Patent Publication Number: US-11391471-B2

Title: Air conditioner indoor unit and air conditioner

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2019/109133, filed Sep. 29, 2019, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Nos. 201910256047.7 and 201920435043.0, both entitled “Air conditioner indoor unit and air conditioner” and filed Mar. 29, 2019, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the technical field of air conditioners and, in particular, to an air conditioner indoor unit, and air conditioner having the indoor unit. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In a wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit in related arts, the air duct structure is typically designed as a detachable structure, to facilitate cleaning and maintenance. However, as the air duct structure takes a large space, the overall thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit is relatively large, in order to ensure that the air duct structure can enter and exist without being scratched. 
     The aforementioned is for assisting in understanding the technical solution of the present disclosure, and does not constitute an admission that the aforementioned is prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The main purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner indoor unit and an air conditioner, aiming at effectively decreasing the overall thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit and in the meantime ensuring that the air duct structure is freely pulled out or pushed in. 
     In order to achieve the above purpose, the air conditioner indoor unit provided by the present disclosure includes an accommodation cavity, a chassis and an elastic plate, in which the chassis is positioned in an up-down direction, and the elastic plate is connected with a lower edge of the chassis and extends downwards; the air duct structure is detachably arranged in the accommodation cavity and elastically abutted against the elastic plate when being pulled out or pushed in. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the air conditioner indoor unit further includes a heat exchanger disposed in the accommodation cavity and a pipe assembly connected with the heat exchanger; the elastic plate includes a connection member and a partitioning member, in which the connection member is connected to the lower edge of the chassis at a side away from the partitioning member; the partitioning member is positioned between the pipe assembly and the air duct structure; the air duct structure is elastically abutted against the connection member or the partitioning member when being pulled out or pushed in. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the partitioning member is bent toward the pipe assembly. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the partitioning member includes a receiving cavity facing towards the pipe assembly for receiving the pipe assembly. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner wall of the receiving cavity has an arc shape. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the partitioning member includes an installation notch at a side away from the connection member, to expose the pipe joint of the pipe assembly. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic plate and the chassis are of an integral structure; and/or elastic plate and the chassis are connected with a smooth joint. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing includes a plurality of elastic plates disposed at intervals along a length direction of the chassis; the air duct structure is elastically abutted against at least one of the elastic plates when being pulled out or pushed in; or, the housing includes one elastic plate disposed at middle of the chassis in a length direction; the air duct structure is elastically abutted against the elastic plates when being pulled out or pushed in; or, the housing includes two elastic plates disposed at two ends of the chassis in a length direction; the air duct structure is elastically abutted against at least one of the elastic plates when being pulled out or pushed in. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing further includes a face frame and a lower panel, in which the face frame is connected to the upper edge of the chassis; and the face frame, the chassis and the elastic plate are enclosed to form the accommodation cavity; the lower panel is detachably mounted on the face frame and includes an air outlet; and/or, a wall-mount plate is disposed at a back of the housing, the wall-mount plate includes a hanging fastener at a side away from the housing. 
     The present disclosure also provides an air conditioner, which includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit connected with the indoor unit; the air conditioner indoor unit includes an accommodation cavity, a chassis and an elastic plate, in which the chassis is positioned in an up-down direction, and the elastic plate is connected with a lower edge of the chassis and extends downwards; the air duct structure is detachably arranged in the accommodation cavity and elastically abutted against the elastic plate when being pulled out or pushed in. 
     According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, the lower edge of the chassis is provided with an elastic plate, when the air duct structure is pulled or pushed in, the outer wall surface of the air duct structure is elastically abutted against the surface of the elastic plate. As such, the elastic plate is deformed and swung in a direction away from the air duct structure, allowing a space for the air duct structure to pass through; when the air duct structure is pulled out or installed in place, the elastic plate automatically restores to its original state. As the elastic plate allows a space for the air duct structure to pass through when the air duct structure is pulled or pushed in, no large space is needed for free passing of the air duct structure, and therefore unnecessary thickening of the whole machine body of the air conditioner indoor unit is avoided. The appearance in thickness of the indoor unit body of air conditioner is ensured. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to explain the embodiment of the present disclosure more clearly, the following will briefly introduce the drawings used in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the structure shown in these drawings without any creative effort. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic structural view of an air conditioner indoor unit with the air duct structure detached according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic partially exploded view of an air conditioner indoor unit; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air conditioner indoor unit with the air duct structure mounted in place; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air conditioner indoor unit when the air duct structure is pulled out or pushed in. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic structural diagram showing an assembly of a chassis and an elastic plate of the air conditioner indoor unit; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic structural schematic diagram showing the assembly of the chassis and the elastic plate from another perspective. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Reference 
                   
                 Reference 
                   
               
               
                 Numeral 
                 Name 
                 Numeral 
                 Name 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 100  
                 Air conditioner indoor 
                 15 
                 Wall-mount plate 
               
               
                   
                 unit 
               
               
                 10 
                 Housing 
                 151  
                 Hanging fastener 
               
               
                  10a 
                 Accommodation cavity 
                 20 
                 Air duct structure 
               
               
                 11 
                 Chassis 
                  20a 
                 Air inlet side 
               
               
                 12 
                 Elastic plate 
                  20b 
                 Air outlet side 
               
               
                 121  
                 Connection member 
                 30 
                 Heat exchanger 
               
               
                 123  
                 Partitioning member 
                 50 
                 Pipe assembly 
               
               
                 1231  
                 Receiving cavity 
                 51 
                 Drain pipe 
               
               
                 1233  
                 Installation notch 
                 53 
                 Refrigerant input/ 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 output pipe 
               
               
                 13 
                 Face frame 
                 531  
                 Pipe body 
               
               
                 14 
                 Lower panel 
                 533  
                 Insulation layer 
               
               
                 141  
                 Air outlet 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments described in the present disclosure, all other embodiments perceived by those ordinary skills in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as upper, lower, left, right, front, rear, etc.) in the embodiment of the present disclosure are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, etc., between various components under a certain specific attitude (as shown in the drawings). If the specific attitude changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly. 
     In the present disclosure, the terms “connected” and “fixed,” etc., should be understood in a broad sense, unless otherwise specified and defined. For example, “fixed” can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or forming an integral part; can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and can be the communication between interior of two elements or the interaction between two elements, unless otherwise in some embodiments specified. For those ordinary skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the aforementioned terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to practical conditions. 
     In addition, the technical solutions of various embodiments may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other. 
     The present disclosure provides an air conditioner indoor unit  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , in at least one embodiment of the air conditioner indoor unit  100  of the present disclosure, the air conditioner indoor unit  100  includes a housing  10  and an air duct structure  20 . The housing  10  has an accommodation cavity  10   a  therein. The housing  10  includes a chassis  11  and an elastic plate  12  positioned in an up-down direction, and the elastic plate  12  is connected to a lower edge of the chassis  11  and extending downward. The air duct structure  20  is removably arranged in the accommodation cavity  10   a , and is elastically abutted against the elastic plate  12  when being pulled or pushed in. 
     In some embodiments, the elastic plate  12  can be made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plastic or impact-resistant polystyrene. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plastic and impact-resistant polystyrene both have good elasticity, and the elastic plate  12  made of such materials has good elasticity, allowing the air duct structure  20  to be smoothly pulled or pushed in. The elastic plate  12  is connected to the lower edge of the chassis  11  and extends downward. The connection between the elastic plate  12  and the chassis  11  can be a snap connection or a screw connection, or the elastic plate  12  and the chassis  11  can be an integral structure. The elastic plate  12  may be square, trapezoidal, or another reasonable shape, which is not limited here. The air duct structure  20  is detachably installed in the accommodation cavity  10   a  and is located at the lower part of the accommodation cavity  10   a . The outer contour of the cross section of the air duct structure  20  in the front-rear direction is approximately arc-shaped, which enables the air duct structure  20  to be disassembled and assembled smoothly. When the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the outer wall of the air duct structure  20  would be elastically abutted against the surface of the elastic plate  12 . As such, the elastic plate  12  can be deformed and swung in a direction away from the air duct structure  20  to allow a space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through. When the air duct structure  20  is pulled out or installed in place, the elastic plate  12  automatically restores to its original state due to its own elasticity. 
     Therefore, it can be understood that, according to the technical solution of the present disclosure, the lower edge of the chassis  11  is provided with an elastic plate  12 , and when the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the outer wall surface of the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against the surface of the elastic plate  12 . As such, the elastic plate  12  is deformed and swung in a direction away from the air duct structure  20 , allowing a space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through; after the air duct structure  20  is pulled out or installed in place, the elastic plate  12  automatically restores to its original state. As the elastic plate  12  allows a space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through when the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, no large space is needed for free passing of the air duct structure  20 , and therefore unnecessary thickening of the whole machine body of the air conditioner indoor unit  100  is avoided. The body appearance in thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit  100  is ensured. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, air conditioner indoor unit  100  further includes a heat exchanger  30  disposed in the accommodation cavity  10   a  and a pipe assembly  50  connected with the heat exchanger  30 ; the elastic plate  12  includes a connection member  121  and a partitioning member  123  connected with each other, a side of the connection member  121  away from the partitioning member  123  is connected to the lower edge of the chassis  11 ; the partitioning member  123  is positioned between the pipe assembly  50  and the air duct structure  20 ; and the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against the connection member  121  or the partitioning member  123  when being pulled out or pushed in. 
     In some embodiments, the heat exchanger  30  is installed in the upper part of the accommodation cavity  10   a , and faces the air inlet side  20   a  of the air duct structure  20 , and the air inlet side  20   a  is connected with the heat exchanger  30 , so that the heat exchanged air may flow into the air duct structure  20  from the air inlet side  20   a , and then flow out from the air outlet  141  of the air duct structure  20 . The pipe assembly  50  includes a refrigerant input/output pipe  53  and a drain pipe  51 . The refrigerant input/output pipe  53  is connected to the heat exchanger, and is configured to supply refrigerant to the heat exchanger  30 . The elastic plate  12  includes a connection member  121  and a partitioning member  123  connected with each other. The connection between the connection member  121  and the partitioning member  123  can be a snap connection or a screw connection, or the connection member  121  and the partitioning member  123  can be an integral structure. The side of the connection member  121  facing away from the partitioning member  123  is connected to the lower edge of the chassis  11  and extends downward, and the connection member  121  is slightly inclined toward the air duct structure  20 . The partitioning member  123  is connected to the lower edge of the connection member  121  and extends downward, and the partitioning member  123  is located between the pipe assembly  50  and the air duct structure  20 , to protect the pipe assembly  50  from being pressed or scratched when the air duct structure is abutted against the elastic plate  12  when being pulled or pushed in can be avoided. When the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against the connection member  121  and/or the partitioning member  123  of the elastic plate  12 , so that the connection member  121  and the partitioning member  123  are deformed and swung toward the pipe assembly  50 , to allow a space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through. 
     The refrigerant input/output pipe  53  includes a pipe body  531  and an insulation layer  533  wrapped outside the pipe body  531 . The insulation layer  533  can protect and insulate the refrigerant pipe body  531 , effectively preventing the refrigerant input/output pipe  53  from being scratched due to the elastic press of the pipe assembly  50  by the elastic plate  12  when the air duct structure  20  is pulled out or pushed in. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in the front-rear direction of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 , the minimum distance between the elastic plate  12  and the heat exchanger  30  is denoted as S 1 , the minimum distance between the outer surface of the pipe in the pipe assembly  50  and the plate surface of the elastic plate  12  is denoted as S 3 , and the maximum diameter of the outer contour of the air duct structure  20  is denoted as S 2 . To ensure that the elastic deformation of the elastic plate  12  can make space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through, the following conditions need to be met: S 1 &lt;S 2  and S 1 +S 3 ≥S 2 . 
     Further, the partitioning member  123  is bent toward the pipe assembly  50 . Since the partitioning member  123  is deformed and swung toward the pipe assembly  50  when the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, bending the partitioning member  123  toward the pipe assembly  50  can ensure the strength of the deformation process of the elastic plate  12 , and can further reduce the distance between the pipe assembly  50  and the heat exchanger  30  and meanwhile ensure the passing of the air duct structure  20 . The overall thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit  100  is thereby further reduced. In the meanwhile, bending the partitioning member  123  toward the pipe assembly  50  can also guide the pulling or pushing operation of the air duct structure  20 , thus enabling the pulling or pushing operation of the air duct structure  20  to be more smoothly. 
     Further, referring to  FIG. 3  again, the partitioning member  123  is formed with a receiving cavity  1231  toward the pipe assembly  50  for receiving the pipe assembly  50 . 
     In some embodiments, the partitioning member  123  is recessed approximately toward the air duct structure  20  to form a receiving cavity  1231 , which is disposed corresponding to the pipe assembly  50 . When the air duct structure  20  is pulled out or pushed in, the partitioning member  123  is bent toward the pipe assembly  50 , so that the pipe assembly  50  is just received in the receiving cavity  1231 , and part of the outer wall surface of the pipe in the pipe assembly  50  touches the cavity wall of the receiving cavity  1231 . As such, the distance between the pipe assembly  50  and the heat exchanger  30  can be further reduced to ensure the passing of the air duct structure  20 , thereby further reducing the overall thickness of air conditioner indoor unit  100  and ensuring the appearance in the body thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 . 
     Further, the inner wall of the accommodation cavity  1231  is arranged itself in an arc shape. As the refrigerant input/output pipe  53  or the drain pipe  51  in the pipe assembly  50  are both circular pipe structures, the inner wall of the accommodation cavity  1231  is provided with an arc-shaped structure correspondingly. When the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the partitioning member  123  is bent toward the pipe assembly  50 . And the outer wall of the pipe in the pipe assembly  50  can be well touched to the cavity wall of the accommodation cavity  1231 , which can further reduce the overall thickness of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 . Optionally, the inner wall of the accommodation cavity  1231  is arranged itself in a circular shape. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 5 and 6 , an installation notch  1233  is formed at the side of the partitioning member  123  facing away from the connection member  121 , to expose the pipe joint of the pipe assembly  50 . The installation notch  1233  is formed at the lower edge of the partitioning member  123 , and the pipe joint of the pipe assembly  50  is exposed due to the installation notch  1233 . When installing the pipe of the pipe assembly  50 , a human hand can pass through the installation notch  1233  to perform the pipe connection, which is convenient to operate. In the meanwhile, the manufacturing cost of the elastic plate  12  is further reduced to a certain extent. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic plate  12  and the chassis  11  are of an integral structure. Typically, the two are injection molded into an integral structure through a mold, and the integral structure can effectively enhance the strength of the elastic plate  12 . Similarly, the connection member  121  and the partitioning member  123  in the elastic plate  12  are of an integral structure, so that the strength of the connection member  121  and the partitioning member  123  can be enhanced, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the elastic plate  12 , further effectively preventing the elastic plate  12  from breaking due to elastic deformation, and improving the structural reliability of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 . 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic plate  12  and the chassis  11  smoothly transit at the joint therebetween. When the elastic plate  12  is provided, the connection between the elastic plate  12  and the lower edge of the chassis  11  is set to be a smooth transition to further enhance the strength of the elastic plate  12 , thereby more effectively preventing the elastic plate  12  from breaking due to elastic deformation and improving the structural reliability of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 . 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of elastic plates  12  are provided, the plurality of elastic plates  12  are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the chassis  11 , and the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against at least one elastic plate  12  when being pulled out or pushed in. The lower edge of the chassis  11  is provided with a plurality of elastic plates  12  which are distributed at intervals along the length direction of the chassis  11 , so that when the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the air duct structure  20  can be elastically abutted against at least one elastic plate  12 , and the at least one elastic plate  12  is deformed and swung toward the pipe assembly  50  to allow a space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through. Additionally, the manufacturing cost of the elastic plate  12  can be saved. In some embodiments, the plurality of elastic plates  12  are uniformly distributed along the length direction of the chassis  11 , and the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against each elastic plate  12  when pulled out or pushed in, so that the pressing force on the elastic plate  12  is distributed to the plurality of elastic plates  12 , and the force borne by each elastic plate  12  is relatively small. This effectively prevents the elastic plate  12  from breaking due to elastic deformation, and the structural reliability of the air conditioner indoor unit  100  can be improved. In addition, due to the gap between the two adjacent elastic plates  12 , the pipe joint of the pipe assembly  50  can be exposed in the gap, so that the partitioning member  123  of the elastic plate  12  does not need to be provided with an installation notch  1233 , thus simplifying the manufacturing process of the elastic plate  12  and improving its manufacturing efficiency. 
     In some embodiments, the plurality of elastic plates  12  and the chassis  11  are of an integral structure to ensure the strength of each elastic plate  12 , thereby effectively preventing the elastic plate  12  from breaking due to elastic deformation and improving the structural reliability of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 . 
     In one embodiment of the present disclosure, one elastic plate  12  is provided, which is located at the middle of the chassis  11  in the length direction, and the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against the elastic plate  12  when being pulled out or pushed in. One elastic plate  12  is arranged at the lower edge of the chassis  11  and is arranged at the middle part of the lower edge of the chassis  11 . When the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the elastic plate  12  only needs to elastically abut against the elastic plate  12 , and the elastic plate  12  can be deformed and swung towards the pipe assembly  50  to allow a space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through, so as to ensure that the air duct structure  20  is smoothly pulled or pushed in. Additionally, the arrangement of one elastic plate  12  can also save the manufacturing cost. 
     In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, two elastic plates  12  are provided, which are located at two ends of the chassis  11  in the length direction, and the air duct structure  20  is elastically abutted against at least one of the elastic plates  12  when being pulled out or pushed in. Two elastic plates  12  are respectively arranged at two ends of the lower edge of the chassis  11 . When the air duct structure  20  is pulled or pushed in, the air duct structure  20  only needs to elastically abut against at least one elastic plate  12 . The elastic plate  12  can be deformed and swung towards the pipe assembly  50  to allow the space for the air duct structure  20  to pass through, so as to ensure that the air duct structure  20  is smoothly pulled or pushed in. Similarly, the pipe connector of the pipe assembly  50  can be exposed at the gap between the two elastic plates  12 , so that the partitioning member  123  of the elastic plate  12  does not need to be provided with an installation notch  1233 , simplifying the manufacturing process of the elastic plate  12 , and thus improving its manufacturing efficiency. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 , the housing  10  further includes a face frame  13  and a lower panel  14 . The upper edge of the chassis  11  is connected to the face frame  13 , and the face frame  13 , the chassis  11 , and the elastic plate  12  enclose to form the accommodation cavity  10   a . The lower panel  14  is detachably mounted to the face frame  13  and is provided with an air outlet  141 . 
     In some embodiments, the face frame  13 , the chassis  11  and the elastic plate  12  enclose to form an accommodation cavity  10   a ; the heat exchanger  30  is installed at the upper part of the accommodation cavity  10   a ; the air duct structure  20  is installed at the lower of the accommodation cavity  10   a ; the lower panel  14  is detachably connected to the lower part of the face frame  13  and covers the air outlet side  20   b  at the lower part of the air duct structure  20 , and the lower panel  14  is provided with an air outlet  141  for air to flow, so that air flowing out of the air outlet  23  at the lower part of the air duct structure  20  flows into the room through the avoiding hole to adjust indoor temperature. When the air duct structure  20  is to be removed, the lower panel  14  is first removed. The lower panel  14  can effectively prevent dust or sundries from falling into the interior of the air-conditioning indoor unit  100 , thereby protecting components in the air-conditioning indoor unit  100  to a certain extent. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the back of the housing  10  is also provided with a wall-mount plate  15 , and the side of the wall-mount plate  15  facing away from the housing  10  is provided with a hanging fastener  151 . When installing air conditioner indoor unit  100 , the wall mounted plate  15  is tightly attached to the wall surface, and the hanging fastener  151  on the wall mounted plate  15  is clamped and matched with the corresponding piece on the wall surface, so that the air conditioner indoor unit  100  can be integrally mounted, and the installation is simple and convenient. 
     The present disclosure further provides an air conditioner, which includes an air conditioner indoor unit  100  and an air conditioner outdoor unit connected with the air conditioner indoor unit  100 . For the structure of the air conditioner indoor unit  100 , reference can be made to the aforementioned embodiments. As the air conditioner takes all the technical solutions of the above embodiments, it has at least all the significance and effects brought by the technical solution of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here. 
     The above description refers to only optional embodiments of the present disclosure, and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure, and any transformation of equivalent structure made under the concept of the present disclosure by using the contents of this specification and the drawings, or direct/indirect application in other relevant technical fields, shall be included in the scope of the present disclosure.