Patent Description:
An air conditioner is equipped with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, a blower fan, and the like, for controlling indoor temperature, humidity, air currents, etc., using refrigeration cycles. The air conditioner may include an indoor unit placed indoors and an outdoor unit placed outdoors.

The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a refrigerant and air, a blower fan for circulating air, and a motor for driving the blower fan, to cool or heat the indoor space.

The blower fan draws in room air, facilitates heat exchange of the air through the heat exchanger, and discharges the heat-exchanged air back into the indoor space. For this, the blower fan needs to rotate at more than a certain speed (rpm) taking into account the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger, and discharges the air through an outlet in the form of direct airflow to a certain distance.

The user might feel unpleasant, cold, or hot if the direct airflow reaches the user.

<CIT> discloses an air conditioner indoor unit provided with an air outlet, a first diffuser plate and a second diffuser plate, wherein the first diffuser plate and the second diffuser plate cooperate to block or open the air outlet.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides an air conditioner for discharging an air current in various methods.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an air conditioner capable of cooling or heating the indoor space while preventing the direct airflow from reaching the user.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an air conditioner as set out in claim <NUM>. Preferred features are set out in the dependent claims.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are only the most preferred examples and provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the disclosure as defined by the claims. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.

<FIG> is a bottom perspective view of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> shows the air conditioner of <FIG> with a cover panel separated therefrom. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view illustrating main configurations of the air conditioner of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, an embodiment of an air conditioner will be described.

An air conditioner <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> hung on or buried in the ceiling C, a cover panel <NUM> coupled with a lower portion of the housing <NUM> and equipped with an inlet <NUM> and an outlet <NUM>, may include a heat exchanger <NUM> arranged inside the housing <NUM>, and includes a blower fan <NUM> configured to draw in air into the housing <NUM> through the inlet <NUM> and discharge the air out of the housing <NUM> through the outlet <NUM>.

The housing <NUM> may be shaped like a box with an open bottom. Specifically, the housing <NUM> may have a rectangular top wall and side walls extending down from the respective edges of the top wall. Inside the housing <NUM>, the heat exchanger <NUM> and the blower fan <NUM> are contained and there may further be an internal flow path <NUM> formed to guide the air drawn in through the inlet <NUM> to the outlet <NUM>.

The cover panel <NUM> is coupled to the lower portion of the housing <NUM> to cover the open bottom of the housing <NUM>. The cover panel <NUM> may have the form of a rectangle with front, back, left and right edges <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the edges <NUM> and <NUM> are formed to be longer than the other edges <NUM>, <NUM>.

The inlet <NUM> is provided in the cover panel <NUM> and may be provided to be close to the edge <NUM>, and the outlet <NUM> is provided in the cover panel <NUM> and may be provided to be close to the edge <NUM>. The outlet <NUM> may have an elongated form along the length of the edge <NUM>, <NUM>. A grill <NUM> may be coupled to the inlet <NUM> to filter out dust from the air drawn in.

The blower fan <NUM> may be a cross-flow fan. Unlike an ordinary axial-flow fan that blows air in a direction parallel to the axis, the cross-flow fan may blow air in a direction perpendicular to the axis. The blower fan <NUM> may include a rotation shaft <NUM>, a plurality of wings <NUM> centered on the rotation shaft <NUM> and arranged along the circumferential direction, and a supporting plate <NUM> to support the wings <NUM>. The blower fan <NUM> may be arranged such that the rotation shaft <NUM> lies in parallel with the length of the outlet <NUM>.

The heat exchanger <NUM> for cooling air by exchanging heat with the air may be arranged on a side to the blower fan <NUM>. The heat exchanger <NUM> may be arranged to incline at an angle from the horizon to be perpendicular to the flow of air flowing in the internal flow path <NUM> of the housing <NUM>.

A drain pan <NUM> may be placed under the heat exchanger <NUM> to collect condensate water produced by the heat exchanger <NUM>. The water collected by the drain pan <NUM> may be drained out of the air conditioner <NUM> through a pump and a hose.

There may be a sub drain <NUM> arranged between the heat exchanger <NUM> and the inlet <NUM> to first collect the condensate water falling from the heat exchanger <NUM> and guide it into the drain pan <NUM>. There may be a control box arranged between the sub drain <NUM> and the inlet <NUM> to drive the air conditioner <NUM>.

With the configurations, when the blower fan <NUM> rotates, air may be drawn into the internal flow path <NUM> through the inlet <NUM>, may be cooled through the heat exchanger <NUM>, and may be discharged out of the internal flow path <NUM> through the outlet <NUM>.

The air conditioner <NUM> includes a blade <NUM> arranged at the outlet <NUM> to control the direction, speed, and amount of the air to be discharged through the outlet <NUM>. The blade <NUM> is pivotally arranged to open and shut the outlet <NUM>. Furthermore, there is a plurality of through holes <NUM> (see <FIG>) formed on the blade <NUM> to discharge air while the outlet <NUM> is shut by the blade <NUM>.

In the case that air is discharged through the plurality of through holes <NUM>, the speed of the air may decrease and the amount of the air may get small, compared with the case where the air is discharged through the outlet <NUM>.

The blower fan <NUM> draws in room air, facilitates heat exchange of the air through the heat exchanger <NUM>, and discharges the heat-exchanged air back into the room. For this, the blower fan <NUM> needs to rotate at more than a certain speed (rpm) taking into account the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger <NUM>, and accordingly, discharges the air through the outlet <NUM> in the form of direct airflow to a certain distance.

On the contrary, the air discharged through the through holes <NUM> while the blade <NUM> shuts the outlet <NUM> is at a relatively low speed and is small in amount, so the direct airflow may not reach the user and the room may be gradually cooled or heated. In this way, the mode in which air is discharged through the through holes <NUM> prevents the direct airflow from reaching the user, and may thus be referred to as still air mode.

Furthermore, in an embodiment, in addition to the still air cooling/heating through the through holes <NUM>, the air conditioner <NUM> may cool or heat the indoor space by discharging air through the outlet <NUM> toward the ceiling C to prevent the direct airflow from reaching the user but slowly fall down from the ceiling C. In other words, the air conditioner <NUM> in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to discharge air toward the ceiling C, which is called long airflow mode.

Various discharging structures of the air conditioner in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to associated accompanying drawings.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a blade of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> is an enlarged view of portion 'O' of <FIG>. <FIG> is an enlarged view of the perimeter of the outlet of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> is a modified example of a guide of <FIG>. <FIG> is another modified example of the guide of <FIG>. <FIG> is a modified example of through holes of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the cover panel <NUM> may include a guide <NUM>. The drain pan <NUM> may include a guide <NUM>. The outlet <NUM> may be formed between the guides <NUM> and <NUM>. Alternatively, the guide <NUM> may be arranged separately from the drain pan <NUM>.

The guide <NUM> may be placed farther from the inlet <NUM> than the guide <NUM> is. Accordingly, the guide <NUM> is called an outer guide <NUM> and the guide <NUM> is called an inner guide <NUM>. The guides <NUM> and <NUM> may extend from an upstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM> to a downstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM>.

The guide <NUM> may include a first guide plane <NUM> provided to guide air in a first direction A (see <FIG>) and a second guide plane <NUM> provided to change the direction of the air guided by the first guide plane <NUM> to a second direction B (see <FIG>), which is nearer to the ceiling C than the first direction is.

With the configurations, the air conditioner <NUM> may discharge the air drawn in through the inlet <NUM> arranged in a lower portion toward the ceiling C through the outlet <NUM> arranged in a lower portion, thereby minimizing a pressure loss due to resistance of the flow path.

The first guide plane <NUM> may be formed as a curved plane and the second guide plane <NUM> may be formed as a flat plane. The first guide plane <NUM> may be formed such that the farther it is from the blower fan <NUM>, the less inclined the tangent is. For example, an inclination θ2 of a tangent T2 may be less than an inclination θ1 of a tangent T1.

The second guide plane <NUM> may be placed in parallel with the ceiling C. If the ceiling C in the indoor space is in parallel with the horizontal plane H, the second guide plane <NUM> may be said to be in parallel with the horizontal plane H. It may also be said to be in parallel with the top wall of the housing <NUM>.

The guide <NUM> may include a front end <NUM> corresponding to the upstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM> and a rear end <NUM> corresponding to the downstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM>. The rear end <NUM> of the guide <NUM> may form the edge <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM>.

The blade <NUM> is provided to open and shut the outlet <NUM> and may include a blade body <NUM> with the plurality of through holes <NUM> formed thereon and coupling ribs <NUM> protruding from the blade body <NUM>.

Specifically, the blade body <NUM> may be provided to close not the upstream end <NUM> or middle portion of the outlet <NUM> but the downstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM>. For this, the blade body <NUM> may have length L and width W corresponding to the length and width of the downstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM>.

As described above, the rear end <NUM> of the guide <NUM> forms the edge <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> and the blade body <NUM> is provided to shut the downstream end <NUM> of the outlet <NUM>, and as a result, the blade body <NUM> may cover the end <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM>. In other words, when the air conditioner <NUM> is viewed from below, the edge <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> may be hidden by the blade <NUM>.

The plurality of through holes <NUM> may each have a diameter of <NUM> to <NUM> and may be uniformly distributed in the entire area or partial area of the blade body <NUM>. The blade body <NUM> may include an inner end <NUM> and an outer end <NUM> at a farther distance from the inlet <NUM> than the inner end <NUM> is. The inner end <NUM> may be relatively close to a pivot shaft portion <NUM> of the blade <NUM>, and the outer end <NUM> may be relatively far from the pivot shaft portion <NUM> of the blade <NUM>.

With the structure of the outlet in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a smaller amount of air flows to the outer end <NUM> than to the inner end <NUM>, so the air passing the through holes <NUM> formed around the outer end <NUM> may have a slower speed than the air passing the through holes <NUM> formed around the inner end <NUM>. Consequently, more dew condensation may occur around the outer end <NUM> than around the inner end <NUM> due to the temperature difference.

To solve this problem, the thickness D2 of the outer end <NUM> of the blade body <NUM> may be set to be smaller than the thickness D1 of the inner end <NUM>. Accordingly, the length of the through holes <NUM> formed around the outer end <NUM> may be shorter than the length of the through holes <NUM> formed around the inner end <NUM>.

Furthermore, the blade body <NUM> may have a section in which the thickness D increases from the outer end <NUM> toward the inner end <NUM>. Moreover, the blade body <NUM> may be formed to have an increasing thickness D from the outer end <NUM> to the inner end <NUM>.

In addition, to solve the phenomenon of dew condensation, the through holes <NUM> may be slantingly formed toward the outer end <NUM> as they grow farther from the blower fan <NUM>.

As described above, as the through holes <NUM> grow farther from the blower fan <NUM>, they are slantingly formed toward the outer end <NUM>, so the speed and amount of the air discharged toward the outer end <NUM> increases, minimizing the dew condensation. Furthermore, the air may be discharged near to the ceiling C and may thus be sent farther.

The pivot shaft portion <NUM> may be arranged in the coupling rib <NUM> for pivoting the blade <NUM>, and pivotally combined with blade mounts <NUM> (see <FIG>) formed on the cover panel <NUM>. A blade drive motor <NUM> (see <FIG>) may be equipped in the housing <NUM> and connected to the pivot shaft portion <NUM> to deliver driving force.

As shown in <FIG>, as a modified example of the guide <NUM>, a guide <NUM> may include a first guide plane <NUM> provided to guide air in the first direction and a second guide plane <NUM> provided to change the direction of the air guided by the first guide plane <NUM> to the second direction B, which is nearer to the ceiling C than the first direction is. The first guide plane <NUM> may be formed as a curved plane and the second guide plane <NUM> may be formed as a flat plane. The first guide plane <NUM> may be formed such that as the first guide plane <NUM> grows farther from the blower fan <NUM>, the inclination of the tangent becomes smaller.

The first guide plane <NUM> may be slantingly formed such that as the second guide plane <NUM> grows farther from the inlet <NUM>, it goes downward. For example, the second guide plane <NUM> inclines at an angle of β from the horizontal plane H.

As shown in <FIG>, as another modified example of the guide <NUM>, a guide <NUM> may include a first guide plane <NUM> provided to guide air in the first direction and a second guide plane <NUM> provided to change the direction of the air guided by the first guide plane <NUM> to the second direction, which is nearer to the ceiling C than the first direction is.

The first guide plane <NUM> and the second guide plane <NUM> may be formed as flat planes. The inclination β of the second guide plane <NUM> from the horizontal plane H is smaller than the inclination α of the first guide plane <NUM> from the horizontal plane H. The second guide plane <NUM> may be placed in parallel with the ceiling C or may be inclined at an angle from the ceiling C.

As shown in <FIG>, as a modified example of the through holes, the through holes 74a, 74b may include inclined through holes 74a at an angle and upright through holes 74b. For example, among the through holes 74a, 74b, some of them, i.e., 74a, may be formed to have an inclination.

The through holes 74a around the outer end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> may be slantingly formed while the through holes 74b around the inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> may be vertically formed. This structure may prevent dew condensation from slowdown of the air around rather the inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> if the through holes were all inclined.

<FIG> shows a state of operating still air mode of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> shows a state of operating long air flow mode of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> shows a state of operating routine mode of the air conditioner of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, a state of operating an air conditioner of the present disclosure will now be described.

As shown in <FIG>, in the still air mode of the air conditioner, the blade <NUM> shuts the outlet <NUM>. When the blower fan <NUM> is activated while the blade <NUM> shuts the outlet <NUM>, the air drawn in through the inlet <NUM> may go through heat exchange in the heat exchanger <NUM> and may then be discharged through the through holes <NUM> formed in the blade <NUM>.

The air flowing by the blower fan <NUM> may slow down and may be reduced in amount due to resistance while passing the through holes <NUM> of the blade <NUM>, so it may not reach the user as the direct airflow and may gradually cool or heat the room.

As shown in <FIG>, in the long airflow mode of the air conditioner, the blade <NUM> opens the outlet <NUM> and have the air discharged near to the ceiling C through the outlet <NUM>.

The open angle X1 of the blade <NUM> may be about <NUM> degrees or less, and accordingly, the air may be discharged near to the ceiling C through the outlet <NUM> and may horizontally flow to a far distance from the outlet <NUM>. Accordingly, no direct airflow reaches the user and the indoor space may be gradually cooled or heated.

As shown in <FIG>, in routine mode of the air conditioner, the blade <NUM> opens the outlet <NUM>, in which case the open angle X2 of the blade <NUM> varies between about <NUM> to <NUM> degrees. The direction of the air discharged through the outlet <NUM> may be controlled by varying the open angle X2 of the blade <NUM>.

<FIG> show an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure: <FIG> shows a state of operating the still air mode, and <FIG> shows a state of operating the routine mode.

Referring to <FIG>, an air conditioner <NUM> in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described. The same features as in the aforementioned embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the overlapping description will be omitted herein.

A cover panel <NUM> may include a panel outlet <NUM> with a plurality of panel through holes <NUM> formed therein to discharge air out of the housing <NUM>. The panel outlet <NUM> may be formed near the outlet <NUM>.

The air conditioner <NUM> may include a panel discharge flow path <NUM> for guiding the air flowing by the blower fan <NUM> to the panel outlet <NUM>, and an open/shut member <NUM> for opening and shutting the panel discharge flow path <NUM>. The panel discharge flow path <NUM> may be formed to be linked to the outlet <NUM>. The open/shut member <NUM> may be pivotally arranged to open and shut the panel discharge flow path <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the still air mode in which the blade <NUM> shuts the outlet <NUM>, the open/shut member <NUM> may open the panel discharge flow path <NUM> for the air to be discharged through the panel through holes <NUM>. Accordingly, the air flowing by the blower fan <NUM> may be discharged through the through holes <NUM> formed in the blade <NUM> and the panel through holes <NUM> formed in the cover panel <NUM>. In this case, the amount of discharge air in the still air mode may increase as compared with the aforementioned embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, in the routine mode in which the blade <NUM> opens the outlet <NUM>, the open/shut member <NUM> may shut the panel discharge flow path <NUM>.

The open/shut member <NUM> may be configured to operate by being mechanically engaged with the operation of the blade <NUM>. The open/shut member <NUM> may be configured such that when the open/shut member <NUM> and the blade <NUM> are mechanically engaged for the blade <NUM> to shut the outlet <NUM>, the open/shut member <NUM> may open the panel discharge flow path <NUM>, and when they are engaged for the blade <NUM> to open the outlet <NUM>, the open/shut member <NUM> may shut the panel discharge flow path <NUM>.

For example, the air conditioner <NUM> may include a first pinion gear <NUM> coupled with the pivot shaft of the blade <NUM> and rotated along with the blade <NUM>, a second pinion gear <NUM> coupled with the pivot shaft of the open/shut member <NUM> and rotated along with the open/shut member <NUM>, and a rack gear <NUM> for delivering the rotational force of the first pinion gear <NUM> to the second pinion gear <NUM>. The air conditioner <NUM> is not, however, limited to this structure, and various engagement structures known to the public may be applied to the air conditioner <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure: <FIG> shows a state of operating the still air mode, and <FIG> shows a state of operating the routine mode.

The air conditioner <NUM> may include a panel discharge flow path for guiding the air flowing by the blower fan <NUM> to the panel outlet <NUM>, and an open/shut member <NUM> for opening and shutting the panel discharge flow path. The panel discharge flow path may be formed to be linked to the outlet <NUM>.

The open/shut member <NUM> may be arranged to open and shut the panel discharge flow path <NUM>. The open/shut member <NUM> may be shaped like a roll screen. The open/shut member <NUM> may have an air passage disabled part 524a which disables air passage and an air passage enabled part 524b which enables air passage.

The open/shut member <NUM> may be configured to be wound on a plurality of rollers <NUM>, <NUM>, and to be moved such that the air passage disabled part 524a comes over the panel through holes <NUM> or the air passage enabled part 524b comes over the panel through holes <NUM> according to rotation of the plurality of rollers <NUM>, <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the still air mode in which the blade <NUM> shuts the outlet <NUM>, the air passage enabled part 524b of the open/shut member <NUM> may be located over the panel through holes <NUM> to allow the air to be discharged through the panel through holes <NUM>.

Accordingly, the air flowing by the blower fan <NUM> may be discharged through the through holes <NUM> formed in the blade <NUM> and the panel through holes <NUM> formed in the cover panel <NUM>. In this case, the amount of discharge air in the still air mode may increase as compared with the aforementioned embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, in the routine mode in which the blade <NUM> opens the outlet <NUM>, the air passage disabled part 524a of the open/shut member <NUM> may be located over the panel through holes <NUM> to prevent the air from being discharged through the panel through holes <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure with a cover panel and a blade separated therefrom. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view illustrating main configurations of the air conditioner of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, another embodiment of an air conditioner will now be described. The same features as in the aforementioned embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the overlapping description will be omitted herein.

An air conditioner <NUM> includes the housing <NUM> hung on or buried in the ceiling C, a cover panel <NUM> coupled with a lower portion of the housing <NUM> and equipped with the inlet <NUM> and the outlet <NUM>, may include the heat exchanger <NUM> arranged inside the housing <NUM>, and includes the blower fan <NUM> configured to draw in air into the housing <NUM> through the inlet <NUM> and discharge the air out of the housing <NUM> through the outlet <NUM>.

The inlet <NUM> is provided in the cover panel <NUM> and may be provided to be close to the edge <NUM>, and the outlet <NUM> is provided in the cover panel <NUM> and may be provided to be close to the edge <NUM>. The outlet <NUM> may have an elongated form along the length of the edge <NUM>, <NUM>. A grill <NUM> may be coupled to the inlet <NUM> to filter out dust from the air drawn in.

The air conditioner <NUM> includes a blade <NUM> arranged on the outlet <NUM> to control the direction, speed, and amount of the air to be discharged through the outlet <NUM>. The blade <NUM> is pivotally arranged to open and shut the outlet <NUM>. The blade <NUM> may be provided to open and shut the outlet <NUM> and may include a blade body <NUM> (see <FIG>) with the plurality of through holes <NUM> formed therein and coupling ribs <NUM> (see <FIG>) protruding from the blade body <NUM>. In the case that air is discharged through the plurality of through holes <NUM>, the speed of the air is low and the amount of the air is small, compared with the case where the air is discharged through the outlet <NUM>.

The blower fan <NUM> draws in room air, facilitates heat exchange of the air through the heat exchanger <NUM>, and discharges the heat-exchanged air back into the room. For this, the blower fan <NUM> needs to rotate at more than a certain rate (rpm) taking into account the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger <NUM>, and accordingly, discharges the air through the outlet <NUM> in the form of direct airflow to a certain distance.

On the contrary, the air discharged through the through holes <NUM> while the blade <NUM> shuts the outlet <NUM> is at a relatively low speed and is small in amount, so the direct air flow may not reach the user and the room may be slowly cooled or heated. In this way, the mode in which air is discharged through the through holes <NUM> prevents the direct airflow from reaching the user, and may thus be referred to as wind-free mode or still air mode.

According to American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the wind flowing at about <NUM>/s or less without cold draft that causes unwanted cooling of a body with a cold air current, is called still air. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air conditioner may be configured to meet the still air condition (i.e., <NUM>/s) of the ASHRAE in a residential indoor space more than one meter away from the air conditioner in the still air mode.

For this, in addition to the structure of the through holes <NUM> formed in the blade <NUM>, the air conditioner <NUM> may further include an airflow controller <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> to create a still air current more effectively.

The airflow controller <NUM> may be located adjacent to the outlet <NUM> to reduce speed of the air discharged through the plurality of through holes <NUM> and may include a first airflow controller <NUM> and a second airflow controller <NUM>. The second airflow controller <NUM> may be located further down in the downstream of the outlet <NUM> than the first airflow controller <NUM> is.

An air current E2 (sew <FIG>) may be created by the airflow controller <NUM> to wrap around the blade <NUM>. The air current E2 wrapping around the blade <NUM> may be discharged through a gap G2 (see <FIG>) between the cover panel <NUM> and the blade <NUM>. Reference numeral <NUM> denotes a space maintainer protrusion to maintain the gap G2 between the cover panel <NUM> and the blade <NUM> even while the blade <NUM> is shut.

The airflow controller <NUM> in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to related drawings.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of portion 'S' of <FIG>. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view of an enlarged perimeter of the outlet of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view of the enlarged airflow controller of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> shows inclination of through holes of the air conditioner of <FIG>. <FIG> shows air flows around the outlet of the air conditioner of <FIG>.

While the air conditioner <NUM> is in the still air mode, i.e., while the blade <NUM> is shut, the gap G2 may be formed between the edge <NUM> (see <FIG>) of the cover panel <NUM> near the exit <NUM> and an outer end <NUM> (see <FIG>) of the blade <NUM>. The air current E2 wrapping around the blade <NUM> may be discharged through the gap G2. The air current E2 wrapping around the blade <NUM> may reduce the speed of an air discharge flow DA (see <FIG>) discharged through the plurality of through holes <NUM>, and may further curb the phenomenon of dew condensation on the blade <NUM> due to a temperature difference.

The cover panel <NUM> includes the airflow controller <NUM> to create this air current E2 to wrap around the blade <NUM>. The airflow controller <NUM> may be located adjacent to the outlet <NUM> to reduce speed of the air discharged through the plurality of through holes <NUM> and may include the first airflow controller <NUM> and the second airflow controller <NUM>. The second airflow controller <NUM> may be placed further down in the downstream of the outlet <NUM> than the first airflow controller <NUM> is.

The first airflow controller <NUM> may reduce the speed of air flowing from inside the exit <NUM> toward the second airflow controller <NUM>. This may help change the direction of airflow in the second airflow controller <NUM>.

The first airflow controller <NUM> may include a first descending plane <NUM>, a first low point portion <NUM>, and a first ascending plane <NUM>. The first descending plane <NUM>, the first point portion <NUM>, and the first ascending plane <NUM> may be continuously formed in the downstream direction from the upstream side.

While the blade <NUM> of the air conditioner <NUM> installed horizontally on the ceiling is shut, the first low point portion <NUM> may be at the lowest level among the first descending plane <NUM>, the first point portion <NUM>, and the first ascending plane <NUM>. The first descending plane <NUM> may be formed further up on the upstream side than the first low point portion <NUM> is, and may descend as it grows near the first low point portion <NUM>. The first ascending plane <NUM> may be formed further down on the downstream side than the first low point portion <NUM> is, and may ascend as it grows far from the first low point portion <NUM>.

The first descending plane <NUM> and the first ascending plane <NUM> may be formed as flat planes or curved planes. The first low point portion <NUM> may be formed as a straight line or a curve to connect the first descending plane <NUM> and the first ascending plane <NUM>.

Consequently, the first airflow controller <NUM> may have a structure that protrudes toward the exit <NUM>, and accordingly, the air flowing from inside the exit <NUM> toward the second airflow controller <NUM> past the first airflow controller <NUM> may slow down by the protruding first airflow controller <NUM>.

The second airflow controller <NUM> may guide the direction of the air discharged through the gap G2 between the cover panel <NUM> and the blade <NUM>. While the air conditioner <NUM> is in the still air mode, i.e., while the blade <NUM> is shut, the gap G2 may be formed between the edge <NUM> (see <FIG>) of the cover panel <NUM> near the exit <NUM> and the outer end <NUM> (see <FIG>) of the blade <NUM>. The second airflow controller <NUM> may guide the air discharged through the gap G2 to flow in a direction to wrap around the blade <NUM>.

The air discharged through the gap G2 may flow from the end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> toward the center portion along the outer side 675b of the blade body <NUM>. The air current E2 guided by the second airflow controller <NUM> to wrap around the blade <NUM> may disturb and slow down the air discharge current DA discharged through the through holes <NUM>.

Furthermore, the air current E2 wrapping around the blade <NUM> may block the blade <NUM> from hot and humid outside air and thus curb the phenomenon of dew condensation on the blade <NUM>.

The second airflow controller <NUM> may include a second descending plane <NUM>, a second low point portion <NUM>, and a second ascending plane <NUM>. The second descending plane <NUM>, the second point portion <NUM>, and the second ascending plane <NUM> may be continuously formed in the downstream direction from the upstream side.

While the blade <NUM> of the air conditioner <NUM> installed horizontally on the ceiling is shut, the second low point portion <NUM> may be at the lowest level among the second descending plane <NUM>, the second point portion <NUM>, and the second ascending plane <NUM>. The second descending plane <NUM> may be formed further up on the upstream side than the second low point portion <NUM> is, and may descend as it grows near the second low point portion <NUM>. The second ascending plane <NUM> may be formed further down on the downstream side than the second low point portion <NUM> is, and may ascend as it grows far from the second low point portion <NUM>.

The second descending plane <NUM> and the second ascending plane <NUM> may be formed as flat planes or curved planes. However, it is desirable that the second descending plane <NUM> is formed as a curved plane swollen upward to change the direction of an airflow toward the blade <NUM>. The second low point portion <NUM> may be formed as a straight line or a curve to connect the second descending plane <NUM> and the second ascending plane <NUM>. As a result, the second airflow controller <NUM> may have a structure that protrudes toward the exit <NUM>.

The air that has passed the gap G2 may come close to the blade <NUM> by the second airflow controller <NUM> and may flow to the center portion of the blade <NUM> along the outer side 675b of the blade body <NUM> according to the Coanda effect.

The airflow controller <NUM> may include a high point portion <NUM> where the first ascending plane <NUM> of the first airflow controller <NUM> and the first descending plane <NUM> of the second airflow controller <NUM> meet. The high point portion <NUM> may be formed as a straight line or a curve.

While the blade <NUM> of the air conditioner <NUM> installed horizontally on the ceiling is shut, the height point portion <NUM> may be formed at a higher level than the first low point portion <NUM> and the second low point portion <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, to meet the still air condition of the ASHRAE in a residential indoor space more than one meter away from the air conditioner, it may be preferable that <NUM> ≤ | H1 - H2 | / H1 ≤ <NUM>. H1 denotes a difference in height between the first low point portion <NUM> and the high point portion <NUM>, and H2 denotes a difference in height between the second low point portion <NUM> and the high point portion <NUM>.

Furthermore, it is preferable that <NUM> ≤ P / H1 ≤ <NUM>. P denotes a horizontal distance of the first low point portion <NUM> and the second low point portion <NUM>.

As such, since the air current E2 formed by the airflow controller <NUM> to wrap around the blade <NUM> is discharged through the gap G2 between the cover panel <NUM> and the blade <NUM> while the blade <NUM> is shut, the gap G2 between the cover panel <NUM> and the blade <NUM> needs to be formed and maintained while the blade <NUM> is shut.

For this, as described above, the protruding space maintainer protrusion <NUM> may be formed on the cover panel <NUM> to form and maintain the gap G2 between the cover panel <NUM> and the blade <NUM> by coming into contact with the blade <NUM> when the blade <NUM> is shut.

There may be at least one space maintainer protrusion <NUM> formed along the length of the exit <NUM>. Alternatively, the space maintainer protrusion <NUM> may be formed not on the cover panel <NUM> but on the blade <NUM>.

The airflow controller <NUM> of the cover panel <NUM> may create the air current E2 around the outer end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> to wrap around the blade <NUM>, and in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blade <NUM> may have a blade air direction controller <NUM> to create an air current E1 around an inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> to wrap around the blade <NUM>.

As described above, the outer end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> is an end relatively far from a pivot shaft portion <NUM> of the blade <NUM>, and the inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> is an end relatively close to the pivot shaft portion <NUM> of the blade <NUM>. Furthermore, while the blade <NUM> is shut, the outer end <NUM> is farther away from the inlet <NUM> than the inner end <NUM> is.

The air current from inside the outlet <NUM> toward the outer end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> is more inclined and the air current toward the inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> is less inclined.

In <FIG>, the blade air direction controller <NUM> may guide the air discharged through a gap G1 between the cover panel <NUM> and the inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> to a direction to wrap around the blade <NUM>.

The air discharged through the gap G1 may flow from the end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> toward the center portion along the outer side 675b of the blade body <NUM>. The air current E<NUM> guided by the blade air direction controller <NUM> to wrap around the blade <NUM> may disturb and slow down the air discharge current DA discharged through the through holes <NUM>.

Furthermore, the air current E1 wrapping around the blade <NUM> may block the blade <NUM> from hot and humid outside air and thus curb the phenomenon of dew condensation on the blade <NUM>.

The blade air direction controller <NUM> may be formed at the inner end <NUM> of the blade <NUM> as a plane concavely curbed toward the pivot shaft portion <NUM>, which is the center of pivoting of the blade <NUM>.

The air that has passed the gap G1 may come close to the blade <NUM> by the blade air direction controller <NUM> and may flow to the center portion of the blade <NUM> along the outer side 675b of the blade body <NUM> according to the Coanda effect.

With the structure of the outlet in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure, a smaller amount of air flows to the outer end <NUM> than to the inner end <NUM>, so the air passing the through holes <NUM> formed near the outer end <NUM> may have a slower speed than the air passing the through holes <NUM> formed near the inner end <NUM>. Furthermore, more dew condensation may occur around the outer end <NUM> than around the inner end <NUM> due to the temperature difference.

In order to slow down the air discharge current around the inner end <NUM> to effectively create a still air current while curbing dew condensation on the blade <NUM> around the outer end <NUM>, the through holes <NUM> may be formed to be inclined toward the outer end <NUM> as they grow farther from the blower fan <NUM>. Accordingly, the speed and amount of the air discharged toward the inner end <NUM> may be reduced, thereby effectively creating the still air current, and the speed and amount of the air discharged toward the outer end <NUM> may increase, thereby minimizing dew condensation.

While the blade <NUM> of the air conditioner <NUM> horizontally installed on the ceiling is shut, the inclination axis T (see <FIG>) of the through holes <NUM> may form an angle θ3 with the vertical line V, the angle θ3 being in a range between around <NUM> to <NUM> degrees. Preferably, the angle θ3 may be about <NUM> degrees.

Reference numeral 675a denotes an inner side of the blade body <NUM>.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an air conditioner may discharge air in various ways by differing the direction, speed, and/or amount of the air.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an air conditioner may create still air to prevent unwanted cooling with a cold airflow in residential indoor space.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an air current discharged through an outlet may be guided to a blade to curb the phenomenon of dew condensation on the blade.

Claim 1:
An air conditioner (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) to be mounted on or embedded in a ceiling;
a cover panel (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) coupled to a lower portion of the housing (<NUM>), the cover panel (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) including an inlet (<NUM>) and an outlet (<NUM>);
a blower fan (<NUM>) configured to draw in air into the housing (<NUM>) through the inlet (<NUM>) and discharge air out of the housing (<NUM>) through the outlet (<NUM>); and
a blade (<NUM>, <NUM>) configured to open or cover the outlet (<NUM>),
the blade (<NUM>, <NUM>) including a plurality of through holes (<NUM>, 74a, 74b, <NUM>) to control the air discharged out of the housing (<NUM>) through the outlet (<NUM>) while the blade (<NUM>, <NUM>) covers the outlet (<NUM>),
characterised in that the air conditioner (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is arranged to operate in every one of:
a still air mode in which the blade (<NUM>, <NUM>) shuts the outlet (<NUM>) so that air flows through the plurality of through holes (<NUM>, 74a, 74b, <NUM>);
a long airflow mode in which the blade (<NUM>, <NUM>) opens the outlet (<NUM>) to discharge air near to the ceiling; and
a routine mode in which the blade (<NUM>, <NUM>) opens the outlet (<NUM>) with an open angle of about <NUM> to <NUM> degrees to discharge air downwards away from the ceiling.