Air conditioner indoor unit

By using two axial fans and two air outlets in the air conditioning indoor unit and using a controllable air outlet structure, the problems of limited air supply range and fixed mode of the existing air conditioning indoor unit are solved, achieving more efficient and Flexible air supply effect meets user comfort and aesthetic needs.

CN110864368BActive Publication Date: 2025-02-18QINGDAO HAIER AIR CONDITIONER GENERAL CORP LTD +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN201810943490.7
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2018-08-17
Publication Date
2025-02-18
Estimated Expiration
2038-08-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The air supply range of existing wall-mounted air conditioners is limited and the air supply mode is fixed, making it difficult to meet the user's comfort and diversity needs.

Method used

An air-conditioning indoor unit is designed, using two axial fans and two air outlets, and the air supply range and efficiency are adjusted through a controllable air outlet structure to meet the needs of different operating modes.

Benefits of technology

It improves the air supply effect and efficiency of indoor units, meets users' higher comfort and aesthetic needs, and achieves a more flexible air supply mode through the controllable air outlet duct structure.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention provides an air-conditioning indoor unit, comprising a shell having an air inlet area and upper and lower air outlets distributed up and down, and two axial-flow fans located in a accommodating space within the shell. Compared with a traditional air-conditioning indoor unit having one air outlet and one air supply fan, the present invention adopts two air outlets and two axial-flow fans of relatively small sizes, which can improve the aesthetics of the indoor unit and reduce the overall volume and thickness of the air-conditioning indoor unit. In addition, the operation of different axial-flow fans can be controlled separately according to different operating modes of the air-conditioning indoor unit, thereby improving the cooling and heating experience.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular to an indoor unit of an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] The existing wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit generally uses a cross-flow fan and a bent heat exchanger to supply air to an air outlet. The air supply range is limited, the air supply mode is fixed and inflexible, and it is difficult to meet the comfort and diversity needs of users. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner indoor unit that overcomes the above problems or at least partially solves the above problems.

[0004] A further object of the present invention is to improve the air supply effect and air supply efficiency of the indoor unit.

[0005] The present invention provides an air conditioner indoor unit, comprising:

[0006] A housing, the housing having an air inlet area, an upper air outlet located at an upper front portion of the housing, and a lower air outlet located at a lower front portion of the housing;

[0007] Two axial flow fans are arranged in the accommodating space inside the shell, one of the axial flow fans is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the upper air outlet, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the upper air outlet, and the other axial flow fan is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the lower air outlet, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the lower air outlet.

[0008] Optionally, one of the axial flow fans is located above the other axial flow fan;

[0009] The upper axial flow fan is located behind the upper air outlet and is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the upper air outlet. The lower axial flow fan is located behind the lower air outlet and is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the lower air outlet.

[0010] Optionally, there are two air inlet areas, and the two air inlet areas are respectively formed on two lateral sides of the shell;

[0011] The axial flow fan is configured to rotate about an axis extending forward and backward to cause air flow to flow forward;

[0012] The axial flow fan is spaced apart from the rear wall of the housing to form a space for air flow.

[0013] Optionally, the projection of the housing on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the axial flow fan is circular.

[0014] Optionally, the upper air outlet and the lower air outlet are symmetrically distributed relative to the transverse center line of the shell;

[0015] The two axial flow fans are symmetrically distributed relative to the transverse center line of the shell.

[0016] Optionally, the air conditioner indoor unit further includes:

[0017] Two heat exchangers, the two heat exchangers correspond to the two air inlet areas one by one, and the two heat exchangers are respectively located at the inner sides of the corresponding air inlet areas to exchange heat with the airflow entering from the corresponding air inlet areas.

[0018] Optionally, the upper air outlet and the lower air outlet are recorded as two air outlets of an indoor unit of the air conditioner;

[0019] The air conditioner indoor unit also includes two air outlet ducts extending forward and backward, one of which is located above the other air outlet duct, the upper air outlet duct corresponds to the upper air outlet and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fan housing of the axial flow fan located above, and the lower air outlet duct corresponds to the lower air outlet and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fan housing of the axial flow fan located below, so that the heat exchange air flows through the axial flow fan into the corresponding air outlet duct;

[0020] Each air outlet pipe is configured to be controllably movable in the front-to-rear direction between a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet and a position retracted into the corresponding air outlet;

[0021] Each air outlet pipe includes an outer pipe extending forward and backward and a first inner pipe connected to the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe and extending from the back to the front in a gradually expanding manner to protrude from the front side of the outer pipe, the air inlet end of the first inner pipe is located in the outer pipe near the front end, and a first spacing space is formed between the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe and the outer peripheral wall of the first inner pipe;

[0022] When the air outlet pipe retracts to the position in the corresponding air outlet, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner pipe abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding air outlet to close the first interval space, so that the airflow is blown out from the first inner pipe only toward the front side;

[0023] When the air outlet pipe is located at a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner tube protrudes from the front side of the corresponding air outlet to expose the first interval space, so that part of the air flow is blown out from the first interval space to the front side, and part of the air flow is blown out from the first inner tube to the front side.

[0024] Optionally, each air outlet pipe also includes a second inner tube, which extends gradually from back to front in the corresponding first inner tube, and a second spacing space is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube and the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding first inner tube to facilitate airflow to pass through.

[0025] Optionally, the inner peripheral wall of the outer tube includes a rear wall section and a front wall section which are sequentially connected in a direction from the air inlet end to the air outlet end of the outer tube, and the air inlet end of the first inner tube is located in a space formed by the front wall section to form a first spacing space between the front wall section and the outer peripheral wall of the first inner tube;

[0026] The rear wall section is a hollow truncated cone that gradually expands forward from the air inlet end of the outer tube, and the front wall section is a hollow truncated cone that gradually expands from the position connected to the rear wall section toward the air outlet end of the outer tube; and

[0027] The taper angle of the rear wall section is greater than the taper angle of the front wall section.

[0028] Optionally, the first inner tube is in the shape of a hollow truncated cone with uniform wall thickness and gradually expanding from its air inlet end to its air outlet end, and the cone angle of the first inner tube is greater than the cone angle of the front wall section;

[0029] The outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the back to the front, and the inner peripheral wall of the second inner tube is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the air inlet end of the second inner tube to the air outlet end, and the cone angle of the inner peripheral wall of the second inner tube is greater than the cone angle of the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube; and the cone angle of the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is equal to the cone angle of the front wall section.

[0030] The air-conditioning indoor unit of the present invention has two air outlets distributed up and down on the front side, which avoids the visual abruptness brought by one air outlet, making the overall appearance of the indoor unit more harmonious and beautiful, and meeting the user's higher aesthetic needs; the air-conditioning indoor unit has two axial-flow fans. Compared with the traditional air-conditioning indoor unit with one air supply fan, the use of two relatively small axial-flow fans is convenient for more reasonable allocation of the internal accommodation space of the indoor unit and reducing the overall volume and thickness of the air-conditioning indoor unit; furthermore, the two axial-flow fans can be independently controlled to operate, which is convenient for controlling the opening of different double-suction centrifugal fans according to different operating modes of the air-conditioning indoor unit, thereby improving the cooling and heating experience.

[0031] Furthermore, in the air-conditioning indoor unit of the present invention, the two air outlets each correspond to an air outlet duct that can be moved forward and backward in a controllable manner. Through the specially structured air outlet duct and the forward and backward movement of the air outlet duct, the air outlet range, air outlet distance, air outlet uniformity and air supply efficiency of the two air outlets of the indoor unit can be adjusted respectively, thereby enhancing the air supply effect of the indoor unit and improving the user's comfort experience.

[0032] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance structure of an air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of an air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an air outlet duct of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present invention in one direction; and

[0037] Figure 4 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an air outlet duct of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 4 The indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention is described. The directions or positional relationships indicated by “front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “lateral”, etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0039] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air-conditioning indoor unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of an air-conditioning indoor unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 of this embodiment is a wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit, including a shell and two axial flow fans 107 arranged in the storage space inside the shell. The shell is formed with an air inlet area 11a and two air outlets, one of which is formed at the upper front side of the shell, denoted as the upper air outlet 12a, and the other air outlet is formed at the lower front side of the shell, denoted as the lower air outlet 12b. One of the two axial flow fans 107 is configured to cause part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area 11a to the upper part of the storage space, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the upper air outlet 12a, and the other axial flow fan 107 is configured to cause part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area 11a to the lower part of the storage space, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the lower air outlet 12b.

[0041] The axial flow fan 107 generally includes a fan housing and a wind wheel (not marked) disposed in a housing space in the fan housing. In some embodiments, the projection of the housing on a plane perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the axial flow fan 107 is circular, and the projections of the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b on the plane can both be circular, so that the entire air conditioner indoor unit 10 has a unique and beautiful appearance, which is completely different from the existing long wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit 10, and meets the personalized aesthetic needs of users.

[0042] In the existing scheme, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 with similar appearance has an air outlet and an air supply fan. In order to meet the air supply demand of the air conditioner indoor unit 10, the air supply fan has a large power and a large volume, resulting in a large overall thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit 10 (the size of the air conditioner indoor unit 10 in the front and rear direction), and an air outlet is opened on the flat surface of the front side of the indoor unit 10, which affects the overall aesthetics of the indoor unit 10. In this embodiment, a new improvement is made to the air conditioner indoor unit 10 with a circular appearance. The air supply of the air conditioner indoor unit 10 is realized by adopting two axial flow fans 107. The sizes of the two axial flow fans 107 are relatively small, which can greatly reduce the overall volume and thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit 10; and, by forming an upper air outlet 12a at the upper part of the front side of the shell and a lower air outlet 12b at the lower part of the front side of the shell, the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b complement each other, avoiding the visual abruptness brought by one air outlet, making the overall appearance of the indoor unit 10 more harmonious and beautiful, meeting the higher aesthetic needs of users.

[0043] In addition, since the indoor unit 10 has two independent axial flow fans 107 and two independent air outlets, the states of the two axial flow fans 107 can be controlled according to the operation mode of the indoor unit 10 to control the air outlet position, achieve better heating / cooling effect and improve air supply comfort. For example, in the cooling mode, the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the airflow to flow to the upper part of the housing space in the shell can be controlled to open. Under the action of the axial flow fan 107, the cold air flows to the upper part and blows forward through the upper air outlet 12a, while the other axial flow fan 107 (the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the airflow to flow to the lower part of the housing space in the shell) remains closed, and the cold air is only blown forward from the upper air outlet 12a, raising the cold air outlet position to avoid the cold air blowing directly downward to the user and causing discomfort to the user. Since the cold air has a tendency to sink, the cold air is blown upward as much as possible to improve the cooling effect and avoid the cold air blowing directly to the human body and affecting the user's cooling experience.

[0044] In heating mode, the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the airflow to flow to the lower part of the housing space in the shell can be controlled to be turned on, while the other axial flow fan 107 (the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the airflow to flow to the upper part of the housing space in the shell) is turned off, and the hot air is only blown forward from the lower air outlet 12b, which lowers the hot air outlet position, and prevents the hot air from rising and causing the temperature of the lower space in the room to fail to rise in time, affecting the user's heating experience. Since hot air has an upward trend, the hot air is blown downward as much as possible, so that the temperature of the upper space and the temperature of the lower space in the room are uniform, thereby improving the heating effect and the user's heating experience.

[0045] In some embodiments, the housing includes a rear shell 11 with an open front side and a front panel 12 located at the front side of the rear shell 11 and forming a receiving space with the rear shell 11. Accordingly, the projections of the rear shell 11 and the front panel 12 on the vertical plane carrying the air conditioner indoor unit 10 are both circular. The rear shell 11 is formed with the aforementioned air inlet area 11a, the upper portion of the front panel 12 is formed with the aforementioned upper air outlet 12a, and the lower portion of the front panel 12 is formed with the aforementioned lower air outlet 12b.

[0046] In some embodiments, the diameter of the upper air outlet 12a is equal to the diameter of the lower air outlet 12b, and the ratio of the diameter of the upper air outlet 12a to the diameter of the shell is in the range of 0.2:1 to 0.3:1. For example, the ratio of the diameter of the upper air outlet 12a to the diameter of the shell is 0.26. In some embodiments, the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b are symmetrically distributed relative to the transverse center line of the shell. By designing the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b to be circular and symmetrically distributing the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b, it meets the aesthetic standards of the public and further increases the aesthetics and coordination of the indoor unit 10.

[0047] In some embodiments, the ratio of the distance dimension between the center point of the upper air outlet 12a and the center point of the lower air outlet 12b to the shell diameter dimension is in the range of 0.6:1 to 0.75:1. For example, the ratio of the distance dimension between the center point of the upper air outlet 12a and the center point of the lower air outlet 12b to the shell diameter dimension is 0.66. The position and size of the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b are designed in this way, so that the size and position of the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b can be more harmoniously matched with the overall size of the front panel 12, further increasing the aesthetics and coordination of the indoor unit 10.

[0048] In some embodiments, Figure 2As shown, there may be two air inlet areas 11a, and the two air inlet areas 11a may be formed on both sides of the housing in the transverse direction, where the transverse direction refers to the width direction of the indoor unit. In some embodiments, the two air inlet areas 11a are symmetrically distributed relative to the longitudinal center line of the housing, further improving the aesthetics of the indoor unit 10. In some alternative embodiments, there may be one air inlet area 11a, and the position of the air inlet area 11a in the housing satisfies that both axial flow fans 107 can cause the airflow outside the indoor unit 10 to enter the housing through the air inlet area 11a, for example, the air inlet area 11a is formed at the upper part or the rear part of the housing.

[0049] The air conditioner indoor unit 10 of this embodiment further includes a heat exchanger 13, which is disposed in the housing on the air inlet area 11a and the air inlet passage of the axial flow fan 107 so as to perform heat exchange with the ambient air entering through the air inlet area 11a. In the embodiment where two air inlet areas 11a are formed on both lateral sides of the housing, there are two heat exchangers 13, and the two heat exchangers 13 should correspond to the two air inlet areas 11a one by one, and are respectively disposed in the housing on the inner side of the corresponding air inlet area 11a so as to perform heat exchange with the ambient air entering through the corresponding air inlet area 11a.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the projection of each heat exchanger 13 on the vertical plane carrying the air conditioner indoor unit 10 is arc-shaped to match the corresponding air inlet area 11a, increase the air inlet area, reduce the air inlet resistance, and improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 13. The center of the arc-shaped heat exchanger 13 can coincide with the center of the shell, and the two heat exchangers 13 are symmetrically distributed relative to the vertical center line of the shell, which ensures the size of the heat exchanger 13 and provides sufficient remaining space for the arrangement of the axial fan 107 and other components in the shell.

[0051] In some embodiments, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 further includes a water receiving pan 16, which is located at the bottom of the heat exchanger 13 in the accommodation space inside the housing, and is used to receive condensed water formed by the heat exchanger 13. In the solution with two heat exchangers 13, there are two water receiving pans 16, and the two water receiving pans 16 correspond to the two heat exchangers 13 one by one, and are respectively located at the bottom of the corresponding heat exchangers 13. A drain port (not shown) is formed at the bottom of each water receiving pan 16, and the drain port is connected to a drain pipe, and the condensed water received in the water receiving pan 16 is discharged through the drain pipe.

[0052] In this embodiment, an air inlet area 11a is formed on both lateral sides of the shell, so as to increase the air intake volume of the indoor unit 10 on the one hand, and facilitate the arrangement of the water receiving tray 16 on the other hand, so that the arrangement position of the water receiving tray 16 is more reasonable, which is convenient for receiving the condensed water of the heat exchanger 13 and more reasonably allocates the space utilization in the shell.

[0053] In some embodiments, one of the two axial fans 107 is located above the other axial fan 107, the upper axial fan 107 is located behind the upper air outlet 12a, and is configured to cause part of the airflow to flow from the air inlet area 11a to the upper air outlet 12a, and the lower axial fan 107 is located behind the lower air outlet 12b, and is configured to cause another part of the airflow to flow from the air inlet area 11a to the lower air outlet 12b.

[0054] In some implementations of this embodiment, there is one air inlet area 11a, which is formed at the rear of the housing or at the lateral side of the housing, and the axial flow fan 107 is configured to rotate around an axis extending forward and backward to promote the airflow to flow forward. When the air inlet area 11a is formed at the lateral side of the housing, each axial flow fan 107 should be spaced from the rear wall of the housing to form a space for airflow to flow. Under the action of the axial flow fan 107, the airflow enters the housing through the air inlet area 11a, flows backward, and flows from the rear to the front to the corresponding air outlet, and blows forward.

[0055] In some embodiments, there are two air inlet areas 11a, and the two air inlet areas 11a are respectively formed on both sides of the shell. The axial flow fan 107 is configured to rotate around an axis extending forward and backward. Each axial flow fan 107 is spaced from the rear wall of the shell. The axial flow fan 107 located above causes part of the airflow entering the shell from the two air inlet areas 11a to flow forward to the upper air outlet 12a, and the axial flow fan 107 located below causes another part of the airflow entering the shell from the two air inlet areas 11a to flow forward to the lower air outlet 12b, thereby increasing the air intake of the indoor unit 10 and improving the air supply efficiency.

[0056] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an air outlet duct 18 of an air conditioner indoor unit 10 in one direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air outlet duct 18 of an air conditioner indoor unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] In some embodiments, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, and refer to Figure 3 The air conditioner indoor unit 10 also includes two air outlet ducts 18 extending forward and backward, one of which is located above the other air outlet duct 18. The upper air outlet duct 18 corresponds to the upper air outlet 12a and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fan housing of the axial flow fan 107 located above; the lower air outlet duct 18 corresponds to the lower air outlet 12b and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fan housing of the axial flow fan 107 located below, so that the heat exchange air flows through the axial flow fan 107 and enters the corresponding air outlet duct 18.

[0058] The air outlet duct 18 is configured to be controllably movable along the front-to-back direction between a position protruding from the front side of the air outlet of the corresponding indoor unit 10 and a position retracted into the air outlet of the corresponding indoor unit 10, that is, the air outlet duct 18 located at the top is configured to be controllably movable along the front-to-back direction between a position protruding from the front side of the upper air outlet 12a and a position retracted into the upper air outlet 12a, and the air outlet duct 18 located at the bottom is configured to be controllably movable along the front-to-back direction between a position protruding from the front side of the lower air outlet 12b and a position retracted into the lower air outlet 12b.

[0059] Specifically, each air outlet duct 18 includes an outer tube 181 extending forward and backward and a first inner tube 182 connected to the inner wall of the outer tube 181 and extending gradually from back to front to protrude from the front side of the outer tube 181. The air inlet end of the first inner tube 182 is located in the outer tube 181 near the front end of the outer tube 181, and a first spacing space 103 is formed between the inner wall of the outer tube 181 and the outer wall of the first inner tube 182. That is to say, the first inner tube 182 is a trumpet-shaped structure from back to front, and the outer tube 181 and the first inner tube 182 form a meandering tube. Under normal conditions, part of the airflow can flow forward through the internal space of the first inner tube 182, and part of the airflow can flow forward through the first spacing space 103.

[0060] When the air outlet pipe 18 is controlled to retract backward to the position in the corresponding air outlet, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding air outlet to close the first interval space 103, so that the airflow is only blown out from the first inner tube 182 to the front side. That is to say, when the air outlet duct 18 located at the top is controlled to retract to the position in the upper air outlet 12a, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 of the air outlet duct 18 abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the upper air outlet 12a, and the airflow flowing to the upper part of the storage space in the shell is blown forward only from the first inner tube 182 of the air outlet duct 18 located at the top; when the air outlet duct 18 located at the bottom is controlled to retract to the position in the lower air outlet 12b, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 of the air outlet duct 18 abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the lower air outlet 12b, and the airflow flowing to the lower part of the storage space in the shell is blown forward only from the first inner tube 182 of the air outlet duct 18 located at the bottom.

[0061] When the air outlet duct 18 is controlled to move forward to a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 protrudes from the front side of the corresponding air outlet. Since the first inner tube 182 gradually expands from back to front, it can be understood that the outer diameter of the front section of the first inner tube 182 is greater than the outer diameter of the rear section. When the air outlet duct 18 moves forward, the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 is separated from the inner circumferential wall of the corresponding air outlet, and the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 protrudes from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, so that the space between the outer circumferential wall of the first inner tube 182 and the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube 181 (the first spacing space 103) is exposed, so that airflow is blown forward in both the first inner tube 182 and the first spacing space 103. That is to say, when the upper air outlet duct 18 is controlled to move forward to a position protruding from the front side of the upper air outlet 12a, the first partition space 103 of the air outlet duct 18 is exposed, and part of the airflow flowing toward the upper part of the inner storage space of the shell is blown forward from the first partition space 103 of the upper air outlet duct 18, and part of the airflow is blown forward from the first inner tube 182 of the upper air outlet duct 18; when the lower air outlet duct 18 is controlled to move forward to a position protruding from the front side of the lower air outlet 12b, the first partition space 103 of the air outlet duct 18 is exposed, and part of the airflow flowing toward the lower part of the inner storage space of the shell is blown forward from the first partition space 103 of the lower air outlet duct 18, and the other part of the airflow is blown forward from the first inner tube 182 of the lower air outlet duct 18.

[0062] Compared with the traditional air outlet, in this embodiment, by designing each air outlet pipe 18 as a zigzag structure as described above, the air outlet range can be increased to achieve a wide-area air supply effect; and the air flow is diffused around the front side of the air outlet corresponding to the indoor unit 10, and the surrounding air is sucked forward to improve the uniformity of air supply, making the wind softer and more natural, and the user feels cool but not cold when blowing on the body, thereby improving the user's comfort. In addition, by controlling the air outlet pipe 18 to move between the position retracted to the corresponding air outlet and the position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, when the air outlet pipe 18 protrudes from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, air flows forward from both the first inner tube 182 and the first interval space 103, increasing the air volume, expanding the air outlet range, lengthening the air supply distance, and further improving the uniformity and comfort of air supply; in addition, since the air flow is divided into two parts, one part of the air flow is directly blown forward from the first inner tube 182, and the other part of the air flow is directly blown forward from the first interval space 103, which effectively reduces the eddy current loss and improves the air supply efficiency.

[0063] In some embodiments, each air outlet duct 18 further includes a second inner tube 183, which gradually extends from the back to the front in the corresponding first inner tube 182, and a second partition space 104 is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube 183 and the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding first inner tube 182. When the air outlet duct 18 is retracted to the position in the corresponding air outlet, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding air outlet, closing the first partition space 103, so that part of the airflow after heat exchange in the shell is blown out from the first inner tube 182 to the front side, and part of the airflow is blown out from the second partition space 104 to the front side. When the air outlet duct 18 is located at a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182 protrudes from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, exposing the first partition space 103, so that airflow in the first partition space 103, the second partition space 104 and the second inner tube 183 are all blown out to the front side.

[0064] By adding a second inner tube 183 of the aforementioned shape, a second spacing space 104 is formed between the first inner tube 182 and the second inner tube 183, which further expands the air outlet range and allows the airflow to be blown forward in a more dispersed manner, so that the blown airflow is mixed with the surrounding indoor environment airflow, further improving the air supply uniformity and comfort.

[0065] The first inner tube 182 passes through the bracket ( Figure 4 ) is connected to the inner wall of the outer tube 181, and the second inner tube is connected to the inner wall of the outer tube 181 by another bracket ( Figure 4 The bracket (not shown) is connected to the inner wall of the first inner tube 182, and the bracket plays the role of fixing the first inner tube 182 and the second inner tube 183, and is small in size to avoid blocking the forward flow of the airflow. For example, the outer wall of the first inner tube 182 is spaced apart with a plurality of first connecting rods (not shown) along the circumferential direction, and the plurality of first connecting rods constitute the aforementioned bracket, and the first inner tube 182 is fixed to the outer tube through the plurality of first connecting rods distributed at intervals. Correspondingly, the outer wall of the second inner tube 183 is distributed with a plurality of second connecting rods (not shown), and the plurality of second connecting rods constitute the aforementioned other bracket, and the second inner tube 183 is fixed to the first inner tube 182 through the plurality of second connecting rods distributed at intervals.

[0066] The movement of the two air outlet ducts 18 and the states of the two axial flow fans 107 can be controlled according to the operation mode of the air conditioner indoor unit 10. For example, in the cooling mode, the air outlet duct 18 corresponding to the upper air outlet 12a can be controlled to move to a position protruding from the front side of the upper air outlet 12a, and the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the air flow to flow to the upper part of the housing space in the shell can be controlled to open; while the air outlet duct 18 corresponding to the lower air outlet 12b can be kept in the lower air outlet 12b and not move forward. Accordingly, the corresponding axial flow fan 107 (that is, the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the air flow to flow to the lower part of the housing space in the shell) remains closed, and the cold air is only blown forward through the air outlet duct 18 located at the upper part, raising the cold air outlet position to prevent the cold air from blowing directly downward to the user and causing discomfort to the user. Since the cold air has a tendency to sink, the cold air is blown upward as much as possible to improve the cooling effect and prevent the cold air from blowing directly to the human body and affecting the user's cooling experience. In addition, since the air outlet duct 18 located at the upper portion is moved forward to protrude from the front side of the upper air outlet 12a, the air supply range is expanded, the air supply uniformity is improved, and the user's cooling comfort experience is further enhanced.

[0067] In heating mode, the air outlet 18 corresponding to the lower air outlet 12b can be controlled to move to a position protruding from the front side of the lower air outlet 12b, and the corresponding axial flow fan 107 (that is, the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the airflow to flow to the lower part of the storage space in the shell) can be controlled to open, while the air outlet 18 corresponding to the upper air outlet 12a can be kept in the upper air outlet 12a and does not move forward. Correspondingly, the corresponding axial flow fan 107 (that is, the axial flow fan 107 that causes part of the airflow to flow to the upper part of the storage space in the shell) remains closed, and the hot air is only blown forward through the air outlet 18 located at the bottom, which lowers the hot air outlet position, avoids the hot air rising and causing the temperature of the lower space in the room to fail to rise in time, affecting the user's heating experience. Since the hot air has an upward trend, the hot air is blown downward as much as possible, so that the temperature of the upper space and the temperature of the lower space in the room are uniform, thereby improving the heating effect and the user's heating experience. In addition, since the air outlet duct 18 at the lower portion is moved forward to protrude from the front side of the lower air outlet 12b, the air supply range is expanded, the air supply uniformity is improved, and the heating comfort experience of the user is further enhanced.

[0068] In this embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 further includes an electric control board 17, which is disposed between the two axial flow fans 107. The electric control board 17 is configured to control the operation of the two axial flow fans 107. In some embodiments, the electric control board 17 also controls the movement of the two air outlet ducts 18. The electric control board 17 is arranged in the space between the two axial flow fans 107, so that the arrangement of the components in the housing is compact and orderly, and the overall size of the indoor unit 10 is further reduced.

[0069] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube 181 of each air outlet duct 18 includes a rear wall section 181a and a front wall section 181b which are connected in sequence from the air inlet end to the air outlet end of the outer tube 181. The rear wall section 181a is a hollow truncated cone which gradually expands from the air inlet end of the outer tube 181 to the front, and the front wall section 181b is a hollow truncated cone which gradually expands from the position connected to the rear wall section 181a to the air outlet end of the outer tube 181, and the cone angle 2e of the rear wall section 181a is greater than the cone angle 2c of the front wall section 181b. It can also be understood that the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube 181 is divided into two sections from the rear end to the front end of the outer tube 181, namely the rear wall section 181a and the front wall section 181b, and the rear wall section 181a is a trumpet-shaped which gradually expands from the back to the front, and the front wall section 181b is a trumpet-shaped which gradually expands from the back to the front, and the degree of gradual expansion of the rear wall section 181a is greater than that of the front wall section 181b. As shown Figure 4 As shown, angle e is the angle between the wall surface of the rear wall section 181a and the horizontal line extending front and back, and the cone angle of the rear wall section 181a is 2e; angle c is the angle between the wall surface of the front wall section 181b and the horizontal line extending front and back, and the cone angle of the front wall section 181b is 2c.

[0070] The air inlet end of the first inner tube 182 is located in the space formed by the front wall section 181b, so as to form a first spacing space 103 between the front wall section 181b and the outer peripheral wall of the first inner tube 182, so as to ensure that the airflow enters the outer tube 181, is first mixed and combed in the rear wall section 181a of the outer tube 181, and then flows forward and blows out along different flow paths, so as to reduce eddy current loss. The air inlet end of the first inner tube 182 (that is, the rear end of the first inner tube 182) is approximately the same distance from the rear end of the front wall section 181b of the outer tube 181 as from the front end of the front wall section 181b (that is, the air outlet end of the outer tube 181).

[0071] In some embodiments, the first inner tube 182 is a hollow truncated cone with uniform wall thickness, which gradually expands from its air inlet end to its air outlet end, and the cone angle 2b of the first inner tube 182 is greater than the cone angle 2c of the front wall section 181b of the outer tube 181. It can also be understood that the first inner tube 182 is a gradually expanding trumpet shape from its rear end to the front end.

[0072] In some embodiments, the second inner tube 183 of the air outlet duct 18 extends from back to front in a gradually expanding manner in the corresponding first inner tube 182. It can be understood that the second inner tube 183 is entirely in the first inner tube 182, and is in a gradually expanding trumpet shape from back to front. The outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube 183 is a truncated cone that gradually expands from back to front. The inner peripheral wall of the second inner tube 183 is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the air inlet end to the air outlet end of the second inner tube 183, that is, the inner peripheral wall of the second inner tube 183 is a truncated cone that gradually expands from back to front. The cone angle 2d of the inner peripheral wall of the second inner tube 183 is greater than the cone angle 2a of the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube 183, and the cone angle 2a of the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is equal to the cone angle 2c of the front wall section 181b of the outer tube 181.

[0073] By limiting the inner wall of the outer tube 181 to the above structure, and limiting the shapes of the first inner tube 182 and the second inner tube 183 to the above structure, the first spacing space 103 (the space between the outer tube 181 and the first inner tube 182), the second spacing space 104 (the space between the first inner tube 182 and the second inner tube 183) and the space within the second inner tube 183 defined thereby can divert the airflow, expand the air outlet range, further reduce eddy loss, and improve air supply efficiency; and make the air outlet softer and more uniform.

[0074] In some embodiments, the cone angle 2c of the front wall section 181b satisfies: 0°<2c≤40°, and the cone angle 2e of the rear wall section 181a satisfies: 0°<2e≤50°, for example, the cone angle 2c of the front wall section 181b is 7.8°, and the cone angle 2e of the rear wall section 181a is 46.2°. In some embodiments, the cone angle 2b of the first inner tube 182 may satisfy: 20°<2b≤80°, and the cone angle 2d of the inner circumferential wall of the second inner tube 183 may satisfy: 30°<2d≤60°, for example, the cone angle 2b of the first inner tube 182 is 60°, and the cone angle 2d of the inner circumferential wall of the second inner tube 183 is 45°. The air outlet duct 18 thus formed can further reduce eddy current loss and improve air supply efficiency.

[0075] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 of this embodiment further includes two drive units, the two drive units correspond to the two air outlet pipes 18 one by one, and each drive unit may include a rack 102 ( Figure 4 ), a gear (not shown) and a motor (not shown) for driving the gear to rotate, wherein the motor is arranged in the accommodating space of the shell, and the gear is engaged with the rack 102 to drive the corresponding air outlet duct 18 to move along the front-to-back direction between a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet and a position retracted into the corresponding air outlet.

[0076] The length of the tooth segment where the rack 102 meshes with the gear should be equal to or greater than the distance between the corresponding air outlet end of the outer tube 181 and the air outlet end of the first inner tube 182, so as to ensure that the air outlet duct 18 can be moved forward so that the part of the first inner tube 182 located in front of the outer tube 181 is completely extended out of the corresponding air outlet of the indoor unit 10, so as to further increase the air outlet range and air supply distance, and improve the air supply efficiency and air outlet uniformity.

[0077] The air inlet ends of the two air outlet ducts 18 (that is, the air inlet ends of the outer tubes 181) are sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the fan housing of the corresponding axial flow fan 107, and are in close sliding contact with the fan housing. In this embodiment, the gear and motor of each driving unit are located at the rear end of the corresponding axial flow fan 107 in the accommodating space of the shell, and the rack 102 can be formed on the outer peripheral wall of the outer tube 181 of the corresponding air outlet duct 18, extending from front to rear to the rear end of the axial flow fan 107 to mesh with the gear to achieve the forward and backward movement of the air outlet duct 18. During the forward and backward movement of the air outlet duct 18, the rear section of the air outlet duct is always sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the fan housing of the corresponding axial flow fan 107. For example, during the forward or backward movement of the air outlet duct 18, the rear sections of the rear wall section 181a and the front wall section 181b of the air outlet duct 18 are always in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the fan housing of the corresponding axial flow fan 107 to ensure the stability of the air outlet duct 18.

[0078] At this point, those skilled in the art should recognize that, although multiple exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of the present invention can still be directly determined or derived based on the content disclosed in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and recognized as covering all these other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. An air conditioner indoor unit, comprising: A housing, which is formed with an air inlet area and an upper air outlet located at an upper front portion of the housing and a lower air outlet located at a lower front portion of the housing; Two axial flow fans are arranged in the accommodation space inside the shell, wherein one of the axial flow fans is configured to cause part of the airflow to flow from the air inlet area to the upper air outlet so that the part of the airflow is blown out from the upper air outlet, and the other axial flow fan is configured to cause part of the airflow to flow from the air inlet area to the lower air outlet so that the part of the airflow is blown out from the lower air outlet; The projections of the upper air outlet and the lower air outlet on the vertical plane are circular; The upper air outlet and the lower air outlet are recorded as two air outlets of the air conditioner indoor unit; The air conditioner indoor unit further comprises two air outlet ducts extending forward and backward, wherein one of the air outlet ducts is located above the other air outlet duct, the air outlet duct located above corresponds to the upper air outlet and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fan housing of the axial flow fan located above, and the air outlet duct located below corresponds to the lower air outlet and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the fan housing of the axial flow fan located below, so that the heat exchange air flows through the axial flow fan into the corresponding air outlet duct; Each of the air outlet pipes is configured to be controllably movable in the front-to-rear direction between a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet and a position retracted into the corresponding air outlet; Each of the air outlet pipes comprises an outer pipe extending forward and backward and a first inner pipe connected to the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe and extending from the back to the front in a gradually expanding manner to protrude from the front side of the outer pipe, the air inlet end of the first inner pipe is located in the outer pipe near the front end of the outer pipe, and a first spacing space is formed between the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe and the outer peripheral wall of the first inner pipe; When the air outlet pipe is retracted to the position in the corresponding air outlet, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner pipe abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding air outlet to close the first interval space, so that the airflow is only blown out from the first inner pipe to the front side; When the air outlet pipe is located at a position protruding from the front side of the corresponding air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner pipe protrudes from the front side of the corresponding air outlet to expose the first interval space, so that part of the airflow is blown out from the first interval space to the front side, and part of the airflow is blown out from the first inner pipe to the front side; Each of the air outlet pipes also includes a second inner pipe, which extends gradually from back to front in the corresponding first inner pipe, and a second spacing space is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the second inner pipe and the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding first inner pipe to facilitate airflow to pass through.

2. The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein One of the axial flow fans is located above the other axial flow fan; The axial flow fan located above is located behind the upper air outlet and is configured to cause part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the upper air outlet. The axial flow fan located below is located behind the lower air outlet and is configured to cause part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the lower air outlet.

3. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 2, wherein There are two air inlet areas, and the two air inlet areas are respectively formed on two lateral sides of the shell; The axial flow fan is configured to rotate about an axis extending forward and backward to promote airflow to flow forward; The axial flow fan is spaced apart from the rear wall of the housing to form a space for air flow.

4. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein The projection of the housing on a plane perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the axial flow fan is circular.

5. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 4, wherein The upper air outlet and the lower air outlet are symmetrically distributed relative to the transverse center line of the shell; The two axial flow fans are symmetrically distributed relative to the transverse center line of the housing.

6. The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, further comprising: Two heat exchangers, the two heat exchangers correspond one to one with the two air inlet areas, and the two heat exchangers are respectively located on the inner side of the corresponding air inlet areas to exchange heat with the airflow entering from the corresponding air inlet areas.

7. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein The inner peripheral wall of the outer tube includes a rear wall section and a front wall section which are connected in sequence from the air inlet end to the air outlet end of the outer tube, and the air inlet end of the first inner tube is located in the space formed by the front wall section to form the first spacing space between the front wall section and the outer peripheral wall of the first inner tube; The rear wall section is a hollow truncated cone that gradually expands forward from the air inlet end of the outer tube, and the front wall section is a hollow truncated cone that gradually expands from the position connected to the rear wall section toward the air outlet end of the outer tube; and The taper angle of the rear wall section is greater than the taper angle of the front wall section.

8. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 7, wherein The first inner tube is in the shape of a hollow truncated cone with uniform wall thickness and gradually expanding from its air inlet end to its air outlet end, and the cone angle of the first inner tube is greater than the cone angle of the front wall section; The outer circumferential wall of the second inner tube is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the back to the front, the inner circumferential wall of the second inner tube is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the air inlet end of the second inner tube to the air outlet end, and the cone angle of the inner circumferential wall of the second inner tube is greater than the cone angle of the outer circumferential wall of the second inner tube; and the cone angle of the outer circumferential wall of the second inner tube is equal to the cone angle of the front wall section.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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