Patent Grant
11054151
This U.S. application claims priority under 35 U.S.C 371 to, and is a U.S. National Phase application of, the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2015/075634, filed on Mar. 31, 2015. The entire contents of the before-mentioned patent applications are incorporated by reference as part of the disclosure of this U.S. application.
The present invention relates to a field of household appliances, and more particularly to an indoor unit for an air conditioner.
An indoor unit in the prior art has a housing, and the housing includes a base plate, a face frame mounted to the base plate, and a panel mounted to the face frame. A heat exchanger and a fan are mounted to the base plate, and a fan wheel of the fan is located at an inner side of the heat exchanger. Even though the face frame is dismounted, the fan wheel cannot be dismounted only if the heat exchanger is also dismounted, because the fan wheel is limited by the heat exchanger and the base plate together, which brings about great inconvenience to a user. The dismounting and cleaning of the fan wheel needs professional help, which results in a high cost.
The present invention aims to solve at least one of the problems existing in the related art. Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide an indoor unit for an air conditioner. It is convenient to assemble and disassemble a fan of the indoor unit.
According to the embodiments of the present invention, the indoor unit includes: a housing having an upper base plate provided with an air inlet, a lower base plate detachably mounted to the upper base plate and provided with an air outlet, and a front cover detachably mounted to the upper base plate; a heat exchanger mounted to the upper base plate; and a fan detachably mounted to the lower base plate.
In the indoor unit according to the embodiments of the present invention, the fan is mounted to the lower base plate and the lower base plate is detachably mounted to the upper base plate, such that the cleaning, maintenance and repair of the fan just need to dismount the lower base plate from the upper base plate, and hence the fan may be dismounted from the indoor unit, which avoids a problem in the prior art that the heat exchanger affects the mounting and dismounting of the fan. The convenient dismounting of the fan in the present invention facilitates cleaning a fan wheel of the fan. The cleaning of the fan wheel does not involve the dismounting and mounting of the heat exchanger, which thus avoids a problem that the heat exchanger tends to break down due to the dismounting and mounting thereof, thereby facilitating the maintenance of the indoor unit and reducing the failure rate of the indoor unit.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper base plate includes: a rear baffle, the heat exchanger being disposed to the rear baffle; an upper cover plate having a rear edge connected with an upper edge of the rear baffle, the air inlet being formed in the upper cover plate; a left end plate having a rear edge connected with a left edge of the rear baffle and an upper edge connected with a left edge of the upper cover plate; and a right end plate having a rear edge connected with a right edge of the rear baffle and an upper edge connected with a right edge of the upper cover plate. The lower base plate is detachably mounted at a right side of the left end plate and at a left side of the right end plate, the left end plate is located at a left side of the lower base plate, and the right end plate is located at a right side thereof.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper base plate further includes: a left shield plate mounted at a left side of the left end plate; and a right shield plate mounted at a right side of the right end plate. The front cover is detachably mounted to the left shield plate and the right shield plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an air inlet grille is provided at the air inlet of the upper cover plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the air inlet grille is integrally formed in the upper cover plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover is pivotably mounted to the upper base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover defines a covering chamber, the upper base plate and the lower base plate are disposed in the covering chamber and covered by the front cover, and the front cover is provided with an air supply port corresponding to the air outlet in terms of position.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover includes: a front panel configured to cover front surfaces of the upper base plate and the lower base plate; a lower panel having a front edge connected with a lower edge of the front panel, and configured to cover a lower surface of the lower base plate, the air supply port being provided at a position where the front panel and the lower panel are connected; a left panel having a front edge connected with a left edge of the front panel and a lower edge connected with a left edge of the lower panel, rotatably mounted to a left side of the upper base plate and configured to cover the left side thereof; and a right panel having a front edge connected with a right edge of the front panel and a lower edge connected with a right edge of the lower panel, rotatably mounted to a right side of the upper base plate and configured to cover the right side thereof.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front panel and the lower panel are connected via an arc transition portion.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the fan includes: a fan wheel detachably mounted to the lower base plate; and a motor detachably mounted to the lower base plate and connected with the fan wheel in a transmission way.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a motor mounting groove is provided in the lower base plate; the upper base plate is provided with a water receiving cover; the motor is mounted in the motor mounting groove; the water receiving cover is located below the heat exchanger and presses the motor in the motor mounting groove.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an air deflector is provided at the air outlet of the lower base plate and exposed from the air supply port.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover is pivotably provided to the upper base plate, and further positioned to the lower base plate via a snap assembly.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the snap assembly includes a snap disposed on an inner wall of the front cover and a snapping portion disposed on the lower base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the snap includes an upper snap and a lower snap disposed below the upper snap, and the upper snap and the lower snap each are configured to be fitted with the snapping portion.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the lower base plate includes a front end plate; the snapping portion is formed at an upper edge of the front end plate of the lower base plate; the upper snap is configured to be fitted with a rear wall of the snapping portion; and the lower snap is configured to be fitted with a front wall of the snapping portion.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper snap includes an extension part obliquely extending downwards from front to rear, and the extension part is configured to be fitted with the rear wall of the snapping portion.
In an embodiment of the present invention, at least a part of the front end plate protrudes forwards to form the snapping portion, the snapping portion has a left side wall and a right side wall, and the upper snap is limited between the left side wall and the right side wall of the snapping portion.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a distance between the left side wall and the right side wall of the snapping portion is equal to or larger than a size of the upper snap in a left and right direction.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover is further positioned to the lower base plate via a snapping hook assembly, in which the snap structure is located above the air outlet and the snapping hook assembly is located below the air outlet.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the snapping hook assembly includes a snapping hook disposed at an inner wall of the front cover and a first positioning hole disposed in the lower base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the snapping hook extends obliquely and is configured to be fitted in the first positioning hole.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a lower edge of the first positioning hole is provided with a positioning plate obliquely extending forwards and upwards, and the snapping hook is configured to be arranged on the positioning plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover is provided with a second positioning block, the upper base plate is provided with a plurality of second positioning holes in different positions and the second positioning block is configured to be fitted with the plurality of with the plurality of second positioning holes in different positions to position the front cover in a state of opening the upper base plate at different opening angles.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the second positioning block is disposed at a side wall of the front cover, and the plurality of second positioning holes are formed in a side wall of the upper base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of second positioning holes in the same side wall of the upper base plate have respective centers arranged in a circle whose center is located a pivoting axis of the front cover, and each of the plurality of second positioning holes extends along a radial direction of the circle.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a pair of second positioning blocks are provided and disposed at a left side wall and a right side wall of the front cover respectively, a plurality of pairs of second positioning holes are provided, and each pair of second positioning holes are formed in a left side wall and a right side wall of the upper base plate respectively.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper base plate is provided with a stopping surface, and the second positioning block is stopped by the stopping surface when the front cover encloses the upper base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover is provided with a stopping block and the upper base plate is provided with a stopping groove, and the stopping block is stopped in the stopping groove when the front cover closes the upper base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a shaft hole is provided in a side wall of the upper base plate, a rotary shaft is provided to a side wall of the front cover, and the rotary shaft is configured to be rotatably fitted in the shaft hole.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front cover includes a left panel and a right panel, and the left panel is located outside a left end plate of the upper base plate and the right panel is located outside a right end plate of the upper base plate; a second pivoting portion is provided at each of a left end and a right end of the front cover, and a first pivoting portion is provided at each of the left end plate and the right end plate of the upper base plate, in which the first pivoting portion at the left end plate is configured to be fitted with the second pivoting portion at the left end of the front cover while the first pivoting portion at the right end plate is configured to be fitted with the second pivoting portion at the right end of the front cover, such that the front cover is pivotably provided to the upper base plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the second pivoting portion at the left end of the front cover is disposed at the left panel, while the second pivoting portion at the right end of the front cover is disposed at the right panel.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the second pivoting portion is located at an upper end of the indoor unit and adjacent to a rear side of the indoor unit.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the first pivoting portion is a configured as pivot hole, while the second pivoting portion is configured as a pivoting shaft.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an elastically deformable snapping member is provided to an outer circumferential wall of the pivoting shaft, a snapping groove is provided in the pivot hole, and the snapping member is configured to be fitted in the snapping groove.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an annular flange is provided on an outer circumferential wall of a free end of the pivoting shaft, and an annular stopping convex rib is provided on a circumferential wall of the pivot hole, and the annular stopping convex rib is configured to be fitted with the annular flange to limit a degree of freedom of the pivoting shaft in a left and right direction.
In an embodiment of the present invention, at least part of an edge of the annular flange is configured as a demoulding plane.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an inner wall of at least one of the left panel and the right panel is provided with a reinforcing rib surrounding the pivot hole and extending inwards, an outer wall of at least one of the left panel and the right panel is provided with a supporting member, and the supporting member is configured to support the pivoting shaft when the pivoting shaft is fitted in the pivot hole.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an elastic relief groove is provided between the reinforcing rib and a body structure of the at least one of the left panel and the right panel.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a guiding groove is provided between the pivot hole and an edge of the at least one of the left panel and the right panel, and the pivoting shaft is configured to slidably enter the pivot hole along the guiding groove.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the guiding groove includes at least two segments of groove extending in directions with an included angle therebetween, and the reinforcing rib extends to the edge of the at least one of the left panel and the right panel.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the left panel or the right panel of the front cover is provided a first limiting member, the left end plate or the right end plate of the upper base plate is provided with a plurality of second limiting members spaced apart from one another, and the first limiting member is configured to be fitted with the plurality of second limiting members to position the front cover at different opening angles.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the first limiting member is configured as a hook, the second limiting member is configured as a limiting step or a limiting hole, and the hook is configured to be fitted with the limiting step or the limiting hole.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the first limiting member is configured as a first positioning block, the second limiting member is configured as a limiting step or a limiting hole, and the first positioning block is configured to be fitted with the limiting step or the limiting hole.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail and examples of the embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings, where same or similar reference numerals are used to indicate same or similar members or members with same or similar functions. The embodiments described herein with reference to drawings are explanatory, which are used to illustrate the present invention, but shall not be construed to limit the present invention.
As shown in
Specifically, the housing 100 includes an upper base plate 110, a lower base plate 120 detachably mounted to the upper base plate 110, and a front cover 130 detachably mounted to the upper base plate 110. The upper base plate 110 is provided with an air inlet 101 for imputing air, and the lower base plate 120 is provided with an air outlet (not shown) for outputting air. Driven by the fan 142, an air flow enters the indoor unit 1000 from the air inlet 101 and is sent out through the air outlet. The air flow exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 140 in the indoor unit 1000. The heat exchanger 140 is mounted to the upper base plate 110 and the fan 142 is detachably mounted to the lower base plate 120.
For the indoor unit 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the fan 142 is mounted to the lower base plate 120 and the lower base plate 120 is detachably mounted to the upper base plate 110, such that the cleaning, maintenance and repair of the fan 142 just need to dismount the lower base plate 120 from the upper base plate 110, and hence the fan 142 can be dismounted from the indoor unit 1000, which avoids the problem in the prior art that the heat exchanger 140 affects the mounting and dismounting of the fan 142. The convenient dismounting of the fan 142 in the present invention facilitates cleaning a fan wheel 143 of the fan 142. The cleaning of the fan wheel 143 does not involve the dismounting and mounting of the heat exchanger 140, which avoids the problem that the heat exchanger 140 tends to break down due to the dismounting and mounting thereof, thus facilitating the maintenance of the indoor unit 1000 and reducing the failure rate of the indoor unit 1000.
With reference to
Additionally, by providing the air inlet 101 in the upper cover plate 112 of the upper base plate 110 and mounting the heat exchanger 140 to the rear baffle 111, a gap may be formed between the heat exchanger 140 and the upper cover plate 112 provided with the air inlet 101, such that the air flow may enter the indoor unit 1000 smoothly, to guarantee the smooth circulation of the air flow and improve the working efficiency of the indoor unit 1000.
Preferably, the lower base plate 120 is detachably mounted to a right side of the left end plate 113 and to a left side of the right end plate 114. The left end plate 113 is located at a left side of the lower base plate 120, and the right end plate 114 is located at a right side of the lower base plate 120, to facilitate mounting the lower base plate 120 to the upper base plate 110 and disassembling the lower base plate 120 therefrom.
Further, with reference to
Preferably, the front cover 130 is detachably mounted over the left shield plate 115 and the right shield plate 116, which facilitates mounting the front cover 130 and improves the assembling and maintenance efficiency of the indoor unit 1000.
Advantageously, as shown in
Advantageously, the air inlet grille 117 is integrally formed in the upper cover plate 112, so as to improve the structural strength of the air inlet grille 117 and facilitate the molding of the upper cover plate 112.
Additionally, the upper base plate 110 according to the present invention may be configured as other forms of structures. For example, the upper base plate 110 may only include the upper cover plate 112, but not the rear baffle 111, as long as the upper cover plate 112 is formed with positions where the heat exchanger 140 and the lower base plate 120 are mounted.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the front cover 130 is pivotably mounted over the upper base plate 110. That is, the front cover 130 is mounted over the upper base plate 110 and rotatable between a first position where the housing 100, the heat exchanger 140 and the fan 142 are covered and a second position where the housing 100, the heat exchanger 140 and the fan 142 are exposed, so as to facilitate mounting the heat exchanger 140 and the fan 142 to the housing 100 and dismounting the heat exchanger 140 and the fan 142 therefrom.
Referring to
Further, with reference to
Further, with reference to
Advantageously, the front panel 131 and the lower panel 132 are connected via an arc transition portion, to make the appearance of the indoor unit 100 aesthetic. Moreover, a rounded-off surface (i.e., a surface of the arc transition portion) is less easy to be damaged than an angular surface during the transportation of the indoor unit 1000.
Additionally, the front panel 131 and the lower panel 132 of the front cover 130 may be molded separately, in which the lower panel 132 may be integrally formed with the lower panel 120.
As shown in
Further, the lower base plate 120 is provided with a motor mounting groove (not shown), the upper base plate 110 is provided with a water receiving cover 141, the motor 144 is mounted in the motor mounting groove, and the water receiving cover 141 is located below the heat exchanger 140 and presses the motor 144 in the motor mounting groove.
In some embodiments of the present invention, an air deflector 105 is provided at the air outlet of the lower base plate 120 and exposed from the air supply port 103, to guide the direction of the air flow sent out from the indoor unit 1000.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the housing 100 of the indoor unit 1000 includes the lower base plate 120, the upper base plate 110 and the front cover 130. The lower base plate 120 is provided with the air outlet and a fan mounting structure (not shown) for mounting the fan 142. The upper base plate 110 is detachably mounted to the lower base plate 120, and provided with the air inlet 101 and a heat-exchanger mounting structure for mounting the heat exchanger 140. The front cover 130 is detachably mounted to the upper base plate 110 and provided with the air supply port 103 in a position corresponding to that of the air outlet.
In the housing 100 of the indoor unit 1000 according to this embodiment of the present invention, the fan 142 and the heat exchanger 140 may be mounted, dismounted and cleaned conveniently by mounting the fan 142 to the lower base plate 120 via the fan mounting structure and mounting the heat exchanger 140 to the upper base plate 110 via the heat-exchanger mounting structure.
In the present invention, the upper base plate 110 is provided to mount the heat exchanger 140 thereto, and the lower base plate 120 is provided to mount the fan 142 thereto. The lower base plate 120 and the fan 142 are mounted below the upper base plate 110 and the heat exchanger 140, such that the dismounting of the fan 142 only needs to dismount the lower base plate 120 located below from the upper base plate 110, and thus the fan 142 can be detached from a main body of the indoor unit 1000, which facilitates the maintenance and cleaning of the fan 142. The procedure of cleaning the fan 142 of the indoor unit 1000 is simplified, and even the user may clean the fan by himself/herself.
In addition, the front cover 130 is configured to be pivotably connected with the upper base plate 110. The process of dismounting and mounting the fan 142 does not need to dismount the front cover 130 (or the front cover 130 may be dismounted very easily), which further facilitates the maintenance of the fan 142 of the indoor unit 1000.
As shown in
In examples shown in
An upper portion of the front cover 130 is pivotably connected with the upper base plate 110 while a lower portion of the front cover 130 is connected with the lower base plate 120 via the snap assembly. In such a way, in the process of assembling the front cover 130, first a pivotable connection structure between the front cover 130 and the upper base plate 110 may be assembled in place, and then the front cover 130 is rotated to make a snapping connection structure between the front cover 130 and the lower base plate 120 assembled in place, so that the front cover 130 may be fixed to the upper base plate 110 and the lower base plate 120 firmly. Similarly, the process of disassembling the front cover 130 only needs to disassemble the snapping connection structure between the front cover 130 and the lower base plate 120 and then to pivotably open the front cover 130.
Consequently, the front cover 130 is mounted reliably and dismounted conveniently. The front cover 130 may be opened conveniently and quickly when the heat exchanger 140, the fan wheel 143 or the motor 144 inside the indoor unit needs to be repaired or cleaned, and then the cleaning, maintenance and repair can be implemented successfully. After the cleaning, maintenance and repair, the front cover 130 may be closed conveniently and quickly, and further fixed firmly again, thus considerably facilitating the cleaning, maintenance and repair of the indoor unit.
In the indoor unit 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention, by connecting the integral front cover 130 with the upper base plate 110 in a pivotable manner, and with the lower base plate 120 via the snap assembly, the efficiency of mounting and dismounting the front cover 130 is improved effectively, thus facilitating the cleaning, maintenance and repair of the indoor unit. Moreover, the integral front cover 130 has a simple structure and an aesthetic appearance, and is convenient to manufacture at a low production cost.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a first pivoting structure may be provided at each of a left side and a right side of the front cover 130, and a second pivoting structure may be provided at each of the left side and the right side of the upper base plate 110. The first pivoting structure may constitute a pivotable fitting with the second pivoting structure, so as to realize the pivotable connection of the front cover 130 and the upper base plate 110. The first pivoting structure may be a pivoting cover plate with a pivoting shaft, and the second pivoting structure may be a pivot hole. Certainly, the present invention is not limited thereby, and the pivotable connection of the front cover 130 and the upper base plate 110 may be implemented in other manners.
In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
Specifically, as shown in
Specifically, as shown in
In a specific example of the present invention, as shown in
Alternatively, as shown in
Referring to
Further, the front cover 130 is further positioned to the lower base plate 120 via a snapping hook assembly, in which the snap assembly is located above the air outlet while the snapping hook assembly is located below the air outlet, such that the front cover 130 may be fitted with the lower base plate 120 via the snap assembly above the air outlet, and the front cover 130 may be fitted with the lower base plate 120 via the snapping hook assembly below the air outlet. In such a way, portions of the lower base plate 120 located above and below the air outlet both are fitted with the front cover 130, to further improve the reliability and completeness of connecting the front cover 130 with the lower base plate 120 and to prevent the front cover 130 from being opened unexpectedly or be left with a gap, thereby ensuring the aesthetics and reliability of the whole indoor unit.
Referring to
Alternatively, the snapping hook 1363 extends obliquely and is fitted in the first positioning hole 127a. For instance, in an example of the present invention, a lower end of the snapping hook 1363 may abut against a bottom wall of the first positioning hole 127a, such that the first positioning hole 127a may serve to support the snapping hook 1363 and prevent the front cover 130 from moving downwards, thereby ensuring that the air supply port directly faces the air outlet without any bias, which bias may result in a poor air exhaust effect.
Further, a positioning plate 127b is provided at a lower edge of the first positioning hole 127a and obliquely extends forwards and upwards, and the snapping hook 1363 is disposed on the positioning plate 127b. Thus, the connection of the snapping hook 1363 and the positioning plate 127b may prevent the snapping hook 1363 from slipping off the first positioning hole 127a and further improve the reliability of connecting the front cover 130 with the lower base plate 120.
Preferably, as shown in
The upper base plate 110 is provided with the air inlet grille 117. In an example shown in
Referring to
In other words, the housing includes the base plate and the front cover 130 pivotably mounted to the base plate. The front cover 130 opens or closes the base plate through a pivoting movement thereof, i.e. exposing or shielding the base plate through the pivoting movement thereof. In this structure, the front cover 130 is directly mounted to the base plate without any frame, or the front cover 130 in one piece replaces separate panel and frame in the related art, which facilitates assembling. Moreover, the fan wheel 143 or other components may be detached by only dismounting the integral front cover 130, such that a decreased number of components need to be detached, thus facilitating mounting and dismounting.
The base plate is provided with the plurality of second positioning holes 751 in different positions, and the front cover 130 is provided with the second positioning block 754. When the second positioning block 754 is fitted with a certain second positioning hole 751, the front cover 130 may be positioned. As the front cover 130 pivots, the second positioning block 754 may be switched among the plurality of second positioning holes 751. That is, the front cover 130 may be positioned and fixed in different positions during the pivoting movement thereof, to realize its fixing at multiple pivoting angles. That is, the fitting of the second positioning block 754 with the plurality of second positioning holes 751 makes it possible for the front cover 130 in the open state to be positioned and fixed at the multiple pivoting angles.
Consequently, by providing the base plate with the plurality of second positioning holes 751 and providing the front cover 130 with the second positioning block 754 configured to be fitted with the plurality of second positioning holes 751, it is possible for the front cover 130 in a state of opening the base plate to be positioned and fixed at multiple pivoting angles. The increased positioning angles may realize a function of mounting or dismounting a filter mesh 145 and a function of quick piping and wiring, and facilitate the mounting, dismounting and repair. Also, the design of the integral front cover 130 further simplifies the assembling and reduces the production cost, along with the simple manufacturing process and the high production efficiency.
The second positioning block 754 may be fitted with the second positioning hole 751 in many ways. For example, as shown in
It should be noted herein that considering that the second positioning hole 751 is a virtual space instead of a tangible component, the outer circumferential wall of the second positioning hole 751 may refer to an outer circumferential wall of a tangible component that forms the second positioning hole 751 by surrounding, and the inner circumferential wall of the second positioning hole 751 may refer to an inner circumferential wall of the tangible component that forms the second positioning hole 751 by surrounding. For example, as shown in
In an embodiment shown in
By providing the plurality of second positioning holes 751 capable of being fitted with the second positioning block 754, it is achievable to fix the front cover 130 at multiple pivoting angles. Consequently, due to the above multistage positioning with multiple positioning angles, the piping and wiring of the wall-hanging air conditioner becomes simple and convenient; moreover, due to the multi-angular positioning, the inside components are fully exposed to improve the convenience of maintaining and repairing components greatly.
With reference to
It may be understood that the second positioning block 754 and the second positioning hole 751 may be provided at multiple positions. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the second positioning block 754 may be disposed at the side wall of the front cover 130, and the plurality of second positioning holes 751 may be disposed in the side wall of the base plate. Thus, the second positioning block 754 and the second positioning hole 751 have few effects on the structures and appearances of the front cover 130 and the base plate respectively.
To facilitate switching the second positioning block 754 among the plurality of second positioning holes 751, the plurality of second positioning holes 751 in the same side wall of the base plate have respective centers arranged in a circle whose center is located at a pivoting axis of the front cover 130, and each of the plurality of second positioning holes 751 extends along a radial direction of the circle. This structure has a beautiful appearance and a good positioning effect.
Preferably, a pair of second positioning blocks 754 may be provided and disposed at the left side wall and the right side wall of the front cover 130 respectively. Correspondingly, a plurality of pairs of second positioning holes 751 are provided, and each pair of second positioning holes 751 are disposed in the left side wall and the right side wall of the base plate respectively. That is, the front cover 130 may be provided with two second positioning blocks 754, one of the two second positioning blocks 754 is disposed in the left side wall of the front cover 130 and the other one thereof is disposed in the right side wall of the front cover 130. Two groups of second positioning holes 751 are provided, one group of second positioning holes 751 are provided in the left side wall of the base plate, the other group of second positioning holes 751 are provided in the right side wall of the base plate, and the second positioning holes 751 in the left side wall are in one-to-one correspondence with the second positioning holes 10 in the right side wall. That is, the number of the plurality of second positioning holes 751 in the left side wall is equal to that of the plurality of second positioning holes 751 in the right side wall, and positions of the plurality of second positioning holes 751 in the left side wall correspond to those of the plurality of second positioning holes 751 in the right side wall.
When one second positioning block 754 is fitted in a certain second positioning hole 751 in the left side wall, the other second positioning block 754 is fitted in the corresponding second positioning hole 751 in the right side wall. Two second positioning blocks 754 are fitted with two second positioning holes 751 respectively to position and fix a left end and a right end of the front cover 130. Thus, the front cover 130 can be positioned and fixed in various positions with a balanced fixing effect, and hence the front cover 130 can be fixed firmly.
As shown in
Similarly, the front cover 130 may be provided with a stopping block 755 and the base plate may be provided with a stopping groove 753. The stopping block 755 may be stopped in the stopping groove 753 when the front cover 130 closes the base plate. Consequently, the fitting of the stopping block 755 and the stopping groove 753 allows the front cover 130 to be closed accurately and stably.
In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
Alternatively, the second pivoting portion 720 at the left side is located on the left panel 133, while the second pivoting portion 720 at the right side is located on the right panel 134.
Advantageously, as shown in
With the fitting of the first pivoting portion 710 and the second pivoting portion 720, the front cover 130 may be opened rotatably around a pivoting axis of the first pivoting portion 710 and the second pivoting portion 720, and the open state thereof is shown in
In a specific example, a threaded connection structure or another snap structure may be further provided between the base plate and the front cover 130. When the front cover 130 is in the closed state, the base plate and the front cover 130 may be connected together via the threaded connection structure or the snap structure. Certainly, the front cover 130 may also remain in the closed state by its own gravity alone, which will not be limited specifically.
In the indoor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, the front cover 130 is pivotably connected to the base plate via the fitting between the first pivoting portion 710 and the second pivoting portion 720, which sharply reduces the number of connection structures (such as threaded fasteners or snaps) between the base plate and the front cover 130 and improves the production efficiency of the indoor unit. Moreover, the whole front cover 130 is rotatable with respect to the base plate, which facilitates the cleaning, maintenance, repair and replacement of internal components of the indoor unit, and greatly improves the convenience of using the indoor unit and the maintainability thereof.
In some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in
In some specific embodiments, as shown in
Specifically, as shown in
In some other specific embodiments, as shown in
The stopping convex ribs at both sides of the base plate abut against the annular flanges 7212 of the pivoting shafts 721 at two ends of the front cover 130 respectively, and the annular flange 7212 is located at an inner side of the corresponding stopping convex rib. That is, the stopping convex ribs at both sides of the base plate clamp the front cover 130 from the left and right sides respectively. In such a way, the fitting between the annular flange 7212 and the stopping convex rib may prevent the front cover 130 from shaking in the left and right direction, and also prevent the pivoting shaft 721 from falling off the pivot hole 711, so as to improve the connection reliability of the panel and the base plate. The stopping convex rib is configured to surround an outer periphery of the pivot hole 711, so as to allow the stopping convex rib to limit the annular flanges 7212 more stably. Alternatively, the stopping convex rib may be annular, and thus the stopping convex rib may be better fitted with the annular flange 7212.
Specifically, as shown in
Further, as shown in
The guiding groove 714 includes at least two segments of grooves extending in directions with an included angle therebetween, i.e., a direction in which a segment of groove extends has an included angle with respect to another direction in which another segment of groove extends, such that when the pivoting shaft 721 slides in the guiding groove 714 till getting fitted in the pivot hole 711, the pivoting shaft 721 may be limited by the guiding groove 714 so as to be prevented from falling off the guiding groove 714. Moreover, the user experience may be upgraded during the rotation of the pivoting shaft 721.
Alternatively, as shown in
An elastic relief groove is provided between the reinforcing rib and a body structure of the at least one of the left panel 133 and the right panel 134. Thus, in the process of mounting the pivoting shaft 721 into the pivot hole 711, the pivoting shaft 721 may be mounted in place more conveniently.
Alternatively, an outer wall of at least one of the left panel 133 and the right panel 134 is provided with a supporting member, and the supporting member supports the pivoting shaft 721 when the pivoting shaft 721 is fitted in the pivot hole 711. By providing the supporting member, the mounting of the pivot hole 711 is further reinforced.
In some embodiments, as shown in
For example, when the operator only wants to check the wiring or piping situation at the bottom of the indoor unit, the operator may open the front cover 130 to an opening angle of 20 degrees, as shown in
The first limiting member 730 and the second limiting member 715 may have various kinds of structures, which will not be limited herein. For example, the first limiting member 730 is configured as a hook, the second limiting member 715 is configured as a limiting step 7151 or a limiting hole 7153, and the hook is configured to be fitted with the limiting step 7151 or the limiting hole 7153. For another example, the first limiting member 730 is configured as a first positioning block 731, the second limiting member 715 is configured as a limiting step 7151 or a limiting hole 7153, and the first positioning block 731 is configured to be fitted with the limiting step 7151 or the limiting hole 7153.
In a specific example shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
By mounting the fan wheel 143 to the lower base plate 120 and detachably mounting the lower base plate 120 to the upper base plate 110, the cleaning, maintenance, repair and replacement of the fan wheel 143 only needs to open the front cover 130 and detach the lower base plate 120 from the upper base plate 110. In such a way, the fan wheel 143 may be dismounted from the indoor unit, which avoids the problem in the related art that the heat exchanger 140 affects the mounting and dismounting of the fan wheel 143.
The cleaning of the fan wheel 143 does not involve the dismounting and mounting of the heat exchanger 140, which thus avoids the problem that the heat exchanger 140 tends to break down due to the dismounting and mounting thereof, thereby facilitating the maintenance of the indoor unit and reducing the failure rate of the indoor unit.
Specifically, as shown in
Specifically, as shown in
In some specific embodiments, as shown in
Specifically, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Preferably, the guide rail is provided at each of a left end face and a right end face of the lower base plate 120, and the guide groove of the upper base plate 110 is provided in the corresponding manner.
Specifically, a limiting protrusion is provided in the guide groove, the guide rail is provided with a limiting groove, and the limiting protrusion is configured to be fitted in the limiting groove. In such a way, in the process of inserting the guide rail into the guide groove, when the limiting protrusion is stuck in the limiting groove, it indicates that the guide rail is inserted to a mounting position, i.e. the upper base plate 110 and the lower base plate 120 are assembled in place, thereby further facilitating the positioning of the lower base plate 120 and the upper base plate 110.
Further, the upper base plate 110 is provided with a connecting groove, the lower base plate 120 is provided with a connecting protrusion, and the connecting protrusion is configured to be fitted in the connecting groove, so as to further position the lower base plate 120.
In a specific example of the present invention, the connecting protrusion is provided on the left end face or the right end face of the lower base plate 120. An elastic plate is provided at a corresponding end of the upper base plate 110, and the connecting groove is provided in the elastic plate. When the lower base plate 120 is mounted upwards to the upper base plate 110, the end face or the connecting protrusion of the lower base plate 120 touches and jacks up the elastic plate, and thus the elastic plate is deformed in a direction moving away from the lower base plate 120. When the lower base plate 120 is assembled in place, the connecting protrusion is snapped into the connecting groove, and the elastic plate is restored, such that the lower base plate 120 is fixed to the upper base plate 110.
Further, the lower base plate 120 is further mounted to the upper base plate 110 via a threaded fastener. That is, the lower base plate 120 is connected to the upper base plate 110 via the threaded fastener (like a screw), besides the above snap structure, which guarantees the fastness of connecting the upper base plate 110 with the lower base plate 120 and improves the safety of using the indoor unit 1000.
Certainly, since the above snap structure is provided between the upper base plate 110 and the lower base plate 120, the number of the fasteners (like the screw) for connecting the upper base plate 110 with the lower base plate 120 may be reduced, which decreases the operation time considerably when the lower base plate 120 needs dismounting.
In some specific embodiments of the present invention, with reference to
Alternatively, with reference to
Other configurations and operations of the indoor unit 1000 according to embodiments of the present invention are known to those skilled in the art, which will not be elaborated herein.
In the specification, it is to be understood that terms such as “central,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” and “counterclockwise” should be construed to refer to the orientation or position as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the present invention be constructed or operated in a particular orientation.
In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” are used herein for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance or to imply the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the feature defined with “first” and “second” may include one or more of this feature. In the description of the present invention, “a plurality of” means two or more than two, unless specified otherwise.
In the present invention, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “coupled,” “fixed” and the like are used broadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical or electrical connections; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening structures; may also be inner communications of two elements, which can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.
In the present invention, unless specified or limited otherwise, a structure in which a first feature is “on” or “below” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, and may also include an embodiment in which the first feature and the second feature are not in direct contact with each other, but are contacted via an additional feature formed therebetween. Furthermore, a first feature “on,” “above,” or “on top of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “on,” “above,” or “on top of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height higher than that of the second feature; while a first feature “below,” “under,” or “on bottom of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “below,” “under,” or “on bottom of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height lower than that of the second feature.
Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “an example,” “specific examples” or “some examples” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the above phrases throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present invention. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Those skilled in the art can integrate and combine different embodiments or examples and the features in different embodiments or examples in the specification.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and illustrated, it shall be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, alternatives and variants without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention are acceptable. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims or the like.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2015/075634 | 3/31/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/154954 | 10/6/2016 | WO | A |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 20170138613 A1 | May 2017 | US |
