A ducted air conditioner

Abstract

The application discloses a ducted air conditioner, aiming at solving the problem that the length of the ducted air conditioner cannot be compressed. The ducted air conditioner comprises an indoor unit, a shell of the indoor unit has a mounting cavity, and an indoor heat exchanger is located in the mounting cavity. A fan assembly is located in the mounting cavity and is spaced apart from the indoor heat exchanger along a first linear direction. The fan assembly has a plurality of air outlet openings arranged towards the indoor heat exchanger, and the plurality of air outlet openings are spaced apart along a second linear direction, and the first linear direction is perpendicular to the second linear direction. The number of the indoor heat exchangers is multiple, the multiple indoor heat exchangers are spaced apart along the second linear direction, and at least one air outlet opening is arranged towards one indoor heat exchanger along the second linear direction, so as to reduce the length of the indoor unit along the second linear direction. Along the second linear direction, the gas port end and the liquid port end of the indoor heat exchanger are located on one side of one indoor heat exchanger towards another indoor heat exchanger. The indoor unit structure of the ducted air conditioner provided by the application is small and exquisite.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air conditioning technology, and more particularly to a ducted air conditioner. Background Technology

[0002] The indoor unit of a ducted air conditioner is a duct unit. Because ducted air conditioners have advantages such as concealed installation and easy integration with home decoration ceilings, they have a good aesthetic appearance when installed indoors.

[0003] When the air conditioner is running, the impeller of the fan assembly rotates inside the duct unit, causing air near the casing to enter the casing. As the air flows through the heat exchanger, it exchanges heat with the heat exchanger, and the air after heat exchange can flow out of the casing, thus regulating the temperature and / or humidity near the installation area.

[0004] In related technical solutions, to improve the heat exchange density per unit volume of the ducted air conditioner, the height and longitudinal dimensions of the ducted air conditioner can be appropriately compressed, and an indoor heat exchanger with a larger heat exchange area can be arranged within a limited space. However, on one side of the ducted air conditioner's installation cavity (such as the left-right direction), due to the placement of components such as the refrigerant pipe joints and electrical control boxes of the indoor heat exchanger, there is a difficult-to-compress accommodating space between the indoor heat exchanger and the shell at this end, making it impossible to effectively compress the ducted air conditioner's length in the left-right direction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a ducted air conditioner that addresses the problem that the length of ducted air conditioners cannot be compressed or improved.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] This invention provides a ducted air conditioner, including an indoor unit. The indoor unit includes a housing, an indoor heat exchanger, and a fan assembly. The housing has a mounting cavity, and the indoor heat exchanger is located within the mounting cavity. The fan assembly is located within the mounting cavity and is spaced apart from the indoor heat exchanger along a first linear direction. The fan assembly has multiple exhaust vents facing the indoor heat exchanger, and these multiple exhaust vents are spaced apart along a second linear direction, the first linear direction being perpendicular to the second linear direction. There are multiple indoor heat exchangers, which are spaced apart along the second linear direction, and at least one exhaust vent is positioned along the second linear direction facing one of the indoor heat exchangers, thereby reducing the length of the indoor unit along the second linear direction.

[0008] Thus, by installing multiple indoor heat exchangers spaced laterally along the left and right sides within the mounting cavity, the installation positions of the electrical box and the connecting components such as the ports of the indoor heat exchangers can be adjusted accordingly, allowing the indoor heat exchangers at both ends to be positioned close to or in contact with the corresponding side walls of the mounting cavity. Based on this, by making reasonable use of the space within the mounting cavity, the installation space at the electrical box on one side of the mounting cavity in a duct-type indoor unit can be compressed. This significantly reduces the lateral length of the duct-type indoor unit.

[0009] Because the space between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers reduces their heat exchange area, it reduces the amount of refrigerant pipes and fins used, thus lowering the manufacturing cost of the indoor unit and resulting in considerable economic benefits. Furthermore, although the space between adjacent indoor heat exchangers reduces their heat exchange area, the amount of air flowing through this area has a limited impact on the heat exchange power and efficiency of the indoor unit.

[0010] In some embodiments, the indoor heat exchanger has an air port end and a liquid port end, which are located on the side of one indoor heat exchanger facing the other along a second straight direction, so that the indoor heat exchangers are arranged close to the two opposite side walls of the mounting cavity.

[0011] In some embodiments, the indoor unit also includes an electrical box for housing control elements for mounting the fan assembly. Along a second linear direction, the electrical box is mounted within a mounting cavity between two adjacent exhaust vents, such that the indoor heat exchanger is positioned close to the opposite sidewalls of the mounting cavity.

[0012] In some embodiments, the indoor unit also includes a distributor located within a mounting cavity between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers along a second linear direction. Multiple liquid inlets are connected to a pressure regulator via the distributor.

[0013] In some embodiments, the indoor unit also includes a gas collection pipe along a second straight line, located in a mounting cavity between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers, and the gas outlets of the multiple indoor heat exchangers are connected to the compressor via the gas collection pipe.

[0014] In some implementations, multiple indoor heat exchangers are connected in parallel and configured such that the indoor unit is connected to a cooling circuit or a heating circuit through one or more indoor heat exchangers.

[0015] In some embodiments, the indoor unit also includes multiple air outlet baffles along a second straight line direction at the end of one indoor heat exchanger near another, and an air outlet baffle is installed along a first straight line direction between the exhaust vent and the indoor heat exchanger so that the air blown out of the exhaust vent flows toward the corresponding indoor heat exchanger.

[0016] In some embodiments, along the second straight line, indoor heat exchangers distributed near one end of the mounting cavity are installed close to or in contact with one side of the shell, and indoor heat exchangers distributed near the other end of the mounting cavity are installed close to or in contact with the other side of the shell.

[0017] In some embodiments, the fan assembly includes multiple volutes and multiple centrifugal impellers, the volutes being spaced apart along a first straight line, and the exhaust port of at least one volute being positioned along a second straight line toward an indoor heat exchanger. A centrifugal impeller is installed within each volute to drive air from the exhaust port toward the indoor heat exchanger.

[0018] In some embodiments, the fan assembly also includes multiple motors, the number of which is the same as the number of volutes. One motor is installed in each volute, and the output of the motor is connected to the centrifugal impeller to drive the centrifugal impeller to rotate.

[0019] In some embodiments, the fan assembly also includes a motor, with the motor arranged between two adjacent volutes, and the output shaft of the motor extending toward both ends along a second straight direction and inserted into multiple volutes. The motor is connected to multiple centrifugal impellers through the output shaft and drives the multiple centrifugal impellers to rotate synchronously. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the refrigerant flow path of an air conditioner in cooling mode, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the refrigerant flow path of an air conditioner in heating mode is provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a structure in which a gas-liquid separator and an oil separator are installed between the compressor and the four-way valve.

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the refrigerant flow path of an air conditioner in single-cooling mode provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 A side view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner provided as an example of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an indoor heat exchanger is shown below.

[0027] Figure 7 A side view of another indoor unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 8 A three-dimensional structural diagram of an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the partition plate and fan assembly shown in the figure;

[0030] Figure 10 A wind speed distribution cloud map of the cross section where the exhaust vent is located;

[0031] Figure 11 for Figure 8 A top view of the indoor unit shown;

[0032] Figure 12 A top view of a first type of indoor unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 13 A top view of a second type of indoor unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 14 for Figure 12 The image shows a side view of the indoor unit.

[0035] Figure label:

[0036] 100-Air conditioner;

[0037] 11-Compressor; 12-Four-way valve; 13-Outdoor heat exchanger; 14-Pressure reducer; 15-Indoor heat exchanger; 151-Refrigerant pipe; 152-Fin; 153-Gas port; 154-Liquid port; 16-Gas-liquid separator; 17-Oil separator;

[0038] 20 - Outdoor unit;

[0039] 30 - Indoor unit;

[0040] 31-Shell; 311-Mounting cavity; 3111-Heat exchange cavity; 3112-Fan cavity; 312-Air outlet; 313-Return air outlet;

[0041] 32-Fan assembly; 321-Voltage casing; 322-Centrifugal impeller; 323-Exhaust outlet; 324-Inlet; 325-Motor;

[0042] 33-Middle partition; 34-Electrical box; 35-Diverter; 36-Air collection pipe; 37-Air outlet partition. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or relative positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Unless otherwise specified, the above-mentioned orientational descriptions can be flexibly set in actual application, provided that the relative positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings is satisfied.

[0045] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0046] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "communication" should be interpreted broadly, such as fixed connection, detachable connection, or integral connection. Connections can be direct or indirect via an intermediate medium; they can be internal connections between two components or electrical connections between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0047] It should be noted that in practical applications, due to limitations in equipment precision or installation errors, achieving absolute parallelism or perpendicularity is difficult. The descriptions of perpendicularity, parallelism, or unidirectional orientation in this application are not absolute limitations, but rather indicate that perpendicular or parallel structural settings can be achieved within a preset error range (e.g., a vertical deviation of 5°) to achieve the corresponding preset effects. This maximizes the technical effect of the defined features and makes the corresponding technical solution easy to implement, demonstrating high feasibility.

[0048] In embodiments of the invention, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0049] In embodiments of the present invention, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0050] An air conditioner, also known as an air conditioner, is a device that can regulate and control the temperature, humidity, and circulating air of the indoor environment of a building or structure.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, this application provides a ducted air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air conditioner 100), which may include a compressor 11, a four-way valve 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, a pressure reducer 14, and an indoor heat exchanger 15. For example, the four-way valve 12 may have a first port A, a second port B, a third port C, and a fourth port D, and the compressor 11 may have a return gas end and a discharge gas end, such as... Figure 1 The end of the air flowing into the compressor 11 along the direction of the arrow is the return end of the compressor, and the other end is the outlet end of the compressor 11.

[0052] The return end of compressor 11 can be connected to the first port A of the four-way valve, the outlet end of compressor 11 can be connected to the second port B of the four-way valve, the third port C of the four-way valve can be connected to one end of outdoor heat exchanger 13, the other end of outdoor heat exchanger 13 can be connected to one end of indoor heat exchanger 15 through pressure reducer 14, and the other end of indoor heat exchanger 15 can be connected to the fourth port D of the four-way valve.

[0053] Reference Figure 1 The air conditioner 100 may include two parts: an outdoor unit 20 and an indoor unit 30. For example, the compressor 11, the four-way valve 12, and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 may be part of the outdoor unit 20, and correspondingly, the indoor heat exchanger 15 may be part of the indoor unit 30. The pressure reducer 14 may be a capillary tube or an electronic expansion valve throttling device. The pressure reducer 14 may be, for example, a capillary tube or an electronic expansion valve throttling device. Figure 1The pressure reducer 14 can be installed in the indoor unit 30 as shown, or it can be installed in the refrigerant pipeline between the outdoor unit 20 and the indoor unit 30. As long as the pressure reducer 14 is located between the indoor heat exchanger 15 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 along the refrigerant flow direction.

[0054] Based on this, driven by the compressor 11, the refrigerant can circulate between the indoor unit 30 and the outdoor unit 20 through the pipeline and generate a reversible phase change. At the same time as the refrigerant generates a phase change, it can release or absorb heat through the heat exchanger.

[0055] In this way, the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 20 can exchange heat with the surrounding medium (such as air) through the outdoor heat exchanger 13, thereby releasing heat and heating the surrounding air (or absorbing heat to cool the nearby air). In the indoor unit 30, the refrigerant can exchange heat with the surrounding air through the indoor heat exchanger 15, thereby absorbing heat to cool the surrounding air (or releasing heat to heat the nearby air), thus achieving efficient cooling (or heating) of the air conditioner 100.

[0056] The air conditioner 100 can be configured as a single outdoor unit 20 driving one indoor unit 30 for refrigerant circulation, such as a one-to-one structure. Alternatively, the air conditioner 100 can be configured as a high-power outdoor unit 20 driving multiple indoor units 30 for refrigerant circulation, such as a residential one-to-many central air conditioning system. Or, the air conditioner 100 can be configured as multiple outdoor units 20 connected in parallel to drive the indoor units 30 for refrigerant circulation, such as a large air conditioning unit.

[0057] By setting the four-way valve 12, the operating mode of the air conditioner 100 can be flexibly adjusted between hot / cold mode and heating mode, so that the air conditioner 100 can be applied to more usage scenarios.

[0058] When the air conditioner 100 is in cooling or dehumidifying mode, Figure 1 Taking the solid arrow shown as an example, the four-way valve 12 can be adjusted to make the second port B and the third port C open, and to make the fourth port D and the first port A open.

[0059] Thus, the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 can flow from the outlet end through the second port B and the third port C of the four-way valve 12 to the outdoor heat exchanger 13, so that the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant can be liquefied at the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and release heat to heat the air near the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

[0060] Subsequently, under the action of the pressure reducer 14, the pressure of the liquid refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 15 is reduced, allowing the liquid refrigerant to absorb heat and vaporize at the indoor heat exchanger 15. This facilitates heat exchange and transfer between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the indoor heat exchanger 15, cooling the air near the indoor heat exchanger 15. The vaporized refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger 15 can sequentially flow through the fourth port D and the first port A of the four-way valve 12. Then, the gaseous refrigerant can be drawn into the compressor 11 through the return gas end and compressed, thus achieving refrigerant circulation.

[0061] When the air conditioner 100 is in heating mode, Figure 2 Taking the solid arrow shown as an example, the four-way valve 12 can be adjusted to make the second port B and the fourth port D open, and to make the third port C and the first port A open.

[0062] Thus, the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by compressor 11 can flow from the outlet end through the second port B and the fourth port D of the four-way valve 12 to... Figure 2 The indoor heat exchanger 15 shown is designed so that the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant can be liquefied and release heat at the indoor heat exchanger 15 to heat the air near the indoor heat exchanger 15.

[0063] Subsequently, under the action of pressure reducer 14, the water flows through pressure reducer 14 and into the air. Figure 2 The pressure of the liquid refrigerant at the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is reduced, allowing the liquid refrigerant to absorb heat and vaporize at the outdoor heat exchanger 13. This facilitates heat exchange and transfer between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the indoor heat exchanger 15, cooling the air surrounding the outdoor heat exchanger 13. The vaporized refrigerant flows sequentially through the third port C and the first port A of the four-way valve 12. Then, the gaseous refrigerant can be drawn into the compressor 11 through the return gas end and compressed, thus achieving refrigerant circulation.

[0064] To prevent the gaseous refrigerant drawn into compressor 11 from being mixed with liquid refrigerant or impurities, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the air conditioner 100 may further include a gas-liquid separator 16. The gas-liquid separator 16 can be installed between the first port A of the four-way valve 12 and the return gas end of the compressor 11, so that the first port A can be connected and energized to the return gas end of the compressor 11 through the gas-liquid separator 16. In this way, when gaseous refrigerant mixed with impurities such as liquid refrigerant or lubricating oil flows to the return gas end of the compressor 11 through the gas-liquid separator 16, the gas-liquid separator 16 can separate non-gaseous impurities (such as liquid refrigerant, liquid lubricating oil, or other impurities) to prevent the above impurities from entering the compressor 11 and affecting the stable operation of the compressor 11.

[0065] Continue to refer to Figure 3The air conditioner 100 may also include an oil separator 17, and the outlet end of the compressor 11 and the second port B of the four-way valve 12 can also be connected and circulated through the oil separator 17. In this way, the lubricating oil mixed in the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant can be separated during the flow of the oil separator 17, thereby preventing the lubricating oil from adhering to the inner walls of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the indoor heat exchanger 15 along with the refrigerant, so that the indoor heat exchanger 15 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 have higher heat exchange efficiency.

[0066] In some other embodiments, a four-way valve may not be necessary.

[0067] like Figure 4 As shown, the outlet end of compressor 11 can be connected to one end of pressure reducer 14 via outdoor heat exchanger 13, and the return end of compressor 11 can be connected to the other end of pressure reducer 14 via gas-liquid separator 16 and indoor heat exchanger 15 in sequence. This allows the refrigerant to circulate among compressor 11, outdoor heat exchanger 13, pressure reducer 14, indoor heat exchanger 15, gas-liquid separator 16, and compressor 11. At this time, outdoor heat exchanger 13 can be used to heat the nearby air, and indoor heat exchanger 15 can be used to cool the nearby air, so that air conditioner 100 can operate in cooling mode or dehumidification mode (i.e., cooling-only mode).

[0068] It should be noted that the indoor unit 30 of the air conditioner 100 can be a ducted unit. Ducted indoor units 30 are typically installed in conjunction with a suspended ceiling structure, allowing for concealed installation. This method offers advantages such as concealed installation, ease of integration with home ceiling designs, and good aesthetics.

[0069] like Figure 5 As shown, the indoor unit 30 with a duct structure may include a housing 31, a fan assembly 32, and an indoor heat exchanger 15. The housing 31 may have a mounting cavity 311, and the fan assembly 32 and the indoor heat exchanger 15 may be arranged at intervals within the mounting cavity 311. Taking the fan assembly 32 and the indoor heat exchanger 15 in the mounting cavity 311 as being distributed at intervals along the front-back direction (i.e., the first straight line direction), the housing 31 may have an air outlet 312 on the front side of the mounting cavity 311, and the housing 31 may have a return air outlet 313 on the rear side of the mounting cavity 311, so that the fan assembly 32 can drive air to enter the mounting cavity 311 through the return air outlet 313, flow through the indoor heat exchanger 15, and then be discharged through the air outlet 312.

[0070] Based on this, within the mounting cavity 311, the indoor heat exchanger 15 can be arranged close to the front air outlet 312, and the fan assembly 32 can be arranged close to the rear return air outlet 313. Thus, when the air conditioner is running, the fan assembly 32 can rotate, driving air from the return air outlet 313 into the mounting cavity 311, and the air can be blown from the outlet of the fan assembly 32 towards the indoor heat exchanger 15, allowing the refrigerant flowing within the indoor heat exchanger 15 to quickly exchange heat with the flowing air.

[0071] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the length direction of the indoor heat exchanger 15 and the shell 31 can be the left-right direction (i.e., the second straight line direction). The indoor heat exchanger 15 can include multiple refrigerant pipes 151 and multiple fins 152. The refrigerant pipes 151 can extend in the left-right direction, and the fins 152 can be an integral sheet structure. The multiple fins 152 can be distributed at intervals in the left-right direction. The refrigerant pipes 151 can pass through the multiple fins 152 in the left-right direction and contact and connect with the multiple fins 152. For example, the refrigerant pipes 151 and the fins 152 can contact each other and be fixed by brazing to form an integral indoor heat exchanger 15.

[0072] For example, multiple insertion holes (or insertion slots) can be formed on a fin 152, and the insertion holes (or insertion slots) on the multiple fins 152 are aligned in the left-right direction, so that the refrigerant pipes 151 passing through the insertion holes and through the fins 152 can be in contact with the fins 152 while the multiple refrigerant pipes 151 can also be spaced apart in the plane of the fins 152. In this way, the multiple refrigerant pipes 151 can be connected to form one or more refrigerant passages, so that the flowing refrigerant can fully contact the air through the refrigerant pipes 151 and the fins 152, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of the indoor heat exchanger 15. The refrigerant pipes can be round tubes made of copper or aluminum metal or alloy, or microchannel flat tubes.

[0073] Taking a rectangular plate-like structure as an example, multiple fins 152 and multiple refrigerant pipes 151 can be connected to form a structure like... Figure 6 The plate heat exchanger shown is an example. Figure 5 Within the mounting cavity 311 shown, due to the limited height dimension of the mounting cavity 311 in the vertical direction, the upper edge of the flat-plate indoor heat exchanger 15 can be tilted forward, thereby increasing the heat exchange area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger 15 within the limited height space.

[0074] In some other embodiments, such as Figure 7As shown, each fin 152 can also be configured as an integral sheet structure. Based on this, both the upper and lower ends of the fin 152 can be bent backwards to form a V-shaped or C-shaped fin structure. This allows the upper and lower ends of the indoor heat exchanger 15 to be bent towards the fan assembly 32. The integral fin structure 152 allows for the fabrication of an integral indoor heat exchanger 15, which helps to increase the heat exchange area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger 15 in the ducted air conditioner.

[0075] Alternatively, the fins 152 of the integrated structure can be configured as a W-shaped or other bent multi-fold structure to form a multi-fold indoor heat exchanger 15 located in the mounting cavity 311, further increasing the heat exchange area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger 15 in the duct unit.

[0076] Or, it can also be done through Figure 6 The indoor heat exchangers 15 with the flat plate structure shown can be spliced ​​to form the aforementioned irregular heat exchangers with C-shaped, V-shaped or other multi-fold structures, and this application does not limit this.

[0077] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the fan assembly 32 located within the mounting cavity 311 can be a centrifugal fan structure. The fan assembly 32 may include a volute 321 and a centrifugal impeller 322, with the centrifugal impeller 322 installed within the volute 321. The volute 321 has an exhaust port 323 and an inlet port 324. One exhaust port 323 of the volute 321 can be positioned forward toward the indoor heat exchanger 15, and the outlet port 312 and the exhaust port 323 on the front side of the mounting cavity 311 can be located on the front and rear sides of the indoor heat exchanger 15. For example, the exhaust port 323 can be positioned close to the upper side of the mounting cavity 311 in the vertical direction.

[0078] Combination Figure 7 and Figure 8 Within the mounting cavity 311, the centrifugal impeller 322 can be positioned with its axis parallel to the left-right direction. This means the impeller 322 can rotate around an axis parallel to the left-right direction, driving air to flow sequentially through the return air inlet 313 and the air inlet 324, and then being blown towards the indoor heat exchanger 15 through the exhaust outlet 323. The axis of the centrifugal impeller 322 can also be considered the axis of the fan assembly 32. Because centrifugal fans are small in size, low in noise, and have high air pressure, they are advantageous for increasing airflow within ducted air conditioning units with limited height space.

[0079] Within the mounting cavity 311, such as Figure 8As shown, the fan assembly 32 may include multiple volutes 321 and multiple centrifugal impellers 322. The multiple volutes 321 may be spaced apart in the left-right direction, and one centrifugal impeller 322 may be installed in each volute 321. That is, the multiple volutes 321 may be arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple centrifugal impellers 322, so that the rotating centrifugal impellers 322 can drive air to be blown from the exhaust port 323 to the indoor heat exchanger 15. At this time, the exhaust ports 323 of the multiple volutes 321 are also spaced apart in the left-right direction, that is, the multiple exhaust ports 323 of the fan assembly 32 are spaced apart in the left-right direction (second straight line direction).

[0080] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, the fan assembly 32 may also include a motor 325, which can be arranged between two adjacent volutes 321, and the output shaft of the motor 325 can extend to both ends in the left-right direction and be inserted into two, three or more volutes 321. The output shaft of the motor 325 can be connected to multiple centrifugal impellers 322 and can drive multiple centrifugal impellers 322 to rotate synchronously, so that multiple centrifugal impellers 322 can be driven to rotate by one motor 325, which simplifies the structure and reduces the number of motors 325 required.

[0081] Alternatively, the number of motors 325 can be multiple, the same as the number of volutes 321. Multiple motors 325 can be configured one-to-one with multiple volutes 321. For example, one motor 325 can be installed inside one volute 321, and the output shaft of this motor 325 can be connected to the centrifugal impeller 322 inside that volute 321. In this way, one motor 325 can drive one centrifugal impeller 322 to rotate, facilitating flexible control of the speed of each centrifugal impeller 322 to adjust the airflow at the corresponding exhaust port 323.

[0082] In some other embodiments, the fan assembly 32 can also be an axial flow fan structure. For example, the axial flow fan can be configured with its axis parallel to the front-to-back direction, and the axial flow fan can blow air forward and make the air flow through the indoor heat exchanger 15 in front. Multiple axial flow fans can be distributed at intervals in the left-to-right direction. In this case, the air outlet side in front of one axial flow fan is equivalent to the exhaust port of one fan assembly 32.

[0083] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, the indoor unit 30 may further include a partition 33, which is located within the mounting cavity 311 and connected to the housing 31, to divide the mounting cavity 311 into a heat exchange cavity 3111 and a fan cavity 3112 along the front-to-back direction. The partition 33 has openings communicating with the heat exchange cavity 3111 and the fan cavity 3112, and multiple exhaust ports 323 of the fan assembly 32 (such as...) Figure 7As shown, it can be set one-to-one with multiple openings of multiple partition plates 33. For example, an exhaust port 323 can be connected and installed forward aligned with an opening of a partition plate 33 so that air can be blown into the indoor heat exchanger 15 in the heat exchange chamber 3111 through the exhaust port 323 and the opening of the partition plate 33.

[0084] For the indoor unit 30 with a ducted air conditioning structure, such as Figure 8 As shown, there is a gap between the right end of the indoor heat exchanger 15 and the right side wall of the casing 31, and multiple liquid ports and multiple gas ports of the indoor heat exchanger 15 are located in this gap, and the pressure reducer 14 of the indoor unit 30 (as shown) Figure 1 As shown, structures such as the distributor and air collection pipe are all installed within this partition space. Correspondingly, the indoor unit 30 may also include an electrical box 34, which is used to house and install control components for regulating the fan assembly 32, compressor 11, and pressure reducer 14 of the electronic structure. The electrical box 34 may be located at the right end of the fan cavity 3112, that is, the partition space between the electrical box 34 and the heat exchange cavity 3111 is located at the right end of the mounting cavity 311.

[0085] Thus, in order to increase the heat exchange density of the indoor unit 30 of the ducted air conditioning system, the height and width dimensions of the indoor unit 30 can be appropriately reduced, and an indoor heat exchanger 15 with a larger heat exchange area can be arranged within the limited heat exchange cavity 3111, all of which are beneficial to reducing the volume of the indoor unit 30. However, due to the aforementioned gap space and the presence of the electrical box 34, it is difficult to further reduce the length dimension of the indoor unit 30 in the ducted air conditioning system.

[0086] Combination Figure 8 and Figure 9 The shape of the partition 33 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the mounting cavity 311 in the direction perpendicular to the front and rear. Clearly, the total area of ​​the exhaust vents 323 of the multiple volutes occupies only a small portion of the area of ​​the partition 33. Combined with... Figure 10 It can be seen that the air volume of the indoor unit 30 is concentrated at the exhaust vent 323, and the air velocity distribution at the exhaust vent 323 is approximately M-shaped (not uniformly distributed), corresponding to the indoor heat exchanger 15 (such as...). Figure 8 As shown, the airflow on the rear side (i.e. the windward side) is concentrated in the area directly opposite the exhaust vent 323 in the front-to-back direction, and the airflow in other areas on the windward side of the indoor heat exchanger 15 is relatively small (negligible).

[0087] Correspondingly, combined Figure 11 As shown, Figure 11 for Figure 8In a top view of the indoor unit 30 shown, at point A of the indoor heat exchanger 15 corresponding to the area between two adjacent volutes 321, the air blown out by the two volutes 321 will form an airflow deviation in the area at point A and generate airflow noise. Correspondingly, at point B of the indoor heat exchanger 15 near the electrical box 34, some of the flowing air will form an airflow deviation with the pipes and other structures and generate airflow noise.

[0088] Based on this, such as Figure 12 As shown, Figure 12 This application provides a top view of an indoor unit 30 according to an embodiment of the present application. Multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 can be arranged within the heat exchange chamber 3111 of the indoor unit 30. The multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 arranged within the heat exchange chamber 3111 can be structures with relatively small length dimensions, and the multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 can be spaced apart in the left-right direction to allow at least one exhaust vent 323 (e.g., Figure 9 As shown, the indoor unit 30 can be positioned facing forward toward an indoor heat exchanger 15, which helps to reduce the length of the indoor unit 30 in the left-right direction.

[0089] The main reason why the length of the indoor unit 30 cannot be reduced is the space occupied by the connection structure between the electrical box 34 and one side port of the indoor heat exchanger 15. Within the heat exchange chamber 3111, a joint and connection structure can be installed between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15, or the electrical box 34 can be installed at that location. Alternatively, the electrical box 34 can be installed between two adjacent volutes 321 in the fan chamber 3112. All of these methods help reduce the length of the indoor unit 30 in the left-right direction and also help reduce airflow noise near the indoor heat exchangers 15 caused by airflow deviation.

[0090] For example, such as Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, the number of indoor heat exchangers 15 can be two, and the two indoor heat exchangers 15 are spaced apart in the left-right direction within the heat exchange chamber 3111. Correspondingly, the number of volutes 321 can be two or more, such as two exhaust vents 323 of two volutes 321 (e.g., two exhaust vents 323 of two volutes 321). Figure 9 As shown, each of the indoor heat exchangers 15 can be arranged forward-aligned.

[0091] If there are two indoor heat exchangers 15 and three volutes 321, the exhaust port 323 of one volute 321 can be aligned forward with one indoor heat exchanger 15, and the exhaust ports 323 of the other two volutes 321 can also be aligned forward with another indoor heat exchanger 15.

[0092] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 and Figure 12As shown, the electrical box 34 at the left or right end of the fan cavity 3112 can be adjusted and installed between the heat exchange cavities 3111, such as between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15, or between two adjacent volutes 321 in the fan cavity 3112. This helps to reduce the length of the fan cavity 3112 in the left-right direction.

[0093] like Figure 8 and Figure 13 As shown, the indoor heat exchanger 15 has an air port 153 and a liquid port 154. An air port 153 and a liquid port 154 can be connected by one or more refrigerant pipes 151 to form a refrigerant flow path. One or more refrigerant flow paths can be provided within an indoor heat exchanger 15. The air port 153 and liquid port 154 can be located on the side of one indoor heat exchanger 15 facing another, in the left-right direction. Between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15, the air port 153 and liquid port 154 can be arranged at the right end of the left-hand indoor heat exchanger 15, and the air port 153 and liquid port 154 can be arranged at the left end of the right-hand indoor heat exchanger 15. That is, the air port 153 and liquid port 154 can be located at either the left or right end of the indoor heat exchanger 15.

[0094] For one of the three indoor heat exchangers 15, an air inlet 153 and a liquid inlet 154 can be arranged at at least one of its left and right ends. This helps to reduce the length of the heat exchange chamber 3111 in the left-right direction.

[0095] Based on this, by setting multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 spaced apart in the left-right direction within the mounting cavities 311, such as the heat exchange cavity 3111 and the fan cavity 3112, and by adjusting the installation positions of the electrical box 34 and the ports of the indoor heat exchangers 15 accordingly, the indoor heat exchangers 15 at both ends can be positioned close to or in contact with the side walls of the corresponding mounting cavities 311 (or the housing 31). For example, the left end of one indoor heat exchanger 15 on the left can be positioned close to or in contact with the left side wall of the housing 31, and the right end of one indoor heat exchanger 15 on the right can be positioned close to or in contact with the right side wall of the housing 31.

[0096] By making reasonable use of the space within the mounting cavity 311, Figure 5 In the duct-type indoor unit 30 shown, the installation space at the electrical box 34 on the right side of the fan cavity 3112 and the receiving cavity space at the port connector on the right side of the heat exchange cavity 3111 can both be compressed. This can significantly reduce the length of the duct-type indoor unit 30 in the left-right direction.

[0097] For example, in the space between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15 in the heat exchange chamber 3111, the electrical box 34 can be arranged close to or against the upper side wall of the housing 31. In this way, the motor in the fan chamber 3112 can be prevented from obstructing the installation space of the electrical box 34, and the electrical box 34 arranged in contact with the housing 31 can quickly conduct heat through the housing 31, which is beneficial to the rapid heat dissipation of the components inside the electrical box 34.

[0098] Because the space between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15 reduces the heat exchange area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger 15, the amount of refrigerant pipes 151 and fins 152 used in the indoor heat exchanger 15 can be reduced, which helps to reduce the manufacturing cost of the indoor unit 30 and has considerable economic benefits. Furthermore, although the space between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15 reduces the heat exchange area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger 15, the amount of air flowing through this area has a limited impact on the heat exchange power and efficiency of the indoor unit.

[0099] In some embodiments, such as Figure 13 As shown, the indoor unit 30 may also include a distributor 35, which can be located in the fan cavity 3112 between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15 in the left-right direction, and multiple liquid inlets 154 can be connected to the pressure reducer 14 through the distributor 35.

[0100] When the air conditioner 100 is operating in cooling mode, the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 13 may not be completely liquefied. That is, the refrigerant flowing from the pressure reducer 14 to the indoor heat exchanger 15 is in a gas-liquid two-phase mixed state. Therefore, the distribution manifold 35 allows the refrigerant to be distributed more evenly as it flows through the manifold 35, thereby improving the uniformity of the two-phase refrigerant in the multiple refrigerant channels flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 15 and thus improving the overall heat exchange efficiency of the indoor heat exchanger 15.

[0101] Continue to refer to Figure 13 The indoor unit 30 may also include a gas collection pipe 36, which can be located in the fan cavity 3112 between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15 in the left-right direction, and multiple air outlets 153 can be connected to a four-way valve 12 (e.g., Figure 1 (as shown) or compressor 11, so as to facilitate the connection and conduction of the refrigerant circulation path.

[0102] Since structures such as the distributor 35 and the air collection pipe 36 can be installed between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers 15, it avoids large installation gaps between the left and right ends of the mounting cavity 311 and the corresponding indoor heat exchangers 15. This helps to reduce the length of the indoor unit in the left-right direction.

[0103] It should be noted that the multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 within the heat exchange chamber 3111 can be connected in parallel to the refrigeration or heating circuit simultaneously, allowing refrigerant to flow through them simultaneously for heat exchange during either cooling or heating operation. In this case, the refrigerant flow rate within the multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 can be controlled according to temperature regulation, and the fan assembly 32 speed can be adjusted accordingly to suit different operating power requirements of the air conditioner 100.

[0104] Alternatively, an electric control valve can be connected to the liquid port 154 or gas port 153 of one or more indoor heat exchangers 15 to regulate and control the connection of one or more indoor heat exchangers 15 to the corresponding refrigeration circuit or heating circuit.

[0105] For example, when the air conditioner 100 is operating at a higher power, all the electronically controlled valves can be opened to connect multiple indoor heat exchangers 15 in parallel to the refrigeration or heating circuit, so that the indoor unit 30 can operate at high power or full power due to the larger indoor heat exchange area and refrigerant flow.

[0106] When the air conditioner 100 is operating at a lower power, one or more electronically controlled valves can be opened to connect one or more indoor heat exchangers 15 to the corresponding refrigeration or heating circuit. This allows refrigerant to flow through one or more indoor heat exchangers 15, precisely regulating the temperature near the indoor unit 30. At this time, the multiple centrifugal impellers 322 of the fan assembly 32 can be individually controlled. For example, only the centrifugal fan corresponding to the indoor heat exchanger 15 with refrigerant flow can be turned on, which helps to further improve the power efficiency of the air conditioner 100.

[0107] In some embodiments, such as Figure 12 and Figure 14 As shown, the indoor unit 30 may also include multiple air outlet baffles 38. Along the left-right direction, at the end of one indoor heat exchanger 15 near another indoor heat exchanger 15, an air outlet baffle 38 may be installed in the front-back direction between the exhaust port 323 and the indoor heat exchanger 15, so that the air blown out of the exhaust port 323 can flow smoothly toward the aligned indoor heat exchangers, thereby avoiding air leakage and disturbance.

[0108] For example, if the indoor unit 30 contains two indoor heat exchangers 15, there can be two corresponding air outlet baffles 38. For instance, the right end of the left indoor heat exchanger 15 can be connected to the vicinity of the right edge of the left exhaust vent 323 via the air outlet baffle 38, and the left end of the right indoor heat exchanger 15 can be connected to the vicinity of the left edge of the right exhaust vent 323 via the air outlet baffle 38. In this way, the upper and lower sides of the air outlet baffle 38 can be connected to the upper and lower sidewalls of the heat exchange chamber 3111, so that the air outlet baffle 38 and the corresponding heat exchange chamber 3111 can form an air duct structure between the exhaust vent 323 and the indoor heat exchanger 15, which can prevent air leakage and reduce aerodynamic noise.

[0109] If three or more indoor heat exchangers 15 (i.e., n) are installed inside the indoor unit 30, then the number of air outlet baffles 38 can be 2n-2. That is, at the middle indoor heat exchanger 15, its left end can be connected to the vicinity of the left edge of an aligned exhaust vent 323 through an air outlet baffle 38, and the right end of the indoor heat exchanger 15 can be connected to the vicinity of the right edge of the aligned exhaust vent 323 through an air outlet baffle 38.

[0110] In this way, the air blown out from the exhaust vent 323 can be blown through the air duct structure formed by the exhaust baffle 38 and the casing 31 to an indoor heat exchanger 15 opposite it, making the wind speed distribution on the windward side of the indoor heat exchanger 15 more uniform, which is conducive to improving the heat exchange efficiency of the indoor unit 30.

[0111] Furthermore, in the area of ​​the heat exchange chamber 3111 between two adjacent exhaust vents 323 (e.g. Figure 11 In area A of the air supply, the air blown out by the two exhaust vents 323 will not cause airflow deviation, which helps to reduce or even eliminate abnormal air supply noise.

[0112] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0113] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A ducted air conditioner, comprising an indoor unit, characterized in that, The indoor unit includes: The housing has a mounting cavity; The indoor heat exchanger is located inside the mounting cavity; And the fan assembly, located within the mounting cavity and spaced apart from the indoor heat exchanger along a first straight line direction; The fan assembly has multiple exhaust vents facing the indoor heat exchanger, and the multiple exhaust vents are spaced apart along a second straight line direction, wherein the first straight line direction is perpendicular to the second straight line direction. The number of indoor heat exchangers is multiple, and the multiple indoor heat exchangers are spaced apart along the second straight line direction, and at least one of the exhaust vents is arranged along the second straight line direction toward one of the indoor heat exchangers; The indoor heat exchanger has an air port end and a liquid port end. Along the second straight direction, the air port end and the liquid port end are located on the side of one indoor heat exchanger facing the other indoor heat exchanger, so that the indoor heat exchanger is arranged close to the two opposite side walls of the mounting cavity. The indoor unit also includes: A flow divider, along the second straight line direction, is located in the mounting cavity between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers; and multiple liquid inlets are connected to a pressure reducer via the flow divider. An electrical box is used to house the control elements for mounting the fan assembly; along the second straight direction, the electrical box is installed in a mounting cavity between two adjacent exhaust vents, such that the indoor heat exchanger is positioned close to the two opposite side walls of the mounting cavity.

2. The ducted air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indoor unit also includes: A gas collection pipe, along the second straight line direction, is located in the mounting cavity between two adjacent indoor heat exchangers, and the gas inlet ends of the plurality of indoor heat exchangers are connected to the compressor through the gas collection pipe.

3. The ducted air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple indoor heat exchangers are connected in parallel and configured as follows: The indoor unit is connected to the refrigeration circuit or the heating circuit through one or more indoor heat exchangers.

4. The ducted air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The indoor unit also includes: Multiple air outlet baffles are provided along the second straight line direction at the end of one indoor heat exchanger near another, and one air outlet baffle is installed along the first straight line direction between the exhaust port and the indoor heat exchanger so that the air blown out of the exhaust port flows toward the corresponding indoor heat exchanger.

5. The ducted air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that, Along the second straight line direction, the indoor heat exchangers distributed near one end of the mounting cavity are installed close to or in contact with one side of the housing, and the indoor heat exchangers distributed near the other end of the mounting cavity are installed close to or in contact with the other side of the housing.

6. The ducted air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The wind turbine assembly includes: Multiple volutes are spaced apart along the first straight line direction, and the exhaust port of at least one volute is arranged along the second straight line direction toward one of the indoor heat exchangers. And multiple centrifugal impellers, one of which is installed in one of the volutes, for driving air from the exhaust port to the indoor heat exchanger.

7. The ducted air conditioner according to claim 6, characterized in that, The wind turbine assembly also includes: Multiple motors, the number of which is the same as the number of volutes, with one motor installed inside each volute, and the output end of each motor connected to the centrifugal impeller to drive the centrifugal impeller to rotate; or, A motor is arranged between two adjacent volutes, and the output shaft of the motor extends towards both ends along the second straight direction and is inserted into multiple volutes. The motor is connected to multiple centrifugal impellers through the output shaft and drives multiple centrifugal impellers to rotate synchronously.

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