KR101450560B1 - Air conditioner and its operation method - Google Patents

Abstract

 The air conditioner of the present invention includes: a case having an air outlet formed on at least one of upper, lower, left, and right sides, an air inlet formed at a front surface thereof, and a fixed front panel disposed; A blower installed inside the case; A front moving front panel disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel or disposed to be moved forward; A forward moving front panel driving mechanism for moving the forward moving front panel away from the fixed front panel or retracting the forward moving front panel to the same plane as the fixed front panel; A rear movable front panel disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel or disposed to be moved rearward; And a rear moving front panel driving mechanism for moving the rear moving front panel away from the fixed front panel or for advancing the same to a surface of the fixed front panel, wherein when the front moving front panel is advanced and retracted, A plurality of air intake passages are formed on the front face of the air conditioner to increase the amount of air intake and to enhance the appearance of the front face of the air conditioner.

  Air conditioner, case, fixed front panel, front moving front panel, rear moving front panel

Description

 [0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof,

 In particular, the present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, in which a front panel is divided into a fixed front panel, a front moving front panel and a rear moving front panel, The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same.

Generally, an air conditioner is a device for cooling / heating the room by using a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism and an evaporator.

In recent years, in order to maintain the front surface of the air conditioner clean while enhancing the appearance of the front surface of the air conditioner, a suction grille is not installed on the front surface of the air conditioner, and the front panel is installed to be rotatable or retractable.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-0844342 discloses an air conditioner in which a front upper air inlet is formed at an upper portion of a front face of a front frame constituting a front face of an air conditioner, a front lower air inlet is formed at a lower portion of a front face, An air conditioner having a closed space is disclosed.

The front upper panel of the air conditioner is advanced to open or close the front upper air intake port to close the front upper air intake port, and the front lower panel is advanced to open or lower the front lower air intake port to seal the front lower air intake port.

However, in the air conditioner according to the related art, when the air inlet is opened, both the front upper panel and the front lower panel are advanced so that the three-dimensional feeling is formed only in one direction of the front, There is a problem that an air suction flow path is formed only between the gaps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, which can improve air intake amount and air conditioning performance while enhancing aesthetics.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner including: a case having an air outlet formed on at least one of upper, lower, left, and right sides, an air inlet formed at a front surface thereof, A blower installed inside the case; A front moving front panel disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel or disposed to be moved forward; A forward moving front panel driving mechanism for moving the forward moving front panel away from the fixed front panel or retracting the forward moving front panel to the same plane as the fixed front panel; A rear movable front panel disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel or disposed to be moved rearward; And a rear moving front panel driving mechanism for moving the rear moving front panel away from the fixed front panel or for advancing the same to the fixed front panel.

   Wherein the blower includes a fan motor disposed inside the case so that a rotary shaft protrudes forward, and a centrifugal fan connected to the fan motor for blowing air around the fan after sucking air in the front, And is smaller in size than the centrifugal fan.

The front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel are disposed so as to surround the upper, lower, left, and right peripheries of the fixed front panel when moved to the same plane as the fixed front panel.

Wherein the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel are configured such that when the forward moving front panel is advanced and retracted from the rear moving front panel, between the forward moving front panel and the case, between the forward moving front panel and the rear moving front panel, And between the front moving front panel and the fixed front panel and between the rear moving front panel and the fixed front panel.

Wherein each of the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel is diagonally spaced apart from each other with the fixed front panel therebetween.

 And controls the front moving front panel driving mechanism in the forward mode and the rear moving front panel driving mechanism in the rearward mode when the air conditioner is in operation, And a controller for controlling the rearward movement front panel driving mechanism to the forward mode.

The operation method of an air conditioner according to the present invention is characterized in that when an operation is inputted through an operation unit, a front moving front panel positioned on the same surface as the fixed front panel is advanced to be separated from the fixed front panel, An operation step of retracting the rear moving front panel to move the front moving front panel and the fixed front panel away from each other and operating the air conditioner; Wherein when the stop is inputted through the operating part during the operation step, the front moving front panel is retracted to be positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel, and the rear moving front panel is positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel and the front moving front panel And stopping the air conditioner.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention configured as described above, when the forward moving front panel and the rear moving front panel are retracted, the fixed front panel, the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel are spaced apart from each other, So that the air intake amount can be increased and the three-dimensional feeling can be improved in both the front and rear directions, thereby improving the appearance.

Further, the air conditioner according to the present invention is characterized in that the air suction flow path formed between the forward moving front panel and the rear moving front panel at the time of forward movement of the front moving front panel and the backward moving front panel, There is an advantage that indoor air can be sucked more quickly and can be air-conditioned.

 Also, the air conditioner according to the present invention is advantageous in that the fixed front panel is formed to be significantly smaller than the centrifugal fan at the center front position of the centrifugal fan, so that the centrifugal fan is installed in the case to allow quicker air suction.

Further, an operation method of an air conditioner according to the present invention is characterized in that an air suction flow path is formed between a front moving front panel, a rear moving front panel, and a fixed front panel at the time of operation, The front moving front panel, the rear moving front panel, and the fixed front panel are positioned on the same plane so as to prevent foreign matter from penetrating between the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel and the fixed front panel, There is an advantage that the front of the display unit can express a sense of unity.

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a part of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. Is an exploded perspective view.

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3,

A front moving front panel driving mechanism 5, a rear moving front panel 6, and a backward moving front panel 6. The case 1, the blower 2, the heat exchanger 3, the front moving front panel 4, And a front panel front panel driving mechanism 7.

The case 1 has an air outlet 11 formed on at least one of upper, lower, left, and right sides, an air inlet 12 is formed on a front surface thereof, and a fixed front panel 13 is disposed.

The case 1 has a space in which the blower 2 and the heat exchanger 3 are accommodated, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose overall thickness in the front-rear direction is shorter than the height in the vertical direction and the width in the horizontal direction.

The case 1 includes a rear case 14 installed on an installation member provided directly on a wall of a room or installed on a wall of a room and a front case 15 disposed in front of the rear case 14, A blower 2 and a heat exchanger 3 are installed in a space formed by the front case 14 and the front case 15. [

The front case 15 is formed such that an air inlet 12 is formed in the front plate portion in the front and rear directions and a fixed front panel 13 is located in the center of the air inlet 12 at a position surrounded by the air inlet 12 .

The blower 2 sucks air into the air inlet 12 and passes through the inside of the case 1 and then discharges the air to the air outlet 11. The blower 2 is installed inside the case 1.

The blower 2 includes a motor mount 21 provided on the rear plate of the rear case 15, a fan motor 23 provided on the motor mount 21 so that the rotary shaft 22 protrudes forward, And a centrifugal fan (24) installed on the rotary shaft (22) for sucking air in front and blowing the air around.

The case 1 is provided with an air guide 26 which is divided into a heat exchange chamber and an air blowing chamber and formed with an orifice 25 for guiding the air suction to the centrifugal fan 24 and has an airflow direction of air discharged to the air discharge port 11 A drain pan 28 for receiving and discharging the condensed water dropped in the heat exchanger 3 is disposed.

The heat exchanger (3) is installed between the front case (15) and the air guide (25).

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment forms the front panel 8 in which the front moving front panel 4 and the rear moving front panel 6 together with the fixed front panel 13 form the front exterior of the air conditioner.

Hereinafter, the front panel 8 will be described in detail.

The front panel 8 is not formed of one member but is divided into a fixed front panel 13 and a front moving front panel 4 and a rear moving front panel 6, The front panel 6 is moved in the same plane as the fixed front panel 13 or moved back and forth so as to be stepped in the opposite direction to the fixed front panel 13. [

That is, the front moving front panel 4 is disposed on the same plane as the fixed front panel 13 in the periphery of the fixed front panel 13 or is moved forward and spaced apart from the fixed front panel 13, (6) is disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel (13) on the periphery of the fixed front panel (13) or is disposed rearwardly and spaced apart from the fixed front panel (13).

The front panel 8 has a front moving front panel 4 and a rear moving front panel 4 which are forwardly protruded when the front moving front panel 4 is moved forward and the rear moving front panel 6 is moved backward, The rear moving front panel 6, which is a part of the front panel 8, gives a three-dimensional feeling in both directions before and after, and the front panel 8 is aesthetized.

The fixed front panel 13 is configured such that the indoor air sucked toward the periphery of the centrifugal fan 24 when the centrifugal fan 24 is rotated is quickly sucked by the fixed front panel 13 without being disturbed by the fixed front panel 13, Of the centrifugal fan (24).

The front moving front panel 4 and the rear moving front panel 6 are arranged in the shape of a whole on the periphery of the fixed front panel 13 so that the upper, Respectively.

  The front moving front panel 4 and the rear moving front panel 6 are arranged to block the front of the air inlet 12 when moved to the same plane as the fixed front panel 13, So that the air suction passage is formed in front of the air suction port 12. [

Each of the front moving front panel 4 and the rear moving front panel 6 is composed of left and right vertical plate portions having long vertical sides in the left and right direction and vertical upper and lower vertical plate portions formed vertically in the vertical direction, The plate portion is formed in a bent shape.

The front panel 8 comprises a front forward moving front panel 4 and a rear forward front panel 6. The front forward moving panel 4 comprises a left front forward moving front panel and a right front forward moving front panel, .

When the front moving panel 4 is moved forward and the rear moving front panel 6 is moved backward, the front panel 8 and the front case 15 And a gap is formed between the front moving front panel 4 and the fixed front panel 17 while the air suction flow path 16 (hereinafter, referred to as a first air suction flow path) (Hereinafter, referred to as a second air intake passage), and a gap is formed between the front movable front panel 4 and the rear movable front panel 6 to form an air intake passage 18 And an air suction passage 19 (hereinafter, referred to as a fourth air suction passage) is formed while a clearance is formed between the rear moving front panel 6 and the fixed front panel 13.

That is, the air in the front panel 8 is sucked in from the upper, lower, left, and right four directions of the front moving front panel 4, Air is sucked in two directions, one of the peripheral left and right sides of the rear moving front panel 6 and one of the upper and lower sides of the rear moving front panel 6. [

Here, the front panel 8 has the third air intake passage 18 and the third air intake passage 13 larger than the first air intake passage 17 and the fourth air intake passage 19, The front moving front panel 4 is disposed in a diagonal direction with respect to the fixed front panel 13 and the rear moving front panel 6 is disposed in the vicinity of the fixed front panel 13 Respectively.

The front panel 8 and the rear moving front panel 6 are arranged alternately in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction with respect to the fixed front panel 13.

That is, the front panel 8 is moved forward or retracted in the same plane as the fixed front panel 13 with the left front moving front panel and the right front moving front panel disposed with the fixed front panel 13 interposed therebetween, The left rear moving front panel and the right rear moving front panel are retracted rearward with the fixed front panel 13 disposed therebetween or are advanced to the same plane as the fixed front panel 13, The third air intake passage 18 is provided.

On the other hand, the front moving front panel driving mechanism 5 moves the front moving front panel 4 away from the fixed front panel 13 or retracts the front moving panel 4 in the same plane as the fixed front panel 13, And a power transmission mechanism (54) (56) interlocked with the panel motor (52) to advance and retreat the forward movement front panel (4).

The power transmission mechanisms 54 and 56 include a drive gear 54 provided on the rotary shaft of the panel motor 52 and a driven gear 56 engaged with the drive gear 54. [

The front moving front panel driving mechanism 5 is provided so that the panel motor 52 is disposed horizontally in the left and right direction on the motor mounting portion 15A formed in the case 1, particularly the front case 15, 54 are provided on the rotary shaft of the panel motor 52 and the driven gear 56 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the forward moving front panel 4 and a rack in which gear teeth are formed on one surface of the upper surface and the lower surface .

That is, the front moving front panel drive mechanism 5 is configured such that when the driven gear 54 is rotated with the driven gear 56 being raised on the drive gear 54, the driven gear 54 is moved to the front movable front panel 4, Backward and forward.

The motor mounting portion 15A in which the panel motor 52 of the forward moving front panel drive mechanism 5 is mounted on the front case 15 is mounted on the front case 15 or the fixed front panel 13 and the connecting rib 15B, Lt; / RTI >

On the other hand, the front moving front panel driving mechanism 5 is provided corresponding to each of the left front moving front panel and the right front moving front panel, and a left front moving front panel driving mechanism is provided at a rear position of the left front moving front panel, A front right front movable panel driving mechanism is installed at a rear position of the front movable front panel.

The rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7 is for retracting the rear moving front panel 5 away from the fixed front panel 13 or advancing the same to the fixed front panel 13, 5 includes a panel motor 72 and a power transmitting mechanism 74 and 76 interlocked with the panel motor 72 to advance and retract the front moving front panel 4 and the power transmitting mechanism 74 Includes a drive gear 74 provided on the rotational axis of the panel motor 72 and a driven gear 76 engaged with the drive gear 54. [

The rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7 is configured such that the panel motor 72 is attached to the motor mounting portion 15C formed in the case 1, particularly the front case 15, like the front moving front panel driving mechanism 5, And the drive gear 74 is formed of a pinion provided on the rotary shaft of the panel motor 72. The driven gear 76 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the rear moving front panel 6, And a rack having gear teeth formed on one surface of the upper surface and the lower surface.

The backward movement front panel drive mechanism 7 is configured such that the position of the panel motor 72 is moved forward so as not to interfere with the rearward movement front panel 5 and the panel motor 72 when the rearward movement front panel 5 is retracted rearward Is positioned relatively rearward than the position of the panel motor (52) of the movable front panel drive mechanism (5).

The motor mounting portion 15C formed to mount the panel motor 72 of the rear moving front panel drive mechanism 7 to the front case 15 is fixed to the front case 15 or the fixed front panel 13 and the connecting rib 15D, And the connection rib 15D is formed in a shape bent backward.

That is, the front case 15 has a space for moving the rear moving front panel 5 so that when the rear moving front panel 5 is retracted backward by the rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7, It is not interfered with the front panel 5 and the panel motor 72.

On the other hand, the rearward moving front panel driving mechanism 7 is provided corresponding to each of the left rear moving front panel and the right rear moving front panel, like the front moving front panel driving mechanism 5, A left rear moving front panel driving mechanism is provided, and a right rear moving front panel driving mechanism is provided at a rear position of the right rear moving front panel.

The rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7 causes the rear moving front panel 6 to advance and retract in the direction opposite to the front moving front panel 4 and the panel motor 72 is driven by the front moving front panel driving mechanism 5, .

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

6, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes an operating unit 9 to be operated by the air conditioner and a blower 2 and a front moving front panel driving mechanism 5 And a controller 10 for controlling the rear moving front panel drive mechanism 7, the discharge wind direction adjusting mechanism 27, and the like.

The controller 10 controls the forward moving front panel driving mechanism 5 in the forward mode and the rearward moving front panel driving mechanism 7 in the retract mode during operation of the air conditioner through the operation unit 9. [

The controller 10 controls the front moving front panel driving mechanism 5 in the backward mode and controls the rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7 in the forward mode when the air conditioner is stopped.

   Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described.

5 is a flowchart of an operation method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 5, when the operation is inputted through the operation unit 9, the operation method of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a forward movement front panel 4 positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel 13, The rear movable front panel 6 positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel 13 is retracted to separate the front movable front panel 4 and the fixed front panel 13 from each other, , And an operation step of operating the air conditioner is performed (S1) (S2)

That is, when the operation command of the air conditioner is inputted through the operation unit 9, the control unit 10 controls the forward moving front panel driving mechanism 5 to the forward mode and retracts the rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7 Mode.

In the forward mode of the forward movement front panel drive mechanism 5, the panel motor 52 rotates the drive gear 54 and the driven gear 56 is advanced forward by the rotation of the drive gear 54 , The front moving front panel 4 is pushed forward by the driven gear 56. [

On the other hand, in the backward movement mode of the rearward moving front panel drive mechanism 7, the panel motor 72 drives the drive gear 74 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the drive gear 54 of the front movable front panel drive mechanism 5 The driven gear 76 is retracted rearward by the rotation of the drive gear 74 and the rear movable front panel 6 is pulled backward by the driven gear 76. [

When the front moving front panel 4 is advanced and the front moving front panel 6 is retracted, the front panel 8 is moved between the front moving front panel 4 and the case 1, A second air intake passage 17 is formed between the front moving front panel 4 and the fixed front panel 13 and the front moving front panel 4 and the rear moving front panel 6 are provided with a second air intake passage 16, A fourth air intake passage 19 is formed between the rear movable front panel 6 and the fixed front panel 13. The third air intake passage 18 is formed between the rear movable front panel 6 and the fixed front panel 13. [

In other words, the number of the air suction passages and the total air suction area of the front panel 8 are increased compared with the case where a part of the divided members is moved forward only, and a three-dimensional feeling is formed in both front and rear directions, It is advanced.

The control unit 10 drives the blower 2, particularly the fan motor 23, to operate the air conditioner, and controls the discharge wind direction adjusting mechanism 28 in the open mode.

When the fan motor 23 is driven as described above, the centrifugal fan 24 rotates to suck the air in front of the periphery thereof, and to discharge the air.

When the centrifugal fan 24 rotates, the air in front of the front panel 8 passes through the first to fourth air intake passages 16 to 19 and is sucked into the air intake port 12. The fixed front panel 13 Is formed to be smaller in size than the centrifugal fan 24 in the center front of the centrifugal fan 24 so that air in the room is quickly passed through the first to fourth air intake passages 16 to 19 Inhaled.

 Particularly, the fourth air intake passage 19 formed between the rear movable front panel 4 and the fixed movable front panel 4 has a flow passage area larger than that of each of the first to third air intake passages 16 to 18 Large, indoor air is sucked in quickly.

The air sucked as described above is passed through the indoor air intake port 12 to be heat-exchanged with the heat exchanger 3 and then blown by the blower 2 and discharged through the air outlet 11 into the room.

The operation method of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment is characterized in that when the stop is inputted through the operation unit 9 during the operation steps S1 and S2, the front moving front panel 4 is moved to the fixed front panel 13, And the rear moving front panel 6 is advanced to be positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel 13 and the front moving front panel 4 and a stopping step for stopping the air conditioner is performed. (S3) (S4)

That is, when the operation command of the air conditioner is inputted through the operation unit 9, the control unit 10 controls the forward moving front panel driving mechanism 5 to the retreat mode and advances the rear moving front panel driving mechanism 7 forward Mode.

The panel motor 52 reversely rotates the drive gear 54 and the driven gear 56 is moved backward by the reverse rotation of the drive gear 54 And the front moving front panel 4 is pulled backward by the driven gear 56. [

On the other hand, in the forward mode of the rearward moving front panel drive mechanism 7, the panel motor 72 drives the drive gear 74 in the direction opposite to the direction of reverse rotation of the drive gear 54 of the forward moving front panel drive mechanism 5 And the driven gear 76 is advanced forward by the rotation of the drive gear 74 and the rear movable front panel 6 is pushed forward by the driven gear 76. [

Backward movement of the front moving front panel 4 and backward movement of the front panel 6 causes the front moving panel 4 and the rear moving front panel 6 to move toward the fixed front panel 13 And the first to fourth air suction passages 16 to 19 are closed while the front of the air suction port 12 is blocked. At this time, the air conditioner prevents infiltration of foreign matter and the like through the front surface thereof, The inside becomes invisible.

On the other hand, the control unit 10 stops the blower 2, particularly the fan motor 23, to stop the air conditioner, and controls the discharge wind direction adjusting mechanism 28 in the closed mode.

1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention,

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

5 is a flowchart of an operation method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

  1: Case 2: blower

3: heat exchanger 4: front moving front panel

5: Front moving front panel driving mechanism

6: Rearward movement Front panel 7: Rearward movement Front panel drive mechanism

8: Front panel 9: Control panel

10: control unit 11: air outlet

12: air inlet 13: fixed front panel

14: rear case 15: front case

16: first air intake channel 17: second air intake channel

18: third air intake channel 19: fourth air intake channel

22: rotation shaft 23: fan motor

24: Centrifugal fan 52: Panel motor

54: drive gear 56: driven gear

72: Panel motor 74: Drive gear

76: driven gear

Claims (7)

An air outlet formed on at least one surface of the upper, lower, left, and right sides, an air inlet formed at a front surface thereof, and a fixed front panel disposed therein; A blower installed inside the case; A front moving front panel disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel or disposed to be moved forward; A forward moving front panel driving mechanism for moving the forward moving front panel away from the fixed front panel or retracting the forward moving front panel to the same plane as the fixed front panel; A rear movable front panel disposed on the same surface as the fixed front panel or disposed to be moved rearward; And a rear moving front panel driving mechanism for moving the rear moving front panel away from the fixed front panel or advancing the same to a surface of the fixed front panel.  The method according to claim 1,    Wherein the blower includes a fan motor disposed inside the case so that a rotary shaft projects forward, and a centrifugal fan connected to the fan motor to draw air forward and blow the air around, Wherein the fixed front panel is located in front of the center of the centrifugal fan and is smaller in size than the centrifugal fan.   The method according to claim 1, Wherein the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel are disposed so as to surround upper, lower, left, and right peripheries of the fixed front panel when moved to the same plane as the fixed front panel.   The method of claim 3, Wherein the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel are configured such that when the forward moving front panel is advanced and retracted from the rear moving front panel, between the forward moving front panel and the case, between the forward moving front panel and the rear moving front panel, And an air suction flow path is formed between the front moving front panel and the fixed front panel and between the rear moving front panel and the fixed front panel.   5. The method of claim 4, Wherein each of the front moving front panel and the rear moving front panel is spaced apart in a diagonal direction with a plurality of the fixed front panels being interposed therebetween.   6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,  And controls the front moving front panel driving mechanism in the forward mode and the rear moving front panel driving mechanism in the rearward mode when the air conditioner is in operation, Further comprising a controller for controlling the rearward movement front panel drive mechanism in a forward mode and controlling the rearward movement front panel drive mechanism in a forward mode. When the operation is inputted through the operation unit, the forward moving front panel positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel is advanced to be separated from the fixed front panel, and the rear moving front panel located on the same plane as the fixed front panel is retracted, An operation step of operating the air conditioner, spaced apart from the fixed front panel; Wherein when the stop is inputted through the operating part during the operation step, the front moving front panel is retracted to be positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel, and the rear moving front panel is positioned on the same plane as the fixed front panel and the front moving front panel And stopping the operation of the air conditioner.

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