Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner, comprising an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit, the indoor unit comprising a housing, a first heat exchanger, a volute, a fan, a driving member and an air blocking member. The housing comprises a first cavity, and a first air inlet and a first air outlet which are in communication with the first cavity. The volute is arranged in the first cavity, the lengthwise direction of the volute being parallel to the lengthwise direction of the housing, and the volute comprising a second cavity, and a second air inlet and a second air outlet which are in communication with the second cavity, the second air outlet being in communication with the first air outlet. The air blocking member is arranged close to the second air outlet, the air blocking member being configured to block an air flow, thus increasing the air outflow resistance at the end inside the volute away from the driving member.

Description

air conditioner

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202323489636.0 filed on December 20, 2023; priority to Chinese patent application No. 202323483958.4 filed on December 20, 2023; and priority to Chinese patent application No. 202311764934.8 filed on December 20, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to an air conditioner. Background Art

[0003] The air conditioner is generally installed on a wall or other supporting structure. The air conditioner usually includes a shell, the length of which generally extends horizontally. The shell usually includes a long strip of air-conditioning outlet arranged along its length. The shell also includes an air-conditioning air inlet. An indoor heat exchanger and a heat exchange fan are arranged in the shell, so that the indoor air enters the shell through the air-conditioning air inlet, exchanges heat with the indoor heat exchanger, and then flows out from the air-conditioning outlet.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] An air conditioner includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit, and the indoor unit includes a housing, a first heat exchanger, a volute, a fan, a drive member, and a windshield. The housing includes a first cavity, and a first air inlet and a first air outlet connected to the first cavity. The first heat exchanger is disposed in the first cavity. The volute is disposed in the first cavity, with the length of the volute parallel to the length of the housing. The volute includes a second cavity, and a second air inlet and a second air outlet connected to the second cavity, with the second air outlet connected to the first air outlet. The fan is disposed in the second cavity and below the first heat exchanger, with the axial direction of the fan parallel to the length of the housing. When the fan is in operation, airflow is introduced from the first air inlet into the first cavity, and after heat exchange in the first heat exchanger, the airflow flows out from the first air outlet. The drive member is disposed in the first cavity and is connected to the fan to drive the fan to operate. The wind shield is disposed close to the second air outlet and is configured to block the airflow so as to increase the wind resistance at one end of the volute away from the driving member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0007] FIG1B is a structural diagram of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0008] FIG2 is a front view of an indoor unit according to some embodiments;

[0009] FIG3 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in FIG2 ;

[0010] FIG4 is a structural diagram of an indoor unit with a portion of its housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0011] FIG5 is an exploded view of an indoor unit with a portion of the housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0012] FIG6 is a structural diagram of a volute according to some embodiments;

[0013] FIG7 is another structural diagram of a volute according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 7;

[0015] FIG9 is a partial enlarged view of circle C in FIG8 ;

[0016] FIG10 is another structural diagram of a volute according to some embodiments;

[0017] FIG11 is a partial enlarged view of circle D in FIG10;

[0018] FIG12 is another structural diagram of an indoor unit with a portion of the housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0019] FIG13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG12;

[0020] FIG14 is another structural diagram of an indoor unit with a portion of the housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0021] FIG15 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit with a portion of the housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0022] FIG16 is a front view of another indoor unit according to some embodiments;

[0023] FIG17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG in FIG16;

[0024] FIG18 is another structural diagram of an indoor unit with a portion of the housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0025] FIG19 is a sectional view taken along line HH in FIG18;

[0026] FIG20 is a partial enlarged view of circle I in FIG19;

[0027] FIG21 is another structural diagram of an indoor unit with a portion of the housing removed according to some embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 22 is another structural diagram of an indoor unit according to some embodiments, with a portion of the housing removed.

[0029] FIG23 is a partial enlarged view of circle J in FIG22 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings to clearly and completely describe some embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments provided by the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0031] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprise" and its other forms, such as the third person singular form "comprises" and the present participle form "comprising", are to be interpreted as open and inclusive, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" are intended to indicate that the particular features, structures, materials or characteristics associated with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. In addition, the particular features, structures, materials or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any appropriate manner.

[0032] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0033] The term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0034] The use of "adapted to" or "configured to" herein is intended to be open and inclusive language that does not exclude devices adapted or configured to perform additional tasks or steps.

[0035] As used herein, "about," "substantially," or "approximately" includes the stated value and an average value that is within an acceptable range of deviation from the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurements in question and the errors associated with the measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).

[0036] As used herein, "parallel", "perpendicular", and "equal" include the situations described and situations similar to the situations described, and the range of the similar situations is within an acceptable deviation range, wherein the acceptable deviation range is as determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurement in question and the errors associated with the measurement of the specific quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate parallelism can be, for example, a deviation within 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate perpendicularity can also be, for example, a deviation within 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate equality can be, for example, that the difference between the two equals is less than or equal to 5% of either one.

[0037] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air conditioner.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1A , an air conditioner 1000 includes an indoor unit 10 .

[0039] In some embodiments, the indoor unit 10 includes a first heat exchanger 200 (eg, an indoor heat exchanger), which serves as an evaporator or condenser in the refrigerant cycle of the air conditioner 1000 and exchanges heat with the indoor air during the refrigerant cycle.

[0040] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 2 , the air conditioner 1000 includes a housing 100 .

[0041] The housing 100 includes a first air inlet 101 (eg, an indoor air inlet) extending along the length of the housing 100 .

[0042] For example, the first air inlet 101 can be located at least one of the top, left side, or right side of the main body. In this way, the diversity of the air conditioner 1000 is improved and the needs of different users are better met.

[0043] The housing 100 further includes a first air outlet 102 (eg, an indoor air outlet), which extends along the length direction of the body of the housing 100 .

[0044] For example, the first air outlet 102 can be located at the front side of the body, or below the front side, etc. This is convenient for improving the flexibility of the arrangement of the first air outlet 102.

[0045] In some embodiments, the indoor unit 10 also includes a first fan 400 (such as a cross-flow fan). The first fan 400 is an indoor fan. The first fan 400 provides power for the flow of indoor air. The first fan 400 draws indoor air into the indoor unit 10 from the first air inlet 101, exchanges heat with the indoor air with the first heat exchanger 200, and then sends the heat-exchanged indoor air out from the first air outlet 102 of the indoor unit 10.

[0046] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the first fan 400 (such as a cross-flow fan) is disposed in the volute 300 and is located below the first heat exchanger 200 (indoor heat exchanger). This is beneficial to improving the heat exchange effect between the air in the indoor unit 10 and the first heat exchanger 200.

[0047] In some embodiments, the air conditioner 1000 further includes an outdoor unit 20. The indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20 are connected by a pipeline to transmit refrigerant.

[0048] In some embodiments, the outdoor unit 20 includes a compressor 201 , which is configured to compress a low-temperature, low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant to assist the air conditioner 1000 in refrigerant circulation.

[0049] In some embodiments, the outdoor unit 20 includes a four-way valve 202 connected to the refrigerant circuit. The four-way valve 202 is configured to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit so that the air conditioner 1000 performs a cooling mode or a heating mode.

[0050] In some embodiments, the outdoor unit 20 further includes a second heat exchanger 203 (eg, an outdoor heat exchanger), which is configured to perform heat exchange between outdoor air and a refrigerant transmitted in the second heat exchanger 203 .

[0051] For example, when the air conditioner 1000 is in cooling mode, the second heat exchanger 203 operates as a condenser, causing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 201 to condense by dissipating heat to the outdoor air through the second heat exchanger 203. When the air conditioner 1000 is in heating mode, the second heat exchanger 203 operates as an evaporator, causing the decompressed refrigerant to absorb heat from the outdoor air through the second heat exchanger 203 and evaporate. In some embodiments, the outdoor unit 20 includes an expansion valve 205, which is configured to regulate the flow of refrigerant within the pipelines of the air conditioner 1000. The expansion valve 205 is connected between the second heat exchanger 203 and the first heat exchanger 200. The opening of the expansion valve 205 regulates the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the second heat exchanger 203 and the first heat exchanger 200, thereby regulating the flow of refrigerant between the second heat exchanger 203 and the first heat exchanger 200. The flow rate and pressure of the refrigerant flowing between the second heat exchanger 203 and the first heat exchanger 200 will affect the heat exchange performance of the second heat exchanger 203 and the first heat exchanger 200. The expansion valve 205 can be an electronic valve. The opening of the expansion valve 205 is adjustable to control the flow rate and pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the expansion valve 205.

[0052] In some embodiments, the outdoor unit 20 also includes a second fan 204, which is an outdoor fan. The second fan 204 is configured to provide power for the flow of outdoor air, so that the outdoor air is sucked into the outdoor unit 20 through the outdoor air inlet of the outdoor unit 20, and the outdoor air after heat exchange with the second heat exchanger 203 is sent out through the outdoor air outlet of the outdoor unit 20.

[0053] In some embodiments, the compressor 201, the second heat exchanger 203, the expansion valve 205 and the first heat exchanger 200 form the above-mentioned refrigerant circuit, in which the refrigerant circulates and exchanges heat with the air through the second heat exchanger 203 and the first heat exchanger 200 respectively to realize the cooling mode or heating mode of the air conditioner 1000.

[0054] In some embodiments, the second heat exchanger 203 includes heat exchange fins to expand the contact area between the outdoor air and the refrigerant transmitted in the second heat exchanger 203, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the outdoor air and the refrigerant.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first heat exchanger 200 operates as an evaporator in the cooling mode of the air conditioner 1000, so that the refrigerant, after dissipating heat through the second heat exchanger 203, absorbs heat from the indoor air through the first heat exchanger 200 and evaporates. The first heat exchanger 200 operates as a condenser in the heating mode of the air conditioner 1000, so that the refrigerant, after absorbing heat through the second heat exchanger 203, dissipates heat to the indoor air through the first heat exchanger 200 and condenses.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first heat exchanger 200 includes heat exchange fins to expand the contact area between the indoor air and the refrigerant transmitted in the first heat exchanger 200, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the indoor air and the refrigerant.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , the housing 100 includes a first cavity 130 , which communicates with the first air inlet 101 and the first air outlet 102 . The first heat exchanger 200 is disposed in the first cavity 130 .

[0058] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the air conditioner 1000 also includes a volute 300, the length direction (such as the axial direction) of the volute 300 is parallel to the length direction (such as the left and right direction in Figure 5) of the shell 100, and the volute 300 is arranged in the first cavity 130.

[0059] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the volute 300 includes a second chamber 140, which is disposed adjacent to the first chamber 130. For example, the second chamber 140 may be located below the first chamber 130. The volute 300 also includes a second air inlet, which is in communication with the first air inlet 101, such that indoor air can enter the second chamber 140 through the first air inlet 101 and the second air inlet.

[0060] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the volute 300 further includes a second air outlet 103. The second air outlet 103 corresponds to the first air outlet 102, so that the air in the volute 300 can be discharged from the housing 100 through the second air outlet 103 and the first air outlet 102. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second chamber 140 is connected to the second air outlet 103 and the second air inlet, so that indoor air can flow into the second chamber 140 through the second air inlet and be discharged from the second chamber 140 through the second air outlet 103 after heat exchange in the second chamber 140.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first fan 400 is a cross-flow fan. This allows for an unrestricted axial length of the cross-flow fan, allowing it to be matched to the desired length of the volute 300. Furthermore, the cross-flow fan exhibits low noise and high efficiency. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5 , the indoor unit 10 further includes a driver 500 (e.g., a motor). The driver 500 is located within the first chamber 130 . The output end of the driver 500 is connected to the first fan 400 , which extends along the length of the volute 300 . The driver 500 is configured to drive the operation of the first fan 400 . The output shaft of the driver 500 extends through the sidewall of the volute into the second chamber 140 , establishing a transmission connection between the driver 500 and the first fan 400 .

[0062] In some embodiments, by extending the first air outlet 102 along the length direction of the housing, the air outlet area of ​​the first air outlet 102 can be increased, thereby facilitating an increase in the air outlet volume of the first air outlet 102 .

[0063] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the volute 300 includes a volute body 301. The first fan 400 includes a connecting portion 401 (end cover). The first end of the first fan 400 is adjacent to the driver 500, and the second end of the first fan 400 is away from the driver 500. The connecting portion 401 is located at the second end of the first fan 400 and is connected to the sidewall of the volute body 301 to enable the first fan 400 to rotate relative to the volute 300.

[0064] It should be noted that due to the assembly gap between the connecting portion 401 and the side of the volute body 301 away from the first air outlet 102, air leakage may occur within this gap. Furthermore, the thickness of the connecting portion 401 is greater than the thickness of the sidewall at the first end of the first fan 400. Airflow from the end of the first fan 400 away from the driver 500 can easily backflow through the assembly gap, leading to backflow and wind traps. Therefore, the end of the volute 300 away from the driver 500 has the lowest wind resistance, resulting in high noise levels.

[0065] Generally, in the related art, in order to solve the above problems, the air outlet area of ​​the first air outlet 102 can be changed to increase the air outlet volume, or the gap between the connecting part 401 and the volute body 301 can be changed, or the air outlet power of the first fan 400 can be changed to reduce the backflow causing return air and trapped air; however, changing these components will result in a large amount of changes, increase production costs, and the changed components will cause the noise to increase and increase the energy consumption of the air conditioner 1000.

[0066] To address the aforementioned issues, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air conditioner. By providing a windshield 600 in the indoor unit, the airflow velocity within the second chamber 140, away from the driving member 500, is reduced. This increases the airflow resistance of the first fan 400, thereby improving the air conditioner's wind resistance, reducing noise, and lowering energy consumption.

[0067] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, the indoor unit 10 further includes a windshield 600. A driving member 500 is provided at the first end of the volute 300, and a windshield 600 is provided at the second end of the volute 300. The windshield 600 is configured to reduce the flow velocity of the airflow in the second chamber 140 away from the driving member 500. In this way, the air outlet resistance of the first fan 400 can be increased, and the wind resistance resistance of the air conditioner 1000 can be improved, thereby reducing the airflow at the second end of the first fan 400 from forming a backflow at the assembly gap to generate backflow and wind trapping. Moreover, while ensuring the air output of the air conditioner, there is no need to change other structures of the first fan 400 and the volute 300, and the structure is simple.

[0068] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 10, the wind shield 600 is located at the second end of the volute 300, and the wind shield 600 is located near the second air outlet 103. The wind shield 600 is connected to the volute 300, and the wind shield 600 is configured to increase the wind outlet resistance at the second end inside the volute 300.

[0069] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the windshield 600 protrudes along the length of the volute body toward the first fan 400 (e.g., fan). Because the windshield 600 is located within the second cavity 140 and away from the first air outlet 102, the volute 300 can shield the windshield 600, thereby improving the aesthetics of the indoor unit.

[0070] For example, when the airflow at the first end of the volute 300 flows along the inner wall of the volute body to the first air outlet 102, this part of the airflow will be blocked by the wind shield 600, thereby reducing the flow speed of the airflow, increasing the wind resistance, and thus playing a role in wind shielding.

[0071] 6 to 9 , the volute 300 further includes a third cavity 800 , and the second cavity 140 can be in communication with the third cavity 800 . The third cavity 800 is located at an end of the volute 300 away from the driving member 500 .

[0072] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 9, the volute 300 further includes a fixing portion 402 (mounting seat), which is located within the third chamber 800. The fixing portion 402 is connected to the volute 300, and the side of the fixing portion 402 near the driving member 500 is connected to the windshield 600. This can increase the strength of the connection between the windshield 600 and the volute 300 and extend the service life of the windshield 600.

[0073] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , the surface of the side of the fixing portion 402 close to the first fan 400 is a curved surface structure, and the curvature of the curved surface structure is substantially the same as the curvature of the first fan 400. This facilitates a smooth transition of the airflow from the surface of the curved surface to the surface of the first fan 400, making the streamline of the airflow in the second cavity 140 smooth, avoiding the occurrence and development of turbulence due to a sudden change in curvature, and improving the noise level. As shown in FIG5 , FIG8 , FIG9 and FIG20 , in some embodiments, the first fan 400 includes a connecting portion 401, which is arranged at an end of the first fan 400 away from the driving member 500 and is located in the third cavity 800. In the longitudinal direction of the volute 300, the distance d between the side surface of the wind shield 600 close to the driving member 500 and the side surface of the connecting portion 401 close to the driving member 500 is any value within the first threshold range.

[0074] Because the length tolerance of the first fan 400 is ±0.5mm, and the end of the first fan 400 away from the driver 500 is connected to the fixing portion 402, which has a dimensional tolerance of ±0.4mm, and the first fan 400 is connected to the connecting portion 401 via the fixing portion 402, a dimensional tolerance of ±1mm is permitted in the length direction of the first fan 400. Due to the offset during assembly of the first fan 400, after accumulating the assembly and dimensional tolerances, the windshield 600 can still function as a windshield, thus increasing the wind resistance of the first fan 400, even within this maximum cumulative tolerance. When the first threshold is less than 2mm, collision between the windshield 600 and the first fan 400 may occur.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first threshold is greater than or equal to 2 mm, for example, the first threshold is 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm, etc. In this way, under the cumulative tolerance size, noise can be reduced and the wind shield 600 and the fan 400 can be protected.

[0076] When the first threshold is greater than 10 mm, the distance d between the wind shield 600 and the connecting portion 401 will be too large, resulting in failure to provide wind shielding effect, and also causing backflow to form between the wind shield 600 and the connecting portion 401 .

[0077] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is less than or equal to 10 mm, for example, the first threshold value is 6 mm, 7 mm or 8 mm, etc., so that the wind shield 600 can achieve a wind shielding effect.

[0078] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 11, the thickness of the side of the wind shield 600 away from the first air outlet 102 is greater than the thickness of the side of the wind shield 600 close to the first air outlet 102. Since the side of the wind shield 600 away from the first air outlet 102 is the windward side, and the side of the wind shield 600 close to the first air outlet 102 is the leeward side, the wind volume on the windward side is greater than the wind volume on the leeward side. Therefore, by making the thickness of the wind shield 600 on the windward side greater than the thickness on the leeward side, it is beneficial to improve the reliability of the use of the wind shield 600.

[0079] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 19, 22, and 23, the axial direction of the first fan 400 is substantially aligned with the length of the second cavity 140. A first end (the right end in Figure 19) of the first fan 400 is connected to the driver 500, and a second end (the left end in Figure 19) of the first fan 400 is located within the third cavity 800. A distance L1 between a surface of the windshield 600 proximate to the first fan 400 and a surface of the fixing portion 402 proximate to the first fan 400 is defined as a third threshold.

[0080] If the third threshold is greater than 10 mm, the wind blocking effect will not be achieved.

[0081] In some embodiments, by making the third threshold value less than 10 mm, for example, the third threshold value is 4 mm, 5 mm or 6 mm, etc., the windshield 600 can play a better windshield role, thereby improving the overall windshield effect of the windshield 600.

[0082] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, in some embodiments, the wind shield 600 includes a first curved surface 110, which is located on the side of the wind shield 600 close to the driving member 500. The first curved surface 110 extends along the length direction of the fan 400 toward the direction close to the driving member 500. In this way, the wind shielding effect of the end of the second air outlet 103 away from the driving member 500 can be improved.

[0083] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, in some embodiments, the wind shield 600 also includes a second curved surface 120, the first curved surface 110 is closer to the second air outlet 103 than the second curved surface 120, the second curved surface 120 is located on the side of the wind shield 600 close to the driving member 500, and the second curved surface 120 extends along the length direction of the fan 400 toward the direction close to the driving member 500. This is more conducive to improving the wind shielding effect of the wind shield 600.

[0084] In some embodiments, the wind shield 600 may further include a transition surface, and the first curved surface 110 and the second curved surface 120 are connected via the transition surface, so as to prevent air from forming vortices between the first curved surface 110 and the second curved surface 120 .

[0085] In some embodiments, the first curved surface 110 is an arc surface, and the axis direction of the arc surface is parallel to the length direction of the wind shield 600 .

[0086] The above describes an embodiment in which the windshield 600 includes one or two curved surfaces. In some embodiments, the windshield 600 may also include more curved surfaces. For example, the windshield 600 also includes a third curved surface, a fourth curved surface, and the like. The third curved surface and the fourth curved surface may extend along the length direction of the fan 400 toward the direction close to the driving member 500. The third curved surface and the fourth curved surface are located on the side of the windshield 600 close to the driving member 500, and are spaced apart between the second air outlet 102 and the third air outlet 103. The third curved surface and the fourth curved surface may be connected by a transition surface. In this way, the windshield 600 can improve the windshielding effect on the end of the second cavity 140 away from the driving member 500.

[0087] It is understandable that a transition surface may not be provided between two adjacent curved surfaces among the multiple curved surfaces, which can reduce the difficulty of processing the wind shield 600 and save costs.

[0088] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 10 to 13, the length direction of the wind shield 600 (the MN direction as shown in Figure 13) is defined as a plane parallel to the length direction of the wind shield 600 and passing through the central axis of the first fan 400 as a reference plane 700, and the distance L2 between the side of the first curved surface 110 close to the reference plane 700 and the reference plane 700 is a second threshold.

[0089] If the second threshold is less than 5 mm, return air or congestion will be generated between the outer wall of the first fan 400 and the reference surface 700, and between the first fan 400 and the fixing portion 402, thereby generating noise.

[0090] In some embodiments, the second threshold is greater than or equal to 5 mm. For example, the second threshold is 5 mm, 10 mm, or 15 mm. In this way, the return air or congestion generated near the intersection of the outer peripheral wall of the first fan 400 and the reference surface 700 can be reduced, thereby reducing noise.

[0091] If the second threshold is greater than 30 mm, the power provided by the first fan 400 for the flow of indoor air will be reduced, thereby affecting the power of the indoor air flowing into the indoor space through the first air outlet 102.

[0092] In some embodiments, the second threshold is less than or equal to 30 mm. For example, the second threshold is 20 mm, 25 mm, or 30 mm. This can reduce the backflow or trapped air generated near the intersection of the outer peripheral wall of the first fan 400 and the reference surface 700, and help ensure the power of the air in the volute 300 to flow toward the first air outlet 102.

[0093] In some embodiments, the length of the wind shield 600 increases along the direction from the second air outlet 103 to the first air outlet 102 , thereby improving the wind shielding effect of the wind shield 600 .

[0094] In some embodiments, the length of the windshield 600 is perpendicular to the airflow direction of the second chamber 140, thereby providing a better windshield effect. In some embodiments, the windshield 600 includes a rib located at the end of the second chamber 140 away from the driving member 500. This facilitates installation and reduces production costs.

[0095] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 17 and 23, the windshield 600 includes a plurality of ribs, which are spaced apart between the second air outlet 103 and the first air outlet 102. The lengths of the ribs increase in a direction from the second air outlet 103 toward the first air outlet 102. This improves the windshield 600's windshield performance. To improve assembly efficiency of the windshield 600, in some embodiments, the plurality of ribs may be integrally formed, or the plurality of ribs may be integrally formed with the volute 300.

[0096] In some embodiments, a plurality of ribs may also be connected to the volute 300 , so as to facilitate replacement and maintenance of the wind shield 600 .

[0097] In some embodiments, the wind shield 600 and the volute 300 are integrally formed, thereby enhancing the structural strength of the wind shield 600 .

[0098] Since the length direction of the wind shield 600 is the same as the demoulding direction of the volute 300 , when the wind shield 600 and the volute 300 are integrally formed, processing and production are facilitated.

[0099] It should be noted that the demoulding direction of the volute 300 is substantially parallel to the direction from M to N as shown in FIG. 13 .

[0100] In some embodiments, the windshield 600 and the volute 300 are separately provided. The windshield 600 and the volute 300 are detachably connected, which facilitates the maintenance and replacement of the windshield 600. As shown in Figures 13 to 15, in some embodiments, the indoor unit 10 further includes a volute tongue 900, which is provided on a side of the volute 300 close to the first air outlet 102 (the front side as shown in Figure 1B), and the volute tongue 900 is provided along the length direction of the volute 300. The end of the volute tongue 900 away from the driving member 500 is connected to the end of the windshield 600 close to the driving member 500. In this way, a gap between the volute tongue 900 and the windshield 600 to avoid the generation of wind traps can be avoided, so that the windshield 600 can better play a windshield role.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 15 , in some embodiments, a distance L3 between a side of the volute tongue 900 away from the first air outlet 102 and a side of the wind shield 600 close to the first air outlet 102 is any value within a fourth threshold range.

[0102] When the fourth threshold is less than 5 mm, the airflow on the side of the volute 900 away from the driving member 500 will be drawn back into the second chamber 140 by the first fan 400, causing the indoor air to form return air and unable to flow into the indoor space through the second air outlet 103, thereby increasing the energy consumption of the air conditioner 1000.

[0103] In some embodiments, the fourth threshold is greater than 5 mm, for example, the fourth threshold is 7 mm, 9 mm or 11 mm. In this way, the airflow on the side of the volute tongue 900 away from the driving member 500 can be prevented from being drawn inward by the first fan 400 to form return air, thereby improving the utilization rate of the airflow and saving energy consumption of the air conditioner 1000.

[0104] As shown in Figures 17 and 18 , in some embodiments, the end of the windshield 600 that is distal to the first fan 400 (e.g., the fan) abuts against the inner wall of the second chamber 140 that is distal to the first fan 400. The windshield 600 increases in length along the airflow direction within the second chamber 140 (e.g., the direction from the second air outlet 103 to the first air outlet 102). This allows the windshield 600 to block the width of the airflow from the second chamber 140, preventing the formation of a draft within the second chamber 140.

[0105] In some embodiments, the windshield 600 includes a plurality of ribs, and the plurality of ribs are arranged along the length direction of the second air outlet 103. When the airflow at the end of the volute 300 away from the driving member 500 flows along the inner wall of the volute 300 toward the first air outlet 102, this part of the airflow will be blocked by the windshield 600, thereby reducing the flow speed of the airflow. The airflow is subjected to resistance, so that the windshield 600 can play a windshield role. The airflow generated between the end face of the first fan 400 away from the driving member 500 and the inner wall of the volute 300 will also be blocked by the windshield 600 and cannot enter the second cavity 140 again. In this way, backflow can be prevented, which is conducive to reducing noise.

[0106] In some embodiments, a windshield 600 is disposed on the inner wall of the second chamber 140 at the end away from the driver 500. This increases the resistance to airflow from the second chamber 140 as it flows out through the second air outlet 103. It also increases the resistance to airflow flowing from the second air outlet 103 into the second chamber 140, thereby improving the air resistance of the air conditioner 1000. Furthermore, by disposing the windshield 600 on the inner wall of the second chamber 140 at the end away from the driver 500, the velocity of airflow within the volute 300 can be reduced without changing other structures of the first fan 400 and the volute 300, resulting in a simple structure.

[0107] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10 , a first end of the first fan 400 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the driving member 500 , and a second end of the first fan 400 is rotatably connected to the fixing portion 402 .

[0108] In some embodiments, when the wind shield 600 includes multiple ribs, the difference between L5 shown in Figures 19 to 21 and L2 shown in Figure 13 is that the distance of L5 shown in Figures 19 to 21 is: the distance between a rib farthest from the second air outlet 103 among the multiple ribs and the reference surface 700, and L5 needs to meet the second threshold.

[0109] It should be noted that, since the first fan 400 has length dimension tolerance and assembly tolerance, and the thickness of the connecting portion 401 at the second end of the first fan 400 is greater than the thickness of the side wall of the first end of the first fan 400, the second threshold range L5 needs to be greater than the first threshold range d. In this way, the return air or trapped air at the intersection of the connecting portion 401 at the second end of the first fan 400 and the reference surface 700 can be reduced.

[0110] For example, the first threshold is greater than 2 mm and less than L5, such as d is 4 mm, 6 mm or 8 mm, which can meet the length size and assembly tolerance of the first fan 400 so that the wind shield 600 can play a wind shielding role.

[0111] As shown in Figures 22 and 23 , in some embodiments, the distance L4 between any two adjacent ribs in the plurality of ribs is less than or equal to a fifth threshold range. For example, the fifth threshold range may be 10 mm. This allows the windshield 600 to provide a windshield, facilitating the discharge of airflow from the second end of the volute 300.

[0112] If the distance between two adjacent ribs is greater than 10 mm, the wind shielding effect of the wind shield 600 may be affected.

[0113] In some embodiments, the distance L4 between any two adjacent ribs among the multiple ribs is less than or equal to 10 mm, for example, L4 is 4 mm, 6 mm or 8 mm, etc., so that the wind shield 600 can improve the wind shielding and backwind prevention effects of the wind shield 600.

[0114] If the width H of the ribs is not greater than 1 mm, the strength of the windshield member 600 will be reduced, affecting the windshield effect.

[0115] If the width H of the rib is greater than 10 mm, the manufacturing difficulty will be increased due to the large width of the rib, and the production cost will be increased.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 , in some embodiments, the width H of a single rib is greater than 1 mm, such as the width H is 1 mm, 2 mm, or 3 mm, etc., which can improve the windshield effect.

[0117] Those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and that certain elements of the embodiments may be modified and replaced without departing from the spirit of the present application. The scope of the present application is limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising: Outdoor unit; as well as The indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit and comprises: A housing, comprising a first cavity, and a first air inlet and a first air outlet communicating with the first cavity; A first heat exchanger is disposed in the first chamber; a volute, disposed in the first cavity, wherein the length direction of the volute is parallel to the length direction of the housing, the volute comprising a second cavity, and a second air inlet and a second air outlet communicating with the second cavity, the second air outlet communicating with the first air outlet; a fan, arranged in the second cavity and below the first heat exchanger, wherein the axial direction of the fan is parallel to the length direction of the shell; the fan is operated to introduce airflow from the first air inlet into the first cavity, and after heat exchange in the first heat exchanger, the airflow flows out from the first air outlet; A driving member is disposed in the first cavity, and the driving member is connected to the fan to drive the fan to operate; A wind shield is disposed near the second air outlet and is configured to block the airflow to increase the wind resistance at one end of the volute away from the driving member.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The wind shielding member is arranged on the inner wall of the volute at one end away from the driving member.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The wind shielding member protrudes along the length direction of the volute toward the direction close to the fan.

4. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The fan includes a connecting portion, which is located at an end of the fan away from the driving member, and a distance d between a side surface of the wind shield member close to the driving member and a side surface of the connecting portion close to the driving member is any value within a first threshold range.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein: The first threshold range is greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm.

6. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The wind shielding member includes a first curved surface, the first curved surface is located on a side of the wind shielding member close to the driving member, and the first curved surface extends along the length direction of the fan toward a direction close to the driving member.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein: The wind shield also includes a second curved surface connected to the first curved surface, the second curved surface is located on a side of the wind shield close to the driving member, and the second curved surface extends along the length direction of the fan toward a direction close to the driving member; Wherein, the first curved surface is closer to the second air outlet than the second curved surface.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein: The wind shield also includes a transition surface, and the first curved surface and the second curved surface are connected by the transition surface.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The first curved surface comprises an arc surface, and an axial direction of the arc surface is parallel to a length direction of the wind shielding member.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 9, wherein: A plane parallel to the length direction of the wind shield and passing through the central axis of the fan is defined as a reference plane, and a distance L2 between a side of the first curved surface close to the reference plane and the reference plane is any value within a second threshold range.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein: The second threshold range is greater than or equal to 5 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm.

12. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The volute also includes: a third chamber, the third chamber being located at an end of the second chamber away from the driving member, and an end of the fan away from the driving member being located in the third chamber; and The fixing portion is located in the third cavity, and a distance L1 between one end of the fixing portion close to the fan and one end of the wind shield close to the fan is any value within a third threshold range.

13. The air conditioner according to claim 12, wherein: The third threshold range is smaller than 10 mm.

14. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: Along the direction from the second air outlet to the first air outlet, the length of the wind shield increases.

15. The air conditioner according to claims 1 to 14, wherein: The wind shield is connected to the volute, and the wind shield satisfies one of the following conditions: The wind shielding member includes a rib, and the rib is located at an end of the second cavity away from the driving member; and The wind shield comprises a plurality of ribs arranged at intervals, and the lengths of the plurality of ribs tend to increase along a direction from the second air outlet to the first air outlet.

16. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising a volute tongue, the volute tongue being arranged on a side of the volute close to the first air outlet; The wind shielding member is arranged on the inner wall of the volute at one end away from the driving member.

17. The air conditioner according to claim 16, wherein the wind shield is connected to the volute tongue.

18. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: One end of the wind shielding member away from the fan abuts against an inner wall of the second cavity away from the fan.

19. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein: The wind shield and the volute are an integral part.

20. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein: The fan is a cross-flow fan.

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