AIR CONDITIONER
Technical Field
The .present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an indoor unit of an air conditioner. Background Art
In general, the air conditioner circulates cooled, or heated air in a room for comfortable conditioning of a room air. In the air conditioners, there are an integrated type in which components of a cooling cycle are integrated in one unit, and a separated type in which components of a cooling cycle are assembled into two units. In the separated type air conditioner, there are a wall mounting type in which the indoor unit is mounted on a wall, a floor mounting type in which the indoor unit is installed on a floor, and a ceiling type in which the indoor unit is hung from a ceiling, or install on the ceiling.
Of the separated type air conditioner, the present invention relates to the indoor unit of the wall mounting type air conditioner. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate perspective view and section of indoor units of wall mounting type air conditioners, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 1, the related art indoor unit of a wall mounting type air conditioner is provided with a main chassis 1 forming an outer shape, and mounted on a wall of a room, a front panel 3 fitted to a front face of the main chassis 1, a suction grill 5a in the front panel 3, a discharge grill 7 fitted to a bottom of the front panel 3, and a mounting plate 20 for mounting the main chassis on a wall of a room. The mounting plate 20 has many fastening projections 21 for inserting to a back surface of the main
chassis 1, and a plurality of supporting shelves 23. There is a display part 9 between the suction grill 5a and the discharge grill 7 for displaying the present operation state or indicating user's operation. In the meantime, there is a separate suction grill 5b in a top face of the main chassis 1 for drawing room air.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is a heat exchanger 11 in rear of the front panel 3 for heat exchange of room air, and there is a blower 13 in rear of the heat exchanger 11 for forced circulation of room air. There are a vane 17 and a louver 15 in rear of the discharge grill 7 for regulating discharge direction of the heat exchanged air. The vane 17 regulates a discharge direction of the heat exchanged air in up and down directions, and the louver 15 regulates a discharge direction of the heat exchanged air in left and right directions.
The operation of the indoor unit will be explained, briefly.
The room air is drawn into the main chassis 1 through the suction grill 5a, and 5b as the blower 13 is driven. Then, the room air is involved in heat exchange as the room air passes through the heat exchanger 11, and discharged through the discharge grill 7. The room air is discharged to a user' s desired direction by operating the vane 17 and louver 15.
However, the related art indoor unit of the wall mounting type air conditioner has the following problems.
First, the forward round bulge of the main chassis 1 and the front panel 3 have substantially great depth of the related art indoor unit, to occupy much room space and fail to provide a good look on the whole.
Second, positions of the suction grill 5a and the discharge grill 7 cause the air drawn into the indoor unit
and the air discharged from the indoor unit to interfere each other. That is, the positions both of the suction grill 5a and the discharge grill 7 in front part of the main chassis 1 cause frequent cases in which the air drawn for heat exchange and the heat exchanged air are mixed together. In this case, the heat exchanged air is drawn into the heat exchanger 11 through the suction grill 5a directly without being circulated through the room, leading the heat exchange efficiency poor. Third, since the suction grills 5a and 5b are opened always, foreign matters, such as dusts, enter into inside of the indoor unit through the suction grill.
Fourth, there has been a blind area right under the main chassis 1 caused by a structure of the discharge grill 7, to which no heat exchanged air is supplied properly. Of course, though the discharge direction of the heat exchanged air can be regulated by using the vane 17 or the louver 15, the direct supply of the heat exchanged air right under the main chassis 1 has been impossible. Disclosure of Invention
An object of the present invention, designed for solving the foregoing problems, lies on providing an air conditioner which can provide a slimmer look in a mounted state, and minimize a mounting space. Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner, in which air before and after heat exchange does not interfere.
Further object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner, which can prevent entrance of foreign matters .
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner, which can distribute heat exchanged air to a room uniformly.
To achieve the objects of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner including a main chassis having a front part, and a rear part in communication with the front part with a height smaller than the front part, a heat exchanger in the main chassis, for heat exchange of room air with a working fluid, a blower in the main chassis for forced circulation of the room air toward the heat exchanger, and a mounting plate fixed to a wall for supporting the main chassis. The front part is rectangular having a width greater than the same of the rear part, and the front part includes a suction part formed in a front surface thereof, and a discharge part formed in a bottom surface thereof.
The air conditioner further includes discharge means in the main chassis for moving in/out of the main chassis through the discharge part to open/close the discharge part selectively.
The discharge means includes a discharge housing rotatable around a rotating shaft in the vicinity of the discharge part in the main chassis having a part drawable to an outside of the main chassis through the discharge part depending on a direction of the rotation. The discharge means further includes a vane fitted to an inside of the discharge housing for regulating a discharge direction of the room air in up and down directions, and a louver fitted to an inside of the discharge housing for regulating a discharge direction of the room air in left and right directions. The discharge means further includes driving means for automatic rotation of the discharge housing, and the driving means is a motor connected to the rotation shaft of the discharge housing.
The air conditioner further includes a cover panel fitted to a front surface of the main chassis for
selective opening of the suction part.
The rear part is seated in a recess in the wall. For this, the rear part has a height smaller than a height of the recess for easy mounting of the rear part, the mounting plate includes a base plate having a form fit to the recess in the wall for close contact with the recess, a first supporting part extended from a top end of the base plate for insertion into the main chassis at first when coupled with the main chassis, and a second supporting part extended from a lower end of the base plate for insertion in the main chassis at the next time, and the main slot includes a first slot formed in an upper part between the front part and the rear part, for inserting the first supporting part, and a second slot formed in a lower part between the front part and the rear part, for inserting the second supporting part.
The first slot includes an insertion slot for providing a gap between the second supporting part and the second slot in a state the first supporting part is inserted therein, and a fixed slot having a depth lower than the insertion slot for fixing the first supporting part in a state the second supporting part is inserted in the second slot.
The air conditioner further comprising a damping mat fitted between the rear part and the mounting plate, for cutting off transmission of vibration and noise between the rear part and the mounting plate.
Thus, according to the present invention, since the main chassis is divided into the front part and the rear part, and the discharge housing is inserted in the main chassis, a depth of the indoor unit can be reduced, substantially. Particularly, in a case the rear part can be placed in a recess of a wall, a space occupied by the
indoor unit can be reduced, substantially. Along with this, the rectangular front part provides an elegant look.
According to the present invention, the cover panel provided between the suction part and the discharge part prevents interference between air before and after the heat exchange. Along with this, the selective opening of the suction part by the cover panel permits to minimize entrance of foreign matter.
According to the present invention, the discharge housing made drawable from the main chassis permits more unrestricted regulation of a discharge direction of the heat exchanged air, thereby minimizing the blind zone A' occurred right under the related art indoor unit.
The damping mat fitted between the main chassis and the mounting plate permits to cut off transmission of vibration and noise from the main chassis to the wall through the mounting plate. Brief Description of Drawings
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention:
In the drawings : FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a related art indoor unit of a wall mounting type air conditioner;
FIG. 2 illustrates a section of the indoor unit in FIG. 1 showing an operation;
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates a section of an indoor unit in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the
present invention, showing an example of mounting on a wall;
FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, with opened suction part and discharge part;
FIG. 6 illustrates a section of an indoor unit in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing another example of mounting on a wall;
FIG. 7 illustrates a section of an indoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 illustrates a section of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a state main chassis and mounting plate are separated; and,
FIGS. 9A - 9B illustrate sections of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the steps for mounting the air conditioner on a wall. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. An indoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 illustrates a section of an indoor unit in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,
showing an example of mounting on a wall.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the indoor unit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main chassis 100 forming an outer shape having a suction part 111 and discharge part 115, a heat exchanger 150 in the main chassis 100, for heat exchange of the room air drawn through the suction part 111 with a working fluid, a blower 160 in the main chassis 100 for forced circulation of the room air through the suction part 111 and the discharge part 115, discharge means movable into/out of the main chassis 100 for making selective opening of the discharge part, and a mounting plate 200 fixed to a wall of a room and fitted to the main chassis 100. The main chassis 100 has a front part 110 and a rear part 120 to be fitted to a wall of a room. The front part 110 and the rear part 120 are in communication, and the heat exchanger 150 and the blower 160 are provided through a space between the two. For fitting the main chassis 100, the mounting plate 200 has fastening projections 210 in an upper part and a lower part thereof, and the rear part 120 has fastening holes 123 in a back surface thereof for inserting the fastening projections 210. The front part 110, a rectangular shape with a height greater than a depth, has the suction part 111 in a front part, and the discharge part 115 in a bottom part. There is a front panel 140 in an upper part and a lower part of front part of the front part 110 excluding the suction part 111 for closing the inside space. The front panel 140 may be formed to close the front surface of the front part 110, while the suction part 110 is formed in the front panel 140.
The rear part 120 projected from a rear surface of the front part 110 has a height and a width smaller than the same of the front part 110. Therefore, when the rear part 120 is mounted on the wall of the room through the mounting plate 200, the front part 110 will be seen to the users mostly, such that the indoor unit appears slim on the whole.
The front part 110 and the rear part 120 may be members separable from each other, or a unit member. In the meantime, there may be additional suction parts 113, and 121 in top surfaces of the front part 110 and the rear part 120. In this instance, the heat exchanger 150 may be bent appropriately for the room air drawn through the front suction part 111, the top suction part 113, and the rear suction part 121. For smooth guidance of suction air flow, there may be suction grills 131, 133, and 135 fitted to the suction parts 111, 113, and 121.
There is a cover panel 180 in the front surface of the front part 110 for selective opening/closing of the front suction part 111. The cover panel 180, not only provides an elegant look, but also prevents entrance of foreign matter through the front suction part 111, and serves for preventing interference between the suction and discharge air. For this, the cover panel 180, formed of a flat member which can cover entire front suction part 111, has a lower end rotatably fitted to the main chassis 110, such that the cover panel 180 rotates around the lower end 181, to open and close the front suction part 111. In this instance, the cover panel 180 separates the front suction part 111 from the discharge part 115, and prevents the interference between the suction air and the discharge air. Of course, the cover panel 180 opens the front
suction part 111 only when the air conditioner is in operation. Though, the cover panel 180 may be operative manually, it is preferable that the cover panel 180 is operative automatically by means of a driving source, such as a motor.
There is a display part 190 on the cover panel 180 for displaying an operation state of the air conditioner. In general, considering that the indoor unit is mounted on the wall, the user looks the display part 190 more conveniently if the cover panel 180 is tilted to face down.
The discharge means selectively opens/closes the discharge part 115 as the discharge means rotates in a bottom of the front part 110. For this, there is a discharge housing 300 in the bottom of the front part 110 rotatably fitted so as to be drawable to an outside of the main chassis 100 through the discharge part 115 having a rotation center in the vicinity of the discharge part 115. The discharge housing 300 has an inlet 301 for entrance of the heat exchanged air, and an outlet 303 in communication with the room.
The discharge housing 300 has a fan shaped section, and includes the inlet 301 in a top surface, and the outlet 303 in a lower circumference. There is a rotation shaft 310 of the discharge housing 300 close to an apex. When the discharge housing 300 rotates in a clockwise direction around the rotation shaft 310 until the discharge housing 300 is in the main chassis 100 completely, the discharge part 115 is closed by the discharge housing 300. Opposite to this, when the discharge housing 300 rotates in a counter clockwise direction until the discharge housing 300 is drawn outside of the outlet 303, the discharge part 115 is opened. That is, the inside space of the main chassis 100 made to be in
communication with the room through the inlet 301 and the outlet 303.
In the discharge housing 300, there are a vane 307 for regulating up and down direction discharge of the heat exchanged air, and a louver 309 for left and right direction discharge of the heat exchanged air. There is an inlet grill 305 in the inlet 301 for smooth air flow.
There is a stopper 320 on an upper circumference of the discharge housing 300 for limiting a rotation angle of the discharge housing 300. Therefore, when the discharge housing 300 is rotated to some extent, the stopper 320 is caught at a bottom surface of the main chassis 100, in which state the discharge housing 300 can rotate no more.
Meanwhile, though the discharge housing 300 may be made to be rotated directly by the user, it is preferable that the discharge housing 300 is rotated automatically according to operation of the air conditioner. For this, there is driving means for automatic rotation of the discharge housing 300 fitted to the front part. The driving means is a motor 311 directly coupled to the rotating shaft 310 of the discharge housing 300 for generating a rotating force upon reception of power.
The unexplained reference symbol 170 denotes a flow guide for smooth air circulation in the main chassis 100. The operation of the indoor unit in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained.
When operation is started, the cover panel 180 rotates around the lower end 181, and, on the same time with this, power is provided to the motor 311, to rotate the discharge housing 300, as shown in FIG. 5. According to this, the front suction part 111 is opened by rotation of the cover panel 180, and the discharge part 115 is
opened by the rotation of the discharge housing 300. That is, an inside space of the main chassis 100 becomes to be in communication with the room through the inlet 201 and the outlet 203. Next, when power is provided to the blower 160, the room air is drawn toward the heat exchanger 150 side through the front suction part 111, the top suction part 113, and the rear suction part 121 by the blowing force of the blower 160. Then, the room air passes the heat exchanger 150 and makes heat exchange with a working fluid, and, in succession, flows to the discharge housing 200 through the inlet 201.
Then, the heat exchanged air is discharged into the room through the outlet 203 guided by the vane 207 and the louver 209. Since the discharge housing 200 is drawn down from the main chassis 100, the heat exchanged air can be discharged more uniformly than in the related art. In this instance, the blind area right under the related art indoor unit can be minimized. Meanwhile, if there is a recess in the wall for inserting the rear part 120 therein, the advantage of the present invention can be maximized. FIG. 6 illustrates a section of an indoor unit in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing another example of mounting of the indoor unit on a wall.
Referring to FIG. 6, there is a recess 30 in the wall fit to the rear part 120, in which the mounting plate 200 is fitted. A structure for coupling the rear part 120 to the mounting plate 200 is the same with the one in FIG. 4. Accordingly, when the rear part 120 is coupled to the mounting plate 200, the rear part 120 is inserted in the recess 30 completely, and, as a result, only the front part 110 is projected from the wall. In this instance, a
space occupied by the indoor unit is one the front part 110 occupies. Therefore, a part the user can see is only the front part 110, when the indoor unit looks slimmer. Moreover, when the rear part 120 is inserted in the recess 30, the discharge housing 300 comes closer to the wall, thereby reducing the blind area λA' right under the related art indoor unit, substantially.
However, the mounting of the main chassis 100 on the mounting plate 200 is somewhat difficult. That is, on inserting the rear part 120 into the recess 30, the fastening projections 210 and the inserting hole 123 are not in sight due to the front part 110, resulting in difficulty in inserting the fastening projections 210 into the inserting holes 123. Moreover, in view of a coupling structure of the main chassis 100 to the mounting plate 200, there is substantial moment on the fastening projections 210 due to a weight of the indoor unit, to cause gradual sagging of the main chassis 100.
For solving this problem, the present invention suggests an improved mounting structure for the main chassis 100. FIG. 7 illustrates a section of an indoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and -FIG. 8 illustrates a section of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a state main chassis and mounting plate are separated.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is identical to the foregoing description except a main chassis 100 mounting structure. Therefore, only the main chassis 100 mounting structure will be explained.
According to the second embodiment of the present invention, it can be known that the recess 30 has a height greater than a height of the rear part 120, for allowing a certain extent of up and down movement of the rear part 120, to make mounting of the main chassis 100 easier, which will be explained in detail.
The mounting plate 430 includes a base plate 431 fastened to the recess 30, and two supporting parts 435, and 436 extended from ends of the base plate 431 for coupling with the main chassis 100. The base plate 431 has a form fit to the recess 30 for close contact with the recess 30. The supporting parts 435 and 436 includes a first supporting part 435 extended a length from an end of an upper sloped surface 432 of the base plate 431, and a second supporting part 436 extended a length from the lower sloped surface 433 of the base plate 431. The first supporting part 435 is inserted to the main chassis 100 at first when the main chassis 100 is coupled with the mounting plate 430, and the second supporting part 436 is inserte to the main chassis 100 at the next time.
The first supporting part 435 is extended from the end of the upper sloped surface 432 in a vertical direction to a floor, and has an elasticity for moving in front and rear directions. The second supporting part 436 is extended from the lower sloped surface 433 to upward in an oblique direction.
The main chassis 100 has slots 410 and 420 in an upper part and a lower part for insertion to the first supporting part 435 and the second supporting part 436. That is, the first slot 410 is formed in the upper part between the front part 110 and the rear part 120 for inserting the first supporting part 435 therein, and the second slot 420 is formed in the lower part between the
front part 110 and the rear part 120 for inserting the second supporting part 436.
The first slot 410 has a step 412 to form two slots 411 and 413 of different depths. That is, the first slot 410 includes an insertion slot 411 a front deeper part for insertion of the first supporting part 435, and a fixing slot 413 in rear of the insertion slot 411 for insertion of the first supporting part 435 at the next time. For allowing insertion of the second supporting part 436 into the second slot 420 in a state the first supporting part 435 is inserted in the insertion slot 411, there is a gap provided between the second supporting part 436 and the second slot 420. The insertion slot 411 is formed downward in an oblique direction of the front part 110, for easy mounting of the main chassis 100 by allowing coupling of the main chassis 100 to the mounting plate 430 while the main chassis 100 is tilted a little. The second slot 420 is formed upward of the front part 110 in an oblique direction to fit to the second supporting part 436. Meanwhile, there is a damping mat 440 between the rear part 120 and the mounting plate 430, for cutting off transmission of vibration and noise occurred at the main chassis 100 to the wall through the mounting plate 430. The damping mat 440 is not required at the upper sloped surface 432 of the base plate 431, because the rear part 120 is not in contact with the upper sloped surface 432 once the main chassis 100 is coupled to the mounting plate 430, fully.
A process for mounting the main chassis 100 will be explained, in detail. FIGS. 9A - 9B illustrate sections of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the steps for mounting the air conditioner on a wall.
Referring to FIG. 9A - 9B, at first, after tilting the main chassis 100 to an angle such that a top surface thereof faces the wall, a top surface of the rear part 120 is inserted into the recess 30. On the same time with this, the first supporting part 435 is inserted in the first slot 410. In this instance, the first supporting part 435, elastically deformed by the slope of the main chassis 100, is inserted down to the insertion slot 411.
Next, as the main chassis 100 is turned in a λB' direction, the bottom surface of the rear part 120 is positioned in the recess 30. As a result, the top surface of the rear part 120 is brought into contact with the upper sloped surface 432 of the base plate 431. In this instance, the first supporting part 435 is still inserted in the insertion slot 411 as shown in FIG. 9B.
Next, the main chassis 100 is moved in a C direction until the bottom surface of the rear part 120 is brought into contact with the lower sloped surface 433 of the mounting plate 430. During this process, the second supporting part 436 is inserted in the second slot 420, and, on the same time with this, the first supporting part 435, restoring to an original position by the elastic force, moves to the fixing slot 413. Accordingly, the first supporting part 435 is fixed as the first supporting part 435 is brought into close contact with an inside surface of the fixing slot 413 as shown in FIG. 7. In this instance, as the bottom surface of the rear part 120 comes into close contact with the lower sloped surface of the mounting plate 430, the lower sloped surface 433 supports a weight of the indoor unit mostly, thereby reducing loads on the supporting parts 435 and 436.
Since the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the
present invention is identical to the first embodiment, explanation of which will be omitted.
As has been explained, the air conditioner of the present invention has the following advantages. According to the present invention, since the main chassis 100 is divided into the front part 110 and the rear part 120, and the discharge housing 300 is inserted in the main chassis 100, a depth of the indoor unit can be reduced, substantially. Particularly, in a case the rear part 120 can be placed in a recess 30 of a wall, a space occupied by the indoor unit can be reduced, substantially. Along with this, the rectangular front part 110 provides an elegant look.
According to the present invention, the cover panel 180 provided between the suction part 111 and the discharge part 115 prevents interference between air before and after the heat exchange. Along with this, the selective opening of the suction part 111 by the cover panel 180 permits to minimize entrance of foreign matter. According to the present invention, the discharge housing 300 made drawable from the main chassis 100 permits more unrestricted regulation of a discharge direction of the heat exchanged air, thereby minimizing the blind zone λA' occurred right under the related art indoor unit.
The present invention permits an easies mounting of the main chassis 100 on the mounting plate 430. Even if the rear part 120 is inserted in the recess 30, the service man can make the inserting process of the first supporting part 435 into the first slot 410 sure with his own eyes. In a state the first supporting part 435 is inserted in the first slot 410, the service man can finish mounting of the main chassis 100 only by turning the main
chassis 100 in direction and moving the main chassis 100.
The damping mat 440 fitted between the main chassis
100 and the mounting plate 430 permits to cut off transmission of vibration and noise from the main chassis 100 to the wall through the mounting plate 430.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the air conditioner of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Industrial Applicability The present invention provides an air conditioner which has an elegant look, and does not occupy much room space .
The present invention provides an air conditioner which can prevent interference between air before and after the heat exchange, thereby improving a heat exchange efficiency.
The present invention provides an air conditioner which can minimize entrance of various foreign matters in the room into the air conditioner. The present invention provides an air conditioner which permits an easy mounting of an indoor unit.
The present invention provides an air conditioner which can cut off transmission of various vibration and noise from the indoor unit to the wall. Finally, the present invention provides an air conditioner which permits more unrestricted regulation of a discharge direction of the heat exchanged air, thereby minimizing a blind area.