An indoor unit of an air conditioner

Abstract

The present invention relates to an indoor unit (100) of an air conditioner. The indoor unit (100) comprises a casing (120), and a panel assembly disposed below an opening (110) of the casing (120). The panel assembly is having a panel (130) spaced apart from the casing (120) for allowing air passing therethrough. Further, the indoor unit (100) further comprises a chassis (140) between the casing (120) and the panel (130), forming a cavity adjacent to the opening (110) of the casing (120). The chassis (140) is further provided with at least a side opening for allowing air to pass therethrough when the air is drawn towards the indoor unit (100).

Description

[0001] AN INDOOR UNIT OF AN AIR CONDITIONER FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an indoor unit having an extended configuration with multiple air intake areas.

[0003] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] A conventional ceiling-cassette air conditioner is normally mounted onto a ceiling by having a body of an indoor unit to be installed into a ceiling void so that it is visually unobtrusive. The body of the indoor unit is provided with a casing for enclosing the body, and a panel covering an opening of the casing such that the panel is flush with a surface of the ceiling. The panel is usually having an air suction port and an air discharge port that is disposed to be distanced apart from the air suction port to minimize occurrence of air short-circuit during operation of the air conditioner.

[0005] There are a number of examples of a ceiling-type air conditioner available over the prior art which is aimed to increase intake air volume by having more air intake areas apart from the main air suction port. For instance, prior art document US5595068A discloses a ceiling-mounted air conditioner, in which the air conditioner is having a main suction port and a discharge port with both provided on the bottom surface of the main body. There are auxiliary suction ports provided on the side surfaces of the main body respectively, including the left side, the right side and the rear side of the main body. Furthermore, the main body is mounted to be recessed into a false ceiling where the auxiliary suction ports are positioned so that the fan is able to draw air from the space between the false and true ceilings as described by the prior art document. However, the dead air trapped between the false and true ceilings are normally warmer as compared to ambient air circulating within an interior space of a building, thus it is possible that the air conditioner’s performance can be unfavourably impactedas more effort is required for cooling the warm air. Also, the space between the false and true ceilings is lack of proper ventilation and maintenance due to accessibility limitation, thus the air may be stale and heavy with the musty odor, contributing to a poor air quality. As a result, the air conditioner could rapidly accumulate dust and debris after drawing air from the ceiling space for a certain period of operation, which in turn blocked the heat exchanger. This may prompt a need for more frequent maintenance and cleaning for the heat exchanger.

[0006] Another prior art document JP4697394B2 discloses a ceiling suspended air conditioner that has a casing provided with two suction ports respectively disposed on the rear surface and the lower surface of the casing. The air conditioner is a ceiling-suspended type that is usually installed to be suspended from the ceiling. This may pose some limitations for any space with a lower ceiling height to have such ceiling-suspended air conditioner to be installed. Also, the air conditioner has a bulky appearance that may undesirably affect the overall look of the ceiling, rendering it less aesthetically pleasing and unappealing to customers.

[0007] Prior art document CN217178727U discloses a ceiling-type air conditioner with the body disposed between the suspended ceiling and the ceiling. The body of the air conditioner is having a first air return port on the bottom surface of the body, a second air return port on the rear side of the body, and an air outlet on the bottom surface of the body. The first air return port extends beyond the rear side of the body, and is further connected to the outside of the second air return port. The portion of the first air return port beyond the side surface of the body contributes to a larger area for increasing the air flow towards the second air return port and thus improving the air return effect of the air conditioner. Similar to the aforementioned prior art, the body of the air conditioner is disposed above the suspended ceiling and the second return port may possibly draw poor-quality air from the poorly maintained space between the suspended ceiling and the ceiling. The air between the suspended ceiling and the ceiling is relatively warmer and dusty, and this may eventually bring negative impact to the operation and performance of the air conditioner.Accordingly, it can be seen in the prior art documents that there exists a need to have an indoor unit of an air conditioner with an increased total air intake area that is capable of offering an aesthetically appealing advantage and delivering good air quality without contributing any adverse effect to the air conditioner’s operation and performance.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner with an increased total air intake area for enhancing total air intake volume.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an extended configuration incorporated with multiple openings for allowing air to pass therethrough.

[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having a body to be disposed above a ceiling surface and an extended portion projecting from the body and the ceiling surface for having multiple openings for allowing ambient air within an open space beneath a ceiling surface to be drawn into the indoor unit.

[0012] Also, there is an object of the present invention to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an extended configuration incorporated with an air outlet that extends from a first side towards a second side that is perpendicular to the first side.

[0013] There is a further object of the present invention to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an extended configuration incorporated with an extended air outlet area and a flap for at least partially covering the extended air outlet area.Accordingly, these objects are achievable by following the disclosure and teachings of the present invention. The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, in which the indoor unit comprising a casing and a panel assembly disposed below an opening of the casing. The panel assembly comprises a panel spaced apart from the casing for allowing air to pass therethrough. Furthermore, the indoor unit comprises a chassis between the casing and the panel, forming a cavity adjacent to the opening of the casing. The chassis is further provided with at least a side opening for allowing air to pass therethrough when the air is drawn towards the indoor unit.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chassis comprising at least a side wall extending between the casing and the panel. The side wall may comprise a front side, a rear side, and two lateral sides interconnecting the front side and the rear side. The chassis is having the side opening disposed at each lateral side of the side wall for allowing air to pass therethrough. The chassis may also have the side opening disposed at the rear side of the side wall for allowing air to pass therethrough. On the other hand, the chassis may have the side opening disposed at the front side of the side wall as an air discharge opening for allowing air to be discharged therethrough.

[0015] The panel is adapted for allowing the air to pass through the whole panel and to be drawn into the indoor unit by having a plurality of through holes distributed over the whole panel. The panel is further provided with an opening for discharging air from the indoor unit, in which the panel assembly further comprises a flap for covering the opening of the panel. The flap is provided with a plurality of holes for allowing the air passing therethrough. Moreover, the panel assembly further comprises an air guiding member disposed above the flap, dividing the cavity of the chassis into an air discharge passage and an air intake passage.

[0016] The panel assembly further comprises a top panel disposed on top of the chassis and attached to the opening of the casing. The top panel may further comprise a partitioning member for dividing the opening of the casing into a firstopening that is formed as an air inlet of the indoor unit and a second opening that is formed as an air outlet of the indoor unit. The casing is adapted for accommodating a blower fan disposed above the first opening, a heat exchanger disposed adjacent to the blower fan, and a drain pan disposed below the heat exchanger.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the panel assembly and the chassis are protruded from a surface of any one of a ceiling, a wall and a floor when installed.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the indoor unit further comprises an air filter disposed within the chassis for filtering the air drawn in.

[0019] The present invention also relates to an air conditioner comprising the aforedescribed indoor unit. Preferably, the air conditioner is a ceiling air conditioner.

[0020] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[0021] The features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 illustrates a top-back perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 illustrates a bottom-front perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 illustrates a bottom-front perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner with an opening of a casing exposed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.Figure 4 illustrates a front view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner as taken along line A-A in Figure 4.

[0026] Figure 6 illustrates a top-front perspective partial view of a panel assembly for an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The abovementioned and other features and objects of this invention will become more apparent and better understood by reference to the following detailed description. It should be understood that the detailed description made known below is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise form disclosed as the invention may assume various alternative forms. All the relevant modifications and alterations made to the present invention as covered in the detailed description should be construed to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the configuration of the invention is not limited to the configuration mentioned in the following description.

[0029] Figures 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The indoor unit (100) comprising a casing (120) and a panel assembly disposed below an opening of the casing (120). The panel assembly preferably comprising a panel (130) spaced apart from the casing (120) for allowing air to pass therethrough. Also, the indoor unit (100) preferably comprising a chassis (140) between the casing (120) and the panel (130) to form a cavity adjacent to the opening (110) of the casing (120) as shown in Figure 3. The chassis (140) is further provided with at least a side opening for allowing air to pass therethrough when the air is drawn towards the indoor unit (100).In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chassis (140) comprising at least a side wall extending between the casing (120) and the panel (130). With reference to Figure 1 , the side wall between the casing (120) and the panel (130) is having a front side, a rear side, and two lateral sides interconnecting the front side and the rear side. Furthermore, the chassis (140) is having the side opening disposed at each lateral side of the side wall to form a lateral side opening (141) for allowing air to pass therethrough. The chassis (140) may have the side opening disposed at the rear side of the side wall to form a rear side opening (142) for allowing air to pass therethrough. Preferably, the lateral side openings (141) and the rear side opening (142) are adapted for allowing ambient air to pass therethrough when being drawn towards the indoor unit (100). Moreover, the rear side opening (142) can be provided in multiple configurations, and is not limited to a single opening. As shown in Figure 1 , it is preferred that the chassis (140) is having a plurality of rear side openings (142) which are separated by a plurality of partitioning members.

[0030] With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the panel (130) is having a plurality of through holes distributed over the whole panel (130) for allowing ambient air to pass through the whole panel (130) and to be drawn into the indoor unit (100) via the plurality of through holes. The panel (130) is further provided with an opening for discharging air from the indoor unit (100), in which the panel assembly is having a flap (132) for covering the opening of the panel (130). The flap (132) is preferably having a similar shape that corresponds to the shape of the opening on the panel (130) so that the flap (132) could be fitted into the opening with each of the edge of the flap (132) in the same line with corresponding edge of the opening.

[0031] With reference to Figure 4, the chassis (140) preferably comprising the side opening disposed at the front side of the side wall as an air discharge opening (143) for allowing air to be discharged therethrough. The air discharge opening (143) is preferably substantially perpendicular to the opening of the panel (130) which is covered by the flap (132). Preferably, the flap (132) is a movable flap in which the flap (132) can be rotatably moved between a closedstate where the flap (132) covers the opening of the panel (130), and an opened state where the flap (132) at least partially uncovers the opening of the panel (130).

[0032] With reference to Figure 5, the panel assembly comprising an air guiding member (134) disposed above the flap (132), dividing the cavity of the chassis (140) into an air discharge passage and an air intake passage. Preferably, the air guiding member (134) is attached to the chassis (140) at one end and rotatably coupled to the other end of the flap (132) by having the air guiding member (134) arranged in an inclined position, forming an internal cavity between the flap (132) and the air guiding member (134) which is connected to the air intake passage in the chassis (140).

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the air discharge opening (143) is disposed on top of the air guiding member (134) at a position prior to the air discharge passage of the chassis (140), in which the air guiding member (134) is configured for directing conditioned air to be discharged via the air discharge opening (143) in a sideway manner. In addition, the air guiding member (134) and the flap (132) are operably coupled, and they are adapted to move in tandem. When the air guiding member (134) and the flap (132) move in a direction away from the air discharge opening (143), the opening of the panel (130) will be at least partially or completely exposed so that the area where the conditioned air to be discharged is extending from the front side of the chassis (140) towards a bottom opening of the chassis (140). At such position, the air guiding member (134) is configured for directing the conditioned air to be discharged in a substantially downward manner. On the other hand, when the air guiding member (134) and the flap (132) move back in a direction towards the air discharge opening (143), the opening of the panel (130) will be covered by the flap (132) so that the area where the conditioned air to be discharged is restricted to the front side of the chassis (140). At such position, the air guiding member (134) is configured for directing the conditioned air to be discharged in a substantially horizontal manner.In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flap (132) is provided with a plurality of holes for allowing air to pass therethrough, in which the plurality of holes is distributed over the flap (132). With such configuration, ambient air will flow towards the internal cavity between the flap (132) and the air guiding member (134) by passing through the plurality of the holes on the flap (132), and subsequently being drawn into the indoor unit (100) after passing through the air intake passage of the chassis (140).

[0034] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air discharge opening (143) of the chassis (140) may further be provided with at least a divider member extending in a transverse direction from an interior of the air discharge opening (143) towards an exterior of the air discharge opening (143), forming at least two air discharge flow passages. The divider member is preferably having an increasing horizontal dimension from the interior of the air discharge opening (143) towards the exterior of the air discharge opening (143) so that each of the air discharge flow passages has a progressively decreasing horizontal dimension.

[0035] With reference to Figures 3 and 6, the panel assembly further comprises a top panel (150) disposed on top of the chassis (140) and it is adapted to be attached to the opening (110) of the casing (120). The top panel (150) further comprises a partitioning member (145) for dividing the opening (110) of the casing (120) into a first opening (151 ) that is formed as an air inlet of the indoor unit (100) and a second opening (152) that is formed as an air outlet of the indoor unit (100) as shown in Figure 5. The chassis (150) may also comprise a support member positioned under the partitioning member (145) of the top panel (150). The support member may be constructed to correspond with the partitioning member (145). Moreover, the casing (120) is adapted for accommodating a blower fan (101) disposed above the first opening (151), an indoor heat exchanger (102) disposed adjacent to the blower fan, and a drain pan (103) disposed below the heat exchanger (102) by having the drain pan (130) located on top of the partitioning member (145) of the top panel (150) and the support member of the chassis (140).In addition, the panel assembly and the chassis (140) are made to be protruded from a surface of any one of a ceiling, a wall and a floor when installed. Preferably, the panel assembly and the chassis (140) are made to be protruded from a surface of a ceiling, while the casing (120) of the indoor unit (100) is installed above the surface of the ceiling in a concealed manner. Also, the top panel (150) is preferably mounted onto the surface of the ceiling when installed. Alternatively, the indoor unit (100) can be directly attached to an exposed concrete ceiling without the need for a suspended ceiling structure. In this case, the top panel (150) is not necessarily mounted onto the ceiling surface; instead, it is preferably suspended from the concrete ceiling.

[0036] Furthermore, when the casing (120) of the indoor unit (100) is installed above the surface of the ceiling in a concealed manner, the panel assembly including the top panel (150) and the chassis (140) contribute to a protruding height of less than 10.0 cm when measured vertically from the surface of the ceiling. More preferably, the protruding height is in a range of 8.0 cm to 9.0 cm. With such, the panel assembly and the chassis (140) appears visually unobtrusive, seamlessly coexisting with its surrounding environment.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the indoor unit (100) may further comprise an air filter (104) that is disposed at a position along the air intake passage within the chassis (140) for filtering the air drawn in. The air filter (104) is preferably located at a position on top of at least one side opening of the chassis (140). In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air filter (104) is preferably located at a position below the top panel (150). In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air filter (104) is placed at a position between the top panel (150) and the side openings of the chassis (140) as shown in Figure 4, in which the side openings may include, but not limited to, the lateral side openings (141 ) and the rear side opening (142). The air filter (104) is disposed at a highly accessible location within the protruded chassis (140) so as to facilitate maintenance and replacement work without the need of dismantling the whole indoor unit (100) including the casing (120).Based on the aforedescribed description and illustrations, the air conditioner comprising the indoor unit (100) of the present invention is preferably a ceiling-type air conditioner, and more preferably, a single-flow ceiling cassette air conditioner. Nevertheless, it is not just limited to this embodiment. The configuration of the indoor unit (100) according to the present invention could be possibly applicable for other types of heating, ventilation and conditioning system.

[0038] Given the aforementioned configuration of the present invention, the indoor unit (100) of the present invention is capable of increasing total air intake area for generating a higher air intake volume by having an extended configuration protruding outwardly from a ceiling surface with multiple openings on it. Also, the indoor unit (100) is offering an aesthetically appealing advantage as the extended configuration aims for a minimalist and slender appearance so as to complement the surrounding environment. This leads to an improvement over the conventional ceiling-suspended air conditioners, which tend to be relatively bulky and visually obtrusive. Furthermore, the indoor unit (100) of the present invention is having multiple air intake areas disposed on the extended configuration protruding from the ceiling surface, aiming to take in ambient air within an open space beneath the ceiling surface. This is different from the aforementioned prior art that the auxiliary suction ports take in poor-quality warm air from a poorly maintained and ventilated space above the ceiling surface. In view of that, the configuration of the present invention is more beneficial for the operation and performance of the air conditioner as less burden for cooling and filtering the ambient air within the open space beneath the ceiling surface.

[0039] The exemplary implementation described above is illustrated with specific shapes, dimensions, and other characteristics, but the scope of the invention also includes various other shapes, dimensions, arrangements and characteristics. For example, the dimension and the shape of any component in the panel assembly (100) could be modified to adapt to any appropriate particular combination of various parts in an indoor unit of an air conditioner.Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An indoor unit (100) of an air conditioner, comprising:a casing (120), anda panel assembly disposed below an opening (110) of the casing (120); wherein the panel assembly comprising a panel (130) spaced apart from the casing (120) for allowing air to pass therethrough;wherein the indoor unit (100) further comprising a chassis (140) between the casing (120) and the panel (130), forming a cavity adjacent to the opening (110) of the casing (120);wherein the chassis (140) is further provided with at least a side opening for allowing air to pass therethrough when the air is drawn towards the indoor unit (100).

2. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the chassis (140) comprising at least a side wall extending between the casing (120) and the panel (130).

3. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the side wall comprising a front side, a rear side, and two lateral sides interconnecting the front side and the rear side.

4. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the chassis (140) having the side opening disposed at each lateral side of the side wall for allowing air to pass therethrough.

5. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the chassis (140) having the side opening disposed at the rear side of the side wall for allowing air to pass therethrough.

6. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the chassis (140) having the side opening disposed at the front side of the side wall as an air discharge opening (143) for allowing air to be discharged therethrough.

7. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the panel (130) is adapted for allowing the air to pass through the whole panel (130) and to be drawn into the indoor unit (100) by having a plurality of through holes distributed over the whole panel (130).

8. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the panel (130) is provided with an opening for discharging air from the indoor unit (100).

9. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in clam 8, wherein the panel assembly further comprising a flap (132) covering the opening of the panel (130).

10. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the flap (132) is provided with a plurality of holes for allowing the air passing therethrough.

11. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the panel assembly further comprising an air guiding member (134) disposed above the flap (132), dividing the cavity of the chassis (140) into an air discharge passage and an air intake passage.

12. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the panel assembly further comprising a top panel (150) disposed on top of the chassis (140) and attached to the opening (110) of the casing (120).

13. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the top panel (150) further comprising a partitioning member (145) for dividing the opening (110) of the casing (120) into a first opening (151) that is formed as an air inlet of the indoor unit (100) and a second opening (152) that is formed as an air outlet of the indoor unit (100).

14. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 13, wherein the casing (120) is adapted for accommodating a blower fan (101) disposed above the first opening, a heat exchanger (102) disposed adjacent to the blower fan (101), and a drain pan (103) disposed below the heat exchanger (102).

15. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the panel assembly and the chassis (140) are protruded from a surface of any one of a ceiling, a wall and a floor when installed.

16. The indoor unit (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indoor unit (100) further comprising an air filter (104) disposed within the chassis (140) for filtering the air drawn in.

17. An air conditioner comprising an indoor unit (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

18. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 17, wherein the air conditioner is a ceiling air conditioner.

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