WO2023159973A1

WO2023159973A1 - Vertical air conditioner indoor unit

Info

Publication number: WO2023159973A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/125405
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李英舒; 刘宏宝; 王晓刚; 王永涛
Original assignee: 青岛海尔空调器有限总公司; 青岛海尔空调电子有限公司; 海尔智家股份有限公司
Priority date: 2022-02-25
Filing date: 2022-10-14
Publication date: 2023-08-31
Also published as: CN116697458A

Abstract

A vertical air conditioner indoor unit, comprising: a housing, two air outlets arranged in a transverse direction of the housing being provided in a front side of the housing, and being configured to blow out an outgoing airflow; and two air guide cylinders, which are respectively rotatably arranged at the two air outlets, wherein the peripheral wall of each air guide cylinder comprises at least two ventilation sections and a wind shielding section, which are arranged in a circumferential direction of the air guide cylinder, and each air guide cylinder is configured to be rotated to a position where any ventilation section thereof is opposite the corresponding air outlet, so as to allow the outgoing airflow to flow into the air guide cylinder through the ventilation section and then be blown out through the remaining ventilation sections. The air supply adjustment mode of the air conditioner indoor unit of the present invention is more diversified, and thus the user experience is better.

Description

Vertical air conditioner indoor unit

technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of air conditioning, in particular to a vertical air conditioner indoor unit.

Background technique

With the development of the times and the advancement of technology, users not only expect faster cooling and heating speeds from air conditioners, but also pay more and more attention to the comfort performance of air conditioners.

The existing vertical air conditioner indoor unit is usually provided with one or more vertical strip-shaped air outlets on the front side of the casing, and the wind can be swung up and down and left and right through the air guiding device to expand the air supply angle.

On this basis, some existing technologies have made many improvements to the air outlet structure. However, due to the constraints of the orientation of the air outlet itself, the air supply direction, air supply range and air supply distance of the air conditioner are still greatly restricted, especially for refrigeration. It is difficult to solve the problem of cold wind blowing people from time to time, which affects the user experience.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above problems or at least partly solve the above problems, and provide a vertical air conditioner indoor unit with better air supply experience.

The purpose of the present invention is to enrich the air supply adjustment mode of the vertical air conditioner indoor unit.

In particular, the present invention provides an air conditioner indoor unit, which includes:

The front side of the casing is provided with two air outlets arranged along its transverse direction for blowing out the air flow; and

Two air guide tubes are rotatably arranged at the two air outlets respectively, and the peripheral wall of each of the air guide tubes includes at least two ventilation sections and a wind shielding section arranged along its circumferential direction; and

Each of the air guide tubes is configured to: be rotatable to a position where any one of the ventilation sections is opposite to the air outlet, so as to allow the outlet air to pass through the ventilation section and enter the air guide tube, It is then blown out through the rest of the ventilation section.

Optionally, each of the air outlets is inclined in a direction away from the casing laterally, so as to open obliquely forward; and

Each of the air outlets is provided with a movable guide plate for opening or blocking the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlets; and

Each of the air guide cylinders is configured to: when the guide plate blocks the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet, it can be rotated to a position where the wind shielding section covers the rest of the air outlet, so that all The air outlet is closed.

Optionally, the vertical air conditioner indoor unit is configured to allow the air outlet directions of the ventilation sections of the two air guide cylinders to hold an acute angle, so that the two airflows converge in front of the cabinet .

Optionally, each of the guide plates can be mounted on the casing in a forward and backward translational manner, so as to be retracted into the interior of the casing to open the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet, or to extend forward from the casing. The shell is used to open the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet.

Optionally, the vertical air conditioner indoor unit also includes:

an air duct, the opening of which is open at the front side, and whose two air duct walls respectively extend toward lateral sides; and

The partition is located in front of the central position of the opening of the air duct, so as to jointly define two air outlets with the air duct.

Optionally, the air guide tube is in the shape of a prism as a whole, and at least part of its side walls constitute the ventilation section and the wind-shielding section.

Optionally, the air guide tube is in the shape of a triangular prism as a whole, two of its three side walls constitute the two ventilation sections, and the other constitutes the wind shielding section.

Optionally, the air guide tube is in the shape of a regular triangular prism as a whole, and its rotation axis is parallel to the central axis of the triangular prism.

Optionally, each of the air guide tubes is configured to change the orientation of the ventilation section for air outlet by rotating to different angles.

Optionally, each of the ventilation sections is formed with a grille.

The indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner of the present invention is designed with two air outlets, and each air outlet is provided with a rotatable air guide cylinder, which can realize multiple air supply modes. The air guide tube has at least two ventilation sections. The air flow from the air outlet of the casing is not directly blown to the indoor environment, but first enters the air guide tube through a certain ventilation section, and after a short accumulation in the inner cavity of the air guide tube, Blow out through the other ventilation section of the air duct. In this way, different ventilation sections can be switched to face the air outlet by rotating the air guide tube, and different ventilation sections can be used to supply air to the room, finally achieving the purpose of changing the air supply effect. For example, different ventilation sections can have different parameters such as orientation and air outlet area when they are in the air supply position, so that the wind direction and air volume during air supply are different, and the structure is very novel and ingenious.

Furthermore, in the vertical air conditioner indoor unit of the present invention, the two air outlets are opened obliquely forward, so that the air outlet directions are more diverse. By rotating the air guide tube and translating the air guide plate, the air outlet direction is made to be forward, or laterally outward, or obliquely forward. Moreover, whether the two air outlets supply air and the direction of the air supply can also be independently controlled, so that the wind can follow the human body or avoid the human body according to needs, and the air supply modes are more diverse.

Further, in the indoor unit of the vertical air-conditioning strip of the present invention, the air guiding tube is made into a triangular prism, so that two of the three side walls constitute the two ventilation sections, and the other constitutes the windshield. The section can just realize the front air outlet, horizontal air outlet and oblique aggregate air supply, with a simple and ingenious structure.

Those skilled in the art will be more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention according to the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings designate the same or similar parts or parts. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the attached picture:

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner shown in Figure 1 with a horizontal section plane;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram when the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner shown in Fig. 2 is switched to the combined air supply mode;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram when the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner shown in Fig. 2 is switched to the horizontal air supply mode;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram when the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner shown in Fig. 2 is switched to the right side forward air supply mode;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram when the vertical air conditioner indoor unit shown in Fig. 2 is switched to the right side forward air supply mode.

Detailed ways

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in this invention without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 . Among them, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "horizontal", etc. are based on the The orientation or positional relationship is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, but does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the present invention .

The terms "first", "second", etc. are used for descriptive purposes only, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features, that is, include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined. When a feature "comprises or comprises" one or some of the features it encompasses, unless specifically stated otherwise, this indicates that other features are not excluded and that other features may be further included.

Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, terms such as "mounted", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and "coupled" should be interpreted in a broad sense, for example, it may be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, or Integrate; can be mechanically connected, can also be electrically connected; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediary, can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly defined . Those skilled in the art should be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to specific situations.

The invention provides a vertical air conditioner indoor unit. The indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner is the indoor part of the air conditioner, which is used to adjust the indoor air, such as cooling/heating, dehumidification, introducing fresh air, etc. The vertical air conditioner indoor unit can be a conventional floor-standing cabinet or a vertical wall-mounted unit.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the vertical air conditioner indoor unit shown in Fig. 1 with a horizontal section plane; 2 is a schematic diagram of the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner shown in Fig. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram when the vertical air conditioner indoor unit shown in Figure 2 is switched to the right forward air supply mode. It should be noted that each figure only shows some optional air supply modes of the present invention, and some air supply modes are not clearly listed and introduced.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 , the vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to the present invention may generally include a casing 10 and two air guide tubes 50 .

The front side of the casing 10 is provided with two

air outlets

11 , 12 arranged along its transverse direction, for blowing out the air flow. As shown in Figure 3, the air outlet 11 is the bg section, the air outlet 12 is the eh section, and the

air outlets

11 and 12 are open to the indoor environment. The horizontal direction here is the left-right direction marked in the figure. The casing 10 in the embodiment of the present invention not only includes the frame and panel for constituting the basic frame of the vertical air conditioner indoor unit, but also includes the internal air duct components. Please refer to FIG. 2 , the regulated airflow is produced in the casing 10 , and the regulated airflow can be the cold air produced by the indoor unit of the air conditioner in the cooling mode, or the hot air produced in the heating mode. Adjustment The air flow is guided by the air duct 20 and blows to the indoor environment through the two

air outlets

11 and 12 to complete the adjustment of the indoor environment, such as cooling, heating, etc.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , a heat exchanger 30 and a fan 40 may be disposed in the casing 10 . The casing 10 can be provided with an air inlet, and the heat exchanger 30 and the throttling device are connected with the compressor, the condenser and other refrigeration components installed in the outdoor unit of the air conditioner through pipelines to form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle system. Under the action of the fan 40, the indoor air enters the inside of the casing 10 through the air inlet, and after completing forced convection heat exchange with the heat exchanger 30, heat exchange air is formed and enters the air duct 20, and then passes through the air outlet 11 of the casing 10. , 12 Blow to the room to adjust the indoor air. The fan 40 is preferably a cross-flow fan whose axis is parallel to the length direction of the casing 10 , and is arranged at the inlet of the air duct 20 .

Two air guide cylinders 50 are rotatably arranged at the two

air outlets

11, 12 respectively, and the peripheral wall of each air guide cylinder 50 includes at least two

ventilation sections

52, 53 and a wind shielding area arranged along its circumferential direction. Paragraph 51. The air guide tube 50 is a hollow structure with a cavity inside. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the air guiding cylinder 50 can have only two

ventilation sections

52 , 53 . Of course, more ventilation sections can also be provided. The

ventilation sections

52 , 53 refer to sections through which airflow can enter and exit the air guide tube 50 , and the windshield section 51 refers to a solid section through which airflow cannot pass.

Each air guide tube 50 is configured to: be rotatable to a position where any

ventilation section

52, 53 is opposite to the

air outlet

11, 12, so as to allow the air to flow through the

ventilation section

52, 53 into the air guide tube 50 , and then blow out through the rest of the ventilation section and then to the indoor environment. It should be noted that "a certain ventilation section" is not a specific ventilation section. In this embodiment, all or at least part of (at least two)

ventilation sections

52, 53 can be used to face the

air outlets

11, 12. , and which

ventilation section

52, 53 is activated relative to the

air outlet

11, 12 is optional.

In this way, the airflow from the

air outlets

11 and 12 of the housing is not directly blown to the indoor environment, but first enters the air guide tube 50 through a

certain ventilation section

52, 53, and after a brief accumulation in the inner cavity of the air guide tube 50, it passes through The

other ventilation sections

52 , 53 of the air guide cylinder 50 are blown outwards. In this way,

different ventilation sections

52, 53 can be switched to face the

air outlets

11, 12 by rotating the air guide tube 50, and

different ventilation sections

52, 53 can be used to supply air to the room, and finally achieve the purpose of changing the air supply effect . For example,

different ventilation sections

52 and 53 can have different parameters such as orientation and air outlet area when they are in the air supply position, so that the wind direction and air volume during air supply are different, and the structure is very novel and ingenious.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the air guiding cylinder 50 can be made to include two

ventilation sections

52 , 53 , and as shown in FIG. 3 , the ventilation section 52 can be made to be opposite to the air outlet 12 for air intake. , the ventilation section 53 is used for air supply, and when the ventilation section 53 is used for air supply, the air supply direction is forward. When it is necessary to change the air supply direction, the air guide tube 50 can be rotated 120° counterclockwise to the state shown in FIG. When the section 52 is used for blowing air, the blowing direction is towards the left. It can be seen that the present embodiment changes the air supply direction by enabling different ventilation sections for air supply. Of course, the air outlet areas of the two

ventilation sections

52, 53 can also be made different, so that the air outlet volume can be changed by using

different ventilation sections

52, 53 for air supply.

As shown in FIG. 2 , each

ventilation section

52 , 53 is formed with a grille, so that the structure of the air guiding tube 50 is more stable and plays a protective role. The grating may comprise a plurality of parallel spaced grating bars. Each grill bar can be fixed to the main body of the air guide tube 50 . Of course, each grille bar can also be rotatably installed on the main body of the air guide tube 50, so as to rotatably open and close the grille and guide the air outlet direction of the grille. Of course, the

ventilation sections

52 , 53 can also be provided with conventional openings instead of grills, so that the airflow can flow into/out of the air guide tube 50 more smoothly.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , each

air outlet

11 , 12 can be inclined in a direction away from the casing 10 in a lateral direction, so as to open obliquely forward. That is, the

air outlets

11 and 12 on the left side are opened to the front left, and the

air outlets

11 and 12 on the right side are opened to the front right. Moreover, each

air outlet

11 , 12 is provided with a movable guide plate 60 for opening or blocking the lateral air outlet path of the

air outlet

11 , 12 . For example, for the air outlet 11 on the left side, making the guide plate 60 block the air outlet path of the air outlet 11 means that the guide plate 60 is blocked on the left side of the air outlet 11 so that the air cannot be discharged to the left. Opening the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet 11 refers to making the guide plate 60 open the left side of the air outlet 11 so that it can normally blow out the air to the left. Accordingly, the air conditioner can control whether the

air outlets

11 and 12 are laterally blown out by controlling the air deflector. The motor and the rack and pinion structure can be used to drive the guide plate 60 to translate forward and backward.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 3 , the vertical air conditioner indoor unit may include an air duct 20 and a partition 15 . The front side of the opening of the air channel 20 is open, and the two air channel walls extend toward two lateral sides respectively. Specifically, the two air channel walls are respectively the first air channel wall 21 and the second air channel wall 22 . The first air duct wall 21 includes a volute tongue section ac extending from the rear to the front and an expansion section cb extending transversely (to the left) from the front end thereof. The second air duct wall 22 includes a volute section df and an extension section fe extending laterally (to the right) from its front end. The partition 15 is located in front of the central position of the opening of the air duct 20 to jointly define two

air outlets

11 , 12 with the air duct 20 , and make the two

air outlets

11 , 12 open obliquely forward. The partition 15 may be a columnar structure with a thick convex curved back surface and a flat front surface.

Each air guide tube 50 is configured to: when the guide plate 60 blocks the horizontal air outlet path of the

air outlets

11, 12, it can be rotated to the position where the windshield section 51 blocks the rest of the

air outlets

11, 12, so that the

air outlets

11, 12 are closed, as shown in Figure 2. That is to say, the embodiment of the present invention can utilize the guide plate 60 and the air guide tube 50 to close the

air outlets

11, 12 together. When the air conditioner is shut down and running, the two

air outlets

11 and 12 can be closed to prevent impurities such as dust from entering the casing 10 .

Specifically, please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , each guide plate 60 can be installed on the casing 10 in a forward and backward translational manner, so as to retract back into the inside of the casing 10 to open the lateral air outlet paths of the

air outlets

11, 12, as shown in FIG. 4 ; or extend the casing 10 forward to open the horizontal air outlet path of the

air outlets

11, 12, as shown in Figure 2.

In some embodiments, the vertical air conditioner indoor unit may be configured with a human sensor to sense the position of the human body. When it is sensed that the human body is on the left side of the air conditioner, you can choose to close the air outlet 11 on the left side, as shown in Figure 5, to avoid the human body being blown by the wind and making the human body uncomfortable, especially in the cooling mode, it is easy to be blown directly by the wind Cause air conditioning disease.

When sensing that the human body is on the right side of the air conditioner, the air outlet 12 on the right side can be closed, as shown in Figure 5, to avoid the human body being blown by the wind and making the human body uncomfortable.

When it is sensed that the human body is located directly in front of the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner, the two guide plates 60 can be selected to be opened, and the two windshield sections 51 can be made to face forward, so as to allow the two

air outlets

11, 12 to blow air laterally , to avoid the human body, as shown in Figure 4.

In addition, the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner is configured to allow the air outlet directions of the

ventilation sections

52 and 53 for air outlet of the two air guide tubes 50 to hold an acute angle, so that the two airflows converge in front of the cabinet 10, as shown in the figure 3. That is to make the air outlet directions of the two

air outlets

11, 12 gradually approach each other during the forward flow process, so that the two airflows converge into one, making the wind force very strong, and the air supply distance is longer, which meets the requirements of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. Demand for long-distance air supply and strong air supply. When the human body sensor detects that the person is far away from the indoor unit of the vertical air conditioner, the two air guide tubes 50 can be rotated to run the combined air supply mode.

In some embodiments, each air guide cylinder 50 is configured to change the direction of the

ventilation sections

52 and 53 for air outlet by rotating to different angles. As shown in FIG. 3 , in order to achieve convergent air supply, the ventilation sections 53 of the two air guiding cylinders 50 are both deflected toward the transverse central direction to discharge air. As shown in FIG. 5 , the ventilation section 53 can be directed straight ahead. In short, by fine-tuning the air guiding direction of the air guiding tube 50, the air blowing modes can be further enriched.

In some embodiments, the air guide tube 50 can be made into a prism as a whole, and at least some of its side walls constitute the

ventilation sections

52 , 53 and the windshield section 51 . The prism has multiple side walls and two axial end walls. For example, a triangular prism has three side walls and a quadrangular prism has four side walls. At least some of the side walls form

ventilation sections

52 , 53 .

As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the air guiding tube 50 can be made into a triangular prism as a whole, and two of its three side walls (that is, the three sides of the triangular prism) form two

ventilation sections

52, 53. , and the other constitutes the windshield section 51, which can just realize

air outlet

11, 12 forward air outlet, horizontal air outlet and oblique aggregate air supply, and the structure is simple and ingenious.

In some alternative embodiments, the cylinder can also be a polygonal prism such as a quadrangular prism, a pentagonal prism, etc., so as to design

more ventilation sections

52, 53. Alternatively, the cylinder body can also be in the shape of a cylinder, an elliptical column, etc. Of course, the cylinder body can also be in other irregular shapes.

In some embodiments, the air guide tube 50 is made as a regular triangular prism as a whole, that is, the angle between any two adjacent side walls is 60°, and its rotation axis is parallel to the central axis of the triangular prism, so that the air guide tube 50 When the fixed axis rotates, each of its side walls can rotate to the position of closing the

air outlets

11,12.

It can be understood that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the air guide tube 50 does not need to be a triangular prism in a strict geometric sense. In the actual design and production process, the edges can also be rounded, and the sides can also be designed as non-planar surfaces, such as curved surfaces. Of course, the air guide tube 50 may also be in the shape of a square prism or a pentagonal prism. In addition, the wind guide tube 50 may be formed into a cylindrical shape or an elliptical cylindrical shape. Improvements such as these are easily understood and made by those skilled in the art, and will not be introduced here.

So far, those skilled in the art should appreciate that, although a number of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the disclosed embodiments of the present invention can still be used. Many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention are directly identified or derived from the content. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

A vertical air conditioner indoor unit, comprising:

The front side of the casing is provided with two air outlets arranged along its transverse direction for blowing out the air flow; and

Two air guide tubes are rotatably arranged at the two air outlets respectively, and the peripheral wall of each of the air guide tubes includes at least two ventilation sections and a wind shielding section arranged along its circumferential direction; and

Each of the air guide tubes is configured to: be rotatable to a position where any one of the ventilation sections is opposite to the air outlet, so as to allow the outlet air to pass through the ventilation section and enter the air guide tube, It is then blown out through the rest of the ventilation section.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein

Each of the air outlets is inclined in a direction away from the casing laterally so as to open obliquely forward; and

Each of the air outlets is provided with a movable guide plate for opening or blocking the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlets; and

Each of the air guide cylinders is configured to: when the guide plate blocks the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet, it can be rotated to a position where the wind shielding section covers the rest of the air outlet, so that all The air outlet is closed.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 2, wherein

The vertical air conditioner indoor unit is configured to allow the air outlet directions of the ventilation sections of the two air guide tubes to hold an acute angle, so that the two airflows converge in front of the cabinet.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein

Each of the guide plates can be installed on the casing in a forward and backward translational manner, so as to retract into the inside of the casing to open the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet, or to extend forward from the casing to open the air outlet. Describe the horizontal air outlet path of the air outlet.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to any one of claims 2-4, further comprising:

an air duct, the opening of which is open at the front side, and whose two air duct walls respectively extend toward lateral sides; and

The partition is located in front of the central position of the opening of the air duct, so as to jointly define two air outlets with the air duct.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein

The air guide tube is generally prism-shaped, and at least part of its side walls constitute the ventilation section and the wind-shielding section.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 6, wherein

The air guide tube is in the shape of a triangular prism as a whole, two of its three side walls constitute the two ventilation sections, and the other constitutes the wind-shielding section.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 7, wherein

The air guide tube is in the shape of a regular triangular prism as a whole, and its rotation axis is parallel to the central axis of the triangular prism.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein

Each of the air guide tubes is configured to change the orientation of the ventilation section for air outlet by rotating to different angles.
The vertical air conditioner indoor unit according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein

Each of the ventilation sections is formed with a grille.