Patent Description:
At present, vertical cabinet air conditioners mainly include square upper air outlet cabinets, circular long air outlet cabinets, and distributed air supply cabinets that simultaneously discharge air up and down. Due to characteristics of cold and hot air that cold air sinks and hot air floats, a problem of heat layering of indoor air can be caused during refrigerating and heating air supply processes, and since an air return position of a air conditioner cabinet is not changed, the heat distribution will not change. An air conditioner exchanges heat according to the indoor temperature, a problem of heat layering of the distributed air supply cabinet is relatively small, a difference between upper and lower temperatures is relatively small, but a problem of low energy utilization efficiency caused by the characteristics of cold and hot air cannot be overcome yet.

The document <CIT> discloses an air conditioner shell, the air conditioner shell comprises an outer shell, the outer shell comprises a front panel and a rear panel, the rear panel is provided with a rear air inlet, a draught fan is arranged on the front panel, a partition plate in the vertical direction is arranged in the outer shell, and the partition plate divides the outer shell into two parts. The partition plate is provided with a partition plate air inlet hole, and the partition plate is provided with an upper notch and a lower notch in the twosides of the partition plate air inlet hole respectively. The upper notch and the lower notch are each provided with a baffle structure, the baffle structures block an air outlet channel of a draughtfan or close the notches, and when the rear air inlet is closed, the upper notch is closed by the baffle structures, and the lower notch is opened. Or the lower notch is closed by the baffle structure, and the upper notch is opened. According to the air conditioner shell, the utilization area of the heat exchanger during single-side air outlet is fully increased, the air inlet area of the air conditioner during single-side air outlet is increased, the air outlet direction can be freely selected, and the utilization rate of the heat exchanger is guaranteed.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner according to claim <NUM> and a control method according to claim <NUM>, so as to solve a problem of low refrigerating capacity utilization rate in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above purpose, according to one aspect of the present application, a air conditioner cabinet is provided, including: a housing, wherein the housing is provided with an upper air port and a lower air port; a mixed flow fan, wherein the mixed flow fan is disposed in the housing; and a regulating mechanism, wherein the regulating mechanism is disposed in the housing, the regulating mechanism has a necking position and a flaring position, and when the regulating mechanism is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan sucks an external airflow into the housing from the upper air port, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing by the lower air port, wherein the air conditioner cabinet includes: a heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed in the housing and is located between the upper air port and the lower air port, the regulating mechanism is located between the mixed flow fan and the heat exchanger, the regulating mechanism has the necking position where the regulating mechanism contracts toward an axis of the housing, the regulating mechanism has the flaring position where the regulating mechanism gradually expands away from the axis of the housing, and when the regulating mechanism is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan sucks the external airflow into the housing from the upper air port, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing by the lower air port, wherein, when the regulating mechanism is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan sucks the external airflow into the housing from the lower air port, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing by the upper air port.

In some embodiments, the air conditioner cabinet includes an air duct, the air duct includes a first air duct and a second air duct, the first air duct is disposed in the housing, a first end of the first air duct is communicated with the lower air port, a second end of the first air duct is connected with the regulating mechanism, the regulating mechanism and the first air duct are enclosed to form the second air duct, and the mixed flow fan is disposed in the first air duct.

In some embodiments, the air duct further includes a third air duct and a fourth air duct, the air conditioner cabinet includes a supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion is connected with an inner wall of the housing, the regulating mechanism is located below the supporting portion, an overflow channel is disposed on the supporting portion, and the heat exchanger is connected with the supporting portion.

In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is of a hollow structure, the hollow structure is communicated with the second air duct through the overflow channel, so as to form the third air duct, an outer surface of the heat exchanger is disposed at a distance from the housing, so as to form the fourth air duct, and the fourth air duct is communicated with the upper air port and the third air duct.

In some embodiments, the supporting portion includes a water pan, wherein the water pan is connected with the housing, the overflow channel is formed on the water pan, and the water pan is used for collecting condensed water generated by the heat exchanger.

In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is of a barrel-shaped structure with an end opening at one end, an open end of the heat exchanger is connected with the water pan, an inner diameter of the open end of the heat exchanger is greater than an inner diameter of the overflow channel, and an airflow in the third air duct exchanges heat through a side wall of the heat exchanger and then flows into the fourth air duct, or, an airflow in the fourth air duct exchanges heat through a side wall of the heat exchanger and then flows into the third air duct.

In some embodiments, the regulating mechanism includes: a first regulating mechanism, wherein a first end of the first regulating mechanism is movably connected with the second end of the first air duct, a second end of the first regulating mechanism is disposed away from the first air duct, the second end of the first regulating mechanism has the necking position close to the axis of the housing, and the second end of the first regulating mechanism has the flaring position away from the axis of the housing; and a second regulating mechanism, wherein a first end of the second regulating mechanism is movably connected with the water pan, a second end of the second regulating mechanism has the necking position close to the axis of the housing, and the second end of the second regulating mechanism has the flaring position away from the axis of the housing, when the first regulating mechanism and the second regulating mechanism are both located at the necking positions, the first end of the first regulating mechanism is in contact with the second end of the second regulating mechanism, and the first regulating mechanism and the second regulating mechanism are enclosed to form a sealed second air duct.

In some embodiments, when the first regulating mechanism and the second regulating mechanism are both located at the flaring positions, the first regulating mechanism is enclosed with at least one of the second regulating mechanism, the housing, the supporting portion and the water pan, so as to form the second air duct.

In some embodiments, when the first regulating mechanism and the second regulating mechanism are both located at the necking positions, a cross sectional area of the second air duct is configured to gradually decrease along a direction away from the mixed flow fan.

In some embodiments, when the first regulating mechanism and the second regulating mechanism are both located at the flaring positions, a cross sectional area of the air duct structure enclosed by the second regulating mechanism is configured to gradually increase along a direction toward the mixed flow fan.

In some embodiments, the first regulating mechanism includes: a plurality of a first arc-shaped regulating plate, a first end of each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plate is hinged with an end side wall of the first air duct, a second end of each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plate is disposed far away from the first air duct, the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates are disposed along a circumferential direction of the first air duct, and when each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates is located at the necking position, the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates are enclosed to form an annular air duct structure.

In some embodiments, the second end of the first arc-shaped regulating plate is provided with a folded edge, and the folded edge is bent toward a side of the housing.

In some embodiments, the second regulating mechanism includes: a plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates, a first end of each of the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates is hinged with a bottom of the water pan, a second end of each of the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plate is disposed to be able to rotate around a hinge point of the first end of the second arc-shaped regulating plate and the water pan, the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates are disposed along a circumferential direction of the overflow channel, and when each of the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plate located at the necking positions, the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates are enclosed to form an annular air duct structure.

In some embodiments, the supporting portion further includes: an annular supporting platform, wherein the annular supporting platform is connected with an inner wall of the housing, the water pan is connected with the annular supporting platform and is located above the annular supporting platform, and when the second arc-shaped regulating plate is located at the flaring position, the second end of the second arc-shaped regulating plate is in sealing connection with an inner circumferential surface of the annular supporting platform.

In some embodiments, a bottom of the annular supporting platform is provided with an inclined plane, and when the second arc-shaped regulating plate is located at the flaring position, a lower surface of the second arc-shaped regulating plate is parallel to the inclined plane.

In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is of a cylindrical structure, an axis of the heat exchanger is disposed along a vertical direction, and an end of the heat exchanger close to the upper air port is provided with a top plate.

According to another aspect of the present application, a method for controlling an air conditioner cabinet is provided. The method is used for controlling the above-mentioned air conditioner cabinet, and the method includes following steps: when a heating mode is selected by a controller of the air conditioner cabinet, the regulating mechanism is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan sucks the external airflow into the housing from the upper air port, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing through the lower air port; and when a refrigeration mode is selected by the controller, the regulating mechanism is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan sucks the external airflow into the housing from the lower air port, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing through the upper air port.

In some embodiments, the air conditioner cabinet further includes an air supply mode, when the air supply mode is selected by the controller, the regulating mechanism is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan sucks the external airflow into the housing from the upper air port, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing through the lower air port, or, when the air supply mode is selected by the controller, the regulating mechanism is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan sucks the external airflow into the housing from the lower air port, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing through the upper air port, wherein the heat exchanger is in a non-working state in the air supply mode.

According to the technical solution of the present application, by disposing the regulating mechanism in the housing, and controlling the regulating mechanism to be located at the flaring position or the necking position, the air conditioner cabinet with the mixed flow fan can realize a mode of air inflow at the upper air port and air outflow at the lower air port, or, the air conditioner cabinet realizes a mode of air outflow at the upper air port and air inflow at the lower air port. Especially when the air conditioner cabinet is in the refrigeration mode, the mode of air outflow at the upper air port and air inflow at the lower air port is utilized, and when the air conditioner cabinet is in the heating mode, the mode of air inflow at the upper air port and air outflow at the lower air port is utilized, the problem of indoor heat layering can be effectively avoided, the temperature difference of the indoor temperature can be very small in the longitudinal direction, and the utilization rate of the energy generated by the air conditioner cabinet can be effectively improved.

The drawings constituting a part of the present application are used for providing a further understanding of the present invention, and the exemplary embodiments of the present application and descriptions thereof are used for explaining the present invention, but do not constitute improper limitations of the present invention, which is defined solely by the appended set of claims. In the drawings:.

The above drawings include the following reference signs:.

It should be noted that, the embodiments in the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other if there is no conflict. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

It should be noted that, the terms used here are only for describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, a singular form is also intended to include a plural form. In addition, it should also be understood that, when the terms "comprising" and/or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and/or combinations thereof.

It should be noted that, the terms "first" and "second" and the like in the description and the claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used for distinguishing similar objects, and are not necessarily used for describing a specific sequence or order. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein, for example, can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, processes, methods, systems, products, or devices that include a series of steps or units are not necessarily limited to those clearly listed steps or units, but can include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

Now, the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in a variety of different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present application thorough and complete, and to fully convey the concept of these exemplary embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the drawings, for clarity, the thicknesses of layers and regions may be enlarged, and the same reference signs are used for denoting the same devices, and thus their descriptions will be omitted.

As shown in <FIG>, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention, an air conditioner cabinet is provided.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the air conditioner cabinet includes a housing <NUM>, a heat exchanger <NUM>, a mixed flow fan <NUM> and a regulating mechanism <NUM>. The housing <NUM> is provided with an upper air port <NUM> and a lower air port <NUM>. The heat exchanger <NUM> is disposed in the housing <NUM> and is located between the upper air port <NUM> and the lower air port <NUM>. The mixed flow fan <NUM> is disposed in the housing <NUM>. The regulating mechanism <NUM> is disposed in the housing <NUM>, the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located between the mixed flow fan <NUM> and the heat exchanger <NUM>, the regulating mechanism <NUM> has a necking position where the regulating mechanism contracts toward the axis of the housing <NUM>, and the regulating mechanism <NUM> has a flaring position where the regulating mechanism gradually expands away from the axis of the housing <NUM>, and when the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan <NUM> can suck external airflow into the housing <NUM> from the upper air port <NUM>, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger <NUM>, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing <NUM> by the lower air port <NUM>.

In some embodiments, by disposing the regulating mechanism in the housing, and controlling the regulating mechanism to be located at the flaring position or the necking position, the air conditioner cabinet with the mixed flow fan can realize a mode of air inflow at the upper air port and air outflow at the lower air port, or, the air conditioner cabinet realizes a mode of air outflow at the upper air port and air inflow at the lower air port. Especially when the air conditioner cabinet is in a refrigeration mode, the mode of air outflow at the upper air port and air inflow at the lower air port is utilized, and when the air conditioner cabinet is in a heating mode, the mode of air inflow at the upper air port and air outflow at the lower air port is utilized, the problem of indoor heat layering can be effectively avoided, the temperature difference of the indoor temperature can be very small in the longitudinal direction, and the utilization rate of the energy generated by the air conditioner cabinet can be effectively improved.

As shown in <FIG>, when the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan <NUM> can suck the external airflow into the housing <NUM> from the lower air port <NUM>, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger <NUM>, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing <NUM> by the upper air port <NUM>. The air inflow direction and the air outflow direction of the housing can be changed by disposing the regulating mechanism <NUM> in the housing, this setting can solve the problem in the prior art that the air inflow mode of the housing can only be changed by utilizing a plurality of fans in the housing, and moreover, in this embodiment, the air inflow mode of the housing can be changed without changing the rotation direction of the mixed flow fan <NUM>, such that the practicability of the air conditioner cabinet is effectively improved.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the air conditioner cabinet includes an air duct. The air duct includes a first air duct <NUM> and a second air duct <NUM>. The first air duct <NUM> is disposed in the housing <NUM>, a first end of the first air duct <NUM> is communicated with the lower air port <NUM>, a second end of the first air duct <NUM> is connected with the regulating mechanism <NUM>, the regulating mechanism <NUM> and the first air duct <NUM> are enclosed to form the second air duct <NUM>, and the mixed flow fan <NUM> is disposed in the first air duct <NUM>. By means of this setting, the sealing property between the regulating mechanism <NUM> and the first air duct <NUM> can be improved, so that the airflow at the lower air port <NUM> can smoothly enter the housing through the second air duct <NUM>, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger.

In some embodiments, the air duct further includes a third air duct <NUM> and a fourth air duct <NUM>, and the air conditioner cabinet includes a supporting portion <NUM>. The supporting portion <NUM> is connected with an inner wall of the housing <NUM>. The regulating mechanism <NUM> is located below the supporting portion <NUM>, an overflow channel <NUM> is disposed on the supporting portion <NUM>, the heat exchanger <NUM> is connected with the supporting portion <NUM>, the heat exchanger <NUM> is of a hollow structure (that is, as shown in <FIG>, the hollow structure is a hollow cylindrical structure enclosed by a heat exchanger body), the hollow structure is communicated with the second air duct <NUM> through the overflow channel <NUM>, so as to form the third air duct <NUM>, an outer surface of the heat exchanger <NUM> is disposed at a distance from the housing <NUM>, so as to form the fourth air duct <NUM>, and the fourth air duct <NUM> is communicated with the upper air port <NUM> and the third air duct <NUM>. By means of this setting, the installation stability of the heat exchanger can be effectively improved, the airflow at the outside of the housing can also enter the fourth air channel <NUM> from the third air duct <NUM> effectively and conveniently, or, the airflow at the outside of the housing can enter the third air duct <NUM> from the fourth air duct <NUM> conveniently.

In order to effectively drain condensed water generated in the air conditioner cabinet in time, a water pan <NUM> is disposed on the supporting portion <NUM>. The water pan <NUM> is connected with the housing <NUM>, the overflow channel <NUM> is formed on the water pan <NUM>, and the water pan <NUM> is used for collecting the condensed water generated by the heat exchanger <NUM>.

The heat exchanger <NUM> is of a barrel-shaped structure with an opening at one end, an open end of the heat exchanger <NUM> is connected with the water pan <NUM>, an inner diameter of the open end of the heat exchanger <NUM> is greater than an inner diameter of the overflow channel <NUM>, and an airflow in the third air duct <NUM> exchanges heat through a side wall of the heat exchanger <NUM> and then flows into the fourth air duct <NUM>, or, an airflow in the fourth air duct <NUM> can exchanges heat through a side wall of the heat exchanger <NUM> and then flows into the third air duct <NUM>. By means of this setting, the heat exchange area between the airflow and the heat exchanger can be increased. The annular fourth air channel <NUM> is formed between the outer surface of the heat exchanger <NUM> and the inner wall of the housing. Of course, a part of the side wall of the heat exchanger <NUM> can also be disposed in an installation manner connected with the side wall of the housing. In some embodiments, the axis of the heat exchanger <NUM> is coincided with the axis of the housing in the vertical direction.

The regulating mechanism <NUM> includes a first regulating mechanism <NUM> and a second regulating mechanism <NUM>. The first end of the first regulating mechanism <NUM> is movably connected with the second end of the first air duct <NUM>, a second end of the first regulating mechanism <NUM> is disposed away from the first air duct <NUM>, the second end of the first regulating mechanism <NUM> has the necking position close to the axis of the housing <NUM>, and the second end of the first regulating mechanism <NUM> has the flaring position away from the axis of the housing <NUM>. A first end of the second regulating mechanism <NUM> is movably connected with the water pan <NUM>. The second end of the second regulating mechanism <NUM> has the necking position close to the axis of the housing <NUM>, and the second end of the second regulating mechanism <NUM> has the flaring position away from the axis (that is, the geometric centerline of the housing <NUM> in the vertical direction) of the housing <NUM>, when the first regulating mechanism <NUM> and the second regulating mechanism <NUM> are both located at the necking positions, the first end of the first regulating mechanism <NUM> is in contact with the second end of the second regulating mechanism <NUM>, and the first regulating mechanism <NUM> and the second regulating mechanism <NUM> are enclosed to form a sealed second air duct <NUM>. By means of this setting, the structures of the first regulating mechanism <NUM> and the second regulating mechanism <NUM> are simple, and a switching operation between different positions can be realized easily.

When the first regulating mechanism <NUM> and the second regulating mechanism <NUM> are both located at the flaring positions, the first regulating mechanism <NUM> is enclosed with at least one of the second regulating mechanism <NUM>, the housing <NUM>, the supporting portion <NUM> and the water pan <NUM>, so as to form the second air duct <NUM>. By means of this setting, no matter what state the regulating mechanism is in, a sealed channel structure is always enclosed between the regulating mechanism and the housing. By means of this setting, the situation of air leakage inside the air conditioner cabinet can be avoided, and thus the reliability of the air conditioner cabinet is improved.

When the first regulating mechanism <NUM> and the second regulating mechanism <NUM> are both located at the necking positions, a cross sectional area of the second air duct <NUM> is configured to gradually decrease along a direction away from the mixed flow fan <NUM>. When the first regulating mechanism <NUM> and the second regulating mechanism <NUM> are both located at the flaring positions, the cross sectional area of the air duct structure enclosed by the second regulating mechanism <NUM> is configured to gradually increase along a direction toward the mixed flow fan <NUM>. By changing the cross sectional area of an air inflow channel at the upper end of the mixed flow fan, the mixed flow fan <NUM> can realizes the function of air suction or air supply. By means of this setting, there is no need to separately dispose a plurality of fans to realize the function of air suction or air supply respectively, such that the practicability of the mixed flow fan <NUM> is effectively improved.

In some embodiments, the first regulating mechanism <NUM> includes a plurality of a first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM>. A first end of each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is hinged with an end side wall of the first air duct <NUM>, a second end of each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is disposed far away from the first air duct <NUM>, the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> are disposed along a circumferential direction of the first air duct <NUM>, and when each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> is located at the necking position, the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> are enclosed to form an annular air duct structure. A driving portion can be disposed inside the housing to drive the first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> to rotate. The driving portion can drive a single first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> alone, or one driving portion can simultaneously drive the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> to rotate. When the first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> are located at the flaring positions, the distances between each two first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> become greater, therefore corresponding widths, lengths and curvatures of the first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> can be set under the premise of ensuring that when each of the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> is located at the flaring position, the plurality of first arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> can be enclosed to form a sealed air duct.

In some embodiments, the second end of the first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is provided with a folded edge <NUM>, and the folded edge <NUM> is bent toward a side of the housing <NUM>. By means of this setting, the connection reliability between the first arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> and the housing can be improved.

The second regulating mechanism <NUM> includes a plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM>. A first end of each of the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> is hinged with the bottom of a water pan <NUM>, and a second end of each of the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is disposed to be able to rotate around a hinge point of the first end of the second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> and the water pan <NUM>. The plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates are disposed along a circumferential direction of the overflow channel, the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> are disposed along a circumferential direction of the overflow channel <NUM>, and when each of the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is located at the necking positions, the plurality of second arc-shaped regulating plates <NUM> are enclosed to form an annular air duct structure. By setting the second regulating mechanism <NUM> into an arc-shaped regulating plate-like structure, the processing difficulty of the second regulating mechanism can be reduced. At the same time, the structure is simple, and the operation reliability is high. The driving mode of the second regulating mechanism can be the driving mode of the first regulating mechanism.

In some embodiments, the supporting portion <NUM> further includes an annular supporting platform <NUM>. The annular supporting platform <NUM> is connected with an inner wall of the housing <NUM>. The water pan <NUM> is connected with the annular supporting platform <NUM> and is located above the annular supporting platform <NUM>, and when the second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is located at the flaring position, the second end of the second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is in sealing connection with an inner circumferential surface of the annular supporting platform <NUM>. By means of this setting, the installation stability of the water pan can be improved, and the sealing property between the regulating mechanism and the housing is improved.

A bottom of the annular supporting platform <NUM> is provided with an inclined plane, and when the second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is located at the flaring position, a lower surface of the second arc-shaped regulating plate <NUM> is parallel to the inclined plane. By means of this setting, the wind resistance of the airflow can be effectively reduced, and the flow noise of the airflow is reduced.

In some embodiments, the heat exchanger <NUM> is of a cylindrical structure, an axis of the heat exchanger <NUM> is disposed along a vertical direction, and an end of the heat exchanger <NUM> close to the upper air port <NUM> is provided with a top plate <NUM>. By means of this setting, the airflow can only enter or exit through a side wall of the heat exchanger, thereby increasing the heat exchange area between the airflow and the heat exchanger, and improving the heat exchange performance of the air conditioner cabinet. In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is an evaporator.

In some embodiments, the air conditioner cabinet with this structure can realize the selection of comfortable air outflow function of upper and lower convection, optimize the distribution of an indoor temperature field, and improve the energy utilization efficiency. In some embodiments, one air port is disposed above and below the vertical air conditioner cabinet respectively, the internal structure is provided with a mixed flow fan structure, different air outflow modes of upper and lower convection are realized through the transformation of the internal mechanism by means of utilizing the characteristics of the mixed flow fan, therefore upper and lower circulation convection is realized in the refrigeration and heating modes. During refrigeration, air is discharged from the upper air port and returns from the lower air port, and during heating, the air is discharged from the lower air port and returns from the upper air port. Heat recovery and utilization can be carried out according to the characteristics of cold and hot air, and then the operating mode of the whole machine can be regulated, so as to achieve the effects of energy saving, comfort and power saving.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the inside of the housing includes a base, a mixed flow fan, an air duct, a water pan, an evaporator, a regulating mechanism, an upper air port, a lower air port and a top cover. The operation of the product mainly relies on the characteristics of the mixed flow fan, the mixed flow fan is a fan between a centrifugal fan and an axial flow fan, which can output the effects of axial working and centrifugal working, in-depth research on the mixed flow fan shows that, the mixed flow fan has different output conditions under different internal pressures, in the structure shown in the figure, when the internal regulating mechanism is fully opened, the pressure of the internal channel becomes smaller, then the mixed flow fan will do more work in an axial flow mode, as a result, the fan sucks air from the lower air port and supplies the air upward, the air passes through the evaporator from both sides for heat exchange through a middle through hole position of the water pan, and is finally gathered at the upper air port for air supply. When the internal regulating mechanism is closed to a necking, the pressure in the internal air duct becomes greater, then the mixed flow fan will do more work in a centrifugal mode, such that the fan supplies the air radially and directly from the lower air port next to the fan, resulting in internal air suction, and as a result, a reverse operation mode is realized. The air enters from the upper air port, passes through the evaporator from the surrounding to the middle, and enters the air duct from the middle position of the water pan. The air is supplied to the lower air port under the driven of the fan, so as to realize the purpose of lower air supply.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling an air conditioner cabinet is provided. The method is used for controlling the above-mentioned air conditioner cabinet, and the method includes the following steps: when a heating mode is selected by a controller of the air conditioner cabinet, the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan <NUM> sucks the external airflow into the housing <NUM> from the upper air port <NUM>, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger <NUM>, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing <NUM> through the lower air port <NUM>; and when a refrigeration mode is selected by the controller, the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan <NUM> sucks the external airflow into the housing <NUM> from the lower air port <NUM>, so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger <NUM>, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing <NUM> through the upper air port <NUM>. The air conditioner cabinet further includes an air supply mode, when the air supply mode is selected by the controller, the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan <NUM> sucks the external airflow into the housing <NUM> from the upper air port <NUM>, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing <NUM> through the lower air port <NUM>, or, when the air supply mode is selected by the controller, the regulating mechanism <NUM> is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan <NUM> sucks the external airflow into the housing <NUM> from the lower air port <NUM>, and then discharges the external airflow from the housing <NUM> through the upper air port <NUM>, and the heat exchanger <NUM> is in a non-working state in the air supply mode, that is, the heat exchanger does not perform heat exchange work.

For ease of description, spatially relative terms can be used here, for example, "on", "above", "on the surface of", "on the top" and the like are used for describing the spatial positional relationship between one device or feature and other devices or features shown in the figure. It should be understood that, the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation other than the orientation of the device described in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is inverted, then it is described as "above other devices or structures", or the device "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "under other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include two orientations of "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated by <NUM> degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative description used here is explained accordingly.

In addition to the above description, it should be noted that "one embodiment", "another embodiment", "embodiment" and the like mentioned in this specification refer to that specific features, structures, or features described in conjunction with this embodiment are included in at least one embodiment that is described generally in the present application. The same expression at multiple places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a specific feature, structure or characteristic is described in combination with any embodiment, it is claimed that the implementation of this feature, structure or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments also falls within the scope of the present invention, which is defined solely by the appended set of claims.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to related descriptions of other embodiments.

Claim 1:
An air conditioner cabinet, comprising:
a housing (<NUM>), wherein the housing (<NUM>) is provided with an upper air port (<NUM>) and a lower air port (<NUM>);
a mixed flow fan (<NUM>), wherein the mixed flow fan (<NUM>) is disposed in the housing (<NUM>); and
a regulating mechanism (<NUM>), wherein the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) is disposed in the housing (<NUM>), the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) has a necking position and a flaring position, and when the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan (<NUM>) sucks an external airflow into the housing (<NUM>) from the upper air port (<NUM>), and then discharges the external airflow from the housing (<NUM>) by the lower air port (<NUM>);
characterised in that:
a heat exchanger (<NUM>), wherein the heat exchanger (<NUM>) is disposed in the housing (<NUM>) and is located between the upper air port (<NUM>) and the lower air port (<NUM>), the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) is located between the mixed flow fan (<NUM>) and the heat exchanger (<NUM>), the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) has the necking position where the regulating mechanism contracts toward an axis of the housing (<NUM>), the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) has the flaring position where the regulating mechanism gradually expands away from the axis of the housing (<NUM>), and when the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) is located at the necking position, the mixed flow fan (<NUM>) sucks the external airflow into the housing (<NUM>) from the upper air port (<NUM>), so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger (<NUM>), and then discharges the external airflow from the housing (<NUM>) by the lower air port (<NUM>);
wherein when the regulating mechanism (<NUM>) is located at the flaring position, the mixed flow fan (<NUM>) sucks the external airflow into the housing (<NUM>) from the lower air port (<NUM>), so as to perform heat exchange with the heat exchanger (<NUM>), and then discharges the external airflow from the housing (<NUM>) by the upper air port (<NUM>).