Indoor unit of an air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196434-B2
Application number	US-201916981249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2019
Priority date	Mar 16, 2018
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

An indoor unit of an air conditioner in which filtered air is blown inside a steam generator via a humidification fan, and humidified air inside the steam generator is discharged to the side of a steam guide, where a sufficient flow may be supplied to the inside of the steam generator, such that the steam and the filtered air may be effectively mixed, thereby enabling the generation of humidified air. Since the humidification fan blows intake air into the steam generator so as to enable humidified air to flow, the humidified air may flow up to a discharge port even when an independent flow channel of the steam guide is long.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a cabinet assembly including an inner space therein;
a discharge port defined on an outer surface of the cabinet, and communicating with the inner space;
a suction port defined on an outer surface of the cabinet, and communicating with the inner space;
a filter assembly that filters air flowing through the suction port;
a fan assembly disposed in the inner space to discharge, through the discharge port, intake air suctioned through the suction port, and filtered by the filter assembly;
a steam generator disposed in the inner space to convert water into steam to generate humidified air;
a humidification fan coupled to the steam generator to supply the intake air suctioned through the suction port, and filtered by the filter assembly to the steam generator; and
a steam guide (i) connected to the steam generator, and (ii) configured to supply a humidification flow channel, to guide steam discharged from the steam generator to the discharge port, the humidification flow channel (i) defined from steam generator to the discharge port, and (ii) independent from the inner space from steam generator to the discharge port,
wherein the humidification fan push the intake air into the steam generator to discharge the humidified air to the steam guide.

2. The indoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the humidification fan further comprises:
a humidification fan housing coupled to the steam generator to guide the intake air to the steam generator;
a humidification impeller disposed in the humidification fan housing and allowing air in the humidification fan housing to flow to the steam generator; and
a humidification motor to rotate the humidification impeller, and
wherein the steam guide further comprises:
a main steam guide coupled to the steam generator and supplied with humidified air of the steam generator,
wherein the humidification fan housing and main steam guide are coupled to an upper side of the steam generator, the intake air flows from an upper side to a lower side through the humidification fan housing and flows into the steam generator, and the humidified air flows from the lower side to the upper side through the main steam guide and is discharged out of the steam generator.

3. The indoor unit of claim 2 , wherein the humidification fan housing is disposed at the suction port side, and the main steam guide is disposed at the discharge port side.

4. The indoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the discharge port further comprises:
a first discharge port formed at the cabinet assembly; and
a second discharge port formed at the cabinet assembly, and
wherein the steam guide further comprises:
a main steam guide disposed in the cabinet assembly, coupled to the steam generator and supplied with the humidified air of the steam generator;
a first branch guide coupled to the main steam guide to guide a part of the humidified air, flowing through the main steam guide, to the first discharge port;
a second branch guide coupled to the main steam guide to guide the rest of the humidified air, supplied through main steam guide, to the second discharge port;
a first diffuser disposed at the first discharge port, assembled to the first branch guide and configured to discharge the humidified air, supplied through the first branch guide, to the first discharge port; and
a second diffuser disposed at the second discharge port, assembled to the second branch guide and configured to discharge the humidified air, supplied through the second branch guide, to the second discharge port.

5. The indoor unit of claim 4 , wherein the first discharge port is disposed on a left surface of the cabinet assembly, the second discharge port is disposed on a right surface of the cabinet assembly, and the suction port is disposed on a back surface of the cabinet assembly.

6. The indoor unit of claim 4 , wherein the main steam guide is disposed at an upper side of the steam generator, and the first branch guide and the second branch guide are disposed at an upper side of the main steam guide, and
wherein the first diffuser is disposed at an upper side of the first branch guide, and the second diffuser is disposed at an upper side of the second branch guide.

7. The indoor unit of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first side grille disposed at the first discharge port to guide discharged air discharged by the fan assembly; and
a second side grille disposed at the second discharge port to guide discharged air discharged by the fan assembly,
wherein the first diffuser is disposed at a rear of the first side grille, and the second diffuser is disposed at a rear of the second side grille.

8. The indoor unit of claim 7 , wherein the first diffuser comprises a first diffuser outlet through which the humidified air is discharged, and the second diffuser comprises a second diffuser outlet through which the humidified air is discharged,
a direction of discharge of the humidified air discharged from the first diffuser outlet is across a direction of an inclination of a vane disposed at the first side grille, and
a direction of discharge of the humidified air discharged from the second diffuser outlet is across a direction of an inclination of a vane disposed at the second side grille.

9. The indoor unit of claim 7 , wherein the first diffuser outlet is disposed towards the first side grille, and the second diffuser outlet is disposed towards the second side grille.

10. The indoor unit of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first side grille disposed at the first discharge port to guide discharged air discharged by the fan assembly; and
a second side grille disposed at the second discharge port to guide discharged air discharged by the fan assembly,
wherein the first diffuser is disposed at a front of the first side grille, and the second diffuser is disposed at a front of the second side grille.

11. The indoor unit of claim 10 , wherein the first diffuser comprises a first diffuser outlet through which the humidified air is discharged, and the second diffuser comprises a second diffuser outlet through which the humidified air is discharged,
a direction of discharge of the humidified air discharged from the first diffuser outlet is across a direction of an inclination of a vane disposed at the first side grille, and
a direction of discharge of the humidified air discharged from the second diffuser outlet is across a direction of an inclination of a vane disposed at the second side grille.

12. The indoor unit of claim 10 , wherein the first diffuser outlet is disposed towards a left of the cabinet assembly, and a vane disposed at the first side grille is disposed towards a left of a front of the cabinet assembly, and
wherein the second diffuser outlet is disposed towards a right of the cabinet assembly, and a vane disposed at the second side grille is disposed towards a right of a front of the cabinet assembly.

13. The indoor unit of claim 4 , wherein the first diffuser comprises a first diffuser outlet through which the humidified air is discharged, and the second diffuser comprises a second diffuser outlet through which the humidified air is discharged,
wherein the first discharge port is extended and disposed in an up-down direction, and the second discharge port is extended and disposed in the up-down direction, and
wherein the first diffuser outlet is extended and disposed in the up-down direction along a lengthwise direction of the first discharge port, and the second diffuser outlet is extended and disposed in the up-down direction along a lengthwise direction of the second discharge port.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Sunggyu
• Lee Younggu
• Mun Seongkuk
• Bae Junseok
• Lee Jungwoo
• Jang Hwanhak

Classifications

• F24F13/082

  Grilles, registers or guards · CPC title

• F24F6/02

  by evaporation of water in the air · CPC title

• F24F1/0033

  having two or more fans · CPC title

• F24F1/0014

  having two or more outlet openings · CPC title

• F24F6/18

  by injection of steam into the air · CPC title