KR20200127585A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, an air conditioner comprises: a housing having a first accommodation unit and a second accommodation unit, which are separated from each other; a heat exchanger which is placed in the first accommodation unit to be extended in a direction parallel to the second accommodation unit, and exchanges heat with a refrigerant transferred from an outdoor unit; a first air blower unit and a second air blower unit which are placed in the second accommodation unit in the direction of extending the heat exchanger, and introduce air into the second accommodation unit and discharge the introduced air to the first accommodation unit; and a guide member which is placed in the first accommodation unit to be extended from the second accommodation unit between the first air blower unit and the second air blower unit towards the heat exchanger, and has a guide surface for guiding a flow of the air discharged from the second accommodation unit to the first accommodation unit by the first air blower unit and the second air blower unit. The air conditioner is able to make the environment pleasant for a user.

Description

Air conditioner {AIR CONDITIONER}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner that adjusts various properties of air in a used space according to a user's request, and more particularly, to a structure for controlling air flow inside a duct-type indoor unit.

An air conditioner refers to a device provided to adjust properties such as temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and airflow according to the requirements of the space used. The air conditioner basically includes a blower that forms an airflow, and changes at least one of the attributes of the air circulated by the blower to change the environment of the used space to a comfortable state for the user. Air conditioners are classified according to the properties of the air to be controlled, examples of which include an air conditioner for cooling air, a dehumidifier for lowering the humidity of the air, and an air purifier for increasing the cleanliness of the air.

Among them, the air conditioner lowers the indoor temperature by using the principle of cooling by heat of vaporization. When a liquid vaporizes into a gas, it absorbs heat, and when a gas condenses into a liquid, it releases heat, and the heat absorbed when vaporizing is the heat of vaporization. The air conditioner changes the pressure with a compressor to condense the gaseous coolant into liquid, and then lowers the pressure to vaporize the liquid coolant back to vapor in the evaporator, and lowers the ambient temperature by absorbing heat by the vaporized coolant. . Cooling by the air conditioner is performed through a simple cooling cycle that can efficiently obtain a lot of vaporization heat, and this method can also be applied to a refrigerator. In natural phenomena, heat is originally transferred from a high temperature to a low temperature, but through the cooling cycle of the air conditioner, it is transferred from a low temperature indoor to a high temperature outdoor. To this end, the air conditioner includes an indoor unit that emits cold wind and an outdoor unit that emits hot wind. Following a similar principle, a refrigerator is likewise transferred from a low-temperature appliance to a high-temperature appliance.

There are various models of the indoor unit of the air conditioner depending on the installation location. For example, an indoor unit includes a stand-type model installed on the floor of an indoor, a wall-mounted model mounted on a wall, and a ceiling-type model installed on a ceiling. Among the ceiling-type models, there is a duct-type indoor unit used by being buried above the ceiling, that is, inside the ceiling. The duct-type indoor unit cools air sucked through an air inlet provided on the ceiling, and blows the cooled air to one or more places through one or more ducts. The duct-type indoor unit is usually installed in a ceiling that is not visible to the user, so it is advantageous in terms of aesthetics, and since cooled air can be sent to a plurality of places through a duct, simultaneous cooling in several places is possible.

However, when the number of ducts from which air is discharged from the duct-type indoor unit increases or the length of the duct is relatively long, the load applied to the duct-type indoor unit, External Static Pressure or Duct Work Increases. When the external static pressure is relatively high, the recirculation flow increases due to the external static pressure while air moves from the inside of the duct-type indoor unit to the heat exchanger. Since an increase in recirculation flow is directly connected to cooling loss, a structure for reducing recirculation flow in a duct-type indoor unit is required.

The air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided in the first accommodation unit so as to extend in a direction parallel to the housing having a first receiving unit and a second receiving unit partitioned from each other and the second receiving unit, and transmitted from the outdoor unit. A heat exchanger for exchanging a refrigerant, and a first blower provided in the second receiving portion along the extension direction of the heat exchanger, and introducing air into the second receiving portion and discharging the introduced air to the first receiving portion respectively It is provided in the first receiving portion so as to extend toward the heat exchanger from the second receiving portion between the unit and the second blowing unit and the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit, and the first blowing unit or the first And a guide member having a guide surface for guiding the flow of air discharged from the second receiving unit to the first receiving unit by the two blowing unit.

In addition, the guide member may have a width at a side of the second accommodating part that is wider than a width at a side of the heat exchanger.

In addition, the guide member separates the first receiving portion into two regions respectively corresponding to the first air blowing unit and the second air blowing unit, and a pair of guide surfaces respectively provided on both sides to face the two regions. Can have

In addition, the guide surface may have a shape bent round.

In addition, the guide member may further include a fin extending along a plate surface of the heat exchanger with a predetermined width toward the heat exchanger at a tip portion.

In addition, it may further include one or more side guide members installed on at least one of both side walls of the first receiving portion facing the guide member and provided to guide the flow of air.

In addition, the width of the side guide member may be provided to become smaller as it approaches the heat exchanger.

In addition, each of the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit may include a sirocco fan.

In addition, the heat exchanger may be provided such that an upper edge with respect to the installation surface of the air conditioner is spaced apart from the second receiving portion than a lower edge.

In addition, the guide member may have an upper extension length longer than a lower extension length with respect to the installation surface of the air conditioner.

In addition, an uneven pattern may be provided on the guide surface.

In addition, the air conditioner may include a duct-type indoor unit.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner.
2 is an exemplary view showing a form in which an indoor unit is installed.
3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a suction duct and an exhaust duct are combined in an indoor unit.
4 is a perspective view showing the suction side of the indoor unit.
5 is a perspective view showing the discharge side of the indoor unit.
6 is an external perspective view of the blowing unit.
7 is a perspective view of main parts of the indoor unit.
8 is a side view of the indoor unit of FIG. 7.
9 is a plan view of the indoor unit of FIG. 7.
10 is a perspective view of a guide member.
11 is a graph comparing the static pressure performance when a guide member is applied and not applied to an indoor unit.
12 is a graph comparing blowing noise when a guide member is applied and not applied to an indoor unit.
13 is a side view of the indoor unit in which the guide surface of the guide member is shown.
14 is a perspective view of an indoor unit including three blowing units.
15 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of the flow velocity measured in an indoor unit not including a guide member in color.
16 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of flow velocity measured in an indoor unit not including a guide member in color.
17 is a perspective view showing a guiding member having a predetermined volume installed in an indoor unit.
18 is a plan view showing the guiding member of FIG. 17 viewed from above.
19 is a perspective view of FIG. 18.
20 is a perspective view showing a guiding member having a predetermined volume installed in the indoor unit.
FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the guiding member of FIG. 20 viewed from above.
22 is a perspective view of FIG. 20.
23 is a plan view of a state in which the guide member of FIG. 20 includes a pin.
24 is a perspective view of FIG. 23.
FIG. 25 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of flow velocity measured in the indoor unit including the guide member of FIG. 10 in color.
FIG. 26 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of flow velocity measured in the indoor unit including the guide member of FIG. 18 in color.
27 is a plan view showing a state in which side guide members are disposed at both side ends of the front receiving portion of the indoor unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described with reference to each drawing are not mutually exclusive configurations unless otherwise specified, and a plurality of embodiments may be selectively combined and implemented in one device. Combinations of such a plurality of embodiments may be arbitrarily selected and applied by a person skilled in the art to implement the spirit of the present invention.

If, in the embodiment, there is a term including an ordinal number, such as a first component, a second component, etc., these terms are used to describe various components, and the term distinguishes one component from other components. As used in order to, the meaning of these components is not limited by terms. The terms used in the examples are applied to describe the examples, and do not limit the spirit of the present invention.

In addition, when the expression "at least one" appears among a plurality of elements in the present specification, the expression means not only all of the plurality of elements, but also one or each of the plurality of elements excluding the rest. Refers to all combinations of.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner.

As shown in Figure 1, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention is implemented as an air conditioner. The air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 10 installed in a first place in an environment in which temperature is to be adjusted, such as indoors of a building, and an outdoor unit 20 installed in a second place other than the above-described environment, such as outdoors of a building. Include. The refrigerant circulates between the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20, and the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20 adjust the temperature in the first place by adjusting the state of the refrigerant respectively by energy. The refrigerant is circulated by providing a pipe inside the indoor unit 10, a pipe inside the outdoor unit 20, and external pipes connecting the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20 to communicate with each other. Each of the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20 may be provided to correspond in various ways such as 1:1, 1:N, N:1, and N:N (N is a natural number).

The air conditioner 1 basically uses cooling by heat of vaporization. Refrigerant absorbs heat when vaporized from liquid to gas, and releases heat when condensing from gas to liquid. The heat absorbed when the refrigerant vaporizes is the heat of vaporization. Since the air conditioner 1 uses a phase change in which the refrigerant changes between liquid and gas, the refrigerant used in the air conditioner 1 has a low evaporation point and a high evaporation heat. In addition, since the indoor and outdoor piping of the air conditioner 1 is mainly made of metal, the refrigerant is required to have a characteristic that does not corrode the metal used in the piping. In addition, since it is difficult when the refrigerant is frozen in winter, a refrigerant that can exist in a liquid state even at a low temperature may be required depending on the use area.

The air conditioner 1 includes an indoor heat exchanger 110, a first expansion valve 120, an outdoor heat exchanger 130, a compressor 140, and a second expansion valve 150. And, it includes an accumulator 160, a four-way valve 170, and a service valve 180. Each of the above components is divided into an indoor unit 10 and an outdoor unit 20, respectively. The indoor unit 10 includes an indoor heat exchanger 110 and a first expansion valve 120, and the outdoor unit 20 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 130, a compressor 140, a second expansion valve 150, and an accumulator. (160), a four-way valve 170, and a service valve (180). In addition, pipes forming various paths are installed between these components, so that the refrigerant moves between the components.

In addition, the air conditioner 1 includes a controller or processor 190 for controlling and instructing the operation of structures including the above-described components of the air conditioner 1. At least one processor 190 is implemented as a hardware circuit such as a CPU mounted on a printed circuit board, a micro-processor, a chipset, a system-on-chip (SOC), and the indoor unit 10 or The outdoor unit 20 may be installed, or the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20 may be installed respectively, or may be installed outside the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20.

Hereinafter, each component will be briefly described.

The indoor heat exchanger 110 performs a heat-related interaction between the refrigerant and the atmosphere, thereby adjusting the phase change of the refrigerant and the temperature of the surrounding environment accordingly. The indoor heat exchanger 110 operates as an evaporator when the air conditioner 1 is in the cooling mode, and operates as a condenser in the heating mode. The indoor heat exchanger 110 causes an endothermic reaction by evaporating the refrigerant in the cooling mode, so that the refrigerant changes to the gas phase and the temperature of the surrounding environment decreases. The indoor heat exchanger 110 causes an exothermic reaction by condensing the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant in the heating mode, so that the refrigerant changes to a liquid state and the temperature of the surrounding environment increases.

The first expansion valve 120 expands the refrigerant condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger 130 in the cooling mode and transfers it to the indoor heat exchanger 110. The first expansion valve 120 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant by passing the refrigerant through a path whose diameter is relatively reduced, so that the evaporation of the refrigerant can be easily performed later.

The outdoor heat exchanger 130 has a basic operation method similar to that of the indoor heat exchanger 110. However, the outdoor heat exchanger 130 operates opposite to the indoor heat exchanger 110 in each mode. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 130 operates as a condenser in the cooling mode and operates as an evaporator in the heating mode. The outdoor heat exchanger 130 serves to lower the indoor temperature by releasing heat absorbed from the indoor heat exchanger 110 in the cooling mode, and the opposite role in the heating mode.

The compressor 140 compresses the gaseous cold refrigerant delivered from the indoor heat exchanger 110 or the outdoor heat exchanger 130, which serves as an evaporator for each mode, and adjusts the refrigerant to a high temperature and high pressure gaseous phase. When the compressor 140 compresses the refrigerant, a phase change from a high temperature to a liquid phase can be easily performed. In addition, the compressor 140 absorbs the low-pressure refrigerant and discharges the high-pressure refrigerant, thereby imparting a force to move the refrigerant to form a circulation cycle in the air conditioner 1.

The second expansion valve 150 is the same as the first expansion valve 120 in terms of the function of expanding the refrigerant. The second expansion valve 150 expands the refrigerant condensed by the indoor heat exchanger 110 in the heating mode and transfers it to the outdoor heat exchanger 130.

The accumulator 160 allows only gaseous refrigerant among the incoming refrigerants to be transferred to the compressor 140. In some cases, the evaporated refrigerant may not completely evaporate and contain some liquid phases. The accumulator 160 blocks the liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 140.

The four-way valve 170 switches the path of the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 20 in response to one of a cooling mode and a heating mode. The four-way valve 170 adjusts the movement of the refrigerant in response to the current mode, so that the operation of the indoor heat exchanger 110 and the outdoor heat exchanger 130 is switched for each mode.

The service valve 180 is a valve provided to allow the administrator to adjust the vacuum state and supplement the refrigerant in the circulation cycle of the refrigerant through the entire pipe of the air conditioner 1. When the cooling and heating efficiency decreases due to insufficient refrigerant in the cycle as the use time elapses, additional refrigerant may be supplemented through the service valve 180.

In this embodiment, the indoor unit 10 is implemented as a duct-type indoor unit. Hereinafter, the installation form and structure of the indoor unit 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

2 is an exemplary view showing a form in which an indoor unit is installed.

3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a suction duct and an exhaust duct are combined in an indoor unit.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indoor environment is divided into a lower space 220 located under the ceiling 210 and an upper space 230 located above the ceiling 210. Typically, the lower space 220 is a room in which a user is located, a living room, etc., and is a space in which the indoor unit 10 wants to cool and heat air. The upper space 230 is a space located directly under the roof in the case of a single-story building, and is a space invisible to the user in the lower space 220 due to the ceiling 210.

Directions X, Y, and Z appearing in the drawing are directions orthogonal to each other. The X direction is the left and right direction of the indoor unit. The Y direction is the front and rear direction of the indoor unit, and is the main direction through which air flows. The Z direction is the vertical direction of the indoor unit.

The indoor unit 10 is installed in the upper space 230. One side of the indoor unit 10 is in communication with the air intake 211 penetrating through the ceiling 210, and the other side of the indoor unit 10 is penetrating through the ceiling 210, and an air outlet 212 separated from the air intake 211 ). In the present embodiment, the air intake port 211 is arranged in parallel and the air outlet port 212 is expressed as being vertically arranged, but this is only one type. The arrangement of the air inlet 211 and the air outlet 212 may be provided in various ways. The rear and front of the indoor unit 10 are opened, and the suction duct 30 and the discharge duct 40 are respectively coupled.

A suction duct 30 is installed between the indoor unit 10 and the air intake 211. The suction duct 30 guides the air in the lower space 220 sucked through the air inlet 211 into the indoor unit 10. On the other hand, an exhaust duct 40 is installed between the indoor unit 10 and the air outlet 212. The exhaust duct 40 guides the air heat-exchanged inside the indoor unit 10, for example, the cooled air to the air outlet 212 so that the cooled air is discharged to the lower space 220.

The cooled air discharged through the air outlet 212 cools the lower space 220. Air circulating through the lower space 220 is sucked into the suction duct 30 through the air inlet 211. Air flowing through the suction duct 30 is introduced into the indoor unit 10. According to such a circulation method, the indoor unit 10 may cool the lower space 220.

In the present embodiment, the exhaust duct 40 and the air outlet 212 are expressed as one set, but the exhaust duct 40 and the air outlet 212 may be one or more sets. When the air outlets 212 are in a plurality of locations spaced apart from each other, a plurality of exhaust ducts 40 from the indoor unit 10 are connected to each air outlet 212, so that the indoor unit 10 cools several places together. I can make it.

Hereinafter, the structure of the indoor unit 10 will be described.

4 is a perspective view showing the suction side of the indoor unit.

5 is a perspective view showing the discharge side of the indoor unit.

4 and 5, the indoor unit 10 includes a main housing 310 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a plurality of blowing units 320 disposed on the suction side or rear of the main housing 310, and An indoor heat exchanger 110 disposed on the discharge side or in front of the housing 310 and a motor 330 disposed adjacent to the plurality of blowing units 320 are included. In the following embodiments, the indoor heat exchanger 110 is simply referred to as a heat exchanger 110.

The main housing 310 has a rear opening 311 formed on a rear plate surface and a front opening 312 formed on a front plate surface. The rear opening 311 is an opening through which air from the outside of the indoor unit 10 flows into the indoor unit 10. The front opening 312 is an opening through which air inside the indoor unit 10 is discharged to the outside of the indoor unit 10. The main housing 310 may be conveniently divided into a suction side area (or a rear area) and a discharge side area (or a front area) along the Y direction, which is the main direction through which air flows. The discharge-side region and the suction-side region of the present embodiment are also referred to as a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion, respectively. The blowing unit 320 is disposed in the suction side area of the main housing 310, and the heat exchanger 110 is disposed in the discharge side area of the main housing 310.

The blowing unit 320 blows air toward the heat exchanger 110. The blowing unit 320 sucks air through the rear opening 311 and drives the internal fan by the motor 330 to send the sucked air to the heat exchanger 110. In the present embodiment, the blowing unit 320 includes two unit units arranged in parallel along the X direction, but may include three or more unit units of the blowing unit 320 depending on a design method. In addition, the blowing unit 320 may be implemented as various types of fan units, and in this embodiment, it is implemented as a centrifugal fan or a Sirocco fan.

The reason why the blowing unit 320 is implemented as a sirocco fan is as follows. The indoor unit 10 according to the present embodiment is implemented as a duct-type indoor unit, so that a plurality of discharge ducts are connected through the front opening 312, and cooling air may be discharged to a plurality of positions. As a parameter related to the air volume of the duct-type indoor unit, there is a positive pressure. As the total length of the exhaust ducts connected to the indoor unit 10 is longer and the number of exhaust ducts increases, the load applied to the indoor unit 10 increases. In order to handle such a high load, the indoor unit 10 requires a blowing unit 320 with high static pressure performance. Among various types of fan units, the sirocco fan can maintain an appropriate level of air volume even when the load is high, which means that the sirocco fan has relatively excellent static pressure performance. From this point of view, when the indoor unit 10 is a duct-type indoor unit, the blowing unit 320 is implemented as a sirocco fan. In addition, when the blowing unit 320 is implemented as a sirocco fan, noise is relatively reduced.

The heat exchanger 110 adjusts the temperature of the air passing through the heat exchanger 110 by heat exchange by a refrigerant. The heat exchanger 110 includes a pipe through which a refrigerant passes and a fin extending from the pipe. Both pipes and fins are made of metal materials with excellent thermal conductivity. As the air passes between the pipes and fins of the heat exchanger 110, heat transfer of air occurs with respect to the pipes and fins. Air that has undergone heat exchange while passing through the heat exchanger 110 is discharged to the outside of the main housing 310 through the front opening 312.

The heat exchanger 110 according to the present embodiment is not in a state in which it is erected parallel to the Z direction, but is disposed in a state in which the upper side is inclined at a predetermined angle from the axis in the Z direction. This is a design to increase the area of the heat exchanger 110 in contact with air.

Hereinafter, the blowing unit 320 will be described.

6 is an external perspective view of the blowing unit.

As shown in FIG. 6, the blowing unit 320 includes a blowing unit housing 321 and a centrifugal fan 324 rotatably accommodated in the blowing unit housing 321.

The blowing unit housing 321 includes a blowing unit inlet 322 through which air is introduced into one side in the X direction or -X direction, and a blowing unit outlet 323 through which air is discharged in one side in the Y direction. Include. That is, the blowing unit 320 is provided in which the intake direction of air and the discharge direction of air are substantially orthogonal to each other, and this depends on the characteristic that the centrifugal fan 324 is structurally a sirocco fan.

The centrifugal fan 324 includes a plurality of blades 325 arranged in parallel about a rotation axis, and a fan frame 326 that supports the plurality of blades 325. A plurality of blades 325 extending in parallel along the X direction are disposed to have substantially the same distance from the rotation axis on the Y-Z plane. The plurality of blades 325 are coupled to the cylindrical fan frame 326, and the fan frame 326 is rotatably coupled to the blowing unit housing 321 and the motor. As the fan frame 326 rotates by the driving force of the motor, the plurality of blades 325 rotate. With this structure, air is introduced into the blowing unit housing 321 through the blowing unit inlet 322 in the direction of the rotation axis of the centrifugal fan 324, and is generated by the centrifugal force formed by the rotating centrifugal fan 324. It is discharged through the blowing unit outlet 323 in the radial direction of 324.

Hereinafter, the overall structure of the indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

7 is a perspective view of main parts of the indoor unit.

8 is a side view of the indoor unit of FIG. 7.

9 is a plan view of the indoor unit of FIG. 7.

7, 8 and 9, the indoor unit 400 includes a main housing 410, a rear opening 411, a front opening 412, a blowing unit 420, a heat exchanger 430 do.

The main housing 410 may be divided into a rear suction side receiving part or rear receiving part 413 and a front discharge side receiving part or front receiving part 414. The rear accommodating portion 413 and the front accommodating portion 414 are only separated for convenience, and may be replaced with a first accommodating portion and a second accommodating portion in other expressions. A blowing unit 420 is disposed in the rear receiving part 413, and a heat exchanger 430 is disposed in the front receiving part 414. Air flowing into the rear receiving portion 413 of the main housing 410 through the rear opening 411 is introduced into the blowing unit 420. Air introduced into the blowing unit 420 is blown to the heat exchanger 430 disposed in the front receiving portion 414 of the main housing 410 by the centrifugal force of the blowing unit 420. The blown air is heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 430 and is discharged to the outside of the main housing 410 through the front opening 412.

In addition, the blowing unit 420 according to the present embodiment includes a first blowing unit 421 and a second blowing unit 422 arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance along the Y direction. In the first blowing unit 421 and the second blowing unit 422, both of the air discharge directions follow the Y direction.

The heat exchanger 430 macroscopically has a plate shape, but the practical structure has a structure including a pipe through which the refrigerant passes and a fin extending therefrom. The heat exchanger 430 extends in a direction parallel to the rear accommodating part 413 and is accommodated in the main housing 410 with the upper edge inclined forward.

That is, when d1 is the distance between the upper edge of the heat exchanger 430 and the blowing unit 420, and d2 is the distance between the lower edge of the heat exchanger 430 and the blowing unit 420, d1>d2 is satisfied. do. Alternatively, d1 may be the distance between the upper edge and the rear receiving portion 413 of the heat exchanger 430, and d2 may be the distance between the lower edge and the rear receiving portion 413 of the heat exchanger 430. By arranging the heat exchanger 430 in this way, the heat exchange area of air can be relatively increased. In the case of d1<d2, the heat exchange area of air can be relatively increased, but d1>d2 is preferable considering that it is natural for the flow of air to fall due to the action of gravity.

Here, the indoor unit 400 according to the present embodiment extends toward the heat exchanger 430 from the rear receiving portion 413 between the first blowing unit 421 and the second blowing unit 422 to the front receiving unit 414 It includes a guide member 440 provided in ). The guide member 440 is a guide surface 441 for guiding the flow of air discharged from the rear receiving part 413 to the front receiving part 414 by the first blowing unit 421 and the second blowing unit 422 Have.

For comparison, consider the case where the indoor unit 400 does not include the guide member 440. In this case, a recirculation flow occurs in the front receiving portion 414 due to the external static pressure, and in particular, as the external static pressure increases, the flow loss due to recirculation increases. Specifically, an area of the front receiving portion 414 positioned between the first blowing unit 421 and the second blowing unit 422 is referred to as an intermediate area for convenience. In this intermediate region, the air flow from the first blowing unit 421 and the air flow from the second blowing unit 422 are mixed. Flow loss occurs due to such mixing, and the flow rate of air discharged from the indoor unit 400 decreases.

In contrast, the guide member 440 according to the present embodiment includes the front receiving portion 414, and the first flow path and the second air flow unit (the air discharged from the first air blowing unit 421) reach the heat exchanger 430 ( The air discharged from 422 is divided into a second flow path leading to the heat exchanger 430. Accordingly, turbulence or vortex flow due to mixing of a plurality of air flows is prevented in an intermediate region when the indoor unit 400 does not include the guide member 440, and the air discharged from the first blowing unit 421 and the second Air discharged from the blowing unit 422 reaches each heat exchanger 430. In this respect, the guide member 440 may also be referred to as a divider.

In addition, when the indoor unit 400 does not include the guide member 440, a decrease in the flow velocity occurring in the intermediate region can be prevented by the guide member 440.

10 is a perspective view of a guide member.

As shown in FIG. 10, the guide member 440 includes a rear edge 442, a front edge 443, a lower edge 444, and a guide surface 441 surrounded by an upper edge 445. The rear edge 442 is substantially erected and faces the rear receiving portion of the main housing in which the blowing unit is disposed. However, due to the structure in which the heat exchanger is arranged inclined forward, the front edge 443, the lower edge 444, and the upper edge 445 have a shape or length corresponding to the structure of the heat exchanger.

Since the front edge 443 extends substantially parallel to the plate surface of the heat exchanger, the upper side has a shape inclined forward by a predetermined angle. The front edge 443 may contact the plate surface of the heat exchanger or may be spaced apart a predetermined distance. The lower edge 444 faces the lower plate surface of the main housing. The upper edge 445 extends parallel to the lower edge 444 and faces the upper plate surface of the main housing. Since the lower edge of the heat exchanger is close to the blowing unit and the upper edge of the heat exchanger is separated from the blowing unit, the length of the lower edge 444 is shorter than the length of the upper edge 445.

The guide surface 441 may have a flat plate surface, but may have a plate surface on which a predetermined uneven pattern is formed depending on a design method. A description of this will be described later.

Hereinafter, the performance improvement of the indoor unit to which the guide member 440 is applied will be described.

11 is a graph comparing the static pressure performance when a guide member is applied and not applied to an indoor unit.

As shown in FIG. 11, based on the external static pressure, the measured air flow rates for each of the case where the guide member is applied to the indoor unit and the case where the guide member is not applied to the indoor unit may be compared. In this graph, the horizontal axis is the flow rate and the vertical axis is the external static pressure, the curve C1 is the case without the guide member, and the curve C2 is the case with the guide member. Since this graph is for simply comparing the results of C1 and C2, the numerical values of the specific experimental results are omitted.

When the external static pressure is low, that is, when the load on the indoor unit is low, the capacity of the place where the indoor unit should be cooled is relatively small, the number of exhaust ducts from which cooling air is discharged from the indoor unit is small, and the total length of the exhaust duct is short to be. On the other hand, when the external static pressure is high, that is, when the load on the indoor unit is high, the capacity of the place where the indoor unit should be cooled is relatively large, the number of exhaust ducts discharged from the indoor unit is large, and the total length of the exhaust duct is This is a long case.

According to this graph, the flow rate at C2 is higher than the flow rate at C1 at the same external static pressure. These results can be seen that the difference in flow rate is larger in the case where the external static pressure is high compared to the case where the external static pressure is low. This means that in terms of securing the flow rate, the guide member according to the present embodiment acts more advantageously in the case where the external static pressure is high.

12 is a graph comparing blowing noise when a guide member is applied and not applied to an indoor unit.

As shown in FIG. 12, based on the blowing noise, the flow rate of air measured for each of the case where the guide member is applied and not applied to the indoor unit may be compared. Here, the flow rate of air was measured by being classified into a case where the static pressure was relatively low and a case where the static pressure was relatively high. Curve C3 is a case in which the guide member is not applied when the static pressure is low, and curve C4 is a case in which the guide member is applied under the same static pressure as the curve C3. On the other hand, curve C5 is a case in which the guide member is not applied when the static pressure is high, and curve C6 is a case in which the guide member is applied under the same static pressure as the curve C5.

According to this graph, under the same blowing noise, the flow rate at C4 is higher than the flow rate at C3, and the flow rate at C6 is higher than the flow rate at C5. By the way, the flow rate difference between C6 and C5 is greater than the flow rate difference between C4 and C3 under the same blowing noise. This means that, in terms of quietness, the guide member according to the present embodiment acts more advantageously when the external static pressure is high.

As described above, the indoor unit including the guide member according to the present embodiment exhibits an excellent effect in terms of securing flow rate and quietness compared to the case where the guide member is not included. In addition, this effect appears more remarkably when the external static pressure is high.

Hereinafter, various design changes of the guide member will be described.

13 is a side view of the indoor unit in which the guide surface of the guide member is shown.

13, the indoor unit 500 according to the present embodiment includes a main housing 510 whose interior is divided into a rear receiving unit and a front receiving unit, a blowing unit 520 disposed in the rear receiving unit, and a front receiving unit. It includes a heat exchanger 530 disposed in the part, and a guide member 540 disposed in the front receiving part. Since the basic structure of the indoor unit 500 is substantially the same as the previous embodiment, detailed descriptions are omitted. However, the guide member 540 in this embodiment has a guide surface 541 in which a predetermined uneven pattern is formed, not a flat guide surface in the previous embodiment. The uneven pattern formed on the guide surface 541 is implemented in a dimple shape including one or more grooves, an embossing shape including a plurality of convex protrusions, and the like.

As described above, the guide member 540 having the concave-convex guide surface 541 has an improved separation delay effect compared to the case of a flat guide surface. When the air discharged from the blowing unit 520 is blown to the heat exchanger 530 along the guide surface 541, it is attached to the guide surface 541 and moves. The flow rate of air moving while attached to the guide surface 541 is relatively high compared to the flow rate of air moving without being attached to the guide surface 541. Therefore, once the air adheres to the guide surface 541 and moves, it is advantageous in terms of flow rate to prevent the air from falling from the guide surface 541 if possible. The peeling delay effect is an effect of preventing air adhered to the guide surface 541 from falling from the guide surface 541. The guide surface 541 according to the present embodiment has a structure that relatively improves the peeling delay effect.

Meanwhile, in the foregoing embodiments, an indoor unit including two blowing units has been described. In this case, since the guide member is disposed between the two blowing units, one is applied to the indoor unit. However, the number of blowing units may be three or more, and the number of applied guide members is also determined corresponding to the number of blowing units. Hereinafter, an indoor unit having three blowing units will be described.

14 is a perspective view of an indoor unit including three blowing units.

As shown in FIG. 14, the indoor unit 600 includes a main housing 610, a plurality of blowing units 621, 622, 623, a heat exchanger 630, and a plurality of guide members 641, 642. Include. Components in the present embodiment perform substantially the same functions as components of the same name described in the previous embodiment, and thus detailed descriptions are omitted.

The plurality of blowing units 621, 622, 623 are arranged in parallel to face the heat exchanger 630 in the rear receiving part of the main housing 610, the first blowing unit 621, the second blowing unit 622 , And a third blowing unit 623. When viewed from the heat exchanger 630 side, the plurality of blowing units 621, 622, 623 are arranged in parallel, the first blowing unit 621 and the second blowing unit 622 are adjacent to each other, and the second blowing The unit 622 and the third blowing unit 623 are disposed adjacent to each other.

The plurality of guide members 641 and 642 include a first guide member 641 and a second guide member 642. The first guide member 641 is provided in the front receiving portion so as to extend toward the heat exchanger 630 from the rear receiving portion between the first blowing unit 621 and the second blowing unit 622, and the first blowing unit ( 621) and has a guide surface for guiding the flow of air discharged from the rear receiving portion to the front receiving portion by the second blowing unit 622. In addition, the second guide member 642 extends toward the heat exchanger 630 from the front receiving portion between the second blowing unit 622 and the third blowing unit 623, the second blowing unit 622 and the second It has a guide surface for guiding the flow of air discharged from the rear receiving portion to the front receiving portion by the three-air blowing unit 623. The effect of the plurality of guide members 641 and 642 is substantially the same as described in the previous embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the case where the plurality of blowing units 621, 622, and 623 are three has been described, but the idea of the present invention can be applied even when the number of blowing units 621, 622, 623 is four or more. When the number of blowing units 621, 622, 623 is N, the number of guide members 641, 642 is (N-1).

Hereinafter, the effect of the present embodiment based on the difference between the flow velocity measured in the indoor unit including the guide member and the indoor unit not including the guide member as in the present embodiment will be described.

15 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of the flow velocity measured in an indoor unit not including a guide member in color.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the indoor unit including the first blowing unit 651, the second blowing unit 652, and the third blowing unit 653, the flow velocity for each area can be measured and displayed as a color distribution chart. . In this color distribution diagram, the upper distribution diagram shows the shape of the cross section centered on the discharge ports of the blowing units 651, 652, 653 when viewed from the top of the indoor unit, and the lower distribution diagram shows the shape of the cross section of the heat exchanger. In this color distribution diagram, the faster the flow rate, the closer to the red color is, and the lower the flow rate, the closer to blue.

In the case of an indoor unit that does not include a guide member, a linear area in which air is discharged from each of the blowing units 651, 652, 653 is red. However, since the intermediate regions A1 and A2 between each of the blowing units 651, 652, and 653 exhibit light blue to blue, it can be seen that a large decrease in flow velocity occurs in A1 and A2.

16 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of flow velocity measured in an indoor unit not including a guide member in color.

As shown in FIG. 16, the indoor unit according to the present embodiment includes a first blowing unit 621, a second blowing unit 622, a third blowing unit 623, and a first guide member disposed in each intermediate area. It includes 641 and a second guide member 642. The basic description of this color distribution diagram is the same as the previous drawings, and thus will be omitted.

Although a blue to light blue area appears around the first guide member 641 and the second guide member 642, the area has been relatively reduced. In particular, the blue to light blue area at a position corresponding to the middle area of the heat exchanger It can be seen that this has decreased a lot. This means that the flow velocity in the intermediate region has risen relatively. Turbulent flow or vortex flow due to mixing of the flow of air discharged from each blowing unit 621, 622, 623 is blocked by the first guide member 641 and the second guide member 642 disposed in the intermediate area, As a result, it is shown in this color distribution that the factors that obstruct the air flow are significantly resolved.

Meanwhile, in the previous embodiment, a case where the width of the guide member is constantly extended without change has been described. Here, the extending direction of the guide member is the direction in which air flows (Y direction), and the width of the guide member represents the length in the transverse direction (X direction) with respect to the extending direction of the guide member. However, since the implementation method of the idea of the present invention is not limited to this example, an embodiment in which the guide member is designed differently from the previous embodiment will be described below.

17 is a perspective view showing a guiding member having a predetermined volume installed in the indoor unit.

18 is a plan view showing the guiding member of FIG. 17 viewed from above.

19 is a perspective view of FIG. 18.

17, 18, and 19, the indoor unit 700 includes a main housing 710, a plurality of blowing units 720, a heat exchanger 730, and a guide member 740. The main housing 710, the plurality of blowing units 720, and the heat exchanger 730 are substantially the same as described in the previous embodiments.

The guide member 740 in this embodiment has a relatively wide volume, unlike the guide member in the previous embodiment. The guide member in the previous embodiment is disposed in an intermediate region of the front receiving portion of the main housing to partition the flow path and guide air. In contrast, the guide member 740 in this embodiment further strengthens the role of guiding air among the two roles described above.

The guide member 740 includes a guide member body 741 forming the body of the guide member 740. Due to the structure in which the distance between the upper edge of the heat exchanger 730 and the blowing unit 720 is longer than the distance between the lower edge of the heat exchanger 730 and the blowing unit 720, the lower surface of the guide member body 741 is guided. It has a smaller area than the upper surface of the member body 741. The guide member body 741 has a guide member rear surface 742 that is one surface facing the blowing unit 720, a guide member front end surface 744 that is one surface facing the heat exchanger 730, and the guide member rear surface ( It has a pair of guiding member side surfaces 743 disposed between the 742 and the leading end surface 744 of the guiding member. The flow of air is guided substantially along the pair of guide member side surfaces 743.

The main direction in which air from the blowing unit 720 is transferred to the heat exchanger 730 is in the Y direction, and the length in the X direction, which is the transverse direction in the Y direction, is referred to as a width for convenience. In this case, the relationship between the width w1 of the guide member rear surface 742 and the width w2 of the guide member tip end surface 744 is w1>w2. For this reason, the separation distance between the guide member side surfaces 743 on both left and right sides of the guide member body 741 decreases as a whole in the Y direction. In this embodiment, the guide member side surface 743 has a shape that is bent roundly at a position close to the guide member front end surface 744, but the shape of the guide member side surface 743 is not limited to a specific one. . For example, the guide member side surface 743 may form a substantially straight line without being bent when viewed from above.

In this way, when the guide member body 741 is provided to have a predetermined volume, the distance through which the air discharged from the blowing unit 720 reaches the guide member side surface 743 is relatively short, and the air is transferred to the guide member side surface 743 ) To be able to move. Air moving along a certain wall is faster than moving without riding the wall, which is referred to as the Coanda effect. According to the Coanda effect, the airflow ejected by approaching a wall or ceiling surface has a tendency to adhere to the surface and flow. In this case, the attenuation of the velocity of the airflow is small compared to the free classification, and the reach is long. That is, the guide member 740 of the present embodiment has a structure to improve the nose and nose effect.

The width w1 of the guide member rear surface 742 is provided so that the rear of the guide member side surface 743 is close to the discharge port of the blowing unit 720, so that air can quickly reach the guide member side surface 743. In addition, since the width w2 of the guide member front end surface 744 is provided smaller than w1, the air moving along the guide member side surface 743 is intermediate between the plurality of blowing units 720 in the entire area of the heat exchanger 730. It guides you to easily reach the area corresponding to the area. As a result, air can be transmitted evenly when viewed as a whole of the heat exchanger 730.

Meanwhile, the guide member 740 may additionally have a pin 745 protruding toward the heat exchanger 730 on the guide member tip end surface 744. The fin 745 has an effect of preventing the two flows of air moving along the pair of guide member side surfaces 743 from causing a vortex between the guide member tip end surface 744 and the heat exchanger 730. If the guide member tip end surface 744 is very close to the heat exchanger 730, or the influence of the vortex occurring between the guide member tip end surface 744 and the heat exchanger 730 is not large, the guide member 740 It may not include pins 745.

20 is a perspective view showing a guiding member having a predetermined volume installed in the indoor unit.

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the guiding member of FIG. 20 viewed from above.

22 is a perspective view of FIG. 20.

As shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 22, the indoor unit 800 includes a main housing 810, a plurality of blowing units 820, a heat exchanger 830, and a guide member 840. The main housing 810, the plurality of blowing units 820, and the heat exchanger 830 are substantially the same as described in the previous embodiments.

The guide member 840 according to the present embodiment includes a guide member body 841 forming the body of the guide member 840. The guide member main body 841 has a guide member rear surface 842 that is one surface facing the blowing unit 820, a guide member front end surface 844 that is one surface facing the heat exchanger 830, and the guide member rear surface ( 842) and a pair of guide member side surfaces 843 disposed between the guide member front end surface 844.

The relationship between the width w3 of the guide member rear surface 842 and the width w4 of the guide member front end surface 844 is w3>w4, so that the distance between the guide member side surfaces 843 on both left and right sides of the guide member body 841 As the distance goes in the Y direction, the overall decreases. The guide member side surface 743 (see FIGS. 18 and 19) in the previous embodiment has a shape that is bent with a gentle curvature at a position close to the guide member front end surface 844, whereas the guide member side surface according to the present embodiment The 843 has a shape that is bent between the guide member rear surface 842 and the guide member front end surface 844.

23 is a plan view of a state in which the guide member of FIG. 20 includes a pin.

24 is a perspective view of FIG. 23.

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the guide member 940 includes a guide member body 941 forming the body of the guide member 940. The guide member body 941 includes a guide member rear surface 942, which is one surface facing the blowing unit, a guide member front end surface 944, which is one surface facing the heat exchanger, and a guide member rear surface 942 and a guide member front end surface. It has a pair of guide member side surfaces 943 disposed between 944. The guide member 940 of this embodiment basically has the same structure as the guide member 840 (see FIGS. 21 and 22) of the previous embodiment, but additionally includes a pin 945.

The fins 945 protrude toward the heat exchanger on the guide member front end surface 944 and extend along the plate surface of the heat exchanger. The fins 945 have an effect of preventing the two flows of air moving along the pair of guide member side surfaces 943 from generating eddy currents between the guide member front end surface 944 and the heat exchanger.

Hereinafter, when the guide member has the shape as shown in FIG. 10 and the shape shown in FIG. 18, the experimental results of the flow velocity shown in each of the cases will be described.

FIG. 25 is an exemplary diagram showing the distribution of flow velocity measured in the indoor unit including the guide member of FIG. 10 in color.

As shown in FIG. 25, in the indoor unit 1100 including a plurality of blowing units 1110, a heat exchanger 1120, and a guide member 1130, the flow velocity of each region on the surface of the heat exchanger 1120 Can be measured and expressed as a color distribution plot. This indoor unit 1100 is viewed through the indoor unit 1100 from the rear of the indoor unit 1100. The guide member 1130 is disposed in the intermediate region A3 between the plurality of blowing units 1110. In this color distribution diagram, the faster the flow rate, the closer to the red color, and the lower the flow rate, the closer to blue.

In the case of the indoor unit 1100 including the guide member 1130 having a relatively narrow width, blue, green, and yellow colors appear in the middle area A3, compared to a large amount of red in the area where the blowing unit 1110 is disposed. It can be seen that a lot appears. That is, it is shown in this color distribution that the flow velocity in the intermediate region A3 is relatively lower than the flow velocity in the region other than the intermediate region A3.

26 is an exemplary view showing, in color, distribution of flow velocity measured in an indoor unit including a guide member of FIG. 18.

As shown in FIG. 26, in the indoor unit 1200 including a plurality of blowing units 1210, a heat exchanger 1220, and a guide member 1230, the flow velocity of each region on the surface of the heat exchanger 1220 Can be measured and expressed as a color distribution plot. The guide member 1230 in this embodiment has a wider width compared to the guide member 1130 (see FIG. 18) in the previous embodiment.

Comparing the results of this embodiment with the results of the previous embodiment, it can be seen that in this embodiment, the blue, green, and yellow areas appearing in the middle area A4 are relatively small, and the red areas are increased. That is, by applying the guide member 1230 having a relatively large volume, the flow velocity of air blown to the region of the heat exchanger 1220 corresponding to the intermediate region A4 can be improved. However, the above embodiment may be effective when the width or internal space of the indoor unit is relatively narrow, and thus may be selectively applied according to the design of the indoor unit.

On the other hand, the guide member having a predetermined volume so as to utilize the Coanda effect is not necessarily disposed only in an intermediate region between the plurality of blowing units. Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the guide member is disposed at a position other than the intermediate region will be described.

27 is a plan view showing a state in which side guide members are disposed at both side ends of the front receiving portion of the indoor unit.

As shown in FIG. 27, the indoor unit 1300 includes a main housing 1310, a plurality of blowing units 1321 and 1322, a heat exchanger 1340, and a guide member 1340. The guide member 1340 is disposed in an intermediate region between the plurality of blowing units 1321 and 1322 in the front receiving portion. That is, in the drawing, when the first blowing unit 1321 is disposed on the left side of the rear receiving part and the second blowing unit 1322 is disposed on the right side, the guide member 1340 is the first blowing unit 1321 in the front receiving part. ) And is disposed on the left side of the second blowing unit 1322. The above configuration is substantially the same as in the previous embodiment.

Here, the indoor unit 1300 according to the present embodiment further includes one or more lateral guide members 1351 and 1352 which are respectively installed in the outermost regions on both sides of the front receiving part and provided to guide the flow of air. That is, the first side guide member 1351 extending along the direction of air movement from the main housing 1310 to the left side wall of the front receiving part, or the second side guide extending along the moving direction of the air at the right side wall of the front receiving part A member 1352 may be additionally installed. The side guide members 1351 and 1352 may be integrally formed with the main housing 1310, or may be coupled into the main housing 1310 as separate members.

Each side guide member 1351, 1352 is provided with a width of the rear portion close to the blowing units 1321, 1322 is wider than the width of the front portion close to the heat exchanger 1340. Alternatively, the width of the side guide members 1351 and 1352 decreases as it approaches the heat exchanger 1340. That is, the separation distance between the side surfaces of the front receiving portions to which the side guide members 1351 and 1352 are coupled and the side surfaces of the side guide members 1351 and 1352 in contact with air decreases as the heat exchanger 1340 approaches. Accordingly, the flow path of the air discharged from the blowing units 1321 and 1322 becomes wider as it approaches the heat exchanger 1340.

When the air discharged from each of the blowing units 1321 and 1322 contacts the side guide members 1351 and 1352, the air is attached to the side guide members 1351 and 1352 according to the Coanda effect and moves. As a result, the flow velocity at the left and right ends of the front receiving portion is improved.

400: indoor unit
421, 422: blowing unit
430: heat exchanger
440: guide member

Claims (12)

In the air conditioner,
A housing having a first accommodating portion and a second accommodating portion partitioned from each other,
A heat exchanger provided in the first receiving unit so as to extend in a direction parallel to the second receiving unit and configured to heat exchange the refrigerant delivered from the outdoor unit;
A first blowing unit and a second blowing unit provided in the second receiving unit along the extending direction of the heat exchanger, introducing air into the second receiving unit and discharging the introduced air to the first receiving unit, respectively; ,
It is provided in the first receiving portion so as to extend toward the heat exchanger from the second receiving portion between the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit, the second by the first blowing unit or the second blowing unit An air conditioner comprising a guide member having a guide surface for guiding a flow of air discharged from the receiving portion to the first receiving portion. The method of claim 1,
The guide member is an air conditioner in which a width of the second accommodating part is wider than that of the heat exchanger. The method of claim 1,
The guide member isolating the first receiving portion into two regions respectively corresponding to the first air blowing unit and the second air blowing unit, and has a pair of guide surfaces respectively provided on both sides to face the two regions. Air conditioner. The method of claim 1,
The guide surface is an air conditioner having a roundly bent shape. The method of claim 2,
The guide member further comprises a fin extending along a plate surface of the heat exchanger with a predetermined width toward the heat exchanger at a tip portion. The method of claim 1,
An air conditioner further comprising at least one side guide member installed on at least one of both side walls of the first receiving portion facing the guide member and configured to guide the flow of air. The method of claim 6,
An air conditioner in which the width of the side guide member becomes smaller as it approaches the heat exchanger. The method of claim 1,
Each of the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit includes a sirocco fan. The method of claim 1,
The heat exchanger is an air conditioner in which an upper edge with respect to an installation surface of the air conditioner is provided farther from the second receiving portion than a lower edge. The method of claim 9,
The guide member is an air conditioner having an upper extension length longer than a lower extension length with respect to the installation surface of the air conditioner. The method of claim 1,
An air conditioner provided with an uneven pattern on the guide surface. The method of claim 1,
The air conditioner is an air conditioner including a duct-type indoor unit.

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