drive section 36, both the pins 70b and 71b are integrally moved along the second groove 83 in the direction away from the fixed shaft 38, that is, in the direction toward the blow-out port 5. The upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are respectively rotated about the holding shaft 72 in the direction toward the rear side (reverse direction), and the hooks 70a and 71a of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are respectively moved so as to be close to the blow-out port 5 while being closed.
When the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, and when the movable body 35 is rotated according to the rotation of the drive section 36, the pins 70b and 71b are moved along the first groove 82 so as to be once separated from each other and again brought close to each other, and thereafter, the pins 70b and 71b are integrated with each other and not moved. The hooks 70a and 71a of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are opened and then closed again. Each of the hooks 70a and 71a is not moved so as to be close to the blow-out port 5. When the air guide panel 10 is closed, according to the movements of the respective pins 70b and 71b, the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are respectively moved reversely to the movement described above.
In the opening and closing section 16, the panel movement section 27, the shaft movement section 28, and the lower shaft holding body 29 are operated by the drive section 36 which is one motor-driven drive source. When the operation is started, the control apparatus 14 controls the motor 37 of the opening and closing section 16. The drive section 36 is operated according to a predetermined control sequence. When the shaft movement section 28 or the lower shaft holding body 29 is operated, the holding of one of the upper and lower shafts 11 and 12 is released. When the panel movement section 27 is operated, the arm 31 is moved toward the front side of the cabinet 3, so that the air guide panel 10 is opened. When the shaft movement section 28 is operated, the upper shaft 11 is moved, so that the upper-shaft-side end edge of the air guide panel 10 is brought close to the opening edge of the blow-out port 5.
When the air guide panel 10 is closed, the arm 31 is moved in the direction opposite to the above-described direction to allow the air guide panel 10 to be held in the closed attitude, and then one of the shafts is held. Further, when the arm 31 is located at the stop position, the drive of the motor 37 is stopped.
Here, the opening and closing section 16 is provided with a detection switch 85 for detecting the position of the arm 31. A projecting section 86 is formed at the plate cam 59, and when the arm 31 is located at the stop position, the detection switch 85 is brought into contact with the projecting section 86. Thereby, the detection switch 85 is turned on, so as to output a detection signal to the control apparatus 14. On the basis of the detection signal, the control apparatus 14 determines that the air guide panel 10 is held in the closed attitude, and stops the operation.
Next, there will be described operation of the opening and closing section 16 at the time when the air guide panel 10 is opened and closed according to a control sequence. Figure 9 to Figure 11 show the movement of the opening and closing section 16 in the case where the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened. As shown in Figure 9, when the operation is stopped, the opening and closing section 16 is in the stopped state. That is, the air guide panel 10 is in the closed attitude. The first upper shaft holding body 70 and the second upper shaft holding body 71 hold the upper shaft 11, and the lower shaft holding body 29 holds the lower shaft 12. The arm 31 is located at the stop position. Here, when receiving an instruction of cooling operation, the control apparatus 14 starts the operation of the opening and closing section 16, and performs drive control of the motor 37 so that the drive section 36 is rotated in the normal direction.
As shown in Figure 10, the drive section 36 is rotated in the normal direction by the drive of the motor 37. When the pins 70b and 71b of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are moved through the first groove 82, so that the pin 70b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 enters the branch groove 84, the first upper shaft holding body 70 is rotated. The second upper shaft holding body 71 is not rotated. The hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71 is not moved, and the hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is separated from the hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71. The lever 57 of the lower shaft holding body 29 is brought into contact with the large circle section 61 of the plate cam 59. The lower shaft holding body 29 is not moved, and hence the lower shaft 12 remains to be held. The arm shaft 45 is moved through the intermediate groove 50 of the upper guide. The rear side of the arm 31 is moved, but the front side of the arm 31 is not moved. Therefore, the closed attitude of the air guide panel 10 is maintained.
As shown in Figure 11, when the arm shaft 45 is moved into the upper groove 51, the arm 31 starts to be moved to the front side. The pin 70b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is located in the branch groove 84, and the hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is separated from the hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71, so that the holding of the upper shaft 11 is released. The lower shaft 12 remains to be held. According to the movement of the arm 31 toward the front side, the air guide panel 10 starts to be opened about the lower shaft 12.
As shown in Figure 12, the arm shaft 45 is moved through the upper groove 51, and the arm 31 is made to gradually project from the cabinet 3. The opening angle of the air guide panel 10 is increased. The pin 70b of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is moved into the first groove 82 together with the pin 71b of the second upper shaft holding body 71. The hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is brought close to the hook 71a of the second upper shaft holding body 71, and both the hooks 70a and 71a are held in the closed state. In this way, in the state where the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, both the hooks 70a and 71a are closed. Thereby, even when a shock is applied to the hooks 70a and 71a, it is possible to prevent the hooks 70a and 71a from being damaged.
As shown in Figure 13, when the opening angle of the air guide panel 10 is increased to a maximum, the control apparatus 14 stops the motor 37. The control apparatus 14 counts the angle of rotation of the motor 37. When the counted rotation angle reaches a predetermined rotation angle, the control apparatus 14 determines that the air guide panel 10 is fully opened, and stops the motor 37. At this time, when the arm shaft 45 is located before the terminating end of the upper groove 51, the rotation of the drive section 36 is stopped. When an external force is applied to the fully opened air guide panel 10 from above, the arm shaft 45 can be moved to the terminating end of the upper groove 51, and hence the air guide panel 10 is further opened. When the air guide panel 10 is opened in this way, the influence of the external force can be eliminated, and hence no load is applied to each portion of the opening and closing section 16.
When the air guide panel 10 is opened, then the control apparatus 14 controls the refrigerating cycle 13 to perform instructed operation. Air is guided by the air guide panel 10 from the blow-out port 5, so as to be horizontally blown out to a distant place.
Here, when the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, the lower-shaft-side end edge of the air guide panel 10 is located in the vicinity of the opening edge of the blow-out port 5, and the air guide panel 10 is made continuous with the lower wall 23 of the blow-out port 5, so as to serve as a part of the blow-out port 5. At this time, the end edge of the air guide panel 10 is moved around the lower shaft 12, and hence the air guide panel 10 cannot be brought into contact with the lower wall 23 of the blow-out port 5.
As shown in Figure 2(c), a gap A is formed between the end edge of the air guide panel 10, and the lower wall 23 of the blow-out port 5 so as to make it possible that, when the air guide panel 10 is opened, the end edge of the air guide panel 10 can be moved. Further, the end edge of the air guide panel 10 is located at the position slightly lower than the lower wall 23 of the blow-out port 5. A level difference is formed between the inner surface of the air guide panel 10, and the lower wall 23 of the blow-out port 5. Since the level difference is provided, there is no possibility that, even when play is caused due to thermal expansion and movement of the air guide panel 10, the air guide panel 10 is located above the lower wall 23 of the blow-out port 5. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the air guide panel 10 from impeding the flow of the air, and hence it is possible to always obtain a smooth air flow.
Further, the air outside the cabinet 3 is sucked through the gap A by the pressure of the air flowing through the blow-out port 5. When the air guide panel 10 is opened upward, cool air is blown out from the blow-out port 5, but the cool air does not leak from the gap A. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from being formed on the outer surface of the air guide panel 10 by the cool air.
When receiving an operation stop instruction, the control apparatus 14 rotates the drive section 36 in the reverse direction by driving the motor 37. The arm 31 is moved toward the rear side, and the air guide panel 10 starts to be closed. As shown in Figure 11, the closed hooks 70a and 71a are opened before the air guide panel 10 is held in the closed attitude. As shown in Figure 10, after the air guide panel 10 is held in the closed attitude, the hook 70a of the first upper shaft holding body 70 is moved, and the hooks 70a and 71a of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 sandwich the upper shaft 11 therebetween to hold the upper shaft 11. When the rear side of the arm 31 reaches the stop position, the detection switch 85 is turned on, so that the control apparatus 14 stops the operation by stopping the motor 37.
In the state where the opening and closing section 16 is in the stopped state as shown in Figure 9, when the control apparatus 14 receives an instruction of heating operation or rapid cooling operation, the control apparatus 14 starts operation to perform drive control of the motor 37 so that the drive section 36 is rotated in the reverse direction. As shown in Figure 14, the drive section 36 is rotated in the reverse direction by the drive of the motor 37. The lever 57 of the lower shaft holding body 29, the lever 57 being in contact with the large circle section 61 of the plate cam 59, is brought into contact with the small circle section 62. The lower shaft holding body 29 is moved, and the claw 56 of the lower shaft holding body 29 is separated from the projecting piece 58. The holding of the lower shaft 12 is released. The pins 70b and 71b of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are made to pass through the second groove 83. The upper shaft 11 remains to be held. When the holding of the lower shaft 12 is released, the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are not yet rotated. The arm shaft 45 is moved through the intermediate groove 50 of the lower guide. The rear side of the arm 31 is moved, but the front side of the arm 31 is not moved. The air guide panel 10 remains in the closed attitude.
As shown in Figure 15, when the arm shaft 45 is moved into the lower groove 52, the arm 31 starts to be moved to the front side. The pins 70b and 71b of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are located in the second groove 83, and both the pins 70b and 71b are gradually separated from the fixed shaft 38. The first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are both rotated. The upper shaft 11 starts to be moved while being held. According to the movement of the arm 31 toward the front side, the air guide panel 10 starts to be opened about the upper shaft 11. According to the movement of the upper shaft 11, the end edge of the air guide panel 10, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft 11, is moved to the side of the blow-out port 5. The lever 57 of the lower shaft holding body 29 is in contact with the small circle section 62 of the plate cam 59, and hence the claw 56 of the lower shaft holding body 29 remains to be separated from the projecting piece 58.
As shown in Figure 16, the arm shaft 45 is moved through the lower groove 52, and the arm 31 is made to further project from the cabinet 3. The opening angle of the air guide panel 10 is increased. The pins 70b and 71b of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are located in the second groove 83 and are further separated from the fixed shaft 38. The first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are further rotated, and the upper shaft 11 is located in the vicinity of the blow-out port 5. When both the pins 70b and 71b are moved to reach the position farthest away from the fixed shaft 38, the rotation of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 is stopped. At this time, the upper shaft 11 is located at the position closest to the blow-out port 5.
When the drive section 36 is further rotated, as shown in Figure 17, in the state where the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are not rotated, that is, in the state where the upper shaft 11 is not moved, the air guide panel 10 is opened so that the opening angle of the air guide panel 10 becomes a maximum. The control apparatus 14 determines that the air guide panel 10 is fully opened, and stops the motor 37. When the air guide panel 10 is opened, then the control apparatus 14 performs instructed operation by controlling the refrigerating cycle 13. Thereby, air is guided downward by the air guide panel 10 from the blow-out port 5.
When the air guide panel 10 is fully opened, the arm shaft 45 is located at the terminating end of the lower groove 52. Each of the pins 70b and 71b of the upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 is located before the terminating end of the second groove 83. When an external force is applied to the air guide panel 10 from below, the air guide panel 10 is rotated about the upper shaft 11. According to the rotation of the air guide panel 10, the arm 31 is rotated about the arm shaft 45, and the first and second upper shaft holding bodies 70 and 71 are moved by being pushed by the air guide panel 10. The air guide panel 10 is made to be movable in this way, and thereby the influence of the external force can be eliminated.
When receiving an operation stop instruction, the control apparatus 14 drives the motor 37 to rotate the drive section 36 in the normal direction. The arm 31 is moved toward the rear side, so that the air guide panel 10 is closed. The upper shaft 11 is returned to the original position, and the lower shaft 12 is held, so that the air guide panel 10 is held in the closed attitude. When the rear side of the arm 31 is moved and located at the stop position, the control apparatus 14 stops the operation by stopping the motor 37.
When the air guide panel 10 is opened about the upper shaft 11 which is not moved at the time when the air guide panel 10 is upwardly opened, the end edge of the air guide panel 10, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft 11, is moved about the upper shaft 11 and is further moved to be close to the opening edge of the blow-out port 5. In this way, the end edge of the air guide panel 10 can be made close to the opening edge of the blow-out port 5 without being hindered by the upper shaft 11. The air guide panel 10 is made continuous with the upper wall 21 of the blow-out port 5. Thereby, the air guide panel 10 serves as a part of the blow-out port 5, so as to extend the blow-out port 5. The air from the blow-out port 5 is guided over a long distance by the air guide panel 10, and thereby the air can be smoothly blown out in a desired direction. Further, the opening of the blow-out port 5 can be directed to a desired direction by the air guide panel 10, and hence the flow of air can be easily controlled.
In the conventional structure of the air guide panel 10, in the state where the air guide panel 10 is opened, the end edge of the air guide panel 10 is held away from the blow-out port 5. Therefore, the air blown out from the blow-out port 5 does not flow along the air guide panel 10, but flows away from the air guide panel 10. At this time, swirls are generated in the space formed between the blow-out port 5 and the air guide panel 10, so as to disturb the flow of air. A flap is provided in order to prevent the generation of swirls. However, with the structure in which the end edge of the air guide panel 10 is located close to the blow-out port 5, the space, in which swirls are generated, can be eliminated, and hence efficient air blowing can be achieved. Further, it becomes unnecessary to provide the flap.
Here, the upper opening edge of the blow-out port 5 is formed so as to be curved upward from a horizontal direction. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2(b), a gap B is formed between the opening edge of the blow-out port 5 and the end edge of the air guide panel 10, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft 11. Part of the air flows along the front wall 22 from the upper wall 21 and flows to the outside from the gap B. The air flowing out from the gap B flows along the outer surface of the air guide panel 10. At the time of rapid cooling operation, the air guide panel 10 is cooled by cool air, and hence dew condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface of the air guide panel 10. However, moisture near the outer surface of the air guide panel 10 is blown away by the air blown out from the gap B, and hence the dew condensation can be prevented.
Further, the upper opening edge of the blow-out port 5 is formed as a smooth curved surface in order to form the gap B between the upper opening edge of the blow-out port 5 and the end edge of the air guide panel 10 at the time when the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened. Therefore, when the air guide panel 10 is downwardly opened, the air is smoothly blown out along the opening edge of the blow-out port 5. Meanwhile, in order to prevent the formation of the gap B between the opening edge of the blow-out port 5 and the end edge of the air guide panel 10, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft 11, it is necessary to form an angle between the upper wall 21 and the front wall 22 of the blow-out port 5, and hence a corner is formed at the opening edge. In this configuration, when air is blown out from the blow-out port 5, swirls are generated at the corner to cause a turbulent flow which entrains the surrounding air so as to weaken the flow of cool air. Also, the turbulent flow causes noise. In this way, when the opening edge of the blow-out port 5 is formed into the smooth curved shape so that the gap B is formed, a quiet and smooth flow of air can be produced.
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiment, but numerous modifications and changes can be obviously made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appending claims. As the holding body of the moving shaft, a shaft of the air guide panel is fitted so as to be used as a bearing for holding the moving shaft. The bearing is made freely movable in the shaft direction (left-right direction). The holding of the shaft and the release of the holding of the shaft are performed by moving the bearing in the shaft direction, and the shaft can be brought close to the blow-out port by moving the bearing in the front and rear direction.
The above-described air conditioner is configured to move the upper shaft, but may be configured to move the lower shaft. The opening and closing section, which is the same as that described above, can be used as the opening and closing section for moving the lower shaft. When the lower shaft of the air guide panel is located at a position away from the lower opening edge of the blow-out port, the air guide panel can be brought close to the blow-out port by moving the lower shaft. Further, the above-described air conditioner may be configured to move the upper and lower shafts.

Reference Signs List

3: Cabinet
5: Blow-out port
10: Air guide panel
11: Upper shaft
12: Lower shaft
14: Control apparatus
16: Opening and closing section
20: Blow-out unit
21: Upper wall
22: Front wall
23: Lower wall
27: Panel movement section
28: Shaft movement section
29: Lower shaft holding body
31: Arm
35: Movable body
36: Drive section
37: Motor
45: Arm shaft
48: Arm guide section
50: Intermediate groove
51: Upper groove
52: Lower groove
70: First upper shaft holding body
71: Second upper shaft holding body
82: First groove
83: Second groove
84: Branch groove
A, B: Gap

Claims

An air conditioner, comprising:
a blow-out port (5) is formed in the front surface of a cabinet (3);

an air guide panel (10) formed larger than the blow-out port is provided in front of the blow-out port; wherein the air guide panel is configured to be downwardly opened about an upper shaft (11) at the time of heating operation or rapid cooling operation and upwardly opened about a lower shaft (12) at the time of cooling operation, the upper and lower shafts are located outside the blow-out port in the front-and-rear and left-and-right directions, and the upper shaft is made movable;

an opening-and-closing section (16) in order to open and close the air guide panel according to the cooling or heating operation comprising:
a shaft movement section (28) configured, while sandwiching and holding the upper shaft, to move the upper shaft to bring the one shaft close to the blow-out port;

a panel movement section (27) configured to move the air guide panel toward the front side in order to open the air guide panel;

a lower shaft holding body (29) configured to hold the lower shaft; and

one drive source configured to drive the shaft movement section, the panel movement section and the lower shaft holding body, wherein the drive source is configured to be a drive gear (36) rotatable in the normal and reverse directions by being rotationally driven by a motor (37);

wherein the panel movement section is arranged on one surface side of the drive gear; the shaft movement section and the lower shaft holding body are arranged on the other surface side of the drive gear, wherein the shaft movement section, the panel movement section, and the lower shaft holding body are operated by rotation of the drive gear in accordance with a normal rotation or a reverse rotation of the motor;

wherein, when the air guide panel is closed, the air guide panel is located in front of the blow-out port, and the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft, is located on the front side of the opening edge of the blow-out port; after the lower shaft holding body releases the holding of the lower shaft by reverse rotation of the drive gear, the air guide panel is opened about the upper shaft, while the shaft movement section is moved so as to be close to the blow-out port in a state of sandwiching the upper shaft; the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft, is moved to a position close to the front side of the opening edge of the blow-out port, and the air guide panel is made continuous with the wall forming the blow-out port so as to serve as a part of the blow-out port; and

wherein, when the air guide panel is closed, the drive gear is rotated in the normal direction, and thereby a shaft holding section releases the holding of the upper shaft while the lower shaft holding body holds the lower shaft, and then the air guide panel is opened about the lower shaft.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: the opening edge of the blow-out port is formed so as to be curved; and when the air guide panel is opened about the upper shaft, a gap is formed between the opening edge of the blow-out port and the end edge of the air guide panel, the end edge being located on the side of the upper shaft, and the air blown out from the gap is made to flow along the air guide panel.
The air conditioner according to one of claim 1 and claim 2, wherein: the panel movement section includes an arm attached to the air guide panel, a movable body configured to movably support the arm, and an arm guide section configured, when each of the shafts is attached and detached, to regulate the movement of the arm, and configured, when the air guide panel is opened, to guide the arm so as to make the arm project to the front side; and the movable body is slidably fitted into the drive gear.
The air conditioner according to one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein: the shaft movement section includes a pair of a first upper shaft holding body (70) and a second upper shaft holding body (71), between which the upper shaft is sandwiched and held; the first and second upper shaft holding bodies are made movable independently of each other; and a shaft guide section configured to guide the movement of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies according to the opening and closing direction of the air guide panel is provided.
The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein: the shaft guide section is configured, when the air guide panel is opened about the upper shaft, to guide the first and second upper shaft holding bodies so that the first and second upper shaft holding bodies are moved integrally with each other; and is configured, when the air guide panel is opened about the lower shaft, to guide each of the first and second upper shaft holding bodies so that the first and second upper shaft holding bodies are once separated from each other and then moved to be close to each other again.
The air conditioner according to one of claim 1 to claim 5, wherein the air guide panel is downwardly opened about the upper shaft, and upwardly opened about the lower shaft.
The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein: the upper opening edge of the blow-out port is formed so as to be curved from a horizontal direction to an upward direction; and when the air guide panel is opened about the upper shaft, the air guide panel serves as an upper wall of the blow-out port, the upper wall being curved toward the front side from a horizontal direction to a obliquely downward direction.