Patent Description:
The demand for air conditioner is increasing with continuous improvement of human daily life. Regarding air conditioners in the existing market, the blowing air comes directly to the users with a great discomfort, due to a large long-distance flow area of the air outlet, a large air volume and a long air supply distance. Further, various demands of the users may not be met thanks to the single blowing mode. <CIT> discloses an air conditioner and an indoor unit thereof. The air conditioner indoor unit includes a casing, a first air guide plate and a first driving device. The casing is provided with an air duct, and the casing is provided with an air duct connected to an air outlet; one end of the first wind deflector is rotatably installed in the air duct; the first driving device is connected with the first wind deflector to drive the first wind deflector to rotate,
<CIT> discloses an air-conditioning indoor unit and a control method thereof. The air-conditioning indoor unit has a breeze mode, and the air-conditioning indoor unit includes a casing, a first air deflector, a second air deflector, and a third air deflector. <CIT> discloses an air outlet air guide structure, an air conditioner and a control method of the air conditioner. The air outlet air guiding structure includes a first air guiding plate and a first driving device arranged at the air outlet. <CIT> discloses an air-conditioning indoor unit. The air-conditioning indoor unit includes: a body with an air outlet; an outer air deflector, the outer air deflector is provided at the air outlet for opening and closing the air outlet, the outer air deflector is formed with a plurality of first air dispersing holes penetrating in the thickness direction. <CIT> discloses an indoor unit of an air conditioner, which is provided with an air outlet, an air guide plate, a first air dissipation plate, a second air dissipation plate, and a controller, wherein the first air dissipation plate and the second air dissipation plate are both provided with a plurality of vent holes, when determining whether the indoor unit of the air conditioner enters a pre-set operation mode, the controller controls the first air dissipation plate and the second air dissipation plate to open the air outlet and controls the air guide plate to rotate by a pre-set angle to partially cover the air outlet, and after the indoor unit of the air conditioner has entered the pre-set operation mode, the controller controls the first air dissipation plate and the second air dissipation plate to be located at different rotation positions according to indoor temperature and environment humidity to cover the air outlet.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling an air conditioner and an air conditioner configured for use in such a method, aiming at overcoming a single blowing mode regarding the air conditioner in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a method for controlling an air conditioner, which a housing, in which the housing includes an air outlet passage formed in the housing; and an air outlet arranged in an outer peripheral wall of the housing and communicated with the air outlet passage; a first air guiding plate rotatably at the air outlet and connected with the housing by a first rotating shaft on the housing; and a second air guiding plate rotatably arranged in the air outlet passage, and being capable of rotating by a second rotating shaft in the housing, in which the air conditioner includes a breeze mode, in response to the breeze mode, a part of the air outlet is shielded by the first air guiding plate, and the second air guiding plate is extended to a lower side of the air outlet in the air outlet passage and a far end of the first air guiding plate in the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet, a far end of the second air guiding plate in the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet, and the first rotating shaft are located substantially on a same plane. The invention is defined by the features of claim <NUM>.

In response to the cooling/heating mode, optionally a distance M is no less than <NUM> and no more than <NUM> between the first side and the edge of the upper wall of the air outlet.

In response to the breeze mode, optionally a distance N is no less than <NUM> and no more than <NUM> between the second side and the edge of the lower side of the air outlet.

Optionally, after the air outlet is closed by the first air guiding plate, the first air guiding plate includes a first side close to an upper wall of the air outlet, and a second side close to a lower wall of the air outlet; in which the first rotating shaft includes a first surface extending towards the first side; and a second surface extending towards an edge of the upper wall of the air outlet, in which α is an included angle between the first surface and the second surface, and α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°, after the air conditioner is in a breeze mode.

Optionally, in response to the breeze mode, a distance M is no less than <NUM> and no more than <NUM> between the first side and the edge of the upper wall of the air outlet.

Optionally, in response to the breeze mode, a distance N is no less than <NUM> and no more than <NUM> between the second side and the edge of the lower wall of the air outlet.

Optionally, the air conditioner further includes a cooling/heating mode, in which in response to the cooling/heating mode, the first air guiding plate is completely open of the air outlet, and the inclined angle α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°.

Optionally, the first air guiding plate defines an air dispersing hole passing through the first air guiding plate along a thickness direction of the first air guiding plate.

Optionally, a length of the air dispersing hole in an opening direction is equal to or more than the thickness of the first air guiding plate.

Optionally, the method for controlling an air conditioner includes a breeze mode and a cooling/heating mode, and the air conditioner is switchable between the breeze mode and the cooling/heating mode.

In response to the breeze mode, shielding a part of an air outlet by a first air guiding plate, and moving a second air guiding plate to a lower wall of the air outlet in the air outlet passage, wherein the first rotating shaft includes a first surface extending towards a first side; and a second surface extending towards an edge of an upper side of the air outlet; an included angle α between the first surface and the second surface is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°;.

In response to the cooling/heating mode, completely opening the air outlet by the first air guiding plate, and the inclined angle α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°.

According to the present invention, when the air conditioner is in the breeze mode, the first air guiding plate partially shields the air outlet, and the second air guiding plate is extended to the lower side of the air outlet along the air outlet passage, so that air from the air outlet disperses to is the surroundings. Single mode of the air conditioner is overcome, with various modes provided, and users requirement are satisfied.

In order to explain the embodiment of the present invention or the technical solution of the prior art more clearly, the following will briefly introduce the drawings necessary in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those ordinary skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the structure shown in these drawings without any creative effort.

The implementation, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings with the embodiments.

As following, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiment of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiment is only a part of the embodiment of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments perceived by those ordinary skills in the art without creative effort should be fallen within the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that if directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, horizontal, vertical, etc.) are involved in the embodiments of the present invention, the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement between the components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the specific posture changes, the directional indications will change accordingly.

In addition, if there are descriptions of "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application, the descriptions of "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defining "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments may be combined with each other, but must be based on what one of ordinary skill in the art can achieve. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to achieve, it should be considered that the combination of such technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present invention.

The present invention proposes an air conditioner and a control method of the air conditioner. The air conditioner can be a split wall-mounted air conditioner, and further can be a single cooling machine or a cooling and heating machine. In the description of the following, an air conditioner with cooling and heating functions is taken as an example for illustration. The air conditioner in the present technical solution includes a breeze mode and a cooling/heating mode.

Referring to <FIG>, an air conditioner <NUM> includes a housing <NUM>, a first air guiding plate <NUM> and a second air guiding plate <NUM>. The housing <NUM> is provided with an air outlet passage (now shown in the figures) formed in the housing <NUM> and an air outlet (now shown in the figures) communicated with the air outlet passage and arranged in an outer peripheral wall of the housing <NUM>. The first air guiding plate <NUM> is rotatably arranged at the air outlet and is connected with the housing <NUM> by a first rotating shaft <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The second air guiding plate <NUM> is rotatably arranged in the air outlet passage, and is rotatable by a second rotating shaft <NUM> of the housing. The air conditioner <NUM> includes a breeze mode, in response to the breeze mode, a part of the air outlet is shielded by the first air guiding plate <NUM>, and the second air guiding plate <NUM> is extended to a lower side of the air outlet along the air outlet passage.

Specifically, components of the air conditioner <NUM> are installed in the housing <NUM>, and the housing <NUM> is used to support and protect internal components while beautifying the appearance of the air conditioner. The housing <NUM> includes a chassis <NUM>, a face frame (not shown in the figures) and a panel <NUM>. The face frame is provided on the chassis <NUM>, the face frame is open at the front, where the panel <NUM> is provided. And an air outlet is disposed between the lower end of the panel <NUM> and the face frame. Specifically, the face frame may be rotatably or detachably arranged on the chassis <NUM>, and the panel <NUM> may be rotatably or detachably provided on the face frame. It can be understood that the air conditioner <NUM> further includes swinging blades <NUM>, and the swinging blades <NUM> are rotatably disposed in the air outlet passage, and controls the air blowing direction from left to right, to realize the air supply in the left and right directions. The air conditioner <NUM> further includes a fan <NUM> provided in the housing <NUM>.

According to the present invention, the housing <NUM> is further provided with an air outlet passage for air circulation. The air outlet passage forms an air outlet in the outer peripheral wall of the housing <NUM>. When the air conditioner <NUM> is turned on, the air continuously blows to the indoor space through the air outlet, thereby adjusting the indoor temperature. The first air guiding plate <NUM> rotates around the first rotating shaft <NUM> to open or close the air outlet. In the present embodiment, the second air guiding plate <NUM> is provided with a plurality of second air dispersing holes <NUM> passing through the second air guiding plate <NUM>. The second air dispersing holes <NUM> are arranged along the thickness direction of the second air guiding plate <NUM>, and the second air guiding plate <NUM> can rotate in the air outlet passage along the second rotating shaft <NUM>. With respect to the breezing mode, in response to the breeze mode of the air conditioner <NUM>, a part of the air outlet is shielded by the first air guiding plate <NUM>, and the second air guiding plate <NUM> is extended to a lower side of the air outlet along the air outlet passage. In a preferred embodiment, the first air guiding plate <NUM> and the second air guiding plate <NUM> are substantially mutually perpendicular. The far end of the first air guiding plate <NUM> in the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet, the far end of the second air guiding plate <NUM> in the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet, and the first rotating shaft <NUM> are located substantially on a same plane. The blowing air is blocked by the first air guiding plate <NUM> and diffused to the surroundings through the second air dispersing holes <NUM> in the second air guiding plate <NUM>, thereby reducing the air volume and speed of the air outlet. Air blown by the air conditioner <NUM> is prevented from directly blowing onto the human body, so that the air felt by the human body is rather soft. The air conditioner includes various modes rather than a single mode, and the users demand is met.

Further, when the first air guiding plate <NUM> closes the air outlet, a side of the first air guiding plate <NUM> close to an upper side of the air outlet is defined as a first side (not shown in the figures), and a side of the first air guiding plate <NUM> close to a lower side of the air outlet is defined as a second side (not shown in the figures); the first rotating shaft <NUM> is extended to the first side to form a first surface, and the first rotating shaft <NUM> is extended to an edge of the upper side of the air outlet to form a second surface. In which α is an included angle between the first surface and the second surface. That is, the initial position of the first guiding wind corresponds to the initial state when the first air guiding plate completely closes the air outlet. The rotating angle of the first air guiding plate <NUM> around the first rotating shaft <NUM> from the initial position is α , when the air conditioner works in the breeze mode, the range of α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°. As such, the air speed coming out of the air outlet passage is weak, the wind volume is not large, and the air is prevented to blow on user's body through the blockage of the first air guiding plate <NUM>. By diffusing to the surroundings along the first air guiding plate <NUM>, the air becomes softer and brings more comfort to the user.

Further, when the air conditioner <NUM> is in the breeze mode and the range of α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°, the distance M is between the first side and the edge of housing at the upper side of the air outlet, and M is no less than <NUM> and no more than <NUM>. Alternatively, when the air conditioner <NUM> is operated in the breeze mode, the distance N is between the second side and the edge of the housing on the lower side of the air outlet, and N is no less than <NUM> and no more than <NUM>. When the air conditioner works in the breeze mode, the air coming out of the air outlet passage is prone to soften under the action of the first air guiding plate <NUM>. As such, the air from the air conditioner <NUM> diffusing to the surroundings along the first air guiding plate <NUM>, reduces the air speed and volume out coming from the air outlet, and the user feels soft wind.

Referring to <FIG>, further, the air conditioner further comprises a cooling/heating mode, and in response to the cooling/heating mode, the first air guiding plate is completely avoided for the air outlet, and the inclined angle α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°. In the embodiments of the present invention, the second working mode is a cooling/heating mode, and the first air guiding plate <NUM> and the second air guiding plate <NUM> respectively rotate to a position substantially parallel to the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet passage. As such, the side of the first air guiding plate <NUM> close to the upper side of the air outlet is the first side, and the side of the first air guiding plate <NUM> close to the lower side of the air outlet is the second side. The first rotating shaft <NUM> is extended to the first side to form a first surface, the first rotating shaft <NUM> is extended to end edge of housing at the upper side of the air outlet to form a second surface, the included angle between the first surface and the second surface is α, that is, taking the initial state that the first air guiding plate completely closes the air outlet is taken as an initial position, α is the rotation angle of the first air guiding plate <NUM> around the first rotating shaft <NUM> from the initial position. When the rotation angle α of the first air guiding plate <NUM> is within the range of α being no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°, the first air guiding plate <NUM> and the second air guiding plate <NUM> have less resistance to the blowing air from the air outlet passage, so that the air speed and volume coming out of the air outlet passage are relatively large. The ambient temperature can be changed quickly.

Further, when in the cooling/heating mode, a distance M ranges from <NUM> to <NUM> between the first side and the edge of the housing at the upper side of the air outlet. Alternatively, a distance N ranges from <NUM> to <NUM> between the second side and the edge of the housing at the lower side of the air outlet. In the embodiments of the present invention, when the air conditioner <NUM> is in the cooling/heating mode, and α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°, M ranges from is <NUM> to <NUM> or N ranges from <NUM> to <NUM>. It is easy to improve the air speed and volume from the air outlet. At present state, the first air guiding plate <NUM> has little obstruction to the air outlet of the air conditioner <NUM>, so that the air speed blowing from the air outlet passage is high and the air volume is large, and the temperature in the room is quickly adjusted.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the first air guiding plate <NUM> is provided with air dispersing holes <NUM> passing through the first air guiding plate <NUM> in a thickness direction. The length of the diffuser holes <NUM> in the opening direction is equal to or greater than the thickness of the first air guiding plate <NUM>. The air dispersing holes <NUM> gradually increase in diameter in a direction from the inner side of the first air guiding plate <NUM> to the outer side of the first air guiding plate <NUM>. The structure of the air conditioner is simple, enabling the air in the air outlet passage to diffuse to the surroundings from the air dispersing holes <NUM> of the first air guiding plate <NUM>.

The present invention further proposes a control method of the air conditioner <NUM> which is described above, the air conditioner includes a breeze mode and a cooling/heating mode, in which the air conditioner is switchable between the breeze mode and the cooling/heating mode; the method includes: in response to the breeze mode, shielding a part of an air outlet by a first air guiding plate, and moving the second air guiding plate to a lower side of the air outlet in an air outlet passage, in which the first rotating shaft includes: a first surface extending towards a first side; and a second surface extending towards an edge of an upper side of the air outlet; an included angle α between the first surface and the second surface is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°; in response to the cooling/heating mode, completely opening the air outlet by the first air guiding plate, and the inclined angle α is no less than <NUM>° and no more than <NUM>°. The specific structure of the air conditioner <NUM> refers to the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be described herein.

Claim 1:
A method for controlling an air conditioner (<NUM>), wherein the air conditioner (<NUM>) comprises:
a housing (<NUM>), wherein the housing (<NUM>) comprises:
an air outlet passage formed in the housing (<NUM>); and
an air outlet arranged in an outer peripheral wall of the housing (<NUM>) and
communicated with the air outlet passage;
a first air guiding plate (<NUM>) rotatably arranged at the air outlet and connected with
the housing (<NUM>) by a first rotating shaft (<NUM>) on the housing (<NUM>); and
a second air guiding plate (<NUM>) arranged in the air outlet passage, and being capable of rotating around a second rotating shaft (<NUM>) in the housing (<NUM>),
wherein the first air guiding plate (<NUM>) is arranged to rotate around the first rotating shaft (<NUM>) to open or close the air outlet and the second air guiding plate (<NUM>) is provided with a plurality of second air dispersing holes (<NUM>) passing through the second air guiding plate (<NUM>), wherein the second air dispersing holes (<NUM>) are arranged along the thickness direction of the second air guiding plate (<NUM>),
wherein the air conditioner (<NUM>) comprises a breeze mode, in response to the air conditioner operating in the breeze mode, a part of the air outlet is shielded by the first air guiding plate (<NUM>), and the second air guiding plate (<NUM>) is rotated to a lower side of the air outlet in the air outlet passage
characterized in that
in response to the air conditioner operating in the breeze mode, a far end of the first air guiding plate (<NUM>) in the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet, a far end of the second air guiding plate (<NUM>) in the air out-blowing direction of the air outlet, and the first rotating shaft (<NUM>) are located substantially on a same plane, such that the blowing air is blocked by the first air guiding plate (<NUM>) and diffused to the surroundings through the second air dispersing holes (<NUM>) in the second air guiding plate (<NUM>), thereby reducing the air volume and speed of the air outlet.