Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11635229-B2
Application number	US-201816767186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

Provided is an air conditioner including a housing including a discharge path, a first discharge wall forming the discharge path, and a second discharge wall arranged at a side opposite to the first discharge wall and an airflow controller including a guide member configured to move between a first location provided at an inside of the first discharge wall and a second location protruding outside of the first discharge wall. The air conditioner controls a discharge airflow while minimizing loss of discharge air volume through an airflow controller without using a general blade, and controls a discharge airflow of air discharged through a discharge path having a circular shape.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioner comprising:
a housing including a discharge path, a first discharge wall forming the discharge path, and a second discharge wall arranged at a side opposite to the first discharge wall; and
an airflow controller including a guide configured to move between a first location provided at an inside of the first discharge wall and a second location protruding outside of the first discharge wall, a driving motor configured to generate a rotary power, and a rotating member provided to be rotated by the driving motor and to move the guide between the first location and the second location,
wherein the rotating member has a ring shape and includes a guide rail configured to press the guide toward the second discharge wall or press the guide toward the inside of the first discharge wall in accordance with rotation of the rotating member and extending to alternately pass through a first area on the rotating member and a second area arranged at a radial outer side of the first area on the rotating member,
wherein the guide includes a guide protrusion inserted into the guide rail and moved by the guide rail,
wherein the guide is disposed on the first location when the guide protrusion is disposed on the first area by the movement of the guide rail, and the guide is disposed on the second location when the guide protrusion is disposed on the second area by the movement of the guide rail,
wherein the airflow controller further includes an auxiliary guide formed to extend in a radial direction of the rotating member and be coupleable with the guide protrusion so that the auxiliary guide guides a movement direction of the guide for the guide to perform a translation motion between the first location and the second location,
wherein the guide includes a first guide member, a second guide member, and a third guide member arranged along a circumferential direction of the rotating member,
wherein the rotating member includes a first guide rail that presses the first guide member toward the second discharge wall or presses the guide toward the inside of the first discharge wall, a second guide rail that presses the second guide member toward the second discharge wall or presses the guide toward the inside of the first discharge wall, and a third guide rail that presses the third guide member toward the second discharge wall or presses the guide toward the inside of the first discharge wall in accordance with rotation of the rotating member,
wherein the first guide member includes a first guide protrusion inserted into the first guide rail and moved by the guide rail,
wherein the second guide member includes a second guide protrusion inserted into the second guide rail and moved by the guide rail,
wherein the third guide member includes a third guide protrusion inserted into the third guide rail and moved by the guide rail,
wherein each of the first, second, and third guide rails extends to alternately pass through a first area on the rotating member and a second area arranged at a radial outer side of the first area on the rotating member,
wherein each of the first, second, and third guide members is disposed on the first location when a corresponding one of the first, second, and third guide protrusions is disposed on the first area by the movement of the corresponding guide rail,
wherein each of the first, second, and third guide members is disposed on the second location when a corresponding one of the first, second, and third guide protrusions is disposed on the second area by the movement of the corresponding guide rail, and
wherein each of the first, second, and third guide rail are formed to have a different shape.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the airflow controller further includes a first gear portion configured to transmit the rotary power of the driving motor to the rotating member,
wherein the rotating member includes an inner circumferential portion, an outer circumferential portion, and a second gear portion arranged on the inner circumferential portion and engaged with the first gear portion, and
the rotating member is provided to be rotated by engagement of the first gear portion and the second gear portion.

3. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the guide rail is provided to extend from a third area arranged at a radial outer side of the second area on the rotating member to the first area,
wherein the guide, when the guide protrusion is disposed on the third area by the movement of the guide rail, is protruded further outward from the first discharge wall than when the guide protrusion is disposed on the second area.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the guide rail while rotating in one direction or an opposite direction along with rotation of the rotating member presses the guide protrusion such that the guide protrusion reciprocates between the first area and the second area.

5. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the rotating member is provided to rotate in one direction and rotate in an opposite direction in a reciprocating manner,
wherein each of the first, second, and third guide protrusions reciprocates between the first location and the second location at least one time while the rotating member performs one round of reciprocating rotation.

6. The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein
when the first rotating member performs one round of reciprocating rotation, the first guide member is provided to reciprocate between the first location and the second location two times,
the second guide member is provided to reciprocate between the first location and the second location four times, and
the third guide member is provided to reciprocate between the first location and the second location one time.

7. The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein
the first guide rail has one end and an other end disposed in the first area, and is provided to pass through an area between the first area and the third area at least two times, and
the second guide rail has one end and an other end disposed in the first area, and is provided to pass through the area between the first area and the third area at least four times.

8. The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first, second, and third guide rails is provided in a closed loop shape.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ryu Ji Won
• Park Hyun Uk
• Hwang Kyung Ho
• Eom Tae-In
• Park Jae Min

Classifications

• F24F13/12 Primary

  built up of sliding members · CPC title

• F24F1/0011 Primary

  characterised by air outlets · CPC title

• F24F11/79

  for controlling the direction of the supplied air · CPC title

• F24F13/20

  Casings or covers · CPC title

• F24F13/1426 Primary

  characterised by actuating means · CPC title