Indoor unit of air conditioner
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FUJITSU GENERAL LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-06
Smart Images
Figure JP2025042043_06082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Indoor unit of an air conditioner
[0001] The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner provided with an up-down air deflector for adjusting the up-down direction of the air-conditioning air blown out from the air outlet.
[0002] The indoor unit of the air conditioner is arranged in the ventilation path inside the housing, and includes a blower fan that flows the air-conditioning air taken in from the suction port to the air outlet that is open below the housing, and is arranged between the suction port of the ventilation path and the blower fan. A heat exchanger, and an up-down air deflector arranged near the air outlet for adjusting the up-down direction of the air-conditioning air blown out from the air outlet (for example, the indoor unit of the air conditioner in Patent Document 1).
[0003] During the cooling operation of the air conditioner, when adjusting the cold air blown out from the air outlet of the indoor unit downward, the inclination angle of the up-down air deflector is increased. As shown in FIG. 7 showing a conventional example, when the inclination angle of the up-down air deflector 60 increases, most of the cold air flowing from the ventilation path 61 hits the lower surface of the up-down air deflector 60 and flows downward, but almost no cold air from the ventilation path 61 flows on the upper surface of the up-down air deflector 60, and turbulence is likely to occur on the upper surface.
[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-32411
[0005] When turbulence occurs on the upper surface of the up-down air deflector 60, there is a risk of condensation on the upper surface of the up-down air deflector when the warm air in the room comes into contact with the upper surface of the up-down air deflector 60.
[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can suppress the occurrence of condensation on the up-down air deflector.
[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a housing in which a ventilation path is formed between a suction port and an air outlet, a blower fan arranged in the ventilation path inside the housing for flowing air-conditioning air to the air outlet, and arranged surrounding the blower fan. A heat exchanger, an up-down air deflector for adjusting the up-down direction of the air-conditioning air blown out from the air outlet, and a stabilizer forming a ventilation path near the air outlet. During the operation of the air conditioner, the air-conditioning air flowing on the surface of the stabilizer flows over the upper surface of the up-down air deflector and blows out from the air outlet.
[0008] According to the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention, even if the inclination angle of the upper and lower air deflectors is increased in order to adjust the direction of the cold air blown out from the air outlet of the indoor unit downwards during cooling operation, condensation on the upper and lower air deflectors can be suppressed.
[0009] This is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner according to the present invention. This is a schematic diagram showing the indoor unit of the first embodiment of the air conditioner according to the present invention in cooling operation, with the upper and lower air deflectors rotating at their maximum inclination. This is a schematic diagram showing the recessed area of a stabilizer provided near the air outlet of the indoor unit of the first embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing the state in the indoor unit of the first embodiment where, during cooling operation, the cold air that has passed through the recessed area of the stabilizer flows toward the upper and lower air deflectors of the first embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing the state in the indoor unit of the first embodiment where the upper and lower air deflectors of the first embodiment are housed inside the recessed area. This is a schematic diagram showing the state in the indoor unit of the second embodiment where, during cooling operation, the cold air that has passed through the recessed area of the stabilizer flows toward the upper and lower air deflectors. This is a diagram showing the state in which turbulence occurs when the upper and lower air deflectors are rotating at their maximum inclination in a conventional indoor unit.
[0010] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below illustrate devices and methods for realizing the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components described below. The technical idea of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims described in the patent claims.
[0011] Figure 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioner 1 of this embodiment comprises an outdoor unit 2 installed outdoors and an indoor unit 3 installed indoors. The outdoor unit 2 is equipped with an electronic expansion valve 5, an outdoor heat exchanger 6, a four-way valve 7, and a compressor 8, and is also equipped with an outdoor fan 10 for exchanging heat in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 with the outside air drawn in and blowing out the air after heat exchange. The indoor unit 3 is equipped with an indoor heat exchanger 11, and is also equipped with a blower fan 12 for blowing the air that has undergone heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 11 into the room.
[0012] In this embodiment, the air conditioner 1 has an electronic expansion valve 5, an outdoor heat exchanger 6, a four-way valve 7, a compressor 8, and an indoor heat exchanger 11 connected sequentially by piping, forming a refrigerant circuit 17 through which the refrigerant circulates. It also includes a control means 18 that controls the opening degree of the electronic expansion valve 5, the switching of the four-way valve 7, the drive of the compressor 8, the drive of the blower fan 12, and the drive of the air deflector, which will be described later. The control means 18 includes a storage unit that stores a program for controlling the air conditioner 1, and operates according to the program in the storage unit during heating or cooling operation of the air conditioner 1.
[0013] Next, the internal structure of the indoor unit 3, which constitutes the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 5. As shown in Figure 2, the indoor unit 3 is a wall-mounted indoor unit fixed to the wall surface 19 and has a box-shaped housing. The indoor unit 3 is fixed to the wall surface so that the longitudinal direction of the housing is horizontal. The housing of the indoor unit 3 has a back surface 20, a top surface 21, a front surface 22, a bottom surface 23, and left and right sides (not shown), and the back surface 20 is fixed to the wall surface 19. In Figure 2, the direction in which the indoor unit 3 protrudes from the wall surface is referred to as "front," and the opposite side is referred to as "rear." Also, the vertical direction is referred to as "up" and "down," and the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and the up-down direction is referred to as the longitudinal direction.
[0014] Multiple intake ports 26 are formed on the top surface 21, and an outlet port 27 opening in the longitudinal direction is formed on the bottom surface 23. The internal space of the housing 25 between the intake ports 26 and the outlet port 27 is a ventilation passage 28. The cylindrical impeller 12a of the blower fan 12 is positioned in the ventilation passage 28 with its rotation axis 12b extending in the longitudinal direction. An indoor heat exchanger 11a is positioned on the front side of the ventilation passage 28 between the intake ports 26 and the blower fan 12, and an indoor heat exchanger 11b is positioned on the rear side. Note that indoor heat exchangers 11a and 11b correspond to the heat exchangers of the present invention. An auxiliary vertical air deflector 30 and a main vertical air deflector 33 are positioned in the outlet port 27 to change the vertical direction of the conditioned air sent out from the blower fan 12.
[0015] Multiple connecting members 31 are fixed to the auxiliary upper and lower wind deflector 30 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, and a first rotating shaft 32 extending in the longitudinal direction passes through and is fixed to these connecting members 31. Multiple connecting members 34 are fixed to the main upper and lower wind deflector 33 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, and a second rotating shaft 35 extending in the longitudinal direction passes through and is fixed to these connecting members 34. Wind deflector rotation motors (not shown) are connected to the ends of the first and second rotating shafts 32 and 35. When a predetermined wind direction is set by remote control operation, the wind deflector rotation motors are driven by drive control from the control means 18, and the first rotating shaft 32 and the second rotating shaft 35 rotate so that the auxiliary upper and lower wind deflector 30 and the main upper and lower wind deflector 33 are adjusted to predetermined angles. That is, the auxiliary upper and lower wind deflector 30 rotates so that one end 30a moves in the direction shown by the dashed line in Figure 2 due to the rotation of the first rotating shaft 32. Furthermore, the main upper and lower air deflector 33 rotates so that one end 33a and the other end 33b move in the direction shown by the dashed line in Figure 2 due to the rotation of the second rotation axis 35. The auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 and the main upper and lower air deflector 33 are individually driven and controlled to rotate.
[0016] A drain pan 36 is provided below the indoor heat exchanger 11a, and a stabilizer 40 is provided at the bottom of the drain pan 36, which is an inner wall forming an air passage 28 near the air outlet 27 and guides the conditioned air flowing from the blower fan 12 toward the air outlet 27. The stabilizer 40 is a resin inner wall that extends longitudinally along the air outlet 27, and a recessed area 41 is formed at a position corresponding to the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30.
[0017] The recessed region 41 formed in the stabilizer 40 is a space that opens up so as to be sandwiched between the front opening edge 42 and the rear opening edge 43, as shown in Figure 3. Three-dimensionally, a flat bottom 44 is provided between the front opening edge 42 and the rear opening edge 43, and the space is recessed in the same shape along the longitudinal direction. If the depth of the recessed region 41 is D and the length in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recessed region 41 (distance between the front opening edge 42 and the rear opening edge 43) is L, then the relationship D / L > 0.15 is set.
[0018] The wall between the front end of the base 44 and the front opening edge 42 is formed as an inclined surface 45 that slopes forward from the base 44 towards the front opening edge 42. The angle θ between the inclined surface 45 and the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40 where the recessed area 41 is not formed is set to 200° < θ < 270°. Although the inclined surface 45 in Figure 3 is formed as a flat surface, it may also be a curved surface. A stepped portion 46 is formed in the wall between the rear opening edge 43 and the rear end of the base 44, with a height approximately the same dimension as the thickness T1 of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30.
[0019] Next, Figure 4 shows the flow of cool air inside the indoor unit 3 when cooling operation is selected using the remote control and the direction of the conditioned air (cool air) blown out from the outlet 27 is set to the lowest position. At this time, the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 and the main upper and lower air deflector 33 located at the outlet 27 are rotated to their maximum inclination so that the direction of the cool air is adjusted to the lowest position. The air drawn in from the intake port 26 of the indoor unit 3 and flowing into the ventilation passage 28 is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through the piping as it passes through the indoor heat exchanger 11, and is blown out into the room as cool air from the outlet 27 by the rotation of the impeller 12a of the blower fan 12.
[0020] Here, the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 30, rotated to its maximum inclination, is positioned such that its other end 30b coincides with the recessed area 41 in the front-to-back direction. In other words, in Figure 4, when a straight line is drawn upward from the other end 30b, the deflector is positioned at the point where that line intersects the recessed area 41. Furthermore, at this point, the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 30 is positioned such that its front-to-back direction coincides with the front opening edge 42 of the recessed area 41. In other words, in Figure 4, when a straight line is drawn downward from the front opening edge 42, the deflector is positioned at the point where it intersects the deflector. Note that the rear end of the up-and-down air deflector described in the present invention corresponds to the other end 30b of the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 30.
[0021] The cool air that flows from the blower fan 12 to the main upper and lower air deflector 33 hits the main upper and lower air deflector 33, which has been rotated to its maximum incline, and its airflow direction is changed downward before being blown into the room from the outlet 27. The cool air that flows from the blower fan 12 to the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 hits the lower surface 30D of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30, which has been rotated to its maximum incline, and its airflow direction is changed downward before being blown into the room from the outlet 27.
[0022] The cool air flowing from the blower fan 12 along the stabilizer 40 flows forward along the bottom 44 of the recessed area 41 and then flows downward along the inclined surface 45. The auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 is positioned such that its other end 30b overlaps with the recessed area 41 in the front-to-back direction, and also overlaps with the front opening edge 42 of the recessed area 41 in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, the cool air, whose flow has been changed to a downward flow along the inclined surface 45, flows towards the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30. The cool air that flows out of the recessed area 41 then hits one end 30a of the upper surface 30U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 and is then blown into the room from the outlet 27.
[0023] Next, Figure 5 shows the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 housed inside the recessed area 41 by a different fan motor drive control than that used for the main upper and lower air deflector 33. The auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 is housed inside the recessed area 41 with one end 30a in contact with the stepped portion 46 as the first rotation axis 32 rotates counterclockwise. At this time, the downward-facing surface of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 becomes substantially flush with the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40.
[0024] Next, the effects of the air conditioner 1 of the first embodiment will be described. Assume that when the air conditioner 1 is in cooling operation, the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 is rotated to its maximum inclination so that the direction of the cold air is adjusted to be as far downward as possible. The cold air flowing from the blower fan 12 along the surface of the stabilizer 40 flows along the bottom 44 and inclined surface 45 of the recessed area 41, and changes to a flow toward the upper surface 30U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30. As a result, the cold air hits the upper surface 30U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 and flows, preventing turbulence from occurring on the upper surface 30U, and since the warm air in the room does not come into contact with the upper surface 30U, condensation on the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 can be suppressed.
[0025] Furthermore, by setting the relationship between the depth D of the recessed area 41 and the length L in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recessed area 41 to D / L > 0.15, the amount of cold air flowing over the upper surface 30U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 can be increased, further suppressing the occurrence of condensation on the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30. If the depth D of the recessed area 41 is reduced so that D / L falls below 0.15, the length of the inclined surface 45 in the cross-sectional view becomes smaller, and the amount of cold air directed towards the upper surface 30U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30 decreases, making it easier for condensation to occur on the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30.
[0026] Furthermore, by setting the angle θ between the inclined surface 45 of the recessed region 41 and the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40 where the recessed region 41 is not formed to 200° < θ < 270°, it is possible to further suppress the occurrence of condensation on the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30. If the angle θ is, for example, 300°, turbulence may occur on the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40, causing warm indoor air to come into contact with it and potentially resulting in condensation. Also, if θ is less than 200°, the Coanda effect will occur in the cold air that tries to flow from the inclined surface 45 along the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40, so there is a risk that the cold air necessary to prevent condensation will not flow toward the upper surface 30U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 30.
[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the auxiliary up and down air deflector 30 can be stored inside the recessed area 41. Therefore, when the auxiliary up and down air deflector 30 is stored and the system is operated, the auxiliary up and down air deflector 30 does not become an obstacle that narrows the air passage of the outlet 27, and sufficient airflow can be ensured. In addition, since the auxiliary up and down air deflector 30 is stored so that the downward-facing surface of the auxiliary up and down air deflector 30 is substantially flush with the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40, vibration of the auxiliary up and down air deflector 30 due to collision with the cold air flowing along the surface 40a of the stabilizer 40 can be prevented.
[0028] Here, Figure 6 shows the internal structure of the indoor unit 3 of a second embodiment, which is different from the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 to 5. In Figure 6, the same reference numerals are used for components identical to those in the first embodiment, and their descriptions are omitted. Note that the main upper and lower air deflector 33 is not shown in Figure 6. Also, Figure 6 does not show the connecting member 31 and the first rotation shaft 32 shown in the first embodiment for rotating the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50 of this embodiment.
[0029] The auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 50 of this embodiment has the same shape as the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 30 of the first embodiment. When rotated to its maximum inclination so that the direction of the cold air is adjusted to be as far downward as possible, the other end 50b overlaps the recessed area 41 in the front-to-back direction, and is positioned so that its position in the front-to-back direction overlaps the front opening edge 42 of the recessed area 41. The difference in configuration between the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 50 of this embodiment and the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 30 of the first embodiment is that the other end 50b of the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 50 of this embodiment is positioned inside the recessed area 41. In other words, the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 50 of this embodiment is closer to the recessed area 41 than the auxiliary up-and-down air deflector 30 of the first embodiment.
[0030] During cooling operation of the air conditioner 1, the cool air flowing from the blower fan 12 along the stabilizer 40 flows along the bottom 44 and inclined surface 45 of the recessed area 41, and then its flow is changed to one toward the upper surface 50U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50. In this case, since the upper surface 50U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50 in this embodiment is close to the inclined surface 45 of the recessed area 41, most of the cool air that has passed through the recessed area 41 hits the upper surface 50U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50 and flows toward it, thereby reliably preventing the generation of turbulence on the upper surface 30U. As a result, the warm air in the room does not come into contact with the upper surface 50U, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation on the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50.
[0031] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50 is rotated to its maximum inclination so that the direction of the cold air is adjusted to be as far downward as possible, the other end 50b is positioned inside the recessed region 41. As a result, most of the cold air that passes through the recessed region 41 hits the upper surface 50U of the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50, reliably preventing turbulence. This prevents warm indoor air from coming into contact with the upper surface 50U, further suppressing condensation on the auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50.
[0032] 1 Air conditioner 2 Outdoor unit 3 Indoor unit 5 Electronic expansion valve 6 Outdoor heat exchanger 7 Four-way valve 8 Compressor 10 Outdoor fan 11, 11a, 11b Indoor heat exchanger 12 Blower fan 12a Impeller 12b Rotating shaft 17 Refrigerant circuit 18 Control means 19 Wall surface 20 Back surface 21 Top surface 22 Front surface 23 Bottom surface 26 Intake port 27 Outlet port 28 Ventilation path 30 Auxiliary up / down air deflector 30a One end of auxiliary up / down air deflector 30b Other end of auxiliary up / down air deflector 30U Upper surface of auxiliary up / down air deflector 30D Lower surface of auxiliary up / down air deflector 33 Main up / down air deflector 31, 34 Connecting member 32 First rotating shaft 35 Second rotating shaft 36 Drain pan 40 Stabilizer 40a Surface 41 Recessed area 42 Front opening edge 43 Rear opening edge 44 Bottom 45 Inclined surface 46 Stepped section 50 Auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50b Other end of auxiliary upper and lower air deflector 50U Upper surface of auxiliary upper and lower air deflector
Claims
1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a housing having an air passage formed between an intake port and an outlet port; a blower fan disposed in the air passage within the housing and directing conditioned air to the outlet port; a heat exchanger disposed surrounding the blower fan; upper and lower air deflectors for adjusting the vertical direction of the conditioned air blown out from the outlet port; and a stabilizer forming the air passage near the outlet port, characterized in that, during operation of the air conditioner, the conditioned air flowing over the surface of the stabilizer flows over the upper surface of the upper and lower air deflectors and is blown out from the outlet port.
2. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that the stabilizer has recessed areas formed at corresponding positions of the upper and lower air deflector plates.
3. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that when the upper and lower air deflectors are rotated to their maximum inclination so that the direction of the conditioned airflow is adjusted to be as far downward as possible, the rear end of the upper and lower air deflectors, which is on the upstream side in the direction of the conditioned airflow, is positioned in the front-rear direction to coincide with the recessed area.
4. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the front opening edge of the recessed area that is close to the air outlet is positioned so as to overlap with the upper and lower air deflector plates in the front-rear direction.
5. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that the wall extending from the bottom of the recessed area to the front opening edge is formed as an inclined surface that slopes forward as it approaches the front opening edge from the bottom.
6. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 5, characterized in that when the upper and lower air deflectors are rotated to their maximum inclination so that the direction of the conditioned airflow is adjusted to be as far downward as possible, the conditioned air that has flowed along the inclined surface of the recessed region changes to flow toward the tip of the upper surface of the upper and lower air deflectors.
7. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 6, characterized in that the angle θ between the inclined surface of the recessed region and the surface continuous with the front opening edge where the recessed region is not formed is set to 200° < θ < 270°.
8. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the depth D of the recessed area and the length L in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recessed area are set to a relationship of D / L > 0.
15.
9. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the upper and lower air deflectors can be housed inside the recessed area.
10. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that when the upper and lower air deflectors are rotated to their maximum inclination so that the direction of the conditioned airflow is adjusted to be as far downward as possible, the rear end of the upper and lower air deflectors, which is on the upstream side in the direction of the conditioned airflow, is located inside the recessed area.
11. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the upper and lower air deflectors are auxiliary upper and lower air deflectors that rotate around a first rotation axis along the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and are positioned near the recessed area of the stabilizer, and a main upper and lower air deflector is positioned near the auxiliary upper and lower air deflectors that rotates around a second rotation axis along the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and adjusts the vertical direction of the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet.