Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner relates to a filter assembly (20) to remove foreign substances from introduced air. Particularly, the air conditioner has a handle groove (23) formed on the central portion of the front perimeter frame of the filter assembly (20) so that a user easily separates the filter assembly (20) by gripping the filter assembly (20) accurately without directly seeing a portion gripped for the separation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner in which a filter assembly is more easily attached and detached.BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, eliminators are mainly used in air conditioners, air cleaners, cooling towers, or absorption chillers, and remove airborne condensate or contaminated water particles containing dust.

[0003] Generally, an air conditioner is designed to maintain air within a given space in an optimal condition for its intended purpose. For example, in summer, an air conditioner may function to release indoor heat to the outside and relatively lower the temperature of indoor air. In winter, the temperature of air discharged from the air conditioner is relatively increased, so that an indoor temperature is relatively higher than an outdoor temperature. Alternatively, the air conditioner purifies air within a given space and sends the purified air back into the space.

[0004] Among air conditioners, a wall-mounted air conditioner is configured so that indoor air is drawn in through an intake opening, passes through a heat exchanger within a housing, and then is discharged into a room through a discharge opening. Accordingly, an airflow generated by using a cross-flow fan sequentially passes through the intake opening, the heat exchanger, a flow guide, and the discharge opening before being supplied indoors, thereby managing the indoor air.

[0005] The intake opening of the aforementioned wall-mounted air conditioner is provided with a filter assembly to filter out foreign substances in the air being taken in from indoor space. Various designs related to such a filter assembly installed in the air conditioner have been disclosed in numerous published patents including Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2015-0084370, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0008063, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2020-0095956, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2008-0070891, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0043992.

[0006] Meanwhile, in the case of the wall-mounted air conditioner, the intake opening is formed on the front surface or upper surface of the housing, and the discharge opening is formed on the front surface or lower surface of the housing.

[0007] Recently, the intake opening of the wall-mounted air conditioner is formed on the upper surface of the housing to minimize the exposure of the intake opening.

[0008] However, since the wall-mounted air conditioner is installed on the upper part of an indoor wall (adjacent to the ceiling), there was a problem in installing or removing the filter assembly in the case of the structure in which the intake opening is formed on the upper surface.

[0009] That is, since the filter assembly is located in a location that is not visible to a user, it was difficult for the user to mount or remove the filter assembly.

[0010] In addition, a frame body of the conventional filter assembly has multiple hooks provided on a peripheral frame surface thereof so that the frame body is stably installed in the housing, and has an inner portion formed as a lattice-shaped structure having multiple openings. Accordingly, conventionally, a portion (a gripping portion) for gripping the frame body was provided on each of the front opposite sides of the frame body.

[0011] However, even though the above-mentioned gripping portion had a plurality of gripping portions, the gripping portions were located away from the view of a user, making it difficult for the user to accurately recognize the locations of the gripping portions, which led to complaints about the separation of the filter assembly.

[0012] In addition, the conventional filter assembly has a protrusion formed by protruding rearward from the rear surface of the frame body, and has a groove, through which the protrusion penetrates, on the rear of the opening of the upper surface of the housing on which the intake opening is formed so that the filter assembly and the housing may be stably coupled to each other.

[0013] However, for the above structure, it was difficult to couple the protrusion to the groove because the coupling portion was located away from the view of a user, and as a result, there was a problem in that the filter assembly was not combined accurately and was partially misaligned.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

[0014] The present disclosure has been made to solve various problems in the above-mentioned related art.

[0015] The present disclosure is intended to provide an air conditioner having a structure for gripping a frame body in a location that is easily recognizable to a user, even if the frame body is located out of the sight of the user.

[0016] The present disclosure is intended to provide an air conditioner in which a portion into which a user can insert a finger is not easily bent in a direction in which force is applied to the portion and has sufficient rigidity to prevent damage to the portion.

[0017] The present disclosure is intended to provide an air conditioner which is capable of being injection-molded by using a mold while a portion into which a user can insert a finger for gripping is formed on the edge of a filter assembly.Problem Solving

[0018] The object is solved by the features of the independent claims.

[0019] According to the present disclosure an air conditioner comprises a housing which constitutes an exterior thereof and has an intake opening through which indoor air is introduced; and a filter assembly mounted on the intake opening to filter out foreign substances from the indoor air passing through the intake opening, wherein the filter assembly comprises: a frame body comprising perimeter frames which constitute perimeter portions of a front side, a rear side, and opposite sides thereof, and multiple connecting frames which connect the perimeter frames to each other and form a plurality of passage openings; and a filter, wherein the perimeter frames comprise a first perimeter frame located on the front side, wherein a handle groove into which a user is capable of inserting a finger is formed in the first perimeter frame.

[0020] According to an air conditioner of the present disclosure, an intake opening of a housing may be provided with a filter assembly to filter out foreign substances from indoor air. The filter assembly may be provided removably on the housing.

[0021] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly may include a frame body constituting a body thereof and a filter for filtering out foreign substances.

[0022] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the frame body may include a plurality of perimeter frames.

[0023] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the perimeter frames may include a first perimeter frame, a second perimeter frame, and opposite side perimeter frames.

[0024] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the frame body may include multiple connecting frames forming a plurality of passage openings. The connecting frames may be formed to connect the perimeter frames to each other located on opposite sides.

[0025] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a handle groove into which at least one finger is capable of being inserted may be formed in the filter assembly. Accordingly, the filter assembly may be easily separated from the housing by a user by inserting his or her fingers into the handle groove and lifting the filter assembly.

[0026] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may include at least one handle groove so that a user is capable of gripping the handle groove easily. The handle groove may include two or more handle grooves.

[0027] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the at least one handle groove may be formed in a location that is easily recognizable to a user. To this end, the at least one handle groove may be formed in a central portion of a second wall of the first perimeter frame constituting the frame body.

[0028] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove into which a user is capable of inserting his or her fingers may be formed in an inner wall of the first perimeter frame. The handle groove may be shaped to accommodate the fingers of a user.

[0029] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, each of the perimeter frames may be formed as a double-wall structure having an outer wall and an inner wall. To this end, each of the perimeter frames may include a first wall, which is provided as the outer wall, and the second wall, which is provided as the inner wall.

[0030] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the first wall and the second wall may be formed so as to be spaced apart from each other.

[0031] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a third wall, which is provided as an upper surface, may be formed on the upper end of each of the first wall and the second wall, which are spaced apart from each other. The third wall may be defined as the upper surface of each of the perimeter frames.

[0032] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may be formed by cutting a portion of the second wall or by protruding a portion of the second wall toward the first wall.

[0033] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, when the filter is integrally molded into the frame body, a structure that prevents a portion of the filter from being exposed through the handle groove from the second wall may be provided.

[0034] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the second wall may have a lower rib formed to prevent a portion of the filter from being exposed to the handle groove.

[0035] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, at least one reinforcing rib may be provided to prevent bending deformation of the first wall. The at least one reinforcing rib may be formed to connect the first wall with the lower rib.

[0036] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the first perimeter frame may include the third wall which constitutes the upper surface between the first wall and the second wall.

[0037] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a portion of the third wall may constitute the upper surface of the handle groove.

[0038] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a lower end between the first wall and the second wall constituting the first perimeter frame may be open. The first wall and the second wall may be spaced apart from each other, and the lower end therebetween may be open downward.

[0039] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may have at least one second protrusion formed therein so that a user may recognize the handle groove without visually checking the handle groove.

[0040] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the second protrusion may be formed at a position of the rear surface of the first wall which faces the handle groove.

[0041] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may have opposite side walls. Accordingly, indoor air flowing into the handle groove may be prevented from flowing into space between the first wall and the second wall on opposite sides of the handle groove.

[0042] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, two partition walls constituting the opposite side walls of the handle groove may be formed between the first wall and the second wall. The two partition walls may serve to separate the inner space of the handle groove from other spaces between the first wall and the second wall.

[0043] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly may be mounted to be placed on the upper end of the housing.

[0044] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a support ledge on which the perimeter of the lower surface of the filter assembly is placed may be formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the housing.

[0045] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the support ledge may be formed to block the lower ends of the first wall and the second wall.

[0046] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the support ledge may be formed to block a space between the lower ends of the first wall and the second wall of a portion in which the handle groove is formed.

[0047] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly and the housing may be secured together by using hook members.

[0048] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, each of the hook members may be formed on the first wall.

[0049] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the hook member may be formed to be elastically deformable by cutting at least a portion of the first wall.

[0050] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a plurality of first protrusions may be formed on the housing to be in contact with the first wall of the first perimeter frame.Effects of the Disclosure

[0051] As described above, the air conditioner of the present disclosure may have the following effects.

[0052] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, even if the filter assembly is located out of the view of a user, the user may easily identify the position of the handle groove by forming the handle groove in the central portion of the first perimeter frame.

[0053] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove of the filter assembly may be formed by opening a portion of the second wall of the first perimeter frame, thereby facilitating the separation of a mold during injection molding of the filter assembly.

[0054] In addition, the partition walls may be formed on the inner opposite sides of the handle groove, and the inner lower surface of the handle groove (an open portion between the first wall and the second wall) may be closed by resting on the support ledge of the housing. Accordingly, this may prevent indoor air from flowing directly into the housing through the handle groove without passing through the filter.

[0055] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, when separating the filter assembly, the filter assembly may be configured to be lifted by inserting a finger into the handle groove, thereby allowing the filter assembly to be separated from the housing more easily than by lifting the filter assembly with two fingers.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing and a filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure when viewed from the rear side thereof; FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure when viewed from the rear side thereof; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part "A" of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when viewed from the lower rear side thereof; FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part "B" of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a front view of the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of part "C" of FIG. 10; FIG. 12 is an enlarged view taken at a different location from FIG. 11 to illustrate a coupling relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of part "D" of FIG. 10; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of an important portion illustrating a coupling relationship between a housing and a filter assembly of the air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an important portion illustrating a coupling relationship between a housing and a filter assembly of the air conditioner according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. Mode for Disclosure

[0057] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

[0058] In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, if a detailed description of the relevant known configuration or function is judged to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0059] In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature or order of the components is not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or coupled to the another component, but it should be understood that still another component may be "connected" or "coupled" thereto between each component.

[0060] An air conditioner according to the present disclosure relates to a filter assembly for removing foreign substances from inhaled air. In particular, the air conditioner of the present disclosure allows a user to easily separate the filter assembly by gripping the filter assembly accurately without directly seeing a portion gripped for the separation.

[0061] For this purpose, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is described in more detail for each component thereof with reference to the attached drawings 1 to 15 as follows. Before describing, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is a wall-mounted air conditioner as an example.

[0062] FIG. 1 illustrates the internal structure of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] As shown in these drawings, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a housing 10.

[0064] The housing 10 may be defined as the exterior of the air conditioner. For example, the housing 10 may be a portion constituting the exterior of the wall-mounted air conditioner.

[0065] The housing 10 may provide the front surface, upper surface, and opposite side surfaces of the air conditioner.

[0066] A portion of the exterior of the air conditioner may be provided as another component. For example, a rear surface 11 of the exterior of the air conditioner can be formed to have a flow guide 33. A bottom of the exterior of the air conditioner may be formed as a bottom plate 15 provided separately from the housing 10. The bottom plate 15 may be mounted to close the open lower surface of the housing 10.

[0067] FIGS. 2 and 12 illustrate a relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] As shown in these drawings, the housing 10 may be provided with an intake opening 101. The intake opening 101 may be defined as an entrance through which air of an indoor space outside the housing 10 flows into the interior of the housing 10.

[0069] The intake opening 101 may be provided on any one side of the housing 10. For example, the intake opening 101 may be provided on the upper surface of the housing 10.

[0070] The intake opening 101 may be formed by opening the entire portion of the upper surface of the housing 10, or may be formed by opening only a portion of the upper surface of the housing 10. Although not shown, the intake opening 101 may be formed on the opposite side surfaces, front surface, or rear surface of the housing 10, or may be additionally formed on any one of the aforementioned surfaces.

[0071] The intake opening 101 may be formed by opening the remaining portion (the inner portion of the edge) of the upper surface of the housing 10, excluding the edge portion.

[0072] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, the housing 10 may include a support ledge 110 formed so that the filter assembly 20 to be described later is placed thereon. The support ledge 110 may be formed on the upper portion of the inner surface of the housing 10.

[0073] The support ledge 110 may be located at a position lower than the upper surface of the housing 10 in the inner surface of the housing 10. The support ledge 110 may be formed at a position spaced apart from the upper surface of the housing 10 by a height corresponding to the vertical thickness of the filter assembly 20. Accordingly, when the filter assembly 20 is placed on the support ledge 110, the height of the upper surface of the filter assembly 20 may be maintained to be equal to the height of the upper surface of the housing 10.

[0074] The support ledge 110 may be formed to protrude along the inner surface of the housing 10. The protruding distance of the support ledge 110 may be equal to or greater than the width of each of perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 constituting the filter assembly 20. That is, when the filter assembly 20 is mounted on the housing 10, the entire lower surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 of the filter assembly 20 may be placed on the support ledge 110 of the housing 10. In this case, the lower surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 of the filter assembly 20 may be blocked by the support ledge 110.

[0075] A plurality of connecting frames 120 may be connected to the support ledge 110. For example, the front and rear ends of the connecting frames 120 may be respectively connected to the support ledge 110 located at the front side (the indoor side when the housing is viewed in plan) and the support ledge 110 located at the rear side (the wall side when the housing is viewed in plan). Accordingly, the rear peripheral portion of the upper surface of the housing 10 may be maintained without bending deformation.

[0076] The connecting frames 120 may also serve to support the lower surface of the filter assembly 20. The lower surface of the filter assembly 20 may be supported by the connecting frames 120 and the sagging of the inner portion of the filter assembly 20 may be prevented by the connecting frames 120. To this end, the connecting frames 120 may have curved or inclined surfaces.

[0077] The housing 10 may be provided with discharge openings 102 and 103. The discharge openings 102 and 103 may be defined as exits through which air flowing within the housing 10 is discharged to indoor space.

[0078] The discharge openings 102 and 103 may include a front discharge opening 102 provided at the front lower portion of the housing 10. The front discharge opening 102 may be defined as a portion through which air is discharged forward. The front discharge opening 102 may be formed to extend longwise left and right on the front surface of the housing 10 when the housing 10 is viewed from the front.

[0079] The discharge opening 102, 103 may include a lower discharge opening 103 provided on the lower surface of the housing 10.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 1, the lower discharge opening 103 may be located at the front of the lower surface of the housing 10. The lower discharge opening 103 may be located at a position adjacent to the front discharge opening 102. Accordingly, air may be discharged toward the front and lower portion of the housing 10 through the front discharge opening 102 and the lower discharge opening 103.

[0081] Although not shown, the discharge opening 102, 103 may include only the front discharge opening 102, or only the lower discharge opening 103, or may be additionally provided on at least one surface of the respective wall surfaces of the housing 10.

[0082] A heat exchanger 31 may be provided inside the housing 10. The heat exchanger 31 may be defined as a device or structure in which a refrigerant of a heat exchange cycle and air taken in through the intake opening 101 from an indoor space exchange heat.

[0083] In the heat exchanger 31, a refrigerant circulating in the heat exchange cycle flows. Accordingly, the refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger 31 and the air taken in from the indoor space through the intake opening 101 exchange heat with each other and are then supplied to the indoor space through the discharge openings 102 and 103, thereby enabling the temperature of the indoor air to be managed.

[0084] The heat exchanger 31 may be arranged to surround the outer surface of a drive fan 32. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 31 may be arranged to surround the upper portion of the drive fan 32.

[0085] Next, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the drive fan 32 for forming an air flow.

[0086] The drive fan 32 may create the flow of air flowing through the intake opening 101 and the discharge openings 102, 103 formed in the housing 10. That is, the drive fan 32 may create the flow of air to draw in indoor air through the intake opening 101 and discharge the indoor air through the front discharge opening 102 or the lower discharge opening 103.

[0087] The drive fan 32 may be a transverse flow fan (e.g., a cross-flow fan). That is, the drive fan 32 may be formed so that multiple blades are compartmentalized and arranged in a cylindrical shape.

[0088] Next, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the flow guide 33.

[0089] The flow guide 33 may be defined as a part or structure that guides the flow of air passing through the drive fan 32.

[0090] The flow guide 33 may be manufactured separately from the housing 10 and installed on the rear surface of the inside of the housing 10. Alternatively, the flow guide 33 may be configured to constitute the rear surface of the housing 10. Although not shown, the flow guide 33 may be formed integrally on the rear surface of the housing 10.

[0091] The flow guide 33 may provide space for the drive fan 32 to be installed. The space formed by the flow guide 33 may be provided as a portion of the space in which the drive fan 32 is installed.

[0092] Next, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the filter assembly 20.

[0093] The filter assembly 20 may be a device or structure provided to filter out foreign substances from indoor air taken in through the intake opening 101 of the housing 10.

[0094] The filter assembly 20 may be mounted to block the intake opening 101 of the housing 10 and may be composed of a frame body 21 and a filter 22.

[0095] The frame body 21 may constitute the exterior of the filter assembly 20.

[0096] The filter 22 may function to filter out foreign substances in air flowing through the frame body 21 into the housing 10. The filter 22 may be formed as a net that is provided on the lower surface of the frame body 21 and blocks openings formed in the frame body 21. The filter 22 may be provided in a mold during the injection molding of the frame body 21 and may be integrated with the frame body 21.

[0097] The frame body 21 may be formed in the shape of a polygonal frame. For example, the frame body 21 may be formed in the shape of a quadrangular frame.

[0098] The above frame body 21 may have the plurality of perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213. For example, the frame body 21 may include a first perimeter frame 211 constituting a front perimeter portion thereof, a second perimeter frame 212 constituting a rear perimeter portion thereof, and two third perimeter frames 213 constituting opposite perimeter portions thereof.

[0099] The first perimeter frame 211 and the second perimeter frame 212 may be arranged parallel to be spaced apart from each other in a front-to-rear direction, and each of the two third perimeter frames 213 may have a first end connected to an end of the first perimeter frame 211 and may have a second end connected to an end of the second perimeter frame 212. The two third perimeter frames 213 may be arranged parallel to be spaced apart from each other in a left-to-right direction.

[0100] Each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 may be formed as a double-wall structure having a front surface and a rear surface when viewed in cross section. For example, each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 may include a first wall 201 provided as an outer wall and a second wall 202 provided as an inner wall.

[0101] The first wall 201 may be provided as the outer wall, and the second wall 202 may be provided as the inner wall. The outer wall may be a wall surface directed to the outside of the filter assembly 20, and the inner wall may be a wall surface facing each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 opposite thereto.

[0102] Each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 may be provided as the outer wall and further include a third wall 203 connecting the first wall 201 with the second wall 202. The third wall 203 may be provided as the upper surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213. The third wall 203 may be formed to block the entire upper portion between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202, or may be formed to block only a portion of the upper portion between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202.

[0103] The first wall 201 may be formed to be longer vertically than the second wall 202. For example, the lower end of the second wall 202 may be formed to be shorter than the lower end of the first wall 201 on the basis of the third wall 203.

[0104] A lower portion between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 (between the lower end of the first wall and the lower end of the second wall) may be formed to be open.

[0105] Meanwhile, the filter assembly 20 constituting the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a handle groove 23 formed on the at least one perimeter frames 211, 212, or 213 of the frame body 21. The handle groove 23 may be used as a portion which a user grips when separating or attaching the filter assembly 20 from or to the housing 10.

[0106] Conventionally, a block-shaped handle part 24 was formed on one portion of the connecting frames 120 to separate the filter assembly 20. However, it was difficult to use this block-shaped handle part 24 because the handle part 24 had to be lifted by holding it with two fingers.

[0107] In particular, since the filter assembly 20 was installed on the upper surface of the housing 10, a user could not accurately recognize the position of the handle part 24. Accordingly, the separation of the filter assembly 20 was unavoidably difficult.

[0108] Considering this, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one finger may be inserted in one portion of the filter assembly 20 to lift the filter assembly 20 up, so that the separating manipulation may be conveniently performed. That is, the filter assembly 20 may be easily separated from the housing 10 by a user by inserting his or her finger into a portion of the filter assembly 20 to lift it.

[0109] To this end, the filter assembly 20 may have the handle groove 23 formed therein so that the filter assembly 20 is lifted by the finger. The handle groove 23 may be formed to have a vertical height (vertical length) and a horizontal width (horizontal length) sufficient to allow at least one finger to be inserted. Preferably, the handle groove 23 may be formed to have a left-right width sufficient to allow at least two fingers to be inserted.

[0110] The handle groove 23 may include at least one handle groove. It is preferable that the at least one handle groove 23 be formed in a location that can be easily recognized by a user. To this end, the at least one handle groove 23 may be formed in the central portion of the first perimeter frame 211 constituting the frame body 21.

[0111] More specifically, the at least one handle groove 23 may be formed in the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211. That is, the at least one handle groove 23 may be formed in the central portion of the second wall 202. Accordingly, a user may accurately recognize the approximate location of the handle groove 23 even though the filter assembly 20 is located on the upper surface of the air conditioner and is not seen visually.

[0112] In particular, since the handle groove 23 is formed on the second wall 202, a user may grip the handle groove 23 as if wrapping his or her hand around the handle groove 23. Accordingly, the manipulation of separating the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10 may be performed more easily.

[0113] Although not shown, the handle groove 23 may be formed by protruding a portion of the second wall 202 toward the first wall 201. That is, the handle groove 23 may be formed as a structure that is recessed into a part of the second wall 202.

[0114] However, in order to form the handle groove 23 so that the handle groove 23 is recessed from the second wall 202, a separate mold for forming the handle groove 23 may be required. That is, when considering that the frame body 21 of the filter assembly 20 is molded through an injection process, it is difficult to form a recessed portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the mold is separated (an up-down direction when the filter assembly is viewed from the front side), and the recessed portion is required to be molded by using a separate mold (or a process) after the injection.

[0115] Considering this, it is more preferable that the handle groove 23 of the second wall 202 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not formed to be recessed toward the first wall 201, but rather that a portion of the second wall 202 is open so that the open portion may be used as the handle groove 23. That is, a portion of the second wall 202 may be cut open so that the open portion may be used as the handle groove 23.

[0116] When the handle groove 23 is formed by opening a portion of the second wall 202, the inner surface of the first wall 201 (a surface facing the second wall) may be provided as the inner surface of the handle groove 23.

[0117] The lower surface of the handle groove 23 is open downward along with the space between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202. Accordingly, after injection molding, a mold may be moved smoothly downward.

[0118] When the lower surface of the handle groove 23 is formed to be open, a portion of the filter 22 attached to the lower surface of the frame body 21 may be exposed to the inside of the handle groove 23.

[0119] Taking this into consideration, a structure may be provided to prevent a portion of the filter 22 from being exposed through the handle groove 23 from the second wall 202 when the filter 22 is injection-molded to be integrated with the frame body 21. To prevent the exposure of the filter 22, a lower rib 25 may be formed on the second wall 202.

[0120] The lower rib 25 may be formed at the front side of the lower end of the handle groove 23 in the front surface of the second wall 202 so as to cover the lower end of the handle groove 23. In this case, the rear surface of the lower rib 25 may be formed to be located at a position equal to or further forward than the front surface of the second wall 202.

[0121] Since the lower surface of the handle groove 23 is formed to be open, the first wall 201 in the portion in which the handle groove 23 is formed may be relatively vulnerable to bending deformation. In consideration of this, at least one reinforcing rib 26 may be provided within the handle groove 23 to prevent the bending deformation of the first wall 201 located at the corresponding portion. The reinforcing rib 26 may be formed to connect the rear surface of the first wall 201 with the lower rib 25.

[0122] Meanwhile, the handle groove 23 may have opposite side walls. For example, the partition walls 231 may be formed respectively on opposite sides within the handle groove 23. The partition walls 231 may be formed to block spaces between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211. Accordingly, indoor air flowing into the handle groove 23 may be prevented from flowing to the opposite sides of the handle groove 23 in the spaces between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202.

[0123] The third wall 203 constituting the first perimeter frame 211 may be provided as the upper surface of the inside of the handle groove 23.

[0124] A third protrusion 27 may be formed on the upper surface of the entrance side of the handle groove 23. The third protrusion 27 may be formed to protrude downward from the upper surface within the handle groove 23. The formation of the third protrusion 27 prevents the problem of a finger slipping out of the handle groove 23 while inserting the finger into the handle groove 23 to lift the filter assembly 20.

[0125] In addition, when the handle groove 23 is formed as an open hole, indoor air may flow directly into the housing 10 through the open lower surface between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 after passing through the handle groove 23 without passing through the filter. That is, foreign substances from indoor air may enter the housing 10 without being filtered.

[0126] Accordingly, the open lower surface between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 may be blocked by the support ledge 110 formed within the housing 10. That is, the open lower surface between the first wall 201 of the portion in which the handle groove 23 is formed and the second wall 202 may be closed by resting on the support ledge 110.

[0127] Below, a removal process for the aforementioned filter assembly 20 of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

[0128] First, when the air conditioner is in operation, the filter assembly 20 may filter foreign substances in air introduced into the housing 10 while the filter assembly 20 is installed in the housing 10.

[0129] That is, indoor air may be drawn into the housing 10 after passing through the filter assembly 20 by an air flow created by the drive fan 32, and pass through the heat exchanger 31 to exchange heat, and may then be supplied indoors through the discharge openings 102 and 203 under the guidance of the flow guide 33. In this process, foreign substances of the indoor air may be filtered out by the filter 22 while passing through the filter assembly 20, and clean air with the foreign substances filtered out may be supplied back to the indoor space after heat exchange.

[0130] While the indoor air passes through the filter assembly 20, the indoor air may pass through the handle groove 23 and be introduced into the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211.

[0131] However, the opposite sides within the handle groove 23 may be blocked by the partition walls 231, respectively, the upper side within the handle groove 23 may be blocked by the third wall 203, and the lower side within the handle groove 23 may be blocked by the support ledge 110. Accordingly, even if indoor air is introduced into the handle groove 23, the problem of the air flowing into the housing 10 without passing through the filter 22 may be prevented.

[0132] Next, the process of separating the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10 will be described.

[0133] When a user intends to separate the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10, the user may insert a finger into the handle groove 23.

[0134] Since the filter assembly 20 is positioned on the upper surface of the housing 10, a user may not visually see the handle groove 23. However, the handle groove 23 may be formed in the central portion of the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211 constituting the filter assembly 20, and the user may roughly recognize the central portion by looking at the front of the housing 10. Accordingly, even if the user cannot see the handle groove 23, the user may know its approximate location and insert his or her finger accurately into the handle groove 23.

[0135] In particular, the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211 may be located at the rear side when viewed from the position (the front side) of a user, and thus when a finger is inserted into the handle groove 23 of the second wall 202, a user may grip the handle groove 23. Accordingly, the filter assembly 20 may be easily lifted when a user inserts a finger into the handle groove 23.

[0136] In addition, when a user inserts a finger into the handle groove 23 and lifts the filter assembly 20, there is a risk that the finger may slip out of the handle groove 23. However, since the third protrusion 27 is formed on the upper surface of the entrance side of the handle groove 23, the problem of a finger slipping out of the handle groove 23 may be prevented.

[0137] Accordingly, even if the filter assembly 20, which constitutes the air conditioner of the present disclosure, is located at a position out of the view of a user, the filter assembly 20 may have the handle groove 23 formed in the central portion of the first perimeter frame 211, so that the user may easily identify the position of the handle groove 23.

[0138] In addition, in the filter assembly 20 constituting the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove 23 may be formed by opening a portion of the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211, so that a mold may be easily separated during the injection molding of the filter assembly 20.

[0139] In addition, the partition walls 231 may be formed on the opposite sides of the inside of the handle groove 23, and the lower surface (the open portion between the first wall and the second wall) of the inside of the handle groove 23 may be closed by being placed on the support ledge 110 of the housing 10. Accordingly, indoor air may be prevented from flowing directly into the housing 10 through the handle groove 23.

[0140] Additionally, in the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly 20 may be configured to be lifted by inserting a finger into the handle groove 23, thereby allowing the filter assembly 20 to be separated from the housing 10 more easily than by lifting the filter assembly 20 with two fingers.

[0141] Meanwhile, the air conditioner of the present disclosure may be changed or modified in various forms other than the form of the above-described embodiment. This will be described in detail for each example below.

[0142] As an example of the present disclosure of the air conditioner, a structure may be provided so that a user can tactilely feel the inner surface of the handle groove 23, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8.

[0143] For example, at least one second protrusion 232 may be formed on the inner surface of the handle groove 23 of the filter assembly 20. That is, a user may recognize that the user has correctly inserted a finger into the handle groove 23 by feeling the second protrusion 232.

[0144] The second protrusion 232 may be formed on the inner surface of the first wall 201 provided as the inner surface of the handle groove 23. That is, the multiple second protrusions 232 may be formed on the inner surface of the first wall 201 facing the handle groove 23. The second protrusion 232 may be defined as a raised structure formed on the first wall 201.

[0145] As another example of the present disclosure of the air conditioner, a structure for restraining the filter assembly 20 may be provided to prevent unintentional separation of the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10.

[0146] For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7, the filter assembly 20 and the housing 10 may be formed to be secured to each other by providing hook members 28.

[0147] Each of the hook members 28 may be formed on the first wall 201, and in this case, a holding protrusion 281 may be formed on the inner surface of the housing 10 so that the hook member 28 may be held thereon. The hook member 28 and the holding protrusion 281 may be formed at opposing locations, and may include two or more hook members and holding protrusions, respectively. Accordingly, the filter assembly 20 may be prevented from being unintentionally separated from the housing 10 while the filter assembly 20 is mounted on the housing 10.

[0148] The holding protrusion 281 may be a portion formed by protruding on the inner surface of the housing 10, or the upper surface of the housing (the portion in which the intake opening is formed) may be defined as the holding protrusion 281.

[0149] In addition, the hook member 28 may be formed to be elastically deformable by cutting at least a portion of the first wall 201. Accordingly, even if a user lifts the filter assembly 20 with a small amount of force, the filter assembly 20 may be easily separated from the housing 10.

[0150] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a structure may be provided to prevent the horizontal movement of the filter assembly 20 while the filter assembly 20 is mounted within the intake opening 101 of the housing 10.

[0151] That is, the normal filter assembly 20 may be formed to have a size smaller than the size (a front-to-rear width and a left-to-right width) of the intake opening 101 so that the filter assembly 20 may be smoothly mounted in the intake opening 101 of the housing 10. Accordingly, when an air flow occurs, the filter assembly 20 may move or vibrate while mounted on the housing 10.

[0152] Taking this into consideration, a structure for preventing the movement of the filter assembly 20 may be provided so that the shaking of the filter assembly 20 is prevented.

[0153] For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, a plurality of first protrusions 130 may be formed on the housing 10 to be in contact with the first wall 201 of the first perimeter frame 211. Each of the first protrusions 130 may be formed to protrude from the inner surface of the housing 10 toward the first wall 201.

[0154] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly 20 and the housing 10 may be coupled to each other by using magnetic force.

[0155] To this end, a first attachment member 291 and a second attachment member 292 that can be magnetically attached to each other may be provided on the outer surface of the one perimeter frame 211, 212, or 213 constituting the filter assembly 20 and the inner surface of the housing 10 opposite thereto, respectively. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 14, on the outer surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 and the inner surface of the housing 10, the attachment members 291 and 292 made of magnets may be respectively provided to correspond to each other, or one attachment member made of a magnet (e.g., the first attachment member) and another attachment member made of a metal plate (e.g., the second attachment member) may be provided to correspond to each other.

[0156] The filter assembly 20 may be provided with the attachment members 291 and 292 and the aforementioned hook members 28 in parallel, or may only be provided with an attachment structure by the attachment members 291 and 292.

[0157] The first attachment member 291 (a magnet or a metal plate) may be provided only on the rear surface (the outer surface of the first wall) of the second perimeter frame 212 constituting the filter assembly 20, or may be provided respectively on the rear surface (the outer surface of the first wall) of the second perimeter frame 212 of the filter assembly 20 and the outer surface (the outer surface of the first wall) of one of the two third perimeter frames 213 thereof. Of course, the first attachment member 291 may be provided on each of the outer surfaces of all of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 of the filter assembly 20.

[0158] The attachment members 291 and 292 may be provided on the lower surface of one of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 and on the upper surface of the support ledge 110 of the housing 10, respectively.

[0159] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the first attachment member 291 may be provided on the lower surface of one of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213, and the second attachment member 292 may be provided on the upper surface of the support ledge 110.

[0160] As another example of the present disclosure of the air conditioner, a structure may be provided to enable a user to more accurately recognize the position of the handle groove 23 of the filter assembly 20.

[0161] For example, an indicating member 40 may be provided on the upper side of the handle groove 23 in the upper surface of the frame body 21 (the upper surface of the first perimeter frame) constituting the filter assembly 20.

[0162] The indicating member 40, which is a member designed to be visually distinguished from other parts, may be formed with a different color from other parts of the frame body 21, or may be formed to have a different surface (e.g., a raised surface) than the surface (e.g., a flat surface) of the frame body 21.

[0163] The indicating member 40 may be coupled or bonded to the upper surface of the frame body 21 or formed integrally with the frame body 21 by injection molding.

[0164] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, although not shown, the indicating member 40 for indicating the location of the handle groove 23 may be provided on the front surface of the housing 10.

[0165] In this case, the indicating member 40 may be formed with a different color from other parts of the housing 10 so that the indicating member 40 is visually distinguished from other parts, or may be formed to have a different surface (e.g., a raised surface) from the surface (e.g., a flat surface) of the housing 10.

[0166] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the upper surface of the filter assembly 20 may further have the block-shaped handle part 24 formed for separating the filter assembly 20. The block-shaped handle part 24 may be formed into a structure that is held and lifted with two fingers, and the block-shaped handle part 24 may be formed to have a shape or position identical to that of a block-shaped handle part formed in the filter assembly of the prior art.

[0167] That is, the block-shaped handle part 24 is additionally provided, so a user may select and use one of the block-shaped handle part 24 and the handle groove 23 of a recessed structure for the separation of the filter assembly 20.

[0168] Accordingly, the air conditioner of the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms.

[0169] In the above, all the components according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are described as being coupled to each other as one or being operated in the coupled state, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the embodiments. That is, if it is within the scope of the present disclosure, at least one of all of the components may be selectively combined and operated. In addition, the terms such as "include", "compose", or "have" as described above means that the corresponding components can be inherent unless specifically stated to the contrary. Accordingly, it should be interpreted that other components are not excluded, but may further be included. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art, and are not to be interpreted as ideal or excessively formal meanings unless explicitly defined in the present disclosure.

[0170] The above explanation is merely an exemplary description of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are intended to explain rather than limit the technical idea of the present disclosure, and the scope of the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0057]Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

[0058]In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, if a detailed description of the relevant known configuration or function is judged to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0059]In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature or order of the components is not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, the component...

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner in which a filter assembly is more easily attached and detached.BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, eliminators are mainly used in air conditioners, air cleaners, cooling towers, or absorption chillers, and remove airborne condensate or contaminated water particles containing dust.

[0003] Generally, an air conditioner is designed to maintain air within a given space in an optimal condition for its intended purpose. For example, in summer, an air conditioner may function to release indoor heat to the outside and relatively lower the temperature of indoor air. In winter, the temperature of air discharged from the air conditioner is relatively increased, so that an indoor temperature is relatively higher than an outdoor temperature. Alternatively, the air conditioner purifies air within a given space and sends the purified air back into the space.

[0004] Among air conditioners, a wall-mounted air conditioner is configured so that indoor air is drawn in through an intake opening, passes through a heat exchanger within a housing, and then is discharged into a room through a discharge opening. Accordingly, an airflow generated by using a cross-flow fan sequentially passes through the intake opening, the heat exchanger, a flow guide, and the discharge opening before being supplied indoors, thereby managing the indoor air.

[0005] The intake opening of the aforementioned wall-mounted air conditioner is provided with a filter assembly to filter out foreign substances in the air being taken in from indoor space. Various designs related to such a filter assembly installed in the air conditioner have been disclosed in numerous published patents including Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2015-0084370, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0008063, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2020-0095956, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2008-0070891, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0043992.

[0006] Meanwhile, in the case of the wall-mounted air conditioner, the intake opening is formed on the front surface or upper surface of the housing, and the discharge opening is formed on the front surface or lower surface of the housing.

[0007] Recently, the intake opening of the wall-mounted air conditioner is formed on the upper surface of the housing to minimize the exposure of the intake opening.

[0008] However, since the wall-mounted air conditioner is installed on the upper part of an indoor wall (adjacent to the ceiling), there was a problem in installing or removing the filter assembly in the case of the structure in which the intake opening is formed on the upper surface.

[0009] That is, since the filter assembly is located in a location that is not visible to a user, it was difficult for the user to mount or remove the filter assembly.

[0010] In addition, a frame body of the conventional filter assembly has multiple hooks provided on a peripheral frame surface thereof so that the frame body is stably installed in the housing, and has an inner portion formed as a lattice-shaped structure having multiple openings. Accordingly, conventionally, a portion (a gripping portion) for gripping the frame body was provided on each of the front opposite sides of the frame body.

[0011] However, even though the above-mentioned gripping portion had a plurality of gripping portions, the gripping portions were located away from the view of a user, making it difficult for the user to accurately recognize the locations of the gripping portions, which led to complaints about the separation of the filter assembly.

[0012] In addition, the conventional filter assembly has a protrusion formed by protruding rearward from the rear surface of the frame body, and has a groove, through which the protrusion penetrates, on the rear of the opening of the upper surface of the housing on which the intake opening is formed so that the filter assembly and the housing may be stably coupled to each other.

[0013] However, for the above structure, it was difficult to couple the protrusion to the groove because the coupling portion was located away from the view of a user, and as a result, there was a problem in that the filter assembly was not combined accurately and was partially misaligned.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

[0014] The present disclosure has been made to solve various problems in the above-mentioned related art.

[0015] The present disclosure is intended to provide an air conditioner having a structure for gripping a frame body in a location that is easily recognizable to a user, even if the frame body is located out of the sight of the user.

[0016] The present disclosure is intended to provide an air conditioner in which a portion into which a user can insert a finger is not easily bent in a direction in which force is applied to the portion and has sufficient rigidity to prevent damage to the portion.

[0017] The present disclosure is intended to provide an air conditioner which is capable of being injection-molded by using a mold while a portion into which a user can insert a finger for gripping is formed on the edge of a filter assembly.Problem Solving

[0018] The object is solved by the features of the independent claims.

[0019] According to the present disclosure an air conditioner comprises a housing which constitutes an exterior thereof and has an intake opening through which indoor air is introduced; and a filter assembly mounted on the intake opening to filter out foreign substances from the indoor air passing through the intake opening, wherein the filter assembly comprises: a frame body comprising perimeter frames which constitute perimeter portions of a front side, a rear side, and opposite sides thereof, and multiple connecting frames which connect the perimeter frames to each other and form a plurality of passage openings; and a filter, wherein the perimeter frames comprise a first perimeter frame located on the front side, wherein a handle groove into which a user is capable of inserting a finger is formed in the first perimeter frame.

[0020] According to an air conditioner of the present disclosure, an intake opening of a housing may be provided with a filter assembly to filter out foreign substances from indoor air. The filter assembly may be provided removably on the housing.

[0021] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly may include a frame body constituting a body thereof and a filter for filtering out foreign substances.

[0022] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the frame body may include a plurality of perimeter frames.

[0023] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the perimeter frames may include a first perimeter frame, a second perimeter frame, and opposite side perimeter frames.

[0024] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the frame body may include multiple connecting frames forming a plurality of passage openings. The connecting frames may be formed to connect the perimeter frames to each other located on opposite sides.

[0025] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a handle groove into which at least one finger is capable of being inserted may be formed in the filter assembly. Accordingly, the filter assembly may be easily separated from the housing by a user by inserting his or her fingers into the handle groove and lifting the filter assembly.

[0026] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may include at least one handle groove so that a user is capable of gripping the handle groove easily. The handle groove may include two or more handle grooves.

[0027] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the at least one handle groove may be formed in a location that is easily recognizable to a user. To this end, the at least one handle groove may be formed in a central portion of a second wall of the first perimeter frame constituting the frame body.

[0028] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove into which a user is capable of inserting his or her fingers may be formed in an inner wall of the first perimeter frame. The handle groove may be shaped to accommodate the fingers of a user.

[0029] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, each of the perimeter frames may be formed as a double-wall structure having an outer wall and an inner wall. To this end, each of the perimeter frames may include a first wall, which is provided as the outer wall, and the second wall, which is provided as the inner wall.

[0030] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the first wall and the second wall may be formed so as to be spaced apart from each other.

[0031] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a third wall, which is provided as an upper surface, may be formed on the upper end of each of the first wall and the second wall, which are spaced apart from each other. The third wall may be defined as the upper surface of each of the perimeter frames.

[0032] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may be formed by cutting a portion of the second wall or by protruding a portion of the second wall toward the first wall.

[0033] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, when the filter is integrally molded into the frame body, a structure that prevents a portion of the filter from being exposed through the handle groove from the second wall may be provided.

[0034] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the second wall may have a lower rib formed to prevent a portion of the filter from being exposed to the handle groove.

[0035] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, at least one reinforcing rib may be provided to prevent bending deformation of the first wall. The at least one reinforcing rib may be formed to connect the first wall with the lower rib.

[0036] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the first perimeter frame may include the third wall which constitutes the upper surface between the first wall and the second wall.

[0037] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a portion of the third wall may constitute the upper surface of the handle groove.

[0038] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a lower end between the first wall and the second wall constituting the first perimeter frame may be open. The first wall and the second wall may be spaced apart from each other, and the lower end therebetween may be open downward.

[0039] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may have at least one second protrusion formed therein so that a user may recognize the handle groove without visually checking the handle groove.

[0040] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the second protrusion may be formed at a position of the rear surface of the first wall which faces the handle groove.

[0041] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove may have opposite side walls. Accordingly, indoor air flowing into the handle groove may be prevented from flowing into space between the first wall and the second wall on opposite sides of the handle groove.

[0042] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, two partition walls constituting the opposite side walls of the handle groove may be formed between the first wall and the second wall. The two partition walls may serve to separate the inner space of the handle groove from other spaces between the first wall and the second wall.

[0043] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly may be mounted to be placed on the upper end of the housing.

[0044] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a support ledge on which the perimeter of the lower surface of the filter assembly is placed may be formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the housing.

[0045] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the support ledge may be formed to block the lower ends of the first wall and the second wall.

[0046] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the support ledge may be formed to block a space between the lower ends of the first wall and the second wall of a portion in which the handle groove is formed.

[0047] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly and the housing may be secured together by using hook members.

[0048] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, each of the hook members may be formed on the first wall.

[0049] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the hook member may be formed to be elastically deformable by cutting at least a portion of the first wall.

[0050] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a plurality of first protrusions may be formed on the housing to be in contact with the first wall of the first perimeter frame.Effects of the Disclosure

[0051] As described above, the air conditioner of the present disclosure may have the following effects.

[0052] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, even if the filter assembly is located out of the view of a user, the user may easily identify the position of the handle groove by forming the handle groove in the central portion of the first perimeter frame.

[0053] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove of the filter assembly may be formed by opening a portion of the second wall of the first perimeter frame, thereby facilitating the separation of a mold during injection molding of the filter assembly.

[0054] In addition, the partition walls may be formed on the inner opposite sides of the handle groove, and the inner lower surface of the handle groove (an open portion between the first wall and the second wall) may be closed by resting on the support ledge of the housing. Accordingly, this may prevent indoor air from flowing directly into the housing through the handle groove without passing through the filter.

[0055] According to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, when separating the filter assembly, the filter assembly may be configured to be lifted by inserting a finger into the handle groove, thereby allowing the filter assembly to be separated from the housing more easily than by lifting the filter assembly with two fingers.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing and a filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure when viewed from the rear side thereof; FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure when viewed from the rear side thereof; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part "A" of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when viewed from the lower rear side thereof; FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part "B" of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a front view of the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of part "C" of FIG. 10; FIG. 12 is an enlarged view taken at a different location from FIG. 11 to illustrate a coupling relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of part "D" of FIG. 10; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of an important portion illustrating a coupling relationship between a housing and a filter assembly of the air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an important portion illustrating a coupling relationship between a housing and a filter assembly of the air conditioner according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. Mode for Disclosure

[0057] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

[0058] In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, if a detailed description of the relevant known configuration or function is judged to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0059] In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature or order of the components is not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or coupled to the another component, but it should be understood that still another component may be "connected" or "coupled" thereto between each component.

[0060] An air conditioner according to the present disclosure relates to a filter assembly for removing foreign substances from inhaled air. In particular, the air conditioner of the present disclosure allows a user to easily separate the filter assembly by gripping the filter assembly accurately without directly seeing a portion gripped for the separation.

[0061] For this purpose, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is described in more detail for each component thereof with reference to the attached drawings 1 to 15 as follows. Before describing, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is a wall-mounted air conditioner as an example.

[0062] FIG. 1 illustrates the internal structure of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] As shown in these drawings, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a housing 10.

[0064] The housing 10 may be defined as the exterior of the air conditioner. For example, the housing 10 may be a portion constituting the exterior of the wall-mounted air conditioner.

[0065] The housing 10 may provide the front surface, upper surface, and opposite side surfaces of the air conditioner.

[0066] A portion of the exterior of the air conditioner may be provided as another component. For example, a rear surface 11 of the exterior of the air conditioner can be formed to have a flow guide 33. A bottom of the exterior of the air conditioner may be formed as a bottom plate 15 provided separately from the housing 10. The bottom plate 15 may be mounted to close the open lower surface of the housing 10.

[0067] FIGS. 2 and 12 illustrate a relationship between the housing and the filter assembly of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] As shown in these drawings, the housing 10 may be provided with an intake opening 101. The intake opening 101 may be defined as an entrance through which air of an indoor space outside the housing 10 flows into the interior of the housing 10.

[0069] The intake opening 101 may be provided on any one side of the housing 10. For example, the intake opening 101 may be provided on the upper surface of the housing 10.

[0070] The intake opening 101 may be formed by opening the entire portion of the upper surface of the housing 10, or may be formed by opening only a portion of the upper surface of the housing 10. Although not shown, the intake opening 101 may be formed on the opposite side surfaces, front surface, or rear surface of the housing 10, or may be additionally formed on any one of the aforementioned surfaces.

[0071] The intake opening 101 may be formed by opening the remaining portion (the inner portion of the edge) of the upper surface of the housing 10, excluding the edge portion.

[0072] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, the housing 10 may include a support ledge 110 formed so that the filter assembly 20 to be described later is placed thereon. The support ledge 110 may be formed on the upper portion of the inner surface of the housing 10.

[0073] The support ledge 110 may be located at a position lower than the upper surface of the housing 10 in the inner surface of the housing 10. The support ledge 110 may be formed at a position spaced apart from the upper surface of the housing 10 by a height corresponding to the vertical thickness of the filter assembly 20. Accordingly, when the filter assembly 20 is placed on the support ledge 110, the height of the upper surface of the filter assembly 20 may be maintained to be equal to the height of the upper surface of the housing 10.

[0074] The support ledge 110 may be formed to protrude along the inner surface of the housing 10. The protruding distance of the support ledge 110 may be equal to or greater than the width of each of perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 constituting the filter assembly 20. That is, when the filter assembly 20 is mounted on the housing 10, the entire lower surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 of the filter assembly 20 may be placed on the support ledge 110 of the housing 10. In this case, the lower surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 of the filter assembly 20 may be blocked by the support ledge 110.

[0075] A plurality of connecting frames 120 may be connected to the support ledge 110. For example, the front and rear ends of the connecting frames 120 may be respectively connected to the support ledge 110 located at the front side (the indoor side when the housing is viewed in plan) and the support ledge 110 located at the rear side (the wall side when the housing is viewed in plan). Accordingly, the rear peripheral portion of the upper surface of the housing 10 may be maintained without bending deformation.

[0076] The connecting frames 120 may also serve to support the lower surface of the filter assembly 20. The lower surface of the filter assembly 20 may be supported by the connecting frames 120 and the sagging of the inner portion of the filter assembly 20 may be prevented by the connecting frames 120. To this end, the connecting frames 120 may have curved or inclined surfaces.

[0077] The housing 10 may be provided with discharge openings 102 and 103. The discharge openings 102 and 103 may be defined as exits through which air flowing within the housing 10 is discharged to indoor space.

[0078] The discharge openings 102 and 103 may include a front discharge opening 102 provided at the front lower portion of the housing 10. The front discharge opening 102 may be defined as a portion through which air is discharged forward. The front discharge opening 102 may be formed to extend longwise left and right on the front surface of the housing 10 when the housing 10 is viewed from the front.

[0079] The discharge opening 102, 103 may include a lower discharge opening 103 provided on the lower surface of the housing 10.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 1, the lower discharge opening 103 may be located at the front of the lower surface of the housing 10. The lower discharge opening 103 may be located at a position adjacent to the front discharge opening 102. Accordingly, air may be discharged toward the front and lower portion of the housing 10 through the front discharge opening 102 and the lower discharge opening 103.

[0081] Although not shown, the discharge opening 102, 103 may include only the front discharge opening 102, or only the lower discharge opening 103, or may be additionally provided on at least one surface of the respective wall surfaces of the housing 10.

[0082] A heat exchanger 31 may be provided inside the housing 10. The heat exchanger 31 may be defined as a device or structure in which a refrigerant of a heat exchange cycle and air taken in through the intake opening 101 from an indoor space exchange heat.

[0083] In the heat exchanger 31, a refrigerant circulating in the heat exchange cycle flows. Accordingly, the refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger 31 and the air taken in from the indoor space through the intake opening 101 exchange heat with each other and are then supplied to the indoor space through the discharge openings 102 and 103, thereby enabling the temperature of the indoor air to be managed.

[0084] The heat exchanger 31 may be arranged to surround the outer surface of a drive fan 32. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 31 may be arranged to surround the upper portion of the drive fan 32.

[0085] Next, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the drive fan 32 for forming an air flow.

[0086] The drive fan 32 may create the flow of air flowing through the intake opening 101 and the discharge openings 102, 103 formed in the housing 10. That is, the drive fan 32 may create the flow of air to draw in indoor air through the intake opening 101 and discharge the indoor air through the front discharge opening 102 or the lower discharge opening 103.

[0087] The drive fan 32 may be a transverse flow fan (e.g., a cross-flow fan). That is, the drive fan 32 may be formed so that multiple blades are compartmentalized and arranged in a cylindrical shape.

[0088] Next, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the flow guide 33.

[0089] The flow guide 33 may be defined as a part or structure that guides the flow of air passing through the drive fan 32.

[0090] The flow guide 33 may be manufactured separately from the housing 10 and installed on the rear surface of the inside of the housing 10. Alternatively, the flow guide 33 may be configured to constitute the rear surface of the housing 10. Although not shown, the flow guide 33 may be formed integrally on the rear surface of the housing 10.

[0091] The flow guide 33 may provide space for the drive fan 32 to be installed. The space formed by the flow guide 33 may be provided as a portion of the space in which the drive fan 32 is installed.

[0092] Next, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the filter assembly 20.

[0093] The filter assembly 20 may be a device or structure provided to filter out foreign substances from indoor air taken in through the intake opening 101 of the housing 10.

[0094] The filter assembly 20 may be mounted to block the intake opening 101 of the housing 10 and may be composed of a frame body 21 and a filter 22.

[0095] The frame body 21 may constitute the exterior of the filter assembly 20.

[0096] The filter 22 may function to filter out foreign substances in air flowing through the frame body 21 into the housing 10. The filter 22 may be formed as a net that is provided on the lower surface of the frame body 21 and blocks openings formed in the frame body 21. The filter 22 may be provided in a mold during the injection molding of the frame body 21 and may be integrated with the frame body 21.

[0097] The frame body 21 may be formed in the shape of a polygonal frame. For example, the frame body 21 may be formed in the shape of a quadrangular frame.

[0098] The above frame body 21 may have the plurality of perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213. For example, the frame body 21 may include a first perimeter frame 211 constituting a front perimeter portion thereof, a second perimeter frame 212 constituting a rear perimeter portion thereof, and two third perimeter frames 213 constituting opposite perimeter portions thereof.

[0099] The first perimeter frame 211 and the second perimeter frame 212 may be arranged parallel to be spaced apart from each other in a front-to-rear direction, and each of the two third perimeter frames 213 may have a first end connected to an end of the first perimeter frame 211 and may have a second end connected to an end of the second perimeter frame 212. The two third perimeter frames 213 may be arranged parallel to be spaced apart from each other in a left-to-right direction.

[0100] Each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 may be formed as a double-wall structure having a front surface and a rear surface when viewed in cross section. For example, each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 may include a first wall 201 provided as an outer wall and a second wall 202 provided as an inner wall.

[0101] The first wall 201 may be provided as the outer wall, and the second wall 202 may be provided as the inner wall. The outer wall may be a wall surface directed to the outside of the filter assembly 20, and the inner wall may be a wall surface facing each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 opposite thereto.

[0102] Each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 may be provided as the outer wall and further include a third wall 203 connecting the first wall 201 with the second wall 202. The third wall 203 may be provided as the upper surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213. The third wall 203 may be formed to block the entire upper portion between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202, or may be formed to block only a portion of the upper portion between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202.

[0103] The first wall 201 may be formed to be longer vertically than the second wall 202. For example, the lower end of the second wall 202 may be formed to be shorter than the lower end of the first wall 201 on the basis of the third wall 203.

[0104] A lower portion between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 (between the lower end of the first wall and the lower end of the second wall) may be formed to be open.

[0105] Meanwhile, the filter assembly 20 constituting the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a handle groove 23 formed on the at least one perimeter frames 211, 212, or 213 of the frame body 21. The handle groove 23 may be used as a portion which a user grips when separating or attaching the filter assembly 20 from or to the housing 10.

[0106] Conventionally, a block-shaped handle part 24 was formed on one portion of the connecting frames 120 to separate the filter assembly 20. However, it was difficult to use this block-shaped handle part 24 because the handle part 24 had to be lifted by holding it with two fingers.

[0107] In particular, since the filter assembly 20 was installed on the upper surface of the housing 10, a user could not accurately recognize the position of the handle part 24. Accordingly, the separation of the filter assembly 20 was unavoidably difficult.

[0108] Considering this, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one finger may be inserted in one portion of the filter assembly 20 to lift the filter assembly 20 up, so that the separating manipulation may be conveniently performed. That is, the filter assembly 20 may be easily separated from the housing 10 by a user by inserting his or her finger into a portion of the filter assembly 20 to lift it.

[0109] To this end, the filter assembly 20 may have the handle groove 23 formed therein so that the filter assembly 20 is lifted by the finger. The handle groove 23 may be formed to have a vertical height (vertical length) and a horizontal width (horizontal length) sufficient to allow at least one finger to be inserted. Preferably, the handle groove 23 may be formed to have a left-right width sufficient to allow at least two fingers to be inserted.

[0110] The handle groove 23 may include at least one handle groove. It is preferable that the at least one handle groove 23 be formed in a location that can be easily recognized by a user. To this end, the at least one handle groove 23 may be formed in the central portion of the first perimeter frame 211 constituting the frame body 21.

[0111] More specifically, the at least one handle groove 23 may be formed in the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211. That is, the at least one handle groove 23 may be formed in the central portion of the second wall 202. Accordingly, a user may accurately recognize the approximate location of the handle groove 23 even though the filter assembly 20 is located on the upper surface of the air conditioner and is not seen visually.

[0112] In particular, since the handle groove 23 is formed on the second wall 202, a user may grip the handle groove 23 as if wrapping his or her hand around the handle groove 23. Accordingly, the manipulation of separating the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10 may be performed more easily.

[0113] Although not shown, the handle groove 23 may be formed by protruding a portion of the second wall 202 toward the first wall 201. That is, the handle groove 23 may be formed as a structure that is recessed into a part of the second wall 202.

[0114] However, in order to form the handle groove 23 so that the handle groove 23 is recessed from the second wall 202, a separate mold for forming the handle groove 23 may be required. That is, when considering that the frame body 21 of the filter assembly 20 is molded through an injection process, it is difficult to form a recessed portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the mold is separated (an up-down direction when the filter assembly is viewed from the front side), and the recessed portion is required to be molded by using a separate mold (or a process) after the injection.

[0115] Considering this, it is more preferable that the handle groove 23 of the second wall 202 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not formed to be recessed toward the first wall 201, but rather that a portion of the second wall 202 is open so that the open portion may be used as the handle groove 23. That is, a portion of the second wall 202 may be cut open so that the open portion may be used as the handle groove 23.

[0116] When the handle groove 23 is formed by opening a portion of the second wall 202, the inner surface of the first wall 201 (a surface facing the second wall) may be provided as the inner surface of the handle groove 23.

[0117] The lower surface of the handle groove 23 is open downward along with the space between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202. Accordingly, after injection molding, a mold may be moved smoothly downward.

[0118] When the lower surface of the handle groove 23 is formed to be open, a portion of the filter 22 attached to the lower surface of the frame body 21 may be exposed to the inside of the handle groove 23.

[0119] Taking this into consideration, a structure may be provided to prevent a portion of the filter 22 from being exposed through the handle groove 23 from the second wall 202 when the filter 22 is injection-molded to be integrated with the frame body 21. To prevent the exposure of the filter 22, a lower rib 25 may be formed on the second wall 202.

[0120] The lower rib 25 may be formed at the front side of the lower end of the handle groove 23 in the front surface of the second wall 202 so as to cover the lower end of the handle groove 23. In this case, the rear surface of the lower rib 25 may be formed to be located at a position equal to or further forward than the front surface of the second wall 202.

[0121] Since the lower surface of the handle groove 23 is formed to be open, the first wall 201 in the portion in which the handle groove 23 is formed may be relatively vulnerable to bending deformation. In consideration of this, at least one reinforcing rib 26 may be provided within the handle groove 23 to prevent the bending deformation of the first wall 201 located at the corresponding portion. The reinforcing rib 26 may be formed to connect the rear surface of the first wall 201 with the lower rib 25.

[0122] Meanwhile, the handle groove 23 may have opposite side walls. For example, the partition walls 231 may be formed respectively on opposite sides within the handle groove 23. The partition walls 231 may be formed to block spaces between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211. Accordingly, indoor air flowing into the handle groove 23 may be prevented from flowing to the opposite sides of the handle groove 23 in the spaces between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202.

[0123] The third wall 203 constituting the first perimeter frame 211 may be provided as the upper surface of the inside of the handle groove 23.

[0124] A third protrusion 27 may be formed on the upper surface of the entrance side of the handle groove 23. The third protrusion 27 may be formed to protrude downward from the upper surface within the handle groove 23. The formation of the third protrusion 27 prevents the problem of a finger slipping out of the handle groove 23 while inserting the finger into the handle groove 23 to lift the filter assembly 20.

[0125] In addition, when the handle groove 23 is formed as an open hole, indoor air may flow directly into the housing 10 through the open lower surface between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 after passing through the handle groove 23 without passing through the filter. That is, foreign substances from indoor air may enter the housing 10 without being filtered.

[0126] Accordingly, the open lower surface between the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 may be blocked by the support ledge 110 formed within the housing 10. That is, the open lower surface between the first wall 201 of the portion in which the handle groove 23 is formed and the second wall 202 may be closed by resting on the support ledge 110.

[0127] Below, a removal process for the aforementioned filter assembly 20 of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

[0128] First, when the air conditioner is in operation, the filter assembly 20 may filter foreign substances in air introduced into the housing 10 while the filter assembly 20 is installed in the housing 10.

[0129] That is, indoor air may be drawn into the housing 10 after passing through the filter assembly 20 by an air flow created by the drive fan 32, and pass through the heat exchanger 31 to exchange heat, and may then be supplied indoors through the discharge openings 102 and 203 under the guidance of the flow guide 33. In this process, foreign substances of the indoor air may be filtered out by the filter 22 while passing through the filter assembly 20, and clean air with the foreign substances filtered out may be supplied back to the indoor space after heat exchange.

[0130] While the indoor air passes through the filter assembly 20, the indoor air may pass through the handle groove 23 and be introduced into the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211.

[0131] However, the opposite sides within the handle groove 23 may be blocked by the partition walls 231, respectively, the upper side within the handle groove 23 may be blocked by the third wall 203, and the lower side within the handle groove 23 may be blocked by the support ledge 110. Accordingly, even if indoor air is introduced into the handle groove 23, the problem of the air flowing into the housing 10 without passing through the filter 22 may be prevented.

[0132] Next, the process of separating the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10 will be described.

[0133] When a user intends to separate the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10, the user may insert a finger into the handle groove 23.

[0134] Since the filter assembly 20 is positioned on the upper surface of the housing 10, a user may not visually see the handle groove 23. However, the handle groove 23 may be formed in the central portion of the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211 constituting the filter assembly 20, and the user may roughly recognize the central portion by looking at the front of the housing 10. Accordingly, even if the user cannot see the handle groove 23, the user may know its approximate location and insert his or her finger accurately into the handle groove 23.

[0135] In particular, the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211 may be located at the rear side when viewed from the position (the front side) of a user, and thus when a finger is inserted into the handle groove 23 of the second wall 202, a user may grip the handle groove 23. Accordingly, the filter assembly 20 may be easily lifted when a user inserts a finger into the handle groove 23.

[0136] In addition, when a user inserts a finger into the handle groove 23 and lifts the filter assembly 20, there is a risk that the finger may slip out of the handle groove 23. However, since the third protrusion 27 is formed on the upper surface of the entrance side of the handle groove 23, the problem of a finger slipping out of the handle groove 23 may be prevented.

[0137] Accordingly, even if the filter assembly 20, which constitutes the air conditioner of the present disclosure, is located at a position out of the view of a user, the filter assembly 20 may have the handle groove 23 formed in the central portion of the first perimeter frame 211, so that the user may easily identify the position of the handle groove 23.

[0138] In addition, in the filter assembly 20 constituting the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the handle groove 23 may be formed by opening a portion of the second wall 202 of the first perimeter frame 211, so that a mold may be easily separated during the injection molding of the filter assembly 20.

[0139] In addition, the partition walls 231 may be formed on the opposite sides of the inside of the handle groove 23, and the lower surface (the open portion between the first wall and the second wall) of the inside of the handle groove 23 may be closed by being placed on the support ledge 110 of the housing 10. Accordingly, indoor air may be prevented from flowing directly into the housing 10 through the handle groove 23.

[0140] Additionally, in the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly 20 may be configured to be lifted by inserting a finger into the handle groove 23, thereby allowing the filter assembly 20 to be separated from the housing 10 more easily than by lifting the filter assembly 20 with two fingers.

[0141] Meanwhile, the air conditioner of the present disclosure may be changed or modified in various forms other than the form of the above-described embodiment. This will be described in detail for each example below.

[0142] As an example of the present disclosure of the air conditioner, a structure may be provided so that a user can tactilely feel the inner surface of the handle groove 23, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8.

[0143] For example, at least one second protrusion 232 may be formed on the inner surface of the handle groove 23 of the filter assembly 20. That is, a user may recognize that the user has correctly inserted a finger into the handle groove 23 by feeling the second protrusion 232.

[0144] The second protrusion 232 may be formed on the inner surface of the first wall 201 provided as the inner surface of the handle groove 23. That is, the multiple second protrusions 232 may be formed on the inner surface of the first wall 201 facing the handle groove 23. The second protrusion 232 may be defined as a raised structure formed on the first wall 201.

[0145] As another example of the present disclosure of the air conditioner, a structure for restraining the filter assembly 20 may be provided to prevent unintentional separation of the filter assembly 20 from the housing 10.

[0146] For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7, the filter assembly 20 and the housing 10 may be formed to be secured to each other by providing hook members 28.

[0147] Each of the hook members 28 may be formed on the first wall 201, and in this case, a holding protrusion 281 may be formed on the inner surface of the housing 10 so that the hook member 28 may be held thereon. The hook member 28 and the holding protrusion 281 may be formed at opposing locations, and may include two or more hook members and holding protrusions, respectively. Accordingly, the filter assembly 20 may be prevented from being unintentionally separated from the housing 10 while the filter assembly 20 is mounted on the housing 10.

[0148] The holding protrusion 281 may be a portion formed by protruding on the inner surface of the housing 10, or the upper surface of the housing (the portion in which the intake opening is formed) may be defined as the holding protrusion 281.

[0149] In addition, the hook member 28 may be formed to be elastically deformable by cutting at least a portion of the first wall 201. Accordingly, even if a user lifts the filter assembly 20 with a small amount of force, the filter assembly 20 may be easily separated from the housing 10.

[0150] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, a structure may be provided to prevent the horizontal movement of the filter assembly 20 while the filter assembly 20 is mounted within the intake opening 101 of the housing 10.

[0151] That is, the normal filter assembly 20 may be formed to have a size smaller than the size (a front-to-rear width and a left-to-right width) of the intake opening 101 so that the filter assembly 20 may be smoothly mounted in the intake opening 101 of the housing 10. Accordingly, when an air flow occurs, the filter assembly 20 may move or vibrate while mounted on the housing 10.

[0152] Taking this into consideration, a structure for preventing the movement of the filter assembly 20 may be provided so that the shaking of the filter assembly 20 is prevented.

[0153] For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, a plurality of first protrusions 130 may be formed on the housing 10 to be in contact with the first wall 201 of the first perimeter frame 211. Each of the first protrusions 130 may be formed to protrude from the inner surface of the housing 10 toward the first wall 201.

[0154] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the filter assembly 20 and the housing 10 may be coupled to each other by using magnetic force.

[0155] To this end, a first attachment member 291 and a second attachment member 292 that can be magnetically attached to each other may be provided on the outer surface of the one perimeter frame 211, 212, or 213 constituting the filter assembly 20 and the inner surface of the housing 10 opposite thereto, respectively. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 14, on the outer surface of each of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 and the inner surface of the housing 10, the attachment members 291 and 292 made of magnets may be respectively provided to correspond to each other, or one attachment member made of a magnet (e.g., the first attachment member) and another attachment member made of a metal plate (e.g., the second attachment member) may be provided to correspond to each other.

[0156] The filter assembly 20 may be provided with the attachment members 291 and 292 and the aforementioned hook members 28 in parallel, or may only be provided with an attachment structure by the attachment members 291 and 292.

[0157] The first attachment member 291 (a magnet or a metal plate) may be provided only on the rear surface (the outer surface of the first wall) of the second perimeter frame 212 constituting the filter assembly 20, or may be provided respectively on the rear surface (the outer surface of the first wall) of the second perimeter frame 212 of the filter assembly 20 and the outer surface (the outer surface of the first wall) of one of the two third perimeter frames 213 thereof. Of course, the first attachment member 291 may be provided on each of the outer surfaces of all of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 of the filter assembly 20.

[0158] The attachment members 291 and 292 may be provided on the lower surface of one of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213 and on the upper surface of the support ledge 110 of the housing 10, respectively.

[0159] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the first attachment member 291 may be provided on the lower surface of one of the perimeter frames 211, 212, and 213, and the second attachment member 292 may be provided on the upper surface of the support ledge 110.

[0160] As another example of the present disclosure of the air conditioner, a structure may be provided to enable a user to more accurately recognize the position of the handle groove 23 of the filter assembly 20.

[0161] For example, an indicating member 40 may be provided on the upper side of the handle groove 23 in the upper surface of the frame body 21 (the upper surface of the first perimeter frame) constituting the filter assembly 20.

[0162] The indicating member 40, which is a member designed to be visually distinguished from other parts, may be formed with a different color from other parts of the frame body 21, or may be formed to have a different surface (e.g., a raised surface) than the surface (e.g., a flat surface) of the frame body 21.

[0163] The indicating member 40 may be coupled or bonded to the upper surface of the frame body 21 or formed integrally with the frame body 21 by injection molding.

[0164] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, although not shown, the indicating member 40 for indicating the location of the handle groove 23 may be provided on the front surface of the housing 10.

[0165] In this case, the indicating member 40 may be formed with a different color from other parts of the housing 10 so that the indicating member 40 is visually distinguished from other parts, or may be formed to have a different surface (e.g., a raised surface) from the surface (e.g., a flat surface) of the housing 10.

[0166] As another example of the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the upper surface of the filter assembly 20 may further have the block-shaped handle part 24 formed for separating the filter assembly 20. The block-shaped handle part 24 may be formed into a structure that is held and lifted with two fingers, and the block-shaped handle part 24 may be formed to have a shape or position identical to that of a block-shaped handle part formed in the filter assembly of the prior art.

[0167] That is, the block-shaped handle part 24 is additionally provided, so a user may select and use one of the block-shaped handle part 24 and the handle groove 23 of a recessed structure for the separation of the filter assembly 20.

[0168] Accordingly, the air conditioner of the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms.

[0169] In the above, all the components according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are described as being coupled to each other as one or being operated in the coupled state, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the embodiments. That is, if it is within the scope of the present disclosure, at least one of all of the components may be selectively combined and operated. In addition, the terms such as "include", "compose", or "have" as described above means that the corresponding components can be inherent unless specifically stated to the contrary. Accordingly, it should be interpreted that other components are not excluded, but may further be included. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art, and are not to be interpreted as ideal or excessively formal meanings unless explicitly defined in the present disclosure.

[0170] The above explanation is merely an exemplary description of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are intended to explain rather than limit the technical idea of the present disclosure, and the scope of the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0057]Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

[0058]In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, if a detailed description of the relevant known configuration or function is judged to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0059]In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature or order of the components is not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, the component...

Claims

1. An air conditioner characterized in that the air conditioner comprises: a housing (10) which constitutes an exterior thereof and has an intake opening (101) through which indoor air is introduced; and a filter assembly (20) mounted on the intake opening (101) to filter out foreign substances from the indoor air passing through the intake opening (101), wherein the filter assembly (20) comprises: a frame body (21) comprising perimeter frames (211, 212, 213) which constitute perimeter portions of a front side, a rear side, and opposite sides thereof, and multiple connecting frames (120) which connect the perimeter frames (211, 212, 213) to each other and form a plurality of passage openings; and a filter (22), wherein the perimeter frames (211, 212, 213) comprise a first perimeter frame (211) located on the front side, wherein a handle groove (23) into which a user is capable of inserting a finger is formed in the first perimeter frame (211).

2. The air conditioner of claim 1, characterized in that the first perimeter frame (211) comprises: a first wall (201) provided as an outer wall; and a second wall (202) located inside the first wall (201) to be spaced apart from the first wall (201) and provided as an inner wall, wherein the handle groove (23) is formed in the second wall (202) of the first perimeter frame (211).

3. The air conditioner of claim 2, characterized in that the handle groove (23) is formed in a central side of the second wall (202) of the first perimeter frame (211).

4. The air conditioner of claim 2, characterized in that the handle groove (23) is formed by cutting a portion of the second wall (202).

5. The air conditioner of claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the second wall (202) has a lower rib (25) formed to block a lower portion of the handle groove (23).

6. The air conditioner of claim 5, characterized in that the air conditioner further comprises: at least one reinforcing rib (26) which connects the first wall (201) and the lower rib (25) to each other and prevents bending deformation of the first wall (201).

7. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims 2-6, characterized in that the first perimeter frame (211) comprises a third wall (203) which connects upper ends of the first wall (201) and the second wall (202) to each other.

8. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (10) has a support ledge on which a perimeter of a lower surface of the filter assembly (20) is placed.

9. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims 2-8, characterized in that a lower end between the first wall (201) and the second wall (202) constituting the first perimeter frame (211) is open.

10. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims 2-9, characterized in that the air conditioner further comprises: two partition walls (231) formed between the first wall (201) and the second wall (202) to separate a space of a communicating portion of the handle groove (23) from spaces between the first wall (201) and the second wall (202).

11. The air conditioner of claim 8, 9 or 10, characterized in that at least a portion of the support ledge blocks the lower end between the first wall (201) and the second wall (202) and the space between the two partition walls (231).

12. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims 2-11, characterized in that a plurality of hook members (28) is formed on the first wall (201), wherein the hook members (28) are held on holding protrusions (281), respectively, formed on the housing (10).

13. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims 2-12, characterized in that a plurality of first protrusions (130) protruding to be in contact with the first wall (201) is formed on a portion facing the first wall (201) of the first perimeter frame (211) among each portion of the housing (10).

14. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims 2-13, characterized in that at least one second protrusion (232) is formed at a position of a rear surface of the first wall (201) which faces the handle groove (23).

15. The air conditioner of any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the perimeter frames (211, 212, 213) comprise at least one first attachment member (291), and the housing (10) comprises a second attachment member corresponding to the first attachment member (291).

Images