Air duct assembly and air conditioner indoor unit

Abstract

The utility model discloses an air duct assembly and an air conditioner indoor unit. The air duct assembly comprises a shell, a centrifugal fan and a heat exchanger. The shell is provided with two air outlets formed in the height direction in a spaced mode. The centrifugal fan is arranged at the end of the air duct assembly in the length direction and comprises an outer volute, an inner volute and centrifugal fan blades. The inner volute is rotatably arranged in the inner cavity of the outer volute so that airflow exhausted by the centrifugal fan blades can flow to one of the two air outlets to change the air outlet position. The heat exchanger is located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan, and the length direction of the heat exchanger is parallel to the axis of the centrifugal fan. The motor used for driving the centrifugal fan can be placed on the axial side portion of the centrifugal fan, the compactness of the structure is further improved, the centrifugal fan can have the larger size under the condition that the overall size of the air duct assembly is small, the static pressure resistance of the centrifugal fan is high, the air outlet effect is improved, and the service life of the air duct assembly is prolonged. And the space occupation of the air conditioner indoor unit can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of air conditioning technology, and in particular to an air duct assembly and an indoor air conditioning unit. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional wall-mounted air conditioner indoor units use a single air outlet structure, with the outlet located on the bottom side of the unit. Both cooling and heating air are blown out through this outlet. Because the outlet is located at the bottom of the unit, in cooling mode, the cold air can easily blow directly onto people, causing discomfort and potentially leading to air conditioning sickness over time. Even adjusting the angle of the air deflector to change the airflow direction cannot completely solve this problem.

[0003] It should be noted that the statements in this background section only provide background information relevant to this application and do not necessarily constitute prior art. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides an air duct assembly and an indoor air conditioning unit to improve user comfort and reduce space occupation.

[0005] The first aspect of this application provides an air duct assembly, comprising:

[0006] The housing has two air outlets spaced apart in the height direction;

[0007] A centrifugal fan is located at the end of a duct assembly along its length. The centrifugal fan includes an outer volute, an inner volute, and centrifugal impellers. The inner volute is rotatably disposed within the inner cavity of the outer volute, allowing the airflow discharged from the centrifugal impellers to flow towards one of two outlets, thus changing the outlet position.

[0008] The heat exchanger is located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan, and its length is parallel to the axis of the centrifugal fan.

[0009] In some embodiments, the inner volute partially shields the centrifugal fan blades in the circumferential direction to form a shielding area and an opening area in the circumferential direction of the centrifugal fan blades. The outer volute has an axial inlet and two axial outlets respectively corresponding to two air outlets. The axial inlet and the two axial outlets are both located on the same axial end face of the outer volute. The airflow enters the centrifugal fan blades axially from the axial inlet and flows along the inner wall of the inner volute to the opening area for discharge. The inner volute is configured to rotate to different positions to change the position of the opening area so that the opening area can selectively communicate with one of the two axial outlets. The two air outlets are both located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan and are respectively connected to the two axial outlets (11B, 11C).

[0010] In some embodiments, the air outlet is located on the front side of the housing to allow airflow to blow forward. In some embodiments, the air duct assembly further includes an air outlet guide structure comprising at least one arcuate plate extending from the axial outlet to the air outlet to form at least two spaced airflow channels between the axial outlet and the air outlet, the at least one arcuate plate being configured to allow airflow exiting from the axial outlet to flow along the airflow channels to the air outlet and blow forward.

[0011] In some embodiments, the air outlet extends along the length of the air duct assembly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the centrifugal fan further includes a volute tongue and a first abutment portion and a second abutment portion disposed on the inner wall of the outer volute. The volute tongue is disposed at the end of the inner volute, and the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion are used to abut against the volute tongue during the rotation of the inner volute to define the position of the inner volute.

[0013] In some embodiments, both the first abutment and the second abutment are configured as stepped structures, with the end face of the stepped structure used for abutment with the volute tongue.

[0014] In some embodiments, the end faces of the first abutment and the second abutment are configured to face the same side in the width direction of the air duct assembly, and the inner volute is configured to rotate in the opposite direction to switch from the lower air outlet state to the upper air outlet state after rotating clockwise or counterclockwise to switch from the upper air outlet state to the lower air outlet state.

[0015] In some embodiments, the volute tongue is inclined relative to the axis of the centrifugal fan, and from the end of the centrifugal fan away from the heat exchanger to the end closer to the heat exchanger, the volute tongue gradually moves toward the rear side of the air duct assembly.

[0016] In some embodiments, the angle between the volute tongue and the axis of the centrifugal fan is greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 40°.

[0017] In some embodiments, the angle between the volute tongue and the axis of the centrifugal fan is equal to 17°.

[0018] In some embodiments, the system includes two centrifugal fans arranged opposite each other, the two centrifugal fans being coaxially arranged, and the housing having two sets of two air outlets spaced apart along the length direction. The two centrifugal fans are located at the two ends of the two sets of two air outlets respectively along the length direction. During the operation of the air duct assembly, the airflow entering the air duct assembly from the outside of the air duct assembly is divided into two paths between the two centrifugal fans and flows to the two sets of two air outlets respectively under the action of the two centrifugal fans.

[0019] A second aspect of this application provides an indoor air conditioning unit, including the air duct assembly described above.

[0020] Based on the technical solution provided in this application, the air duct assembly includes a housing, a centrifugal fan, and a heat exchanger. The housing has two air outlets spaced apart in the height direction. The centrifugal fan is disposed at the end of the air duct assembly in the length direction, and the centrifugal fan includes an outer volute, an inner volute, and centrifugal fan blades. The inner volute is rotatably disposed in the inner cavity of the outer volute so that the airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan blades flows to one of the two air outlets, thereby changing the air outlet position. The heat exchanger is located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan, and the length direction of the heat exchanger is parallel to the axis of the centrifugal fan. Based on the layout scheme of the air duct assembly provided in this application, the motor for driving the centrifugal fan can be placed on the axial side of the centrifugal fan, or in other words, in the area of ​​the housing used to arrange the heat exchanger, further increasing the compactness of the structure. Based on this characteristic, the centrifugal fan can have a larger volume while the overall volume of the air duct assembly is small, making the centrifugal fan stronger in terms of static pressure resistance, improving the air outlet effect, reducing the space occupied by the indoor unit of the air conditioner, increasing the selectivity of the installation position of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, reducing the installation difficulty, and at the same time, it can realize the change of the air outlet position, improving the user comfort.

[0021] Other features and advantages of this application will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the air duct assembly of some embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the air duct assembly of some embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the air duct assembly in the top air outlet state according to some embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the air duct assembly in the downward air outlet state according to some embodiments of this application.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the volute tongue abuts against the outer volute in the downward air outlet state of some embodiments of this application.

[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0029] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the axial inlet and axial outlet of the air duct assembly according to some embodiments of this application.

[0030] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A sectional view.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the tilt angle of the volute tongue of an air duct assembly according to some embodiments of this application.

[0032] Figure label:

[0033] 1. Centrifugal fan; 11. Outer volute; 12. Inner volute; 13. Centrifugal fan blade; 14. Volute tongue; 15. First contact part; 16. Second contact part; 11A. Axial inlet; 11B. Axial upward outlet; 11C. Axial downward outlet

[0034] 2. Heat exchanger;

[0035] 31. Upper air outlet; 32. Lower air outlet;

[0036] 4. Curved plate;

[0037] 5. Arc-shaped connection section. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this application or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0039] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0040] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "over," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "above" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways, and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0041] The inventors of this application discovered through research that conventional wall-mounted air conditioners in the prior art typically have a fixed air outlet and top return air, with horizontally tilted downward air outlet. The cold air is directly tilted towards the human body, resulting in poor comfort. When heating, the hot air cannot efficiently reach the lower part of the room, thus failing to effectively perform the heating function.

[0042] Furthermore, the inventors discovered that heat exchangers are typically arranged beside the centrifugal fan along the width (Y) direction of the wall-mounted unit, resulting in a larger overall width of the unit, which limits the choice of installation location and increases installation difficulty. If the heat exchanger is arranged parallel to the fan along the length (X) direction of the wall-mounted unit, the space occupied in the width (Y) direction can be reduced, thereby decreasing the width of the wall-mounted unit.

[0043] Considering the above issues, refer to Figure 1 , 2 According to embodiments of this application, a duct assembly is provided, comprising a housing, a centrifugal fan 1, and a heat exchanger 2. The housing has two air outlets spaced apart in the height direction, such as an upper air outlet 31 and a lower air outlet 32. The centrifugal fan 1 is disposed at the end of the duct assembly in the length direction X, and includes an outer volute 11, an inner volute 12, and centrifugal fan blades 13. The inner volute 12 is rotatably disposed within the cavity of the outer volute 11 so that the airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan blades 13 flows to one of the two air outlets, thereby changing the airflow position. The heat exchanger 2 is located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan 1, and the length direction of the heat exchanger 2 is parallel to the axis of the centrifugal fan 1.

[0044] Based on the layout scheme of the air duct assembly provided in this application, the motor for driving the centrifugal fan 1 can be placed on the axial side of the centrifugal fan 1, or in other words, in the area in the housing used to arrange the heat exchanger 2, further increasing the compactness of the structure. Based on this characteristic, the centrifugal fan can have a larger volume while the overall volume of the air duct assembly is small, making the centrifugal fan 1 more resistant to static pressure, improving the air outlet effect, and reducing the space occupied by the indoor unit of the air conditioner, increasing the selectivity of the installation position of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, reducing the installation difficulty, and at the same time, the position of the air outlet can be changed, improving the user's comfort.

[0045] In some embodiments, the inner volute 12 circumferentially blocks a portion of the centrifugal fan blade 13 to form a blocking area and an opening area in the circumferential direction of the centrifugal fan blade 13. The outer volute 11 has an axial inlet 11A and two axial outlets, such as an upper axial outlet 11B and a lower axial outlet 11C, respectively, which are respectively provided corresponding to the two air outlets. The axial inlet 11A and the two axial outlets are both provided on the same axial end face of the outer volute 11. Airflow enters the centrifugal fan blade 13 axially from the axial inlet 11A and flows along the inner wall of the inner volute 12 to the opening area for discharge. The inner volute 12 is configured to rotate to different positions to change the position of the opening area so that the opening area can selectively communicate with one of the two axial outlets. The two air outlets are both provided on the axial side of the centrifugal fan 1 and are respectively communicated with the two axial outlets.

[0046] Specifically, the outer volute 11 is a shell structure with an open side. In other words, the inner cavity of the outer volute 11 is a cavity open on one side, and the inner volute 12 and the centrifugal fan blade 13 are installed in the inner cavity of the outer volute 11 through the open side. The axial inlet 11A and the axial outlet are also located at the open side of the outer volute 11. The axial inlet 11A is located in the middle region of the open side, the upper axial outlet 11B is located in the upper region of the open side, and the lower axial outlet 11C is located in the lower region of the open side.

[0047] After the centrifugal fan blade 13 is placed in the inner cavity of the outer volute 11, the central area of ​​the centrifugal fan blade 13 is opposite to and connected to the axial inlet 11A, which facilitates the airflow to directly enter the centrifugal fan blade 13 from the axial inlet 11A. The inner volute 12 is a shell with an arc-shaped profile. The inner volute 12 circumferentially blocks the centrifugal fan blade 13. There is a radial gap between the inner volute 12 and the centrifugal fan blade 13 (this radial gap constitutes an air duct). The airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan blade 13 can move circumferentially along the inner wall of the inner volute 12 within this radial gap, or air duct, to the opening area, and then flow to the axial upper outlet 11B or axial lower outlet 11C in the opening area, realizing upward or downward airflow.

[0048] The first end of the inner volute 12 is used to accommodate the volute tongue 14, which is used to mate with different positions on the inner wall of the outer volute 11 so that the airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan 14 flows to the axial upward outlet 11B or the axial downward outlet 11C. This part will be described in detail below; here, only the structure of the inner volute 12 is briefly described.

[0049] For example, in Figure 3 In the indicated state, the inner volute 12 is positioned to block the circumferentially downward side of the centrifugal fan 13, but not the circumferentially upward side. This results in an opening area formed circumferentially on the upper side of the inner volute 12 from the second end to the inner cavity, and a blocking area formed circumferentially on the lower side of the inner volute 12 from the first end to the inner cavity. The airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan 13 flows through the opening area to the axially upward outlet 11B. The inner volute 12 is composed of... Figure 3 Rotate clockwise to the state shown. Figure 4 In the state shown, the inner volute 12 is positioned to block the circumferential side of the centrifugal fan 13, but not the circumferential side of the centrifugal fan 13. This results in an opening area being formed on the lower side of the second end of the inner volute 12 to the inner cavity in the circumferential direction of the centrifugal fan 13, and a blocking area being formed on the upper side of the first end of the inner volute 12 to the inner cavity in the circumferential direction of the centrifugal fan 13. The airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan 13 flows through the opening area to the axial downward outlet 11C.

[0050] In conventional designs, the airflow enters the centrifugal fan 13 axially and exits from the radial outer end of the centrifugal fan 13, flowing through the volute to the diffuser for outlet. This design results in the diffuser occupying space in the X-direction, affecting the axial arrangement of the heat exchanger in the centrifugal fan. Therefore, this design, based on the cooperation of the outer volute 11, inner volute 12, and centrifugal fan 13, achieves axial air intake and axial air outlet, reducing the interference of the diffuser on the heat exchanger 2. This allows the heat exchanger 2 to be conveniently arranged on the axial side of the fan, reducing the overall width of the duct assembly, reducing the volume of the indoor air conditioning unit, reducing space occupation, increasing the selectivity of the indoor air conditioning unit's installation location, and reducing installation difficulty.

[0051] It is worth noting that, because the centrifugal fan 1 can be made larger in a smaller space, the static pressure resistance of the centrifugal fan 1 is improved. This solves to some extent the problem of high resistance caused by the many turns of airflow in this special layout scheme, thus achieving a better air outlet effect.

[0052] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger 2 is located in the height direction between the two upper air outlets 31 and the lower air outlet 32. This allows for a more reasonable and orderly layout of the various components within the air duct assembly in a limited space, while reducing the obstruction of the air outlets by the heat exchanger 2 and ensuring smooth airflow.

[0053] To further improve the layout regularity of the air duct assembly, in some embodiments, the heat exchanger 2 is positioned in the height direction between the axial upper outlet 11B and the axial lower outlet 11C.

[0054] In some embodiments, the air outlet is located on the front side of the housing so that the airflow blows forward.

[0055] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 The upper air outlet 31 is located on the upper side of the front side of the housing, and the lower air outlet 31 is located on the lower side of the front side of the housing. During cooling, air is discharged from the upper air outlet 31, with the cold air blowing forward into the room, avoiding direct airflow onto the human body, enhancing the user experience and improving comfort during cooling. During heating, air is discharged from the lower air outlet 32, with the hot air blowing forward and downward, improving heating efficiency.

[0056] refer to Figures 7-9 In some embodiments, the duct assembly further includes an air outlet guide structure. The air outlet guide structure includes at least one arcuate plate 4. The at least one arcuate plate 4 extends from within the axial outlet to the air outlet to form at least two spaced-apart airflow channels between the axial outlet and the air outlet. The at least one arcuate plate 4 is configured to allow airflow exiting from the axial outlet to flow along the airflow channels to the air outlet and be blown forward.

[0057] Specifically, the air guide channel includes an upper air guide channel and a lower air guide channel. The upper air guide channel is formed by an arc-shaped plate 4 disposed between the axial upper outlet 11B and the upper air outlet 31, and the lower air guide channel is formed by an arc-shaped plate 4 disposed between the axial lower outlet 11C and the lower air outlet 32.

[0058] The arc-shaped plate 4 is set on the axial side of the centrifugal fan 1, and the centrifugal fan blade 13 is set on the concave side of the arc-shaped plate 4. This allows the centrifugal fan blade 13 to gradually change the flow direction of the axial exhaust airflow towards the front side. Finally, the airflow is discharged at the end of the air guide channel near the air outlet, realizing the wide-angle radiation airflow after the axial airflow is turned. Furthermore, the use of the arc-shaped plate 4 to guide the airflow can also suppress the local vortex accumulation caused by uneven airflow distribution at the corner, so that the airflow is discharged smoothly.

[0059] In addition, this layout prevents the curved plate 4 from occupying the space between the centrifugal fan blade 13 and the housing panel in the width direction Y, allowing the housing to be designed to be smaller in the width direction Y, thereby reducing the volume of the air conditioner indoor unit, increasing the selectivity of the installation location of the air conditioner indoor unit, and reducing the installation difficulty.

[0060] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, the air outlet extends along the length X of the duct assembly. This allows for a larger size of the air outlet along the length X, increasing the air outlet area and thus improving the efficiency of cooling or heating the indoor space.

[0061] It is understandable that both the upper air outlet 31 and the lower air outlet 32 ​​are elongated air outlets, and the upper air outlet 31 and the lower air outlet 32 ​​are spaced apart in the height direction. This is because other components can be arranged between the upper air outlet 31 and the lower air outlet 32, making the components more compact without increasing the size of the air conditioner indoor unit, which helps to reduce the space occupied by the air conditioner indoor unit.

[0062] Furthermore, the length direction of heat exchanger 2 is parallel to the length direction X of the air duct assembly. Heat exchanger 2 is positioned between the upper air outlet 31 and the lower air outlet 32. Since the upper air outlet 31 and the lower air outlet 32 ​​also extend along the length direction X, during cooling, the airflow enters the casing through the return air inlet on the casing, exchanges heat with heat exchanger 2, and is cooled down. The low-temperature airflow then enters the centrifugal fan 13 through the axial inlet 11A. Under the action of the centrifugal fan 13, it is discharged radially along the centrifugal fan 13, and then flows along the inner volute 12 to the opening area and towards the axial upper outlet 11B. During the flow of the low-temperature airflow in the air guide channel, it is also affected by the heat exchanger 2 on the lower side, ensuring that the temperature remains low and enhancing the cooling effect. Similarly, during heating, heat exchanger 2 can insulate the axially discharged airflow, ensuring that the exhaust temperature does not decrease and enhancing the heating effect.

[0063] refer to Figure 7 and 9 In some embodiments, the air outlet guiding structure includes two spaced-apart arc-shaped plates 4. The two arc-shaped plates can form three airflow channels. This can further suppress the accumulation of local vortices caused by uneven airflow distribution at the corner, allowing the airflow to be discharged smoothly.

[0064] refer to Figures 3-6 In some embodiments, the centrifugal fan further includes a volute tongue 14 and a first abutment portion 15 and a second abutment portion 16 disposed on the inner wall of the outer volute 11. The volute tongue 14 is disposed at the end of the inner volute 12. The first abutment portion 15 and the second abutment portion 16 are used to abut against the volute tongue 14 during the rotation of the inner volute 12 to define the position of the inner volute 12.

[0065] Specifically, the first abutting part 15 is positioned near the axial upward outlet 11B relative to the second abutting part 16. The upper end of the inner cavity communicates with the axial upward outlet 11B, and the lower end of the inner cavity communicates with the axial downward outlet 11C. When the inner volute 12 rotates until the volute tongue 14 abuts against the first abutting part 15, the second end of the inner volute 12 covers the centrifugal fan blade 13 at the lower end of the inner cavity, so that the airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan blade 13 is blocked by the inner volute 12 and flows towards the upper end of the inner cavity and is discharged from the axial upward outlet 11B. When the inner volute 12 rotates until the volute tongue 14 abuts against the second abutting part 16, the second end of the inner volute 12 covers the centrifugal fan blade 13 at the lower end of the inner cavity, so that the airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan blade 13 flows towards the lower end of the inner cavity and is discharged from the axial downward outlet 11C.

[0066] By setting an abutment part, the inner volute 12 can be guided to rotate to a certain position when it rotates to change the air outlet position, thereby improving the reliability of the air outlet direction change.

[0067] Furthermore, the volute tongue 14 can serve as a dividing point in the air duct between the centrifugal fan blade 13 and the inner volute 12. In the direction of airflow within the duct, the upstream of the dividing point of the volute tongue 14 is the starting point for pressure increase, and the downstream of the dividing point is the endpoint where the outlet airflow velocity is fastest. For example... Figure 3 The point where the distance between the centrifugal fan blade 13 and the inner volute 12 is the minimum is the starting point of the pressure increase. The airflow does work along the inner volute 12 in a clockwise direction, and the static pressure becomes stronger and stronger, and the flow velocity becomes faster and faster, until it reaches the volute tongue 14.

[0068] To improve the sealing performance when the volute tongue 14 abuts against the contact portion, reduce airflow leakage through the contact outlet in the duct, and achieve air outlet transformation and dynamic-static gap sealing of the volute, in some embodiments, both the first contact portion 15 and the second contact portion 16 are constructed as stepped structures. The end face of the stepped structure is used for abutting against the volute tongue 14.

[0069] In some embodiments, the end faces of the first abutment portion 15 and the second abutment portion 16 are configured to face the same side in the width direction Y of the air duct assembly. The inner volute 12 is configured to rotate in the opposite direction to switch from the lower air outlet state to the upper air outlet state after rotating clockwise or counterclockwise to switch from the upper air outlet state to the lower air outlet state.

[0070] Specifically, the first abutting part 15 and the second abutting part 16 are diagonally arranged in the circumferential direction of the centrifugal fan 1, and the end faces of the first abutting part 15 and the second abutting part 16 both face the front side of the air duct assembly. In this way, the inner volute 12 can rotate clockwise by a certain angle (less than or equal to 180°) to change the contact between the volute tongue 14 and the first abutting part 15, and then rotate counterclockwise by the same angle to change the contact between the volute tongue 14 and the first abutting part 15. In other words, the change of the air outlet position can be achieved by rotating the inner volute 12 by a small angle, reducing the risk caused by large-angle rotation, thereby improving reliability and lifespan.

[0071] refer to Figure 9 In some embodiments, the volute tongue 14 is inclined relative to the axis of the centrifugal fan 1. From the end of the centrifugal fan 1 furthest from the heat exchanger 2 to the end closest to the heat exchanger 2, the volute tongue 14 gradually approaches the rear side of the air duct assembly.

[0072] In the prior art, the volute of a centrifugal fan is usually a straight structure, parallel to the axis of the centrifugal fan, because the centrifugal fans in the prior art are tangentially air-discharging. However, in this embodiment, since the centrifugal fan is axially air-discharging, the volute 14 is tilted, which can improve the smoothness of the airflow. The tilted volute 14 can guide the airflow discharged from the centrifugal fan blade 13, making the airflow more efficient towards the axial outlet.

[0073] It is worth noting that, for reference Figure 3 It can be seen that the cochlear tongue 14 is in Figure 3 The left profile line in the middle, the left profile line is formed by the axially away exit end of the volute tongue 14, correspondingly, the volute tongue 14 in Figure 3 The right-side contour line is formed by the end of the volute tongue 14 near the axial exit. Correspondingly, the end faces of the first abutment portion 15 and the second abutment portion are also inclined surfaces to better abut against the volute tongue 14.

[0074] In order to improve the guiding effect of the volute tongue on airflow, in some embodiments, the included angle between the volute tongue 14 and the axis of the centrifugal fan 1 is greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 40°.

[0075] In some embodiments, the angle between the volute tongue 14 and the axis of the centrifugal fan 1 is equal to 17°. This can significantly improve the guiding effect on the airflow.

[0076] refer to Figure 8 In some embodiments, the junction of the outer volute 11 and the upper air outlet 31, as well as the junction of the outer volute 11 and the lower air outlet 32, are provided with arc-shaped connecting sections 5 to improve the guiding effect on the airflow discharged from the axial outlet.

[0077] refer to Figure 2In some embodiments, a gear ring is provided at one axial end of the inner volute 12, and a gear that meshes with the gear ring is arranged in the inner cavity of the outer volute 11. By driving the gear to rotate, the rotation of the inner volute 12 relative to the outer volute 11 can be controlled. The control cost is low and relatively reliable.

[0078] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, two centrifugal fans 1 are included, which are arranged opposite each other. The two centrifugal fans 1 are coaxially arranged, and the housing has two sets of two air outlets spaced apart along the length direction X. The two centrifugal fans 1 are located at the two ends of the two sets of two air outlets respectively along the length direction X. During the operation of the air duct assembly, the airflow entering the air duct assembly from the outside of the air duct assembly is divided into two paths between the two centrifugal fans 1 and flows to the two sets of two air outlets respectively under the action of the two centrifugal fans 1.

[0079] Two centrifugal fans 1 are arranged at both ends along the length X direction, with their axial inlets 11A facing each other. A heat exchanger 2 is positioned between the two centrifugal fans 1. This arrangement not only avoids increasing the width of the indoor unit but also allows for the placement of two units within a limited space, increasing airflow and thus improving cooling or heating efficiency. Furthermore, in the event of a failure in one centrifugal fan 1, the other centrifugal fan 1 can continue operating, ensuring the air conditioning system can continue functioning and preventing a complete shutdown. Moreover, the fan airflow pattern is a unidirectional inlet and outlet structure, allowing for continuous large-angle reversal of airflow compared to traditional wall-mounted units.

[0080] This application also provides an indoor air conditioning unit, including the air duct assembly described above.

[0081] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and not to limit them; although this application has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the specific implementation of this application or equivalent substitutions can be made to some technical features without departing from the spirit of the technical solutions of this application, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the technical solutions claimed in this application.

Claims

1. A duct assembly, characterized in that, include: The housing has two air outlets (31, 32) spaced apart in the height direction; A centrifugal fan (1) is disposed at the end of the air duct assembly along its length (X), and the centrifugal fan (1) includes an outer volute (11), an inner volute (12), and centrifugal impellers (13). The inner volute (12) is rotatably disposed within the cavity of the outer volute (11) so that the airflow discharged from the centrifugal impeller flows to one of the two air outlets (31, 32) to change the air outlet position; and Heat exchanger (2) is located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan (1), and the length direction of the heat exchanger (2) is parallel to the axis of the centrifugal fan (1).

2. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner volute (12) partially obstructs the centrifugal fan (13) in the circumferential direction to form an obstruction area and an opening area in the circumferential direction of the centrifugal fan (13). The outer volute (11) has an axial inlet (11A) and two axial outlets (11B, 11C) respectively corresponding to the two air outlets (31, 32). The axial inlet (11A) and the two axial outlets (11B, 11C) are all located on the same axial end face of the outer volute (11). Airflow enters from the axial inlet... The air inlet (11A) enters the centrifugal fan (13) axially and flows along the inner wall of the inner volute (12) to the opening area for discharge. The inner volute (12) is configured to rotate to different positions to change the position of the opening area so that the opening area can selectively communicate with one of the two axial outlets (11B, 11C). The two air outlets (31, 32) are both located on the axial side of the centrifugal fan (1) and are respectively connected to the two axial outlets (11B, 11C).

3. The air duct assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The air outlets (31, 32) are located on the front side of the housing to allow airflow to blow forward.

4. The air duct assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The air duct assembly further includes an air outlet guide structure comprising at least one arc-shaped plate (4) extending from the axial outlet (11B, 11C) to the air outlet (31, 32) to form at least two spaced airflow channels between the axial outlet (11B, 11C) and the air outlet (31, 32). The at least one arc-shaped plate (4) is configured to allow airflow discharged from the axial outlet (11B, 11C) to flow along the airflow channels to the air outlet (31, 32) and blow forward.

5. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air outlets (31, 32) extend along the length direction (X) of the air duct assembly.

6. The air duct assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The centrifugal fan also includes a volute tongue (14) and a first abutment portion (15) and a second abutment portion (16) disposed on the inner wall of the outer volute (11). The volute tongue (14) is disposed at the end of the inner volute (12). The first abutment portion (15) and the second abutment portion (16) are used to abut against the volute tongue (14) during the rotation of the inner volute (12) to define the position of the inner volute (12).

7. The air duct assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first abutting part (15) and the second abutting part (16) are both constructed as stepped structures, and the end face of the stepped structure is used to abut against the volute tongue (14).

8. The air duct assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The end faces of the first abutment (15) and the second abutment (16) are configured to face the same side in the width direction (Y) of the air duct assembly, and the inner volute (12) is configured to rotate in the opposite direction to switch from the lower air outlet state to the upper air outlet state after rotating clockwise or counterclockwise to switch from the upper air outlet state to the lower air outlet state.

9. The air duct assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The volute tongue (14) is inclined relative to the axis of the centrifugal fan (1), and from the end of the centrifugal fan (1) away from the heat exchanger (2) to the end closer to the heat exchanger (2), the volute tongue (14) gradually moves toward the rear side of the air duct assembly.

10. The air duct assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that, The angle between the volute tongue (14) and the axis of the centrifugal fan (1) is greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 40°.

11. The air duct assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that, The angle between the volute tongue (14) and the axis of the centrifugal fan (1) is 17°.

12. The air duct assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The assembly includes two centrifugal fans (1) arranged opposite each other, the two centrifugal fans (1) are coaxially arranged, and the housing has two sets of two air outlets (31, 32) spaced apart along the length direction (X). The two centrifugal fans (1) are located at the two ends of the two sets of two air outlets (31, 32) respectively along the length direction (X). During the operation of the air duct assembly, the airflow entering the air duct assembly from the outside of the air duct assembly is divided into two paths between the two centrifugal fans (1) and flows to the two sets of two air outlets (31, 32) respectively under the action of the two centrifugal fans (1).

13. An indoor unit for an air conditioner, characterized in that, Includes the air duct assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

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