Patent Publication Number: US-11644202-B2

Title: Air conditioner and ventilation apparatus for the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0126243, filed on Oct. 11, 2019 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosure relates to an air conditioner having a ventilation apparatus. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An air conditioner is a device that includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and a blowing fan, and adjusts the indoor temperature, humidity, and air flow using a refrigeration cycle. The air conditioner may include an indoor unit disposed indoors and an outdoor unit disposed outdoors. 
     The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes a heat exchanger formed to allow a refrigerant to have heat exchanged with air, a blowing fan causing air to move, and a motor to drive the blowing fan so that the indoors is cooled or heated. 
     In general, in order to prevent energy loss when operating the air conditioner, all ventilation apparatuses, including a window, are closed. Such an environment causes carbon dioxide concentration in the room to rise, which may affect the human body. Accordingly, a ventilation apparatus including a total heat exchanger, an intake pipe, an exhaust pipe, an intake fan, and an exhaust fan may be provided in the air conditioner. 
     However, such a ventilation apparatus requires two holes to be formed in the wall for the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe, and occupies a large space due to having the two fans and the total heat exchanger. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, it is an object of the disclosure to provide a ventilation apparatus that may be installed by forming only one hole in the wall while minimizing the installation space, and an air conditioner having the same. 
     It is another object of the disclosure to provide a ventilation apparatus easily coupled to and separated from a body of an air conditioner, and an air conditioner having the same, 
     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. 
     According to an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an air conditioner including: a main body including a body fan, a heat exchanger, and a body housing to accommodate the body fan and the heat exchanger; a ventilation hose connecting indoors to outdoors; and a ventilation module attached to an outer side of the body housing, the ventilation module having a ventilation fan and configured to switch between an exhaust mode in which air of the indoors is exhausted to the outdoors through the ventilation hose and an air supply mode in which air of the outdoors is supplied to the indoors through the ventilation hose. 
     The ventilation module may include a module housing configured to accommodate the ventilation fan, the module housing may include a module suction/discharge port to which the ventilation hose, a module suction port, and a module discharge port, the body housing may include a body suction port and a body discharge port, and the module discharge port may be located adjacent to the body suction port outside the body housing. 
     The module suction/discharge port may be located outside the body housing. 
     The ventilation module may include: a first damper provided to allow an inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the module suction port and the module suction/discharge port; and a second damper provided to allow an outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the module suction/discharge port and the module discharge port. 
     In the exhaust mode, the first damper may be provided to allow the inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module suction port, and the second damper may be provided to allow the outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module suction/discharge port. 
     In the air supply mode, the first damper may be provided to allow the inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module suction/discharge port, and the second damper may be provided to allow the outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module discharge port. 
     The ventilation module may include: a suction flow path configured to guide air suctioned through the module suction port to be directed to the inlet of the ventilation fan; a discharge flow path configured to guide air discharged through the outlet of the ventilation fan to be directed to the module discharge port; and a suction/discharge flow path configured to guide air suctioned through the module suction/discharge port to be directed to the inlet of the ventilation fan, or guide air discharged through the outlet of the ventilation fan to be directed to the module suction/discharge port. 
     The first damper may include: a cylindrical damper body having a bottom surface in a circular shape and a side surface extending from a rim of the bottom surface to be perpendicular to the bottom surface; and a rotation shaft portion formed at a center of the bottom surface to rotate the cylindrical damper body. 
     The cylindrical damper body may include: an inner space, a damper inlet formed on the side surface to allow air to be introduced into the inner space; and a damper outlet formed on a side opposite to the bottom surface to allow air to flow out of the inner space. 
     The second damper may include a shielding plate and a rotation shaft portion formed at one edge of the shielding plate to rotate the shielding plate. 
     The first damper may include a shielding plate and a rotation shaft portion formed at one edge of the shielding plate to rotate the shielding plate. 
     According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an air conditioner including: a main body including a heat exchanger and a body fan; and a ventilation module coupled to the main body, wherein the ventilation module includes: a ventilation fan; a module housing configured to accommodate the ventilation fan, and including a module suction port to suction air of indoors, a module discharge port to discharge air to the indoors, and a module suction/discharge port to suction air of outdoors or discharge air to the outdoors; a first damper provided to allow an inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the module suction port and the module suction/discharge port; and a second damper provided to allow an outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the module suction/discharge port and the module discharge port. 
     The ventilation module may be configured to switch between an exhaust mode in which air of the indoors is exhausted to the outdoors and an air supply mode in which air of the outdoors is supplied to the indoors. 
     In the exhaust mode, the first damper may be provided to allow the inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module suction port, and the second damper may be provided to allow the outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module suction/discharge port. 
     In the air supply mode, the first damper may be provided to allow the inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module suction/discharge port, and the second damper may be provided to allow the outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with the module discharge port. 
     The first damper may include: a cylindrical damper body having a bottom surface in a circular shape and a side surface extending from a rim of the bottom surface to be perpendicular to the bottom surface; and a rotation shaft portion formed at a center of the bottom surface to rotate the cylindrical damper body. 
     The cylindrical damper body may include: an inner space, a damper inlet formed on the side surface to allow air to be introduced into the inner space; and a damper outlet formed on a side opposite to the bottom surface to allow air to flow out of the inner space. 
     The second damper may include a shielding plate and a rotation shaft portion formed at one edge of the shielding plate to rotate the shielding plate. 
     According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a ventilation apparatus including: a ventilation hose connecting indoors to outdoors; and a ventilation module configured to switch between an exhaust mode in which air of the indoors is exhausted to the outdoors through the ventilation hose and an air supply mode in which air of the outdoors is supplied to the indoors through the ventilation hose, wherein the ventilation module includes: a housing having a suction port, a discharge port, and a suction/discharge port to which the ventilation hose is coupled; a ventilation fan disposed inside the housing; a first damper provided to allow an inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the suction port and the suction/discharge port; and a second damper provided to allow an outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the suction/discharge port and the discharge port. 
     The ventilation apparatus may be attached to an air conditioner having a body fan and a heat exchanger. 
    
    
     
       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    is a perspective view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a rear perspective view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a plane view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a rear exploded perspective view illustrating a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a view illustrating a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure in which a first damper is disassembled; 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first damper according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  9    is a view illustrating a flow of air in an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  13    is a view illustrating a flow of air in an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  14    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  15    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure 
         FIG.  17    is a view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to another embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  18    is a view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to another embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  19    is a view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to still another embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG.  20    is a view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to still another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiments set forth herein and illustrated in the configuration of the disclosure are only the most preferred embodiments and are not representative of the full the technical spirit of the disclosure, so it should be understood that they may be replaced with various equivalents and modifications at the time of 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 “include”, “comprise” and/or “have” 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. 
     Hereinafter, embodiments according to the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure,  FIG.  2    is a rear perspective view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure,  FIG.  3    is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and  FIG.  4    is a plane view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  4   , an air conditioner  1  according to the embodiment is described. 
     The air conditioner  1  includes a main body  2  and a ventilation apparatus  50 . The main body  2  may be disposed indoors to suction indoor air, heat-exchange the indoor air and discharge the heat-exchanged indoor air into the indoors. However, unlike the embodiment, the main body  2  may be disposed outdoors to suction outdoor air, heat-exchange the outdoor air, and discharge the heat-exchanged outdoor air to the outdoors. 
     The ventilation apparatus  50  may ventilate indoor air and outdoor air. The ventilation apparatus  50  may be separably attached to the main body  2 . 
     The main body  2  includes a housing  4 , blowing units  31  and  36  provided inside the housing  4  to allow air to flow, and a heat exchange  3  to heat-exchange air introduced into the housing  4 . 
     The housing  4  includes a case  11  in which the blowing units  31  and  36  and the heat exchanger  3  are mounted, a front panel  20  coupled to a front surface of the case  11 , and filter frame  5  and  8  coupled to a rear surface of the case  11 . 
     The case  11  may be formed with a first suction port  12  and a second suction port  13  at a rear side thereof. The first suction port  12  may be formed on an upper portion of a rear surface of the case  11 . The second suction port  13  may be formed on a lower portion of the rear surface of the case  11 . Indoor air may be sucked into the housing  4  through the first suction port  12  and the second suction port  13 . 
     The case  11  may be formed with a first discharge port  14  at a front side thereof. The first discharge port  14  may be covered by the front panel  20 . Air introduced into the housing  4  through the first suction port  12  may be heat-exchanged through the heat exchanger  3  and discharged to the front of the housing  4  through the first discharge port  14 . 
     The first filter frame  5  may be installed on the first suction port  12  to prevent foreign substances from being sucked into the housing  4  through the first suction port  12 . The first filter frame  5  may include a first grille  6  having a mesh shape and a first filter  7  provided to filter out foreign substances. The first filter  7  may include an electric dust collecting filter, a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) filter, an antibacterial filter, a deodorizing filter, and the like. 
     The second filter frame  8  may be installed on the second suction port  13  to prevent foreign substances from being sucked into the housing  4  through the second suction port  13 . The second filter frame  8  may be located below the first filter frame  5 . The second filter frame  8  may include a second grille  9  having a mesh shape and a second filter  10  provided to filter out foreign substances. The second filter  10  may include an electric dust collecting filter, a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) filter, an antibacterial filter, a deodorizing filter, and the like. 
     The case  11  is formed with a second discharge port  15  at a front side thereof. The second discharge ports  15  may be formed on the left and right sides of the first discharge port  14 . Air introduced into the housing  4  through the second suction port  13  may be discharged to the front of the housing  4  through the second discharge port  15  without passing through the heat exchanger  3 . The air discharged through the second discharge port  15  may be mixed with the air discharged from the first discharge port  14 . 
     The main body  2  includes a first flow path S 1  connecting the first suction port  12  to the first discharge port  14 , and a second flow path S 2  connecting the second suction port  13  to the second discharge port  15 . The first flow path S 1  and the second flow path S 2  may be divided from each other. Accordingly, air flowing through the first flow path S 1  and air flowing through the second flow path S 2  may not be mixed with each other. A partition plate  17  may be provided inside the main body  2  to divide the first flow path S 1  from the second flow path S 2 . 
     The heat exchanger  3  may be disposed in the first flow path S 1 . The second flow path S 2  may not be provided with a heat exchanger. 
     An accommodation space  18  is formed inside the case  11 , and various electronic parts required for driving the second blowing unit  36  and the air conditioner  1  may be disposed in the accommodation space  18 . 
     The blowing units  31  and  36  may include a first blowing unit  31  and a second blowing unit  36 . The first blowing unit  31  and the second blowing unit  36  may be driven independent of each other. 
     The first blowing unit  31  may be disposed on the first flow path S 1 . Air may be introduced into the housing  4  through the first suction port  12  by the first blowing unit  31 . The air introduced through the first suction port  12  may move along the first flow path S 1  to the heat exchanger  3  in which the air is heat exchanged and then discharged from the housing  4  through the first discharge port  14 . The first blowing unit  31  may include a first blowing fan  32  and a first fan driving unit  33 . 
     The first blowing fan  32  may be an axial fan or a mixed-flow fan that sucks air in the axial direction and discharges air in the axial direction. However, the type of the first blowing fan  32  is not limited thereto. The first fan driving unit  33  may drive the first blowing fan  32 . The first fan driving unit  33  may be disposed in the center of the first blowing fan  32 . The first fan driving unit  33  may include a motor. 
     The second blowing unit  36  may be disposed on the second flow path S 2 . Air may be introduced into the housing  4  through the second suction port  13  by the second blowing unit  36 . Air introduced through the  13  may move along the second flow path S 2  and be discharged from the housing  4  through the second discharge port  15 . 
     The second blowing unit  36  may include a second blowing fan  37 , a second fan driving unit, and a fan case  39 . 
     The second blowing fan  37  may be a cross flow fan. However, the type of the second blowing fan  37  is not limited thereto. The second fan driving unit may drive the second blowing fan  37 . The second fan driving unit may include a motor. The fan case  39  may cover the second blowing fan  37  and guide air. 
     The heat exchanger  3  may be disposed on the first flow path S 1 . The heat exchanger  3  may be disposed between the first blowing unit  31  and the first discharge port  14 . The heat exchanger  3  may absorb heat from air introduced through the first suction port  12  or may transfer heat to air introduced through the first suction port  12 . The heat exchanger  3  may include a header, a tube through which a refrigerant flows, and a heat exchange fin attached to the tube to expand a heat transfer area. 
     The front panel  20  may have a plurality of discharge holes  21  that are formed to pass through the front panel  20 . Air guided to the first discharge port  14  may be caused to have a lower speed by passing through the plurality of discharge holes  21  and discharged to the outside of the housing  4 . 
     The plurality of discharge holes  21  have a fine size and may be uniformly distributed over the entire area of the front panel  20 . Wind discharged through the plurality of discharge holes  21  does not directly reach the user, and may gradually cool or heat the room. 
     The ventilation apparatus  50  may include a ventilation hose  51  provided to connect indoors ID to outdoors IO and a ventilation module  60  provided to switch between an exhaust mode in which air of the indoors is exhausted to the outdoors through the ventilation hose  51  and an air supply mode in which air of the outdoors is supplied to the indoors through the ventilation hose  51 . 
     The ventilation hose  51  may be installed in a hole formed in a wall W that divides the indoors ID from and the outdoors IO. The ventilation hose  51  may be provided with an opening/closing damper  52  allowing air to flow between indoors and outdoors through the ventilation hose  51  or blocking the air. 
     The ventilation module  60  may be separably attached to the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2 . Specifically, the ventilation module  60  may be attached to a lower portion of the case  11  of the main body  2  or to the second filter frame  8 . 
     The ventilation module  60  may include fixers  63  and  78  to be coupled to the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2  (see  FIG.  6   ). The fixers  63  and  78  may include a lower fixer  63  formed on a lower side of the ventilation module  60  and an upper fixer  78  formed on an upper side of the ventilation module  60 . 
     The lower fixer  62  and the upper fixer  78  may be formed in the shape of a hook so as to be engaged with the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2 . The lower fixer  62  may be engaged with a fixer groove (not shown) formed in a lower portion of the case  11  of the main body  2  or in the second filter frame  8 . The upper fixer  78  may be engaged with the grille  9  of the second filter frame  8 . 
     As such, the ventilation module  60  may be easily installed on the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2  by hanging the fixers  62  and  78  on the housing  4  of the main body  2 , and conversely, the ventilation module  60  may be easily separated from the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2  by slightly lifting the ventilation module  60 . 
     However, unlike the embodiment, the ventilation module  60  may be coupled to the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2  through a variety of known coupling methods, such as a fitting coupling or a coupling using separate fastening members (screws, pins, bolts, rivets, magnets, and adhesives). 
     As such, since the ventilation module  60  is installed on the outside of the housing  4  of the main body  2 , there is no need to insert the ventilation hose  51  into the housing  4  of the main body  2 , and the ventilation module  60  and the ventilation hose  51  may be easily connected to each other. 
     The ventilation module  60  may include a ventilation fan  80  and a ventilation motor  84  that drives the ventilation fan  80 . That is, the ventilation module  60  according to the disclosure may perform air exhaust and supply using one ventilation hose  51  and one ventilation fan  80 . The configuration of the ventilation module  60  according to the disclosure will be described below in detail. 
       FIG.  5    is a rear exploded perspective view illustrating a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure,  FIG.  6    is an exploded perspective view illustrating a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure,  FIG.  7    is a view illustrating a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure in which a first damper is disassembled, and  FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first damper according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  5  to  8   , the ventilation module  60  may include the ventilation fan  80 , a module housing  61 , a first damper  90 , and a second damper  100 . 
     The ventilation fan  80  may be a centrifugal fan that sucks air in an axial direction  85  ( FIG.  12   ) and discharges the air in the radial direction. The ventilation fan  80  may be driven by the ventilation motor  84 . 
     The module housing  61  may include a main housing  70  and cover housings  62  and  65  coupled to the outside of the main housing  70 . The cover housings  62  and  65  may include a first cover housing  62  and a second cover housing  65 . The first cover housing  62  and the second cover housing  65  may be provided to surround a part of the main housing  70 . The first cover housing  62  and the second cover housing  65  may be coupled to each other. 
     The first cover housing  62  may be coupled to the main body  2 . The lower fixer  63  described above may be formed to protrude from one surface of the first cover housing  62  facing the main body  2 . A motor mounting part  64  on which the ventilation motor  84  is mounted may be formed on the opposite surface of the first cover housing  62 . 
     The second cover housing  65  may be provided with a module suction port  66 . Air sucked through the module suction port  66  may be guided to the inside of the main housing  70  through an inlet  72  of the main housing  70 . A filter may be installed at the module suction port  66  to prevent foreign substances from being sucked through the module suction port  66 . 
     The main housing  70  may be provided with the ventilation fan  80  mounted therein. The main housing  70  includes a ventilation fan inlet  81  through which air is sucked into the ventilation fan  80 , a ventilation fan outlet ( 82  in  FIGS.  11  and  12   ) through which air is discharged from the ventilation fan  80 , and a scroll portion  83  formed to guide the air discharged from the ventilation fan  80  to the ventilation fan outlet  82 . 
     The main housing  70  includes the main housing inlet  72  through which air sucked through the module suction port  66  is sucked into the main housing  70 , a module discharge port  73  through which air is discharged from the inside of the main housing  70  to the indoors, and a module suction/discharge port  71  to which the ventilation hose  51  is coupled and through which outdoor air flows into or out of the main housing  70 . The upper fixer  78  described above may be formed to protrude from the main housing  70 . 
     The module suction port  66 , the module discharge port  73 , and the module suction/discharge port  71  may all be located outside the housing  4  of the main body  2 . 
     The module discharge port  73  may be disposed adjacent to the suction port  13  of the main body  2 . Accordingly, the air discharged from the ventilation module  60  through the module discharge port  73  may be smoothly sucked into the interior of the main body  2  through the suction port  13  of the main body  2 . 
     The ventilation module  60  may have an exhaust mode in which indoor air is exhausted to the outdoors through the ventilation hose  51  and an air supply mode in which outdoor air is supplied to the indoors through the ventilation hose  51 , and may be provided to switch between the exhaust mode and the air supply mode. 
     To this end, the ventilation module  60  has a first damper  90  that allows the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80  to communicate with one of the module suction port  66  and the module suction/discharge port  71  without communicating with the other, and a second damper ( 100  in  FIG.  12   ) that allows the outlet  82  of the ventilation fan  80  to communicate with one of the module suction/discharge port  71  and the module discharge port  73  without communicating with the other. 
     The first damper  90  may have a cylindrical damper body  91  and a rotation shaft portion  98  formed to rotate the damper body  91 , and may be configured to be rotatable. The main housing  70  may be provided with a first damper motor  99  mounted thereon to drive the first damper  90 . 
     The cylindrical damper body  91  may have a bottom surface  92  and a side surface  93  extending from a rim of the bottom surface  92  to be perpendicular to the bottom surface  92 . The rotation shaft portion  98  may be formed at the center of the bottom surface  92 . 
     The cylindrical damper body  91  may include an inner space  95 , a damper inlet  96  formed by opening a part of the side surface  93  to allow air to flow into the inner space  95 , and a damper outlet  97  formed by opening a surface opposite to the bottom surface  92  to allow air to flow out of the inner space  95 . 
     The second damper  100  may have a shielding plate  101  and a rotation shaft portion  108  formed at one edge of the shielding plate  101  to rotate the shielding plate  101 , and may be configured to be rotatable (see  FIG.  12   ). The main housing  90  may be provided with a second damper motor  109  mounted thereon to drive the second damper  100 . 
       FIG.  9    is a view illustrating a flow of air in an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  10    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  13    is a view illustrating a flow of air in an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  14    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  15    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, the exhaust mode ( FIGS.  9  to  12   ) and the air supply mode ( FIGS.  13  to  16   ) of the ventilation module  60  according to the disclosure will be described. 
     The ventilation module  60  may include a suction flow path  76  that guides air sucked through the module suction port  66  to be directed to the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80 , a discharge flow path  77  that guides air discharged from the ventilation fan  80  to be directed to the module discharge port  73 , and a suction/discharge flow path  75  that guides air sucked through the module suction/discharge port  71  to be directed to the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80  or guide air discharged from the ventilation fan  80  through the outlet  82  of the fan  80  to be directed to the module suction/discharge port  71 . 
     In the exhaust mode ( FIGS.  9  to  12   ), the first damper  90  rotates such that the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80  communicates with the module suction port  66 , and the second damper  100  rotates such that the outlet  82  of the ventilation fan  80  communicates with the module suction/discharge port  71 . In this case, the first damper  90  prevents the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80  from communicating with the module suction/discharge port  71 , and the second damper  100  prevents the outlet  82  of the ventilation fan  80  from communicating with the module discharge port  73 . 
     In the exhaust mode, when the ventilation fan  80  operates, air of indoors may sequentially pass through the module suction port  66 , the suction flow path  76 , the ventilation fan  80 , the suction/discharge flow path  75 , the module suction/discharge port  71 , and the ventilation hose  51 , after which the air may be discharged outdoors. 
     In the air supply mode ( FIGS.  13  to  16   ), the first damper  90  allows the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80  to communicate with the module suction/discharge port  71 , and the second damper  100  allows the outlet  82  of the ventilation fan  80  to communicate with the module discharge port  73 . In this case, the first damper  90  prevents the inlet  81  of the ventilation fan  80  from communicating with the module suction port  66 , and the second damper  100  prevents the outlet  82  of the ventilation fan  80  from communicating with the module suction/discharge port  71 . 
     In the exhaust mode, when the ventilation fan  80  is operated, air of outdoors may sequentially pass through the ventilation hose  51 , the module suction/discharge port  71 , the suction/discharge flow path  75 , the ventilation fan  80 , the discharge flow path  77 , and the module discharge port  73 , after which the air may be supplied to the indoors. 
     The air discharged from the ventilation module  60  through the module discharge port  73  may flow into the interior of the main body  2  through the suction port  13  of the main body  2  by the suction force of the blowing fan  37  of the main body  2 , after which the air may be purified by the filter  10  provided in the main body  2  and supplied to the indoors. 
     As described above, the ventilation module  60  may implement air supply and exhaust through one ventilation fan  80  and one ventilation hose  51 , and switch of air supply and exhaust may be performed through a plurality of dampers. Because the dampers have a simple shape, forming and assembly may be facilitated, and reliability of operation may be ensured. 
       FIG.  17    is a view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to another embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  18    is a view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  17  and  18   , a ventilation module according to another embodiment of the disclosure will be described. The same reference numerals may be assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment, and description thereof may be omitted. 
     In the above-described embodiment, a cylindrical damper is used as the first damper, and a flat damper is used as the second damper. However, the shape of the dampers is not limited thereto, and a flat damper may be used as the first damper, similar to the second damper. 
     A ventilation module  260  according to the embodiment may include a module housing  61 , a ventilation fan, a first damper  200 , and a second damper  100 . The module housing  61  may be formed with a module suction port  66 , a module discharge port  73 , and a module suction/discharge port  71 . 
     The first damper  200  may allow the inlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the module suction port  66  and the module suction/discharge port  71  without communicating with the other. The second damper  100  may allow the outlet of the ventilation fan to communicate with one of the module suction/discharge port  71  and the module discharge port  73  without communicating with the other. 
     The first damper  200  may have a shielding plate  201  and a rotation shaft portion  208  formed at one edge of the shielding plate  201  to rotate the shielding plate  201 , and may be configured to be rotatable. The module housing  61  may be provided with a first damper motor  209  mounted thereon to drive the first damper  200 . 
       FIG.  19    is a view illustrating an exhaust mode of a ventilation module according to still another embodiment of the disclosure.  FIG.  20    is a view illustrating an air supply mode of a ventilation module according to still another embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  19  to  20   , a ventilation module according to another embodiment of the disclosure will be described. The same reference numerals may be assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments, and description thereof may be omitted. 
     A ventilation module  360  according to the embodiment includes a module housing  361 , a ventilation fan  380 , a ventilation motor  384  to drive the ventilation fan  380 , and a fan housing  381  on which the ventilation fan  380  and the ventilation motor  384  are mounted. 
     The module housing  361  may be formed with a first suction/discharge port  371  and a second suction/discharge port  372 . A ventilation hose connecting indoors to outdoors may be coupled to the first suction/discharge port  371 . 
     The fan housing  381  may be formed with an inlet  382  of the ventilation fan  380  and an outlet  383  of the ventilation fan  380 . The fan housing  381  may be configured to be rotatable inside the module housing  361 . As shown in  FIGS.  19  and  20   , the fan housing  381  may have a central axis  385   a  or  385   b  rotated at a predetermined angle θ. 
     In the exhaust mode ( FIG.  19   ), the fan housing  381  may be rotated such that the second suction/discharge  372  communicates with the ventilation fan inlet  382  and the first suction/discharge port  371  communicates with the ventilation fan outlet  383 . When the ventilation fan  380  is operated, air of indoors may be sucked into the ventilation module  360  through the second suction/discharge port  372 , after which the air is discharged to the outdoors through the first suction/discharge port  371 . 
     In the air supply mode ( FIG.  20   ), the fan housing  381  may be rotated such that the first suction/discharge port  371  communicates with the ventilation fan inlet  382  and the second suction/discharge port  372  communicates with the ventilation fan outlet  383 . When the ventilation fan  380  operates, air of outdoors may be sucked into the interior of the ventilation module  360  through the first suction/discharge port  371 , after which the air may be supplied to the indoors through the second suction/discharge port  372 . 
     As is apparent from the above, the air conditioner according to the aspect of the disclosure can be installed by forming only one hole in the wall, and facilitate coupling and separation between a ventilation apparatus and a body of the air condition. 
     The air conditioner according to the aspect of the disclosure can facilitate forming and assembly by simplifying the structure of a damper and a flow path for switching an exhaust mode and an air supply mode, and can improve the reliability of a product. 
     Although few embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, the above embodiment is illustrative purpose only, and it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and scope of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.