Air conditioner indoor unit

Abstract

The indoor unit of an air conditioner includes a housing, a heat exchanger, a blower, an air outlet grille, and a control unit. The air outlet grille has multiple flaps arranged at intervals along the vertical direction, an extension mechanism that extends and contracts each flap in the front-to-rear direction from the air outlet toward the air outlet, and a rotation mechanism that rotates each flap in the vertical direction. The control unit controls the extension mechanism and the rotation mechanism to individually control each flap.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an air outlet grill that adjusts the blowing direction of air blown out from an air outlet provided in a housing. [Background technology]

[0002] An air conditioner has an outdoor unit and an indoor unit connected via a refrigerant pipe, and is configured to circulate a refrigerant between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. The indoor unit has an indoor heat exchanger and a blower inside a housing that forms an outer shell. The housing is formed with an intake port for drawing air into the interior and an outlet port for blowing the air inside. The outlet port is provided with an outlet grill equipped with a flap that adjusts the blowing direction of the air blown out from the outlet port.

[0003] In the indoor unit, indoor air is sucked into the inside of the housing through the intake port by the rotation of the blower. The air sucked into the inside of the housing is sent toward the indoor heat exchanger, where it is adjusted to a predetermined temperature and then blown out into the room through the outlet. The blowing direction of the air blown out into the room from the outlet is adjusted by a flap.

[0004] For example, the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with an up-down air deflector that deflects the airflow in the up-down direction, and a left-right air deflector that is disposed behind the up-down air deflector and deflects the airflow in the left-right direction, at the air outlet of the housing. The left-right air deflector has a plurality of main air deflectors that rotate left-right, and a plurality of auxiliary air deflectors that are slidably held on the main air deflector. When the main air deflector rotates, the auxiliary air deflectors extend forward in conjunction with the rotation of the main air deflector. This air conditioner improves the air deflection capability by extending the auxiliary air deflectors from the main air deflector to increase the surface area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-275252 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the left and right air deflectors are arranged behind the up and down air deflectors in the air passage inside the housing, so the presence of the up and down air deflectors makes the movable width of the auxiliary air deflectors narrow, and there is a limit to the expansion of the surface area of ​​the auxiliary air deflectors. Moreover, the multiple auxiliary air deflectors can only rotate so as to uniformly face the same direction together with the main air deflector, so the blowing direction cannot be freely adjusted.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an indoor unit for an air conditioner that can sufficiently increase the surface area of ​​the flap, can freely adjust the blowing direction of the air blown out from the air outlet provided in the housing, and can improve the wind direction deflection capability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention comprises a housing having an intake port and an exhaust port and forming an outer shell, a heat exchanger provided inside the housing, a blower that forms an air flow so that air sucked in from the intake port passes through the heat exchanger and is blown out from the exhaust port, an exhaust port grill that is provided at the exhaust port and adjusts the blowing direction of the air blown out from the exhaust port, and a control unit that controls the blowing direction of the exhaust port grill, the exhaust port grill having a plurality of flaps arranged at intervals along the vertical direction, an expansion mechanism that expands and contracts each of the flaps in the front-rear direction from the exhaust port to the blowing direction, and a rotation mechanism that rotates each of the flaps in the vertical direction, the flaps being a first plate portion and a first plate portion that moves in the front-rear direction from the exhaust port to the blowing direction. The first plate portion moves in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the first plate portion. A second plate portion; A third plate portion that is rotated in a vertical direction relative to the second plate portion by the rotation mechanism;the telescopic mechanism is configured to telescopically extend and retract the flap by moving the second plate portion, the rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the second plate portion moved by the telescopic mechanism in a vertical direction relative to the first plate portion, and the control unit controls the telescopic mechanism and the rotation mechanism to individually control each of the flaps. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, since the flap has an extension mechanism that extends and retracts in the front-rear direction from the air outlet toward the air outlet direction, the surface area of ​​the flap can be sufficiently enlarged. Furthermore, since the extension mechanism and the rotation mechanism are controlled to individually control each flap, the air outlet direction can be freely adjusted. Therefore, the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention can improve the air deflection ability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is an internal configuration diagram showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment, as viewed from the side. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic side view of an air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of an air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment, with a flap extended forward; FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of an air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment in an upward air-blowing state. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of an air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment in a downward blowing state. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of an air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment in a wide air blowing state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. Furthermore, the shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the configurations shown in each drawing may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0012] Embodiment FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment from the side. As shown in FIG. 1, an indoor unit 2 of an air conditioner 100 according to this embodiment constitutes the air conditioner 100 together with an outdoor unit 1 connected via a refrigerant pipe 3 consisting of a gas refrigerant pipe and a liquid refrigerant pipe. The outdoor unit 1 has a compressor, a flow path switching means, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, a blower, etc. (not shown) inside a housing 10 forming an outer shell, for example. The indoor unit 2 has an indoor heat exchanger 5 and a blower 6 inside a housing 4 forming an outer shell, for example. The refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner 100 is configured to circulate the refrigerant by sequentially connecting a compressor, a flow path switching means, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, and an indoor heat exchanger 5 by a gas refrigerant pipe and a liquid refrigerant pipe, for example.

[0013] The compressor compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges it in a high-temperature, high-pressure state. The flow path switching means is, for example, a four-way valve, and has a function of switching the flow path of the refrigerant.

[0014] The outdoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser during cooling operation, exchanging heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the air. The outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator during heating operation, exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the expansion mechanism and the air. The outdoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outdoor air drawn in by the blower and the refrigerant, and discharges the air after heat exchange to the outside.

[0015] The expansion mechanism reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit to expand it, and is configured, for example, with an electronic expansion valve whose opening degree is variably controlled.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the indoor unit 2 is a ceiling-embedded indoor unit that is hung from the ceiling inside the room with hanging bolts 20 and installed inside the ceiling. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 2 includes a housing 4 that forms an outer shell, an indoor heat exchanger 5, a blower 6, and an air outlet grill 7.

[0017] 1 and 2, the housing 4 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long from side to side. The housing 4 has an air outlet 4a formed on the front side for blowing air into the room, and an air inlet 4b formed on the rear side for drawing in air from the room. The air outlet 4a is provided with an air outlet grill 7 via a frame-shaped support member 22. The air inlet 4b is provided with a filter for removing dust and the like.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, a partition member 40 is provided inside the housing 4 to separate the space into a space A on the air outlet 4a side and a space B on the air inlet 4b side. An air passage 4c that connects the space A and the space B is formed in the partition member 40. The partition member 40 is provided to separate the primary air sucked in from the air inlet 4b and the secondary air blown out from the air outlet 4a so that they do not bypass each other. An indoor heat exchanger 5 is disposed in the space A on the air outlet 4a side. A blower 6 is disposed in the space B on the air inlet 4b side.

[0019] The indoor heat exchanger 5 functions as an evaporator during cooling operation, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the expansion mechanism and the air. The indoor heat exchanger 5 functions as a condenser during heating operation, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the air. The indoor heat exchanger 5 is, for example, a plate fin and tube type heat exchanger that can exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant piping and the air passing through the fins. The indoor heat exchanger 5 exchanges heat between the indoor air sucked in by the blower and the refrigerant, and supplies the air after the heat exchange to the room. The indoor heat exchanger 5 is disposed obliquely from near the bottom of the partition member 40 toward the upper front surface of the housing 4 in order to increase the heat exchange efficiency. A drain pan 50 for receiving drain water is provided below the indoor heat exchanger 5.

[0020] The blower 6 generates an air flow by drawing air from the air inlet 4b, passing it through the indoor heat exchanger 5, and blowing it out from the air outlet 4a. The blower 6 is driven by an electric motor (not shown). The blower 6 is, for example, a sirocco fan.

[0021] When the motor of the indoor unit 2 is driven by a command from the control unit 21, the blower 6 rotates and indoor air is drawn into the housing 4 from the air inlet 4b. The drawn air is filtered to remove dust and other particles as it passes through a filter, and is then blown toward the indoor heat exchanger 5 provided in the housing 4. The air, which has been adjusted to a predetermined temperature as it passes through the indoor heat exchanger 5, is blown into the room from the air outlet 4a. The blowing direction X of the air blown into the room from the air outlet 4a is adjusted by the air outlet grille 7.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic side view of an air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic state of the air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment with the flap extended forward. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic state of the air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment in an upward blowing state. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic state of the air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment in a downward blowing state. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic state of the air outlet grille of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment in a wide blowing state.

[0023] The air outlet grill 7 is attached to the air outlet 4a via a support member 22, and adjusts the air outlet direction X of the air blown out from the air outlet 4a. As shown in Fig. 1 and Figs. 3 to 7, the air outlet grill 7 has a rectangular frame body 71 that is long in the left-right direction, a plurality of flaps 70 that are provided inside the frame body 71 and arranged at intervals along the up-down direction, an expansion mechanism 8 that expands and contracts each flap 70 in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the air outlet direction X, and a rotation mechanism 9 that rotates each flap 70 in the up-down direction.

[0024] The frame body 71 is attached to the inside of the support member 22 provided at the air outlet 4a. As shown in FIG. 4, the flap 70 has a first plate portion 7a attached to the frame body 71, a second plate portion 7b that moves in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the air outlet direction X relative to the first plate portion 7a, and a third plate portion 7c that moves in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the air outlet direction X relative to the second plate portion 7b. The length of the first plate portion 7a, the second plate portion 7b, and the third plate portion 7c in the air outlet direction X is, for example, about 20 mm. As shown in FIG. 3, the flap 70 is configured such that the first plate portion 7a, the second plate portion 7b, and the third plate portion 7c overlap when contracted.

[0025] 4, the extension mechanism 8 has a first extension mechanism 80 that moves the second plate portion 7b in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X relative to the first plate portion 7a, a second extension mechanism 81 that moves the third plate portion 7c in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X relative to the second plate portion 7b, and a first motor portion 82 that is controlled by the control portion 21 and drives the first extension mechanism 80 and the second extension mechanism 81. The extension mechanism 8 is configured to extend and retract the flap 70 in stages by moving the second plate portion 7b and the third plate portion 7c.

[0026] The first telescopic mechanism 80 has a first guide rail incorporated in the first plate portion 7a, a grooved first guide portion incorporated in the second plate portion 7b and fitted into the first guide rail, and a first ball screw which is a movable portion for sliding the first guide portion on the first guide rail. The first telescopic mechanism 80 has the control unit 21 drive the first motor portion 82 to move the first ball screw, so that the first guide portion slides on the first guide rail, and the second plate portion 7b can be moved in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the air outlet direction X relative to the first plate portion 7a. The third plate portion 7c moves to a position reached by the second plate portion 7b together with the movement of the second plate portion 7b.

[0027] The second telescopic mechanism 81 has a second guide rail incorporated in the second plate portion 7b, a grooved second guide portion incorporated in the third plate portion 7c and fitted into the second guide rail, and a second ball screw which is a movable portion for sliding the second guide portion on the second guide rail. The second telescopic mechanism 81 has a first motor portion 82 driven by the control portion 21 to move the second ball screw, so that the second guide portion slides on the second guide rail, and the third plate portion 7c can be moved in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the air outlet direction X relative to the second plate portion 7b.

[0028] The telescopic mechanism 8 is not limited to the above configuration. The telescopic mechanism 8 may have another configuration as long as it can move the second plate portion 7b in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X relative to the first plate portion 7a, and can move the third plate portion 7c in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X relative to the second plate portion 7b.

[0029] The rotation mechanism 9 has a hinge that rotates the third plate portion 7c in the vertical direction relative to the second plate portion 7b, and a second motor portion that is controlled by the control portion 21 and drives the hinge. The hinge is attached to both ends of the third plate portion 7c and the second plate portion 7b in a direction perpendicular to the blowing direction X, for example. The hinge has a first plate member and a second plate member that are made of two plates, and an axis member that is disposed between the two plates and connects the two plates so that they can rotate. The first plate member is fixed to the third plate portion 7c. The second plate member is detachably attached to the third plate portion 7c. The second plate member is fixed to the third plate portion 7c when the third plate portion 7c has finished moving forward in the blowing direction X, and the fixed state is released when the third plate portion 7c moves backward. The second motor portion is connected to the axis member and rotates the first plate member via the axis member. By rotating the first plate member, the third plate portion 7c can be rotated in the vertical direction.

[0030] Although not shown in the drawings, the rotating mechanism 9 configured as described above may be provided on the second plate portion 7b to rotate the second plate portion 7b in the vertical direction relative to the first plate portion 7a. The rotating mechanism 9 configured as described above may be provided on the first plate portion 7a to rotate the first plate portion 7a in the vertical direction relative to the frame body 71. When the rotating mechanism 9 is provided on the first plate portion 7a, the second plate member is fixed to the frame body 71.

[0031] The control unit 21 is configured, for example, with dedicated hardware or a CPU (also called a central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or processor) that executes a program stored in a storage device. The control unit 21 controls the extension mechanism 8 and the rotation mechanism 9 by, for example, a remote control operated by a user, and controls each of the flaps 70 individually.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 5, the air outlet grill 7 can make the air outlet direction X an upward blowing direction by moving the second plate portion 7b and the third plate portion 7c forward from the air outlet 4a in the air outlet direction X by the telescopic mechanism 8 and rotating the third plate portions 7c of all the flaps 70 upward by the rotating mechanism 9. As shown in Fig. 6, the air outlet grill 7 can make the air outlet direction X an upward blowing direction by moving the second plate portion 7b and the third plate portion 7c forward from the air outlet 4a in the air outlet direction X by the telescopic mechanism 8 and rotating the third plate portions 7c of all the flaps 70 downward. 7, the air outlet grill 7 can achieve wide airflow by moving the second plate portion 7b and the third plate portion 7c forward from the air outlet 4a in the air outlet direction X by the telescopic mechanism 8, and by rotating the third plate portion 7c of the top two flaps 70 upward and rotating the third plate portion 7c of the bottommost flap 70 downward by the rotating mechanism 9. Note that the wide airflow may be achieved by rotating the third plate portion 7c of the topmost flap 70 upward and rotating the third plate portion 7c of the bottom two flaps 70 downward by the rotating mechanism 9. The air outlet grill 7 can increase the amount of air blown forward by wide airflow.

[0033] Although not shown in the drawings, the outlet grill 7 may rotate the second plate portion 7b or the first plate portion 7a together with the third plate portion 7c by the rotation mechanism 9, or may rotate the second plate portion 7b and the first plate portion 7a without rotating the third plate portion 7c. Also, only the second plate portion 7b may be rotated, or only the first plate portion 7a may be rotated. In other words, at least one of the first plate portion 7a, the second plate portion 7b, and the third plate portion 7c is rotated in the vertical direction. Therefore, the outlet grill 7 can freely adjust the blowing direction X and the air volume by freely combining the rotation of the third plate portion 7c, the second plate portion 7b, and the first plate portion 7a while moving the second plate portion 7b and the third plate portion 7c by the extension mechanism 8.

[0034] As described above, the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 100 according to this embodiment includes a housing 4 having an inlet 4b and an outlet 4a and forming an outer shell, an indoor heat exchanger 5 provided inside the housing 4, and a blower 6 that forms an air flow by passing the air drawn in from the inlet 4b through the indoor heat exchanger 5 and blowing it out from the outlet 4a. The indoor unit 2 also includes an outlet grill 7 provided at the outlet 4a and adjusting the blowing direction X of the air blown out from the outlet 4a, and a control unit 21 that controls the blowing direction X of the outlet grill 7. The outlet grill 7 includes a plurality of flaps 70 arranged at intervals along the vertical direction, an extension mechanism 8 that extends and retracts each flap 70 in the front-rear direction from the outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X, and a rotation mechanism 9 that rotates each flap 70 in the vertical direction. The control unit 21 controls the extension mechanism 8 and the rotation mechanism 9 to individually control each flap 70.

[0035] Specifically, the flap 70 has a first plate portion 7a, a second plate portion 7b that moves in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X relative to the first plate portion 7a, and a third plate portion 7c that moves in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X relative to the second plate portion 7b. The extension mechanism 8 is configured to extend and retract the flap 70 by moving the second plate portion 7b and the third plate portion 7c. In addition, the rotation mechanism 9 rotates at least one of the first plate portion 7a, the second plate portion 7b, and the third plate portion 7c in the up-down direction.

[0036] That is, the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 100 according to this embodiment has an extension mechanism 8 that extends and retracts each flap 70 in the front-rear direction from the air outlet 4a toward the blowing direction X, so that the surface area of ​​the flap 70 can be sufficiently enlarged. Also, by controlling the extension mechanism 8 and the rotation mechanism 9, each flap 70 is individually controlled, so that the blowing direction X can be freely adjusted. Therefore, the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 100 according to this embodiment can improve the wind direction deflection capability.

[0037] Although the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 100 has been described above based on the embodiment, the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 100 is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the configuration of the indoor unit 2 shown in the figures is not limited to the content described above, and may include other components. In short, the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 100 includes the range of design changes and application variations that are normally made by a person skilled in the art, as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 outdoor unit, 2 indoor unit, 3 refrigerant piping, 4 housing, 4a outlet, 4b intake, 4c air duct, 5 indoor heat exchanger, 6 blower, 7 outlet grille, 7a first plate portion, 7b second plate portion, 7c third plate portion, 8 telescopic mechanism, 9 pivot mechanism, 10 housing, 20 hanging bolt, 21 control portion, 22 support member, 40 partition member, 50 drain pan, 70 flap, 71 frame body, 80 first telescopic mechanism, 81 second telescopic mechanism, 82 first motor portion, 100 air conditioner.

Claims

1. A housing having an intake port and an exhaust port and forming an outer shell; A heat exchanger provided inside the housing; a blower that forms an air flow such that the air drawn in through the suction port passes through the heat exchanger and is blown out through the air outlet; an air outlet grill provided at the air outlet and configured to adjust a direction of air blown out from the air outlet; A control unit that controls the air outlet direction of the air outlet grille, The air outlet grille is A plurality of flaps arranged at intervals along a vertical direction; An expansion / contraction mechanism that expands and contracts each of the flaps in a front-rear direction from the air outlet toward a blowing direction; A rotation mechanism for rotating each of the flaps in a vertical direction, The flap has a first plate portion, a second plate portion that moves in a front-rear direction relative to the first plate portion toward the blowing direction from the air outlet and moves in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the first plate portion, and a third plate portion that rotates in a vertical direction relative to the second plate portion by the rotating mechanism, The telescopic mechanism is configured to telescopically extend and retract the flap by moving the second plate portion, The rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the second plate portion moved by the extension mechanism in a vertical direction relative to the first plate portion, The control unit controls the extension mechanism and the rotation mechanism to individually control each of the flaps.

2. An indoor unit of an air conditioner as described in claim 1, wherein the extension mechanism includes a configuration for extending and retracting the flap by moving the third plate portion.

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