Patent Publication Number: US-2023151982-A1

Title: Air purifier

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a) of international Application No. PCT/KR2021/007883, filed on Jun. 23, 2021, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0102735, filed on Aug. 14, 2020, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosure relates to an air purifier, and more particularly, to an air purifier having a structure in which accessibility to electronic components arranged in the air purifier is improved. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An air purifier is a device used to remove contaminants in the air. The air purifier may remove germs, viruses, mold, fine dust, and chemicals which cause offensive odor in the air sucked in. 
     The air purifier may include a filter for purifying contaminated indoor air. The air sucked into the air purifier may be purified into clean air with the contaminants removed while passing through the filter, and the purified air may be discharged out of the air purifier. 
     The air purifier may include an electric room with many different electric components arranged therein for driving a pollution level sensor, a fan and a discharge blade. 
     The air purifier, a ceiling type air purifier in particular, may allow access to the electric room in the air purifier to fix the electric room by taking apart a grill defining the exterior of the air purifier and then various components such as a discharge assembly including the filter and the discharge blade. 
     SUMMARY 
     Aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a ceiling type air purifier may include a housing having an opening on a lower side; a filter arranged on one side of the opening and fixed to the housing; a fan configured to circulate air having passed through the filter; a convergent space formed in the housing and configured to receive air circulated by the fan; and a discharge assembly including a discharge plate formed to match a lower portion of the convergent space, a discharge blade rotatably coupled with the discharge plate so as to be rotatable to control a moving direction of air discharged from the convergent space, and a rotation shaft arranged at one end of the discharge assembly. The discharge assembly may be coupled with the housing to be rotatable on the rotation shaft so as to rotate to open the convergent space to allow access to the convergent space, and to rotate to close the convergent space. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the ceiling type air purifier further includes an electric room arranged in the convergent space, and a plurality of electric components arranged in the electric room and configured to operate the ceiling type air purifier. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the ceiling type air purifier further includes an installation area for the filter; and a partition plate formed in the housing and separating the installation area and the fan from the convergent space. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the ceiling type air purifier further includes a flow path formed in the housing, wherein the flow path is configured so that the air circulated by the fan flows in the flow path from the fan, through the partition plate, and to the convergent space. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the flow path includes a flow path outlet configured to discharge the air flowing in the flow path to the convergent space, wherein the flow path outlet is arranged on at least one of a lower side and circumference of the electric room. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the discharge assembly is arranged under the flow path outlet. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the discharge assembly further includes a blade motor adjacent to the rotation shaft and fixed to the discharge plate, and configured to rotate the discharge blade. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the discharge plate includes a shaft projection arranged on the rotation shaft and formed on one side of the discharge plate, and the housing includes a settling groove in which the shaft projection is inserted so that the discharge assembly is rotatable. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the housing includes a body housing including the flow path and the partition plate; and an edge plate matching edges of the lower side of the body housing formed along the opening of the housing, wherein the settling groove is formed on one side of the edge plate. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the settling groove includes a guide plane on which the shaft projection is rotatable and slidable. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the guide plane is formed in a longitudinal direction of the edge plate on which the settling groove formed. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the guide plane includes a slope tilted toward a lower side of the ceiling type air purifier. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the discharge plate includes a buffer including a curved plane on a top of a side of the discharge plate opposite to the blade motor. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the ceiling type air purifier further includes a grill covering the filter and the discharge assembly, the grill being detachably coupled with the lower side of the housing. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the grill includes a plurality of holes formed on the grill, and the discharge assembly further includes a display configured to display an operation status of the ceiling type air purifier through the plurality of holes formed on the grill. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other embodiments of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a top view of an air purifier with a grill of  FIG.  1    taken apart to open a discharge assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded perspective view of an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view illustrating a filtration space and a convergent space of an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of a combination of a first body housing, a flow path and a fan guard of  FIG.  3    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of a combination of the first body housing and a second body housing of  FIG.  3    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure with a grill removed. 
         FIG.  8    is a bottom view with a discharge assembly removed from  FIG.  7    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    is an exploded perspective view of a discharge assembly of an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    is an enlarged view of a Y1 region of  FIG.  9    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  11    is a diagram of  FIG.  9    viewed from an opposite direction according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  12    is an enlarged view of a Y2 region of  FIG.  11    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  13    is an enlarged view of a portion in which a settling groove is formed on an edge plate of an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  14    is a cross-sectional view along A-A of  FIG.  7    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  15    is a cross-sectional view along B-B of  FIG.  7    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional view along C-C of  FIG.  7    according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  17    illustrates an air purifier with a discharge assembly closed, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  18    illustrates an air purifier with a discharge assembly opened, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  19    is a cross-sectional view of an air purifier along A-A, according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  20    is an exploded perspective view of an electric room, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments and features as described and illustrated in the disclosure are merely examples, and there may be various modifications replacing the embodiments and drawings at the time of filing this application. 
     Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts or components. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The terms including ordinal numbers like “first” and “second” may be used to explain various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing a component from another. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or room discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the disclosure. Descriptions shall be understood as to include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items when the items are described by using the conjunctive term “˜ and/or ˜,” or the like. 
     The terms “forward or front”, “rearward or behind”, “left”, and “right” as herein used are defined with respect to the drawings, but the terms may not restrict the shapes and position of the respective components. 
     Embodiments of the disclosure provide a ceiling type air purifier with enhanced accessibility to electric components arranged in the air purifier. 
     Embodiments of the disclosure also provide a ceiling type air purifier with an enhanced layout of an electric room in the air purifier, which leads to a reduction in overall volume. 
     According embodiments of the disclosure, a ceiling type air purifier may include a housing having an opening on a lower side; a filtration space formed in the housing and having a filter and a fan arranged therein; a convergent space formed in the housing and in which air moved by the fan converges; an electric room arranged in the convergent space; a partition plate separating the filtration space from the convergent space; and a discharge assembly including a discharge blade, opening or closing the convergent space, and rotationally coupled with the housing, the discharge assembly exposing the electric room in response to opening of the convergent space. 
     A flow path formed in the housing and in which air having passed the partition plate is moved from the filtration space to the convergent space may be further included. 
     The flow path may include a flow path outlet through which to discharge air from the flow path to the convergent space, and the flow path outlet may be arranged on at least one of the lower side or circumference of the electric room. 
     The discharge assembly may further include a shaft projection formed on one side of the discharge assembly, and the housing may further include a settling groove to which the shaft projection is inserted to allow the discharge assembly to be rotated against the housing. 
     The settling groove may include a guide plane for the shaft projection to rotate or slide. 
     According to embodiments of the disclosure, an air purifier may have an electric room installed in a convergent space in which filtered air is received, eliminating the need for an extra space for installing the electric room, thereby reducing the overall volume of the air purifier. 
     According to embodiments of the disclosure, an air purifier may allow access to internal space of the air purifier with a discharge assembly coupled to the housing even when opened by a rotation operation without need to completely take apart the discharge assembly. 
     According to embodiments of the disclosure, an air purifier may have a discharge assembly arranged under the convergent space and an electric room arranged in the convergent space, allowing easy access to the electric room when opened by a rotation operation of the discharge assembly. 
     According to the disclosure, an air purifier may effectively open or close the convergent space with a shaft projection of the discharge assembly that is able to rotate or slide. 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  2    is a top view of an air purifier with a grill of  FIG.  1    taken apart to open a discharge assembly.  FIG.  3    is an exploded perspective view of an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view illustrating a filtration space and a convergent space of an air purifier, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  5    is a perspective view of a combination of a first body housing, a flow path and a fan guard of  FIG.  3   .  FIG.  6    is a perspective view of a combination of the first body housing and a second body housing of  FIG.  3   . 
     For reference,  FIG.  6    illustrates a combination of a first body housing and a second body housing after a flow path and a fan guard of  FIG.  5    are removed, for convenience of explanation. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  and  3   , an air purifier  1  may include a housing  100 , filters  400   a  and  400   b , fans  500   a  and  500   b , and a grill  30 . 
     The air purifier  1  may further include a discharge assembly  800  through which filtered air passes in the process of being discharged from inside of the housing to outside of the housing. The discharge assembly  800  may be provided to control a discharge current of the filtered air. The discharge assembly  800  may be rotationally coupled with the housing. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , the discharge assembly  800  may be coupled with the housing  100  to be able to rotate on a rotation shaft  800   r  arranged at one end of the discharge assembly  800 . A rotation mechanism of the discharge assembly  800  will be described later in detail. 
     The air purifier  1  may further include flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  in which air having passed the fans  500   a  and  500   b  may be moved to the discharge assembly  800 . 
     An electric room  700  including electric components  710  (shown in  FIG.  16   ) for driving and controlling components of the air purifier  1  may be included. Referring to  FIG.  3   , the electric room  700  includes an electric room box  720  in which the electric components  710  are arranged, and an electric room cover  730  for covering the electric components  710  not to be exposed to the outside of the electric room  700 . The electric room cover  730  may be coupled with the electric room box  720 . 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may be installed on a ceiling C. At least a portion of the air purifier  1  may be buried in the ceiling C. Specifically, the housing of the air purifier  1  may be buried in the ceiling C. 
     The grill  30  may be provided to cover the discharge assembly  800  and the filters  400   a  and  400   b  coupled with the housing  100 . The grill  30  may be coupled with the lower side of the air purifier  1 . The grill  30  may include a filter matching area  31  formed to match the filters  400   a  and  400   b . The grill  30  may further include a discharge assembly matching area  32  to match the discharge assembly  800 . The grill  30  may further include a blade opening  33  through which a discharge blade  820  (shown in  FIG.  7   ) of the discharge assembly  800  is exposed to the outside. A grill blade  31   a  may be further included in the filter matching area  31  for outside air flowing into the air purifier  1  to be smoothly moved. 
     A plurality of micro holes  35  formed around the blade opening  33  may be provided in the discharge assembly matching area  32 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2  to  6   , the housing  100  may be formed in the shape of a box with the open bottom to receive components of the air purifier  1 . The housing  100  may include openings  141   a ,  141   b  and  142  (see  FIG.  6   ) on the lower side. 
     The housing  100  may include a body housing  110  placed inside the ceiling C. The body housing  110  may include a first body housing  111  and a second body housing  112 . The second body housing  112  may be coupled to the bottom of the first body housing  111 . The first body housing  111  and the second body housing  112  may be separately manufactured and then coupled to each other for an efficient manufacturing process of the air purifier  1 . The first body housing  111  and the second body housing  112  are coupled together to form the aforementioned shape of the box with the open bottom. It is not, however, limited thereto, and the first body housing  111  and the second body housing  112  may be integrally formed. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , the inside of the housing  100  may be partitioned into a filtration space  200  and a convergent space  300 . The filtration space  200  and the convergent space  300  may be separated by partition plates  131  and  132 . The partition plates  131  and  132  may be provided with the first partition plate  131  and the second partition plate  132 . The first partition plate  131  may be formed in the first body housing  111 . The second partition plate  132  may be formed in the second body housing  112 . It is not, however, limited thereto, and when the first body housing  111  and the second body housing  112  are integrally formed, the first partition plate  131  and the second partition plate  132  may be integrally formed as well. 
     The filtration space  200  may be defined as a space in which air outside the air purifier  1  passes through the filters  400   a  and  400   b  and then flows into the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The convergent space  300  may be defined as a space for receiving the filtered air that has passed the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The filtered air in the convergent space  300  may be discharged back out of the air purifier  1  through the discharge assembly  800 . The partition plates  131  and  132  may be provided to separate the filtration space  200  where the filters  400   a  and  400   b  and the fans  500   a  and  500   b  are installed from the convergent space  300  where the discharge assembly  800  is arranged. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  3  and  6   , after the first body housing  111  and the second body housing  112  are coupled, the openings  141   a ,  141   b  and  142  (see  FIG.  6   ) located on the lower side of the housing  100  may be formed at the bottom of the second body housing  112 . The openings  141   a ,  141   b  and  142  may be formed largely as inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  and an outlet opening  142 . The inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  and the outlet opening  142  may be separated by the partition plates  131  and  132 . 
     The inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  may correspond to the filtration space  200 , and the outlet opening  142  may correspond to the convergent space  300 . In other words, the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  are openings on which the filters  400   a  and  400   b  are arranged and through which the air outside the air purifier  1  passes the filters  400   a  and  400   b  and then flows into the filtration space  200 . The filtration space  200  may be placed above the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b . The outlet opening  142  is an opening on which the discharge assembly  800  is arranged and through which the filtered air in the convergent space  300  passes through the discharge assembly  800  and is discharged out of the air purifier  1 . The convergent space  300  may be placed above the outlet opening  142 . 
     The inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  may include the first inlet opening  141   a  and the second inlet opening  141   b.    
     The first inlet opening  141   a  and the second inlet opening  141   b  may be separated by a housing rib  112   r  formed on the housing  100 . The housing rib  112   r  may perform a function of assisting distribution of an air current so that the air that has passed through the filters  400   a  and  400   b , which will be described later, may effectively flow into the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The housing rib  112   r  may be provided in the shape of a plate crossing the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b . It is not, however, limited thereto, and the housing rib  112   r  may be provided in various shapes to effectively separate the first inlet opening  141   a  from the second inlet opening  141   b.    
     The housing rib  112   r  may be formed across the first body housing  111  and the second body housing  112 . It is not, however, limited thereto, and the housing rib  112   r  may be formed only on the second body housing  112  and connected to a structure of the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  and fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  arranged on the second body housing  112  to partition the filtration space. With the internal structure of the partitioned filtration space, the air current having passed through the filters  400   a  and  400   b  may be effectively distributed. 
     Specifically, the housing rib  112   r  may be formed on the second body housing  112  on which the openings  141   a ,  141   b  and  142  are formed. The housing rib  112   r  may be formed such that the first inlet opening  141   a  and the second inlet opening  141   b  have almost the same area. It is not, however, limited thereto, and there may be one inlet opening  141   a  and  141   b  formed without the housing rib  112   r.    
     The number of the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  may correspond to the number of the fans  500   a  and  500   b  provided in the housing  100  of the air purifier  1 . 
     In the air purifier  1  according to the embodiment, there may be two fans  500   a  and  500   b , the first fan  500   a  and the second fan  500   b , which will be described later. It is not, however, limited thereto, and there may be various numbers of fans  500   a  and  500   b  based on the volume of a target space for purification, and there may be various numbers of inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  accordingly. In this case, the housing rib  112   r  may be formed to correspond to the number of the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b.    
     The housing  100  may further include an edge plate  120  matching edges of the body housing  110 . Specifically, the edge plate  120  coupled with the lower side of the second body housing  112  of the body housing  110  may be further included. The edge plate  120  may be provided in a shape matching lower edges  112   e  of the second body housing  112 . The lower edges of the second body housing  112  may refer to the edges  112   e  of the second body housing  112  that forms the openings  141   a ,  141   b  and  142 . 
     A portion  112   ee  (see  FIG.  6   ) of the edges  112   e  of the second body housing  112  may be provided to correspond to the shape of a discharge plate  810  of the discharge assembly  800 , which will be described later. 
     The edge plate  120  may support the filters  400   a  and  400   b  and may be coupled onto the lower side of the housing  100 . The edge plate  120  may support the discharge assembly and may be coupled onto the lower side of the housing  100 . This will be described later in detail. 
     The edge plate  120  may be formed to match the edges  112   e  of the body housing  110  and may have the shape of substantially a rectangular ring. It is not, however, limited thereto, and may have various shapes formed to match the edges  112   e  of the body housing  110 . 
     The edge plate  120  may further include edge plate ribs  121  to effectively support the filters  400   a  and  400   b . The edge plate ribs  121  may increase mechanical strength of the edge plate  120 . The edge plate ribs  121  may be formed at positions corresponding to the housing ribs  112   r . The edge plate ribs  121  may be formed at positions corresponding to the partition plates  131  and  132 . 
     The edge plate rib  121  may be provided in the shape of a rod that connects opposite edges of the edge plate  120 . It is not, however, limited thereto, and may be provided in various shapes that may increase the mechanical strength of the edge plate  120 . 
     The second body housing  112  and the edge plate  120  may be coupled by a fastening member (not shown). The fastening member (not shown) may be provided in a screw fastening mechanism or a hook fastening mechanism. It is not, however, limited thereto, and there may be various fastening mechanisms that securely maintain the fastening state of the second body housing  112  and the edge plate  120  in the vertical direction. 
     A sensor module  20  may be arranged on one side of the edge plate  120 . The sensor module  20  may be placed near the electric room  700  of the air purifier  1 , or in an embodiment of the disclosure, the sensor module  20  of the air purifier  1  may be placed on the other side from the side where the electric room  700  is arranged. The position of the sensor module  20  is not, however, limited thereto, and the sensor module  20  may be installed in various locations in the air purifier  1  to be able to effectively measure the contamination level of the target space for purification. 
     The filters  400   a  and  400   b  may be installed in the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b . The filters may purify the air flowing from outside into the housing  100  of the air purifier  1 . The filters  400   a  and  400   b  may be arranged in the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  and fixed to the housing  100 . The filters  400   a  and  400   b  may be fixed to the housing  100  by the edge plate  120  of the housing  100 . The filters  400   a  and  400   b  may be arranged to match the shapes of the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b . The cross-section of the filter  400   a  or  400   b  may have the shape of almost a rectangle. 
     The filters  400   a  and  400   b  may include the first filter  400   a  and the second filter  400   b . In other words, there may be a plurality of filters  400   a  and  400   b  arranged. The plurality of filters  400   a  and  400   b  may be provided to match the shapes or the number of the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b . In an embodiment, the air purifier may have two inlet openings, the first inlet opening  141   a  and the second inlet opening  141   b , as described above, formed to match the filters  400   a  and  400   b . It is not, however, limited thereto, but may be provided with a single filter. That is, there may be one filter regardless of the shapes or the number of the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b.    
     The fans  500   a  and  500   b  may be installed in the housing  100 . The fans  500   a  and  500   b  may guide the air that has passed through the filters  400   a  and  400   b  to flow into the convergent space  300  from the filtration space  200 . 
     The fans  500   a  and  500   b  may be provided in a cylindrical shape having relatively short height as compared to the diameter. The fans  500   a  and  500   b  may further include fan motors  510  at positions corresponding to the center of the cylinders to drive the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The fans applied to an embodiment of the disclosure may be provided as a centrifugal fan. It is not, however, limited thereto, and various types of fans such as axial fans may be applied depending on the overall shape of the air purifier  1  and the layouts of the flow paths. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may be provided with a plurality of fans. Referring to  FIG.  3   , in an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may include the first fan  500   a  and the second fan  500   b.    
     The first fan  500   a  may be placed further apart from the outlet opening  142  than the second fan  500   b  in the housing. The first inlet opening  141   a  and the second inlet opening  141   b  may match the first fan  500   a  and the second fan  500   b , respectively. It is not, however, limited thereto, and there may be one, or two or more fans provided. 
     The fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may be provided in the housing  100 . The flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  connected to the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may be provided in the housing  100 . In an embodiment of the disclosure, the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  and the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  may be separately manufactured and then coupled to the housing  100 . Specifically, the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  and the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  may be coupled onto a plane located on the top of the first housing  100 . It is not, however, limited thereto, but the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  and the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  are arranged in the housing and integrally formed with the housing  100 . 
     The fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may be provided in the shapes matching the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may be provided in the shapes that surround the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may have substantially a semi-spherical form. The fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may perform a function of delivering the air discharged in the circumferential direction of the fans  500   a  and  500   b  provided as centrifugal fans to the flow paths. The fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  may include holes at positions facing the inlet openings  141   a  and  141   b  to bring in the air having passed through the filters. 
     There may be a plurality of fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  to correspond to the number of the fans  500   a  and  500   b . In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may include the first fan  500   a  and the second fan  500   b , and there may be the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b  which are the first fan guard  113   a  and the second fan guard  113   b  to correspond to the number of the fans as well. Referring to  FIG.  3   , the first fan guard  113   a  and the second fan guard  113   b  may be provided in the same shape. 
     The flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  may be connected to the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b . The air discharged from the fans  500   a  and  500   b  may flow into the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  by the fan guards  113   a  and  113   b.    
     The flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  may be provided in the plural to correspond to the number of the fans  500   a  and  600   b . In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may include the first fan  500   a  and the second fan  500   b , so that there may be the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  which are the first flow path  600   a  and the second flow path  600   b  to correspond to the number of the fans as well. The first flow path  600   a  and the second flow path  600   b  may be arranged in the housing  100 . Specifically, the first flow path  600   a  and the second flow path  600   b  may be arranged in the first body housing  111 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  3  to  6   , the first flow path  600   a  and the second flow path  600   b  may extend out from the first fan guard  113   a  and the second fan guard  113   b , respectively. The length of the first flow path  600   a  connected to the first fan guard  113   a  may be shorter than the length of the second flow path  600   b  connected to the second fan guard  113   b . The first flow path  600   a  and the second flow path  600   b  may be vertically stacked to make better use of the internal space of the housing  100 . The first flow path  600   a  may be located under the second flow path  600   b . The first flow path  600   a  may be formed such that a portion of a part forming the upper plane that forms the first flow path  600   a  overlaps a portion of a part forming the lower plane of the second flow path  600   b.    
     Walls that define the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  may separate the convergent space  300  from the filtration space  200  together with the partition plates  131  and  132 . The filtration space  200  and the convergent space  300  may be connected to each other through the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b.    
     The air having passed the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  may be discharged into the convergent space  300  through flow path outlets  610   a  and  610   b  formed at one ends of the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b . The first flow path outlet  610   a  may be formed at one end of the first flow path  600   a . The second flow path outlet  610   b  may be formed at one end of the second flow path  600   b.    
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , the first flow path  600   a  is placed under the second flow path  600   b , and the first flow path outlet  610   a  of the first flow path  600   a  may be placed under the second flow path outlet  610   b  of the second flow path. The filtered air may be discharged into the convergent space  300  through the first flow path outlet  610   a  and the second flow path outlet  610   b.    
     A discharge direction D1 in which the air is discharged through the first flow path outlet  610   a  may be different from a discharge direction D2 in which the air is discharged through the second flow path outlet  610   b . Specifically, the discharge directions may form almost 90°. 
     The discharge direction D1 of the air discharged through the first flow path outlet  610   a  may be toward an electric room placement area  700 ′. The discharge direction D2 of the air discharged through the second flow path outlet  610   b  may be parallel to the electric room placement area  700 ′. In other words, the discharge direction D2 of the air discharged through the second flow path outlet  610   b  may not be toward the electric room placement area  700 ′. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  5  and  6   , on one side of the housing  100 , an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) connector  900  connected to an ERV placed outside the air purifier  1  may be provided. The ERV may refer to a heat exchanger that takes energy (heat) from the indoor air and transfers the energy to outside air brought in from outside when the indoor air is discharged to the outside for ventilation. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier may bring air outside the air purifier  1  discharged from the ERV into the air purifier  1  through the ERV connector  900 . 
     The air brought into the air purifier  1  through the ERV connector  900  may flow into the air purifier  1  through an outside air flow path  910 . This will be described later in detail. 
       FIG.  7    is a bottom view of an embodiment with a grill removed.  FIG.  8    is a bottom view with a discharge assembly removed from  FIG.  6   . For reference,  FIG.  7    illustrates the second body housing  112  with a portion of the second body housing  112  corresponding to an area where the flow path outlets  610   a  and  610   b  of the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b  are located removed therefrom. 
     The discharge assembly  800  and the electric room  700  will now be described in detail. 
     The air purifier  1  may include the discharge assembly  800  for discharging the filtered air in the convergent space  300 . 
     The air purifier  1  further includes the electric room  700  including electric components  710  for driving and controlling components of the air purifier  1  such as a blade motor  840 , the sensor module  20  and the fan motor  510  included in the discharge assembly  800 . 
     The traditional ceiling type air purifier has an electric room placed in a separate space from a space in which the filtered air is moved, leading to an increase in overall volume of the air purifier. Furthermore, a fixing process may be complicated because all the grill, the panel, and the discharge device for discharging the filtered air need to be taken apart from the ceiling to fix the electric room placed in the air purifier. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may have the electric room  700  installed in the convergent space  300  where the filtered air is received, to eliminate the need for an extra space for installing the electric room, thereby reducing the overall volume of the air purifier  1 . 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may allow access to the internal space of the air purifier  1  while the discharge assembly  800  is connected to the housing  100  even when opened by a rotation operation without a need to completely take the discharge assembly  800  apart from the housing  100 . 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, with the discharge assembly  800  arranged under the convergent space  300  and the electric room  700  arranged in the convergent space  300 , the air purifier  1  may allow easy access to the electric room  700  when the discharge assembly  800  is opened by a rotation operation. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  7  and  8   , the discharge assembly  800  may be arranged on one side of the openings  141   a ,  141   b  and  142  of the housing  100 . Specifically, the discharge assembly  800  may be arranged on the outlet opening  142  of the housing  100 . Hence, the discharge assembly  800  may be placed on one side to the filter  400   a  or  400   b  arranged on the inlet opening  141   a  or  141   b . Specifically, in an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may include the first filter  400   a  and the second filter  400   b , and the discharge assembly  800  may be arranged on one side to the second filter  400   b.    
     The discharge assembly  800  may be rotationally coupled to the housing  100 . Specifically, the discharge assembly  800  may be coupled with the housing  100  to be able to rotate on the rotation shaft  800   r  arranged at one end of the discharge assembly  800 . The discharge assembly  800  may be rotationally coupled with the edge plate  120  of the housing  100 . This will be described later in detail. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , as described above, the filtered air may be discharged into the convergent space  300  through the first flow path  600   a  and the second flow path  600   b . The discharge direction D1 in which the air is discharged through the first flow path  600   a  may be different from the discharge direction D2 in which the air is discharged through the second flow path  600   b . Specifically, the discharge directions may form almost 90°. 
     The discharge direction D1 of the air discharged through the first flow path  600   a  may be toward an electric room placement area  700 ′. The discharge direction D2 of the air discharged through the second flow path  600   b  may be parallel to the electric room placement area  700 ′. In other words, the discharge direction D2 of the air discharged through the second flow path  600   b  may not be toward the electric room placement area  700 ′. 
     As seen in  FIG.  8   , the electric room  700  may be arranged in the convergent space  300 . Specifically, the electric room  700  may be fixed to the top of the housing  100  to be arranged in the convergent space  300 . The electric room  700  may be fixed to the top of one side of the first body housing corresponding to the convergent space  300 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  7  and  8   , the discharge assembly  800  is placed under the electric room  700 , so the electric room  700  arranged in the convergent space  300  may be accessed right away when the discharge assembly  800  is opened. 
     A detailed structure and mechanism of being rotationally coupled to the housing  100  of the discharge assembly  800  will now be described. 
       FIG.  9    is an exploded perspective view of a discharge assembly of an air purifier, according to an embodiment.  FIG.  10    is an enlarged view of a Y1 region of  FIG.  9   .  FIG.  11    is a diagram of  FIG.  9    viewed from an opposite direction.  FIG.  12    is an enlarged view of a Y2 region of  FIG.  11   .  FIG.  13    is an enlarged view of a portion in which a settling groove is formed on an edge plate of an air purifier, according to an embodiment.  FIG.  14    is a cross-sectional view along A-A of  FIG.  7   . 
     The discharge assembly  800  may include a discharge plate  810  and a discharge blade  820 . The discharge plate  810  may be formed to match the bottom of the convergent space  300 . The discharge plate  810  may be formed to match the shape of the outlet opening  142  located under the convergent space  300 . In an embodiment of the disclosure, the discharge plate  810  of the air purifier  1  may be formed in an almost rectangular shape. It is not, however, limited thereto, but may be formed in various shapes corresponding to the shape of the outlet opening  142  to effectively discharge the filtered air. 
     The discharge assembly  800  may further include a display  830  for displaying operating status of the air conditioner  1  for the user through the grill  30 . The display  830  may further include a substrate  831  on which light emitting diodes (LEDs) and other electric components are mounted, and a substrate plate  832  on which the substrate  831  is mounted. The substrate  831  may be fixed to the substrate plate  832 . The substrate plate  832  may be coupled with the discharge plate  810 . 
     The discharge assembly  800  may include the discharge blade for controlling a moving direction of the air discharged from the convergent space. The discharge blade  820  may include an eccentric rotation shaft and may have the form of substantially a cylinder. The discharge blade  820  may be placed in the middle area of the discharge plate  810 . The discharge blade  820  may be rotationally coupled to the discharge plate  810 . An end of the discharge blade  820  may be supported by a blade supporter  811  formed on the discharge plate  810 . 
     The other end of the discharge blade  820  may be supported by a rotation shaft of the blade motor  840  that rotates the discharge plate  810 . The blade motor  840  may be coupled to the other side of the discharge plate  810  facing the side on which the blade supporter  811  is formed. The discharge assembly  800  may further include a motor cover  841  for covering the blade motor  840 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  9  to  14   , the discharge plate  810  may further include a shaft projection  813  arranged on the rotation shaft  800   r  and formed at one side of the discharge plate  810 . The shaft projection  813  of the discharge plate  810  may be inserted to a settling groove  122  formed on the discharge plate  810  of the housing  100 , which will be described later. 
     The discharge assembly  800  may be coupled with the housing  100  to be able to rotate on the rotation shaft  800   r  arranged at one end of the discharge assembly  800  with the shaft projection  813  and the settling groove  122 . The shaft projection  813  may be formed at either end of an edge of the discharge plate  810  on which the rotation shaft  800   r  is arranged, so that the convergent space  300  is fully exposed through the lower side of the air purifier  1  while the discharge assembly  800  is rotated and opened. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may have the shaft projection  813  formed at either end of a shorter edge among edges of the discharge plate  810 . 
     Specifically, the discharge plate  810  may be formed to match the bottom of the convergent space  300 . The discharge plate  300  may be formed to have substantially rectangular edges. The edges of the discharge plate  300  may include four edges. The rotation shaft  800   r  may be arranged along a short edge located at one side of the discharge assembly  810  among the four edges. 
     The shaft projection  813  may protrude from the edge of the discharge plate  810  along the rotation shaft  800   r . In other words, the shaft projection  813  may protrude from either end of an edge on which the rotation shaft  800   r  is arranged among the edges of the discharge plate  810  along the rotation shaft  800   r . Or, the shaft projection  813  may protrude from either end of a side on which the rotation shaft  800   r  is arranged among the sides of the discharge plate  810  along the rotation shaft  800   r . The shaft projection  813  may be arranged on the rotation shaft  800   r  and formed at one side of the discharge plate  810 . The shaft projection  813  may be provided in a substantially cylindrical shape. It is not, however, limited thereto, but may be formed at either end of a long edge of the edges of the discharge plate  810  as long as the convergent space  300  is completely exposed through the lower side of the air purifier  1  while the discharge assembly  800  is rotated and opened. 
     Alternatively, the discharge plate  810  may be provided in various forms that may match the bottom of the convergent space  300  to effectively open or close the convergent space  300 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  12   , the discharge plate  810  may further include a buffer  814  for relieving the shock that may occur in the process of opening or closing the discharge assembly  800 . The buffer  814  may be formed to include a curved plane on the top of the other side. 
     The discharge assembly  800  may be coupled with the housing  100  to be able to rotate on the rotation shaft  800   r  arranged on one side of the discharge plate  810 . Accordingly, with the buffer  814  arranged on the top of the other side, shocks that may occur between the discharge assembly  800  and the housing  100  may be relieved. As will be described later, the discharge assembly  800  may be rotationally coupled with the edge plate  120  of the housing  100 . To relieve blocking or shocks with the edge plate  120  in the process of the discharge assembly  800  closing the convergent space  300 , the buffer  814  having a curved plane may be formed on the discharge plate  810 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  13  and  14   , the edge plate  120  of the housing  100  may further include the settling groove  122  to which the shaft projection  813  is inserted for the discharge assembly  800  to be able to rotate against the housing  100 . The settling groove  122  may be formed on one side of the edge plate  120  that matches the shaft projection  813 . 
     The settling groove  122  may include a guide plane  123  for allowing the shaft projection  813  to rotate or slide. The guide plane  123  may extend in a direction Z1 in parallel with an edge extension direction W of the edge plate  120  on which the settling groove  122  is formed. The extension length of the guide plane  123  may be longer than a diameter of the shaft projection  813 . The shaft projection  813  may be able to slide along the guide plane in the direction Z1 in parallel with the edge extension direction W of the edge plate  120  on which the settling groove  122  is formed. The shaft projection  813  may perform rotation or sliding separately or simultaneously. 
     In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air purifier  1  may effectively open or close the convergent space  300  because the shaft projection  813  of the discharge assembly  800  is able to rotate or slide. 
       FIG.  15    is a cross-sectional view along B-B of  FIG.  7   .  FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional view along C-C of  FIG.  7   . 
     Flows of air and positional relations between the electric room  700 , the flow path outlets  610   a  and  610   b  of the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b , and the discharge assembly  800  will now be described in connection with  FIGS.  15  and  16   . 
     The air outside the air purifier  1  may flow in through a total heat exchanger connector  900 , the outside air flow path  910 , and a filter matching area  31  of the grill  30 . The air may then be filtered through the filters  400   a  and  400   b . The air passing through the filters  400   a  and  400   b  may flow to the fans  500   a  and  500   b . The filtered air may be moved from the filtration space  200  where the filters  400   a  and  400   b  and fans  500   a  and  500   b  are arranged to the convergent space  300  through the flow paths  600   a  and  600   b.    
     The filtered air may be discharged into the convergent space  300  through the first flow path outlet  610   a  and the second flow path outlet  610   b . In this case, the flow path outlets  610   a  and  610   b  may be arranged on at least one of the lower side or circumference of the electric room  700 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  15  and  16   , specifically, the discharge direction D1 of the filtered air discharged through the first flow path  600   a  may be toward the electric room placement area  700 ′. The discharge direction D2 of the filtered air discharged through the second flow path  600   b  may be parallel to the electric room placement area  700 ′. In other words, the discharge direction D2 of the filtered air discharged through the second flow path  600   b  may not be toward the electric room placement area  700 ′. As the first flow path  600   a  may be located under the second flow path  600   b , the first flow path outlet  610   a  formed at one end of the first flow path  600   a  may be arranged on the lower side of the electric room  700 . The second flow path outlet  610   b  formed at one end of the second flow path may be arranged on the circumference of the electric room  700 . 
     The filtered air discharged from the second flow path outlet  610   b  may be moved to the lower side of the electric room  700 , and may then pass through the discharge assembly along the housing  100  and may be discharged out of the air purifier  1 . The filtered air discharged from the first flow path outlet  610   a  may be moved in parallel with the electric room  700 , and may then pass through the discharge assembly along the housing  100  and may be discharged out of the air purifier  1 . 
     The discharge assembly  800  may be arranged under the flow path outlets  610   a  and  610   b . The filtered air may be discharged to the outside through the plurality of micro holes  35  formed around the blade opening  33  of the discharge assembly matching area  32  of the grill  30  (F1), or discharged through the blade opening  33  of the discharge assembly matching area  32  of the grill  30  (F2), depending on a rotated state of the discharge blade  820  of the discharge assembly  800 . 
       FIG.  17    illustrates an air purifier with a discharge assembly closed, according to an embodiment.  FIG.  18    illustrates an air purifier with a discharge assembly opened, according to an embodiment. 
     An operation of the discharge assembly  800  opening the convergent space will now be described in connection with  FIGS.  17  and  18   . 
     To access the convergent space  300  in the air purifier  1  or the electric room  700  arranged in the convergent space  300 , the user may detach the grill  30  coupled to the housing  100 . In this case, the discharge assembly  800  is fixed to the edge plate  120  of the housing  100  in a state of closing the convergent space  300 . 
     Then, with respect to the rotation shaft  800   r  arranged at one end of the discharge assembly  800 , the other end may be forced to rotate downward from the air purifier  1 . Specifically, the discharge assembly  800  may be rotated based on the settling groove  122  and the shaft projection  813  inserted to the settling groove  122 . The user may move the discharge assembly  800  such that the rotation shaft  800   r  of the discharge assembly  800  slides in a direction W2 in which the filters  400   a  and  400   b  are arranged. The rotating and sliding of the discharge assembly  800  may be performed separately or simultaneously, and the convergent space  300  may be opened toward the outside of the air purifier  1 . 
     An operation of the discharge assembly  800  closing the convergent space may be done by reversely performing the aforementioned procedure. 
       FIG.  19    is a cross-sectional view of an air purifier along A-A, according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Overlapping descriptions of the air purifier  1  according to the previous embodiment of the disclosure will not be repeated herein, and only differing features will now be described. 
     The edge plate  120  of the housing  100  may further include the settling groove  122  to which the shaft projection  813  is inserted for the discharge assembly  800  to be rotatable against the housing  100 . The settling groove  122  may be formed on one side of the edge plate  120  that matches the shaft projection  813 . 
     The settling groove  122  may include the guide plane  123  for the shaft projection  813  to rotate or slide thereon. The guide plane  123  may extend in the direction Z1 in parallel with the edge extension direction W of the edge plate  120  on which the settling groove  122  is formed. The extension length of the guide plane  123  may be longer than a diameter of the shaft projection  813 . 
     The guide plane  123  may further include a slope  123   s  tilted toward the lower side of the air purifier  1 . 
     The shaft projection  813  may slide along the guide plane in the direction Z1 in parallel with the edge extension direction W of the edge plate  120  on which the settling groove  122  is formed. When reaching the slope  123   s , the shaft projection  813  may move a little to the lower side of the air purifier  1  along the slope  123   s  in the direction Z2. The shaft projection  813  is caught by the lower end of the slope  123   s  while the edge plate  120  is fully opened, and prevented from arbitrarily moving along the settling groove  122  during a procedure of fixing the convergent space  300  or the electric room  700  arranged in the convergent space  300 , thereby increasing work efficiency. 
       FIG.  20    is an exploded perspective view of an electric room, according to an embodiment. 
     A structure in which the electric room  700  is fixed into the convergent space  300  will now be described in detail. 
     The air purifier  1  may include the electric room  700  including the electric components  710  for driving and controlling components of the air purifier  1 . 
     The electric room  700  may include the electric room box  720 , a substrate fixer  740 , the electric components  710  and the electric room cover  730 . The electric room box  720 , the substrate fixer  740 , the electric components  710  and the electric room cover  730  may be coupled in the vertical direction in the stated order. 
     The electric room box  720  may be shaped substantially like a rectangular parallelepiped with the open bottom. The electric room box  730  may include the electric components  710  and the substrate fixer  740  to fix the electric components  710 . Alternatively, the electric room box  720  may be integrally formed with the substrate fixer  740  to fix the electric components  710 . 
     The electric room cover  730  may cover the open bottom of the electric room box  720  and may be fixed to the electric room box  720 . The electric room cover  730  may be coupled with the electric room box  720  when hooks  731  formed at edges of the electric room cover  730  and hook grooves  721  formed on the electric room box  720  are coupled with each other. 
     Referring to  FIG.  20   , the electric room  700  may be arranged in the convergent space  300 . Specifically, the electric room  700  may be fixed to the top of the housing  100  to be arranged in the convergent space  300 . The electric room  700  may be fixed in the electric room placement area  700 ′ located in the upper portion of the housing. The electric room  700  may be fixed to the top of one side of the first body housing  111  corresponding to the convergent space  300 . 
     Fasteners  111   a  protruding toward the convergent space  300  from the ceiling of the first body housing  111  may be formed in the electric room placement area  700 ′ of the body housing, the first body housing  111  in particular. 
     Fixers  741  formed to match the fasteners  111   a  may be arranged on the substrate fixer  740 . When the fasteners  111   a  and the fixers  741  are coupled together after the substrate fixer  740  is settled in the electric room box  720 , the substrate fixer  740  may pressurize and fix the electric room box  720  to the first body housing  111 . Alternatively, when the electric room box  720  is integrally formed with the substrate fixer  740 , the fixers  741  formed to match the fasteners  111   a  may be arranged on the electric room box  720 . 
     Although  FIG.  20    shows the fasteners  111   a  and the fixers  741  being coupled by fastening members, the fasteners  111   a  and the fixers  741  may be provided in a structure of hooks and hook grooves to be coupled to each other. 
     When the electric room  700  is fixed to the top of the housing  100  to be arranged in the convergent space  300 , the first flow path outlet  610   a  formed at one end of the first flow path  600   a  as shown in  FIG.  16    may be arranged under the electric room  700 . The second flow path outlet  610   b  formed at one end of the second flow path may be arranged on the circumference of the electric room  700 . 
     Several embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, but those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the true scope of technical protection is only defined by the following claims.