Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner includes: a housing including an outlet; a panel connectable to or removable from a lower side of the housing and including an inlet through which air is introduced; a first filter mountable to the panel to filter the introduced air; a second filter mountable to the panel and configured to further filter the introduced air using an electrostatic force; and a lifter configured to remove the panel from the lower side of the housing by lowering the panel from the initial position, and to attach the panel to the lower side of the housing by raising the panel from the maintenance position. When the panel is lowered to the maintenance position, one or more of the first filter and the second filter may be reached for maintenance thereof.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner whose panel includes an improved lifting structure. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, an air conditioner is a household appliance that keeps indoor air at a comfortable temperature by using a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerant. The air conditioner consists of an indoor unit, which is placed in the indoor space and is provided with a heat exchanger and a blower, an outdoor unit, which is placed in the outdoor space and is provided with a compressor and a condenser, and a refrigerant pipe that connects the indoor unit with the outdoor unit and circulates the refrigerant.

[0003] Recently, an air conditioner has been disclosed in which a dust collecting filter is additionally installed due to difficulties such as fine dust in order to maintain a comfortable temperature in an indoor space while purifying indoor air.

[0004] According to the installation position of the indoor unit, the air conditioner can be classified into a floor-type air conditioner, a wall-mounted air conditioner, and a ceiling-type air conditioner, wherein the floor-type air conditioner has the indoor unit placed on the floor, the wall-mounted air conditioner has the indoor unit installed on the wall, and the ceiling-type air conditioner has the indoor unit installed on the ceiling. The ceiling-type air conditioner is provided to be embedded in the ceiling or suspended relative to the ceiling.

[0005] Since the indoor unit of the ceiling type air conditioner is installed on the ceiling, it is difficult to maintain a filter provided inside the indoor unit. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner capable of allowing a panel and a filter of an indoor unit to be raised and lowered so as to easily perform maintenance on the filter.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner capable of raising and lowering an electrostatic precipitator type filter configured to collect impurities using electricity together with a panel.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner capable of easily supplying power to an electrostatic precipitator type filter when the electrostatic precipitator type filter configured to be lifted and lowered is inserted into a housing.

[0009] Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner includes: a housing including an outlet; a panel attachable to or detachable from a lower side of the housing and including an inlet to introduce air therethrough; a first filter mountable to the panel; a second filter mountable to the panel and configured to further filter the introduced air using an electrostatic force; and a lifter configured to remove the panel from the lower side of the housing by lowering the panel from an initial position, and to attach the panel to the lower side of the housing by raising the panel from a maintenance position. When the panel is lowered to the maintenance position, one or more of the first filter and the second filter can be accessed for maintenance thereof.

[0011] The second filter is an electrostatic precipitator type filter. The air conditioner may further include a power supply disposed inside the housing and configured to supply power to the second filter to generate electrostatic force to filter the introduced air.

[0012] The panel and the first and second filters installed in the panel may be raised or lowered in a vertical direction while maintaining a horizontal state.

[0013] The second filter may include a contact portion configured to come into contact with the power source in an up-and-down direction.

[0014] The contact portion may be provided on an upper surface of the second filter.

[0015] The power supply may include an intermediate member configured to come into electrical contact with the contact portion by being pressed by the contact portion when the panel rises from the maintenance position.

[0016] The intermediate member may be a leaf spring member.

[0017] The panel, the first filter, and the second filter may be raised or lowered in the vertical direction while maintaining a horizontal state.

[0018] The housing may further include a guide configured to guide a rising direction of the panel to allow the contact portion to contact the power source in an up-and-down direction.

[0019] The guide may include a guide surface configured to guide a rising direction of the panel by contacting at least a portion of the panel when the panel rises.

[0020] The guide may include a guide rib configured to guide a rising direction of the panel by contacting at least a portion of the panel when the panel rises.

[0021] The panel may further include a frame configured to support the first filter and the second filter on the panel.

[0022] The second filter may be mounted to the panel in a first direction corresponding to a lifting direction of the panel, and the first filter may be mounted to the panel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0023] The lifter may include four motors and four wires connected to the four motors and connected to the panel to lift and lower the panel by driving forces of the four motors.

[0024] The lifter may include a motor and a wiring, the wiring including one end connected to the motor and the other end connected to the panel, the wiring being configured to lift the panel by the driving force of the motor; and the panel may include an elastic member including one end connected to the other end of the wiring and the other end connected to the panel.

[0025] The panel may further include a pulley through which the wiring passes, and the other end of the wiring may pass through the pulley and then be arranged perpendicularly to the one end of the wiring.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, an air conditioner includes: a housing including an outlet; a panel assembly that can be attached to or removed from the lower side of the housing and is configured to move in an up-down direction relative to the housing; and a lifter that is disposed inside the housing and is configured to raise or lower the panel assembly in a vertical direction while maintaining a horizontal state of the panel assembly. The panel assembly includes: a panel that includes an inlet to introduce air through the inlet and is configured to cover the lower side of the housing; a first filter that can be mounted to the panel and is configured to filter the introduced air; and a second filter that can be mounted to the panel and is configured to further filter the introduced air using an electrostatic force.

[0027] The second filter is an electrostatic precipitator type filter. The air conditioner may further include a power supply disposed inside the housing and configured to supply power to the second filter to generate electrostatic force to filter the introduced air; and the second filter may include a contact portion configured to contact the power supply in an up-down direction.

[0028] The contact portion may be provided on a surface of the second filter.

[0029] The lifter may include four motors and four wires connected to the four motors and connected to the panel to lift and lower the panel by driving forces of the four motors.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention, an air conditioner includes: a housing including an outlet; a panel connectable to or removable from a lower side of the housing and including an inlet to introduce air therethrough; a first filter mountable to the panel; a second filter mountable to the panel and configured to filter the introduced air using an electrostatic force; and a lifter configured to remove the panel from the lower side of the housing by lowering the panel from an initial position and to attach the panel to the lower side of the housing by raising the panel from a maintenance position. The second filter includes a contact portion disposed on an upper surface of the second filter and configured to receive power through the contact portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] These and / or other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent and more readily understood through the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 2 is a side sectional view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 A view of a panel assembly of an air conditioner in a lowered state;

[0035] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 A view of a portion of an air conditioning configuration;

[0036] Figure 5 is a bottom view of a housing of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is raised;

[0039] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a structure when a panel assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is raised;

[0040] Fig. 9 is an enlarged view showing a portion of the configuration of a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is raised;

[0042] Fig.11 is a bottom view showing a support panel of a housing of an air conditioner according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Fig.12 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure is raised; and

[0044] Fig.13 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure is raised. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The embodiments described in the present disclosure and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure and may be modified in various ways to replace the embodiments and drawings of the present disclosure at the time of filing the present application.

[0046] Furthermore, the same reference numerals or symbols shown in the drawings of the present disclosure denote elements or components that perform substantially the same function.

[0047] In addition, the terms used herein are used to describe embodiments and are not intended to limit and / or restrict the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present disclosure, the terms "including", "having", etc. are used to list features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0048] The term "and / or" includes plural combinations of related items or any one of the plural related items.

[0049] In the following detailed description, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “lower side”, “front end”, and “front, rear, left and right sides” may be defined by the drawings, but the shapes and positions of components are not limited by the terms.

[0050] The refrigeration cycle forming the air conditioner is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The refrigeration cycle may circulate a series of processes consisting of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation, and the refrigeration cycle may be configured to supply air that is conditioned by heat exchange with a refrigerant.

[0051] The compressor compresses the refrigerant gas and discharges the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas. The discharged refrigerant gas flows into the condenser. The condenser condenses the compressed refrigerant into a liquid phase and releases heat to the surrounding environment through the condensation process.

[0052] The expansion valve expands the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant condensed by the condenser into a low-pressure liquid refrigerant. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve and returns the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant gas to the compressor. The evaporator can use the latent heat of evaporation to exchange heat with the object to be cooled, thereby obtaining a refrigeration effect. Through this cycle, the air conditioner can adjust the temperature of the indoor space.

[0053] The outdoor unit of an air conditioner refers to a part of the refrigeration cycle that consists of a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger. The indoor unit of an air conditioner includes an indoor heat exchanger, and the expansion valve can be located in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit. The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger function as a condenser or an evaporator. When the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the air conditioner operates as a heater; when the indoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, the air conditioner operates as a cooler.

[0054] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 is a side sectional view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 A view of a state where the panel assembly of an air conditioner is dropped.

[0056] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment may be installed on the ceiling C. At least a portion of the air conditioner 1 may be embedded in the ceiling C. The air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be set as a four-way type. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the air conditioner 1 may be set as a two-way type air conditioner or an air conditioner including a ring-shaped outlet.

[0057] The air conditioner 1 may include a housing 10 having an outlet 15 , a heat exchanger 20 disposed in an inner side of the housing 10 , and a blower 30 configured to allow air to flow.

[0058] The housing 10 may be formed in the form of a rectangular housing opened downward to accommodate the components of the air conditioner 1. The housing 10 may include an upper housing 11 disposed on the inner side of the ceiling C and a lower housing 13 coupled to the lower side of the upper housing 11. The upper housing 11 may be suspended relative to the ceiling C without being disposed on the inner side of the ceiling C.

[0059] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the upper case 11 and the lower case 13 may be integrally formed as a single case 10 .

[0060] An inlet portion 14 configured to allow air sucked through the panel assembly 100 to flow toward the blower 30 may be formed on a central portion of the lower housing 13. An outlet 15 through which air is discharged may be formed on an outer side of the inlet portion 14. An inlet flow path P1 through which air sucked through the inlet portion 14 flows may be provided between the inlet portion 14 and the blower 30. An outlet flow path P2 through which air discharged through the blower 30 flows may be provided between the blower 30 and the outlet 15.

[0061] The outlet 15 may be formed adjacent to each edge to correspond to the outer periphery of the lower housing 13. Four outlets 15 may be formed. That is, two outlets 15 may be formed in one direction parallel to the horizontal plane, and two outlets 15 may be formed in another direction parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the one direction. The four outlets 15 may be arranged to discharge air to all of the four sides of the room. With this structure, the air conditioner 1 may draw air from the lower side, cool or heat the air, and then discharge the cooled or heated air to the lower side.

[0062] A panel assembly 100 including an inlet grill 112 forming a plurality of inlets 111 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the lower housing 13. Air flowing through the plurality of inlets 111 may flow through the inlet portion 14 toward a side where the blower 30 is located.

[0063] The panel assembly 100 may be coupled to the lower case 13. The panel assembly 100 may be provided to cover the lower side of the lower case 13, and may be attached to or detached from the lower side of the lower case 13.

[0064] In particular, the panel assembly 100 can be attached to or detached from the housing 10, and can be configured to be raised and lowered in the up and down directions. When the panel assembly 100 moves downward, the panel assembly 100 can be separated from the housing 10; and when the panel assembly 100 moves upward, the panel assembly 100 can be connected to the housing 10 again.

[0065] A lifting device 200 configured to lift and lower the panel assembly 100 may be disposed in the inner side of the housing 10 .

[0066] The panel assembly 100 may include a panel 110, a first filter 120 and a second filter 130, wherein the panel 110 includes a plurality of inlets 111; the first filter 120 is configured to remove impurities in the air flowing through the plurality of inlets 111; the second filter 130 is arranged above the first filter 120 and is configured to perform secondary filtering on the air filtered by the first filter 120.

[0067] The first filter 120 may be formed of a mesh material so as to filter out impurities. The second filter 130 may be provided as an electrostatic precipitator type filter that is powered to electrically collect impurities in the air.

[0068] The panel assembly 100 and the lifting device 200 will be described in detail later.

[0069] The heat exchanger 20 may be formed in a square ring shape and disposed on the outside of the blower 30 inside the housing 10. The heat exchanger 20 is not limited to the square ring shape but may be provided in various shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon.

[0070] The heat exchanger 20 may be placed on the drain pan 16, so that condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 20 may be collected in the drain pan 16. The drain pan 16 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the heat exchanger 20. That is, when the heat exchanger 20 is in the form of a square ring shape, the drain pan 16 may also be in the form of a square ring shape; and alternatively, when the heat exchanger 20 is in the form of a circle, the drain pan 16 may also be in the form of a circle.

[0071] The blower 30 may be arranged at a central portion of the housing 10. That is, the blower 30 may be provided in the inner side of the heat exchanger 20. The blower 30 may be a centrifugal blower configured to suck air in an axial direction and discharge the sucked air in a radial direction. The air conditioner 1 may be provided with a blower motor 31 configured to drive the blower 30.

[0072] The blade 40 may be rotatably provided on the outlet 15. The blade 40 may guide the direction of the air discharged through the outlet 15.

[0073] like Figure 3 As shown, the panel assembly 100 is configured to be liftable.

[0074] The lifting device 200 may include a motor 210 (see Figure 4 ) and a wiring 220 including one end connected to the motor 210 and the other end connected to the panel 110.

[0075] The panel assembly 100 may be connected to the wiring 220 and move in the up and down directions via an operation of winding and unwinding the wiring 220 by driving the motor 210. That is, when the motor 210 rotates in one direction, the panel assembly 100 may descend; and when the motor 210 rotates in the opposite direction, the panel assembly 100 may ascend.

[0076] In order to maintain the room temperature and purify the indoor air at the same time, the air conditioner 1 includes a first filter 120 and a second filter 130. In addition, in order to improve the air purification efficiency, the user may need to periodically remove impurities collected in the first filter 120 and the second filter 130.

[0077] At this time, the air conditioner 1 is mounted on the ceiling C, so it is difficult to maintain the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 of the air conditioner 1. In a conventional manner, a user may face difficulties in that the user removes the filter from the air conditioner mounted on the ceiling by a piece of equipment such as a ladder to clean the filter and installs the filter to the air conditioner mounted on the ceiling.

[0078] In order to alleviate this difficulty, a conventional air conditioner is disclosed, and the air conditioner is configured so that: by raising and lowering the panel on which the filter is set, the air conditioner allows the user to easily separate the filter from the panel lowered to the user's height without directly removing the filter from the ceiling.

[0079] However, for an air conditioner including an electrostatic precipitator filter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a conventional manner, because power needs to be supplied to the electrostatic precipitator filter and the load of the electrostatic precipitator filter is heavy, the electrostatic precipitator filter is coupled to a case rather than a panel.

[0080] At this time, when the panel is lowered by the lifting device, the user can easily separate the filter including the mesh material lowered together with the panel. However, even when the panel is lowered by the lifting device, because the electrostatic precipitator filter is arranged on the inner side of the housing embedded in the ceiling, the user still needs to separate the electrostatic precipitator filter assembled to the side where the ceiling is located by a piece of equipment such as a ladder in order to perform maintenance on the electrostatic precipitator filter.

[0081] In particular, the electrostatic precipitator filter is configured to collect fine impurities and is configured to have a high dust collection rate. Therefore, in order to improve air purification efficiency, the electrostatic precipitator filter needs to manage the impurities collected in the filter within a shorter period of time than the ordinary filter. However, as described above, in a conventional manner, the electrostatic precipitator filter is provided on the inner side of a housing embedded in the ceiling, so the maintenance of the electrostatic precipitator filter is more difficult than that of the ordinary filter.

[0082] In order to alleviate such difficulty, the air conditioner 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a panel assembly 100 configured to be raised and lowered relative to the ceiling C, and the panel assembly 100 includes a first filter 120 including a mesh material and a second filter 130 configured as an electrostatic precipitator filter, wherein the electrostatic precipitator filter is configured to collect impurities in the air using electricity. Therefore, when the user lowers the panel assembly 100, the user can easily maintain the first filter 120 including the mesh material and the second filter 130 configured as the electrostatic precipitator filter.

[0083] In particular, since the panel assembly 100 including the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 is configured to be lifted and lowered by the lifting device 200, the panel 110, the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 can be lifted and lowered as a whole; therefore, the user can separate the second filter 130 and the first filter 120 from the air conditioner 1 and maintain the second filter 130 and the first filter 120.

[0084] Hereinafter, the panel assembly 100 and the lifting and lowering device 200 will be described in detail.

[0085] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 A view of a portion of the air conditioning configuration, Figure 5 is a bottom view of a housing of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is raised.

[0086] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the air conditioner 1 may include a support panel 50 provided in a central portion of the lower case 13. The lifting device 200 may be disposed above the support panel 50.

[0087] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the support panel 50 may be integrally formed with the lower case 13 as a part of the lower case 13 , and alternatively, the support panel 50 may be integrally formed with the case 10 as a part of the case 10 .

[0088] The lifting device 200 may include a plurality of motors 210. Suitably, the lifting device 200 may include four motors 210. Since four motors 210 are provided, the panel assembly 100 may be stably lifted and lowered.

[0089] The wiring 220 may be connected to each motor 210. Therefore, it is appropriate to provide four wirings 220. One end of each of the four wirings 220 may be connected to each motor 210, respectively, and the other end of each of the four wirings 220 may be connected to the panel 110, respectively.

[0090] This is because the panel assembly 100 includes the second filter 130 having a relatively large load, and thus a relatively large force is required to lift the panel assembly 100. In addition, by connecting the four wirings 220 to the four motors 210, the four motors 210 can lift the panel assembly 100 while maintaining balance with respect to the horizontal direction of the panel assembly 100.

[0091] Two of the four wirings 220 may be connected to the vicinity of the first side 115 of the panel 110 , and the other two of the four wirings 220 may be connected to the vicinity of the second side 116 parallel to the first side 115 of the panel 110 .

[0092] Two wirings 220 connected to the vicinity of the first side 115 and two wirings 220 connected to the vicinity of the second side 116 may be symmetrically connected to the panel 110 with respect to a central portion of the panel 110 .

[0093] Therefore, when the panel assembly 100 is raised or lowered, the lifting device 200 can lift or lower the panel assembly 100 in a balanced manner without tilting to one side.

[0094] When the panel assembly 100 is elevated by the four wires 220 , the panel 110 , the first filter 120 , and the second filter 130 may be elevated in a state of being arranged in a vertical direction with respect to the elevated direction.

[0095] That is, the panel assembly 100 can be raised and lowered in a horizontal state, so the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 can also be raised and lowered in a horizontal state. Therefore, the panel assembly 100 can be lowered to a range where the user can hold the panel assembly 100, and thus the user can easily separate the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 from the panel 110.

[0096] This is because when the first filter 120 or the second filter 130 is lowered in a tilted state, it is difficult for a user to hold each of the filters 120 and 130 , and thus it is difficult for the user to separate the filters 120 and 130 from the panel 110 .

[0097] In addition, since the user presses the panel 110 when separating the filters 120 and 130 , the panel assembly 100 may be prevented from excessively moving in a direction in which the user presses the panel 110 .

[0098] The support panel 50 may include a through hole 51 configured to allow the wiring 220 to penetrate and extend downward. The through hole 51 may be provided to correspond to the number of the wirings 220. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, four through holes 51 may be provided. The support panel 50 may include a guide 52 (described later) configured to guide the rising direction of the panel assembly 100.

[0099] The central portion of the support panel 50 may include an opening 50 a configured to allow the flow of air drawn through the panel assembly 100 .

[0100] The second filter 130 may be inserted into the opening 50 a after the panel assembly 100 is coupled to the housing 10 .

[0101] As described above, the panel assembly 100 may include the panel 110 configured to cover the lower side of the housing 10 .

[0102] The panel 110 may include an inlet grill 112 forming a plurality of inlets 111. An upper side of the panel 110 may include a frame 113 provided to allow the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 to be coupled to the frame 113.

[0103] The first filter 120 may be disposed above the inlet grill 112, and the second filter 130 may be disposed above the first filter 120. Therefore, the inlet grill 112, the first filter 120, and the second filter 130 may be arranged to be stacked in an up-and-down direction.

[0104] The second filter 130 may be separated from and coupled to the frame 113 in an up-and-down direction corresponding to a lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0105] The first filter 120 may be separated from and coupled to the frame 113 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction.

[0106] Alternatively, each of the filters 120 and 130 may have a separation direction and a coupling direction different from each other, and thus the filters 120 and 130 may be separated from and coupled to the frame 113 independently of each other without being limited to each of the separation and coupling states.

[0107] The first filter 120 may include a mesh member 121. The mesh member 121 may be arranged on the first filter 120 in a zigzag shape in the up-down direction to maximize the surface area (refer to Figure 2 ).

[0108] When air is sucked into the panel assembly 100, foreign matter having a predetermined size may be filtered out by the mesh member 121 while passing through the first filter 120. However, foreign matter having a size smaller than the through-holes of the mesh member 121 may pass through the first filter 120.

[0109] Impurities having a size smaller than the through holes of the mesh member 121 may be filtered out by the second filter 130. That is, the air sucked into the air conditioner 1 may be filtered twice while passing through the panel assembly 100, so impurities in the air may be effectively collected in the panel assembly 100.

[0110] As described above, the second filter 130 may be provided as an electrostatic precipitator type filter.

[0111] The electrostatic precipitator type filter can adsorb impurities in the charged air and electrically collect impurities in the air.

[0112] Therefore, it may be necessary to supply high voltage electricity to the second filter 130 to electrically collect impurities in the air.

[0113] When the electrostatic precipitator filter corresponding to the second filter 130 is conventionally disposed inside the housing, high pressure can be stably supplied to the electrostatic precipitator filter. However, according to the air conditioner 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the second filter 130 can be removed from the housing 10 and raised and lowered in the up and down directions, it is difficult to supply high pressure to the second filter 130.

[0114] To alleviate this difficulty, the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a power source (not shown) configured to stably supply a voltage to the second filter 130 in response to the coupling between the panel assembly 100 and the housing 10 .

[0115] like Figures 5 to 7 As shown, the power supply (not shown) may include an intermediate member 70 disposed in the interior 10a of the housing 10 and configured to provide a voltage to the second filter 130 in response to the coupling between the panel assembly 100 and the housing 10. In particular, the intermediate member 70 may be disposed inside the opening 50a of the support panel 50.

[0116] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the intermediate member 70 may be provided on the support panel 50 .

[0117] Although not shown in the drawings, a power source (not shown) may also be provided in the interior 10a of the housing 10 and configured to provide high voltage to the second filter 130 via the intermediate member 70 by receiving power supplied from the outside. In addition, a power source (not shown) may be provided above the support panel 50.

[0118] When the panel assembly 100 rises and the panel assembly 100 and the case 10 are coupled to each other, the intermediate member 70 may be electrically connected to the second filter 130 and supply power to the second filter 130 .

[0119] When the panel assembly 100 is lowered, the electrical connection between the intermediate member 70 and the second filter 130 may be released, and power supply to the second filter 130 may be blocked.

[0120] The second filter 130 may include a contact portion 131 configured to electrically contact the intermediate member 70 in response to the coupling between the panel assembly 100 and the housing 10. As described above, the intermediate member 70 is disposed inside the opening 50a of the support panel 50, and the second filter 130 may be inserted inside the opening 50a of the support panel 50 in response to the coupling between the panel assembly 100 and the housing 10. Therefore, the intermediate member 70 may contact the contact portion 131 in response to the coupling between the panel assembly 100 and the housing 10.

[0121] In response to coupling between the panel assembly 100 and the housing 10, the contact portion 131 may rise to a position where the contact portion 131 contacts the intermediate member 70 by pressing the intermediate member 70. The contact portion 131 and the intermediate member 70 may be disposed on the same line in the up-and-down direction.

[0122] The contact portion 131 is a portion that forms a contact point by physically coming into contact with the intermediate member 70 .

[0123] The contact portion 131 may be supplied with a voltage from the intermediate member 70 when in contact with the intermediate member 70 ; and may block the supply of the voltage when the contact point is disconnected according to the release of the contact between the contact portion 131 and the intermediate member 70 .

[0124] The contact portion 131 may be disposed along the ascending and descending direction of the panel assembly 100. Therefore, the contact portion 131 may contact the intermediate member 70 in the ascending direction of the panel assembly 100.

[0125] It is suitable that the contact portion 131 is provided on the upper surface of the second filter 130. Therefore, when the second filter 130 is raised, the second filter 130 can contact the intermediate member 70 by pressing the intermediate member 70 in the rising direction. When the second filter 130 is lowered, the pressure applied to the intermediate member 70 can be released, and the contact of the second filter 130 with the intermediate member 70 can be released.

[0126] The intermediate member 70 may be configured in a leaf spring shape. Therefore, when the contact portion 131 rises and contacts the intermediate member 70, the contact portion 131 may press the intermediate member 70 upward, and the intermediate member 70 may be biased downward. Therefore, the intermediate member 70 may be maintained in a state of continuous contact with the contact portion 131.

[0127] That is, the contact point formed on the second filter 130 can be formed in the lifting direction or the up-down direction. Therefore, even when the second filter 130 is lifted and lowered in the up-down direction, the contact point of the second filter 130 and the intermediate member 70 can be stably formed. As a result, the second filter 130 can be stably electrically connected to a power source (not shown).

[0128] Therefore, even when the second filter 130 is movable with the panel 110, the second filter 130 can stably supply voltage through the contact point formed in the moving direction. Therefore, when the second filter 130 is lowered to a range where the user usually holds it and then the second filter 130 is raised and arranged inside the housing 10, the contact point of the second filter 130 and the intermediate member 70 can be stably formed, and thus the second filter 130 can be stably powered.

[0129] The power source (not shown) may include a power supply device configured to supply power and a high-voltage device configured to generate a high voltage using the supplied power and transmit the high voltage to the intermediate member 70 .

[0130] At this time, for the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the power supply device and the high voltage device of the power source (not shown) can be installed on the upper side of the support panel 50 or in the interior 10a of the housing 10. The high voltage device can be electrically connected to the second filter 130 through the intermediate member 70.

[0131] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a high voltage device in a power source (not shown) may be disposed in the panel assembly 100 and raised and lowered together with the panel assembly 100 .

[0132] At this time, the high voltage device provided in the panel assembly 100 may maintain electrical connection with the second filter 130 , and when the second filter 130 is inserted into the interior 10 a of the housing 10 , the second filter 130 may be electrically connected to the power supply device through the intermediate member 70 .

[0133] That is, a part of the power supply (not shown) may be disposed in the panel assembly 100 and then raised and lowered together with the panel assembly 100. Power supply to some parts of the power supply (not shown) may be blocked during the lowering; and when the panel assembly 100 is raised and then coupled to the housing 10, some parts of the power supply (not shown) may contact the intermediate member 70 disposed in the housing 10 to receive power.

[0134] Hereinafter, the guide 52 configured to guide the ascending direction of the panel assembly 100 will be described in detail.

[0135] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is raised, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is raised.

[0136] As described above, the panel assembly 100 may be raised and lowered according to the operation of winding and unwinding the wiring 220. At this time, when the wiring 220 is wound, the panel assembly 100 may be shaken during the rising process, or the panel assembly 100 may be shaken by external force.

[0137] When the panel assembly 100 is not coupled to the housing 10 at a correct position in the up-down direction due to shaking, the contact portion 131 may be affected by the shaking, and thus, the contact portion 131 may not press the intermediate member 70 at a correct position for the up-down direction.

[0138] Therefore, the contact portion 131 and the intermediate member 70 may not be electrically connected to each other, or a short circuit may occur. To prevent this, the air conditioner 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a guide 52 configured to guide the rising direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0139] The guide 52 may guide the ascending direction of the panel assembly 100 to accurately move the contact portion 131 to a position where the intermediate member 70 is disposed.

[0140] The guide 52 may be provided on the support panel 50. In particular, the guide 52 may be formed along the opening 50a of the support panel 50.

[0141] The guide member 52 may include a guide surface 52a formed in a convex shape in the direction of the opening 50a. The guide surface 52a may be formed in a curved surface. The guide members 52 may be respectively formed on four inner edges of the support panel 50 forming the opening 50a.

[0142] Furthermore, the guides 52 may also be formed at four corners formed when four inner edges of the support panel 50 meet each other.

[0143] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the guide 52 may be formed on at least two of the four inner edges, and may be formed on at least two of the four corners.

[0144] As described above, when the second filter 130 is inserted into the inner side of the opening 50a, the panel assembly 100 can be coupled to the housing 10. The guide 52 formed along the opening 50a can guide the second filter 130 and the ascending direction of the frame 113 of the panel 110, and thus the second filter 130 can be stably inserted into the opening 50a, wherein the frame 113 is configured to fix the second filter 130 to the panel 110.

[0145] That is, when the panel assembly 100 rises while shaking, the second filter 130 may be disposed on the outside of the opening 50a in the up and down directions, but the side of the second filter 130 may contact the guide surface 52a, and the rising direction may be guided so that the second filter 130 may be disposed on the inside of the opening 50a.

[0146] In addition, when the second filter 130 rises into the inside of the opening 50a while being shaken, the side of the frame 113 may contact the guide surface 52a to guide the rising direction of the panel assembly 100, thereby allowing the second filter 130 to rise in the vertical direction.

[0147] The frame 113 may include a guide portion 114 provided to allow the panel assembly 100 to be stably guided along the guide surface 52 a when in contact with the guide surface 52 a .

[0148] The guide portion 114 may be configured as a tapered shape whose cross section decreases toward the upper side, or may be formed as a curved surface concave toward the upper side. Therefore, when the guide portion 114 contacts the guide surface 52a, the guide portion 114 may stably move along the guide surface 52a, thereby guiding the ascending direction of the panel assembly 100.

[0149] As described above, the contact portion 131 may rise while being arranged on substantially the same line as the intermediate member 70 in the up-down direction by the guide 52. The contact portion 131 may stably contact the intermediate member 70 at a correct position, thereby forming a contact point.

[0150] Hereinafter, a connection structure of the wiring 220 and the panel assembly 100 will be described in detail.

[0151] Fig. 9 is an enlarged view showing a portion of the configuration of a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0152] The wiring 220 may be connected to the upper surface of the panel 110 .

[0153] The panel 110 may include an elastic member 119 having one end connected to the other end of the wiring 220 and the other end connected to the upper surface of the panel 110 .

[0154] As described above, four wirings 220 are provided, and thus, four elastic members 119 may be provided to be connected to the other end of each wiring 220 .

[0155] The panel assembly 100 is supported by the four wirings 220 , and thus when tensions generated on the four wirings 220 are unequal, the panel assembly 100 may rise and fall in a tilted state.

[0156] That is, when the panel assembly 100 tilts to one side due to external force generated during lifting or lowering, or when a length difference of the wiring lines 220 occurs due to a different degree of winding or unwinding of each wiring line 220 , the same tension may not be generated on the four wiring lines 220 .

[0157] Therefore, the elastic member 119 may be coupled to the other end of each wiring 220 , and the magnitudes of tension that may be different on the four wirings 220 may be offset by the elastic force of the elastic member 119 .

[0158] In addition, even when a length difference of the four wirings 220 is generated, the elastic member 119 may extend and contract so as to offset the length difference of the four wirings 220 , thereby stably lifting and lowering the panel assembly 100 .

[0159] The elastic member 119 may be provided as a coil spring and may extend and bias in a direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 , thereby transmitting elastic force in the direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0160] The panel 110 may further include a pulley 118 through which the other end of the wiring 220 passes and configured to change an extending direction of the wiring 220 to a horizontal direction parallel to an extending direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0161] The pulleys 118 may be provided to correspond to the number of the wirings 220. Therefore, the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include four pulleys 118.

[0162] The pulley 118 may be disposed on the upper surface of the panel 110. As described above, one end of the wiring 220 may be connected to the motor 210 disposed in the interior 10a of the housing 10, and the other end of the wiring 220 may extend in a downward direction corresponding to the descending direction of the panel assembly 100.

[0163] The extension direction of the other end of the wiring 220 can be changed to the left-right direction or to the front-back direction perpendicular to the downward direction by the pulley 118. That is, the other end of the wiring 220 can extend in the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 and be changed to the direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 by the pulley 118.

[0164] Therefore, the other end of the wiring 220 may be connected to the elastic member 119 to be biased in a direction perpendicular to the ascending and descending direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0165] When a tension difference or a length difference is generated in each wiring 220 , the elastic member 119 may extend and contract in a direction perpendicular to the ascending and descending direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0166] At this time, when the wiring 220 is directly connected to the elastic member 119 without passing through the pulley 118, the elastic lengths of each elastic member 119 may be different from each other. Therefore, the wiring 220 may not raise and lower the panel assembly 100 horizontally, but the wiring 220 may raise and lower the panel assembly 100 in a state where one side of the panel assembly 100 is tilted.

[0167] This is because the point at which the wiring 220 is connected to the panel 110 changes with respect to a direction perpendicular to the ascending and descending direction of the panel assembly 100 according to the elastic length of the elastic member 119 .

[0168] When it is assumed that the point at which the wiring 220 is connected to the panel 110 when the elastic member 119 is in a constant state is the point at which the panel assembly 100 is horizontally raised or lowered, the point at which the wiring 220 is connected to the panel 110 may change depending on the extended state or contracted state of the elastic member 119, and thus the panel assembly 100 may not be able to be raised or lowered horizontally.

[0169] However, the panel assembly 100 can be raised and lowered horizontally by the pulley 118 regardless of the elastic length of each elastic member 119. This is because, by the pulley 118, regardless of the elastic length of the elastic member 119, the wiring 220 is connected to the panel 110 only at a point where the pulley 118 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100.

[0170] In addition, the extension direction of the wiring 220 can be guided from the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 to a direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 by the pulley 118. Therefore, the panel assembly 100 can be lifted while being kept parallel to the ground.

[0171] The panel assembly 100 may be raised and lowered while maintaining balance through the four wirings 220. The panel assembly 100 may be raised and lowered in a horizontal state through the four wirings 220.

[0172] In addition, even when external force is applied during lifting and lowering of the panel assembly 100, the panel assembly 100 can be lifted and lowered while maintaining balance through the four wirings 220, the four elastic members 119 connected to the four wirings 220, and the four pulleys 118 through which the four wirings 220 pass.

[0173] Therefore, the panel 110, the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 can always be lowered in a horizontal state to a range in which the user can hold the panel assembly 100. Therefore, the user can easily separate the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 from the panel 110 and easily couple the first filter 120 and the second filter 130 to the panel 110 again.

[0174] Hereinafter, an intermediate member 80 of the air conditioner 1 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The configuration other than the intermediate member 80 described below is the same as the above configuration of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment, and thus a description thereof will be omitted.

[0175] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is raised.

[0176] The intermediate member 80 may be provided in a coil spring shape. The intermediate member 80 may be provided to extend in a direction corresponding to a lifting direction of the panel assembly 100 .

[0177] Therefore, when the contact portion 131 rises and then contacts the intermediate member 80 , the contact portion 131 may press the intermediate member 80 upward, and the intermediate member 80 may be biased downward so as to be in continuous contact with the contact portion 131 .

[0178] The contact portion 131 may press the intermediate member 80 while moving upward, so the intermediate member 80 may be biased downward while being compressed upward.

[0179] Hereinafter, a guide 53 of the air conditioner 1 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Configurations other than the guide 53 described below are the same as those of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment, and thus descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0180] Fig.11 is a bottom view showing a support panel of a housing of an air conditioner according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, Fig.12 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure is raised, and Fig.13 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a configuration when a panel assembly of an air conditioner according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure is raised.

[0181] like Fig.11 and Fig.12As shown, the guide member 53 may include a guide rib 53a formed to protrude toward the direction of the opening 50a. The guide rib 53a may be formed in an arc shape. The guide rib 53a may be formed in plurality on each of the four inner edges of the support panel 50 forming the opening 50a.

[0182] That is, the guide rib 53a may be provided to protrude from the inner wall 50b of the support panel 50 forming the opening 50a toward the center direction of the opening 50a.

[0183] When the panel assembly 100 rises while shaking, the second filter 130 may be disposed outside the opening 50a in the up and down directions; however, the side of the second filter 130 may contact the guide rib 53a, and the rising direction may be guided so that the second filter 130 is disposed inside the opening 50a.

[0184] In addition, when the second filter 130 rises while shaking inside the opening 50a, the side of the frame 113 may contact the guide rib 53a to guide the rising direction of the panel assembly 100, thereby allowing the second filter 130 to rise in the vertical direction.

[0185] In addition, if Fig.13 As shown, the guide member 53 may include a guide roller 53 b provided on the inner wall 50 b of the support panel 50 .

[0186] The guide roller 53b may be provided in a pair on the inner wall 50b including at least two inner walls parallel to each other.

[0187] When the panel assembly 100 rises while shaking, the second filter 130 may be disposed outside the opening 50a in the up-and-down direction; however, the side of the second filter 130 may contact the guide roller 53b, and the guide roller 53b may roll by friction.

[0188] The guide roller 53 b may guide the second filter 130 by rolling so as to rise in a tangential direction of the roller of the guide roller 53 b .

[0189] In addition, when the second filter 130 rises into the inside of the opening 50a while shaking, the side of the frame 113 may contact the guide roller 53b to guide the rising direction of the panel assembly 100, thereby allowing the second filter 130 to rise in the vertical direction.

[0190] As is apparent from the above description, the air conditioner may include an electrostatic precipitator filter configured to be raised and lowered together with a panel so as to allow a user to easily perform maintenance on the electrostatic precipitator filter.

[0191] Furthermore, since the electrostatic precipitator filter includes a contact portion configured to vertically contact a power source provided on the housing, power may be easily supplied to the electrostatic precipitator filter when the panel and the electrostatic precipitator filter are raised and then the panel is coupled to the housing.

[0192] Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising: a housing, including an outlet; a panel attachable to or removable from an underside of the housing and comprising an inlet through which air is introduced; a first filter mountable to the panel to filter the introduced air; a second filter mountable to the panel and configured to further filter the introduced air using electrostatic forces, wherein the second filter is an electrostatic precipitator filter; a power source disposed inside the housing and configured to supply power to the second filter to generate the electrostatic force; and a lifter configured to remove the panel from the underside of the housing by lowering the panel from an initial position and to attach the panel to the underside of the housing by raising the panel from a maintenance position, wherein when the panel is lowered to the maintenance position, one or more of the first filter and the second filter can be accessed for maintenance thereof, wherein the first filter is configured to be removed from and installed to the panel in a first direction, and Wherein, the second filter is configured to be separated from and mounted to the panel in a second direction different from the first direction.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The second filter is removable from the panel in a state where the first filter is mounted to the panel, and In a state where the first filter is mounted to the panel, the second filter can be mounted to the panel.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The second filter is mountable to the panel on an upper side of the first filter.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The panel further includes a frame configured to support the first filter and the second filter against the panel, The first filter is configured to be removed from and mounted to the frame in the first direction, and The second filter is configured to be separated from and mounted to the frame in the second direction.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein: The frame is formed on an upper side of the panel.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The second direction is parallel to the lifting direction of the panel.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The first direction is a horizontal direction, and The second direction is a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

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