US20200340687A1

US20200340687A1 - Air duct machine

Info

Publication number: US20200340687A1
Application number: US16/960,401
Authority: US
Inventors: Xunzhi ZHU; Yuan Wang; Jiyi Zhang
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Air Conditioning Electric Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Air Conditioning Electric Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-19
Filing date: 2019-02-12
Publication date: 2020-10-29
Also published as: EP3748239A4; CN109631163A; EP3748239A1; WO2020124758A1

Abstract

An air duct machine including a cabinet, an electric control box, a heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan; the electric control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan are all disposed inside the cabinet, one of side panels of the cabinet is provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the electric control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the centrifugal fan. This improves the selectivity and flexibility of installation of the air duct machine, and facilitates maintenance. The air duct machine can have an ultra-thin design when installed in the ceiling or wall, so that the installation space is reduced. Moreover, the airflow direction will not change due to the change of the installation method.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of air conditioning, and particularly provides an air duct machine.

BACKGROUND

An air duct machine or ducted air conditioner is a type of air conditioner, and has the advantages of saving space, leaving no dead spots in sanitation, and requiring only a local ceiling. It is more aesthetically beautiful than wall-mounted air conditioners and cabinet air conditioners since the air duct machine is of a built-in type, in which only air vents (including a return air vent and an air outlet) are exposed to the outside.
In the related art, the air duct machines are mostly of an ultra-thin design; in order to reduce the depth of the ceiling, a structural design in which the return air vent is located on the side and the air outlet is located on a lower portion or both the return air vent and the air outlet are located on the lower portion is generally used. This design not only imposes limitations on the installation of the air duct machine, but also is adverse to the maintenance of the air duct machine.
Therefore, there is a need for a new air duct machine in the art to solve the above problems.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the above problems in the related art, namely, to solve the problems that the installation of existing air duct machines has limitations and the maintenance of the air duct machines is inconvenient, the present disclosure provides an air duct machine, wherein the air duct machine includes a cabinet, an electric control box, a heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan; the electric control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan are all disposed inside the cabinet, one of side panels of the cabinet is provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the electric control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the centrifugal fan.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the air outlet includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet, and the centrifugal fan includes a first centrifugal fan and a second centrifugal fan, wherein the first air outlet and the second air outlet are disposed on both sides of the return air vent respectively, the first centrifugal fan is disposed close to the first air outlet, and the second centrifugal fan is disposed close to the second air outlet.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the heat exchanger includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion connecting the first portion with the second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are disposed on both sides of the electric control box respectively, and the first portion, the second portion, the third portion and the return air vent together form an accommodation space capable of accommodating the electric control box.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the first portion and the third portion are disposed at a first included angle therebetween, the second portion and the third portion are disposed at a second included angle therebetween, and the degree of the first included angle is the same as the degree of the second included angle.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the first portion and the third portion are integrally provided.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the second portion and the third portion are integrally provided.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, a water receiving tray is provided in the cabinet at the bottom of the heat exchanger.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the water receiving tray is fixedly connected to an inner bottom wall of the cabinet.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, both the return air vent and the air outlet are disposed on a front side panel of the cabinet.
In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct machine, the cabinet is a sheet metal structural member.
It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in a preferred technical solution of the present disclosure, by disposing both the return air vent and the air outlet of the air duct machine on the same side panel of the cabinet, the air duct machine may be either installed on the ceiling, or embedded into the wall, or also flexibly integrated into the furniture, so as to provide greater selectivity and flexibility for the installation of the air duct machine and meet personalized and creative demands of users at home. Moreover, since both the return air vent and the air outlet are disposed on the same side panel of the cabinet, only one side of the air duct machine needs to be exposed to the outside; that is, air return, air discharge and maintenance of the air duct machine can all be performed on this side, which is convenient for the maintenance personnel during maintenance. In addition, the air duct machine of the present disclosure can have a smaller installation depth; for example, the air duct machine may have an ultra-thin design when installed in the ceiling, so that the installation space of the ceiling is reduced and the decoration cost is reduced. The installation space may also be saved during wall-embedded installation. Moreover, the airflow direction will not change due to the change of the installation method, so that compared with the existing technology in which the return air vent is located on the side and the air outlet is located on a lower portion or both the return air vent and the air outlet are located on the lower portion, more space is saved, user's demands on indoor space arrangement are met, and the user experience is improved.
Further, through the design of dual centrifugal fans and dual air outlets, the air duct machine of the present disclosure can also ensure the air output when designed very thin, meet the user's demands on use, and further improve the user experience.
Further, the electric control box is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger, that is, the air first passes through the electric control box before passing through the heat exchanger. With this arrangement, the condensation water will not be blown back to the electric control box, thereby ensuring the safety in using the electric control box and further improving the user experience.
Further, the condensation water may be sufficiently collected by the water receiving tray to prevent the condensation water from leaking downwards and accumulating in multiple places inside the cabinet, thereby avoiding affecting the normal operation of the air duct machine, and improving the safety of the operation of the air duct machine.
Further, the cabinet is a sheet metal structural member so that the manufacture of the cabinet is facilitated and the strength of the cabinet is ensured; therefore, the cabinet will not be easily damaged, and the structural strength and safety of the air duct machine in use are improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an external structure of an air duct machine according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the external structure of the air duct machine according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an internal structure of the air duct machine according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the internal structure of the air duct machine according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
It should be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, directional or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “center”, “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “rear”, “inner” and “outer” are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are merely used for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element involved must have a specific orientation, or be configured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore they should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. In addition, terms “first”, “second”, and “third” are only used for descriptive purposes, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
In addition, it should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, terms such as “dispose”, “install”, “connect” and “connection” should be understood in a broad sense, unless explicitly stated and defined otherwise; for example, they may indicate a fixed connection, a detachable connection or an integral connection, or may indicate a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; or may indicate a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure may be interpreted according to the specific circumstances.
In view of the problems mentioned in the background that the installation of existing air duct machines has limitations and the maintenance of the air duct machines is inconvenient, the present disclosure provides an air duct machine, which aims to improve the selectivity and flexibility of the installation of the air duct machine, facilitate the maintenance of the air duct machine, further save space, meet user's demands on use, and improve the user experience.
Specifically, the air duct machine includes a cabinet, an electric control box, a heat exchanger, and a centrifugal fan. The electric control box, the heat exchanger, and the centrifugal fan are all disposed inside the cabinet, one of side panels of the cabinet is provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the electric control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the centrifugal fan. There may be one or more air outlets, and correspondingly, there also may be one or more centrifugal fans. The adjustment and change of the number of the centrifugal fans and the number of the air outlets do not impose any limitation on the present disclosure, and are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. It should be pointed out that the number of the air outlets and the number of the centrifugal fans are preferably in a one-on-one correspondence, so that the air entering from the return air vent can be led out from different air outlets. In addition, the number of the return air vent may also be one or more than one, as long as air introduction can be realized through the return air vent. The cabinet includes a top panel, a bottom panel, and a plurality of side panels. The top panel and the bottom panel of the cabinet are connected by the plurality of side panels. Generally, the cabinet has four side panels, i.e., a front panel, a rear panel, a left panel, and a right panel. In practical applications, those skilled in the art may flexibly set the locations of the return air vent and the air outlet, as long as the return air vent and the air outlet are disposed on the same side panel. In the following, the technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described in combination with two embodiments respectively.

First Embodiment

In this embodiment, each of the number of the air outlets and the number of the centrifugal fans is one. In this case, the air outlet may be disposed on one side of the return air vent, and it is preferable to dispose the air outlet on the left side or right side of the return air vent. In this way, the air duct machine can have an ultra-thin design, which shortens the installation depth of the air duct machine, thereby facilitating the installation and arrangement of the air duct machine. With this structure, after the centrifugal fan is turned on, air can be sucked in from the return air vent, then it passes through the electric control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan in sequence, and finally is blown out from the air outlet. Preferably, a water receiving tray is disposed in the cabinet and below the heat exchanger. The condensation water can be collected by the water receiving tray, and the heat exchanger can be fixed to an inner bottom wall of the cabinet.
In the first embodiment, the heat exchanger may be set to have a “-” shape, an arc shape, or a two-folded segment shape (such as an “L” shape or a “V” shape), and in practical applications, those skilled in the art may flexibly set the specific shape of the heat exchanger, as long as the air entering from the return air vent can fully contact various portions of the heat exchanger and therefore heat exchange can be realized.

Second Embodiment

In this embodiment, each of the number of the air outlets and the number of the centrifugal fans is two. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the air outlets in the front panel of the cabinet 1 include a first air outlet 11 and a second air outlet 12, and the centrifugal fans include a first centrifugal fan 2 and a second centrifugal fan 3, wherein the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 12 are disposed on both sides of the return air vent 13 respectively, the first centrifugal fan 2 is disposed close to the first air outlet 11, and the second centrifugal fan 3 is disposed close to the second air outlet 12. The first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 12 are preferably disposed on the left side and the right side of the return air vent 13, so that the air duct machine can have an ultra-thin design and the air can be output from two positions, thereby shortening the installation depth of the air duct machine and meeting user's demands on use. With this structure, after the first centrifugal fan 2 and the second centrifugal fan 3 are turned on, the first centrifugal fan 2 can guide a part of the air entering from the return air vent 13 to the first air outlet 11 through the heat exchanger 4, and the second centrifugal fan 3 can guide another part of the air entering from the return air vent 13 to the second air outlet 12 through the heat exchanger 4, so as to realize simultaneous output of the air from the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 12. Preferably, similarly to the first embodiment, a water receiving tray is disposed in the cabinet 1 and below the heat exchanger 4. The condensation water can be collected by the water receiving tray, and the heat exchanger 4 can be fixed to an inner bottom wall of the cabinet 1.
In the second embodiment, the heat exchanger 4 may be set to have a semi-circular shape, an arc shape, or a three-folded segment shape, etc. In practical applications, those skilled in the art may flexibly set the specific shape of the heat exchanger 4, as long as the air entering from the return air vent 13 can fully contact various portions of the heat exchanger 4 and therefore heat exchange can be realized. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat exchanger 4 preferably includes a first portion 41, a second portion 42, and a third portion 43 connecting the first portion 41 with the second portion 42. The first portion 41 and the second portion 42 are disposed on both sides of the electric control box 5 respectively, and the first portion 41, the second portion 42, the third portion 43 and the return air vent 13 together form an accommodation space capable of accommodating the electric control box 5. With this arrangement, the heat exchanger 4 has a three-folded segment shape, so that the air entering from the return air vent 13 can fully contact the heat exchanger 4 under the action of the first centrifugal fan 2 and the second centrifugal fan 3. In this structure, it is preferable that the first portion 41 and the third portion 43 are disposed at a first included angle therebetween, the second portion 42 and the third portion 43 are disposed at a second included angle therebetween, and the degree of the first included angle is the same as the degree of the second included angle. For example, each of the first included angle and the second included angle is set as an obtuse angle, so that the heat exchanger 4 and the air outlet enclose an accommodation space with a trapezoidal horizontal section, thereby facilitating the accommodation of the electric control box 5. It should be noted that the first portion 41 and the third portion 43 are integrally provided, and the second portion 42 and the third portion 43 are also integrally provided so that the heat exchanger 4 can be manufactured in one piece. In addition, by providing two fans, i.e., the first centrifugal fan 2 and the second centrifugal fan 3, in case of failure of one of the centrifugal fans, the other centrifugal fan can continue to operate; that is, instead of outputting air from two air outlets, air is output from a single air outlet, so that the air duct machine can continue to operate. In addition, by applying corresponding control logics to the two centrifugal fans, the versatility of the air duct machine can also be achieved. For example, the air duct machine can be flexibly switched among no air output, single-outlet air output and dual-outlet air output. The improvement of the product structure does not impose any limitation on the present disclosure, and should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
Preferably, in the present disclosure, the cabinet 1 is preferably a sheet metal structural member. Of course, the cabinet 1 may also be made of other structural members. Those skilled in the art can flexibly set the structure and material of the cabinet 1 in practical applications, as long as components such as the electric control box 5, the heat exchanger 4, and the centrifugal fan can be accommodated and installed through the cabinet 1. In addition, an outer side of the cabinet 1 may also be provided with connection structures such as lugs, screw holes and/or hooks so as to facilitate installing the cabinet 1 into the ceiling or embedding the cabinet 1 into the wall or furniture.
Heretofore, the technical solutions of the present disclosure have been described in connection with the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, but it can be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present disclosure is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to the related technical features without departing from the principle of the present disclosure. The technical solutions after the modification or replacement will fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. An air duct machine, comprising: a cabinet, an electric control box, a heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan;

wherein the electric control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan are all disposed inside the cabinet, a side panel of the cabinet is provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the electric control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the centrifugal fan.

12. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein the air outlet comprises a first air outlet and a second air outlet, the centrifugal fan comprises a first centrifugal fan and a second centrifugal fan, the first air outlet and the second air outlet are disposed on both sides of the return air vent respectively, the first centrifugal fan is disposed close to the first air outlet, and the second centrifugal fan is disposed close to the second air outlet.

13. The air duct machine according to claim 12, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion connecting the first portion with the second portion, the first portion and the second portion are disposed on both sides of the electric control box respectively, and the first portion, the second portion, the third portion and the return air vent together form an accommodation space capable of accommodating the electric control box.

14. The air duct machine according to claim 13, wherein the first portion and the third portion are disposed at a first included angle therebetween, the second portion and the third portion are disposed at a second included angle therebetween, and the degree of the first included angle is the same as the degree of the second included angle.

15. The air duct machine according to claim 13, wherein the first portion and the third portion are integrally provided.

16. The air duct machine according to claim 13, wherein the second portion and the third portion are integrally provided.

17. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein a water receiving tray is provided in the cabinet at the bottom of the heat exchanger.

18. The air duct machine according to claim 17, wherein the water receiving tray is fixedly connected to an inner bottom wall of the cabinet.

19. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein both the return air vent and the air outlet are disposed on a front side panel of the cabinet.

20. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein the cabinet is a sheet metal structural member.