Patent Grant
11268708
The present disclosure is a national stage filing of international application PCT/CN2018/124909, filed on Dec. 28, 2018, the entire contents of each or which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a field of air conditioner manufacturing technology, and more particularly to an outdoor unit for a central air conditioner and a central air conditioner having the outdoor unit.
A central air conditioner usually includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit is provided with a compressor, a gas-liquid separator, an oil separator and other structures. In related art, a panel of the outdoor unit is basically fixed by bolts, and the number of bolts is large. During maintenance, firstly, the bolts used to fix the panel need to be removed, and then the panel can be removed to carry out internal maintenance of the machine. Moreover, since the panel itself is heavy, the operation is very time-consuming and inconvenient. For installers and repairers in some developed countries or regions where labor costs are high, this is also a significant expenditure.
The present disclosure seeks to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the related art. Hence, the present disclosure proposes an outdoor unit for a central air conditioner, which is convenient to operate and time-saving when the outdoor unit is repaired and maintained.
The present disclosure also proposes a central air conditioner having the above outdoor unit.
According to embodiments of a first aspect of the present disclosure, the outdoor unit includes: a unit body; and at least one panel provided on the unit body to open and close the unit body, wherein an end of the panel is pivotally and detachably connected with the unit body through a pivot structure, the pivot structure includes a base provided on the unit body and a pivot seat provided on the panel, a top of the base has a pivot shaft spaced apart from the unit body and extending upward, and the pivot seat is provided with a pivot hole having an open bottom and configured to be detachably fitted with the pivot shaft.
For the outdoor unit according to embodiments of the present disclosure, by pivotally and detachably connecting the panel to the unit body through the above pivot structure, the operation is convenient and time-saving when the outdoor unit is repaired and maintained, thereby reducing the cost of manual maintenance or repair.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a cross-sectional area of the base is larger than a cross-sectional area of the pivot shaft.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a cross-sectional area of a top end of the pivot shaft increases gradually from up to down.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a front side of the unit body is open, and the panel is arranged at the front side of the unit body; the unit body includes two side walls spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction and a rear wall connected between rear ends of the two side walls; a front end of at least one of the two side walls has an extended wall that is parallel to the rear wall and extends towards a center of the unit body; the base is arranged on a front surface of the extended wall and is located on a side adjacent to the center of the unit body; a front surface of the panel has a mounting surface for arranging the pivot seat; the mounting surface is located on an end of the panel adjacent to the at least one of the two side walls, and the mounting surface obliquely extends backward from the center of the unit body to a side where the at least one of the two side walls is located.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the front surface of the panel protrudes beyond the front surface of the extended wall.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pivot seat includes a pivot base provided on the mounting surface and a pivot body which is provided on a side of the pivot base adjacent to the extended wall and which is spaced from the panel; a pivot hole is formed in the pivot body, and a top surface of the pivot body is flush with a top surface of the pivot base.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the panel is pivotally connected with the unit body through two pivot structures spaced apart from each other in an up-down direction.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the panel is provided with a handle portion.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the handle portion is formed by a part of a side surface of the panel away from a center of the unit body being recessed towards the center of the unit body.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, two panels are provided and arranged opposite to and spaced apart from each other.
The central air conditioner according to embodiments of a second aspect of the present disclosure includes the outdoor unit according to the embodiments of the above first aspect of the present disclosure.
Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of present disclosure will be given in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
These and other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following descriptions made with reference to the drawings.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are further described. Examples of the embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar components or components that have the same or similar functions from beginning to end. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary, are merely used to explain the present disclosure, and cannot be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure.
In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that, the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “center,” “longitudinal,” “transverse,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “up”, “down,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” “counterclockwise,” “axial,” “radial,” “circumferential” and the like are based on the orientation or position relationship illustrated in the drawings. These terms are for convenience and simplification of description and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so these terms shall not be construed to limit the present disclosure. In the description of the disclosure, “a plurality of” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless specified otherwise. In addition, the feature defined with “first” and “second” may comprise one or more of this feature. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means two or more than two, unless specified otherwise.
In the present disclosure, it should be noted, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “coupled” or the like are used broadly. The terms may indicate, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections, may also indicate mechanical or electrical connections, may also indicate direct connections or indirect connections via intermediate mediums, and may also indicate inner communications of two elements. The specific meanings of the terms in embodiments of the present disclosure may be understood by those skilled in the art according to particular circumstances.
An outdoor unit 100 for a central air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to
As illustrated in
For example, a compressor (not illustrated in drawings) and other components can be provided in the unit body 1. The panel 2 is arranged on the unit body 1 to open and close the unit body 1, and one end of the panel 2 is pivotally and detachably connected to the unit body 1 through a pivot structure 10. The pivot structure 10 includes a base 11 provided on the unit body 1 and a pivot seat 21 provided on the panel 2. A top of the base 11 is provided with a pivot shaft 111 spaced apart from the unit body 1 and extending upward, and the pivot seat 21 is provided with a pivot hole 2121 having an open bottom and configured to be detachably fitted with the pivot shaft 111. The base 11 is used to mount the pivot shaft 111 and connect the pivot shaft 111 to the unit body 1.
When the pivot shaft 111 is fitted in the pivot hole 2121, the panel 2 is pivotally mounted on the unit body 1 through the pivot structure 10. The pivot seat 21 can be turned to rotate around a central axis of the pivot shaft 111, such that the panel 2 can be turned relative to the unit body 1 and hence the panel 2 can open or close the unit body 1. When the pivot shaft 111 is separated from the pivot hole 2121, the panel 2 is separated from the unit body 1, and hence the panel 2 can be removed from the unit body 1.
As illustrated in
In the example of
When a space for opening the panel 2 is not sufficient and the panel cannot be fully opened, affecting the maintenance, the entire panel 2 can be lifted upward by providing the pivot shaft 111 extending upward and the pivot hole 2121 opened at the bottom. In such a case, the pivot seat 21 is gradually separated from the pivot shaft 111 from bottom to top. When the pivot shaft 111 is fully exposed from the pivot hole 2121, the entire the panel 2 can be removed (as illustrated in
For the outdoor unit 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by pivotally and detachably connecting the panel 2 with the unit body 1 through the above pivot structure 10, the operation is convenient and time-saving when the outdoor unit 100 is repaired and maintained, thereby reducing the cost of manual maintenance or repair.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as illustrated in
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to
For example, as illustrated in
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, as illustrated in
For example, referring to
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, as illustrated in
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the panel 2 is provided with a handle portion 15. The handle portion 15 is used to rotate the panel 2 or remove the panel 2 by hand. For example, as illustrated in
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, two panels are provided and arranged opposite to and spaced apart from each other. Thus, when the two panels 2 are fully opened, components inside the unit body 1 of the outdoor unit 100 can be better maintained or repaired.
The outdoor unit 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure overcomes the disadvantage that the panel 2 of the outdoor unit 100 has to be detached from the outdoor unit for the sake of maintenance, and the opening and closure of the panel 2 realized by pivotal movement greatly shortens the operation time of removing the panel 2.
During the maintenance, the operation can be implemented once the panel 2 is opened. If the space for opening the panel 2 is insufficient and the panel 2 cannot be opened completely, which will affect the maintenance, the panel 2 can be lifted by the handle portion 15, such that the pivot shaft 111 is separated from the pivot seat 21, and hence the panel 2 is completely detached from the outdoor unit 100. When the panel 2 needs to be mounted back, the pivot seat 21 on the panel 2 is aligned with the pivot shaft 111 on the extended wall 14, and then the panel 2 is released, which highlights user-friendly design.
A central air conditioner 200 according to embodiments of a second aspect of the present disclosure includes the outdoor unit 100 according to embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure.
The central air conditioner 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can have enhanced overall performance by adopting the above outdoor unit 100.
Other components and operations of the central air conditioner 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are generally known by those skilled in the art and thus will not be described in detail herein.
Reference throughout this specification to terms “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “an example”, “a specific example,” 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 disclosure. In this specification, exemplary descriptions of aforesaid terms are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.
Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that changes, modifications, alternatives, and variations may be made in the embodiments without departing from principles and purposes of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is limited by the claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201820075560.7 | Jan 2018 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2018/124909 | 12/28/2018 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019/141068 | 7/25/2019 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190040665 | Jean | Feb 2019 | A1 |
| 20190072285 | Morikawa | Mar 2019 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 101586838 | Nov 2009 | CN |
| 101586838 | Nov 2009 | CN |
| 201635555 | Nov 2010 | CN |
| 204002199 | Dec 2014 | CN |
| 204084673 | Jan 2015 | CN |
| 205908173 | Jan 2017 | CN |
| 207922420 | Sep 2018 | CN |
| 3080216 | Sep 2001 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| The attached pdf is the translation of foreign reference CN 101586838 A. (Year: 2009). |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Mar. 18, 2019 from State Intellectual Property Office of the P.R. China. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200124297 A1 | Apr 2020 | US |
