JP2005300142A - Indoor unit for air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an indoor unit for an air conditioner capable of improving its appearance. <P>SOLUTION: This indoor unit 1 for the air conditioner comprises an indoor unit casing 2, a horizontal flap 3 and a front panel 4. The indoor unit casing 1 has a blowout port 20 through which the air blown indoors is passed. The horizontal flap 3 is mounted to open and close the blowout port 20, and guides the air blown out from the blowout port 20. The front panel 4 covers between the indoor unit casing 2 and the horizontal flap 3 closing the blowout port 20, in a closed state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner often includes a casing having a blowout port through which air blown into the room passes, and a flap for guiding the air blown out from the blowout port. The flap is provided so that the outlet can be opened and closed, and in the closed state, the flap is provided so as to close the outlet (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-130382 (FIG. 1)

However, when the flap closes the outlet, a boundary line is generated between the flap and the outlet. Conventionally, this boundary line appears in the appearance of an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and is easily touched by indoor residents. For this reason, this boundary line becomes noise in the design, which is a factor that impairs the aesthetics such as deteriorating the interior of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.
The subject of this invention is providing the indoor unit of the air conditioner which can improve the beauty | look.

An indoor unit for an air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a casing, a flap, and a front panel. The casing has a blowout opening through which air blown into the room passes. The flap is provided so that the outlet can be opened and closed, and guides the air blown out from the outlet. A front panel covers between a casing and the flap which closes a blower outlet in a closed state.
In this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the space between the flap and the outlet can be concealed so that it cannot be seen from the outside. For this reason, aesthetics can be improved in this indoor unit of an air conditioner.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the first aspect, wherein the flap covers the lower part of the outlet in the closed state, and the front panel is in the outlet in the closed state. Cover the top of the.
In this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the space between the flap and the outlet can be concealed so that it cannot be seen from the outside. For this reason, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, aesthetics can be improved.

An air conditioner indoor unit according to a third aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner indoor unit of the first aspect or the second aspect, and the closed front panel covers one end of the flap in a front view.
In this air conditioner indoor unit, the front panel covers one end of the flap in the closed state. For this reason, the front panel conceals between one end of the flap and the casing. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.

An indoor unit for an air conditioner according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the indoor unit for an air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the outlet has an elongated shape in the width direction of the casing. And a front panel has a shape longer than a blower outlet in the width direction.
In the indoor unit of this air conditioner, the front panel has a shape longer than the outlet in the width direction. For this reason, the front panel can conceal between the flap and the outlet over a wider range. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the indoor unit of the air conditioner of any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the front panel has a width that is substantially the same as the width of the casing.
In this air conditioner indoor unit, the front panel has substantially the same width as the casing. For this reason, the front panel can conceal an element that may interfere with the aesthetic appearance that appears on the surface of the casing over a wider range. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the indoor unit of the air conditioner of any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the front panel does not have a seam extending in the vertical direction when viewed from the front.
In this air conditioner indoor unit, the front panel does not have a seam extending in the vertical direction when viewed from the front. Therefore, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, there are fewer elements that may hinder aesthetic appearance. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.

In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to conceal the gap between the flap and the outlet and make it difficult to see from the outside. For this reason, aesthetics can be improved in this indoor unit of an air conditioner.
In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, the space between the flap and the outlet can be concealed so that it cannot be seen from the outside. For this reason, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, aesthetics can be improved.

In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the invention, the front panel conceals between the one end of the flap and the casing. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.
In the indoor unit for an air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the front panel can conceal the gap between the flap and the outlet over a wider range. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.

In the indoor unit for an air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the front panel can conceal an element that may interfere with the aesthetic appearance that appears on the surface of the casing over a wider range. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the sixth aspect of the invention, there are fewer elements that may hinder aesthetic appearance. Thereby, in this indoor unit of an air conditioner, the beauty can be further improved.

<Configuration>
1 and 2 show an indoor unit 1 of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner. The indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner is a wall-mounted indoor unit that is attached to a wall surface in the room, and performs air conditioning such as indoor air conditioning. The indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner includes an indoor unit casing 2 (casing), a horizontal flap 3 (flap), and a front panel 4.

[Indoor unit casing]
As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit casing 2 has a rectangular shape that is long in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front, and accommodates an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor fan, and control components (not shown). A front panel 4 is attached to the front surface of the indoor unit casing 2. The front panel 4 will be described in detail later. As shown in FIG. 3, the indoor unit casing 2 is provided with a blowout port 20, a first suction port 21 (suction port), and a second suction port 22. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 1.

  The air outlet 20 is an opening through which air blown into the room passes and is provided on the first casing surface 23. As shown in FIG. 2, the first casing surface 23 constitutes a front portion of the bottom surface of the indoor unit casing 2, and the outlet 20 is provided in the lower part of the indoor unit casing 2. The first casing surface 23 is inclined so that the front end is positioned upward. The outlet 20 has an elongated shape in the width W direction of the indoor unit casing 2 (longitudinal direction of the indoor unit casing 2, see FIG. 1), and the horizontal flap 3 is provided.

  The first suction port 21 shown in FIG. 3 is an opening through which air taken into the indoor unit casing 2 passes, and is provided on the second casing surface 24. As shown in FIG. 2, the second casing surface 24 constitutes the front surface of the indoor unit casing 2, and the first suction port 21 is provided on the front surface of the indoor unit casing 2. The second casing surface 24 has a substantially flat shape extending in the vertical direction, but is slightly inclined so that the upper end is positioned forward. The lower end of the second casing surface 24 is continuous with the upper end of the first casing surface 23, and the second casing surface 24 forms a predetermined angle with respect to the first casing surface 23. That is, the first casing surface 23 and the second casing surface 24 have a bent shape and form a relatively gentle angle of 90 degrees or more and less than 180 degrees.

The second suction port 22 is an opening through which air taken into the indoor unit casing 2 passes, and is provided on the top surface 25 of the indoor unit casing 2 as shown in FIG. 4. The second suction port 22 is configured by a plurality of slits extending in the width W direction of the indoor unit casing 2.
[Horizontal flap]
The horizontal flap 3 is provided so that the blowout opening 20 can be freely opened and closed, and guides the air blown out from the blowout opening 20. The horizontal flap 3 has a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the width W direction of the indoor unit casing 2, and is provided at the outlet 20 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the width W direction of the indoor unit casing 2. The horizontal flap 3 has a slightly smaller shape than the outlet 20, but as shown in FIG. 5, a gap G is provided between the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 that closes the outlet 20 and the indoor unit casing 2. It has been. By providing this gap G, the horizontal flap 3 can be rotated with little restriction at the outlet 20. FIG. 5 is a front view of the indoor unit 1 with the front panel 4 removed.

[Front panel]
The front panel 4 opens and closes the first suction port 21 and covers at least a part of the indoor unit casing 2 and at least one end of the horizontal flap 3 that closes the outlet 20 in the closed state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the front panel 4 is located from the outside in the vicinity of the upper end forming the long side of the horizontal flap 3 and to the middle of the first casing surface 23 and the second casing surface 24. Overlap. Therefore, the front panel 4 covers the gap G between the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 and the outlet 20 in the closed state. The front panel 4 has a shape bent so as to follow the bending of the first casing surface 23 and the second casing surface 24 of the indoor unit casing 2. The front panel 4 has a shape longer than the outlet 20 in the width W direction of the indoor unit casing 2, and has a width W that is substantially the same as the width W of the indoor unit casing 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 4 does not have a seam extending in the vertical direction when viewed from the front. The front panel 4 includes a first panel portion 41 and a second panel portion 42.

The first panel portion 41 is a portion that covers the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 in the closed state of the front panel 4. The first panel part 41 constitutes the lower part of the front panel 4.
The second panel portion 42 is a portion that covers the first suction port 21 in the closed state of the front panel 4. The second panel part 42 constitutes the upper part of the front panel 4.
The upper end of the first panel part 41 and the lower end of the second panel part 42 are continuous, and the first panel part 41 and the second panel part 42 are in the closed state of the front panel 4 and the first casing surface 23 and They are integrated at a predetermined angle along the second casing surface 24.

The front panel 4 is supported at both ends by support plates 43 and 44 (see FIG. 7). The two support plates 43 and 44 are provided on both side ends of the indoor unit casing 2 and are provided so as to be movable forward and backward. The front panel 4 moves as the support plates 43 and 44 move.
<Opening and closing operation>
Next, the opening / closing operation | movement of the front panel 4 is demonstrated in detail based on FIG.

  When the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is stopped, the horizontal flap 3 closes the air outlet 20 together with the front panel. In the closed state, the front panel 4 covers the first suction port 21 and the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 as shown in FIG. In this closed state, the first panel portion 41 covers the upper end of the horizontal flap 3, the gap G between the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 and the outlet 20, and the vicinity of the outlet 20 of the first casing surface 23. The second panel unit 42 covers the second casing surface 24. The front panel 4 has a bent shape, and in the closed state, the front panel 4 is close to the first casing surface 23 and the second casing surface 24 along the first casing surface 23 and the second casing surface 24. . Thereby, when the operation of the indoor unit 1 is stopped, the portion from the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 to the first suction port 21 is concealed from the outside.

  Next, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner opens the front panel at the start of operation. As shown in FIG. 6B, the front panel 4 is in an open state by moving obliquely upward and forward (see arrow A1). At this time, the first panel portion 41 moves obliquely upward and forward along the first casing surface 23 and the second panel portion 42 moves obliquely upward and forward so as to separate from the second casing surface 24. The front panel 4 opens the outlet 20 and the first inlet 21. At this time, the first panel unit 41 moves to a position where the lower end exceeds the upper end of the blowout port 20 so that the first panel unit 41 does not prevent the blowout from the blowout port 20, and the first panel unit 41. Closes the lower part between the second panel portion 42 and the second casing surface 24. And as shown in FIG.6 (c), the blower outlet 20 is opened when the horizontal flap 3 which closed the blower outlet 20 rotates. Further, in this state, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper part between the second panel portion 42 and the second casing surface 24 is open, and the air taken in from the first suction port 21 can pass through. . In the open state, both side portions between the second panel portion 42 and the second casing surface 24 are closed by the support plates 43 and 44, and the support plates 43 and 44 serve as blind plates and are externally provided. The interior of the indoor unit casing 2 is not seen through the first suction port 21.

When the operation of the indoor unit 1 is stopped, the horizontal flap 3 rotates and closes the outlet 20, and then the front panel 4 moves in the opposite direction from the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 to the first inlet 21. The part is again hidden from the outside.
<Features>
(1)
In the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner, the portion from the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 to the first suction port 21 is concealed by the front panel 4 when the operation is stopped. For this reason, a relatively large gap G for enabling the horizontal flap 3 to turn is difficult to see from the outside. Thereby, in the indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner, the aesthetics are improved such that the interior is improved.

Further, when the front panel 4 as described above is not provided, it is necessary to reduce the gap G so that the gap G is not exposed to the front. In this case, the horizontal flap 3 is rotated. You can limit the direction. However, in the indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner, such a restriction on the rotation direction of the horizontal flap 3 is relaxed.
(2)
In the indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner, as described above, a relatively large gap G for enabling the horizontal flap 3 to be rotated is covered by the front panel 4. For this reason, the sealing degree in the indoor unit casing 2 when the operation of the indoor unit 1 is stopped is improved.

Further, when the operation of the indoor unit 1 is stopped, small animals such as insects and dust can be prevented from entering the interior of the indoor unit casing 2 from the gap G.
(3)
In the indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner, the first panel 41 for concealing the gap G and the front panel 4 in which the second panel 42 for covering the first suction port 21 is integrated are used for the first. The suction port 21 and the upper end of the horizontal flap 3 are concealed. For this reason, compared with the case where the 1st panel part 41 and the 2nd panel part 42 operate | move separately, the blowing outlet 20 and the 1st suction inlet 21 can be opened and closed by simple operation | movement.

(4)
In the indoor unit 1 of this air conditioner, the front panel 4 is bent. For this reason, when the front panel 4 moves diagonally upward and forward, the first panel portion 41 is in a state of closing the lower end between the second panel portion 42 and the second casing surface 24. For this reason, in the open state, the occurrence of a short circuit in which the air blown out from the blowout port 20 is sucked again from the first suction port 21 through the lower part between the second panel portion 42 and the second casing surface 24 is generated. Can be prevented. Further, since the short circuit is prevented, the front panel 4 can be moved relatively large, and a large area of the opening provided in the upper portion between the second panel portion 42 and the second casing surface 24 is ensured. Can do.

<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, the length of the lower end of the front panel 4 is shortened for smooth opening and closing operation, and the vicinity of the lower end of the horizontal flap 3 is not covered by the front panel 4. However, from the viewpoint of improving aesthetics, the front panel 4 may cover the entire horizontal flap 3.

  The present invention has an effect of improving aesthetics and is useful as an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

The front view of the indoor unit of an air conditioner. The side view of the indoor unit of an air conditioner. Side surface sectional drawing of the indoor unit of an air conditioner. The external appearance perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in a closed state. The front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner from which the front panel was removed. The figure which shows the opening / closing operation | movement of the front panel of the indoor unit of an air conditioner. The external appearance perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in an open state.

Explanation of symbols

1 Air conditioner indoor unit 2 Indoor unit casing (casing)
3 Horizontal flaps (flaps)
4 Front panel 20 Air outlet W Casing width

Claims (6)

A casing (2) having a blowout opening (20) through which air blown into the room passes;
A flap (3) provided so as to freely open and close the outlet (20) and guiding air blown from the outlet (20);
In the closed state, a front panel (4) covering between the casing (2) and the flap (3) for closing the outlet (20);
An air conditioner indoor unit (1) comprising: The flap (3) covers the lower part of the outlet (20) in the closed state,
The front panel (4) covers the upper part of the outlet (20) in the closed state,
The indoor unit (1) of the air conditioner according to claim 1. The closed front panel (4) covers one end of the flap (3) in a front view,
The indoor unit (1) of the air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2. The outlet (20) has an elongated shape in the width (W) direction of the casing (2),
The front panel (4) has a shape longer than the outlet (20) in the width (W) direction.
The indoor unit (1) of the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The front panel (4) has substantially the same width (W) as the width (W) of the casing (2).
The indoor unit (1) of the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The front panel (4) does not have a seam extending in the vertical direction in front view,
The indoor unit (1) of the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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