Air conditioner indoor unit

Abstract

The present invention provides an air-conditioning indoor unit, comprising a shell body with an air outlet, a driving unit and an air outlet duct, the air outlet duct being configured to be driven by the driving unit to move along the front-to-back direction between a position protruding from the front side of the air outlet and a position retracted into the air outlet, the air outlet duct comprising an outer tube and a first inner tube connected to the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube and extending from the back to the front in a gradually expanding manner to protrude from the front side of the outer tube, and a first spacing space is formed between the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube and the inner circumferential wall of the first inner tube; when the air outlet duct is retracted into the air outlet, the outer circumferential wall of the air outlet end of the first inner tube abuts against the inner circumferential wall of the air outlet to close the first spacing space, so that airflow is only blown out from the first inner tube to the front side; when the air outlet duct is located at the protruding front side of the air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner tube protrudes from the front side of the air outlet to expose the first spacing space, so that part of the airflow is blown out from the first spacing space to the front side, and part of the airflow is blown out from the first inner tube to the front side, thereby increasing the air outlet range.

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 having an air outlet formed on the front side thereof;

[0007] A drive unit and an air outlet pipe extending forward and backward, wherein the air outlet pipe is configured to be driven by the drive unit to controllably move along the forward and backward direction between a position protruding from the front side of the air outlet and a position retracted into the air outlet;

[0008] The 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;

[0009] When the air outlet pipe is retracted to the position in the air outlet, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner pipe abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the 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;

[0010] When the air outlet pipe is located at a position protruding from the front side of the air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner tube protrudes from the front side of the air outlet to expose the first spacing space, so that part of the air flow is blown out from the first spacing space to the front side, and part of the air flow is blown out from the first inner tube to the front side, thereby increasing the air outlet range.

[0011] Optionally, the air outlet duct further includes a second inner tube, which extends gradually from back to front in the first inner tube, and a second spacing space is formed between the outer circumferential wall of the second inner tube and the inner circumferential wall of the first inner tube to facilitate airflow to pass through.

[0012] 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;

[0013] 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

[0014] The taper angle of the rear wall section is greater than the taper angle of the front wall section.

[0015] 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 toward its air outlet end, and the cone angle of the first inner tube is greater than the cone angle of the front wall section.

[0016] Optionally, the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the back to the front, 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;

[0017] And the taper angle of the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is equal to the taper angle of the front wall section.

[0018] Optionally, the driving unit includes a rack, a gear meshing with the rack, and a motor disposed in the accommodating space of the housing for driving the gear to rotate; and

[0019] The length of the tooth segment where the rack and gear mesh should be equal to or greater than the distance between the outer tube outlet end and the first inner tube outlet end to ensure that when the outlet tube moves forward, the portion of the first inner tube protruding from the front side of the outer tube can be fully extended out of the outlet.

[0020] Optionally, the housing is further formed with an air inlet area;

[0021] The air conditioner indoor unit also includes an air supply fan, which is arranged in the accommodating space inside the shell and is configured to promote air flow from the air inlet area to the air outlet duct so as to be blown toward the front side through the air outlet duct.

[0022] Optionally, there are two air outlets, one of which is located at the upper front side of the shell body, and the other is located at the lower front side of the shell body. The air outlet located at the upper front side of the shell body is recorded as the upper air outlet, and the air outlet located at the lower front side of the shell body is recorded as the lower air outlet.

[0023] There are two air outlet pipes, one of which is located above the other air outlet pipe, the upper air outlet pipe corresponds to the upper air outlet, and the lower air outlet pipe corresponds to the lower air outlet;

[0024] There are two drive units, and the two drive units correspond to the two air outlet pipes one by one;

[0025] There are two air supply fans, one of which is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the air outlet duct located above, so that part of the heat exchange air is blown out to the front side through the air outlet duct located above; the other air supply fan is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the air outlet duct located below, so that part of the heat exchange air is blown out to the front side through the air outlet duct located below.

[0026] Optionally, the air conditioner indoor unit further includes:

[0027] The heat exchanger is arranged on the air inlet passage of the air supply fan in the accommodation space inside the shell to perform heat exchange with the air flow entering the shell from the air inlet area to form heat exchange air.

[0028] Optionally, the housing includes a rear shell with an open front side and a front panel located at the front side of the rear shell and forming a receiving space with the rear shell;

[0029] Two air outlets are formed on the front panel, and an air inlet area is formed on the rear shell.

[0030] The air outlet of the air conditioner indoor unit of the present invention is provided with an air outlet duct which can be moved forwards and backwards. By moving the air outlet duct forwards and backwards, the air outlet range, air outlet distance, air outlet uniformity and air supply efficiency of the air outlet 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.

[0031] Furthermore, in the air conditioner indoor unit of the present invention, the air outlet duct has a special structural design, which further expands the air supply range and enhances the air outlet uniformity and air supply efficiency.

[0032] Furthermore, in the air-conditioning indoor unit of the present invention, the indoor unit has two air outlets distributed up and down, avoiding 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; furthermore, the air-conditioning indoor unit has two air supply fans. Compared with the traditional air-conditioning indoor unit with one air supply fan, two relatively small air supply fans are used, which 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 air supply fans can be independently controlled to operate, which is convenient for controlling the opening of different air supply fans according to different operating modes of the air-conditioning indoor unit, thereby improving the cooling and heating experience.

[0033] 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

[0034] 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:

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance structure of an air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the front panel is hidden to illustrate the internal structure of the indoor unit;

[0037] 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;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an air outlet duct of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention in another direction;

[0039] Figure 5 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;

[0040] Figure 6 is an exploded schematic diagram of an air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0041] Figure 7 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air guide cover of an air conditioner indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 7 The air conditioner indoor unit 10 of 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 operate in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0043] 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 a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an air-conditioning indoor unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the front panel 12 is hidden to illustrate the internal structure of the indoor unit 10.

[0044] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 of this embodiment is a wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit, including a shell with an air outlet formed on the front side, an air outlet pipe 18 extending forward and backward, and a driving unit for driving the air outlet pipe 18 to move forward and backward. Among them, there can be one or two air outlets. If there are two air outlets, one air outlet is formed at the upper front side of the shell, recorded as the upper air outlet 12a, and the other air outlet is formed at the lower front side of the shell, recorded as the lower air outlet 12b. Correspondingly, the air outlet pipe 18 corresponds to the air outlet one by one, and there can be one or two air outlet pipes 18.

[0045] In the embodiment in which the indoor unit 10 has the aforementioned two air outlets, there are two air outlet ducts 18 and two drive units. The two drive units correspond one-to-one to the two air outlet ducts 18, and the two air outlet ducts 18 correspond one-to-one to the two air outlets. One of the air outlet ducts 18 is located above the other air outlet duct 18, the upper air outlet duct 18 corresponds to the upper air outlet 12a, and the lower air outlet duct 18 corresponds to the lower air outlet 12b.

[0046] The shell also forms an air inlet area 11a, and the air conditioner indoor unit 10 also includes an air supply fan, which is configured to promote external air flow from the air inlet area 11a into the shell and flow toward the corresponding air outlet, so that the air flow is blown forward from the corresponding air outlet pipe.

[0047] In the embodiment in which the indoor unit 10 has the aforementioned two air outlets, there are two air supply fans, one of the two air supply fans is configured to cause part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area 11a to the upper part of the accommodating space, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the air outlet duct 18 located above, and the other air supply fan is configured to cause part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area 11a to the lower part of the accommodating space, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the air outlet duct 18 located below.

[0048] The air outlet duct 18 is configured to be driven by the corresponding driving unit to move 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. In the embodiment where there are two air outlet ducts 18, the upper 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 upper air outlet 12a and a position retracted into the upper air outlet 12a, and the lower 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 lower air outlet 12b and a position retracted into the lower air outlet 12b.

[0049] 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 is a schematic structural diagram of the air outlet duct 18 of the air conditioner indoor unit 10 in another direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5FIG. 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.

[0050] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the air outlet duct 18 includes an outer tube 181 extending forward and backward and a first inner tube 182 connected to the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube 181 and extending from back to front in a gradually expanding manner 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 circumferential wall of the outer tube 181 and the outer circumferential 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.

[0051] When the air outlet pipe 18 is driven by the driving unit 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 partition space 103, so that the airflow is only blown out from the first inner tube 182 to the front side.

[0052] In the embodiment in which there are two air outlet ducts 18, when the upper air outlet duct 18 is driven by the driving unit 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 upper part; when the lower air outlet duct 18 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 lower part.

[0053] When the air outlet duct 18 is driven by the driving unit 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 partition space 103) is exposed, so that airflow is blown forward in both the first inner tube 182 and the first partition space 103.

[0054] In the embodiment with two air outlet ducts 18, 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 part of the airflow is blown forward from the first inner tube 182 of the lower air outlet duct 18.

[0055] Compared with the traditional air outlet, in this embodiment, by designing the 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 it blows 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, while expanding the air outlet range, the air supply distance is lengthened, and the air supply uniformity and comfort are further improved; 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.

[0056] 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, revealing the first partition space 103, so that part of the airflow is blown out from the first partition space 103 to the front side, part of the airflow is blown out from the second partition space 104 to the front side, and part of the airflow is blown out from the second inner tube 183 to the front side.

[0057] 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.

[0058] The first inner tube 182 passes through the bracket ( Figure 5 ) 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 5 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.

[0059] In the embodiment where the indoor unit 10 has two air outlets, two air supply fans and two air outlet pipes 18, the movement of the two air outlet pipes 18 and the state of the two air supply fans can be controlled according to the operation mode of the air conditioner indoor unit 10. For example, in the cooling mode, the air outlet pipe 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 air supply fan that causes part of the air flow to flow to the upper part of the storage space in the shell can be controlled to be turned on; while the air outlet pipe 18 corresponding to the lower air outlet 12b can be kept in the lower air outlet 12b and not moved forward, and accordingly, the corresponding air supply fan (that is, the air supply fan that causes part of the air flow to flow to the lower part of the storage space in the shell) remains closed, and the cold air is only blown forward through the air outlet pipe 18 located at the upper part, raising the cold air outlet position, and preventing 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 to 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.

[0060] 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 air supply fan (that is, the air supply fan that causes part of the air flow 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 remain in the upper air outlet 12a and not move forward. Correspondingly, the corresponding air supply fan (that is, the air supply fan that causes part of the air flow 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, improving the heating effect and the user's heating experience. In addition, since the air outlet duct 18 located 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 user's heating comfort experience is further enhanced.

[0061] In some embodiments, Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the driving unit includes a rack 102, 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.

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown, the length dimension H of the tooth segment where the rack 102 meshes with the gear should be equal to or greater than the distance dimension h 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 when the air outlet duct 18 moves forward so that the part of the first inner tube 182 protruding from the front side of the outer tube 181 is completely extended out of the corresponding air outlet of the indoor unit 10, the air outlet range and air supply distance can be further increased, and the air supply efficiency and air outlet uniformity can be improved.

[0063] 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 air supply fans. The electric control board 17 is configured to control the operation of the two air supply fans. In some embodiments, the electric control board 17 also controls the movement of the two air outlet pipes 18. The electric control board 17 is arranged in the space between the two air supply fans, 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.

[0064] In some embodiments, Figure 5As shown, the inner circumferential wall of the outer tube 181 of the 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 that 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 that 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 that gradually expands from the back to the front, and the front wall section 181b is a trumpet-shaped that 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 5 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.

[0065] 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, thereby reducing eddy current losses. 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).

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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, and 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.

[0068] 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 losses, and improve air supply efficiency; and make the air outlet softer and more uniform.

[0069] 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.

[0070] In some embodiments, the projection of the shell on the vertical plane supporting the air-conditioning indoor unit 10 is circular, and the projections of the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b on the vertical plane are both circular, so that the entire air-conditioning indoor unit 10 has a unique and beautiful appearance, which is completely different from the existing long wall-mounted air-conditioning indoor unit 10, and meets the user's personalized aesthetic needs.

[0071] 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 directions), 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 air supply fans. The sizes of the two air supply fans 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.

[0072] 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 supporting 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.

[0073] 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 distributed, the upper air outlet 12a and the lower air outlet 12b are designed to meet the public's aesthetic standards, further increasing the aesthetics and coordination of the indoor unit 10.

[0074] 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 ranges from 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.

[0075] In some embodiments, 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 lateral direction (also referred to as the left-right direction or the width direction of the housing) such as Figure 2 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 air supply fans can drive the airflow outside the indoor unit 10 into the housing through the air inlet area 11a.

[0076] 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 air supply fan 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 sides of the housing, there are two heat exchangers 13, which 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.

[0077] 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 air supply fan and other components in the shell.

[0078] In some embodiments, the maximum value of the lateral distance between the heat exchanger 13 and the corresponding air inlet area 11a ranges from 30 to 40 mm, and the size of the heat exchanger 13 is sufficient to cover the position relative to the air inlet area 11a, thereby ensuring the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 13.

[0079] 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 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.

[0080] Figure 6 is an exploded schematic diagram of an air conditioner indoor unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air deflector 15 of an air conditioner indoor unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, both air supply fans of the indoor unit 10 are centrifugal fans, for example, the centrifugal fans can be single-suction centrifugal fans 14. The rotating shaft of the centrifugal fan should extend in the horizontal direction, and the vertical plane supporting the air-conditioning indoor unit 10 mentioned above refers to the plane where the air-conditioning indoor unit 10 is vertically hung on the vertical wall. If the air-conditioning indoor unit 10 itself is used as a reference, the projection of the housing of the air-conditioning indoor unit 10 on the plane parallel to the rotating shaft of the centrifugal fan should be circular.

[0082] like Figure 6 As shown, for the solution in which both air supply fans are single-suction centrifugal fans 14, it is preferred that an air inlet area 11a is formed on both lateral sides of the shell, the rotating shafts of the two single-suction centrifugal fans 14 extend laterally, and the two single-suction centrifugal fans 14 are located on both sides of the lateral direction of the vertical center line of the shell, and the fan air inlet 14a of one single-suction centrifugal fan 14 faces the air inlet area 11a on the same side as the single-suction centrifugal fan 14, and the fan air inlet 14a of the other single-suction centrifugal fan 14 faces the air inlet area 11a on the same side as the single-suction centrifugal fan 14, that is, the fan air inlets 14a of the two single-suction centrifugal fans 14 are opposite to each other and face the corresponding air inlet areas 11a, respectively, so as to encourage the ambient air around the indoor unit 10 to enter the shell through the corresponding air inlet areas 11a.

[0083] The fan outlet 14b of one of the single-suction centrifugal fans 14 is upward, and the fan outlet 14b of the other single-suction centrifugal fan 14 is downward. The single-suction centrifugal fan 14 with the fan outlet 14b upward is configured to cause part of the air flow to enter the shell through the air inlet area 11a corresponding to the single-suction centrifugal fan 14, exchange heat with the corresponding heat exchanger 13, and flow toward the upper part of the accommodating space, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the air outlet duct 18 located above; the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 with the fan outlet 14b downward is configured to cause part of the air flow to enter the shell through the air inlet area 11a corresponding to the single-suction centrifugal fan 14, exchange heat with the corresponding heat exchanger 13, and flow toward the lower part of the accommodating space, so that the part of the air flow is blown out from the air outlet duct 18 located at the lower part.

[0084] In some embodiments, in order to guide the airflow to the two air outlet ducts 18 respectively, the air conditioner indoor unit 10 also includes two air guide covers 15 corresponding to the two single-suction centrifugal fans 14, each air guide cover 15 has an air collecting cavity connected to the fan outlet 14b of the corresponding single-suction centrifugal fan 14 and a guide air duct passing through the air collecting cavity, and a guide air outlet 15b opposite to the corresponding air outlet (upper air outlet 12a or lower air outlet 12b) is formed on the front side of the guide air duct.

[0085] The air guide cover 15 is configured to guide the airflow of the fan outlet 14b of the corresponding single-suction centrifugal fan 14 to the corresponding air outlet duct 18, that is, the air guide cover 15 corresponding to the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 with the fan outlet 14b upward guides the airflow of the fan outlet 14b of the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 to the air outlet duct 18 located above, so that the airflow is blown forward from the air outlet duct 18 located above; the air guide cover 15 corresponding to the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 with the fan outlet 14b downward guides the airflow of the fan outlet 14b of the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 to the air outlet duct 18 located below, so that the airflow is blown forward from the air outlet duct 18 located below.

[0086] In some embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, the air deflector 15 includes a horizontal wall 151 extending forward and backward, a curved wall 152, a front side wall 153, a rear side wall (not marked), and an arc-shaped partition wall 154. The horizontal wall 151 is formed with a deflection air inlet 15a connected to the fan air outlet 14b of the corresponding single-suction centrifugal fan 14, one end of the curved wall 152 in the circumferential direction is connected to one end of the horizontal wall 151 in the transverse direction, and the other end of the curved wall 152 in the circumferential direction is connected to the other end of the horizontal wall 151 in the transverse direction, thereby defining a cavity with the horizontal wall 151; the front side wall 153 connects the front side of the horizontal wall 151 with the front side of the curved wall 152. , the front side of the air deflector 15 is closed to close the front side of the cavity, the rear side wall connects the rear side of the horizontal wall 151 and the rear side of the curved wall 152, and the rear side of the air deflector 15 is closed to close the rear side of the cavity; the arc-shaped partition wall 154 is formed in the cavity, dividing the cavity into the aforementioned air collecting cavity and the guide air duct, the arc-shaped partition wall 154 is formed with an opening connecting the air collecting cavity and the guide air duct, and the front side wall 153 is formed with the aforementioned guide air outlet 15b opposite to the guide air duct. The air deflector 15 thus formed has an air collecting cavity, and the airflow flowing out of the fan air outlet 14b of the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 enters the air collecting cavity of the air deflector 15, and is mixed in the air collecting cavity, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the air outlet; and the air deflector 15 with the aforementioned special shape is used to cooperate with the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 to achieve smooth transition air supply, which can reduce airflow loss, reduce turbulence, thereby improving air supply efficiency and reducing noise.

[0087] In some embodiments, the guide air duct defined by the arc-shaped partition wall 154 and the curved wall 152 is preferably a cylindrical structure, that is, the portion of the curved wall 152 opposite to the arc-shaped partition wall 154 is an arc shape that forms a circular arc with the arc-shaped partition wall 154, so that the guide air duct defined by the cylindrical structure matches the corresponding circular air outlet shape, and the airflow of the guide air duct is directly blown forward through the corresponding air outlet, thereby improving the smoothness of the airflow delivery, reducing airflow loss, and further improving the air supply efficiency.

[0088] It can be understood that the single-suction centrifugal fan 14 generally includes a volute 141 having a accommodating chamber and an impeller (not shown) arranged in the accommodating chamber. In this embodiment, the accommodating chamber should extend laterally, the accommodating chamber has a fan air inlet 14a, the volute 141 has a fan air outlet 14b connected to the accommodating chamber, and the impeller can rotate around a transverse axis relative to the volute 141.

[0089] In the scheme where both air supply fans are single-suction centrifugal fans 14, in one embodiment, the air inlet ends of the two air outlet pipes 18 (that is, the air inlet ends of the outer pipe 181) pass through the corresponding guide air outlet 15b of the guide cover 15 and are located in the guide air duct, and the outer peripheral wall of the air inlet end of the air outlet pipe 18 is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral wall of the corresponding guide air duct, and during the forward and backward movement of the air outlet pipe 18, the rear section of the air outlet pipe 18 is always in the guide air duct of the corresponding guide air duct 15. It can be understood that the size of the air outlet pipe 18, the size of the guide air duct, and the size of the opening connecting the air collecting cavity and the guide air duct formed by the arc-shaped partition wall 154 need to ensure that when the air outlet pipe 18 moves forward or backward, the heat exchange air can enter the guide air duct through the air collecting cavity.

[0090] In some implementations of this embodiment, the rack 102 may be formed on the outer peripheral wall of the corresponding air outlet pipe 18, extending from front to rear, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 The two air guide ducts of the two air guide covers 15 are formed with front-to-rear extending notches 15c adapted to the corresponding racks 102 on the air outlet pipe 18. The racks 102 pass through the notches 15c so that the teeth of the racks 102 are exposed on the outside of the air guide duct of the air guide cover 15 to mesh with the corresponding gears and seal the air guide duct. The length of the racks 102 is sufficient to extend along the corresponding notches 15c to the rear side of the air guide duct to ensure that when the air outlet pipe 18 moves forward, the notches 15c of the air guide duct are always covered by the racks 102 to ensure the sealing of the air guide duct.

[0091] 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 having an air outlet formed on the front side thereof; A driving unit and an air outlet pipe extending forward and backward, wherein the air outlet pipe is configured to be driven by the driving unit to controllably move along the forward and backward direction between a position protruding from the front side of the air outlet and a position retracted into the air outlet; The air outlet pipe 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 air outlet, the outer peripheral wall of the air outlet end of the first inner pipe abuts against the inner peripheral wall of the air outlet to close the first interval space, so that the airflow is blown out from the first inner pipe only to the front side; When the air outlet pipe is located at a position protruding from the front side of the air outlet, the air outlet end of the first inner tube protrudes from the front side of the 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, thereby increasing the air outlet range; The driving unit includes a rack, a gear meshing with the rack, and a motor disposed in the accommodating space of the housing for driving the gear to rotate; and The length of the tooth segment meshing between the rack and the gear should be equal to or greater than the distance between the air outlet end of the outer tube and the air outlet end of the first inner tube, so as to ensure that the air outlet tube moves forward to the point where the portion of the first inner tube protruding from the front side of the outer tube can be completely extended out of the air outlet; The air outlet pipe also includes a second inner pipe, which extends gradually from back to front in the 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 first inner pipe to facilitate airflow to pass through.

2. The air conditioner 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.

3. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 2, 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.

4. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 2, wherein The outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is a truncated cone that gradually expands from the back to the front, 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 taper angle of the outer peripheral wall of the second inner tube is equal to the taper angle of the front wall section.

5. The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein The housing is also formed with an air inlet area; The air conditioner indoor unit further includes an air supply fan, which is disposed in a receiving space inside the shell and configured to promote air flow from the air inlet area to the air outlet duct so as to be blown toward the front side through the air outlet duct.

6. The air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 5, wherein There are two air outlets, one of which is located at the upper front part of the shell, and the other is located at the lower front part of the shell. The air outlet located at the upper front part of the shell is recorded as the upper air outlet, and the air outlet located at the lower front part of the shell is recorded as the lower air outlet; There are two air outlet pipes, one of which is located above the other air outlet pipe, the upper air outlet pipe corresponds to the upper air outlet, and the lower air outlet pipe corresponds to the lower air outlet; There are two driving units, and the two driving units correspond to the two air outlet pipes one by one; There are two air supply fans, one of which is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the air outlet duct located above, so that part of the air flow is blown out to the front side through the air outlet duct located above; the other air supply fan is configured to force part of the air flow to flow from the air inlet area to the air outlet duct located below, so that part of the air flow is blown out to the front side through the air outlet duct located below.

7. The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 5, further comprising: The heat exchanger is arranged on the air inlet passage of the air supply fan in the accommodation space inside the shell to perform heat exchange with the air flow entering the shell from the air inlet area to form heat exchange air.

8. The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 6, wherein The housing comprises a rear shell with an open front side and a front panel located at the front side of the rear shell and forming a receiving space with the rear shell; The two air outlets are formed on the front panel, and the air inlet area is formed on the rear shell.

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