JPS6142014Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to an indoor unit for an air conditioner in which an opening at the top or bottom of the front casing of the indoor unit main body can be switched to an air outlet.

Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 38-17687, by rotating the blower casing around the rotating shaft of the blower installed inside the main body of the air conditioner, the upper part of the front casing of the main body is rotated during cooling. It is known that the opening in the front casing is used as an air outlet, and the opening in the lower part of the front casing is used as an air outlet during heating. However, in this air conditioner, the blower casing was constructed separately from the front casing of the main unit, and only the blower casing was turned upside down to switch the blowing direction during cooling and heating. Air tends to leak between the casings, and the structure is complicated to prevent this air leakage. In addition, a dedicated operating mechanism is required to turn the blower casing upside down, and this operating mechanism is limited in its position and size due to reasons such as appearance and installation space, making it difficult to turn the blower casing upside down. Ta.

In order to solve these problems, an indoor unit of an air conditioner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has been proposed. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner in a state where the air is blown from the top, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the indoor unit in a state where the air is blown from the bottom. In these figures, 1 is an indoor unit main body having a substantially rectangular external shape, and 2 is an impeller of a blower that sucks air in an axial direction and discharges it toward the outer circumference, and is housed in a blower casing 3.
4 is a heat exchanger installed below the blower casing 3; 6 is a front casing integrated with the blower casing 3; 7 and 8 are air inlets and air outlets provided in the front casing 6; 9 is a back casing, 10 is a wall, 11 is an electric motor fixed to the back casing 9 to rotate the impeller 2, and 12 is a blower.

In the indoor unit configured in this manner,
When the indoor unit is to be blown upward during cooling, the front casing 6 is rotated around the axis of the rotary shaft of the blower 12 to move the air outlet 8 to the upper part of the main body 1, as shown in Fig. 1. Next, when the impeller 2 provided inside the main body 1 is rotated,
The indoor air drawn in through the air intake 7 arranged at the bottom of the front casing 6 is heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 4 arranged on the intake side of the blower casing 3, and then passes through the blower casing 3 to the air outlet 8 arranged at the top of the front casing 6.
When the indoor unit is to be blown downward during heating, the front casing 6 is rotated 180° around the rotation shaft of the blower 12 from the upward blowing state, thereby moving the air outlet 8 to the lower part of the main body 1, as shown in Fig. 2. In this way, indoor air sucked in through the air inlet 7 by the rotation of the impeller 2 passes through the blower casing 3, exchanges heat in the heat exchanger 4 provided on the blowing side of the blower casing 3, and is then blown out as warm air from the air outlet 8 located at the lower part of the front casing 6.

However, in the indoor unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front casing 6 and the blower casing 3
Since these are integrally formed, air leakage can be prevented with a simple configuration between them. However, since the entire front casing 6 is turned upside down to switch between cooling and heating, it is necessary to turn it upside down. Not only will the parts become larger, but the air outlet with the louvers, etc., will also have to be turned upside down, so there is a risk that the louvers, etc., will collide with other objects and be damaged during operation.
There was a problem that switching operations were difficult.

This idea solves these problems and
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit for an air conditioner that can easily switch between cooling and heating, and can reduce damage to members such as louvers provided in openings that serve as air outlets during this operation. .

In the air conditioner indoor unit according to this invention, the front casing is divided into a fixed part having upper and lower openings, and a movable part that forms the blower casing integrally with the front panel, and only this movable part is used for cooling and heating. By flipping it upside down when switching,
The part that is turned upside down is made smaller and lighter, making the switching operation easier, and the openings that serve as the air outlet and air intake do not move when switching, so that the parts installed in the openings do not come into contact with other objects. Collisions are less likely to occur, and these damages can be reduced.

Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit showing an embodiment of the air conditioner according to this invention, showing the upper air outlet state, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the lower air outlet state of the same indoor unit, which is similar to FIG. Identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof is omitted.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 13 designates a lower opening provided diagonally forward and downward in a portion of the front casing 6 below the heat exchanger 4, and reference numeral 14 designates an upper opening provided at the upper portion. Also, these openings 1
3 and 14 are provided at the fixed part of the front casing 6, and the front casing 6 can be turned upside down by the blower casing 3 located in the middle part of the front casing 6 in the vertical direction, and the front panel 5 formed integrally therewith. A movable part is configured.

In the indoor unit of the embodiment configured in this way, when the indoor unit blows air upward during cooling, the front panel 5 is rotated around the rotation axis of the blower 12 as shown in FIG. Move the casing 3 so that the air outlet 15 is at the top of the main body 1. Next, when the impeller 2 provided inside the blower casing 3 is rotated,
Indoor air sucked in through the lower opening 13 of the front casing 6 undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchanger 4 provided on the suction side of the blower casing 3, and then passes through the blower casing 3 and the air outlet 15 of the blower casing 3. , upper opening 14 of the front casing 6
It is blown out as colder air. In addition, when blowing air downward from the indoor unit during heating, as shown in FIG. Move so that the outlet 15 is at the bottom of the main body 1. Next, when the impeller 2 provided inside the blower casing 3 is rotated, the indoor air sucked through the upper opening 14 of the front casing 6 is transferred to the blower casing 3, the air outlet 15 of the blower casing 3, and the heat source. exchanger 4
The warm air is blown out from the lower opening 13 of the front casing 6 diagonally forward and downward of the main body 1 through the hot air.

In the indoor unit of the embodiment configured as described above, the opening 13 at the bottom of the front casing 6 is provided so as to be inclined diagonally forward and downward, so that when the air is blown downward during heating, warm air flows out from the opening 13 at the bottom. It does not directly hit the human body and provides a comfortable heating environment regardless of the strength of the wind.

As explained above, according to this invention, the front casing is provided with a fixed part having upper and lower openings, and a movable part that integrally forms the blower casing with the front panel, and this movable part is connected to the fixed part. By flipping the fan upside down and switching between top and bottom airflow when switching between cooling and heating, it is possible to prevent air leakage between the blower casing and the front casing with a simple configuration.
It is possible to easily switch between cooling and heating, and it is also possible to reduce damage to members such as louvers provided at the openings that serve as air outlets during this operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the upper air outlet state of an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the lower air outlet state of the same indoor unit, and Fig. 3 is an air conditioning/heating unit showing an embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the indoor unit of the apparatus in a state where the air is blown from the top, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the state where the indoor unit is blown from the bottom. 1... Indoor unit main body, 2... Impeller, 3...
...Blower casing, 4...Heat exchanger, 5...Front panel, 6...Front casing, 13...Lower opening, 14...Upper opening In addition, the same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or equivalent parts. .

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The indoor unit main body consists of a rear casing and a front casing with openings at the top and bottom, and a blower and a heat exchanger installed in this main body. A rotating shaft is disposed in the depth direction of the main body, and a blower casing that guides wind generated by the rotation of an impeller fixed to the rotating shaft so as to be blown out from one of the openings in a switchable manner is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the impeller. In an indoor unit of an air conditioner that is arranged so as to be rotatable, the front casing is integrated with a fixed part having upper and lower openings, and a front panel fixed to the fixed part so as to be able to be turned upside down. and a movable part forming the blower casing.