Indoor device for an air conditioner

An indoor device is provided. The indoor device may include a base to be fixed to an indoor wall; a fan disposed on the base that blows air; an orifice disposed upstream of the fan that guides air to the fan; a heat exchanger disposed upstream of the orifice that allows air to exchange heat with a refrigerant; and a magnet disposed at the fan and having magnetism.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Application No. 10-2012-0015298 filed in Korea on Feb. 15, 2012, whose entire disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

An indoor device is disclosed herein.

Indoor devices for air conditioners are known. However, they suffer from various disadvantages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Where possible, like reference numerals have been used to indicate like elements.

In general, air conditioners are apparatuses that may include a compressor, an outdoor device with an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor device with an indoor heat exchanger, to cool or heat an indoor room or space, for example, using a cooling cycle. That is, air conditioners may include a cooler that cools an interior room or space and a heater that heats the interior room or space.

The indoor device of the air conditioners may be equipped with a fan disposed in an indoor room or space that blows indoor air. Recently, indoor devices have been made in frame types with various demands on design in some cases, and fans of the indoor devices have been arranged with a rotational center extending horizontally. When a fan with a horizontally extending rotational center inclines or droops, it may reach or contact a case or chassis of the indoor device, which may cause noise and/or breakdown.

FIG. 1is an exploded perspective view of an indoor device according to an embodiment. The indoor device1according to this embodiment may include a base12fixed to a wall, such as an indoor wall of a room or indoor space, a fan200disposed on the base12that blows air, an orifice13disposed ahead or upstream of the fan200that guides the air to the fan200, a heat exchanger50disposed ahead or upstream of the orifice13that allows the air to exchange heat with a cooling fluid, such as a refrigerant, a front panel20disposed ahead or upstream of the heat exchanger50, and a frame panel30disposed on a front of the front panel20.

The front panel20may include an intake port15at a center thereof, through which air may be sucked. The front panel20may be fixed to the base12.

The frame panel30may be disposed ahead or upstream of the front panel20with a predetermined gap therebetween. Air may be sucked to the intake port15through the gap between the front panel20and the frame panel30.

The base12may be fixed to a wall, such as a wall of an indoor room or space by a bracket17at a rear thereof. Both sides of the base12may surround the fan200. A discharge port16that guides the air blown by the fan200to the outside may be formed at both sides of the base12. A vane48may be disposed at the discharge port16to open/close the discharge port16. Air guides18that guide the air discharged through the fan200to the discharge ports16at both sides of the base12may be disposed at upper portions of the base12.

The base12may be combined with the orifice13and the front panel20. A motor400may be disposed at a center of the base12. The motor400may rotate the fan200.

The orifice13may be disposed ahead or upstream of the fan200. A flow hole13b, which may be circular and through which the air sucked to the intake port15of the front panel20may be guided to the fan200, may be formed at the orifice13. An electric mount150with circuits, such as electronic devices, may be disposed above the orifice13.

The fan200may be disposed between the base12and the orifice13to blow the air sucked through the flow hole13bto the discharge ports16. The fan200may be arranged with a rotational center thereof extending in a substantially horizontal direction. According to one embodiment, the fan200may be a centrifugal fan that circumferentially discharges air through the orifice13.

The heat exchanger50may be disposed between the front panel20and the orifice13. The heat exchanger50may allow the indoor air sucked through the intake port15of the front panel20to exchange heat with a cooling fluid, such as a refrigerant. The heat-exchanged air may flow to the fan200through the flow hole13bof the orifice13.

The heat exchanger50may be fixed to the front panel20or the orifice13and may include a connection pipe52at one side thereof to connect with a refrigerant pipe (not shown) provided from the outside. A drain pan100may be disposed under the heat exchanger50to store and discharge condensed water produced by the heat exchanger50.

FIG. 2is a perspective view of a fan in an indoor device according to an embodiment. The fan200according to one embodiment may include a rim210, a hub220, which may be disposed at a center of the rim210, a plurality of blades230disposed around the hub220, and a fan base240that connects the hub220with the plurality of blades230. The rim210may be ring-shaped. The fan base240may be disc-shaped.

The hub220may be connected with the motor400, forming a center of the fan200. The plurality of blades230may be disposed around the hub220. Outer ends of the plurality of blades230may be connected with the rim210. One side of each of the blades230may be connected with the fan base240.

The hub220may be disposed at the center of the fan base240. The hub220may be integrally formed with the fan base240. The fan base240may be spaced from the rim210and the plurality of blades230may be disposed between the fan base240and the rim210.

FIG. 3is an enlarged view showing structure of a portion of the indoor device according to an embodiment. The indoor device1according to one embodiment may include one or more first magnet(s)320disposed in the fan200and having magnetism, and one or more second magnet(s)310disposed opposite the first magnet(s)320and having magnetism.

The first magnet(s)320may apply a magnetic force with the second magnet(s)310. The first magnet(s)320may apply a repulsive force with the second magnet(s)310. The first magnet(s)320may be disposed in or on the rim210of the fan200. The first magnet(s)320may be formed in a ring shape, corresponding to the rim210, wherein the rim210is ring-shaped, or may be composed of a plurality of magnets disposed at regular intervals along the rim210.

Alternatively, the first magnet(s)320may be disposed in or on the fan base240. In this case, the first magnet(s)320may have a ring shape or a disc shape or may be composed of a plurality of magnets disposed at regular intervals in the fan base240.

The second magnet(s)310may be disposed in or on the base12or the orifice13. For example, the second magnet(s)310may be disposed in or on the orifice13, and may be formed in a ring shape and disposed around the flow hole13bof the orifice13.

An orifice guide13a, which may be ring-shaped, may be formed around the flow hole13b, and the second magnet(s)310may be disposed in or on the orifice guide13a. The second magnet(s)310may be may be formed in a ring shape, corresponding to the orifice guide13a, or may be composed of a plurality of magnets disposed at regular intervals along the orifice guide13a.

Alternatively, the second magnet(s)310may be disposed at or on the base12. In this case, the first magnet(s)320may be disposed at or on the fan base240, and the second magnet310may be disposed at or on the base12, opposite the first magnet(s)320. The first and second magnet(s)320,310may have a ring shape or a disc shape or may be composed of a plurality of magnets disposed at regular intervals.

A repulsive force may be exerted between the first magnet(s)320and the second magnet(s)310, such that the fan200may be prevented from inclining or drooping.

Operation of an indoor device with the configuration as described above according to embodiments will be described hereinbelow as follows.

As the motor400rotates the fan200, air may be sucked to the intake port15through the gap between the front panel20and the frame panel30. The indoor air sucked to the intake port15may exchange heat with a cooling fluid through the heat exchanger50and flow to the fan200through the flow hole13bof the orifice13. The air flowing to the fan200may be discharged to an indoor room or space through the discharge port16.

The fan200may be prevented from inclining or drooping regardless of whether it rotates, by the magnetic force exerted between the first magnet(s)320and the second magnet(s)310. Therefore, the fan200may be prevented from reaching and/or contacting the orifice13or the base12or other components of the indoor device.

With an indoor device according to embodiments disclosed herein, one or more advantages may be achieved including the following. First, there is an advantage that noise and breakdown may be prevented, as the fan may be prevented from inclining or drooping by magnets. Second, there is an advantage that the fan may not incline or droop due to the ring-shaped magnets, such that the magnetic force does not tend to one side. Third, there is an advantage that the indoor device may be used for existing products, because permanent magnets may be used to change existing indoor devices.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an indoor device with a non-inclining or non-drooping fan therein.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an indoor device that may include a base fixed to an indoor wall; a fan disposed on the base that blows air; an orifice disposed ahead or upstream of the fan that guides air to the fan; a heat exchanger disposed ahead or upstream of the orifice that allows air to exchange heat with a refrigerant or cooling fluid; and a first magnet disposed at the fan and having magnetism.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an indoor unit that may include a base fixed to an indoor wall; a fan disposed on the base that blows air; an orifice disposed ahead or upstream of the fan that guides air to the fan; a heat exchanger disposed ahead or upstream of the orifice that allows air to exchange heat with a refrigerant or cooling fluid; a first magnet disposed at the fan and having magnetism; and a second magnet disposed opposite the first magnet, having magnetism, that prevents the fan from inclining or drooping by applying a magnetic force with the first magnet.