EP3076096B1 - Indoor unit - Google Patents
Indoor unit Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3076096B1 EP3076096B1 EP14865709.1A EP14865709A EP3076096B1 EP 3076096 B1 EP3076096 B1 EP 3076096B1 EP 14865709 A EP14865709 A EP 14865709A EP 3076096 B1 EP3076096 B1 EP 3076096B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- indoor unit
- panel
- front surface
- longitudinal direction
- casing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 17
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 description 13
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 7
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003638 chemical reducing agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010792 warming Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0041—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by exhaustion of inside air from the room
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0011—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by air outlets
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0018—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by fans
- F24F1/0025—Cross-flow or tangential fans
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0043—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by mounting arrangements
- F24F1/0057—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by mounting arrangements mounted in or on a wall
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/08—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates
- F24F13/10—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers
- F24F13/12—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of sliding members
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/20—Casings or covers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/28—Arrangement or mounting of filters
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/30—Arrangement or mounting of heat-exchangers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/08—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates
- F24F13/10—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers
- F24F13/14—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre
- F24F13/1426—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre characterised by actuating means
- F24F2013/1433—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre characterised by actuating means with electric motors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F2221/00—Details or features not otherwise provided for
- F24F2221/26—Details or features not otherwise provided for improving the aesthetic appearance
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an indoor unit used in, for example, an air conditioner.
- a known indoor unit is provided with a casing and a front panel arranged forward of the casing to be movable away from the front surface of the casing.
- This indoor unit includes an inlet port formed through a top plate portion of the casing and a cross flow fan provided in the casing.
- the front panel is disposed to be substantially along the vertical direction during operation stop and is disposed to be inclined during operation as the upper end of the front panel is moved to a position forward of the lower end.
- Patent Literature 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-149620
- the inside of the casing is easily seen while the front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing, and hence the appearance of the indoor unit is deteriorated.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit in which the inside of a casing is less easily seen even when a front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing and hence the deterioration of the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the present invention is defined by the indoor unit according to appended independent claim 1.
- the dependent claims describe optional features and preferred embodiments.
- an indoor unit includes a casing; and a front panel provided forward of the casing and movable away from the front surface of the casing, the front panel including extension parts extending outward as compared to ends of the front surface of the casing.
- the extension parts are provided at the ends of the front panel to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the indoor unit of the first aspect is arranged such that the front surface of the casing is curved at around its ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward a central part in the longitudinal direction, and the front panel is curved so that a central part of the front panel protrudes forward.
- the front surface of the casing is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, the inside of the indoor unit is easily seen from the outside and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated, when the front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing.
- the extension parts are provided to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the indoor unit of the first or second aspect is arranged such that the extension parts extend toward the back surface side.
- the indoor unit of the third aspect is arranged such that leading end portions of the extension parts are bent forward.
- the design of the indoor unit is improved because the leading end portions of the extension parts of the front panel are bent forward.
- the indoor unit of any one of the first to fourth aspects is arranged such that the casing includes a bottom frame and a front grill fixed forward of the bottom frame, a front surface of the front grill is curved at around its ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward a central part in the longitudinal direction, and screw fixing portions are provided around the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface to fix the front grill to the bottom frame, and on the front surface of the front grill, protrusions are provided outside the screw fixing portions to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill.
- the screw at each screw fixing portion is easily seen from the outside in the left-right direction of the indoor unit, and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated.
- the protrusion is provided outside each screw fixing portion to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill. The screw at the screw fixing portion is therefore less easily seen, and hence the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the indoor unit of the fifth aspect is arranged such that the screw fixing portions and the protrusions are provided inside recesses which are recessed toward the back surface side as compared to the front surface of the front grill.
- the extension parts are provided at the ends of the front panel to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the front surface of the casing is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, the inside of the indoor unit is easily seen from the outside and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated, when the front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing.
- the extension parts are provided to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the extension parts of the front panel extend toward the back surface side, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is effectively prevented.
- the design of the indoor unit is improved because the leading end portions of the extension parts of the front panel are bent forward.
- the screw at each screw fixing portion is easily seen from the outside in the left-right direction of the indoor unit, and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated.
- the protrusion is provided outside each screw fixing portion to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill. The screw at the screw fixing portion is therefore less easily seen, and hence the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- the screw fixing portions and the protrusions are provided inside the recesses which are recessed toward the back surface side as compared to the front surface of the front grill, the amount of protrusion of each protrusion is decreased.
- the air conditioner of the embodiment of the present invention is formed of an indoor unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 and an unillustrated outdoor unit.
- the indoor unit 1 is on the whole narrow in shape in one direction, and is attached to a wall surface of a room so that the length thereof is horizontal.
- a direction of protrusion from the wall surface on which the indoor unit 1 is provided will be referred to as "forward”
- a direction opposite to the forward will be referred to as "backward”.
- a left-right direction shown in FIG. 1 will be simply referred to as “left-right direction”
- an up-down direction shown in FIG. 1 will be simply referred to as "up-down direction”.
- the indoor unit 1 is mainly provided with a main body 4, a front panel 7 , an outlet panel 8, a wind direction changing plate 50, and the like.
- the main body 4 includes a casing 5 including a bottom frame 42 and a front grill 6, an indoor heat exchanger 20 housed in the casing 5, a cross flow fan 21 (hereinafter, this may be simply referred to as a fan 21), a fan motor 22 (see FIG. 6 ), and an electric component box 40.
- a casing 5 including a bottom frame 42 and a front grill 6, an indoor heat exchanger 20 housed in the casing 5, a cross flow fan 21 (hereinafter, this may be simply referred to as a fan 21), a fan motor 22 (see FIG. 6 ), and an electric component box 40.
- the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the fan 21 are attached to the bottom frame 42.
- the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the fan 21 are arranged such that the fan 21 is provided at a substantial center of the indoor unit 1 in cross section and the indoor heat exchanger 20 which is inverse V-shaped is provided to surround an upper half of the fan 21.
- the electric component box 40 is provided to the right of the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the fan 21 in front elevation.
- the electric component box 40 houses a controller 60 therein (see FIG. 6 ) for controlling components of the indoor unit 1 required for operations such as cooling and warming.
- this controller 60 is connected with the fan motor 22 driving the fan 21, a drive motor 43 driving a driver 41 of a later-described drive mechanism 9, a flap motor 51 driving the wind direction changing plate 50, and an auxiliary flap motor 53 driving a later-described auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52, to control the fan 21, the driver 41, the wind direction changing plate 50, and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52.
- the bottom frame 42 is made of a resin material and is shaped to cover the bottom, back, and the sides of the fan 21.
- This bottom frame 42 includes: an unillustrated main casing which fixes the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the fan 21 and constitutes a back surface 1b of the indoor unit 1; and decorative plates 47 (see FIG. 3 ) constituting, together with the front grill 6, side surfaces of the indoor unit 1.
- a mounting board is attached to fix the indoor unit 1 to the wall surface of the room.
- a lower part of the bottom frame 42 and the front grill 6 form an outlet port 27.
- This outlet port 27 is a port through which wind from the fan 21 is blown into the room.
- the outlet port 27 is provided in the vicinity of a lower part of the indoor unit 1 and is on the front surface side of the indoor unit 1. As shown in FIG. 2B , the outlet port 27 is shaped to be long in a horizontal direction in front elevation.
- the front grill 6 is attached to the bottom frame 42 from the front side, and covers the front, sides, top, and bottom of the main body 4.
- the front grill 6 is formed by molding a resin material, is thin and rectangular parallelepiped in shape, and is entirely open at the back. As shown in FIG. 4 , this front grill 6 includes a top plate portion 30, a front surface 31 (the front surface of the casing), and a bottom surface 32.
- the top plate portion 30 is curved so that a central part 30M of a front end 30F protrudes forward.
- the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 is inclined to the back surface 1b side from the central part 30M of the front end 30F toward the both ends 30a and 30b of the front end 30F, and is curved so that the direction of a tangent to the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 continuously changes in plan view.
- Side ends 30L and 30R of the top plate portion 30 are inclined (curved) to the center in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the indoor unit 1 from the ends 30a and 30b toward the back surface 1b.
- the substantially entirety of the top plate portion 30 functions as a first inlet port 23 (inlet port) for sucking air inside the room.
- first inlet port 23 inlet port
- blades 30c are provided to extend in the longitudinal direction and the front-back direction.
- an opening 24 is at the central part in the longitudinal direction and non-openings 25 are formed outside in the longitudinal direction of the opening 24.
- a gap between the blades 30c is open.
- a plate 30d is provided to close the gaps between the blades 30c.
- This plate 30d is provided below the outer edge of the top plate portion 30 (i.e., provided on the inner side of the indoor unit 1 as compared to the first inlet port 23) .
- room air sucked through the first inlet port 23 is either directly taken into the fan 21 side through the opening 24 or horizontally flows on the plates 30d of the non-openings 25 and is then taken into the fan 21 side through the opening 24.
- the first inlet port 23 is arranged such that the width W1 of an inlet central part 23M corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 in the longitudinal direction is wider than the width of each of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first inlet port 23.
- the width W1 is arranged to be wider than each of the width around the left end 30a of the top plate portion 30 and the width around the right end 30b of the top plate portion 30.
- the width around the left end 30a of the top plate portion 30 and the width around the right end 30b of the top plate portion 30 are very narrow (almost zero) .
- the width of the first inlet port 23 is maximum at the inlet central part 23M.
- the width of the first inlet port 23 is narrowed from the inlet central part 23M toward the ends 30a and 30b in the longitudinal direction.
- FIG. 9A does not show the blades 30c extending in the longitudinal direction and the front-back direction.
- the front end 24F of the opening 24 extends along the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30.
- the opening 24 is arranged such that the width of an opening central part 24M corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 in the longitudinal direction is wider than the width of each of the both ends of the opening 24 (i.e., wider than each of the width of the left end 24L of the opening 24 and the width of the right end 24R of the opening 24) .
- the width of an opening central part 24M corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 in the longitudinal direction is wider than the width of each of the both ends of the opening 24 (i.e., wider than each of the width of the left end 24L of the opening 24 and the width of the right end 24R of the opening 24) .
- the central part in the longitudinal direction of the opening 24 below the top plate portion 30 is slightly shifted leftward from the inlet central part 23M corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 and corresponds to the central part in the longitudinal direction of the fan 21 and the central part in the longitudinal direction of the wind direction changing plate 50. Furthermore, the ends 24L and 24R of the opening 24 substantially correspond to the ends of the fan 21 and the ends 50L and 50R of the wind direction changing plate 50.
- the front surface 31 (the front surface of the casing) is shaped to be substantially rectangular and long in the left-right direction in front elevation.
- vicinity surfaces 33 in the vicinity of the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 i.e., in the vicinity of the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface of the casing
- These vicinity surfaces 33 are inclined (curved) to the back surface 1b side in the downward direction.
- This front surface 31 includes, apart from the vicinity surfaces 33 above, components such as the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30, openings 34 for taking in the room air, and an outlet port peripheral portion 35 provided around the outlet port 27.
- the openings 34 are formed from around the center in the up-down direction of the front surface 31 to an upper part of the front surface 31, so as to oppose the front surface side of the indoor heat exchanger 20.
- Each opening 34 is rectangular in shape and long in the left-right direction, and extends in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 11 .
- the openings 34 are therefore in the same plane.
- a filter 36 is attached to cover the substantially entirety of the openings 34. As shown in FIG. 5 , this filter 36 extends from the front side to the upper side of the indoor heat exchanger 20, in order to capture dust in the room air which is taken in through the first inlet port 23 and the second inlet port 26.
- the outlet port peripheral portion 35 is curved so that its central part in the longitudinal direction protrudes forward. To be more specific, the outlet port peripheral portion 35 is curved so that the thickness in the front-back direction of the indoor unit 1 increases from the both ends toward the central part in the longitudinal direction.
- the front panel 7 is in contact with or close to the front end 30F and a part of (upper side of) the vicinity surfaces 33 of the top plate portion 30.
- the upper part of the front surface 31 is therefore closed by the front panel 7.
- the outlet panel 8 is in contact with or close to the outlet port peripheral portion 35 and a part of (lower side of) the vicinity surfaces 33.
- the lower part of the front surface 31 is therefore closed by the outlet panel 8.
- a gap is formed between the front panel 7 and the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 and the vicinity surfaces 33, as the front panel 7 moves substantially horizontally forward, with the result that the second inlet port 26 for sucking the room air is formed. Furthermore, as the outlet panel 8 is moved to a position between the front panel 7 and the front grill 6, the outlet port 27 is opened.
- two recesses 91 are formed to recess toward the back surface as compared to the vicinity surfaces 33 (i.e., the front surface 31 of the front grill 6) .
- These recesses 91 are symmetrically formed in the left-right direction.
- a screw fixing portion 92 is formed to receive a screw S for fixing the front grill 6 to the bottom frame 42.
- a protrusion 93 is provided outside in the left-right direction of the screw fixing portion 92 to protrude forward as compared to the vicinity surface 33 (front surface of the front grill) .
- this outlet port 27 is closed by the outlet panel 8 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
- the bottom surface of this outlet port 27 is, as shown in FIG. 8 , closed by the wind direction changing plate 50 attached to the bottom frame 42, during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 above the wind direction changing plate 50 are provided.
- Each of the wind direction changing plate 50 and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 is a plate which is long in the left-right direction.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 are arranged to be rotatable about different rotational axes extending along the horizontal direction, respectively.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 changes, in the up-down direction, the direction of the air blown out from the outlet port 27, together with the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 is connected with the flap motor 51, whereas the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 is connected with the auxiliary flap motor 53.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 are rotatable about different rotational axes extending along the horizontal direction, respectively, by the driving of the flap motor 51 and the auxiliary flap motor 53.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 is curved so that the center and its surroundings of the front end 50F of the wind direction changing plate 50 protrudes forward.
- the front end 50F of the wind direction changing plate 50 is inclined to the back surface 1b side from an outlet central part 50M (see also FIG. 1C and FIG. 2B ) corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 toward the both ends 50a and 50b, and is curved so that the direction of a tangent to the front end 50F of the top plate portion 50 continuously changes in plan view.
- Side plates 50L and 50R of the wind direction changing plate 50 extend in the front-back direction.
- This wind direction changing plate 50 is arranged such that the width W2 of the outlet central part 50M corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 is wider than the width in the longitudinal direction of each of the both ends of the wind direction changing plate 50 (i.e., wider than each of the width of the left end 50L and the width of the right end 50R).
- the width of the wind direction changing plate 50 is maximum at the outlet central part 50M.
- the width of the wind direction changing plate 50 is narrowed from the outlet central part 50M toward the ends 50a and 50b in the longitudinal direction of the wind direction changing plate 50. As shown in FIG.
- this wind direction changing plate 50 is shaped to extend along an opening defined by the outlet panel 8 and the bottom surface 32 of the front grill 6 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 moves to be in parallel to the horizontal plane, so as to form the bottom surface of the indoor unit 1, which is in parallel to the horizontal plane, together with the bottom surface 32 of the front grill 6.
- the central part in the longitudinal direction of the wind direction changing plate 50 is slightly shifted leftward from the outlet central part 50M corresponding to the central part 30M of the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30, and corresponds to the central part in the longitudinal direction of the fan 21 and the central part in the longitudinal direction of the opening 24.
- the width W3 of the central part in the longitudinal direction of the wind direction changing plate 50 is wider than the width of each of the ends in the longitudinal direction (i.e., the width of the left end 50L and the width of the right end 50R) of the wind direction changing plate 50.
- the width of the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 is uniform in the longitudinal direction.
- the wind direction changing plate 50 and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 do not interfere with each other when the wind direction changing plate 50 and the auxiliary wind direction changing plate 52 rotate about different rotational axes extending along the horizontal direction.
- the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 substantially cover the entirety of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
- the front panel 7 is formed by molding a resin material, and covers an upper part of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the front panel 7 is supported at around the left and right ends by a later-described opening mechanism 61 to be movable in the front-back direction.
- the second inlet port 26 is opened as the front panel 7 moves away from the front surface 31 of the front grill 6, and the second inlet port 26 is closed as the front panel 7 moves toward the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the outlet panel 8 is formed by molding a resin material and covers a lower part of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the outlet panel 8 is supported at around the left and right ends by the later-described opening mechanism 61 to be movable in the up-down direction.
- the outlet port 27 is opened as the outlet panel 8 moves to the gap between the front panel 7 and the front grill 6 (i.e. , moves upward) in a state that the front panel 7 has moved forward, and the outlet port 27 is closed as the outlet panel 8 moves downward.
- Each of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 is a three-dimensional panel having a three-dimensional shape. In other words, each of these panels is curved in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) and in the up-down direction.
- the thickness of the front panel 7 and the thickness of the outlet panel 8 are substantially constant in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction, and are substantially identical with each other. From the substantially entire outer circumference of the back surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, reinforcing ribs 7a and 8a protrude backward (see FIG. 13D ).
- the front panel 7 is curved so that its central part 7M protrudes forward in plan view.
- the front surface 7F (front surface portion) of the front panel 7 is inclined to the back surface 1b side from the central part 7M of the front surface 7F of the front panel 7 toward the ends in the longitudinal direction, and the direction of a tangent to the front surface 7F of the front panel 7 continuously changes in plan view.
- the front panel 7 is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction.
- this front panel 7 is arranged such that the upper end 7Fa of the front surface 7F of the front panel 7 is at the forefront, and the front surface 7F (front surface portion) of the front panel 7 is inclined to the back surface 1b side toward the lower end 1a. Furthermore, because the thickness of the front panel 7 is constant in thickness in the up-down direction, the entirety of the front panel 7 is inclined to the back surface 1b side toward the lower end 1a. Furthermore, this front panel 7 is curved so that the front side thereof protrudes, i.e. , the direction of a tangent to the front surface 7F of the front panel 7 continuously changes in cross section. In other words, the front panel 7 is entirely curved in the left-right direction.
- a part opposing the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 of the front grill 6 is curved along the front end 30F. Furthermore, in the front panel 7, parts opposing the vicinity surfaces 33 of the front grill 6 are curved along the vicinity surfaces 33 in the longitudinal direction and in the up-down direction. On this account, gaps are scarcely formed between the front panel 7 and the front end 30F and the vicinity surfaces 33 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
- the outlet panel 8 is curved so that its central part 8M protrudes forward in plan view.
- the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 is inclined to the back surface 1b side from the central part 8M of the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 toward the ends in the longitudinal direction, and the direction of a tangent to the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 continuously changes in plan view.
- the outlet panel 8 is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction.
- this outlet panel 8 is arranged such that the upper end 8Fa of the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 is at the forefront, and the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 is inclined to the back surface 1b side toward the lower end 1a. Furthermore, because the thickness of the outlet panel 8 is constant in the up-down direction, the entirety of the front panel 8 is inclined to the back surface 1b side toward the lower end 1a. Furthermore, this outlet panel 8 is curved so that the front side thereof protrudes, i.e., the direction of a tangent to the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 continuously changes in cross section. In other words, the outlet panel 8 is entirely curved in the up-down direction.
- the front panel 7 includes extension parts 71 which extend outward as compared to the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 (see further FIG. 4 ) .
- the outlet panel 8 includes extension parts 81 which extend outward as compared to the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the extension parts 71 are parts on the outside in the longitudinal direction of lines L1 which extend along the front-back direction and pass the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6. As shown in FIG.
- the extension parts 81 are parts on the outside in the longitudinal direction of lines L2 which extend along the front-back direction and pass the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the extension parts 71 are symmetrical in the left-right direction, and the extension parts 81 are symmetrical in the left-right direction, too.
- extension parts 71 of the front panel 7 and the extension parts 81 of the outlet panel 8 extend toward the back surface 1b side from the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- Leading end portions 72 of the extension parts 71 and leading end portions 82 of the extension parts 81 are bent forward.
- “bending” encompasses “curving” in the present invention.
- the definition of “the extension parts 71 extend toward the back surface 1b side from the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6" and the definition of “the leading end portions 72 of the extension parts 71 are bent forward” will be specifically described. It is noted that the definition of “the extension parts 81 extend toward the back surface 1b side from the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6" and the definition of “the leading end portions 82 of the extension parts 81 are bent forward" are not described because they are similar to the above.
- each extension part 71 extend toward the back surface 1b side from the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6" indicates that, as shown in FIG. 14 , the entirety of each extension part 71 is on the back surface 1b side relative to a horizontal line L3 (in the left-right direction) which passes an intersection 7Fb of the above-described line L1 and the front surface 7F of the front panel 7.
- leading end portions 72 of the extension parts 71 are bent forward indicates that, in plan view, at least a part of the center line of the leading end portion 72 is on the front side of a virtual line L4 which is an outward extension in the left-right direction of the center line of the front panel 7 except the leading end portion 72 of the extension part 71.
- the drive mechanism 9 is a mechanism for moving the front panel 7 away from the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 in a substantially horizontal direction and moving the outlet panel 8 to the gap between the front panel 7 and the front grill 6 in a state that the front panel 7 has moved forward in the substantially horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , the drive mechanism 9 is provided with a driver 41 and an opening mechanism 61.
- the driver 41 is to the left of the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the fan 21 in front elevation, and is configured to generate driving force for moving the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- This driver 41 includes the drive motor 43 (see FIG. 6 ) and unillustrated driver gears.
- the drive motor 43 is connected by a cable with the controller 60 housed in the electric component box 40, and functions as a drive source for moving the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- the driver gears are disposed to be engaged with an unillustrated power transmission gear of the opening mechanism 61.
- the driver gears transmit the rotation of the drive motor 43, i.e., the driving force of the drive motor 43 to the power transmission gear of the opening mechanism 61.
- the opening mechanism 61 is a mechanism for opening and closing the second inlet port 26 and the outlet port 27 by moving the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 by means of the driving force of the driver 41.
- the opening mechanism 61 is formed of components including gears, and functions as a speed reducer for transmitting the driving force of the driver 41 to the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- the opening mechanism 61 functions as a conversion mechanism of converting the rotational movement transmitted from the driver 41 to the opening/closing movement of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- the opening mechanism 61 includes a first opening mechanism 62 provided to the left of the front grill 6 and a second opening mechanism 63 provided to the right of the front grill 6.
- the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63 are connected with each other by an unillustrated power transmission shaft.
- the first opening mechanism 62 is attached to the back surfaces of the left side surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, to support the left ends and their surroundings of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- the first opening mechanism 62 transfers the driving force of the driver 41 to the left end and its surroundings of the front panel 7 and to the left end and its surroundings of the outlet panel 8, so as to move the left parts of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, when the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 are opened or closed.
- the second opening mechanism 63 is attached to the back surfaces of the right side surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, to support the right ends and their surroundings of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- the second opening mechanism 63 transfers the driving force of the driver 41 to the right end and its surroundings of the front panel 7 and to the right end and its surroundings of the outlet panel 8, so as to move the right parts of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, when the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 are opened or closed.
- the unillustrated power transmission shaft is a member which distributes and transfers the driving power of the driver 41 to the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63, and is attached to the back surface of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 to be rotatable about an axis which is in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 1.
- the ends of the power transmission shaft are connected with the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63, respectively, and unillustrated power transmission gears are provided therebetween.
- the power transmission gear is disposed to be engaged with the driver gears of the driver 41.
- the opening mechanism 61 is configured to distribute, by the power transmission shaft, the driving force from the driver 41 to the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63.
- the first opening mechanism 62 includes, as shown in FIG. 15 , front panel opening gears 64, an outlet panel opening gear 65, a front panel supporting member 66, an outlet panel supporting member 67, and a transmission gear 68.
- the front panel opening gear 64 transmits, to the front panel supporting member 66, the driving force supplied from the driver 41 via the power transmission shaft.
- This front panel supporting member 66 is provided to be movable in the front-back direction (substantially horizontal direction), and is able to linearly move the front panel 7 in the front-back direction.
- the transmission gear 68 transmits, to the outlet panel opening gear 65, the driving force supplied from the driver 41 via the power transmission shaft, and the outlet panel opening gear 65 transmits the driving force to the outlet panel supporting member 67.
- This outlet panel supporting member 67 is provided to be movable in the up-down direction, and is able to linearly move the outlet panel 8 in the up-down direction.
- the transmission gear 68 has a part where no tooth is formed. With this, until the driver 41 is driven and the forward movement of the front panel supporting member 66 is completed, the rotation of the transmission gear 68 is not transmitted to the outlet panel opening gear 65. After the completion of the forward movement of the front panel supporting member 66, the transmission gear 68 is engaged with the outlet panel opening gear 65, and hence the upward movement of the outlet panel supporting member 67 becomes possible.
- the second inlet port 26 and the outlet port 27 are closed by the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8.
- the front surface 7F of the front panel 7 and the front surface 8F of the outlet panel 8 are substantially flush with each other in the up-down direction in a side view.
- the front panel supporting member 66 of the opening mechanism 61 is at the most backward position within the movable range.
- the outlet panel supporting member 67 is at the lowermost position within the movable range.
- the drive motor 43 of the driver 41 is controlled and starts the rotation.
- the driving force of the driver 41 is transmitted to the unillustrated power transmission shaft of the opening mechanism 61, and the driving force is distributed to the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63 of the opening mechanism 61.
- the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 are moved, with the result that the second inlet port 26 and the outlet port 27 are opened.
- the opening mechanism 61 by the opening mechanism 61, the driving force of the driver 41 is transmitted to the front panel supporting member 66 via the front panel opening gear 64. As a result, the front panel supporting member 66 linearly moves forward in the substantially horizontal direction. With this, as shown in FIG. 16B , the front panel 7 moves forward in the substantially horizontal direction so as to open the second inlet port 26.
- the room air is sucked into the indoor unit 1 through the first inlet port 23 and the second inlet port 26 and is subjected to heat exchange at the indoor heat exchanger 20, and the air after the heat exchange is blown out from the outlet port 27.
- the drive motor 43 of the driver 41 is controlled to drive backward, and the outlet panel supporting member 67 and the front panel supporting member 66 move in this order in the direction opposite to the above.
- the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 move inversely as compared to the above, and the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 return to the state at the stop of the indoor unit 1.
- the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 are curved so that the thickness of the indoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, when the front panel 7 moves away from the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., the front surface of the casing 5), the inside of the casing 5 is easily seen and the appearance of the indoor unit 1 tends to be deteriorated.
- FIG. 1C the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., the front surface of the casing 5) are curved so that the thickness of the indoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction.
- the extension parts 71 are provided at the respective ends of the front panel 7 to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., the front surface of the casing 5), the inside of the casing 5 is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit 1 is prevented.
- the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment because the extension parts 71 of the front panel 7 extend toward the back surface 1b side, the inside of the casing 5 is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit 1 is effectively prevented.
- the design of the indoor unit 1 is improved because the leading end portions 72 of the extension parts 71 of the front panel 7 are bent forward.
- the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 are curved so that the thickness of the indoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, each screw at the screw fixing portion 92 is easily seen from the outside in the left-right direction of the indoor unit 1, and the appearance of the indoor unit 1 tends to be deteriorated.
- the protrusion 93 is provided outside the screw fixing portion 92 to protrude forward as compared to the front surface 31 of the front grill 6. The screw of the screw fixing portion 92 is therefore less easily seen from the outside of the indoor unit 1, and hence the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit 1 is prevented.
- extension parts 71 of the front panel 7 extend toward the back surface 1b, the extension parts of the front panel may extend to be in parallel to the back surface, or the extension parts of the front panel may extend forward.
- leading end portion 72 of each extension part 71 of the front panel 7 is bent forward, the leading end portion of the extension part of the front panel may not be bent forward.
- the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, and the protrusion 93 is provided outside each of the screw fixing portions 92 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface 31 to protrude forward as compared to the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the front surface of the front grill may not be curved in this way, and the protrusion may not be provided in this way even if the front surface of the front grill is curved as above.
- the screw fixing portion 92 and the protrusion 93 are provided inside the recess 91 which is recessed toward the back surface 1b side as compared to the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
- the screw fixing portion and the protrusion may be provided on the front surface of the front grill, instead of the inside of the recess.
- the front panel 7 is a three-dimensional panel which is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction and entirely curved in the up-down direction
- the front panel 7 may be a three-dimensional panel at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction and at least partially curved in the up-down direction, on condition that the central part 7M of the front panel 7 is curved to protrude forward in plan view.
- the front panel 7 may be a two-dimensional panel which is at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction but is not curved in the up-down direction.
- the outlet panel 8 is a three-dimensional panel which is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction and entirely curved in the up-down direction
- the outlet panel 8 may be a three-dimensional panel at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction and at least partially curved in the up-down direction, on condition that the central part 8M of the outlet panel 8 is curved to protrude forward in plan view.
- the outlet panel 8 may be a two-dimensional panel which is at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction but is not curved in the up-down direction.
- the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 are inclined (curved) to the back surface 1b side in the downward direction, the vicinity surfaces 33 may extend in the vertical direction.
- the inside of a casing is less easily seen even when a front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing, and hence the deterioration of the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Air Filters, Heat-Exchange Apparatuses, And Housings Of Air-Conditioning Units (AREA)
- Air-Flow Control Members (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to an indoor unit used in, for example, an air conditioner.
- A known indoor unit is provided with a casing and a front panel arranged forward of the casing to be movable away from the front surface of the casing. This indoor unit includes an inlet port formed through a top plate portion of the casing and a cross flow fan provided in the casing.
- In this indoor unit, the front panel is disposed to be substantially along the vertical direction during operation stop and is disposed to be inclined during operation as the upper end of the front panel is moved to a position forward of the lower end. With this arrangement, during operation, air sucked through the inlet port of the top plate portion and a gap between the front panel and the casing is supplied to the cross flow fan, and the air from the cross flow fan is then blown out from the outlet port.
- [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
2011-149620 - Further related prior art maybe found in
WO 2012/114841 A1 andEP 2 498 021 A1 both being related to air conditioner indoor units with movable front panels. - During operation of the known indoor unit, the inside of the casing is easily seen while the front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing, and hence the appearance of the indoor unit is deteriorated.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit in which the inside of a casing is less easily seen even when a front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing and hence the deterioration of the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- The present invention is defined by the indoor unit according to appended
independent claim 1. The dependent claims describe optional features and preferred embodiments. - According to the first aspect of the invention, an indoor unit includes a casing; and a front panel provided forward of the casing and movable away from the front surface of the casing, the front panel including extension parts extending outward as compared to ends of the front surface of the casing.
- Because in this indoor unit the extension parts are provided at the ends of the front panel to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- According to the second aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of the first aspect is arranged such that the front surface of the casing is curved at around its ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward a central part in the longitudinal direction, and the front panel is curved so that a central part of the front panel protrudes forward.
- In this indoor unit, because the front surface of the casing is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, the inside of the indoor unit is easily seen from the outside and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated, when the front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing. In this regard, because the extension parts are provided to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- According to the third aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of the first or second aspect is arranged such that the extension parts extend toward the back surface side.
- In this indoor unit, because the extension parts of the front panel extend toward the back surface side, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is effectively prevented.
- According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of the third aspect is arranged such that leading end portions of the extension parts are bent forward.
- In this indoor unit, the design of the indoor unit is improved because the leading end portions of the extension parts of the front panel are bent forward.
- According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of any one of the first to fourth aspects is arranged such that the casing includes a bottom frame and a front grill fixed forward of the bottom frame, a front surface of the front grill is curved at around its ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward a central part in the longitudinal direction, and screw fixing portions are provided around the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface to fix the front grill to the bottom frame, and on the front surface of the front grill, protrusions are provided outside the screw fixing portions to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill.
- In this indoor unit, because the front surface of the front grill is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, the screw at each screw fixing portion is easily seen from the outside in the left-right direction of the indoor unit, and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated. In this regard, because the protrusion is provided outside each screw fixing portion to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill. The screw at the screw fixing portion is therefore less easily seen, and hence the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of the fifth aspect is arranged such that the screw fixing portions and the protrusions are provided inside recesses which are recessed toward the back surface side as compared to the front surface of the front grill.
- In this indoor unit, because the screw fixing portions and the protrusions are provided inside the recesses which are recessed toward the back surface side as compared to the front surface of the front grill, the amount of protrusion of each protrusion is decreased.
- As described hereinabove, the present invention brings about the following effects.
- According to the first aspect of the invention, because the extension parts are provided at the ends of the front panel to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- According to the second aspect of the invention, because the front surface of the casing is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, the inside of the indoor unit is easily seen from the outside and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated, when the front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing. In this regard, because the extension parts are provided to extend outward as compared to the ends of the front surface of the casing, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- According to the third aspect of the invention, because the extension parts of the front panel extend toward the back surface side, the inside of the casing is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is effectively prevented.
- According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the design of the indoor unit is improved because the leading end portions of the extension parts of the front panel are bent forward.
- According to the fifth aspect of the invention, because the front surface of the front grill is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, the screw at each screw fixing portion is easily seen from the outside in the left-right direction of the indoor unit, and the appearance of the indoor unit tends to be deteriorated. In this regard, because the protrusion is provided outside each screw fixing portion to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill. The screw at the screw fixing portion is therefore less easily seen, and hence the deterioration in the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
- According to the sixth aspect of the invention, because the screw fixing portions and the protrusions are provided inside the recesses which are recessed toward the back surface side as compared to the front surface of the front grill, the amount of protrusion of each protrusion is decreased.
-
- [
FIG. 1] FIG. 1A is an oblique perspective of an indoor unit of an embodiment of the present invention during operation stop,FIG. 1B is an oblique perspective of the indoor unit during operation, andFIG. 1C is an oblique perspective of the indoor unit from which a front panel and an outlet panel have been detached. - [
FIG. 2] FIG. 2A is a front elevation of the indoor unit during operation stop, whereasFIG. 2B is a front elevation of the indoor unit during operation. - [
FIG. 3] FIG. 3A is a right side view of the indoor unit during operation stop, whereasFIG. 3B is a right side view of the indoor unit during operation. - [
FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the indoor unit from which the front panel and the outlet panel have been detached. - [
FIG. 5] FIG. 5 schematically shows a vertical cross section of the indoor unit. - [
FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a controller of the indoor unit. - [
FIG. 7] FIG. 7A is a top view of the indoor unit during operation stop, whereasFIG. 7B is a top view of the indoor unit during operation. - [
FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the indoor unit during operation stop. - [
FIG. 9] FIG. 9A schematically shows the top plate portion, andFIG. 9B is a front elevation of only a wind direction changing plate. - [
FIG. 10] FIG. 10 illustrates the positional relationship between the top plate portion, the cross flow fan. and the wind direction changing plate. - [
FIG. 11] FIG. 11 is a right side view of the indoor unit from which the front panel and the outlet panel have been detached. - [
FIG. 12] FIG. 12A is an enlarged view of a part A inFIG. 4 ,FIG. 12B shows a state in which a screw has been removed as compared to the state shown inFIG. 12A, and FIG. 12C is a cross section taken at the XII(c)-XII(c) line inFIG. 4 . - [
FIG. 13] FIG. 13A is a front elevation of the front panel and the outlet panel,FIG. 13B is a cross section taken at the XIII (b) -XIII (b) line,FIG. 13C is a cross section taken at the XIII(c)-XIII(c) line, andFIG. 13D is a cross section taken at the XIII(d)-XIII(d) line. - [
FIG. 14] FIG. 14 is a cross section taken at the XIV-XIV line inFIG. 2 . - [
FIG. 15] FIG. 15 is a cross section taken at the XV-XV line inFIG. 2 and shows the structure of a drive mechanism. - [
FIG. 16] FIGs. 16A to 16C illustrate how the front panel and the outlet panel move.FIG. 16A shows a state before the movement of the front panel,FIG. 16B shows a state after the movement of the front panel, andFIG. 16C shows a state after the movement of the front panel and the outlet panel. - The following will describe an indoor unit of an air conditioner of an embodiment of the present invention.
- The air conditioner of the embodiment of the present invention is formed of an
indoor unit 1 shown inFIG. 1 and an unillustrated outdoor unit. Theindoor unit 1 is on the whole narrow in shape in one direction, and is attached to a wall surface of a room so that the length thereof is horizontal. Hereinafter, a direction of protrusion from the wall surface on which theindoor unit 1 is provided will be referred to as "forward", and a direction opposite to the forward will be referred to as "backward". Furthermore, a left-right direction shown inFIG. 1 will be simply referred to as "left-right direction", and an up-down direction shown inFIG. 1 will be simply referred to as "up-down direction". - As shown in
FIG. 5 , theindoor unit 1 is mainly provided with amain body 4, afront panel 7 , anoutlet panel 8, a winddirection changing plate 50, and the like. - As shown in
FIG. 4 andFIG. 5 , themain body 4 includes acasing 5 including abottom frame 42 and afront grill 6, anindoor heat exchanger 20 housed in thecasing 5, a cross flow fan 21 (hereinafter, this may be simply referred to as a fan 21), a fan motor 22 (seeFIG. 6 ), and anelectric component box 40. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , theindoor heat exchanger 20 and thefan 21 are attached to thebottom frame 42. Theindoor heat exchanger 20 and thefan 21 are arranged such that thefan 21 is provided at a substantial center of theindoor unit 1 in cross section and theindoor heat exchanger 20 which is inverse V-shaped is provided to surround an upper half of thefan 21. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , theelectric component box 40 is provided to the right of theindoor heat exchanger 20 and thefan 21 in front elevation. Theelectric component box 40 houses acontroller 60 therein (seeFIG. 6 ) for controlling components of theindoor unit 1 required for operations such as cooling and warming. As shown inFIG. 6 , thiscontroller 60 is connected with thefan motor 22 driving thefan 21, adrive motor 43 driving adriver 41 of a later-described drive mechanism 9, aflap motor 51 driving the winddirection changing plate 50, and anauxiliary flap motor 53 driving a later-described auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52, to control thefan 21, thedriver 41, the winddirection changing plate 50, and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52. - The
bottom frame 42 is made of a resin material and is shaped to cover the bottom, back, and the sides of thefan 21. Thisbottom frame 42 includes: an unillustrated main casing which fixes theindoor heat exchanger 20 and thefan 21 and constitutes aback surface 1b of theindoor unit 1; and decorative plates 47 (seeFIG. 3 ) constituting, together with thefront grill 6, side surfaces of theindoor unit 1. On the back surface of the main casing, a mounting board is attached to fix theindoor unit 1 to the wall surface of the room. - A lower part of the
bottom frame 42 and thefront grill 6 form anoutlet port 27. Thisoutlet port 27 is a port through which wind from thefan 21 is blown into the room. Theoutlet port 27 is provided in the vicinity of a lower part of theindoor unit 1 and is on the front surface side of theindoor unit 1. As shown inFIG. 2B , theoutlet port 27 is shaped to be long in a horizontal direction in front elevation. - The
front grill 6 is attached to thebottom frame 42 from the front side, and covers the front, sides, top, and bottom of themain body 4. Thefront grill 6 is formed by molding a resin material, is thin and rectangular parallelepiped in shape, and is entirely open at the back. As shown inFIG. 4 , thisfront grill 6 includes atop plate portion 30, a front surface 31 (the front surface of the casing), and abottom surface 32. - As shown in
FIG. 9A , thetop plate portion 30 is curved so that acentral part 30M of afront end 30F protrudes forward. To be more specific, thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 is inclined to theback surface 1b side from thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F toward the both ends 30a and 30b of thefront end 30F, and is curved so that the direction of a tangent to thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 continuously changes in plan view. Side ends 30L and 30R of thetop plate portion 30 are inclined (curved) to the center in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of theindoor unit 1 from theends back surface 1b. - The substantially entirety of the
top plate portion 30 functions as a first inlet port 23 (inlet port) for sucking air inside the room. As shown inFIG. 7A , across the substantially entirefirst inlet port 23,blades 30c are provided to extend in the longitudinal direction and the front-back direction. Below this first inlet port 23 (i.e., on the inner side of the indoor unit 1), anopening 24 is at the central part in the longitudinal direction and non-openings 25 are formed outside in the longitudinal direction of theopening 24. In an area corresponding to theopening 24, a gap between theblades 30c is open. In each non-opening 25, aplate 30d is provided to close the gaps between theblades 30c. Thisplate 30d is provided below the outer edge of the top plate portion 30 (i.e., provided on the inner side of theindoor unit 1 as compared to the first inlet port 23) . With this arrangement, room air sucked through thefirst inlet port 23 is either directly taken into thefan 21 side through theopening 24 or horizontally flows on theplates 30d of the non-openings 25 and is then taken into thefan 21 side through theopening 24. - As shown in
FIG. 9A , thefirst inlet port 23 is arranged such that the width W1 of an inletcentral part 23M corresponding to thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 in the longitudinal direction is wider than the width of each of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of thefirst inlet port 23. In other words, in the present embodiment, the width W1 is arranged to be wider than each of the width around theleft end 30a of thetop plate portion 30 and the width around theright end 30b of thetop plate portion 30. In the present embodiment, the width around theleft end 30a of thetop plate portion 30 and the width around theright end 30b of thetop plate portion 30 are very narrow (almost zero) . The width of thefirst inlet port 23 is maximum at the inletcentral part 23M. The width of thefirst inlet port 23 is narrowed from the inletcentral part 23M toward theends FIG. 9A does not show theblades 30c extending in the longitudinal direction and the front-back direction. - As shown in
FIG. 9A , thefront end 24F of theopening 24 extends along thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30. Theopening 24 is arranged such that the width of an openingcentral part 24M corresponding to thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 in the longitudinal direction is wider than the width of each of the both ends of the opening 24 (i.e., wider than each of the width of theleft end 24L of theopening 24 and the width of theright end 24R of the opening 24) . As shown inFIG. 10 , the central part in the longitudinal direction of theopening 24 below thetop plate portion 30 is slightly shifted leftward from the inletcentral part 23M corresponding to thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 and corresponds to the central part in the longitudinal direction of thefan 21 and the central part in the longitudinal direction of the winddirection changing plate 50. Furthermore, theends opening 24 substantially correspond to the ends of thefan 21 and theends direction changing plate 50. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , the front surface 31 (the front surface of the casing) is shaped to be substantially rectangular and long in the left-right direction in front elevation. As easily understood fromFIG. 1C , in thefront surface 31, vicinity surfaces 33 in the vicinity of the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of thefront surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., in the vicinity of the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface of the casing) are curved so that the size in the front-back direction (i.e., thickness) of theindoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction. These vicinity surfaces 33 are inclined (curved) to theback surface 1b side in the downward direction. Thisfront surface 31 includes, apart from the vicinity surfaces 33 above, components such as thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30,openings 34 for taking in the room air, and an outlet portperipheral portion 35 provided around theoutlet port 27. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , theopenings 34 are formed from around the center in the up-down direction of thefront surface 31 to an upper part of thefront surface 31, so as to oppose the front surface side of theindoor heat exchanger 20. Eachopening 34 is rectangular in shape and long in the left-right direction, and extends in the vertical direction as shown inFIG. 11 . Theopenings 34 are therefore in the same plane. Through theseopenings 34, the room air taken in from thefront end 24F side of theopening 24 and the room air taken in through a later-describedsecond inlet port 26 are sent to thefan 21 side. In front of theseopenings 34, a filter 36 (seeFIG. 5 ) is attached to cover the substantially entirety of theopenings 34. As shown inFIG. 5 , thisfilter 36 extends from the front side to the upper side of theindoor heat exchanger 20, in order to capture dust in the room air which is taken in through thefirst inlet port 23 and thesecond inlet port 26. - As shown in
FIG. 1C , the outlet portperipheral portion 35 is curved so that its central part in the longitudinal direction protrudes forward. To be more specific, the outlet portperipheral portion 35 is curved so that the thickness in the front-back direction of theindoor unit 1 increases from the both ends toward the central part in the longitudinal direction. - As understood from figures such as
FIG. 1A , during operation stop of theindoor unit 1, thefront panel 7 is in contact with or close to thefront end 30F and a part of (upper side of) the vicinity surfaces 33 of thetop plate portion 30. The upper part of thefront surface 31 is therefore closed by thefront panel 7. In addition to the above, theoutlet panel 8 is in contact with or close to the outlet portperipheral portion 35 and a part of (lower side of) the vicinity surfaces 33. The lower part of thefront surface 31 is therefore closed by theoutlet panel 8. In the meanwhile, during operation of theindoor unit 1, as shown inFIG. 1B , a gap is formed between thefront panel 7 and thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 and the vicinity surfaces 33, as thefront panel 7 moves substantially horizontally forward, with the result that thesecond inlet port 26 for sucking the room air is formed. Furthermore, as theoutlet panel 8 is moved to a position between thefront panel 7 and thefront grill 6, theoutlet port 27 is opened. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , on the upper end side of the vicinity surfaces 33 provided in the vicinity of the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of thefront surface 31, tworecesses 91 are formed to recess toward the back surface as compared to the vicinity surfaces 33 (i.e., thefront surface 31 of the front grill 6) . Theserecesses 91 are symmetrically formed in the left-right direction. As shown inFIG. 12 , in each of theserecesses 91, a screw fixing portion 92 (screw hole) is formed to receive a screw S for fixing thefront grill 6 to thebottom frame 42. Furthermore, on eachrecess 91, aprotrusion 93 is provided outside in the left-right direction of thescrew fixing portion 92 to protrude forward as compared to the vicinity surface 33 (front surface of the front grill) . With this arrangement, in thisindoor unit 1, the screw S is less visible in a side view and an oblique front view of theindoor unit 1. - Below the
front surface 31 and in front of thebottom surface 32, an opening is formed to form theoutlet port 27 together with thebottom frame 42. The front surface of thisoutlet port 27 is closed by theoutlet panel 8 during operation stop of theindoor unit 1. The bottom surface of thisoutlet port 27 is, as shown inFIG. 8 , closed by the winddirection changing plate 50 attached to thebottom frame 42, during operation stop of theindoor unit 1. - As shown in
FIG. 2B , in theoutlet port 27, the winddirection changing plate 50 and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 above the winddirection changing plate 50 are provided. Each of the winddirection changing plate 50 and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 is a plate which is long in the left-right direction. The winddirection changing plate 50 and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 are arranged to be rotatable about different rotational axes extending along the horizontal direction, respectively. With this arrangement, the winddirection changing plate 50 changes, in the up-down direction, the direction of the air blown out from theoutlet port 27, together with the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52. The winddirection changing plate 50 is connected with theflap motor 51, whereas the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 is connected with theauxiliary flap motor 53. The winddirection changing plate 50 and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 are rotatable about different rotational axes extending along the horizontal direction, respectively, by the driving of theflap motor 51 and theauxiliary flap motor 53. - As shown in
FIG. 9B andFIG. 10 , the winddirection changing plate 50 is curved so that the center and its surroundings of thefront end 50F of the winddirection changing plate 50 protrudes forward. To be more specific, thefront end 50F of the winddirection changing plate 50 is inclined to theback surface 1b side from an outletcentral part 50M (see alsoFIG. 1C andFIG. 2B ) corresponding to thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 toward the both ends 50a and 50b, and is curved so that the direction of a tangent to thefront end 50F of thetop plate portion 50 continuously changes in plan view.Side plates direction changing plate 50 extend in the front-back direction. This winddirection changing plate 50 is arranged such that the width W2 of the outletcentral part 50M corresponding to thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 is wider than the width in the longitudinal direction of each of the both ends of the wind direction changing plate 50 (i.e., wider than each of the width of theleft end 50L and the width of theright end 50R). The width of the winddirection changing plate 50 is maximum at the outletcentral part 50M. The width of the winddirection changing plate 50 is narrowed from the outletcentral part 50M toward theends direction changing plate 50. As shown inFIG. 8 , this winddirection changing plate 50 is shaped to extend along an opening defined by theoutlet panel 8 and thebottom surface 32 of thefront grill 6 during operation stop of theindoor unit 1. When an instruction to stop the operation is received, the winddirection changing plate 50 moves to be in parallel to the horizontal plane, so as to form the bottom surface of theindoor unit 1, which is in parallel to the horizontal plane, together with thebottom surface 32 of thefront grill 6. As shown inFIG. 10 , the central part in the longitudinal direction of the winddirection changing plate 50 is slightly shifted leftward from the outletcentral part 50M corresponding to thecentral part 30M of thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30, and corresponds to the central part in the longitudinal direction of thefan 21 and the central part in the longitudinal direction of theopening 24. The width W3 of the central part in the longitudinal direction of the winddirection changing plate 50 is wider than the width of each of the ends in the longitudinal direction (i.e., the width of theleft end 50L and the width of theright end 50R) of the winddirection changing plate 50. - In the meanwhile, as shown in
FIG. 2B , the width of the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 is uniform in the longitudinal direction. As such, because the width of the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 is uniform in the longitudinal direction, the winddirection changing plate 50 and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 do not interfere with each other when the winddirection changing plate 50 and the auxiliary winddirection changing plate 52 rotate about different rotational axes extending along the horizontal direction. - As shown in
FIG. 1A , thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 substantially cover the entirety of thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6 during operation stop of theindoor unit 1. - The
front panel 7 is formed by molding a resin material, and covers an upper part of thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6. Thefront panel 7 is supported at around the left and right ends by a later-describedopening mechanism 61 to be movable in the front-back direction. Thesecond inlet port 26 is opened as thefront panel 7 moves away from thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6, and thesecond inlet port 26 is closed as thefront panel 7 moves toward thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6. - The
outlet panel 8 is formed by molding a resin material and covers a lower part of thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6. Theoutlet panel 8 is supported at around the left and right ends by the later-describedopening mechanism 61 to be movable in the up-down direction. Theoutlet port 27 is opened as theoutlet panel 8 moves to the gap between thefront panel 7 and the front grill 6 (i.e. , moves upward) in a state that thefront panel 7 has moved forward, and theoutlet port 27 is closed as theoutlet panel 8 moves downward. - Each of the
front panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 is a three-dimensional panel having a three-dimensional shape. In other words, each of these panels is curved in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) and in the up-down direction. The thickness of thefront panel 7 and the thickness of theoutlet panel 8 are substantially constant in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction, and are substantially identical with each other. From the substantially entire outer circumference of the back surfaces of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8, reinforcingribs FIG. 13D ). - As shown in
FIG. 13B , thefront panel 7 is curved so that itscentral part 7M protrudes forward in plan view. To be more specific, thefront surface 7F (front surface portion) of thefront panel 7 is inclined to theback surface 1b side from thecentral part 7M of thefront surface 7F of thefront panel 7 toward the ends in the longitudinal direction, and the direction of a tangent to thefront surface 7F of thefront panel 7 continuously changes in plan view. In other words, thefront panel 7 is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction. - As shown in
FIG. 13D , thisfront panel 7 is arranged such that the upper end 7Fa of thefront surface 7F of thefront panel 7 is at the forefront, and thefront surface 7F (front surface portion) of thefront panel 7 is inclined to theback surface 1b side toward thelower end 1a. Furthermore, because the thickness of thefront panel 7 is constant in thickness in the up-down direction, the entirety of thefront panel 7 is inclined to theback surface 1b side toward thelower end 1a. Furthermore, thisfront panel 7 is curved so that the front side thereof protrudes, i.e. , the direction of a tangent to thefront surface 7F of thefront panel 7 continuously changes in cross section. In other words, thefront panel 7 is entirely curved in the left-right direction. - In this
front panel 7, a part opposing thefront end 30F of thetop plate portion 30 of thefront grill 6 is curved along thefront end 30F. Furthermore, in thefront panel 7, parts opposing the vicinity surfaces 33 of thefront grill 6 are curved along the vicinity surfaces 33 in the longitudinal direction and in the up-down direction. On this account, gaps are scarcely formed between thefront panel 7 and thefront end 30F and the vicinity surfaces 33 during operation stop of theindoor unit 1. - As shown in
FIG. 13C , theoutlet panel 8 is curved so that itscentral part 8M protrudes forward in plan view. To be more specific, thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 is inclined to theback surface 1b side from thecentral part 8M of thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 toward the ends in the longitudinal direction, and the direction of a tangent to thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 continuously changes in plan view. In other words, theoutlet panel 8 is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction. - As shown in
FIG. 13D , thisoutlet panel 8 is arranged such that the upper end 8Fa of thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 is at the forefront, and thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 is inclined to theback surface 1b side toward thelower end 1a. Furthermore, because the thickness of theoutlet panel 8 is constant in the up-down direction, the entirety of thefront panel 8 is inclined to theback surface 1b side toward thelower end 1a. Furthermore, thisoutlet panel 8 is curved so that the front side thereof protrudes, i.e., the direction of a tangent to thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 continuously changes in cross section. In other words, theoutlet panel 8 is entirely curved in the up-down direction. - In this
outlet panel 8, parts opposing the vicinity surfaces 33 of thefront grill 6 and a part opposing the outlet portperipheral portion 35 of thefront grill 6 are curved along the vicinity surfaces 33 and the outlet portperipheral portion 35 in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction. On this account, gaps are scarcely formed between theoutlet panel 8 and the vicinity surfaces 33 and the outlet portperipheral portion 35 during operation stop of theindoor unit 1. - As shown in
FIGs. 1A and7A , thefront panel 7 includesextension parts 71 which extend outward as compared to theends front surface 31 of the front grill 6 (see furtherFIG. 4 ) . As shown inFIGs. 1A and8 , theoutlet panel 8 includesextension parts 81 which extend outward as compared to theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6. As shown inFIG. 7A , theextension parts 71 are parts on the outside in the longitudinal direction of lines L1 which extend along the front-back direction and pass theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6. As shown inFIG. 8 , theextension parts 81 are parts on the outside in the longitudinal direction of lines L2 which extend along the front-back direction and pass theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6. Theextension parts 71 are symmetrical in the left-right direction, and theextension parts 81 are symmetrical in the left-right direction, too. - As shown in
FIGs. 7A and8 , theextension parts 71 of thefront panel 7 and theextension parts 81 of theoutlet panel 8 extend toward theback surface 1b side from theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6. Leadingend portions 72 of theextension parts 71 andleading end portions 82 of theextension parts 81 are bent forward. In this regard, it is noted that "bending" encompasses "curving" in the present invention. - Now, referring to
FIG. 14 , the definition of "theextension parts 71 extend toward theback surface 1b side from theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6" and the definition of "theleading end portions 72 of theextension parts 71 are bent forward" will be specifically described. It is noted that the definition of "theextension parts 81 extend toward theback surface 1b side from theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6" and the definition of "theleading end portions 82 of theextension parts 81 are bent forward" are not described because they are similar to the above. - The recitation "the
extension parts 71 extend toward theback surface 1b side from theends front surface 31 of thefront grill 6" indicates that, as shown inFIG. 14 , the entirety of eachextension part 71 is on theback surface 1b side relative to a horizontal line L3 (in the left-right direction) which passes an intersection 7Fb of the above-described line L1 and thefront surface 7F of thefront panel 7. The recitation "theleading end portions 72 of theextension parts 71 are bent forward" indicates that, in plan view, at least a part of the center line of theleading end portion 72 is on the front side of a virtual line L4 which is an outward extension in the left-right direction of the center line of thefront panel 7 except theleading end portion 72 of theextension part 71. - The drive mechanism 9 is a mechanism for moving the
front panel 7 away from thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6 in a substantially horizontal direction and moving theoutlet panel 8 to the gap between thefront panel 7 and thefront grill 6 in a state that thefront panel 7 has moved forward in the substantially horizontal direction. As shown inFIG. 4 , the drive mechanism 9 is provided with adriver 41 and anopening mechanism 61. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , thedriver 41 is to the left of theindoor heat exchanger 20 and thefan 21 in front elevation, and is configured to generate driving force for moving thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. Thisdriver 41 includes the drive motor 43 (seeFIG. 6 ) and unillustrated driver gears. Thedrive motor 43 is connected by a cable with thecontroller 60 housed in theelectric component box 40, and functions as a drive source for moving thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. The driver gears are disposed to be engaged with an unillustrated power transmission gear of theopening mechanism 61. The driver gears transmit the rotation of thedrive motor 43, i.e., the driving force of thedrive motor 43 to the power transmission gear of theopening mechanism 61. - The
opening mechanism 61 is a mechanism for opening and closing thesecond inlet port 26 and theoutlet port 27 by moving thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 by means of the driving force of thedriver 41. Theopening mechanism 61 is formed of components including gears, and functions as a speed reducer for transmitting the driving force of thedriver 41 to thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. Theopening mechanism 61 functions as a conversion mechanism of converting the rotational movement transmitted from thedriver 41 to the opening/closing movement of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. As shown inFIG. 4 , theopening mechanism 61 includes a first opening mechanism 62 provided to the left of thefront grill 6 and asecond opening mechanism 63 provided to the right of thefront grill 6. The first opening mechanism 62 and thesecond opening mechanism 63 are connected with each other by an unillustrated power transmission shaft. - The first opening mechanism 62 is attached to the back surfaces of the left side surfaces of the
front panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8, to support the left ends and their surroundings of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. The first opening mechanism 62 transfers the driving force of thedriver 41 to the left end and its surroundings of thefront panel 7 and to the left end and its surroundings of theoutlet panel 8, so as to move the left parts of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8, when thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 are opened or closed. - The
second opening mechanism 63 is attached to the back surfaces of the right side surfaces of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8, to support the right ends and their surroundings of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. Thesecond opening mechanism 63 transfers the driving force of thedriver 41 to the right end and its surroundings of thefront panel 7 and to the right end and its surroundings of theoutlet panel 8, so as to move the right parts of thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8, when thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 are opened or closed. - The unillustrated power transmission shaft is a member which distributes and transfers the driving power of the
driver 41 to the first opening mechanism 62 and thesecond opening mechanism 63, and is attached to the back surface of thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6 to be rotatable about an axis which is in parallel to the longitudinal direction of theindoor unit 1. The ends of the power transmission shaft are connected with the first opening mechanism 62 and thesecond opening mechanism 63, respectively, and unillustrated power transmission gears are provided therebetween. The power transmission gear is disposed to be engaged with the driver gears of thedriver 41. As such, theopening mechanism 61 is configured to distribute, by the power transmission shaft, the driving force from thedriver 41 to the first opening mechanism 62 and thesecond opening mechanism 63. - The following will briefly describe the arrangement of the first opening mechanism 62. The description of the
second opening mechanism 63 is omitted because it is symmetrical in structure with the first opening mechanism 62 in the left-right direction. The first opening mechanism 62 includes, as shown inFIG. 15 , front panel opening gears 64, an outletpanel opening gear 65, a frontpanel supporting member 66, an outletpanel supporting member 67, and atransmission gear 68. - The front
panel opening gear 64 transmits, to the frontpanel supporting member 66, the driving force supplied from thedriver 41 via the power transmission shaft. This frontpanel supporting member 66 is provided to be movable in the front-back direction (substantially horizontal direction), and is able to linearly move thefront panel 7 in the front-back direction. - The
transmission gear 68 transmits, to the outletpanel opening gear 65, the driving force supplied from thedriver 41 via the power transmission shaft, and the outletpanel opening gear 65 transmits the driving force to the outletpanel supporting member 67. This outletpanel supporting member 67 is provided to be movable in the up-down direction, and is able to linearly move theoutlet panel 8 in the up-down direction. Thetransmission gear 68 has a part where no tooth is formed. With this, until thedriver 41 is driven and the forward movement of the frontpanel supporting member 66 is completed, the rotation of thetransmission gear 68 is not transmitted to the outletpanel opening gear 65. After the completion of the forward movement of the frontpanel supporting member 66, thetransmission gear 68 is engaged with the outletpanel opening gear 65, and hence the upward movement of the outletpanel supporting member 67 becomes possible. - Now, the movement of the
front panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 at the start of the driving will be described with reference toFIG. 16 . - As shown in
FIG. 16A , when theindoor unit 1 is in a stopped state, thesecond inlet port 26 and theoutlet port 27 are closed by thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8. When theindoor unit 1 is in the stopped state, thefront surface 7F of thefront panel 7 and thefront surface 8F of theoutlet panel 8 are substantially flush with each other in the up-down direction in a side view. In this state, the frontpanel supporting member 66 of theopening mechanism 61 is at the most backward position within the movable range. The outletpanel supporting member 67 is at the lowermost position within the movable range. - As the
indoor unit 1 starts the operation, thedrive motor 43 of thedriver 41 is controlled and starts the rotation. The driving force of thedriver 41 is transmitted to the unillustrated power transmission shaft of theopening mechanism 61, and the driving force is distributed to the first opening mechanism 62 and thesecond opening mechanism 63 of theopening mechanism 61. Thereafter, by the first opening mechanism 62 and thesecond opening mechanism 63, thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 are moved, with the result that thesecond inlet port 26 and theoutlet port 27 are opened. - To be more specific, by the
opening mechanism 61, the driving force of thedriver 41 is transmitted to the frontpanel supporting member 66 via the frontpanel opening gear 64. As a result, the frontpanel supporting member 66 linearly moves forward in the substantially horizontal direction. With this, as shown inFIG. 16B , thefront panel 7 moves forward in the substantially horizontal direction so as to open thesecond inlet port 26. - As shown in
FIG. 16B , when the frontpanel supporting member 66 is at the most forward position within the movable range, the driving force of thedriver 41 is transmitted to the outletpanel supporting member 67 via thetransmission gear 68 and the outletpanel opening gear 65. With this, as shown inFIG. 16C , theoutlet panel 8 moves to the gap between thefront panel 7 and thefront grill 6, so as to open theoutlet port 27. When the outletpanel supporting member 67 is at the uppermost position within the movable range, theoutlet panel 8 is hidden behind thefront panel 7. In other words, the substantially entirety of theoutlet panel 8 overlaps thefront panel 7, and hence theoutlet panel 8 is not viewable in front elevation as shown inFIG. 2A . - As the
fan 21 is driven, the room air is sucked into theindoor unit 1 through thefirst inlet port 23 and thesecond inlet port 26 and is subjected to heat exchange at theindoor heat exchanger 20, and the air after the heat exchange is blown out from theoutlet port 27. - During operation stop of the
indoor unit 1, thedrive motor 43 of thedriver 41 is controlled to drive backward, and the outletpanel supporting member 67 and the frontpanel supporting member 66 move in this order in the direction opposite to the above. As a result, thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 move inversely as compared to the above, and thefront panel 7 and theoutlet panel 8 return to the state at the stop of theindoor unit 1. - As shown in
FIG. 1C , in theindoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of thefront surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., the front surface of the casing 5) are curved so that the thickness of theindoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, when thefront panel 7 moves away from thefront surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., the front surface of the casing 5), the inside of thecasing 5 is easily seen and the appearance of theindoor unit 1 tends to be deteriorated. In this regard, as shown inFIG. 1A , because theextension parts 71 are provided at the respective ends of thefront panel 7 to extend outward as compared to the ends of thefront surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., the front surface of the casing 5), the inside of thecasing 5 is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of theindoor unit 1 is prevented. - In addition to the above, in the
indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, because theextension parts 71 of thefront panel 7 extend toward theback surface 1b side, the inside of thecasing 5 is less easily seen and the deterioration in the appearance of theindoor unit 1 is effectively prevented. - In addition to the above, in the
indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, the design of theindoor unit 1 is improved because theleading end portions 72 of theextension parts 71 of thefront panel 7 are bent forward. - In addition to the above, in the
indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6 are curved so that the thickness of theindoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction. For this reason, each screw at thescrew fixing portion 92 is easily seen from the outside in the left-right direction of theindoor unit 1, and the appearance of theindoor unit 1 tends to be deteriorated. In this regard, as shown inFIG. 12C , theprotrusion 93 is provided outside thescrew fixing portion 92 to protrude forward as compared to thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6. The screw of thescrew fixing portion 92 is therefore less easily seen from the outside of theindoor unit 1, and hence the deterioration in the appearance of theindoor unit 1 is prevented. - In addition to the above, in the
indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, as shown inFIG. 12C , because thescrew fixing portion 92 and theprotrusion 93 are provided inside therecess 91 which is recessed toward theback surface 1b side as compared to thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6, the amount of protrusion of theprotrusion 93 is decreased. - Thus, the embodiment of the present invention is described hereinabove. However, the specific structure of the present invention shall not be interpreted as to be limited to the above described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above embodiment but by claims set forth below, and shall encompass the equivalents in the meaning of the claims and every modification within the scope of the claims.
- While in the embodiment above the
extension parts 71 of thefront panel 7 extend toward theback surface 1b, the extension parts of the front panel may extend to be in parallel to the back surface, or the extension parts of the front panel may extend forward. - While in the embodiment above the
leading end portion 72 of eachextension part 71 of thefront panel 7 is bent forward, the leading end portion of the extension part of the front panel may not be bent forward. - In the embodiment above, the
front surface 31 of thefront grill 6 is curved at around the ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of theindoor unit 1 increases toward the central part in the longitudinal direction, and theprotrusion 93 is provided outside each of thescrew fixing portions 92 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of thefront surface 31 to protrude forward as compared to thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6. In this regard, the front surface of the front grill may not be curved in this way, and the protrusion may not be provided in this way even if the front surface of the front grill is curved as above. - In the embodiment above, the
screw fixing portion 92 and theprotrusion 93 are provided inside therecess 91 which is recessed toward theback surface 1b side as compared to thefront surface 31 of thefront grill 6. In this regard, the screw fixing portion and the protrusion may be provided on the front surface of the front grill, instead of the inside of the recess. - While in the embodiment above the
front panel 7 is a three-dimensional panel which is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction and entirely curved in the up-down direction, thefront panel 7 may be a three-dimensional panel at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction and at least partially curved in the up-down direction, on condition that thecentral part 7M of thefront panel 7 is curved to protrude forward in plan view. Furthermore, on condition that thecentral part 7M of thefront panel 7 is curved to protrude forward, thefront panel 7 may be a two-dimensional panel which is at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction but is not curved in the up-down direction. - While in the embodiment above the
outlet panel 8 is a three-dimensional panel which is entirely curved in the longitudinal direction and entirely curved in the up-down direction, theoutlet panel 8 may be a three-dimensional panel at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction and at least partially curved in the up-down direction, on condition that thecentral part 8M of theoutlet panel 8 is curved to protrude forward in plan view. Furthermore, on condition that thecentral part 8M of theoutlet panel 8 is curved to protrude forward, theoutlet panel 8 may be a two-dimensional panel which is at least partially curved in the longitudinal direction but is not curved in the up-down direction. - While in the embodiment above the vicinity surfaces 33 provided around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the
front surface 31 of the front grill 6 (i.e., around the ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface of the casing) are inclined (curved) to theback surface 1b side in the downward direction, the vicinity surfaces 33 may extend in the vertical direction. - According to the present invention, the inside of a casing is less easily seen even when a front panel is moving away from the front surface of the casing, and hence the deterioration of the appearance of the indoor unit is prevented.
-
- 1 INDOOR UNIT
- 5 CASING
- 6 FRONT GRILL
- 7 FRONT PANEL
- 7M CENTRAL PART
- 31 FRONT SURFACE (FRONT SURFACE OF CASING)
- 31L and 31R ENDS
- 33 VICINITY SURFACES (AROUND ENDS IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF FRONT SURFACE)
- 42 BOTTOM FRAME
- 71 EXTENSION PART
- 72 LEADING END PORTION
- 91 RECESS
- 92 SCREW FIXING PORTION
- 93 PROTRUSION
Claims (6)
- An indoor unit (1) comprising:a casing (5); anda front panel (7) provided forward of the casing and movable away from a front surface (31) of the casing, characterized by the front panel including extension parts (71) extending outward in a longitudinal direction of the casing as compared to ends (31L, 31R) in the longitudinal direction of the front surface of the casing, the extension parts being on outside in the longitudinal direction of lines (L1) which extend along the front-back direction and pass the ends of the front surface.
- The indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein,the front surface of the casing is curved at around its ends in the longitudinal direction so that a thickness of the indoor unit increases toward a central part in the longitudinal direction, andthe front panel is curved so that a central part of the front panel protrudes forward.
- The indoor unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
the extension parts extend toward a back surface side (1b) of the indoor unit. - The indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein,
leading end portions (72) of the extension parts are bent forward. - The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,the casing includes a bottom frame (42) and a front grill (6) fixed forward of the bottom frame,a front surface of the front grill is curved at around its ends in the longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the indoor unit increases toward a central part in the longitudinal direction, and screw fixing portions (92) are provided around the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the front surface to fix the front grill to the bottom frame, andon the front surface of the front grill, protrusions (93) are provided outside the screw fixing portions to protrude forward as compared to the front surface of the front grill.
- The indoor unit according to claim 5, wherein,
the screw fixing portions and the protrusions are provided inside recesses which are recessed toward the back surface side as compared to the front surface of the front grill.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2013244419A JP5850032B2 (en) | 2013-11-26 | 2013-11-26 | Indoor unit |
PCT/JP2014/078591 WO2015079853A1 (en) | 2013-11-26 | 2014-10-28 | Indoor unit |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3076096A1 EP3076096A1 (en) | 2016-10-05 |
EP3076096A4 EP3076096A4 (en) | 2017-02-01 |
EP3076096B1 true EP3076096B1 (en) | 2018-12-05 |
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Family Applications (1)
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EP14865709.1A Active EP3076096B1 (en) | 2013-11-26 | 2014-10-28 | Indoor unit |
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EP (1) | EP3076096B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5850032B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN105765315B (en) |
AU (1) | AU2014355764B2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2714128T3 (en) |
TR (1) | TR201902831T4 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2015079853A1 (en) |
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AU2014355407B2 (en) * | 2013-11-26 | 2017-09-07 | Daikin Industries, Ltd. | Indoor unit |
EP3168547B1 (en) | 2015-08-06 | 2020-03-04 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | Indoor unit of air conditioners |
CN108758823A (en) * | 2018-07-27 | 2018-11-06 | 青岛海尔空调器有限总公司 | Wall-hanging air conditioner indoor unit |
US11913666B2 (en) * | 2018-12-29 | 2024-02-27 | Gd Midea Air-Conditioning Equipment Co., Ltd. | Air conditioner indoor unit and air conditioner |
CN110006156A (en) * | 2019-03-05 | 2019-07-12 | 青岛海尔空调电子有限公司 | Air outlet device for air conditioner and air conditioner |
CN110594858B (en) * | 2019-08-27 | 2021-09-21 | 青岛海尔空调器有限总公司 | Air conditioner indoor unit |
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- 2014-10-28 TR TR2019/02831T patent/TR201902831T4/en unknown
- 2014-10-28 US US15/039,593 patent/US20160363328A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2014-10-28 AU AU2014355764A patent/AU2014355764B2/en not_active Ceased
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JP5850032B2 (en) | 2016-02-03 |
JP2015102305A (en) | 2015-06-04 |
TR201902831T4 (en) | 2019-03-21 |
WO2015079853A1 (en) | 2015-06-04 |
AU2014355764B2 (en) | 2017-10-26 |
EP3076096A1 (en) | 2016-10-05 |
ES2714128T3 (en) | 2019-05-27 |
CN105765315A (en) | 2016-07-13 |
AU2014355764A1 (en) | 2016-06-30 |
EP3076096A4 (en) | 2017-02-01 |
US20160363328A1 (en) | 2016-12-15 |
CN105765315B (en) | 2019-07-30 |
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