Patent Description:
A motor for driving an air deflector to swing on an air conditioner is usually located inside a closed mounting cavity, which is not beneficial for heat dissipation. In the related art, cold air at an air outlet of the air conditioner is led into the mounting cavity to dissipate heat of the motor. However, the cold air flowing out of the mounting cavity may contact the housing of the air conditioner, so that a temperature of the housing is reduced, and condensation is generated.

<CIT> relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner and a control method of an indoor unit of an air conditioner. The indoor unit comprises a base, a top frame, a driving device, a wind screen assembly and an air deflector, wherein the top frame is arranged on the base, a mounting cavity is defined between the base and the top frame, and an air outlet is formed in the top frame; the driving device is arranged in the mounting cavity; the wind screen assembly is arranged on the driving device and has an accommodating position and a wind screening position, the wind screen assembly is accommodated in the mounting cavity when the wind screen assembly is in the accommodating position and the wind screen assembly in the wind screening position blocks at least part of the air outlet; the air deflector has an opening position and a closing position, and the air deflector in the opening position opens the air outlet and the air deflector in the closing position covers the air outlet. According to the indoor unit of the air conditioner, outlet air is not directly blown to the user, so that the apparent comfort level of the user is improved.

<CIT> provides an air conditioner housing according to the preamble of claim <NUM> which aims to solve the technical problem that heat dissipation airflow generates condensation after the cold air in the air duct meets the cold air in the air duct, causing dripping of the inner air duct. The air conditioner is formed with a duct, and the housing comprises a partition plate and a fixing plate connected to the partition plate. The plates form a motor cavity, the motor cavity and the air passage are located on opposite sides of the partition plate, an inlet of the air passage is adjacent to the partition plate, and the partition plate is formed with a vent that is connected to the cavity and spaced from the air passage.

According to the present invention there is proposed a housing assembly for an air conditioner according to claim <NUM>. In the following, each of the described apparatuses, embodiments, examples, and aspects, which do not fully correspond to the invention as defined in the claims is thus not according to the invention and is, as well as the whole following description, present for illustration purposes only or to highlight specific aspects or features of the claims. Embodiments not falling under the scope of the claims should be interpreted as examples useful for understanding the invention.

The present invention aims at solving at least one of the technical problems in the related art. Therefore, the present invention proposes a housing assembly for an air conditioner, which guides cold air flowing through a mounting cavity for accommodating a motor of an air deflector and prevents the cold air from contacting a housing of the air conditioner to cause condensation of the housing.

The present invention also provides an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and an air conditioner.

A housing assembly for an air conditioner according to an embodiment of one aspect of the present invention includes a housing; an air deflector; a frame connected to the housing and provided with a mounting cavity and an air outlet communicated with the mounting cavity, where the air deflector is rotatably arranged at the air outlet, and the mounting cavity is utilized for mounting a motor which drives the air deflector to swing; an air guide member connected to the frame and formed with an air duct communicated with the mounting cavity, where the air guide member is arranged separately from the housing, wherein the frame is provided with an accommodating cavity utilized for accommodating an evaporator, one end of the air duct is communicated with the mounting cavity, and the other end of the air duct is communicated with the accommodating cavity.

The housing assembly for the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present invention at least has the following beneficial effects.

The housing assembly is provided with a mounting cavity for mounting the motor and an air outlet communicated with the mounting cavity, so that an airflow at the air outlet can enter the mounting cavity to realize rapid heat dissipation of the motor. The housing assembly is also provided with an air guide member to guide the airflow flowing through the mounting cavity. Combined with the separate arrangement of the air guide member and the housing, a condensation phenomenon caused by cooling of the housing can be avoided.

The frame is provided with an accommodating cavity utilized for accommodating an evaporator, one end of the air duct is communicated with the mounting cavity, and the other end of the air duct is communicated with the accommodating cavity.

In some embodiments, the air guide member is detachably connected to the frame.

In some embodiments, the frame is provided with a first vent, a first flange, a second vent and a second flange, the first flange surrounds the first vent and the second flange surrounds the second vent; the air guide member includes a first connecting portion, a body portion and a second connecting portion which are connected in sequence; the first connecting portion is sleeved on the first flange, so that the air duct is communicated with the mounting cavity through the first vent; and the second connecting portion is sleeved on the second flange, so that the air duct is communicated with the accommodating cavity through the second vent.

In some embodiments, the frame is provided with a plurality of the first vents and a plurality of the second vents, the first flange surrounds the plurality of the first vents, and the second flange surrounds the plurality of the second vents.

In some embodiments, the body portion is a hose tube.

In some embodiments, the frame includes a surface frame and an air outlet frame, and the surface frame and the air outlet frame define the mounting cavity, where:.

In some embodiments, the housing includes an end cover, the frame includes a surface frame, the end cover is connected to the surface frame, the air guide member is located between the end cover and the surface frame and is arranged separately from the end cover.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to embodiments of another aspect of the present invention includes the housing assembly for the air conditioner.

An air conditioner according to embodiments of yet another aspect of the present invention includes the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

The present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments hereinafter, wherein:.

<NUM> refers to housing, and <NUM> refers to end cover; <NUM> refers to frame, <NUM> refers to mounting cavity, <NUM> refers to third vent, <NUM> refers to surface frame, <NUM> refers to first vent, <NUM> refers to first flange, <NUM> refers to second vent, <NUM> refers to second flange, <NUM> refers to air outlet frame, and <NUM> refers to mounting box; <NUM> refers to air guide member, <NUM> refers to body portion, <NUM> refers to first connecting portion, and <NUM> refers to second connecting portion; <NUM> refers to accommodating cavity; <NUM> refers to air outlet; <NUM> refers to empty cavity; and <NUM> refers to motor.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The same or similar reference numerals throughout the drawings denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only intended to explain the present invention but should not be understood as limiting the present invention, which is limited by the scope of the appended claims only.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms relating orientation description such as up, down, left, right, front, back and the like is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, only for the convenience of describing and simplifying the present disclosure, and does not indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, the meaning of multiple refers to be more than two, and the above is understood to include this number. In the description of the present disclosure, if first, second and third are described, the descriptions are utilized for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated thereby, or implicitly indicating the order of technical features indicated thereby.

In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly defined, words such as formed with, setting, connecting, and installing should be understood in a broad sense, and those having ordinary skill in the art can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above words in the present invention in combination with the specific contents of the technical solutions.

In the related art, an air conditioner is provided with a driving device for driving parts. For example, an air outlet of the air conditioner is usually provided with an air deflector, and the air deflector is driven by a motor to swing, thereby changing a direction of an airflow. The motor driving the air deflector is usually located inside a closed space, so the airflow is difficult to enter. Heat generated by the motor needs to be transferred by other parts, and the heat dissipation efficiency is low, which affects a service life of the motor. To solve the above problems, the cold air at the air outlet of the air conditioner can be led into the mounting cavity to realize heat dissipation of the motor. However, the cold air flowing out of the mounting cavity may contact a housing of the air conditioner, resulting in the temperature drop of the housing to cause condensation.

Based on this, the present invention provides a housing assembly for an air conditioner, which is provided with an air guide member separated from a housing. The air guide member can guide an airflow, and when a temperature of the airflow is low, a condensation phenomenon caused by low-temperature air contacting the housing of the air conditioner can be avoided. Different embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the housing assembly includes a housing <NUM>, an air deflector, a frame <NUM> and an air guide member <NUM>. The housing <NUM> is located outside the housing assembly. The frame <NUM> is connected to the housing <NUM> and provided with a mounting cavity <NUM> and an air outlet <NUM> communicated with the mounting cavity <NUM>. The air deflector is rotatably arranged at the air outlet <NUM>, and the mounting cavity <NUM> is utilized for mounting a motor which drives the air deflector to swing. The air guide member <NUM> is connected to the frame <NUM> and formed with an air duct communicated with the mounting cavity <NUM>. The air guide member <NUM> is arranged separately from the housing <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the frame <NUM> in this embodiment is provided with the mounting cavity <NUM> and the air outlet <NUM>. In an implementation, the frame <NUM> is a single part or a collection of multiple parts. And in an implementation, the mounting cavity <NUM> is formed inside the single part or among the multiple parts. A position of the mounting cavity <NUM> is determined by a position of the motor <NUM>. Since the air deflector is mounted at the air outlet <NUM> of the housing assembly, the motor <NUM> driving the air deflector to swing and the corresponding mounting cavity <NUM> are also close to the air outlet <NUM> of the housing assembly, that is, located at a lower part of <FIG>. The air deflector and the motor <NUM> and a corresponding fixing structure can all be selected according to the existing technology.

Referring to <FIG>, a third vent <NUM> is arranged on or among the parts utilized to form the mounting cavity <NUM>, and the third vent <NUM> is utilized to allow air at the air outlet <NUM> to enter the mounting cavity <NUM>, thus realizing air flow in the mounting cavity <NUM> and accelerating heat dissipation of the motor <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the air guide member <NUM> is located inside the housing assembly and is provided with an air duct communicated with the mounting cavity <NUM>. The air guide member <NUM> is utilized for guiding the airflow flowing through the mounting cavity <NUM>, so that the airflow can follow a required path and is avoided from contacting the housing <NUM>.

The air guide member <NUM> is separated from the housing <NUM>. The "housing <NUM>" in this embodiment refers to the part located outside the housing assembly, including but not limited to an end cover, a panel, and the like. In an implementation, the housing <NUM> is a single part or a collection of multiple parts. The housing <NUM> is in contact with ambient normal temperature air during daily work, and if the temperature of the housing <NUM> is lower than that of the ambient air, condensation is easily formed. In this embodiment, the air guide member <NUM> is separated from the housing <NUM>. Even if low-temperature air flows in the air guide member <NUM>, the temperature of the housing <NUM> can not be lowered due to contact with the cold air, so that condensation can be avoided.

It can be understood that the housing assembly in this embodiment can be applied to both an indoor unit of a split air conditioner and an integrated air conditioner.

In this embodiment, the housing assembly is provided with the mounting cavity <NUM> for mounting the motor <NUM> and the mounting cavity <NUM> is communicated with the air outlet <NUM> of the housing assembly, so that the cold air at the air outlet <NUM> can enter the mounting cavity <NUM> to realize rapid heat dissipation. In another embodiment, the housing assembly is provided with the air guide member <NUM> to guide the airflow flowing through the mounting cavity <NUM>. Combined with the separate arrangement of the air guide member <NUM> and the housing <NUM>, a condensation phenomenon caused by the cooling of the housing <NUM> can be avoided.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments of the present invention, the housing assembly is provided with an accommodating cavity <NUM> for accommodating an evaporator. One end of the air duct in the air guide member <NUM> is communicated with the mounting cavity <NUM>, and the other end of the air duct is communicated with the accommodating cavity <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the frame <NUM> is provided with a third vent <NUM>. In this embodiment, the third vent <NUM> serves as an air inlet of the mounting cavity <NUM>, and the mounting cavity <NUM> is communicated with the air outlet <NUM> of the housing assembly through the third vent <NUM>. The air guide member <NUM> is utilized to guide the airflow flowing out of the mounting cavity <NUM>. One end of the air guide member <NUM> is communicated with the air outlet of the mounting cavity <NUM>, and the other end of the air guide member <NUM> is communicated with the accommodating cavity <NUM> of the housing assembly for accommodating the evaporator of the air conditioner. When the housing assembly of this embodiment is applied to the air conditioner, the low-temperature air at the air outlet of the air conditioner enters the mounting cavity <NUM> through the third vent <NUM>, cools the motor <NUM>, and then enters the accommodating cavity <NUM> through the air guide member <NUM>. That is, the low-temperature air at the air outlet can be utilized to dissipate heat in this embodiment, which is helpful to improve a heat dissipation effect, and the low-temperature air flowing out of the mounting cavity <NUM> can flow back to the accommodating cavity <NUM>, thus preventing the low-temperature air from contacting the housing <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG>, in some embodiments of the present invention, the frame <NUM> includes a surface frame <NUM> and an air outlet frame <NUM>. The surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM> define the mounting cavity <NUM>. A third vent <NUM> is formed between the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM>, and the mounting cavity <NUM> is communicated with the air outlet <NUM> through the third vent <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the frame <NUM> includes the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM>, which define the mounting cavity <NUM>. The third vent <NUM> is formed between the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM>. In an implementation, one side of the air outlet frame <NUM> (for example, the lower left side in <FIG>) is provided with a mounting box <NUM>, and one side of the mounting box <NUM> (for example, the left side in <FIG>) is provided with an opening. When connecting, the mounting cavity <NUM> can be defined by making the opening side of the mounting box <NUM> face the surface frame <NUM> and making the mounting box <NUM> close to but not contacting the surface frame <NUM>, and a gap between the mounting box <NUM> and the surface frame <NUM> is the third vent <NUM>. In this embodiment, the slender gap between the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM> is utilized as the third vent <NUM>, which can prevent a user from touching an internal motor on the premise of meeting ventilation requirements. At the same time, it is not necessary to separately process the third vent <NUM> on the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM>, which helps to reduce the processing cost.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the housing assembly includes a surface frame <NUM> and an air outlet frame <NUM>. The surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM> define a mounting cavity <NUM>. The air outlet frame <NUM> is provided with a third vent <NUM>, and the mounting cavity <NUM> is communicated with the air outlet <NUM> through the third vent <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the frame <NUM> includes the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM>, which define the mounting cavity <NUM>, and the third vent <NUM> is formed on the air outlet frame <NUM> alone. For example, in an implementation, one side of the air outlet frame <NUM> (for example, the lower left side in <FIG>) is provided with a mounting box <NUM>, and one side of the mounting box <NUM> (for example, the left side in <FIG>) is provided with an opening. When connecting, the mounting cavity <NUM> can be defined by fitting the opening side of the mounting box <NUM> with the surface frame <NUM>, and the third vent <NUM> can be formed on a box wall of the mounting box <NUM>, so that the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM> can form an integrated structure, or the surface frame <NUM> and the air outlet frame <NUM> can be connected by a fastener after fitting, and meanwhile, the third vent <NUM> is arranged on the air outlet frame <NUM> closer to the air outlet of the air conditioner, which facilitates air intake.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments of the present invention, the housing assembly includes a surface frame <NUM> and an end cover <NUM>. The end cover <NUM> is connected to the surface frame <NUM>, and an air guide member <NUM> is located between the end cover <NUM> and the surface frame <NUM>, and is separately arranged from the end cover <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the frame <NUM> includes a surface frame <NUM>, and the housing <NUM> includes the end cover <NUM>. The end cover <NUM> is connected to the outside of the surface frame <NUM>. And usually, the end cover <NUM> and the surface frame <NUM> define an empty cavity <NUM>. The air guide member <NUM> is mounted inside the empty cavity <NUM>, which can make full use of the existing space of the housing assembly. The air guide member <NUM> is not in contact with the end cover <NUM>, which can avoid the end cover <NUM> from condensation.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the air guide member <NUM> is detachably connected to the frame <NUM>, so that the air guide member <NUM> can be replaced after ageing. In an implementation, the air guide member <NUM> can be connected to the frame <NUM> by a fastener or a buckle structure and can also be connected to the frame <NUM> by an adhesive tape.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments of the present invention, the frame <NUM> is provided with a first vent <NUM>, a first flange <NUM>, a second vent <NUM> and a second flange <NUM>. The first flange <NUM> surrounds the first vent <NUM>, and the second flange <NUM> surrounds the second vent <NUM>. The air guide member <NUM> includes a first connecting portion <NUM>, a body portion <NUM> and a second connecting portion <NUM> which are connected in sequence. The first connecting portion <NUM> is sleeved on the first flange <NUM>, so that the air duct of the air guide member <NUM> is communicated with the mounting cavity <NUM> through the first vent <NUM>, and the second connecting portion <NUM> is sleeved on the second flange <NUM>, so that the air duct of the air guide member <NUM> is communicated with the accommodating cavity <NUM> through the second vent <NUM>, thus realizing quick disassembly between the air guide member <NUM> and the frame <NUM>.

Similarly, taking the surface frame <NUM> as the frame <NUM> as an example, the surface frame <NUM> is formed with the first vent <NUM> and the first flange <NUM>. The first vent <NUM> leads to the mounting cavity <NUM>, and the first flange <NUM> surrounds an outside of the first vent <NUM> along a circular track or a square track. A shape of the first connecting portion <NUM> is adapted to a shape of the first flange <NUM>, such as a square structure in <FIG>. In an implementation, the first connecting portion <NUM> can be an elastic structure made of rubber, silica gel and other materials. When in use, the first connecting portion <NUM> is stretched and sleeved outside the first flange <NUM>, and the first connecting portion <NUM> can be tightly connected to the first flange <NUM> after contracting. When dismounting, the first connecting portion <NUM> can be separated only by pulling, which is simple to operate.

In another embodiment, the other end of the air guide member <NUM> can also be connected to the surface frame <NUM> in a similar way. In an implementation, the surface frame <NUM> is formed with a second vent <NUM> and a second flange <NUM>. The second vent <NUM> leads to the accommodating cavity <NUM> where the evaporator is placed, and the second flange <NUM> surrounds an outside of the second vent <NUM> along a circular track or a square track. The air guide member <NUM> includes a second connecting portion <NUM>. The second connecting portion <NUM>, the main body portion <NUM> and the first connecting portion <NUM> are connected in sequence, and a shape of the second connecting portion <NUM> is adapted to a shape of the second flange <NUM>, such as a square structure in <FIG>. In an implementation, the second connecting portion <NUM> can also be an elastic structure made of rubber, silica gel and other materials, and the second connecting portion <NUM> can be connected by being sleeved outside the second flange <NUM>.

It can be understood that the shapes of the first connecting portion <NUM> and the second connecting portion <NUM> are not limited to the shapes described in above embodiments. In some embodiments, the shapes of the first connecting portion <NUM>, the second connecting portion <NUM> and the body portion <NUM> can also be the same. For example, the air guide member <NUM> is an air guide pipe with a constant cross section, and both ends of the air guide pipe are utilized as the first connecting portion <NUM> and the second connecting portion <NUM> respectively.

Referring to <FIG>, the frame is provided with a plurality of the first vents <NUM> and a plurality of the second vents <NUM>. The first flange <NUM> surrounds outside of the plurality of the first vents <NUM> and the second flange <NUM> surrounds outside the plurality of the second vents <NUM>.

Taking the surface frame <NUM> as the frame <NUM> as an example, the surface frame <NUM> is provided with a plurality of the first vents <NUM> and a plurality of the second vents <NUM>. Correspondingly, the first flange <NUM> surrounds the plurality of the first vents <NUM> and the second flange <NUM> surrounds the plurality of the second vents <NUM>, so that the strength of the surface frame <NUM> can be increased through the arrangement of this embodiment under the same vent hole area compared with that of a single vent hole. It can be understood that numbers of the first vent <NUM> and the second vent <NUM> are not limited in this embodiment, and can be two, three, four or other numbers.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the body portion <NUM> of the air guide member <NUM> can be a hose tube made of rubber, silica gel, and the like, so that the air guide member <NUM> can be bent and mounted conveniently. In an embodiment, other parts of the air guide member <NUM>, such as the first connecting portion <NUM> and the second connecting portion <NUM>, can be made of the same material as the body portion <NUM>, that is, the air guide member <NUM> has an integrated structure. In another embodiment, the materials of the first connecting portion <NUM> and the second connecting portion <NUM> can also be different from the material of the body portion <NUM>, for example, the body portion <NUM> has a flexible structure, and the first connecting portion <NUM> and the second connecting portion <NUM> have a rigid structure.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an indoor unit of an air conditioner is proposed. The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes the housing assembly of the above embodiments, and the motor <NUM> for driving the air deflector to rotate on the indoor unit of the air conditioner is located in the mounting cavity <NUM>. When a fan of the indoor unit of the air conditioner drives cold air to be discharged from the air outlet <NUM>, the fan can also drive the cold air to enter the mounting cavity <NUM>, thus realizing rapid heat dissipation of the motor <NUM>.

This embodiment is applied to various air conditioners with indoor units, such as wall-mounted air conditioners, cabinet air conditioners, ceiling air conditioners, and the like.

In the embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the body portion of the motor <NUM> is fixed inside the mounting cavity <NUM>, and a driving shaft of the motor <NUM> is directly or indirectly connected to the air deflector (not shown in the figure) outside the mounting cavity <NUM> through a shaft sleeve and other structures, which can not only avoid touching the motor by the user, but also can drive the air deflector.

The fan is located inside the housing <NUM> for forcing airflow into the mounting cavity <NUM>. This embodiment can adopt the existing fan of the indoor unit of the air conditioner to form an airflow for heat dissipation, which is favorable for reducing the cost. The fan and a corresponding fixing structure can both be selected according to the existing technology.

Claim 1:
A housing assembly for an air conditioner, comprising:
a housing (<NUM>);
an air deflector;
a frame (<NUM>) connected to the housing (<NUM>), and provided with a mounting cavity (<NUM>) and an air outlet (<NUM>) communicated with the mounting cavity (<NUM>), wherein the air deflector is rotatably arranged at the air outlet (<NUM>), and the mounting cavity (<NUM>) is utilized for mounting a motor (<NUM>) which drives the air deflector to swing; characterized by:
an air guide member (<NUM>) connected to the frame (<NUM>) and formed with an air duct communicated with the mounting cavity (<NUM>), wherein the air guide member (<NUM>) is arranged separately from the housing (<NUM>);
wherein the frame (<NUM>) is provided with an accommodating cavity (<NUM>) utilized for accommodating an evaporator, one end of the air duct is communicated with the mounting cavity (<NUM>), and the other end of the air duct is communicated with the accommodating cavity (<NUM>).