KR100626444B1 - Indoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner having a display unit on which an avatar is displayed on a front panel.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes: a front panel 110 forming a front exterior; An upper panel 140 which forms an upper appearance and moves upward and downward to guide discharge of air; Is formed on one side of the front panel 110, and has a configuration including a display unit for displaying an image (160); The display unit 160 selectively displays an operation image and an avatar image indicating an operation state of the air conditioner by the selection button 170. The avatar displayed on the display unit 160 may have various shapes according to the operation state of the air conditioner, and the operation state of the air conditioner is also output as a voice. Meanwhile, the avatar of the display unit 160 may be arbitrarily changed by a user's setting, and may be loaded by being transmitted from an external device such as the computer 300. The display unit 160 is composed of LCD (LCD), it is configured to change the color. According to the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention having such a configuration, since the user can use his or her own avatar in the air conditioner, the purchase desire of the product is improved.

Air conditioner, indoor unit, display unit, avatar

Description

Indoor unit for air conditioner

1 is a state diagram of the installation of a separate type air conditioner according to the prior art.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

3 is an enlarged view of a display unit and a button unit formed in the indoor unit of FIG. 2;

4 is a block diagram of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the air conditioner indoor unit according to the present invention.

Figure 6a is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the 'avatar image' is displayed on the display unit formed in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

Figure 6b is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the 'motion image' is displayed on the display unit formed in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

7 is a front view showing a state during operation of the air conditioner indoor unit according to the present invention.

8 is a side view showing a state during operation of the air conditioner indoor unit according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100. Indoor unit 102. Refrigerant piping

104. Cable 110. Front Panel

120. Side panel 122. Suction port

124. Suction Grill 130. Rear Panel

140. Top panel 142. Support plate

144. Rear blocking plate 146. Discharge rib

150. Base Fan 160. Display

170. Select Button 172. Avatar Settings Button

180. Operation Button 200. Outdoor Unit

300. Computer

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an indoor unit of an air conditioner in which an operation state and an avatar are selectively represented on a display unit provided on a front panel.

In general, an air conditioner is a cooling / heating device installed in a space or a wall of an indoor space such as an office or a home to cool or heat a room, and is composed of a compressor-condenser-expansion valve-evaporator and constitutes a series of refrigeration cycles. .

In particular, the air conditioner is mainly an outdoor unit (sometimes called 'outside' or 'heat sink') installed outdoors, and an indoor unit (sometimes called 'indoor' or 'heat absorbing side') mainly installed inside a building. The outdoor unit is provided with a condenser (outdoor heat exchanger) and a compressor, and the indoor unit is provided with an evaporator (indoor heat exchanger).

As is well known, air conditioners can be broadly divided into separate type air conditioners in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are separately installed, and an integrated air conditioner in which the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are integrally installed.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a conventional split type air conditioner according to the prior art, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows a display unit shown in FIG. 1. An enlarged view of the button portion is shown.

As shown in these figures, the split type air conditioner is separated into the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 60, and the refrigerant pipe 70 is installed in communication with the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 60.

First, looking at the configuration of the indoor unit 10, the cabinet 20 formed long vertically to form the side and rear appearance. A base 22 is provided at a lower portion of the cabinet 20, and a front panel 24 is formed at an upper end of the base 22 to form a front exterior.

The central portion of the front panel 24 is provided with a display unit 30 for displaying the operating state of the air conditioner, and the button unit is formed on the side of the display unit 30, the various buttons for the operation of the air conditioner ( 32).

A clean door 40 is installed above the display unit 30, and the clean door 40 selectively shields the discharge port 42 to be described below while sliding up and down. On the other hand, the upper end of the front panel 24 is formed with a discharge port 42 through which the air inside the indoor unit 10 is discharged to the outside.

The discharge grill 44 is installed in the discharge port 42. The discharge grill 44 is composed of a left and right adjustment rib 44 'for adjusting the left and right wind direction of the discharged air, and a vertical adjustment rib 44 "for adjusting the up and down wind direction of the discharged air.

In the side of the indoor unit 10, an intake port 50 through which air is sucked from the outside (indoor space, that is, a space for air conditioning) is formed, and the suction port 50 is further provided with a suction grill 52. In addition, the inside of the suction grille 52 is further provided with an air filter 54 for filtering foreign matter in the suction air.

The remote control storage box 56 is formed on the upper side of the suction port 50. The remote control storage box 56 stores a remote control (not shown) capable of operating the air conditioner at a predetermined distance.

Although not shown, a heat exchanger is installed inside the indoor unit 10 so that heat exchange occurs between the air sucked through the suction port 50 and the refrigerant flowing therein.

And a fan for forcibly blowing the air to the outside (indoor space) is sucked through the suction port 50 and then discharged back to the indoor space through the discharge port 42 and the fan for providing rotational power to the blowing fan A plurality of parts, such as a fan housing surrounding the motor and the blower fan, are embedded.

On the other hand, the outdoor unit 60 is installed in a place spaced apart from the indoor unit 10 by a predetermined distance. The outdoor unit 60 is configured such that the air conditioner together with the indoor unit 10 constitutes a refrigeration cycle. Although not shown, a plurality of parts such as an outdoor heat exchanger in which heat exchange occurs and a compressor for compressing a refrigerant are included therein. .

The air conditioner having the above configuration is operated as follows.

That is, when the user presses the button of the button unit 32 or operates the air conditioner using the remote controller (not shown), the air conditioner is driven. When the air conditioner is operated in this way, the air in the indoor space is introduced into the indoor unit 10 through the suction port 50.

The air introduced into the suction port 50 exchanges heat with the refrigerant in a heat exchanger (not shown) inside the indoor unit 10, and then is blown by a blower fan (not shown) to open the discharge port 42. Is discharged through.

At this time, the clean door 40 is lowered to open the discharge port 42, and the user can change the wind direction in a desired direction by adjusting the left and right adjusting ribs 44 'and the upper and lower adjusting ribs 44 ". Will be.

Meanwhile, the display unit 30 is turned on with the operation of the air conditioner to display an operating state as shown in FIG. 2. When the air conditioner is turned off, the display unit 30 is also turned off.

When the air conditioner is turned off after the use is completed, the clean door 40 slides upward again to shield the discharge port 42.

The outdoor unit 60 undergoes a heat exchange opposite to that inside the indoor unit 10. That is, when a heat exchanger (not shown) of the indoor unit 10 is used as an evaporator, an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 60 is used as a condenser, and the heat exchanger of the indoor unit 10 is used as a condenser. If used, the outdoor heat exchanger is used as an evaporator.

However, the above-described prior art has the following problems.

The display unit 30 simply turns on / off the screen by LCD or LED to statically express the current temperature or operating state. Therefore, there is a problem that freshness and liveliness fall.

In addition, according to the prior art as described above, since the shape displayed on the display unit 30 is almost the same in the same model, it is easy to get tired, and there is a problem that the user cannot use his own image.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner in which an operation state and an avatar are selectively expressed on a display unit.

Another object of the present invention is to change the shape of the avatar represented in the display unit in accordance with the operation of the air conditioner in various ways.

Still another object of the present invention is to allow a user to change an avatar appearing on a display unit.

The present invention provides an air conditioner in which an operation state of the air conditioner is also expressed as a voice along with the change of the avatar.

The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention for achieving the object as described above, and the front panel to form a front appearance; It is formed on the front panel, and comprises a display unit for displaying an image; The display unit may selectively display an operation image and an avatar image indicating an operating state of the air conditioner.

The avatar displayed on the display unit may have various shapes according to an operation state of the air conditioner.

The operation state of the air conditioner together with the operation of the avatar represented on the display unit is configured to be output as a voice.

The avatar of the display unit may be arbitrarily changed by user's setting.

The avatar of the display unit is transmitted from an external device and loaded.

Meanwhile, the avatar is downloaded and set up from the internet.

In addition, the display unit is composed of LCD (LCD).

The display unit may be changed in color.

One side of the display unit is further provided with a selection button for selecting an image displayed on the display unit.

According to the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention having such a configuration, since the user can use his or her own avatar in the air conditioner, the purchase desire of the product is improved.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 schematically shows the configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows a side view of an indoor unit constituting an embodiment of the present invention. 6A illustrates a state of the display unit when the 'avatar image' is selected, and FIG. 6B illustrates the state of the display unit when the 'motion image' is selected. 7, the operating state of the indoor unit according to the present invention is shown in a front view, and the operating state of the indoor unit according to the present invention is shown in a side view.

As shown in these drawings, the air conditioner according to the present invention comprises an indoor unit 100 installed in a building interior, and an outdoor unit 200 connected in communication by the indoor unit 100 and the refrigerant pipe 102. The indoor unit 100 is connected to the computer 300 by a cable 104.

The indoor unit 100 is elongated vertically to form a front panel 110, a front panel 110 to form a front appearance, a side panel 120 to form a side appearance, a rear panel 130 to form a rear appearance, to form a top appearance The exterior is formed by the top panel 140 and the base fan 150 forming the bottom surface.

The display unit 160 is formed at the center of the upper half of the front panel 110. The display unit 160 is a place where an operation state of a set avatar or air conditioner is displayed, and is composed of an LCD or an LED.

Liquid crystal (LC) molecules are materials that have an intermediate state between a solid and a liquid. The liquid crystal is anisotropic because the arrangement of the molecules is irregular and liquid in one direction and regular and optical in the other. Also called liquid. Liquid crystals, which are organic molecules with fluidity such as liquid, are in a state of being regularly arranged like crystals, and liquid crystal display elements (LCD, hereinafter referred to as 'LCD') are made of a display element using a property in which the molecular arrangement is changed by an external electric field. ').

Such LCDs (LCDs) are thin, light and have low power consumption regardless of the screen size. And LCD (LCD) uses the light of the backlight (Back light) light source (On) / off (Off) by the LCD (LCD) cell, the backlight color is configured so that the user can change as needed.

Since the operation principle of the LCD and the principle of color change of the backlight are generally known, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The avatar displayed on the display unit 160 refers to a character in a cyber space called 'my alter ego' and is expressed in various shapes. That is, avatars of various shapes appear depending on the operating condition of the air conditioner.

For example, when turning on the air conditioner, the avatar comes out and greets him with a bright smile. In operation of the air conditioner, various actions are taken according to each operation mode. In other words, it takes the form of playing ball with penguins in Antarctica during 'cooling driving', and weaving clothes by hand during 'dehumidifying driving'.

Meanwhile, the avatar also changes its appearance depending on the current temperature. For example, if the current temperature is higher than the desired temperature, it expresses a lot of sweating, and if the current temperature is much lower than the desired temperature, it expresses coldness and withdraws.

In addition to the appearance of the avatar as described above, the indoor unit 100 is configured to guide the current driving state and temperature by voice. That is, although not shown, the internal speaker provides a voice to guide the current state and operation state.

For example, "Cooling." 'The current temperature is 26 degrees.' The current wind volume is a strong wind, and such guidance may be expressed in correspondence with the avatar's appearance, but it may be possible to operate separately without being associated with the avatar's appearance.

In addition, the indoor unit 100 is provided with a recording function. Therefore, the user can record his or her voice or a separate sound to be replaced with the set voice. Therefore, it is possible to guide the operating state of the air conditioner with its own voice or to use the separate melody to guide the operating state.

The LCD of the display unit 160 is set to switch to a power saving mode to save power while driving. When the operation of the air conditioner is terminated, the avatar of the display unit 160 salutes and disappears. It is set to.

The avatar is basically programmed when the product of the air conditioner is released, but is configured to be made and used by a user later. That is, the user can download and use the avatar program through an external device such as the computer 300 to be described below.

On the other hand, the download of the avatar is not only an external device directly connected, but also a receiver (not shown) is further provided inside the indoor unit 100 to enable downloading by being connected to the external device wirelessly. These avatars can be downloaded and installed on the Internet, and are also configured to be downloaded via landline and mobile phones.

The selection button 170 is provided on the right side of the display unit 160. The selection button 170 selects a display image of the display unit 160 and preferably includes a one-touch button. That is, the selection changes each time you touch it.

Therefore, when the 'Avatar image' is selected, the avatar as shown in FIG. 6A appears and moves. When the 'motion image' is selected, the operation state of the air conditioner as shown in FIG. 6B is displayed.

A plurality of avatar setting buttons 172 are provided below the selection button 170. The avatar setting button 172 allows inputting, resetting, and changing of the avatar displayed on the display unit 160.

A plurality of operation buttons 180 are provided on the left side of the display unit 160. The operation button 180 is to set and control the operation or operation of the air conditioner.

The side panel 120 forming the side exterior of the indoor unit 100 is formed with an inlet 122 through which air is sucked from the outside (indoor space, ie, a space for air conditioning), and the suction port 122 has a suction grill. 124 is further installed. In addition, an air filter (not shown) may be further provided inside the suction grill 124 to filter foreign matter from the air sucked in.

The upper panel 140 is moved up and down. That is, the upper panel 140 is supported by the support 142 provided on each of the left and right and front and rear, and moves upward. At this time, the rear blocking plate 144 slides upward from the upper end of the indoor unit 100. Protrudes.

The support 142 is formed with a plurality of discharge ribs 146 from side to side. The discharge ribs 146 are formed at a predetermined interval up and down to guide the discharge direction so that air discharged upward from the inside of the indoor unit 100 is discharged forward or sideward.

Meanwhile, although not shown, a heat exchanger is installed inside the indoor unit 100 to allow heat exchange between the air sucked through the suction port 122 and the refrigerant flowing therein.

In addition, a rotary fan is provided to the blower fan and the blower fan to force the air to be blown out so that the outside air is sucked through the suction port 122 and then discharged back to the indoor space through the upper end of the indoor unit 100. The fan motor and a plurality of parts, such as a fan housing surrounding the blowing fan is built.

The outdoor unit 200 is installed at a place spaced apart from the indoor unit 100 by a predetermined distance. The outdoor unit 200 is configured such that the air conditioner together with the indoor unit 100 forms a refrigeration cycle. Although not shown, a plurality of parts, such as an outdoor heat exchanger in which a heat exchange occurs and a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, are not shown. .

In addition, the outdoor unit 200 is also provided with an external inlet 210 which is an outlet for sucking external air and an outlet for discharging the heat-exchanged air to the outside.

The indoor unit 100 is further connected to the personal computer 300 is installed. The computer 300 is connected to the indoor unit 100 by a cable 104 and more specifically to an avatar control unit (not shown) that controls the avatar of the display unit 160.

Therefore, in the computer 300, the user can directly create or program his or her desired avatar and upload the avatar to the avatar controller. In addition to creating and using an avatar program, the user may download and use it through a communication network such as the Internet or a telephone.

That is, the user accesses the Internet through the computer 300, downloads the avatar program provided by the corresponding website, uploads the avatar program to the avatar control unit, and uploads the avatar program to the avatar control unit. It is also possible to download the avatar and send it to the avatar controller of the indoor unit 100 for use.

The air conditioner having the above configuration is operated as follows.

First, an air conditioner is used as a cooling mode.

When the user presses the operation button 180 or operates the air conditioner using a remote controller (not shown), the air conditioner is driven. When the air conditioner is operated as described above, the air in the indoor space is introduced into the indoor unit 100 through the inlet 122.

The air flowing into the suction port 122 is removed by the air filter (not shown), and then the temperature is lowered by heat exchange with the refrigerant in a heat exchanger (not shown) inside the indoor unit 100. . That is, since the heat exchanger inside the indoor unit 100 functions as an evaporator, the air sucked from the indoor space is deprived of heat to the refrigerant inside the heat exchanger, the temperature is lowered.

The cooled air is sucked into an internal blower fan (not shown), and then forcedly blown upward, and discharged into an indoor space.

Meanwhile, when the air conditioner is operated, the upper panel 140 moves upward. Accordingly, the discharge rib 146 provided on the support 142 is exposed to the outside, and the air forcedly blown upward by the blower fan is turned to the side by hitting the bottom surface of the upper panel 140.

In addition, since the rear blocking plate 144 is integrally formed at the rear end of the upper panel 140 and slides upward with the upper panel 140, the air discharged upward is not discharged to the rear and the front and It is discharged laterally. At this time, the discharge direction is controlled by the discharge rib 146.

Since the air discharged to the outside (indoor space) through the upper end of the indoor unit 100 is cooled air that is heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger, the cool air is supplied to the indoor space to be cooled.

On the other hand, the heat exchanger corresponding to the indoor unit 100 also occurs in the outdoor unit 200. That is, when operating in the cooling mode, the heat exchanger of the indoor unit 100 serves as an evaporator, while the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit 200 serves as a condenser. Therefore, the outside air sucked into the outdoor unit 200 is discharged again by the temperature rise.

In this case, since the cooling occurs in the indoor unit 100 and the heating occurs in the outdoor unit 200, one refrigeration cycle is formed as a whole.

When operating the air conditioner in the cooling mode as described above, the display unit 160 is also turned on to display various avatars or operating states.

That is, when the 'avatar image' is selected by the selection button 170, when the air conditioner is first turned on, the preset avatar, as described above, smiles brightly and greets me, and is operating in the cooling mode. Will show you playing with penguins in Antarctica. Of course, if the user chats to another avatar program, it will look different. And if the air temperature is not reached yet and needs more cooling, the avatar will be sweating a lot.

On the other hand, during the operation of the air conditioner as described above, in addition to the case in which the avatar is displayed on the display unit 160, the operation state is also guided by voice.

That is, when the air conditioner is operating in the cooling mode, the message 'Cooling operation' is output through the speaker (not shown), and when the user inputs a voice recording or melody, the corresponding message is output. .

Next, the air conditioner is operated in the heating mode.

In this case, like the cooling mode described above, the indoor air sucked through the inlet 122 of the indoor unit 100 is heat-exchanged and then discharged back to the indoor space through the upper end.

However, since the refrigeration cycle is reversed at this time, the heat exchanger built in the indoor unit 100 operates as a condenser to increase the temperature of indoor air sucked in.

Meanwhile, as described above, the display unit 160 also displays an avatar that is turned on and greets the air conditioner. When the user selects and operates the heating mode, the avatar displays the set appearance. That is, it will express various shapes according to the sea bathing at the beach or the program set by the user.

At the same time, the speaker 'not heating' flows out a comment, 'heating operation.' As described above, various comments may be used depending on a user's setting.

If the present temperature is not yet reached during the heating operation, and the present temperature is much lower than the desired temperature, the display unit 160 may take a variety of shapes such as an appearance of a cold and shrunk avatar.

When all of the above operations are completed and the user turns off the air conditioner, the avatar of the display unit 160 salutes and disappears.

In addition, when the user touches the selection button 170 to select the 'operation image', the image composed of letters and figures as shown in FIG. 6B guides the operation of the air conditioner.

On the other hand, if you do not like the avatar and voice output of the display unit 160, or if you want to use your own avatar and voice output, as described above, communication equipment such as the Internet or mobile phones You can download the program by using it, or you can write it yourself.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-exemplified embodiments, and many other modifications based on the present invention will be possible to those skilled in the art within the above technical scope.

As described above, according to the present invention, the indoor unit front panel of the air conditioner is provided with a display unit for selectively displaying the "avatar image" and the "motion image" by the user's selection. The avatar of the display unit is vividly expressed in various shapes and movements according to the current temperature or the driving state.

Therefore, the user can obtain a visual effect due to the dynamic avatar in addition to the hard display unit as in the related art, and thus, various design needs of the user are satisfied.

In the present invention, since the user can arbitrarily make and use the avatar directly, or download and use it using a communication device such as the Internet or a telephone, there is an advantage in that a new avatar can be enjoyed at any time. In addition, you can create your own avatar to create your own personality.

In addition, the air conditioner according to the present invention voices the current temperature or operating state. In addition, since the voice guidance can be directly recorded by using a voice or using a separate sound, there is an advantage that can satisfy the diversity of users.

Claims (12)

A front panel forming a front appearance; A display unit formed on the front panel to display an image; A configuration including a button provided at one side of the display unit; The display unit, the indoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that the operation image and the avatar image indicating the operation state of the air conditioner is selectively displayed. According to claim 1, One side of the front panel, A side panel which forms a side appearance and has a suction port through which air is sucked from the outside; A rear panel forming a rear exterior; An upper panel forming an upper appearance; An indoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that the base fan; forming a bottom surface. The avatar displayed on the display unit according to claim 1 or 2, An indoor unit of an air conditioner having various shapes according to an operating state of an air conditioner, and which can be arbitrarily changed by a user's setting. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the operation state of the air conditioner is output as a voice together with the operation of the avatar represented by the display unit. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the avatar of the display unit is transmitted from an external device and loaded. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the avatar is downloaded and set from the Internet. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the display unit is composed of an LCD. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the display unit is capable of changing colors. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the button, A selection button for selecting an image displayed on the display unit; And an avatar setting button formed on one side of the selection button to enable input, reset, and change of the avatar displayed on the display unit. The method of claim 9, wherein one side of the display unit, An indoor unit of an air conditioner, further comprising a plurality of operation buttons for setting and controlling an operation or an operation of the air conditioner. The method of claim 2, wherein the top panel, An indoor unit of an air conditioner, which is supported by a plurality of supports and installed to be movable up and down. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 11, wherein the support is provided with a plurality of discharge ribs to guide the forward or side discharge of air.

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