KR20100053107A - Indoor unit of air condotioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An indoor unit of an air conditioner is provided to selectively use a front air inlet and a side air inlet according to the intention of a user. CONSTITUTION: An indoor unit of air conditioner comprises a main body(10), a front panel(17), and an air outlet unit(19). The main body comprises a base(12), a cabinet, a front air inlet(164), a side air inlet(147), a side air outlet(119). The side air outlet discharges the air sucked. The front panel is rotatably connected to the upper of the front of the main body to open/close the front air inlet. According to the user selection or the predefined operation mode, the front and side air inlets are selectively opened and closed. The air outlet unit is placed at the main body to be able to be lifted and selectively opens/closes a top air outlet.

Description

Indoor unit of air conditioner {Indoor unit of air condotioner}

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

In general, an air conditioner is a device for cooling and heating a room by performing a refrigerant cycle consisting of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation.

The air conditioner includes an indoor unit in which heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and indoor air, and an outdoor unit in which heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and outdoor air. In detail, the indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange between a refrigerant and indoor air, a fan for blowing the indoor air, and a motor for rotating the fan. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger for heat exchange between a refrigerant and outdoor air, a fan for blowing the outdoor air, a motor for rotating the fan, a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, an expansion unit for expanding the refrigerant, A four-way valve for changing the flow direction of the refrigerant is included.

When indoor cooling is performed, the indoor heat exchanger is an evaporation means for evaporating the refrigerant, and the outdoor heat exchanger is a condensation means for condensing the refrigerant. The opposite is true when the room is heated. The switching of the cooling and heating operation is performed by changing the flow direction of the refrigerant by the four-way valve.

The present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can be appropriately used according to the intention of the user.

Technical problems to be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Could be.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the base, the cabinet disposed on the upper side of the base, the front inlet and side inlet for the air is sucked in, the sucked air is outside A main body including a side discharge port for discharge into the air; A front panel rotatably connected to an upper front end of the main body to open and close the front suction port; According to a set driving mode, the front and side inlet can be selectively opened and closed.

By the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention as described above, the user can select to use the front inlet opening when the external appearance of the user is more important, and to open the side intake opening when a better cooling and heating effect is desired. have. That is, there is an advantage that can be used to select the appropriate inlet as the user intended according to the situation.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and other embodiments included within the scope of other inventive inventions or the scope of the present invention can be easily made by adding, changing, or deleting other elements. I can suggest.

1 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 2, the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention may be heated or cooled in the inlets 164, 142, and 147 and the body 10 through which air in the room is sucked into the body 10. Discharge ports 118, 119, and 191 through which air-conditioned air such as purified air is discharged are formed.

The main body 10 may be applied to any case such as a stand type air conditioner, a wall-mounted type air conditioner, or a ceiling type air conditioner.

The suction ports 164, 142, and 147 are formed under the main body 10, and the discharge ports 118, 119 and 191 are formed above the main body 10. In addition, the main body 10 includes a flow path for inhaling air through the suction ports 164, 142, and 147 to air-condition the interior of the main body 10, and then discharge the air conditioned through the discharge ports 118, 119, 191. In addition, the main body 10 includes a base 12, a cabinet 13, a lower panel 141 and 146, and a front cover 16.

The base 12 forms an outer appearance of the bottom of the main body 10 and supports the cabinet 13 and the lower panels 141 and 146, and the foreign substances cleaned by the cleaning units 144 and 149 installed on the lower panels 141 and 146. The foreign matter processing apparatus for processing the is installed. Then, the driving means 125 for rotating the front panel 17 to be described later is provided.

The foreign matter treatment apparatus is connected to the left cleaning unit 144 and the left hose, as shown in FIG. Foreign body separator 123 and the suction force generating unit 122 for generating a suction force in the hose, the left cleaning unit 144 and the right cleaning unit 149, and the foreign matter container 123 containing the foreign matter separated from the foreign material separator 121 And a cleaning control unit 124 for controlling the left cleaning unit 144, the right cleaning unit 149, and the suction force generating unit 122.

The cabinet 13 forms an outer appearance of the rear part of the main body 10, and includes a rear plate part 131, a left part 132, and a right part 133, and is positioned above the rear part of the base 12. Is installed.

In the cabinet 13, the left side 132 and the right side 133 may be bent orthogonal to the rear plate 131, and the cabinet 13 may be bent at an angle to the rear plate 131 in a direction in which the width gradually increases toward the front side. Of course it is possible.

The lower panels 141 and 149 include a lower left panel 141 on which a left suction port 142 is formed, and a lower right panel 146 on which a right suction port 147 is formed.

In detail, the left lower panel 141 is installed to be disposed on the left side of the front part of the base 12, which is a lower front position of the left part 132 of the cabinet 13, and the left inlet 142 is formed to be opened in the left and right directions. It is formed to open to the left front.

The left lower panel 141 is provided with a left filter 151 case in which a left filter 151 is mounted, and the left lower panel (141) is disposed in a space between the left lower panel 141 and the left filter 151 case. The left cleaning unit 144 that lifts along at least one of the case 141, the left filter 151, and the left filter 151, and cleans the foreign matter of the left filter 151 is disposed to be liftable.

The right lower panel 146 is installed to be disposed on the right side of the front part of the base 12, which is the lower front position of the right part 133 of the cabinet 13, and the right suction port 147 is formed to be opened in the left and right directions or the right side. It is formed to open forward.

The right lower panel 146 is provided with a right filter case 148 on which the right filter 152 is mounted, and the right lower panel 146 is disposed in a space between the right lower panel 146 and the right filter case 148. ) And the right cleaning unit 149 which is lifted along at least one of the right filter 152 and the right filter case 148 to clean the foreign matter of the right filter 152 is disposed to be liftable.

In addition, the front cover 16 is installed on the front surface of the main body 10. Here, the front cover 16 is installed to shield the front of the cabinet 13, the upper front of the main body 10 is approximately The upper cover 161 for shielding, and the lower cover 162 for shielding the lower front of the main body 10. The lower cover 162 is provided with a suction grill 163 to prevent foreign matter from flowing through the front suction port 164.

In addition, the front panel 17 is installed at the front of the main body 10 to be rotated about the upper end.

The front panel 17 forms a front side appearance of the air conditioner, and is rotatably connected to an upper end of the front surface of the main body 10 by a coupling unit to be described later. In detail, the front panel 17 may be fixedly mounted to at least one of the front cover 16 and the discharge port unit 19 to be described later. In the following description, the front panel 17 is rotatably connected to the discharge port unit 19 to open and close between the upper end of the front cover 16 and the front part of the base 12.

Here, the front panel 17 may be made transparent, and a decorative part may be formed in a plate or sheet or layer structure having a color and a decoration on the back thereof, and may be configured to have a translucent color or a pattern. Of course. In addition, the front panel 17 may be formed of a material such as glass, fabric, or ceramic.

The front panel 17 is provided with a display for displaying the operation information of the air conditioner. When the front panel 17 is formed of a transparent or semi-transparent material, light generated from the display may pass through the front panel 17 and be recognized by the user.

In addition, a blower for generating a blowing force to suck the air in the room into the inside of the main body 10 and to be discharged to the outside of the main body 10 inside the main body 10, the air blown from the blower heat exchange with the refrigerant It includes a heat exchanger 117 to.

The blower is a centrifugal blower installed in the inner lower portion of the main body 10 and sucks air in front or rear thereof and blows the air upwards. Blowing fan 112 connected to the rotating shaft of the fan, the fan fan 112 and the fan motor 111, the opening is formed on one side of the front and rear and the fan housing 113, the discharge port is formed on the top, and the fan housing ( Orifice 114 disposed in the opening of 113.

The heat exchanger 117 is installed to be located above the blower, in particular the fan housing 113.

On the other hand, the main body 10 is provided with the inlet cover (182,187) and the outlet cover (183,188) for guiding the air while opening and closing the side inlet (142,147) and the side outlet (118,119), respectively. In detail, the inlet cover 182 and 187 and the outlet cover 183 and 188 are provided in the left cover 181 and the right cover 186. The inlet cover 182 and 187 and the outlet cover 183 and 188 respectively open and close the side suction ports 142 and 147 and the side discharge ports 118 and 119, and guide both the intake air and the discharge air. It is formed long. The inlet covers 182 and 187 guide the air sucked into both side suction ports 142 and 147, and the outlet covers 183 and 188 guide the air discharged to both side discharge ports 118 and 119.

The inlet covers 182 and 187 are rotatably connected to front ends of the inlet covers 182 and 187 on one side of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186. As the front end portions of the inlet covers 182 and 187 rotate in the outward direction of the main body 10, the side suction ports 142 and 147 may be opened and guide the air sucked into the side suction ports 142 and 147. On the contrary, the front end portions of the inlet covers 182 and 187 rotate inwardly of the main body 10, thereby closing the side inlet ports 142 and 147.

The outlet cover 183 and 188 may be rotatably connected to a rear end of the outlet cover 183 and 188 on one side of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186. The rear ends of the discharge port covers 183 and 188 rotate inward to the inner side of the main body 10 so that the side discharge ports 118 and 119 are opened and guide the air discharged to the side discharge ports 118 and 119 at the same time. On the contrary, the rear end portions of the discharge port covers 183 and 188 rotate in the outward direction of the main body 10 to close the side discharge ports 118 and 119.

With the inlet cover 182 and 187 and the outlet cover 183 and 188 closed, the outer surfaces of the inlet cover 182 and 187 and the outlet cover 183 and 188 form the same surface as the outer surfaces of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186. Done. That is, while the inlet cover 182 and 187 and the outlet cover 183 and 188 are closed, the left cover 181 and the right cover 186 form a continuous outer surface.

In addition, the air direction control units 184 and 189 are provided at positions corresponding to the side outlets 118 and 119 with the outlet cover 183 and 188 open, respectively, to adjust the air direction of the air discharged through the side outlets 118 and 119. do.

The outer surface of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186 is mainly visible from the outside, if composed of glass, wood or metal or a member having a high samsam, such as synthetic resin having a metal or decorative, glass, wood or metal B. Aesthetics by decorative parts of synthetic resin is improved, and new designs can be realized by replacing glass, wood, or synthetic resin.

In addition, when the empty space is formed inside the left cover 181 and the right cover 186, the empty space forms a kind of heat insulation layer to fill the inside of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186. It is possible to prevent dew from forming on the outer surfaces of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186 which may be generated when air passes, and the thickness of the left cover 181 and the right cover 186 may be prevented. Because of the thick, it is possible to minimize the shaking or warping during the rotation of the inlet cover (182,187) and the outlet cover (183,188).

Meanwhile, in the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the discharge port unit 19 having the upper discharge port 191 is disposed above the main body 10 at an inner upper portion of the main body 10. It is also possible to be installed to descend to the inside of the main body 10 from the upper side of the main body 10, the discharge port unit 19, the upper discharge port 191 is formed in the upper position of the main body 10 It is also possible to be installed to rotate up and down or left and right, the discharge port unit 19 formed with the upper discharge port 191 may be installed to be fixed without being raised or rotated from the upper side of the main body 10, below The discharge port unit 19 will be described as being elevated.

Here, the main body 10 has an opening surface of which the entire upper surface is opened in the vertical direction, or an opening opening in the vertical direction is formed on the upper surface thereof, and the discharge port unit 19 is the opening surface of the main body 10. It drives up and down through this opening part.

The upper part of the main body 10 is provided with a support 192 for supporting the discharge port unit 19, the discharge port unit 19 is supported by the support 192 while being inclined with respect to the support 192 Is raised in the direction to open / expose the upper discharge port 191, or descend into the support 192 to cover the upper surface of the support 192, that is, the upper surface of the main body 10 while the upper discharge port ( 191 is sealed / hidden.

Here, the support part 192 is installed to be located above the heat exchanger 117, in the upper part of the space between the cabinet 13 and the front cover 16, the support part 192 to the support part 192 And an upper decorative member 193 having a predetermined height to cover a gap between the cabinet 13, the left cover 181, the right cover 186, and the front cover 16.

Here, the discharge port unit 19 is lifted up and down by a discharge mechanism unit 19 driving mechanism (not shown).

On the other hand, the inner side of the main body 10, a fan motor 111 of the blower which is an electric component installed in the main body 10, a motor (not shown) provided in the discharge port unit 19, the suction port cover ( And a control box 115 which is a main control unit for controlling an electric component such as a motor (not shown) for rotating the 182 and 187 and the outlet cover 183 and 188 and a circuit board (not shown) installed in the outlet port unit 19.

Hereinafter, the rotation guide part 176 of the front panel 17 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the rotation guide of the front panel in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a drive for the rotation of the front panel in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention II 'is a sectional view of the means.

3 and 4, guide parts 176 for guiding rotation of the front panel 17 are provided at both rear sides of the front panel 17. In detail, the guide part 176 protrudes from the same height as the boundary of the inlet cover 187 and the outlet cover 188 to the upper end of the front panel 17. In this case, the guide part 176 is the front panel 17 and the main body corresponding to a point higher than a boundary between the inlet cover 187 and the outlet cover 188 even when the front panel 17 is fully open. 10, the space between both sides of the guide portion 176 can be shielded by the longer extending downwards toward the rear.

The lower end portion of the guide portion 176 is provided with a rack portion 177 having teeth formed on one surface thereof. In more detail, the rack portion 177 protrudes from the lower end of the guide portion 176 toward the vertical center of the front panel 17, and the teeth are formed on the upper surface. In addition, the rack 177 is formed to be placed on an arc centered on the center of rotation of the front panel 17.

On the other hand, in the body 10, a portion corresponding to the guide portion 176 is formed with a guide hole through which the guide portion 176 can be drawn out in the rotation process of the front panel 17. In this case, the guide hole may be formed in at least one of the front cover 16, the left cover 181, and the right cover 186.

A guide rail 167 is provided inside the main body 10 corresponding to the rear of the rack 177. The guide rail 167 contacts the guide rail 167 so that one surface of the rack 177 slides along the guide rail 167 during the rotation of the front panel 17. It is formed to correspond to one surface of (177). In this case, the guide rail 167 may be provided on the front cover 16.

In addition, a pinion 166 meshing with the teeth of the rack part 177 is provided at one inner side of the main body 10 corresponding to the upper surface of the rack part 177. In addition, a motor 165 in which a drive shaft is fixed to the rotation center of the pinion 166 is installed at one inner side of the main body 10.

Here, the guide part 176 and the guide rail 167 may be integrally formed with the front panel 17 and the main body 10 or may be fastened by the fastening means 168. The fastening means may be various, such as a screw.

According to the guide unit 176 as described above, even when the front panel 17 is rotated, it can be stabilized without shaking.

In addition, the front panel 17 can be rotated by the motor 165 engaged with the guide part 176. Therefore, there is an advantage that a separate structure for the rotation of the front panel 17 is not necessary.

In addition, even when the front panel 17 is opened to suck air through the front suction port 164, and the discharge hole cover 188 is opened to discharge air through the side discharge holes 118 and 119, the side discharge holes 118 and 119 are provided. The phenomenon that the air discharged into the air flows straight toward the front suction port 164, that is, the air blow phenomenon may be prevented. By preventing the wind blowing phenomenon, the cooling and heating performance and efficiency can be further increased.

Hereinafter, various operation modes of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a perspective view showing a control configuration of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a first operation mode of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, 7 Is a perspective view showing a second operation mode of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a third operation mode of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 8, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an input unit 31 for selecting a user, an output unit 33 for displaying a current operation mode, and a user. The control unit 32 for opening and closing each of the inlets 164, 142, and 147 and the outlets 118, 119, and 191 in a selected operation mode may include a memory unit 34 for storing a user's selection state.

On the other hand, the indoor unit 1 can be operated in various operation modes. In detail, the indoor unit 1 includes a front suction port 164 and a side suction port 142 and 147, that is, two suction ports 164 and 142 and 147, side discharge ports 118 and 119 and an upper discharge port 191, that is, two discharge ports 118, 119 and 191. ) Is provided. Therefore, the two suction ports 164, 142, 147 and the two discharge ports 118, 119, 191 may be operated in various operation modes according to the corresponding methods.

First, air may be sucked into the front suction port 164, and the air may be discharged through the side discharge holes 118 and 119. At this time, the operation of the indoor unit 1 is as shown in FIG. In this case, since the suction port 164 is not visible when viewed from the front side, the external aesthetics are improved, and since air is discharged from both sides of the indoor unit 1, there is an advantage of cooling and heating a larger space.

Next, air may be sucked into the front suction port 164, and the air may be discharged through the upper discharge port 191. At this time, the operation of the indoor unit 1 is as shown in FIG. In this case, since the suction port 164 is not seen from the front, the external aesthetic is good, and since the air is discharged from the upper side of the indoor unit 1, the air discharged to a farther point can be reached.

In addition, air may be sucked into the side suction holes 142 and 147 and air may be discharged to the side discharge holes 118 and 119, or air may be sucked into the side suction holes 142 and 147 and air may be discharged to the upper discharge holes 191. have. In this case, since the air is sucked and discharged in the opposite directions from the lower side and the upper side, respectively, the air circulation in the entire space to be subjected to the cooling and heating can be more smoothly. That is, the cooling and heating effect can be further improved.

In addition, the front suction port 164 and the side suction ports 142 and 147 may be simultaneously opened to suck air, and may be operated to discharge air to any one of the side discharge ports 118 and 119 and the upper discharge port 191. On the contrary, air may be sucked into any one of the front suction port 164 and the side suction ports 142 and 147, and the side discharge ports 118 and 119 and the upper discharge port 191 may be simultaneously opened to discharge air.

Finally, both of the two suction ports 164, 142, 147 and the two discharge ports 118, 119, 191 may be opened, and may be operated to be sucked and discharged.

Meanwhile, the various operation modes as described above may be preset or selected by a user. That is, according to the various operation modes as described above, the user can advantageously select and use the respective openings 164, 142, 147 and the discharge ports 118, 119, 191 to suitably achieve the desired effect.

For example, when the exterior aesthetics of the indoor unit 1 is to be used in a better state, the front suction port 164 is selected to open air intake, and when the air conditioning effect is larger, the side surface is desired. Inlets 142 and 147 may be opened to select air intake. In addition, when air-conditioning and heating of a larger space are desired, the side discharge holes 118 and 119 are selected to discharge the air, and when the air discharged farther is desired, the upper discharge hole 191 is opened. Can be selected to discharge air. In addition, when the effects of the intake ports 164, 142, 147 and the discharge ports 118, 119, 191 are desired at the same time, at least three of the intake ports and the discharge ports may be simultaneously opened according to the desired effect.

1 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a rotation guide of the front panel in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a sectional view taken along the line II ′ of the driving unit for rotating the front panel in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a control block diagram of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a first operation mode of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a second operation mode of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a third operation mode of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A main body including a base, a cabinet disposed above the base, a front suction port and a side suction port for suctioning air, and a side discharge port for discharging the sucked air to the outside; A front panel rotatably connected to an upper front end of the main body to open and close the front suction port; The indoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that the front inlet and the side inlet can be selectively opened and closed according to the set operation mode or the user's selection. The method of claim 1, A discharge port unit disposed to be elevated on the main body, and selectively opening and closing an upper discharge port formed to discharge air, which is air-conditioned according to the lift, to the outside; Indoor unit of the air conditioner comprising a. The method of claim 2, The indoor unit of the air conditioner, when any one or both of the front suction port and the side suction opening is opened, any one or both of the side discharge port and the upper discharge port is opened. The method of claim 1, A guide part provided on a rear surface of the front panel to guide the front panel to rotate without shaking; Indoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 4, wherein The guide unit extends to the rear of the front panel, the indoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that sliding along the inner side of the main body when the front panel rotates. The method of claim 4, wherein The guide unit, the indoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that both sides of the space between the front panel and the body corresponding to the same height as the side discharge port in the open state of the front suction port. The method of claim 4, wherein Driving means connected to the guide part to rotate the front panel; Indoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 7, wherein The drive means, A drive motor providing a driving force for rotating the front panel; And A power transmission unit for transmitting a driving force from the drive motor to the guide unit; An indoor unit of an air conditioner comprising a. The method of claim 8, The guide unit is provided with a rack (rack), the power transmission unit indoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that the pinion (pinion) is fixed to the drive motor and engaged with the rack.

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