WO2010047440A1

WO2010047440A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: WO2010047440A1
Application number: PCT/KR2009/000012
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seen-Chul Jung; Jae-Hun Jung; Jin-Myeong Cho
Original assignee: Lg Electronics Inc.
Priority date: 2008-10-21
Filing date: 2009-01-02
Publication date: 2010-04-29
Also published as: KR101503928B1; CN101726083A; KR20100043999A; CN101726083B

Abstract

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner. With the present invention, there are advantages that a plurality of wirings lead-in into the inside of the indoor unit and the wiring work into the inside of the indoor unit is smoothly performed.

Description

AIR CONDITIONER

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

In general, an air conditioner is an electric home appliance that keeps the room cool or heat through a heat-exchange between coolant and air.

The air conditioner may be divided into a separated air conditioner in which an indoor unit is separated form an outdoor unit and an integrated air conditioner in which an indoor unit is integrated with an outdoor unit. And, the indoor unit may be divided into a flow mounted indoor unit to be installed on a floor surface of an installation space and a wall mounted indoor unit to be attached to a wall.

Also, an heat exchanger, a blow fan inhaling room air and a filter filtering the inhaled air are mounted on the wall mounted indoor unit. And, a centrifugal fan or a crossflow fan is applied to the blow fan.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that smoothly performs a wiring work in an inside the indoor unit and neatly arranges the inside of the indoor unit by shielding a side end of a heat-exchanger.

In order to accomplish the objects, according to an embodiment of the present, there is provided an air conditioner comprising: a chassis; a fan assembly mounted on a front part of the chassis; a heat-exchanger provided to a front part of the fan assembly; a control box mounted on the chassis and installed on a certain spot spaced from a side end of the heat-exchanger; and a wire cover shielding space between the heat-exchanger and the control box to hide a coolant pipe or wires.

With the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention constituted as described above, the coolant pipe projected on the side surface of the heat-exchanger and various wires connected to the control box are covered by the wire cover, having an effect that the inside of the indoor unit is neatly arranged.

Also, a separate wire guide is formed on a lower end of the fan motor cover, having effects that a wiring job is conveniently performed from the rear of the indoor unit to the front thereof, and wirings are neatly arranged.

Also, the cover member covering the terminal block mounted on the inside of the indoor unit is formed in a monolith, having an effect that the cover member can be easily detached at the time of service work.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an external appearance perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a discharge grill unit constituting an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a control box mounting part of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wire cover according to an embodiment of the present invention seen from left side;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the wire cover;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fan motor cover of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a control box according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a cover structure of a control box.

Referring to FIG. 1, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chassis 11 forming a rear external appearance, a front panel coupled to the front part of the chassis 11 to form a front external appearance, and a center frame 13 interposed between the chassis 11 and the front panel 12 and having inlets on its upper surface. And, a fan assembly (not shown) inhaling and discharging room air and a heat-exchanger 40 (see FIG. 3) performing heat-exchange of the room air inhaled by the fan assembly with coolant are mounted inside the indoor 1. And, a signal receiving part 14 is provided on the front surface of the front panel 12 to receive an operation command signal output from a remote controller. And, an air outlet is provided on a lower surface side of the indoor unit 1.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a discharge grill unit constituting an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the discharge grill unit 20 is mounted on an outlet side of the indoor unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, making it possible to allow the discharged air to be widely discharged rightward and leftward.

More specifically, an outlet 202 is formed on the discharge grill unit 26, and a heat-exchanger seating part 201 is formed on the upper surface thereof. The heat-exchanger seating part 201, which is a portion to support a lower end of the heat-exchanger, is portion to function as a drain pan for collecting condensate generated on the surface of the heat-exchanger. Therefore, the heat-exchange seating part 201 may be referred to as a drain pan. And, a plurality of louver mounting holes 203 are formed on the bottom surface of the outlet 202.

Also, the outlet 202 is selectively shielded by a sub vane 19 and a main vane 18. More specifically,

rotation shafts

181 and 191 are projected on both ends of the main vane 18 and the sub vane 19, respectively. In particular, the rotation shaft 181 of the main vane 18 is projected on the lower end and the rotation shaft 191 of the sub vane 19 is projected on the upper end. Therefore, the main vane 18 and the sub vane 19 form a structure that they rotate in an opposite direction to each other. Here, the rotation in the opposite direction means that two vanes rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively, seen from the indoor unit 1 side.

Meanwhile, insertion holes into which the rotation shafts 181 and 191 are inserted will be formed on the side surface of the discharge grill unit 20. And, a main vane motor 30 and a sub vane motor 29 each connected to the rotation shafts of the main vane 18 and the sub vane 19 are mounted on the side surface of the discharge grill unit 20, respectively.

Also, vane link connection ends 182 are further formed on both side ends of the man vane 18, and the vane link connection ends 182 are formed on certain spots spaced from the rotation shaft 181. And, one end of the vane link 31 is connected to the rotation shaft of the main vane motor 30, and the other end of the vane link 31 is connected to the vane link connection end 182.

Also, a louver assembly guiding outlets of air rightward and leftward is further included in the discharge grill unit 20.

More specifically, the louver assembly includes a louver motor 28, a louver driving bar 27 connected to a rotation shaft of the louver motor 28, and a plurality of louvers 26 arranged at a predetermined interval. And, the plurality of louvers 26 are positioned on the outlet 202 of the discharge grill unit 20. All of the respective plurality of louvers 26 are connected to the louver driving bar 27 and the louver mounting hole 203.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a control box mounting part of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a heat-exchanger 40 is mounted in front of the chassis 11 constituting the indoor unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a control box 31 is seated on an edge region of one side of the heat-exchanger 40.

More specifically, a bending part of a coolant pipe bent in a U shape is projected on the edge portion of the heat-exchanger 40. And, a plurality of electric wires connected to the control box 31 are arranged around the bending part. Therefore, if the front surface of the indoor unit 1 is opened by rotating the front panel 12, the edge portion of the heat-exchanger 40 on the side where the control box 31 is seated is exposed to the external as it is. Then, it fails to give a neat impression in view of external appearance due to the electric wires and bending parts of the coolant pipe. In order to complement such a disadvantage, the space between the control box 31 and the edge of the heat-exchanger 40 may be shielded by a wire cover 34.

Also, the upper surface of the control box 31 is covered by a box cover 32 made of metal, and a terminal block 33 and a fan motor cover 35 are mounted on the upper surface of the box cover 32. And, an electric wire guide structure is formed on the lower side of the fan motor cover 35.

Hereinafter, the constitutions and functions of the wire cover 34, the fan motor cover 35 and the means for shielding the terminal block 33 will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wire cover according to an embodiment of the present invention seen from left side, and FIG. 5 is a right side view of the wire cover;

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the wire cover 34 according to an embodiment of the present invention completely shields a bending part of the pipe of the heat-exchanger 40, wherein the wire cover 34 is formed having a size that space between a side end of the heat-exchanger 40 and the control box 31 is completely shielded.

More specifically, pipe hooking ends 341 are formed on one side surface parts of the wire cover 34, specifically, on upper end and lower end of the left side surface part. The pipe hooking ends 341 may be formed to be round so that the bending part of the pipe can be fit therein. The pipe of the heat-exchanger 49 is fit in the pipe hooking ends 341 so that the wire cover 34 can be easily mounted. And, the pipe hooking ends 341 are formed in an upper end direction and a lower end direction of the wire cover 34, respectively, having an advantage that it is not shaken in a state where the wire cover 34 is mounted.

Also, a coupling part 342 is formed on a right side surface part of the wire cover 34. The coupling part 342 is a coupling member penetration hole for allowing the wire cover 34 to be coupled in the fan motor cover 35.

The separate wire cover 34 is seated between the heat-exchanger 40 and the control box 31 as described above, a phenomenon that the heat-exchanger pipes and various electric wires are exposed to the external is prevented, having an effect that the inside of the indoor unit is neatly processed. Furthermore, there is an effect to prevent a phenomenon that the condensate formed on surface of the heat-exchanger 40 is scattered to be permeated towards the control box 31 or to be flowed down to the outside of the indoor unit 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fan motor cover of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a coupling boss 353 is projected on the front surface of the fan motor cover 35 of the indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and wherein a hole for inserting a coupling member such as a screw is formed on the coupling boss 353. And, a coupling means penetrating through the coupling part 342 of the wire cover 34 is inserted into the coupling boss 353, such that the wire cover 34 can be fixingly mounted to the fan motor cover 35.

Also, an electric wire guide means is provide on the lower end of the fan motor cover 35. More specifically, the electric wire guide means may be a wire guide 351 in which a wire penetration hole 352 is formed. The electric wire extended from the control box 31 to be connected to the main vane motor 30, the sub vane motor 29 and the louver driving motor 28 passes through the wire penetration hole 352. Furthermore, the electric wire connected to the control box 31 or the terminal block 33 also passes through the wire penetration hole 352. In the prior art, there has been no guide means for guiding wiring of such electric wires, such that the electric wires have been disorderly arranged. Therefore, it has caused a phenomenon that the electric wires are caught by other structure so that their coverings are peeled away or are entangled with each other. Furthermore, a work leading-in the electric wires from the outside of the indoor unit 1 has been very inconveniently performed during the product assembly process. However, with the electric wire guide means according to the present invention, a plurality of electric wires can be neatly arranged and furthermore, the leading-in work of the electric wires can be very easily performed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a control box according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a cover structure of a control box.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a box cover 32 is seated on an upper side of the control box 31 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the box cover 32 is formed of metal to block fire from being spread to the outside of the control box in the event of a fire. And, a terminal block 33 is seated on the upper side of the box cover 32, and the terminal block 33 is protected by a terminal block cover 36 formed of metal. And, a service cover 37 is coupled to the upper surface of the block cover 36, and a handle 371 is formed on one side of the front surface part of the service cover 37.

In the prior art, the terminal block cover 36 and the service cover 37 are assembled in a state where they are separated from each other. Therefore, in order for a service man to check the inside of the terminal block 36 or the control box 31, he must have opened the service cover 37 and then have separated the terminal block cover 36. However, in the present invention, the service cover 38 is integrated with the terminal block cover 36. Therefore, the terminal block 33 is exposed to the external through one time operation that a user or a service man grabs and pulls the handle 371 of the service cover 37. Therefore, there is an advantage that a service work is easily performed.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptions and specific embodiments disclosed in the foregoing description may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other embodiments for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that such equivalent embodiments do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

An air conditioner comprising:

a chassis;

a fan assembly mounted on a front part of the chassis;

a heat-exchanger provided to a front part of the fan assembly;

a control box mounted on the chassis and installed on a certain spot spaced from a side end of the heat-exchanger; and

a wire cover shielding space between the heat-exchanger and the control box to hide a coolant pipe or wires.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein pipe hooking ends to be coupled to the a pipe of the heat-exchanger are formed on one side surface of the wire cover, and ends of the pipe hooking ends are recessed or bent in a shape that surrounds an outer surface of the pipe.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a discharge grill unit coupled to a lower side of the heat-exchanger and having an air outlet; and

a fan motor cover covering a fan motor driving the fan assembly,

wherein a wire guide guiding electric wires lead-in from the rear of the discharge grill unit is formed on a lower end of the fan motor cover.
The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the wire guide is extended in a front to rear direction along the space defined between the fan motor cover and the discharge grill unit, and have a wire penetration hole formed therein.
The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein one side surface of the wire cover is connected to a pipe of the heat-exchanger, and the other side surface thereof is coupled to the fan motor cover.
The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein a coupling part having a coupling hole is formed on the other side surface of the wire cover, and a coupling boss for inserting a coupling member which penetrates the coupling hole is projected on the upper surface of fan motor cover.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a terminal block for connecting wires, which is installed on the upper surface of the control box,

wherein the terminal block is shielded by a cover member so that the exposure of the terminal block is blocked off.
The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the cover member includes a terminal block cover surrounding the terminal block and a service cover integrally coupled with the terminal block cover.
The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein a handle is provided on the front surface of the service cover so that the service cover and the terminal block cover are integrally separated from the control box.