Abstract:
Air conditioner including a cabinet having room air inlets in at least one of side surfaces and a top surface, and a room air outlet in a front surface, and a front panel in front of the cabinet, thereby cooling/heating a room quickly, and improving thermal efficiency by preventing discharged air from re-entering into the air conditioner, directly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Application Nos. P2004-043636′ filed on Jun. 14, 2004, P2004-044111 filed on Jun. 15, 2004, and P2004-065507 filed on Aug. 19, 2004, which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to air conditioners, and more particularly, to an air conditioner, in which a structure of a cabinet is improved for room air circulation, and free direction change of air flow from the cabinet.  
         [0004]     2. Discussion of the Related Art  
         [0005]     The air conditioner cools or heats a room, or cleans air for forming more comfortable room environment. The air conditioner is provided with a refrigerating system having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and, in the air conditioners, there are split type and package type.  
         [0006]     The split type air conditioner has a cooling/heat dissipation device mounted on an indoor unit, and heat dissipation/cooling device and a compression device mounted on an outdoor unit, with refrigerant pipes connected between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit separated thus. Even though having the same functions with the split type air conditioner, the package type air conditioner has the indoor unit and the outdoor unit packaged in one unit, for installation on a wall or window of a house.  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a related art package type air conditioner, and  FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded perspective view of a related art package type air conditioner, and  FIG. 3  illustrates a longitudinal section of a related art package type air conditioner.  
         [0008]     Referring to FIGS.  1  to  3 , the related art package type air conditioner is provided with a base  2 , a cabinet  4  on the base  2 , and an air guide  6  for dividing a cabinet space into an indoor side space ‘I’ and an outdoor side space ‘O’.  
         [0009]     On a front of the cabinet  4 , there is a front panel  9  of the package air conditioner. Inside of the cabinet, there are a compressor  12  for converting the refrigerant from a low temperature, low pressure gas to a high temperature, high pressure gas, and a condenser  14  for condensing the refrigerant from the compressor  12  into a liquid state refrigerant.  
         [0010]     Inside of the cabinet, there are also an expansion valve (not shown) for expanding the high temperature, high pressure refrigerant condensed at the condenser  14  into a two phased (a mixture of liquid and gas) low temperature, low pressure refrigerant, and an evaporator  16  for evaporating the two phased refrigerant from the expansion valve into a gas state.  
         [0011]     In the meantime, there are outdoor inlets  5  in side and top surfaces of the cabinet which form the outdoor space ‘O’ for drawing outdoor air, and a back side of the cabinet is opened for discharging the air to the outdoor.  
         [0012]     The air guide  6  has a lower guide  7  on the base  2 , and an upper guide  8  over the lower guide  32 .  
         [0013]     The front panel  9  has a room air inlet  10  in a front surface for drawing room air, and a room air outlet passage  11  over the room air inlet  10 . The room air inlet  10  has a suction grill  10   a  mounted thereon, and the room air outlet passage  11  has a plurality of air direction control louvers  11   a.    
         [0014]     The plurality of air direction control louvers  11   a  are left/right direction air direction control louvers for controlling an air direction in left/right directions, and up/down air direction control louvers for controlling an air direction in up/down directions.  
         [0015]     The package type air conditioner has a bilateral motor  20  fixedly secured to the air guide  6  between the indoor side space ‘I’, and the outdoor side space ‘O’. The bilateral motor  20  has a front shaft  20   a  projected to the indoor side space, and a rear shaft  20   b  projected to the outdoor side space.  
         [0016]     The front shaft  20   a  has a turbofan  24  coupled thereto for forced circulation of room air through the evaporator  16 , and on a suction side of the turbofan  24 , there is an orifice  26  for making a speed of the air faster.  
         [0017]     The rear shaft  20   b  has a propeller fan  28  for forced pass of outdoor air through the condenser, and in rear of the propeller fan  26 , there is a shroud for forming a flow path of the room air drawn by the propeller fan  26 .  
         [0018]     The operation of the related art package type air conditioner will be described.  
         [0019]     Upon putting the package type air conditioner into operation, the refrigerant circulates through the refrigerating cycle having the compressor  12 , the condenser  14 , the expansion device (not shown), the evaporator  16 , and the bilateral motor  20  rotates the turbofan  24  and the propeller fan  28 .  
         [0020]     Then, air in front of the package type air conditioner is drawn backward by the turbofan  24 , and passes through the air inlet  10  in the front panel  9 . The room air is cooled down at the evaporator  16 , and passes through the orifice  26 , the lower guide  7 , and the upper guide  8  in succession. Then, the room air passes through the air outlet passage  11  in the front panel  9 , and is discharged to a front side of the package type air conditioner, again.  
         [0021]     In the meantime, outdoor air is drawn through the inlets  5  in the cabinet  4  by the propeller  28 , passes through the shroud  30 , and takes heat from the refrigerant at the condenser  14 , and is discharged to an outside of the room.  
         [0022]     However, the related art air conditioner has the following problems.  
         [0023]     First, in order to discharge heat exchanged air, the left/right air direction control louvers or the up/down air direction control louvers are required, without fail. However, small and plural louvers in the cabinet make an inside of the air conditioner dirty as foreign matters stick to the louvers, and cause difficulty in removal of the foreign matters. Moreover, the mounting of the plurality of the louvers is difficult and increases cost.  
         [0024]     Second, if only one of the plurality of the left/right air direction control louvers or the plurality of up/down air direction control louvers is mounted, a range of air direction control is limited as the room air direction can be controlled in one of the left/right or up/down direction.  
         [0025]     Third, the concentration of discharge of the air into the room only on an upper forward part of the package type air conditioner required a substantial time period in spreading in the room.  
         [0026]     Fourth, the room air inlet, and the room air outlet in the same front surface of the package type air conditioner causes a problem in that a substantial amount of discharged air is drawn again, directly.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an air conditioner that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
         [0028]     An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner which can control a direction of air, selectively.  
         [0029]     Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner which enables easy removal of foreign matters from air outlets.  
         [0030]     Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner which enables fast spreading of conditioned air into a room.  
         [0031]     A further object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner which can minimize a reverse flow of discharged air.  
         [0032]     Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.  
         [0033]     To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the air conditioner includes a cabinet having room air inlets in at least one of side surfaces and a top surface, and a room air outlet in a front surface, and a front panel in front of the cabinet.  
         [0034]     Preferably, the front panel is mounted spaced from a predetermined distance from the front surface of the cabinet for discharging air between the front panel and the front surface of the cabinet.  
         [0035]     Preferably, the front panel includes a panel mounting portion for mounting the front panel to the cabinet.  
         [0036]     In more detail, preferably, the front panel is fixed with respect to the cabinet. Of course, the front panel may move parallel to the cabinet.  
         [0037]     In another aspect of the present invention, an air conditioner includes a cabinet having room air inlets in at least one of side surfaces and a top surface, and a room air outlet in a front surface, and a front panel in front of the room air outlet, for adjusting an air flow direction of room air discharged from the room air outlet by moving relative to the cabinet.  
         [0038]     Preferably, the front panel is tilted freely at least one direction with respect to the cabinet.  
         [0039]     Preferably, the air conditioner further includes a panel supporter for supporting the front panel.  
         [0040]     In more detail, preferably, the panel supporter includes a mounting bar fixedly secured to the front panel, a ball connected to the mounting bar, and a ball socket for holding the ball.  
         [0041]     Preferably, the panel supporter further includes a supporting member for connecting the ball socket to the cabinet.  
         [0042]     Preferably, the ball socket has a spherical hole having one opened side, and mounted at a center of the air outlet.  
         [0043]     In the meantime, the front panel may move in a front/rear direction of the room air outlet.  
         [0044]     Preferably, the air conditioner further includes a panel supporter for supporting, and guiding a moving direction of the front panel.  
         [0045]     Preferably, the panel supporter includes a mounting bar fixedly secured to the front panel, a boss having the mounting bar passed therethrough, and at least one arm between the boss and the front panel.  
         [0046]     In more detail, the mounting bar moves in front/rear direction of the room air outlet, together with the front panel.  
         [0047]     One of the mounting bar or the boss may have a male thread formed thereon, and the other one has a female thread formed thereon.  
         [0048]     The air conditioner may further include a panel mover for moving the front panel.  
         [0049]     Preferably, the panel mover includes a piston in rear of the front panel, and a motor for driving the piston.  
         [0050]     The panel mover may include a motor for driving the front panel, and a power transmission device for transmission of power from the motor to the front panel.  
         [0051]     In more detail, the power transmission device includes a first gear fixedly secured to a rotation shaft of the motor, and a second gear engaged with the first gear.  
         [0052]     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0053]     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings;  
         [0054]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a related art package type air conditioner;  
         [0055]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded perspective view of a related art package type air conditioner;  
         [0056]      FIG. 3  illustrates a longitudinal section of a related art package type air conditioner;  
         [0057]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0058]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner in  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0059]      FIG. 6  illustrates a longitudinal section of the air conditioner in  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0060]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0061]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner in  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0062]      FIG. 9  illustrates a longitudinal section of the air conditioner in  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0063]      FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0064]      FIG. 11  illustrates a longitudinal section of the air conditioner in  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0065]      FIG. 12  illustrates a section of another embodiment of a panel supporter in an air conditioner of the present invention;  
         [0066]      FIG. 13  illustrates a section of one embodiment of a panel mover in an air conditioner of the present invention; and  
         [0067]      FIG. 14  illustrates a section of another embodiment of a panel mover in an air conditioner of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0068]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0069]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 5  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner in  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 6  illustrates a longitudinal section of the air conditioner in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0070]     Referring to FIGS.  4  to  6 , the air conditioner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.  
         [0071]     The air conditioner includes a cabinet having room air inlets formed in at least one of side surfaces, or a top surface, and a front panel on a front of the cabinet.  
         [0072]     The cabinet includes a front cabinet  53  having an indoor heat exchanger  80  mounted therein for heat exchange with room air introduced thereto, and a rear cabinet having an outdoor heat exchanger  90  mounted therein in correspondence to the indoor heat exchanger  80 .  
         [0073]     The front cabinet  53  and the rear cabinet  70  are mounted on one base  52 , and the front cabinet  53  and the rear cabinet  70  are separated by a barrier  74 .  
         [0074]     However, the present invention is not limited to above, but the front cabinet and the rear cabinet may be mounted on individual bases separate from each other. That is, the present invention is applicable, not only to the package type air conditioner, but also to the split type air conditioner.  
         [0075]     In a front surface of the front cabinet  53 , there is a room air outlet  58  for making the air heat exchanged at the indoor heat exchanger  80  to be discharged to a predetermined direction in front of the front cabinet. Moreover, at least one of side surfaces or a top surface of the front cabinet  53 , there is room air inlet  54 ,  55 , and  56  for drawing room air.  
         [0076]     In more detail, in a right side surface of the front cabinet, there is a right side air inlet  54 , in a top surface of the front cabinet, there is a top side air inlet  55 , and in a left side surface of the front cabinet, there is a left side air inlet  56 .  
         [0077]     Therefore, referring to  FIG. 4 , the room air ‘A’ is drawn through the side surfaces and the top surface, and discharged to front of the front cabinet  53 .  
         [0078]     However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, the air inlets  54 ,  56  may be formed only in the left, and right surfaces of the front cabinet  53 , without the top side air inlet. In this case, a structure of the front cabinet can be simplified, and infiltration of water or foreign matters through the top side air inlet can be prevented.  
         [0079]     In front of the front cabinet  53 , there is a front panel  60  mounted spaced a predetermined distance from the front cabinet  53  for controlling a direction of the room air.  
         [0080]     In more detail, there is a room air outlet  58  in a front surface of the front cabinet  53  for discharging the air while the air is being spread, and the front panel  60  is in front of the room air outlet  58 .  
         [0081]     The front panel  60  has a size slightly smaller the room air outlet  58 , and secured to the front cabinet  53 . The front panel  60  may have a shape varied with a shape of the room air outlet  58 .  
         [0082]     For an example, if the room air outlet is circular, a disk shape of front panel may be used, and if the room air outlet is square, a square front panel may be used. Of course, the front panel may have a shape irrelevant to the shape of the room air outlet.  
         [0083]     In the meantime, the front panel  60  has a panel mounting part  65  for mounting the front panel  60  to the front cabinet  53 . The panel mounting part  65  includes mounting projections each projected from a back surface of the front panel. The mounting projections are attached to the front cabinet  53  with adhesive or the like.  
         [0084]     However, the present invention is not limited to above embodiment, but the mounting projections may be formed on the front cabinet. The panel mounting part may include the mounting projections on one of the front panel and the front cabinet, and mounting holes in the other one of the front panel and the front cabinet. Moreover, the panel mounting part may have a pivot for movement of the front panel in parallel to the front cabinet.  
         [0085]     In the meantime, the base  52  has a barrier  74  standing at middle for dividing the inside of the air conditioner into an indoor side space ‘I’ and an outdoor side space ‘O’. The barrier  74  has a bilateral motor  75  at a center for circulating air. The bilateral motor  75  has a front rotation shaft  75   a  projected forward and a rear rotation shaft  75   b  projected backward.  
         [0086]     Secured to the front rotation shaft  75   a  of the bilateral motor  75  is a room fan  76  for circulating room air. Secured to the rear rotation shaft  75   b  is an outdoor fan  77  for circulating outdoor air. In more detail, the room fan  76  in the front cabinet  53  draws air through the room air inlets  54 ,  55 , and  56 , and blows toward the room air outlet  58 . The outdoor fan  77  in the rear cabinet  70  draws air through the outdoor air inlets  71 ,  72 , and  73 , and discharges through a back surface of the rear cabinet  70 .  
         [0087]     The room fan  76  includes a hub  76   a  fixedly secured to the front rotation shaft  75   a , and a plurality of blades  76   b  each extended in a helix on an outside circumference of the hub  76   a . The outdoor fan  77  includes a hub  77   a  fixedly secured to the rear rotation shaft  75   b , and a plurality of blades  77   b  each extended in a helix on an outside circumference of the hub  77   a . In the present invention, above shaped fan is called as “kai-fan” or “x-fan”.  
         [0088]     There is an indoor heat exchanger  80  between the front cabinet  53  and the room fan  76 , for making the air drawn by the room fan  76  to be heat exchanged.  
         [0089]     The indoor heat exchanger  80  has an inverted ‘U’ shape for effective cooling/heating of the air drawn through the right side air inlet  54 , the top side air inlet  55 , and the left side air inlet  56 , of the front cabinet  53 .  
         [0090]     That is, the indoor heat exchanger  80  includes a right side heat exchange portion  81  adjacent to the right side air inlet  55 , a top side heat exchange portion  82  under the top side air inlet  55 , and a left side heat exchange portion  83  adjacent to the left side air inlet  56 .  
         [0091]     In the meantime, in the rear cabinet  70 , there is a shroud  86  for forming a flow path of the outdoor air drawn by the outdoor fan  77 . The shroud  86  has an orifice  88  for controlling an air flow. On an inside, or in rear of the shroud  86 , there is an outdoor heat exchanger  90 .  
         [0092]     The outdoor heat exchanger  90  is hexahedral. Of course, the outdoor heat exchanger  90  may have a shape identical to the indoor heat exchanger  80 .  
         [0093]     The outdoor heat exchanger  90  cools or heats the air introduced through the air inlets  71 ,  72 , and  73  in the rear cabinet  70 . The air inlets  71 ,  72 , and  73  include a right side air inlet  71  in a right side surface, a top side air inlet  72  in a top side surface, and a left side air inlet  73  in a left side surface, of the rear cabinet  70 .  
         [0094]     In the rear cabinet  70 , there is a compressor  94  for converting low temperature, low pressure gaseous refrigerant into high temperature, high pressure gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant passed through the compressor  94  is expanded at a capillary tube.  
         [0095]     The operation of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described.  
         [0096]     Upon putting the air conditioner into operation, the compressor  94  converts the refrigerant into high temperature, high pressure gaseous state. The high temperature, high pressure gaseous refrigerant passes through, and condensed at the outdoor heat exchanger  90 , and passes through, and is converted into two phased refrigerant at the capillary tube  96 . Then, the refrigerant passes through, and evaporates at the indoor heat exchanger  80 , and the compressor  94 .  
         [0097]     The air conditioner puts the bilateral motor  75  into operation, to rotate the room fan  76  and the outdoor fan  77 . A negative pressure is formed in the vicinity, or rear of the room fan  76 . The air around the front cabinet  53  passes through the right side air inlet  54 , the top side air inlet  55 , and the left side air inlet  56 , of the front cabinet  53 , and is drawn into the indoor side space ‘I’ of the air conditioner.  
         [0098]     The air, drawn through the right side air inlet  54 , the top side air inlet  55 , and the left side air inlet  56 , passes the left side heat exchanger portion  83 , the top side heat exchanger portion  82 , and the right side heat exchanger portion  81 , and heat exchanges with the refridgerant. Then, the heat exchanged air is drawn into the room fan  76 , and blown to front of the room fan  76 .  
         [0099]     The air blown thus passes through the orifice  57 , is guided to the room air outlet  58  of the air discharge guide  59 , and discharged in upper, lower, left, and right directions of forward of the air conditioner.  
         [0100]     In the meantime, when the outdoor fan  77  rotates, a negative pressure is formed around or in front of the outdoor fan  77 . The outdoor air in the vicinity of the rear cabinet  70  passes through the right side air inlet  71 , the top side air inlet  72 , and the left side air inlet  73  of the rear cabinet  70 , and is drawn into the outdoor side space ‘O’ of the air conditioner. The drawn outdoor air is blown to rear of the outdoor fan  77  by the outdoor fan  77 .  
         [0101]     The outdoor air blown to rear passes through the orifice  88 , and heat exchanges with the outdoor heat exchanger  90  as the outdoor air passes through the outdoor heat exchanger  90 . The heat exchanged outdoor air is discharged to rear of the air conditioner through a back side of the rear cabinet  70 .  
         [0102]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 8  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner in  FIG. 7 , and  FIG. 9  illustrates a longitudinal section of the air conditioner in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0103]     Referring to FIGS.  7  to  9 , the air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.  
         [0104]     The air conditioner in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is identical to the air conditioner in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention substantially, except that the second embodiment air conditioner includes a panel supporter  61 ,  62 , and  67  which can support the front panel.  
         [0105]     In front of the front cabinet  53  of the second embodiment, there is a front panel  60  for adjusting a direction of discharged air. The front panel  60  has a plate slightly smaller an inside circumference of the air discharge guide  59  such that the front panel  60  can be tilted in all directions of up/down, and left/right sides from an inside of the air discharge guide  59 .  
         [0106]     The front panel  60  is constructed of a square plate if the air discharge guide  59  has a square section, and is constructed of a circular disc if the air discharge guide  59  is cylindrical.  
         [0107]     In the meantime, the panel supporter includes a mounted bar  61  for mounting on the front panel  60 , a ball  62  connected to the mounting bar  61 , and a supporting member  67  having a ball socket  66  for holding the ball  62 .  
         [0108]     In more detail, the mounting bar  61  is fixedly secured to a center of a rear side of the front panel  60 , and the ball  62  of a spherical shape is at an end of the mounting bar  61 . The supporting member  67  is in the air discharge guide  59  for coupling the mounting bar  61  to the front cabinet  53 .  
         [0109]     The supporting member  67  includes a boss  63  with the ball socket  66  for placing the ball  62  therein, and a plurality of arms  64  between the boss  63  and the front cabinet  53 . In more detail, the arms  64 , between an outside circumference of the boss  64  and an inside circumference of the air discharge guide  59 , connect the boss  64  to the front cabinet  53 . The ball socket  66  has a spherical hole having one opened side, for placing in and rotating the ball  62 .  
         [0110]     It is preferable that the ball  62  and the ball socket  66  have a predetermined friction force when an external force is applied thereto, so that the front panel  60  can maintain a tilted state against a discharging air pressure.  
         [0111]     Moreover, though the arms  64 , supporting weight of the front panel  60 , are required to have adequate thickness of ribs, it is preferable that the rib has a thickness and formed of material, that do not interfere with the discharging air flow.  
         [0112]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a process for changing a direction of discharging room air from the air conditioner of the embodiment will be described.  
         [0113]     Upon applying external force to an upper side of the front panel  60 , the ball  62  at the end of the mounting bar  61  rotates in the ball socket  66 . At the same time with this, one side of the mounting bar  61  moves in a direction of the external force together with the front panel  60 , such that the front panel  60  is tilted upwardly.  
         [0114]     In this instance, there are a small gap P 2  formed between the front panel  60  and an upper portion of the air discharge guide  59 , and a large gap P 3  between the front panel  60  and a lower portion of the air discharge guide  59 .  
         [0115]     Then, because the air introduced into the room air outlet  58  is discharged through the large gap P 3  more than the small gap P 2 , the heat exchanged air can be concentrated on the lower side of the air conditioner.  
         [0116]     Of course, upon applying external force to a left side of the front panel  60 , the ball  62  at the end of the mounting bar  61  rotates in the ball socket  66 , to tilt the front panel  60  to a left side. In this instance, a small gap is formed between the front panel  60  and a left side of the air discharge guide  59 , and a large gap is formed between the front panel  60  and a right side of the air discharge guide  59 .  
         [0117]     Then, because the air introduced into the room air outlet  58  is discharged through the large gap on the right side more than the small gap on the left side, the heat exchanged air can be concentrated on the right side of the package type air conditioner.  
         [0118]     However, the present invention is not limited to above embodiment, but all devices that can control tilting of the front panel can be used. For an example, HHHH.  
         [0119]     Moreover, a plurality of front panels may be provided, for tilting the front panels in a plurality of directions to guide the discharging air in a plurality of directions. Of course, the front panel may also be provided to the inlet for controlling an amount of inflow air.  
         [0120]      FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of an air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 11  illustrates a longitudinal section of the air conditioner in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0121]     Though the third embodiment is identical to above embodiment basically, the third embodiment includes a panel supporter  610 ,  611 , and  612  for supporting the front panel while the panel supporter is moved in a front/rear direction of the room air outlet  58 . In more detail, the front panel  60  is mounted in front of the front cabinet  53  so to be movable in a front/rear direction of the room air outlet.  
         [0122]     The panel supporter  610 ,  611 , and  612  includes a mounting bar  610  fixedly secured to the front panel, a boss  611  through which the mounting bar  610  passes, and at least one arm  612  between the boss and the front panel.  
         [0123]     In more detail, the mounting bar  610  is projected from the back surface of the front panel, and the boss  611  having the mounting bar  610  passing therethrough is position at a center of the air discharge guide  59 . The arms  612  connect an outside circumference of the boss  611  and the inside circumference of the air discharge guide  59 .  
         [0124]     Therefore, if the front panel  60  is pulled forward, the mounting bar  610  moves forward of the room air outlet  58  as the mounting bar  610  is guided by the boss. Then, the front panel  60  is positioned in front of the air discharge guide  59 , to form a gap P 4  between the front panel  6  and the air discharge guide  59 .  
         [0125]     Once the front panel is moved forward of the air discharge guide  59 , the air passed through the room air outlet  58  is discharged to front of the air conditioner through the gap P 4  between the front panel and the discharge guide.  
         [0126]     If the air discharge guide  59  has a square section, the front panel  60  has a shape of a square plate, and if the air discharge guide  59  is cylindrical, the front panel  60  has a shape of a circular disk. It is preferable that the front panel  60  has a size slightly smaller than an inside circumference of the air discharge guide  59 ,  
         [0127]     On the other hand, if the front panel  60  is pushed backward for changing a direction of room air discharged from the air conditioner, the mounting bar  610  moves backward guided by the boss  611 . Then, the air blown forward by the room fan  76  passes through the gap between the front panel  60  and the air discharge guide  59 , and discharged to front of the room air outlet.  
         [0128]      FIG. 12  illustrates a section of another embodiment of a panel supporter in an air conditioner of the present invention.  
         [0129]     Different from above embodiments, in the embodiment, the mounting bar and the boss are joined with threads for moving the front panel. In more detail, the mounting bar  621  has a male thread  625  formed thereon, and the boss  623  has a female thread  622  formed thereon. Of course, the mounting bar  621  may have a female thread, and the boss  623  may have a male thread.  
         [0130]     Accordingly, upon rotating the front panel  60  in one of clock, or anti-clock wise direction, the front panel  60  rotates, and moves forward with the mounting bar  621 . Of course, is the front panel is rotated in a direction opposite to a case the front panel  60  is moved forward, the front panel  60  rotates in an opposite direction, and moves backward with the mounting bar.  
         [0131]      FIG. 13  illustrates a section of one embodiment of a panel mover in an air conditioner of the present invention.  
         [0132]     Different from above embodiments, the embodiment further includes a panel mover for moving the front panel.  
         [0133]     The panel mover  631 , and  635  includes a piston  631  mounted in rear of the front panel  60 , and a motor  635  for driving the piston. In more detail, the piston  631  has a front end secured to a back surface of the front panel  60 , and the piston  631  moves in a front/rear direction together with the front panel. The motor  635  is a linear motor for linear movement of the piston, and it is preferable that the piston  631  passes through the boss  633  and mounted in front of the boss  633 .  
         [0134]     Accordingly, if the piston  631  is moved to forward of the room air outlet by the motor  635 , the front panel  60  moves forward together with the piston  631 . if the piston  631  moves backward by the motor, the front panel  60  moves backward together with the piston  631 , until the front panel  60  is positioned inside of the air discharge guide  59 .  
         [0135]      FIG. 14  illustrates a section of another embodiment of a panel mover in an air conditioner of the present invention.  
         [0136]     Different from above embodiments, the package type air conditioner of the embodiment further includes a panel mover with a power transmission device for moving the front panel.  
         [0137]     The panel mover includes a motor  643  for providing power for driving the front panel  60 , and a power transmission device  640  for transmission of power from the motor  643  to the front panel  60 .  
         [0138]     The motor  643  is reversible, and mounted on a boss  645  at one side of the cabinet. The power transmission device  640  includes a first gear  641  fixedly secured to a rotation shaft of the motor  643 , and a second gear  642  engaged with the first gear. In more detail, the first gear  641  passes through, and is supported on the boss  645 , and the second gear  642  has one side fixedly secured to a back surface of the front panel  60 .  
         [0139]     Therefore, if the rotation shaft of the motor  643  rotates, the first gear  641  rotates, and the second gear  642  rotates in a direction opposite to the first gear  641  in a state the second gear  642  is supported on the boss  645 . As shafts of the first gear  641  and the second gear  642  rotate following rotation of the motor  643 , the front panel  60  moves forward/backward.  
         [0140]     However, the present invention is not limited to above embodiment, but the power transmission device  640  ma include a link, a lever, or a belt.  
         [0141]     As has been described, the air conditioner of the present invention has the following advantages.  
         [0142]     First, since no lovers are required, that require cleaning of foreign matters stuck thereto, the air conditioner can be used conveniently and production cost can be reduced.  
         [0143]     Second, the front surface of the air conditioner only having the room air outlets permits to minimizes direct re-entry of discharged air.  
         [0144]     Third, the discharge of heat exchanged room air to all directions of front of the air conditioner permits to shorten a time period required for cooling/heating the room.  
         [0145]     Fourth, the free front/rear direction moving or tilting of the front panel with reference to the front cabinet permits to select a variety of air flow directions, and extend a range of air flow directions.  
         [0146]     Fifth, the panel mover permits quick and convenient movement of the front panel, thereby permitting to adjust a direction of discharging air flow.  
         [0147]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.