Patent Publication Number: US-11662102-B2

Title: Air conditioner including an airflow guide to guide air being discharged

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0041936, filed on Apr. 10, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosure relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner including a structure preventing dew from forming on a surface of a cabinet. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, an air conditioner is an apparatus that controls temperature, humidity, airflow, and distribution suitable for human activity using a refrigeration cycle. The refrigeration cycle is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an expansion valve, a blowing fan, and the like as main components. 
     The air conditioner may be classified into a separate type air conditioner in which an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are separately installed, and an integrated air conditioner in which an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are installed together in one cabinet. The indoor unit of the separate type air conditioner includes a heat exchanger for heat-exchanging air sucked into a panel, and a blowing fan for sucking air in a room into the panel and blowing the sucked air back into the room. 
     When being in direct contact with the air discharged from an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner, a user may feel cold and discomfort, while when the being not in direct contact with the discharged air, the user may feel hot and discomfort. In order to reduce the discomfort of the user, air conditioners for discharging heat-exchanged air at a low speed through a plurality of holes have been disclosed. 
     In the case of an air conditioner that discharges heat-exchanged air at a low speed through a plurality of holes, dew may form on a portion of a panel in which the plurality of holes is provided. This may become a factor that lowers the reliability of the air conditioner. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an air conditioner includes a housing including an inlet through which air is introduced and an outlet through which air is discharged, a heat exchanger disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a blower disposed inside the housing to suck air through the inlet and to discharge air through the outlet, a discharge panel disposed in the front of the housing in which the outlet is formed and including a plurality of holes through which air discharged from the outlet passes, and an airflow guide disposed between the discharge panel and the blower and configured to guide air such that air discharged from the blower is distributed in at least two directions. 
     The airflow guide may be configured to prevent dew from forming on the discharge panel by bringing air outside the discharge panel into contact with the discharge panel. 
     The airflow guide may guide air in an edge region of the discharge panel such that the air discharged from the blower moves from the inside of the discharge panel to the outside of the discharge panel through the plurality of holes. 
     The airflow guide may include, in order to distribute the air discharged from the blower to the left and right sides, a first guide portion extending to the left side with respect to the front of the housing, and a second guide portion extending to the right side with respect to the front of the housing from one end of the first guide portion. 
     The first guide portion may be provided longer than the second guide portion when the first guide portion extends to approach the center of an opening. 
     The second guide portion may be provided longer than the first guide portion when the second guide portion extends to approach the center of the opening. 
     The airflow guide may further include a rib provided between the first guide portion and the second guide portion to reinforce the rigidity of the airflow guide. 
     The blower may include a blowing fan to suck and discharge air, and a support panel including an opening corresponding to the blowing fan to discharge the air sucked by the blowing fan. 
     The airflow guide may be disposed on opposite sides of the front of the opening. 
     The airflow guide may be detachably coupled to the support panel. 
     The cross section of the airflow guide may be formed in a V shape. 
     The blowing fan may include a plurality of blowing fans arranged up and down. 
     The support panel may include a plurality of the openings corresponding to the plurality of blowing fans, respectively. 
     The airflow guides may be disposed on opposite sides of the front of at least one of the plurality of openings. 
     When a diameter of the opening is D and a length of the airflow guide in the up-down direction is H, a ratio H/D may be in a range of 0.8&lt;H/D&lt;1.3. 
     When a diameter of the opening is D and the shortest distance in the front-rear direction between the opening and the airflow guide is L, a ratio L/D may be in a range of 0.07&lt;L/D&lt;0.11. 
     The inlet may include a first inlet and a second inlet. 
     The outlet may include a first outlet formed in the housing to discharge air introduced from the first inlet, and a second outlet configured to allow the air introduced through the second inlet to be discharged to be mixed with the air discharged from the first outlet. 
     The blower may include a first blower configured to suck and discharge air through a first flow path formed between the first inlet and the first outlet, and a second blower formed between the second inlet and the second outlet and configured to suck and discharge air through a second flow path partitioned from the first flow path. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an air conditioner includes a housing including an inlet through which air is introduced and an outlet through which air is discharged, a heat exchanger disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a blowing fan disposed inside the housing to suck air through the inlet and to discharge air through the outlet, a fan case configured to fix the blowing fan to the inside of the housing and comprising an opening to discharge air sucked by the blowing fan, and an airflow guide extending in the up-down direction configured to guide air such that air discharged from the blower through the opening is distributed to the left and right sides, wherein the airflow guide is coupled to the fan case. 
     The air conditioner may further include a discharge panel disposed in the front of the housing in which the outlet is formed and comprising a plurality of holes through which air discharged from the outlet passes. 
     The airflow guide may include, in order to distribute the air discharged from the blowing fan through the opening to the left and right sides, a first guide portion extending to the left side with respect to the front of the housing, and a second guide portion extending to the right side with respect to the front of the housing from one end of the first guide portion. 
     The cross section of the airflow guide may be formed in a V shape. 
     The first guide portion may be provided longer than the second guide portion when the first guide portion extends to approach the center of the opening. 
     The second guide portion may be provided longer than the first guide portion when the second guide portion extends to approach the center of the opening. 
     The airflow guide may further include a plurality of ribs provided between the first guide portion and the second guide portion to reinforce the rigidity of the airflow guide and disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. 
     Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects 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 conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG.  1    when the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1    operates in a first mode; 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG.  1    when the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1    operates in a second mode; 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG.  1    when the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1    operates in a third mode; 
         FIG.  6    illustrates a first blower in the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a front view of the first blower illustrated in  FIG.  6   ; 
         FIG.  8    is an enlarged view of a portion B illustrated in  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  9    illustrates an airflow guide in the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    illustrates a first blower in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG.  11    illustrates a first blower in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Configurations shown in the embodiments and the drawings described in the present specification are only the preferred embodiments of the disclosure, and thus it is to be understood that various modified examples, which may replace the embodiments and the drawings described in the present specification, are possible when filing the present application. 
     Like reference numbers or signs in the various drawings of the application represent parts or components that perform substantially the same functions. 
     The terms used in the present specification are used to describe the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be understood that when the terms “includes,” “comprises,” “including,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, figures, steps, components, or combination thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, figures, steps, components, members, or combinations thereof. 
     It will be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms, and the terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. The term “and/or” includes any combination of a plurality of related items or any one of a plurality of related items. 
     In this specification, the terms “front,” “rear,” “upper” “lower,” “left,” and “right” are defined with reference to the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms. 
     It is an aspect of the disclosure to provide an air conditioner including a structure preventing dew from forming on a surface of a cabinet. 
     It is an aspect of the disclosure to provide an air conditioner guiding air discharged from a blowing fan such that air outside a discharge panel does not flow into the discharge panel in an edge region of the discharge panel including a plurality of holes. 
     A refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner is composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. A refrigerant undergoes a series of processes comprising of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation, and a high temperature air is heat exchanged with a low temperature refrigerant to become a low temperature air and supplied to a room. 
     The compressor compresses a refrigerant gas to a high temperature and high pressure and then discharges the high temperature and high pressure gas, and the discharged refrigerant gas is introduced into the condenser. The condenser condenses the compressed refrigerant into a liquid phase and radiates heat to surroundings through the condensation process. 
     The expansion valve expands a high temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser into a low pressure liquid refrigerant. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve and returns a low temperature and low pressure refrigerant gas to the compressor. The evaporator uses the latent heat of evaporation of a refrigerant to achieve a cooling effect by heat exchange with an object to be cooled. Through this cycle, an air temperature of an indoor space may be controlled. 
     An outdoor unit of an air conditioner refers to a device comprising of a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger in a refrigeration cycle. An indoor unit of an air conditioner includes an indoor heat exchanger, and an expansion valve may be disposed in either an indoor unit or the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger function as a condenser or an evaporator. When the indoor heat exchanger is used as a condenser, the air conditioner becomes a heater, and when the indoor heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the air conditioner becomes a cooler. 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  2    is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1   .  FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG.  1    when the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1    operates in a first mode.  FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG.  1    when the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1    operates in a second mode.  FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in  FIG.  1    when the air conditioner illustrated in  FIG.  1    operates in a third mode. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  and  2   , an air conditioner  1  may include a housing  10  forming an outer appearance, a blower  60  to circulate air to the inside or outside of the housing  10 , and a heat exchanger  30  to exchange heat with air introduced into the housing  10 . 
     The housing  10  may include a body case  11  in which the blower  60  and the heat exchanger  30  are mounted, and a front panel  16  covering a front surface of the body case  11 . The housing  10  may include a first inlet  12 , a second inlet  15 , a main outlet  17 , and guide outlets  13  and  14 . 
     The body case  11  may form a rear surface, opposite side surfaces, an upper surface and a lower surface of the air conditioner  1 . The body case  11  has an open front surface, the open front surface may form a body case opening  11   a , and the body case opening  11   a  may be covered by the front panel  16  and a discharge panel  40 . 
     The front panel  16  may be coupled to the body case opening  11   a .  FIG.  2    illustrates that the front panel  16  is detachably provided from the body case  11 , but the front panel  16  and the body case  11  may be integrally formed. 
     A main outlet  17  may be formed on the front panel  16 . The main outlet  17  may be disposed on the front surface of the housing  10 . The main outlet  17  may penetrate the front panel  16 . The main outlet  17  may be formed at an upper portion of the front panel  16 . The main outlet  17  may be disposed at a position substantially facing the first inlet  12 . Air heat exchanged inside the housing  10  may be discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the main outlet  17 . The main outlet  17  may allow to air introduced through the first inlet  12  to be discharged. 
     A panel support member  17   a  supporting the discharge panel  40  may be formed at a portion of the front panel  16  on which the main outlet  17  is formed. The panel support member  17   a  may extend along a circumference of the main outlet  17 . The panel support member  17   a  may support a rear surface of the discharge panel  40 . 
     A plurality of holes  41  may be formed on the discharge panel  40 . The plurality of holes  41  may be formed to penetrate the discharge panel  40 . The plurality of holes  41  may be formed on the entire region except for a blocking portion  40   a  (see  FIG.  2   ) of the discharge panel  40 . The discharge panel  40  may include the blocking portion  40   a  on which the plurality of holes  41  are not formed. 
     The first inlet  12  may be formed on the body case  11 . The first inlet  12  may penetrate a rear surface of the body case  11 . The first inlet  12  may be formed at an upper portion of the rear surface of the body case  11 . Outside air may be introduced into the housing  10  through the first inlet  12 . 
     Although  FIG.  2    illustrates that two of the first inlets  12  are provided, the number of the first inlets  12  is not limited thereto and may be variously provided as needed. Although  FIG.  2    illustrates that the first inlet  12  is formed in a quadrangular shape, the shape of the first inlet  12  is not limited thereto and may be variously formed as needed. 
     The second inlet  15  may be formed on the body case  11 . The second inlet  15  may penetrate the rear surface of the body case  11 . The second inlet  15  may be formed at a lower portion of the rear surface of the body case  11 . The second inlet  15  may be formed below the first inlet  12 . Outside air may be introduced into the housing  10  through the second inlet  15 . 
     Like the first inlet  12 , the number and/or shape of the second inlets  15  may be variously provided as needed. 
     The front panel  16  may form the guide outlets  13  and  14  together with the discharge panel  40 . The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be formed on the same plane as the main outlet  17 . The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be formed on the left and/or right side of the main outlet  17 . The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be disposed adjacent to the main outlet  17 . The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be disposed to be spaced apart from the main outlet  17  by a predetermined distance. The guide outlets  13  and  14  may include the first guide outlet  13  disposed on the left side of the main outlet  17  and the second guide outlet  14  disposed on the right side of the main outlet  17 . 
     The guide outlets  13  and  14  may extend along the up-down direction of the body case  11 . The guide outlets  13  and  14  may have a length approximately equal to a length of the main outlet  17 . Air that is not heat exchanged inside the housing  10  may be discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be provided to allow air introduced through the second inlet  15  to be discharged. 
     The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be configured to allow air discharged from the guide outlets  13  and  14  to be mixed with air discharged from the main outlet  17 . In detail, a portion of the front panel  16  forming the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be provided with guide curved portions  13   a  and  14   a  (see  FIG.  3   ) to guide air discharged from the guide outlets  13  and  14  such that the air discharged from the guide outlets  13  and  14  is mixed with the air discharged from the main outlet  17 . 
     Air to be discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be discharged along the guide curved portions  13   a  and  14   a  in a direction that may be mixed with the air discharged from the main outlet  17 . The guide curved portions  13   a  and  14   a  may guide the air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  to be discharged in approximately the same direction as the air discharged through the main outlet  17 . The guide curved portions  13   a  and  14   a  may be provided to guide the air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  to the front. 
     The guide outlets  13  and  14  may be provided with blades  61  and  62  (see  FIG.  3   ) to guide air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . The blades  61 ,  62  may be arranged continuously along a length direction of the guide outlets  13  and  14 . The first blade  61  may be disposed on the first guide outlet  13 , and the second blade  62  may be disposed on the second guide outlet  14 . 
     A flow path of air connecting the first inlet  12  and the main outlet  17  will be referred to as a first flow path S 1 , a flow path of air connecting the second inlet  15  and the first guide outlet  13  will be referred to as a second flow path, and a flow path of air connecting the second inlet  15  and the second guide outlet  14  will be referred to as a third flow path S 3 . The first flow path S 1  may be partitioned from the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3 . Accordingly, air flowing through the first flow path S 1  may not be mixed with air flowing through the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3 . The second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3  may overlap each other in some sections. In detail, the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3  may be common in a section from the second inlet  15  to a second blower  80 . 
     A first duct  18  may be disposed in the housing  10  to partition the first flow path S 1  and the second flow path S 2 . The first duct  18  may be disposed on the left side of a first blower  70 . The first duct  18  may extend in the up-down direction. The first duct  18  may be in communication with the second blower  80 . The first duct  18  may guide a part of air blown by the second blower  80  to the first guide outlet  13 . The first duct  18  may be provided with a first duct filter (not shown) to filter out foreign matters from air introduced from the second blower  80 . 
     A second duct  19  may be disposed in the housing  10  to partition the first flow path S 1  and the third flow path S 3 . The second duct  19  may be disposed on the right side of a first blower  70 . The second duct  19  may extend in the up-down direction. The second duct  19  may be in communication with the second blower  80 . The second duct  19  may guide a part of air blown by the second blower  80  to the second guide outlet  14 . The second duct  19  may be provided with a second duct filter (no drawing number) to filter out foreign matters from air introduced from the second blower  80 . 
     The air conditioner  1  allows air heat exchanged with the heat exchanger  30  through the main outlet  17  to be discharged and may allow air not passed through the heat exchanger  30  to be discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . That is, the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be provided to discharge air that is not heat exchanged. Because the heat exchanger  30  is disposed on the first flow path S 1 , air discharged through the main outlet  17  may be air that is heat exchanged. Because no heat exchanger is disposed on the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3 , air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be air that is not heat exchanged. 
     On the other hand, the disclosure may be provided to discharge the heat exchanged air through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . That is, a heat exchanger may also be disposed on the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3 . Specifically, a heat exchanger for heat exchanging air to be discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be disposed in an accommodation space  11   b  of the body case  11 . Through this configuration, the air conditioner  1  may provide heat exchanged air through both the main outlet  17  and the guide outlets  13  and  14 . 
     The body case  11  may have a shape in which a cross section with respect to a horizontal direction becomes wider toward a lower side thereof. According to this shape, the housing  10  may be stably supported with respect to the floor. 
     The accommodation space  11   b  in which electrical components (not shown) may be arranged may be formed in the body case  11 . The electrical components necessary for the operation of the air conditioner  1  may be arranged in the accommodation space  11   b . The second blower  80  may be disposed in the accommodation space  11   b.    
     The blower  60  may include the first blower  70  and the second blower  80 . The second blower  80  may be provided to be driven independently of the first blower  70 . A rotational speed of the second blower  80  may be provided to be different from a rotational speed of the first blower  70 . 
     The first blower  70  may be disposed on the first flow path S 1  formed between the first inlet  12  and the main outlet  17 . Air may be introduced into the housing  10  through the first inlet  12  by the first blower  70 . The air introduced through the first inlet  12  may move along the first flow path S 1  and be discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the main outlet  17 . The first blower  70  may include a plurality of first blowing fans  71  disposed up and down. The first blower  70  may include first fan drivers  74  and  75  driving the plurality of first blowing fans  72  and  73 , respectively. 
     The first blowing fan  71  may be an axial fan or a diagonal fan. However, the type of the first blowing fan  71  is not limited thereto, and it is sufficient that the first blowing fan  71  is configured such that air introduced from the outside of the housing  10  may be discharged back to the outside of the housing  10 . For example, the first blowing fan  71  may be a cross fan, a turbo fan, or a sirocco fan. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates that two of the first blowing fans  71  are provided, but the number of first blowing fans  71  is not limited thereto, and various numbers of the first blowing fans  71  may be provided as needed. 
     The first fan drivers  74  and  75  may drive the first blowing fans  71 . The first fan drivers  74  and  75  may be disposed at central portions of the first blowing fans  71 . The first fan drivers  74  and  75  may include a motor. 
     The second blower  80  may be disposed on the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3  formed between the second inlet  15  and the guide outlets  13  and  14 . Air may be introduced into the housing  10  through the second inlet  15  by the second blower  80 . A part of the air introduced through the second inlet  15  may move along the second flow path S 2  and be discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the first guide outlet  13  or may move along the third flow path S 3  and be discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the second guide outlet  14 . 
     The second blower  80  may include a second blowing fan  81  and a second fan driver  82 . 
     The second blowing fan  81  may be a centrifugal fan. However, the type of the second blowing fan  81  is not limited thereto, and it is sufficient that the second blowing fan  81  is configured such that air introduced from the outside of the housing  10  may be discharged back to the outside of the housing  10 . For example, the second blowing fan  81  may be a cross fan, a turbo fan, or a sirocco fan. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates that one of the second blowing fan  81  is provided, but the number of second blowing fans  81  is not limited thereto, and various numbers of the second blowing fans  81  may be provided as needed. 
     The second fan driver  82  may drive the second blowing fan  81 . The second fan driver  82  may be disposed at a central portion of the second blowing fan  81 . The second fan driver  82  may include a motor. 
     The heat exchanger  30  may be disposed between the first blower  70  and the first inlet  12 . The heat exchanger  30  may be disposed on the first flow path S 1 . The heat exchanger  30  may absorb heat from the air introduced through the first inlet  12  or transfer heat to the air introduced through the first inlet  12 . The heat exchanger  30  may include tubes and headers coupled to the tubes. However, the type of heat exchanger  30  is not limited thereto. 
     The air conditioner  1  may include the discharge panel  40  disposed at a portion of the front panel  16  on which the main outlet  17  is formed. The discharge panel  40  may have the plurality of holes  41  (see  FIG.  1   ) to allow air discharged from the main outlet  17  to be discharged slower than air discharged from the guide outlets  13  and  14 . The plurality of holes  41  may penetrate the inner and outer surfaces of the discharge panel  40 . The plurality of holes  41  may penetrate the inner and outer surfaces of the discharge panel  40 . The plurality of holes  41  may be formed in a minute size. The plurality of holes  41  may be uniformly distributed over the entire area of the discharge panel  40 . The heat exchanged air discharged through the main outlet  17  may be uniformly discharged at a low speed by the plurality of holes  41 . The blocking portion  40   a  on which the plurality of holes  41  is not formed may be provided at a lower end of the discharge panel  40 . 
     The air conditioner  1  may include a first suction grill  51  coupled to a portion on which the first inlet  12  of the body case  11  is formed. The first suction grill  51  may be provided such that foreign matters are not introduced through the first inlet  12 . To this end, the first suction grill  51  may include a plurality of slits or holes. The first suction grill  51  may be provided to cover the first inlet  12 . 
     The air conditioner  1  may include a second suction grill  52  coupled to a portion on which the second inlet  15  of the body case  11  is formed. The second suction grill  52  may be provided such that foreign matters are not introduced through the second inlet  15 . To this end, the second suction grill  52  may include a plurality of slits or holes. The second suction grill  52  may be provided to cover the second inlet  15 . 
     The air conditioner  1  may include a discharge grill  53  coupled to a portion on which the first outlet  17  of the front panel  16  is formed. The discharge grill  53  may be mounted to the panel support member  17   a . The discharge grill  53  may be provided such that foreign matters are not discharged through the first outlet  17 . To this end, the discharge grill  53  may include a plurality of slits or holes. The discharge grill  53  may be provided to cover the first outlet  17 . 
     Hereinafter, the operation of the air conditioner  1  will be described with reference to  FIGS.  3  to  5   . 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , the air conditioner  1  may operate in a first mode for discharging heat exchanged air through only the main outlet  17 . Because the discharge panel  40  is disposed on the main outlet  17 , air conditioning may be slowly performed throughout a room. That is, when air is discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the main outlet  17 , the air may be discharged at a low speed as a wind speed thereof is reduced while passing through the plurality of holes  41  of the discharge panel  40 . According to this configuration, the room may be cooled or heated at a wind speed that provides comfort to the user. 
     Specifically, as the first blower  70  is driven, outside air of the housing  10  may be introduced into the housing  10  through the first inlet  12 . The air introduced into the housing  10  may be heat exchanged through the heat exchanger  30 . The heat exchanged air passed through the heat exchanger  30  passes through the first blower  70  and the discharge panel  40  and may be discharged to the outside of the housing  10  through the main outlet  17  in a reduced speed. That is, the heat exchanged air discharged through the first flow path S 1  may be discharged at a wind speed at which the user may feel comfortable. 
     Because the second blower  80  is not driven in the first mode, no air is discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , the air conditioner  1  may operate in a second mode for discharging air, which is not heat exchanged, through only the guide outlets  13  and  14 . Because no heat exchanger is disposed on the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3 , the air conditioner  1  may circulate indoor air. 
     Because the guide curved portions  13   a  and  14   a  are provided on the guide outlets  13  and  14 , the air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be discharged to the front of the air conditioner  1 . Because the blades  61  and  62  are provided on the guide outlets  13  and  14 , the air may be blown farther toward the front. 
     Specifically, as the second blower  80  is driven, outside air of the housing  10  may be introduced into the housing  10  through the second inlet  15 . The air introduced into the housing  10  may pass through the second blower  80  and then move to the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3  formed on opposite sides of the first flow path S 1 , respectively. The air may move upward in the second flow path S 2  and the third flow path S 3  and then may be discharge to the outside of the housing  10  through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . In this case, the air may be guided toward the front of the air conditioner  1  along the guide curved portions  13   a  and  14   a.    
     Because the first blower  70  is not driven in the second mode, no air is discharged through the main outlet  17 . That is, because the air conditioner  1  blows air that is not heat exchanged in the second mode, the air conditioner  1  may simply perform a function of circulating indoor air or provide a strong wind to the user. 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , the air conditioner  1  may operate in a third mode for discharging heat exchanged air through the main outlet  17  and the guide outlets  13  and  14 . The air conditioner  1  may discharge cold air farther when operating in the third mode than when operating in the first mode. 
     Specifically, when the air conditioner  1  operates in the third mode, cold air or warm air discharged through the main outlet  17  and air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  may be mixed. In addition, because the air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  is discharged at a higher speed than the air discharged through the main outlet  17 , the air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14  may move the heat exchanged air discharged through the main outlet  17  further away. 
     According to this configuration, the air conditioner  1  may provide the user with comfortable cold or warm air in which the heat exchanged air and indoor air are mixed. 
     The air conditioner  1  may be configured to provide cold air to various distances by changing a driving force of the first blower  70  and/or the second blower  80 . That is, the first blower  70  may be configured to be capable of adjusting the air flow rate and/or air speed of air discharged through the main outlet  17 , and the second blower  80  may be configured to be capable of adjusting the air flow rate and/or air speed of air discharged through the guide outlets  13  and  14 . 
     For example, when increasing the driving force of the second blower  80  to increase the air flow rate and/or air speed of air discharged from the guide outlets  13  and  14 , the air conditioner  1  may move the heat exchanged air further away. On the other hand, when decreasing the driving force of the second blower  80  to decrease the air flow rate and/or air speed of air discharged from the guide outlets  13  and  14 , the air conditioner  1  may provide the heat exchanged air to a relatively short distance. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates a first blower in the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  7    is a front view of the first blower illustrated in  FIG.  6   .  FIG.  8    is an enlarged view of a portion B illustrated in  FIG.  3   .  FIG.  9    illustrates an airflow guide in the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, the structure and the effect of an airflow guide according to an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail. The content overlapping with the above will be omitted. 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , the first blower  70  may include the plurality of first blowing fans  71  and fan cases  76  and  77  (see  FIG.  2   ) to fix the plurality of first blowing fans  71  to the inside of the housing  10 . 
     The plurality of first blowing fans  71  may include a first-a blowing fan  72  and a first-b blowing fan  73 , which are disposed up and down. 
     The fan cases  76  and  77  may include the first fan case  76  coupled from the front of the plurality of first blowing fans  71  and the second fan case  77  coupled from the rear of the plurality of first blowing fans  71 . 
     A support panel  90  may be coupled to the front of the fan cases  76  and  77 . The support panel  90  may include a plurality of openings  91  and  92  (see  FIG.  2   ). 
     The support panel  90  may be detachably coupled with respect to the fan cases  76  and  77 . Alternatively, the support panel  90  may be integrally formed with the fan cases  76  and  77 . 
     Air sucked from each of the plurality of first blowing fans  71  may be discharged forward through the plurality of openings  91  and  92 , respectively. Spiral grills  78  and  79  may be formed in the first fan case  76  to spirally guide the air discharged from the plurality of first blowing fans  71 . 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first blower  70  may include an airflow guide  100  configured to guide air discharged from the first blowing fan  71  to prevent dew from forming on the discharge panel  40 . 
     When the air conditioner operates in the first mode, the flow of air in the front of the discharge panel may be varied by various variables such as a ratio of a length of the first blower or the air conditioner in the left-right direction to a length in the up-down direction. 
     In particular, in some regions in the front of the discharge panel, hot and humid outside air may move toward and bring into contact with the discharge panel. That is, air outside the discharge panel may be induced to move toward the discharge panel and to bring into contact with the discharge panel. This phenomenon will be expressed herein as the occurrence of negative pressure or low pressure in the front of the discharge panel. 
     When negative pressure or low pressure occurs in the front of the discharge panel, as described above, air outside the discharge panel moves toward the inside of the discharge panel, and in this process, the air outside the discharge panel brings into contact with the discharge panel. 
     The air outside the discharge panel is relatively hot and high humid air, the air inside the discharge panel is relatively cold and low humidity air through the heat exchanger, and a temperature of the discharge panel is lowered by this cold air. In this state, when the hot and high humid air outside the discharge panel brings into contact with the discharge panel of a cold state, dew forms on the discharge panel. That is, dew condensation occurs on a surface of the discharge panel. In other words, dew condensation occurs on a surface of a cabinet of the air conditioner. When dew continues to form, dew flows along the surface of the air conditioner and accumulates inside or outside the air conditioner, which may adversely affect both hygiene and safety. This may also lower the reliability of the product. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a method of eliminating this dew condensation phenomenon. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the generation of negative or low pressure in the front of the discharge panel  40  may be prevented by providing the airflow guide  100 , and through this, dew may be prevented from forming on the surface of the discharge panel  40 . 
     The airflow guide  100  may guide air in an edge region of the discharge panel  40  such that the air discharged from the first blowing fan  71  moves from the inside of the discharge panel  40  to the outside of the discharge panel  40  through the plurality of holes  41 . The movement of air from the inside of the discharge panel  40  to the outside of the discharge panel  40  through the plurality of holes  41  means that air flows from the inside of the discharge panel  40  to the outside. When air flows from the inside of the discharge panel  40  to the outside, negative pressure or low pressure is not generated in the front of the discharge panel  40 . On the contrary, when negative pressure or low pressure is generated in the front of the discharge panel  40 , air flows from the outside of the discharge panel  40  to the inside. The airflow guide  100  may guide air in the edge region of the discharge panel  40  such that the air flows from the inside of the discharge panel  40  to the outside. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  6  and  7   , the airflow guide  100  may be disposed on opposite sides in the front of the lower opening  92  of the plurality of openings  91  and  92 . A pair of airflow guides  100   a  and  100   b  disposed on the opposite sides in the front of the opening  92  may have the same shape but may be symmetrical with each other. 
     The airflow guide  100  may extend in the up-down direction to distribute air discharged from the first-b blowing fan  73  through the opening  92  to the left and right sides. The airflow guide  100  may include a first guide portion  131  (see  FIG.  8   ) extending in a direction approaching a rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 , and a second guide portion  132  (see  FIG.  8   ) extending from one end of the first guide portion  131  in a direction away from the rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 . The first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  may extend toward the front of the first-b blowing fan  73 , respectively. As illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  may be provided to have different lengths. The rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73  may indicate a virtual line passing through the center of the opening  92 . 
     The lengths of the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  are different from each other, but when the first guide portion  131  extends to approach the rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 , the first guide portion  131  may be provided to be longer than the second guide portion  132 . On the contrary, when the second guide portion  132  extends to approach the rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 , the second guide portion  132  may be provided to be longer than the first guide portion  131 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , the airflow guide  100  may include the first guide portion  131  extending in the direction approaching the rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 , and the second guide portion  132  extending in the direction away from the rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 . Because the first guide portion  131  extends to approach the rotation axis of the first-b blowing fan  73 , as illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the length of the first guide portion  131  may be longer than the length of the second guide portion  132 . As such, when the length of the first guide portion  131  is longer than the length of the second guide portion  132 , air guided by the second guide portion  132  having a shorter length not only moves in the front of the airflow guide  100 , but also causes a vortex in a recess formed between the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132 . Due to this vortex, negative pressure or low pressure is not generated in the edge region of the discharge panel  40 , and dew may be prevented from forming on the surface of the discharge panel  40 . In this case, the recess formed between the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  may indicate a predetermined space in which a rib  133 , which will be described later, is provided. 
     When the lengths of the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  are the same, no vortex occurs in the recess formed between the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132 , and thus dew may form on the edge region of the discharge panel  40  corresponding to the airflow guide  100 . Similarly, when the length of the first guide portion  131  is shorter than the length of the second guide portion  132 , no vortex occurs in the recess formed between the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132 , and thus dew may form on the edge region of the discharge panel  40  corresponding to the airflow guide  100 . Referring to  FIG.  7   , a diameter of the opening  92  is referred to as D, and a length of the airflow guide  100  in the up-down direction is referred to as H. Hereinafter, the length of the airflow guide  100  in the up-down direction may be expressed as a height of the airflow guide. 
     When the diameter of the opening  92  is D and the height of the airflow guide  100  is H, a ratio H/D of the height H of the airflow guide  100  to the diameter D of the opening  92  satisfies 0.8&lt;H/D&lt;1.3. In other words, the height H of the airflow guide  100  may be provided larger than 0.8 times and smaller than 1.3 times the diameter D of the opening  92 . As such, the reason why the range of the height H of the airflow guide  100  is set for the diameter D of the opening  92  is as follows. When the height H of the airflow guide  100  is too smaller than the diameter D of the opening  92 , the air guide effect of the airflow guide  100  is weakened, so that dew formation on the discharge panel  40  may not be effectively prevented. Also, when the height H of the airflow guide  100  is too larger than the diameter D of the opening  92 , although not illustrated in  FIG.  7   , one of the first blowing fan  71  and a pair of the airflow guides  100  are not easily modularized and manufactured. That is, a height of a module including one of the first blowing fan  71  and a pair of the airflow guides  100  becomes excessively large. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , when the diameter of the opening  92  is D and the shortest distance in the front-rear direction between the airflow guide  100  and the opening  92  is L, a ratio L/D of the shortest distance to the diameter of the opening  92  satisfies 0.07&lt;L/D&lt;0.11. As such, the reason why the range of the shortest distance L between the opening  92  and the airflow guide  100  is set for the diameter D of the opening  92  is as follows. When the shortest distance (the shortest distance) between the airflow guide  100  and the opening  92  is too small, the airflow guide  100  excessively obstructs the flow of air discharged through the opening  92 , which causes the airflow to be not smooth, so that dew formation on the discharge panel  40  may not be prevented. Also, when the shortest distance is too large, the airflow guide  100  is too far from the opening  92 , so that the airflow guide  100  may not substantially affect the flow of air discharged through the opening  92 . Even in this case, dew formation on the discharge panel  40  may not be prevented. 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , the airflow guide  100  may include a first coupling portion  110  and a second coupling portion  120  that are detachably coupled to the support panel  90 . Also, the airflow guide  100  may include a connection portion  130  connecting the first coupling portion  110  and the second coupling portion  120  and extending in the up-down direction. 
     The first coupling portion  110  and the second coupling portion  120  may be provided to be symmetrical. That is, the structures of the first coupling portion  110  and the second coupling portion  120  are substantially the same. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, only the first coupling portion  110  will be described. 
     The first coupling portion  110  may include a coupling protrusion  111  inserted into a coupling groove (not shown) formed on the support panel  90 , and a support groove  112  into which a support protrusion  93  protruding from the support panel  90  is inserted. The user may couple the coupling protrusion  111  to the coupling groove (not shown) by coupling the support protrusion  93  to the support groove  112  and then rotating the airflow guide  100  about a vertical axis. However, the airflow guide  100  may alternatively be formed integrally with the support panel  90 . The airflow guide  100  may not include the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion and may be formed integrally with the support panel  90 . 
     The second coupling portion  120  may include a coupling protrusion  121  inserted into a coupling groove (not shown) formed on the support panel  90 , and a support groove  122  into which a support protrusion  93  protruding from the support panel  90  is inserted. The coupling protrusion  121  is couplable to the coupling groove (not shown) by coupling the support protrusion  93  to the support groove  122  and then rotating the airflow guide  100  about a vertical axis. 
     The connection portion  130  connecting the first coupling portion  110  and the second coupling portion  120  and extending in the up-down direction may include the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  described above. The rib  133  may be provided between the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132 . 
     A plurality of the ribs  133  may be provided and may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the up-down direction in which the connection portion  130  extends. The rib  133  may be provided between the first guide portion  131  and the second guide portion  132  to reinforce the rigidity of the connection portion  130 . 
       FIG.  10    illustrates a first blower in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG.  10   . The content overlapping with the above will be omitted. 
     Referring to  FIG.  10   , an airflow guide  200  may include a plurality of airflow guides  210   a ,  210   b ,  220   a , and  220   b . The plurality of airflow guides  210   a ,  210   b ,  220   a , and  220   b  may include the first airflow guide  210   a , the second airflow guide  210   b , the third airflow guide  220   a , and the fourth airflow guide  220   b.    
     The first airflow guide  210   a  and the second airflow guide  210   b  may be disposed on opposite sides of the front of a lower opening of a plurality of openings disposed up and down. 
     The third airflow guide  220   a  and the fourth airflow guide  220   b  may be disposed on opposite sides of the front of an upper opening of the plurality of openings disposed up and down. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  10   , the air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure may include the plurality of airflow guides  210   a ,  210   b ,  220   a , and  220   b  disposed on the opposite sides of the front of each of the plurality of openings disposed up and down. 
       FIG.  11    illustrates a first blower in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG.  11   . The content overlapping with the above will be omitted. 
     Referring to  FIG.  11   , an airflow guide  300  may include a first airflow guide  300   a  and a second airflow guide  300   b . An opening disposed at a lower side among a plurality of openings is referred to as a first opening, and an opening disposed at an upper side is referred to as a second opening. 
     The first airflow guide  300   a  may extend in the up-down direction from one side of the front of the first opening to one side of the front of the second opening. 
     The second airflow guide  300   b  may extend in the up-down direction from the other side of the front of the first opening to the other side of the front of the second opening. 
     The airflow guide having the structure described above is too long in the up-down direction, and thus the modularization of one of the blowing fan and two of the airflow guides may not be suitable, but the modularization of the plurality of blowing fans and two of the airflow guides is suitable. This is because the number of assembly processes is reduced and the number of parts is reduced. 
     As is apparent from the above, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, an aft conditioner can be provided that includes a structure preventing dew from forming on a surface of a cabinet. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an air conditioner can be provided that guides air discharged from a blowing fan such that air outside a discharge panel does not flow into the discharge panel in an edge area of the discharge panel including a plurality of holes. 
     While the disclosure has been particularly described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood by those of skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.