KR20100079973A - Indoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An indoor unit for an air conditioner is provided to enable a user to easily figure out indoor temperature, a current operation mode, and target temperature using the color of light emitted from the indoor unit. CONSTITUTION: An indoor unit for an air conditioner comprises a main body(1), a front panel(2), a heat exchanger(14), a sensor(32), and a light-emitting part(25). The front panel is installed on the front surface of the main body. The heat exchanger is installed inside the main body and heat-exchanges the indoor air with a refrigerant. The sensor is installed in the main body or the front panel and senses outdoor environment. The light emitting part is formed in the min body or the front panel and emits light. The color of the light emitted from the light emitting part is changed depending on outdoor environment.

Description

Indoor unit of air conditioner

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. 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 the indoor cooling is performed, the indoor heat exchanger is an evaporation means, and the outdoor heat exchanger is a condensation means. When performing indoor heating, the indoor heat exchanger is a condensing means, and the outdoor heat exchanger is an evaporation means. 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 easily check the current state.

In addition, the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of the air conditioner that the external appearance is better.

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 main body is formed in the inlet port, the discharge port on both sides and the lower side; A front panel provided at the front of the main body; A heat exchanger installed inside the main body and configured to exchange heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant; A sensing unit provided on at least one of the main body and the front panel to detect an external environment; And a light emitting unit provided in at least one of the main body and the front panel. The color of light emitted from the light emitting unit is changed according to an external environment detected by the sensing unit.

In addition, the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body is formed in the inlet port, the discharge port on both sides and the lower side; A front panel provided at the front of the main body; A heat exchanger installed inside the main body and configured to exchange heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant; An input unit provided on at least one of the main body and the front panel and receiving a signal for changing an operation state; And a light emitting unit provided in at least one of the main body and the front panel. The color of light emitted from the light emitting unit is changed according to a signal input through the input unit.

According to the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention having the above configuration, as a color of light emitted from the indoor unit, the user can roughly estimate the current indoor temperature, the current operating mode, and the set target temperature. have.

In addition, since the color of light emitted from the indoor unit is changed, the external aesthetics of the indoor unit are further improved.

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 an exploded perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a control block diagram of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the indoor unit includes a main body 1 and a front panel 2 provided on the front of the main body 1. In detail, the main body 1 includes a rectangular rear cabinet 11 having a thin open front surface, a blower 16 installed inside the rear cabinet 11, and a heat exchanger installed in front of the blower 16. And a front cabinet 122 having a suction port 101 in which air is sucked in front of the heat exchanger 14 and a front cover 121 that shields the front of the front cabinet 122. Include.

More specifically, the rear cabinet 11 is formed with a discharge port 102 for discharging the air sucked through the suction port 101 through the heat exchanger 14 to the interior after the heat exchange with the refrigerant. The discharge ports 102 are located on both side surfaces and the bottom surface of the rear cabinet 11. The discharge holes 102 are provided with discharge vanes 111 for opening and closing the discharge holes 102, respectively. The discharge vanes 111 are connected to the rear cabinet 11 so as to be rotatable to guide the flow direction of the air discharged to the discharge holes 102 while opening and closing the discharge holes 102.

Next, the blower 16 may include a turbo fan 161 for minimizing the thickness of the indoor unit and discharging air introduced in a horizontal direction in a vertical direction, and a motor for rotating the turbo fan 161 ( 162). In addition, the motor 162 may be fixed to the rear cabinet 11.

A ring-shaped orifice is formed between the heat exchanger 14 and the turbo fan 161 to guide the air sucked through the suction port 101 to the turbo fan 161 to minimize turbulence. An air guide 15 is provided which partitions the sucked air and the discharged air. The orifice of the air guide 15 has a shape concentric with the turbo fan 161.

In addition, the front cabinet 122 is provided with a filter fixing part 125 for selectively mounting a filter for filtering foreign matter contained in the indoor air sucked through the suction port 101.

In addition, the front cover 121 is formed of a transparent material that can transmit light emitted from the main body light emitting unit 24 installed on the rear surface of the front panel 2 to be described later. However, the front cover 121 is formed of a translucent material, a part of the light emitted from the main body light emitting unit 24 is transmitted, the rest may be reflected in the other direction.

In addition, one side of the front cover 121 corresponding to the inlet 101 is provided with a temperature sensing unit for sensing a temperature of indoor air sucked into the main body 1 through the inlet 101. However, the position at which the temperature sensing unit 32 is installed may be another point of the indoor unit capable of sensing the temperature of the indoor air before passing through the heat exchanger 14.

On the other hand, the front panel 2, the rear portion 23 to be connected to the main body 1, the fixing portion 22 for fixing the light receiving portion 221 to be described later located in front of the rear portion 23 And a front part 21 positioned in front of the fixing part 22 to form a front appearance of the front panel 2.

In detail, the rear portion 23, the electric field portion 26 for controlling the operation of the indoor unit, the panel light emitting portion 25 for emitting light between the fixing portion 22 and the front portion 21, A main body light emitting unit 24 for emitting light between the main body 1 and the front panel 2 is provided.

In more detail, the rear portion 23 is formed by recessing a portion of the rear portion so that the fixing portion 22 can be accommodated inside. In addition, grooves for arranging various electric wires connected to the electric component 26 are formed.

The electrical component 26 is installed on the rear surface of the rear portion 23. In addition, the panel light emitting unit 25 is installed at the upper end of the portion recessed in the rear portion 23 so as to emit light between the fixing portion 22 and the front portion 21. The main body light emitting part 24 is positioned along the rear edge of the rear part 23.

In this case, a light emitting part cover may be further provided along the rear edge of the rear part 23, and the main body light emitting part 24 may be accommodated in the light emitting part cover. In this case, the light emitting part cover is formed of a transparent or translucent material so that the light emitted from the main body light emitting part 24 can be transmitted.

In addition, the fixing portion 22 has a shape corresponding to the recessed portion of the rear portion 23 as a whole. The front of the fixing part 22 is provided with a light receiving part 221 for refracting and reflecting light emitted from the panel light emitting part 25 in a plurality of directions. The light receiving unit 221 is formed in a polyhedral shape with a transparent material so that light incident on the light receiving unit 221 can be refracted and reflected in a plurality of directions. That is, for example, the light receiving unit 221 may be a jewel, a jewelry imitation or a crystal product. In addition, the light receiving unit 221 is positioned to protrude toward the front with respect to the front surface of the fixing part 22 so as to lie in the traveling direction of the light emitted from the panel light emitting unit 25.

The front part 21 has a shape corresponding to the rear part 23 as a whole so as to shield the front of the rear part 23 and the fixing part 22. The front portion 21 is emitted from the panel light emitting portion 25, the light is refracted or reflected by the light receiving portion 221 toward the outside of the front panel 2, part of the front portion 21 It is formed of a transparent or translucent material so that it can be reflected by and transmitted through the rest.

One side of the front part 21 is provided with an input unit 31 for receiving a signal for changing the operating state of the indoor unit. The input unit 31 may be provided in various ways such as a button method or a touch method. However, the input unit 31 may be provided on one side of the main body 1.

On the other hand, one side of the indoor unit, a control unit 34 for receiving a signal from at least one of the input unit 31 and the temperature sensing unit 32 to control the operation of the light emitting unit and the like, and various kinds of control necessary for the light emitting unit A memory unit 35 in which information is stored is provided. In addition, the indoor unit includes a motor 28 for allowing the front panel 2 to slide forward to open the suction port 101, and a power transmission unit 27 for transmitting power of the motor 28. ) Is provided.

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

2 and 4, when the indoor unit is operated, the inlet 101 of the main body 1 is opened by sliding the front panel 2 forward. And, through the space between the front panel 2 and the main body 1 and the suction port 101, the indoor air is sucked into the interior of the main body (1).

On the other hand, the panel light emitting unit 25 and the main body light emitting unit 24 is also turned on. First, the light emitted from the panel light emitting part 25 is directed to the space between the front part 21 and the fixing part 22. In addition, at least a part of the emitted light is refracted and reflected by the light receiving unit 221 so that the traveling direction is changed radially. That is, the light incident on the light receiving portion 221 passes through the surface of the light receiving portion 221 which is placed in various directions, and part of the light is reflected, while the rest is transmitted through the light receiving portion 221 and is refracted in various directions and emitted. .

In this case, the light emitted from the panel light emitting part 25 or refracted and reflected by the light receiving part 221 and directed toward the fixing part 22 is reflected by the fixing part 22 so as to be reflected by the front panel 2. Will face the outside. In addition, the light directed toward the outside of the front panel 2 impinges on the front part 21 and is partially transmitted and emitted to the outside, and the other part is reflected to face the inside of the front panel 2 again.

In this process, the light directed toward the outside of the front panel 2 may be repeatedly reflected by the front part 21 and the fixing part 22 several times. At this time, a part of the light hitting the front part 21 is transmitted through the front part 21 is emitted to the outside, the rest is reflected and directed to the inside. Therefore, according to an angle at which a portion of the light directed radially by the light receiving portion 221 is incident on the front portion 21 and the fixing portion 22, the light refracted and reflected by the specific light receiving portion 221 is transmitted through various paths. In addition, the front panel 2 can reach a point outside. That is, when looking at the front of the indoor unit from the user's point of view, there may be a plurality of paths through which the light refracted and reflected by the specific light receiving unit 221 may reach the point where the user's eyes are located.

Due to this, by the light emitted from the indoor unit, the periphery of the indoor unit can be revealed more softly. Therefore, the user can feel more stable, and the exterior aesthetics of the indoor unit can be further improved. In addition, at night, by using the light emitted from the indoor unit, it may be used in place of sleeping lights.

Light emitted from the main body light emitting part 24 is incident between the front panel 2 and the front surface of the main body 1. In addition, a portion of the light emitted from the main body light emitting unit 24 is transmitted through the front cover 121 and is refracted and reflected along the entire front cover 121 to be emitted to the outside of the main body 1. do. That is, from the user's point of view, the light emitted from the main body light emitting unit 24 is hidden by the front panel 2 but is not directly seen, but is indirectly seen through the entire front cover 121, so that the indoor unit You can feel more subtle and stable due to the lighting.

On the other hand, when the indoor unit is operated, the temperature of the current indoor air sucked into the inside of the main body 1 is sensed by the temperature detecting unit 32. (S51) Next, the control unit 34 Search for the color of the light emitting part corresponding to the sensed room temperature among the information previously stored in the memory 35 (S52). The light emitting part emits light of the searched color.

The color of the light emitting part that is changed according to the sensed room temperature is, for example, the light emitted from the light emitting part becomes closer to blue as the room temperature is relatively low based on the room temperature. The higher the level, the closer to the red color.

In addition, the process of detecting the current room temperature to outputting the light of the searched color may be repeated until the operation of the indoor unit is terminated.

However, in the present embodiment, the color of light emitted from the light emitting unit is changed based on the room temperature, but is not limited thereto and may be changed based on various external environments such as indoor humidity and indoor cleanliness. Of course, in this case, a sensing unit for sensing the indoor humidity and indoor cleanliness may be installed.

According to the indoor unit, the user may recognize that more light receiving units 221 are provided than the number of the light receiving units 221, so that the number of the light receiving units 221 may be maintained while maintaining the external appearance of the indoor unit. There is an advantage that can be minimized.

In addition, by the light emitted from the panel light emitting unit 25 and the main body light emitting unit 24, there is an advantage that the indoor unit can be used in place of sleeping lights at night. In this case, the light emitted from the panel light emitting unit 25 and the main body light emitting unit 24 does not directly face the user, but indirectly through the light receiving unit 221, the fixing unit 22, and the front cover 121. Since delivered to the user, there is an advantage that the user can feel a more subtle feeling and stability.

And, through the color of the light emitted from the indoor unit, there is an advantage that can be confirmed indirectly the room temperature. For example, the user may check the color of the light emitted from the indoor unit, and may recognize that the indoor temperature is relatively low when the color of the indoor unit is relatively blue, and the indoor temperature is relatively high when the color of the indoor unit is relatively blue. It becomes possible.

Hereinafter, an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the color of the light emitting unit changes depending on the operation mode of the indoor unit.

5 is a control flowchart of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the indoor unit may be operated in various operation modes such as a cooling mode, a heating mode, or a blowing mode. In this case, the cooling mode is the indoor unit to perform the cooling of the room, the heating mode is to perform the heating of the room, the clean mode means to blow the air in the room to be purified by the filter. In addition, the operation mode of the indoor unit may be selected by receiving a selection signal by the user through the input unit 31. However, after the operation of the indoor unit starts, if there is no process for the user to switch the operation mode may be operated in the same manner as the previously selected operation mode.

If there is a selection of an operation mode by the user, the controller 34 searches for a color corresponding to the selected operation mode among information stored in the memory unit 35 in advance (S62). It emits light of color (S63).

For example, when the cooling mode is selected, blue light is emitted from the light emitting part, when the heating mode is selected, red light is emitted from the light emitting part, and when the blowing mode is selected, the light emitting part is emitted. Green light can be emitted from the

On the other hand, if there is no selection of the operation mode, the light emitting unit emits light of the same color as the light emitted previously. (S64) However, the color corresponding to the previously selected operation mode is searched. The light emitting unit may be controlled to emit light of the retrieved color.

In addition, the process from the inputting or switching of the operation mode to the light output of the searched color may be repeated until the operation of the indoor unit is terminated.

However, in the present embodiment, the color of the light emitted from the light emitting unit is changed based on the selected operation mode, but is not limited thereto and may be changed based on various input signals such as a set target temperature and a set target humidity.

According to the indoor unit, through the color of the light emitted from the indoor unit, there is an advantage that can determine the current operating state of the indoor unit. For example, when the blue light is emitted from the indoor unit, the user is operating in the cooling mode, in the heating mode when the red light is emitted, and in the blowing mode when the green light is emitted. It can be recognized.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings for the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the color of the light emitting portion changes according to the set target temperature.

6 is a control flowchart of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the indoor unit is operated, the current room temperature is sensed by the temperature sensing unit 32 (S71). The indoor unit is based on the target temperature set by the user. It may be operated to cool or heat the room to reach the target temperature. In this case, the target temperature may be set by being input by the user through the input unit 31 and stored in the memory unit 35. However, even when the indoor unit starts to operate, if there is no process for setting the target temperature by the user, the indoor temperature may be operated to reach the previously set target temperature.

If there is a target temperature set by the user, the controller 34 searches for a color corresponding to a value obtained by subtracting the current temperature detected from the set target temperature from information previously stored in the memory 35. On the other hand, if there is no setting of the target temperature, the color corresponding to the value obtained by subtracting the detected current temperature from the previously set target temperature is searched. (S74) At this time, the set target temperature is the detected current temperature. The corresponding color changes as high or low. The light emitting unit emits light of the found color.

For example, based on the current room temperature, as the target temperature is relatively high, light of a color closer to red may be emitted from the light emitter, and as the target temperature is lower, light closer to blue may be emitted.

In addition, the process of detecting the current room temperature to outputting the light of the searched color may be repeated until the operation of the indoor unit is terminated.

According to the indoor unit, through the color of the light emitted from the indoor unit, there is an advantage that can check the target temperature set in the indoor unit. In more detail, through the color of light emitted from the indoor unit, it is possible to determine how high or low the set target temperature is compared with the current room temperature.

For example, as the color of light emitted from the indoor unit is closer to red, the set target temperature is set to a higher value than the current room temperature. As the color of light is closer to blue, the set target temperature is closer to the current room temperature. Compared to the lower value, the user can recognize.

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

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

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

4 is a control flowchart of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

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

6 is a control flowchart of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A main body having a suction port at a front surface thereof, and a discharge hole formed at both sides and a lower side thereof; A front panel provided at the front of the main body; A heat exchanger installed inside the main body and configured to exchange heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant; A sensing unit provided on at least one of the main body and the front panel to detect an external environment; And And a light emitting part provided on at least one of the main body and the front panel. The indoor unit of the air conditioner, the color of the light emitted from the light emitting unit is changed according to the external environment detected by the detection unit. The method of claim 1, The external environment includes the temperature of the room, The sensing unit is an indoor unit of the air conditioner located on the inlet side. A main body having a suction port at a front surface thereof, and a discharge hole formed at both sides and a lower side thereof; A front panel provided at the front of the main body; A heat exchanger installed inside the main body and configured to exchange heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant; An input unit provided on at least one of the main body and the front panel and receiving a signal for changing an operation state; And And a light emitting part provided on at least one of the main body and the front panel. The indoor unit of the air conditioner, the color of the light emitted from the light emitting unit is changed according to the signal input through the input unit. The method of claim 3, wherein The signal input through the input unit is at least one of a signal for selecting an operation mode and a signal for setting a target temperature, The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes at least one of a heating mode, a cooling mode, and a blowing mode. The method according to claim 1 or 3, The light emitting unit, the indoor unit of the air conditioner for emitting light to the outside through the body and the front panel. The method of claim 5, The light emitting unit, the indoor unit of the air conditioner is located on the rear edge of the front panel. The method of claim 5, At least a portion of the front surface of the main body of the air conditioner is formed so that light is transmitted. The method according to claim 1 or 3, The light emitting unit is provided inside the front panel, the indoor unit of the air conditioner for emitting light to the outside. The method of claim 8, The front panel, the indoor unit of the air conditioner is provided with a light receiving portion for refracting and reflecting the light incident from the light emitting portion in a plurality of directions.

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