Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11226131-B2
Application number	US-201815964730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2018
Priority date	Apr 28, 2017
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

An air conditioner includes a housing having a discharge port, a blade rotatably provided in the discharge port, a blade drive unit configured to rotate the blade, a first support member configured to rotatably support the blade and comprising a first blade coupling portion, a second support member configured to rotatably support the blade, located to be closer to the blade drive unit than the first support member, and comprising a second blade coupling portion having a size different from that of the first blade coupling portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner comprising: a housing having a discharge port; a blade to rotatably open or close the discharge port, the blade including a drive unit coupling portion disposed in one end of the blade, a first coupling protrusion disposed in a first blade portion of the blade, and a second coupling protrusion disposed in a second blade portion of the blade, and disposed between the first coupling protrusion and the drive unit coupling portion; a blade drive unit disposed in the housing and rotatably coupled to the drive unit coupling portion, configured to rotate the blade within a predetermined angle with respect to the housing to control a direction of air discharged through the discharge port and to open or close the discharge port; a first support member disposed in the housing and including a first blade coupling portion rotatably coupled to the first coupling protrusion, and configured to rotatably support the first blade portion; a second support member disposed closer to the blade drive unit than the first support member in the housing and including a second blade coupling portion rotatably coupled to the second coupling protrusion, and configured to rotatably support the second blade portion, wherein the second blade portion, which is disposed closer to the blade drive unit than the first blade portion, receives larger torque than torque received by the first blade portion so that when the blade is rotated to the predetermined angle by the blade drive unit to close the discharge port, the second blade portion of the blade first contacts with the housing to partially close the discharge port, and then the first blade portion of the blade contacts with the housing to close the discharge port, thereby closing the discharge port by the blade, and wherein the second blade coupling portion has a second hole with a size larger than a size of a first hole of the first blade coupling portion so that the second blade coupling protrusion is configured to rotatably support the second blade portion to rotate more than the first blade portion after the second blade portion contacts with the housing to close the discharge port by the blade, and wherein the first coupling protrusion rotates about a first central axis of the first blade coupling portion and the second coupling protrusion rotates about a second central axis of the second blade coupling portion, and the second central axis is located eccentrically below the first central axis.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the first hole has a smaller diameter than a diameter of the second hole.

3. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the second coupling protrusion has a smaller size than a size of the second blade coupling portion, and the second central axis of the second coupling protrusion connected to the second blade coupling portion moves in a given section while the blade drive unit rotates the blade.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the blade drive unit is provided at both ends of the blade, respectively, the first support member includes a plurality of first supports members configured to rotatably support the first portion of the blade, and the second support member is located to be closer to the blade drive unit, respectively so that the second support member is respectively provided at an outside of the plurality of first support members.

5. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the discharge port includes a front end and a rear end and wherein at least one of the first support member and the second support member is extended to be connected to the front end of the discharge port and the rear end of the discharge port.

6. The air conditioner of claim 5 , further comprising an air guide arranged in the discharge port to guide air discharged through the discharge port, and wherein the air guide has a support member insertion groove into which one portion of the first support member or the second support member is inserted.

7. The air conditioner of claim 6 , wherein the air guide is attachable to or detachable from the housing through the discharge port.

8. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the blade is formed of a flexible material.

9. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the housing is installable at a ceiling.

10. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the blade has a plurality of air discharge holes to penetrate the blade.

11. An air conditioner comprising: a housing installable at a ceiling and having a discharge port; a blade configured to rotate with respect to the housing to open or close the discharge port and having a plurality of air discharge holes, the blade including a drive unit coupling portion disposed in one end of the blade, a first coupling protrusion disposed in a first blade portion of the blade, and a second coupling protrusion disposed in a second blade portion of the blade, and disposed between the first coupling protrusion and the drive unit coupling portion; a blade drive unit disposed in the housing and rotatably coupled to the drive unit coupling portion, configured to rotate the blade within a predetermined angle with respect to the housing to control a direction of air discharged through the discharge port and to open or close the discharge port; a first support member disposed in the housing and including a first blade coupling portion, formed of a first hole, rotatably coupled to the first coupling protrusion, configured to rotatably support the first blade portion; and a second support member disposed closer to the blade drive unit than the first support member in the housing and including a second blade coupling portion, formed of a second hole having a diameter greater than a diameter of the first hole, rotatably coupled to the second coupling protrusion, and configured to rotatably support the second blade portion, wherein the second blade portion, which is disposed closer to the blade drive unit than the first blade portion, receives larger torque than torque received by the first blade portion so that when the blade is rotated to the predetermined angle by the blade drive unit to close the discharge port, the second blade portion of the blade first contacts with the housing to partially close the discharge port, and then the first blade portion of the blade contacts with the housing to close the discharge port, thereby closing the discharge port by the blade, wherein the second blade coupling portion has a second size larger than a size of the first blade coupling portion so that the second blade coupling protrusion is configured to rotatably support the second blade portion to rotate more than the first blade portion after the second blade portion contacts with the housing to close the discharge port by the blade, and wherein the first coupling protrusion rotates about a first central axis of the first blade coupling portion and the second coupling protrusion rotates about a second central axis of the second blade coupling portion, and the second central axis is located eccentrically below the first central axis.

12. An air conditioner comprising: a housing installable at a ceiling and having a discharge port, the discharge port including a front end and a rear end; a blade configured to rotate with respect to the housing to open or close the discharge port and having a plurality of air discharge holes, the blade including a drive unit coupling portion disposed in one end of the blade, a first coupling protrusion disposed in a first blade portion of the blade, and a second coupling protrusion disposed in a second blade portion of the blade, and disposed between the first coupling protrusion and the drive unit coupling portion; a blade drive unit disp

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Moon Hong Yeol
• Kim Hyun-Ho
• Park Chul Byung
• Park Hyeon U
• Yoon Seung-Jun
• Lee Jang Jung
• Choi Jei Min

Classifications

• F24F13/1486

  characterised by bearings, pivots or hinges · CPC title

• F24F13/1426 Primary

  characterised by actuating means · CPC title

• F24F2013/1433

  with electric motors · CPC title

• F24F2013/1493

  using an elastic membrane · CPC title

• F24F13/085

  including an air filter · CPC title