U.S. patent application number 09/804138 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-20 for air outlet opening apparatus for air conditioners.
Invention is credited to Kim, Do-Yeon, Kim, Jong-Whal.
Application Number | 20010052240 09/804138 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26638095 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010052240 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim, Jong-Whal ; et
al. |
December 20, 2001 |
Air outlet opening apparatus for air conditioners
Abstract
Disclosed herewith is an air outlet opening apparatus for air
conditioners. The air outlet opening apparatus includes a shutter
for selectively opening and closing the air outlet formed on an air
conditioner body. A pair of support plates is mounted beside the
shutter to guide the elevation and lowering of the shutter. The air
outlet opening apparatus further includes elevation means for
selectively elevating and lowering the shutter. The elevation means
includes a pair of elevation members positioned to be slid on the
support plates, a drive motor for generating power to move the
elevation members, and power transmission means for converting the
rotating movement of said drive motor to the simultaneous linear
movements of said elevation members.
Inventors: |
Kim, Jong-Whal; (Suwon-City,
KR) ; Kim, Do-Yeon; (Uiwang-City, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Robert E. Bushnell
1522 K Street, N. W., Suite 300
Washington
DC
20005-1202
US
|
Family ID: |
26638095 |
Appl. No.: |
09/804138 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/409 ; 62/186;
62/408 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05Y 2900/146 20130101;
E05F 15/638 20150115; F24F 13/12 20130101; F24F 2013/1446 20130101;
F24F 1/005 20190201; F24F 1/0011 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/409 ; 62/408;
62/186 |
International
Class: |
F25D 017/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 12, 2000 |
KR |
2000-32179 |
Jun 12, 2000 |
KR |
2000-32180 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An air outlet opening apparatus for air conditioners,
comprising: a shutter for selectively opening and closing the air
outlet formed on an air conditioner body; a pair of support plates
mounted beside said shutter to guide the elevation and lowering of
said shutter; and elevation means for selectively elevating and
lowering said shutter; wherein said elevation means includes a pair
of elevation members positioned to be slid on said support plates,
a drive motor for generating power to move said elevation members,
and power transmission means for converting the rotating movement
of said drive motor to the simultaneous linear movements of said
elevation members.
2. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said power transmission means is comprised of two rack gear
portions formed on said elevation members, a pair of pinion gears,
one of which is engaged with said drive motor, engaged with said
rack gear portions, and a common shaft connecting said pinion
gears.
3. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said elevation means further comprises guide grooves formed
longitudinally on said support plates and two pairs of support pins
each mounted on both sides of said shutter while being spaced apart
from each other and inserted into said guide grooves while passing
through said elevation members.
4. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
said guide grooves are comprised of first and second guide grooves
which partially overlap each other to communicate with each other,
and said support pins are comprised of first and second support
pins which are inserted into said first and second guide grooves,
respectively.
5. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
said first and second guide grooves are formed to have different
depths, and said first and second support pins are formed to have
lengths corresponding to the depths of said first and second guide
grooves.
6. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
said first guide groove is formed to have a relatively narrow width
and a relatively deep depth, said second guide groove is formed to
have a relatively wide width and a relatively shallow depth, and
said first and second support pins are formed to have widths and
lengths corresponding to the widths and depths of said first and
second guide grooves.
7. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
wherein said first and second guide grooves each have a vertical
groove portion that is connected to a horizontal groove portion
extending toward said air outlet at its upper end to guide said
first and second guide pins, and said elevation members are each
provided with upper and lower inclined slots to guide said support
pins through said horizontal groove portions when said support pins
reach said horizontal groove portions.
8. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 7, wherein
said upper inclined slot has a vertical extension at its lower end
and said lower inclined slot is formed to be longer than said upper
inclined slot, and said first support pin inserted into said upper
inclined slot is situated behind said second support pin inserted
into said lower inclined slot in the anteroposterior direction of
said shutter.
9. The air outlet opening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said common shaft has a polygonal sectional shape to minimize its
twisting.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This application makes reference to, incorporates the same
herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119
from my applications entitled OPENING AND CLOSING APPARATUS FOR AIR
DISCHARGE PORT OF AIR CONDITIONER filed with the Korean Industrial
Property Office on Jun. 12, 2000 and there duly assigned Ser. Nos.
2000/32179 and 2000/32180.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to air outlet
opening apparatus for air conditioners, and more particularly to an
air outlet opening apparatus for air conditioners, which is capable
of being smoothly operated without laterally tilting its
shutter.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] In the housing of the air conditioner body of a general air
conditioner are formed an air inlet for sucking indoor air and an
air outlet for exhausting air-conditioned air into indoor space. A
heat exchanger for exchanging heat with sucked air and a fan for
blowing air from the heat exchanger to the air outlet are mounted
in the air conditioner body of the air conditioner. Recently, in
order to prevent dust or impurities from entering the air
conditioner body through the air outlet, an air outlet opening
apparatus for selectively opening and closing the air outlet is
generally provided in the air conditioner body of the air
conditioner.
[0006] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional air outlet opening
apparatus for air conditioners includes a shutter 3 having a size
sufficient to selectively open and close the air outlet 2 formed in
the front panel 1 of an air conditioner body, a pair of support
plates for guiding the movement of the shutter 3 as well as
supporting the shutter 3, and elevation means for selectively
elevating and lowering the shutter.
[0007] An upper guide groove 6a and a lower guide groove 6b are
formed on the inner side surface of each of the support plates 4a
and 4b situated beside the air outlet 2. Two guide pins 7a and 7b
are formed on each of the outer side surfaces of the shutter 3 to
guide the movement of the shutter 3 while being fitted into the
upper and lower guide grooves 6a and 6b.
[0008] The elevation means is comprised of an elevation member 5
provided with a rack gear portion 5a, a pinion gear 8 engaged with
the rack gear portion 5a of the elevation member 5, and a drive
motor 9 for driving the pinion gear 8. The elevation member 5 is
attached to the central portion of the rear surface of the shutter
3. The drive motor 9 assembled with the pinion gear 8 is secured to
the rear surface of the front panel 1. In this case, the pinion
gear 8 is engaged with the rack gear portion 5a of the elevation
member 5.
[0009] In the conventional air outlet opening apparatus for air
conditioners, as the pinion gear 8 is rotated by the operation of
the drive motor 9, the elevation member 5 is elevated. Accordingly,
the shutter 3 secured to the elevation member 5 is elevated while
being guided by the guide grooves 6a and 6b of the support plates
4a and 4b, thereby selectively opening and closing the air outlet 2
of the front panel 1.
[0010] In the conventional air outlet opening apparatus, a single
elevation member 5 is secured to the center portion of the shutter
3, so the shutter 3 is laterally tilted by the vibration of the
apparatus. As a result, the shutter is not elevated smoothly and,
consequently, the guide grooves 6a and 6b and the guide pins 7a and
7b are worn out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in
mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object
of the present invention is to provide an air outlet opening
apparatus for air conditioners, which is capable of selectively
elevating and lowering its shutter at two horizontally spaced
positions, thereby smoothly performing the elevation and lowering
of its shutter and the opening and closing of the air outlet.
[0012] In order to accomplish the above object, the present
invention provides an air outlet opening apparatus for air
conditioners, comprising: a shutter for selectively opening and
closing the air outlet formed on an air conditioner body; a pair of
support plates mounted beside the shutter to guide the elevation
and lowering of the shutter; and elevation means for selectively
elevating and lowering the shutter; wherein the elevation means
includes a pair of elevation members positioned to be slid on the
support plates, a drive motor for generating power to move the
elevation members, and power transmission means for converting the
rotating movement of the drive motor to the simultaneous linear
movements of the elevation members.
[0013] The power transmission means may be comprised of two rack
gear portions formed on the elevation members, a pair of pinion
gears, one of which is engaged with the drive motor, engaged with
the rack gear portions, and a common shaft connecting the pinion
gears.
[0014] The elevation means may further comprise guide grooves
formed longitudinally on the support plates and two pairs of
support pins each mounted on both sides of the shutter while being
spaced apart from each other and inserted into the guide grooves
while passing through the elevation members.
[0015] The guide grooves may be comprised of first and second guide
grooves which partially overlap each other to communicate with each
other, and the support pins may be comprised of first and second
support pins which are inserted into the first and second guide
grooves, respectively.
[0016] The first and second guide grooves may be formed to have
different depths, and the first and second support pins may be
formed to have lengths corresponding to the depths of the first and
second guide grooves.
[0017] The first guide groove may be formed to have a relatively
narrow width and a relatively deep depth, the second guide groove
may be formed to have a relatively wide width and a relatively
shallow depth, and the first and second support pins may be formed
to have widths and lengths corresponding to the widths and depths
of the first and second guide grooves.
[0018] The first and second guide grooves may each have a vertical
groove portion that is connected to a horizontal groove portion
extending toward the air outlet at its upper end to guide the first
and second guide pins, and the elevation members may be each
provided with upper and lower inclined slots to guide the support
pins through the horizontal groove portions when the support pins
reach the horizontal groove portions.
[0019] The upper inclined slot may have a vertical extension at its
lower end and the lower inclined slot may be formed to be longer
than the upper inclined slot, and the first support pin inserted
into the upper inclined slot may be situated behind the second
support pin inserted into the lower inclined slot in the
anteroposterior direction of the shutter.
[0020] The common shaft may have a polygonal sectional shape to
minimize its twisting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of
the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the
same becomes better understood by reference to the following
detailed description when considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the
same or similar components, wherein:
[0022] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a
conventional air outlet opening apparatus for air conditioners;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a cross section showing the structure of an air
conditioner body in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0024] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the air
outlet opening apparatus of the embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a detailed view showing the important section of
FIG. 3;
[0026] FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are cross sections showing the operation of
the air outlet opening apparatus of the first embodiment;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a detailed view showing the important section of
FIG. 7;
[0028] FIG. 9 is a cross section taken along line A-A' of FIG.
7;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a cross section showing guide grooves and support
pins in accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0030] FIGS. 11 and 12 are cross sections showing another air
conditioner body in accordance with another embodiment of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Reference now should be made to the drawings, in which the
same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings
to designate the same or similar components.
[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 2, an air conditioner of the present
invention includes an air conditioner body 10 that is comprised of
a box-shaped casing 11 and a front panel 12 for covering the open
front of the casing 11. A heat exchanger 15 for performing heat
exchange and a fan for blowing air are mounted in the interior of
the air conditioner body 10. An air outlet 13 for exhausting
air-conditioned air to an indoor space and an air inlet 14 for
sucking indoor air into the interior of the air conditioner body 10
are formed in the upper and lower portions of the front panel 12,
respectively.
[0033] A plurality of wind direction adjusting blades 17 for
adjusting the direction of exhausted air are situated at positions
that are inwardly spaced apart from the air outlet 13. An air
outlet opening apparatus 20 of the present invention is mounted in
front of the wind direction adjusting blades 17. The shutter 21 of
the air outlet opening apparatus 20 selectively opens and closes
the air outlet 13 while being selectively elevated and lowered
along guide grooves 25 and 26 provided beside the air outlet
13.
[0034] The air outlet opening apparatus of the present invention is
characterized in that the shutter 21 can be elevated and lowered by
applying force to the shutter 21 in two positions so as to allow
the shutter 21 to be smoothly elevated and lowered.
[0035] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of support plates 22a and
22b are longitudinally disposed along both sides of the inner
surface of a front panel 12 beside the air outlet 13 formed in the
front panel 12 to support and guide the movement of the shutter 21.
A depression 23 is longitudinally formed on the inner surface of
each of the support plates 22a and 22b, and two guide grooves 25
and 26 are formed on the depression 23 to guide support pins 24a
and 24b that are connected to one side of the shutter 21.
[0036] Two elevation members 27a and 27b are each positioned in the
depression 23 so as to be selectively elevated and lowered to
selectively elevate and lower the shutter 21. Two cover plates 28a
and 28b are attached to the support plates 22a and 22b to support
the shutter 21. A guide cutout 29 is formed in each of the cover
plates 28a and 28b to correspond to one of the guide grooves 25a
and 26a.
[0037] A rack gear portion 30 is formed on one side of each of the
elevation members 27a and 27b. Two pinion gears 31a and 31b are
situated to be engaged with the rack gear portions 30 of the
elevation members 27a and 27b, respectively. The two pinion gears
31a and 31b are connected by a horizontal common shaft 34 to be
rotated at the same time. The pinion gear 31a is engaged with the
gear of a drive motor 32. Accordingly, the air outlet opening
apparatus of the present invention is constructed so that the
pinion gears 31a and 31b are rotated by the operation of the drive
motor 32 and the elevation members 27a and 27b are elevated or
lowered by the rotation of the pinion gears 31a and 31b. That is,
the two pinion gears 31a and 31b are simultaneously rotated by the
operation of the drive motor 32, thereby allowing the two elevation
members 27a and 27b to be elevated or lowered at the same time. In
this case, the common shaft 34 of the pinion gears 31a and 31b
preferably has a polygonal sectional shape so as to minimize its
twisting.
[0038] Two pairs of support pins are each situated beside the
shutter 21. Each pair of support pins is comprised of an upper
support pin 24a and a lower support pin 24b, and the upper and
lower support pins 24a and 24b are upwardly spaced apart from each
other. Each of the support pins 24a and 24b passes through one of
the cover plates 28a and 28b and one of the elevation members 27a
and 27b, and is inserted into one of the guide grooves 25 and 26 of
the support plates 22a and 22b. Accordingly, while the elevation
members 27a and 27b are elevated or lowered, the support pins 24a
and 24b are moved along the guide grooves 25 and 26 formed in the
support plates 22a and 22b. That is, the elevation members 27a and
27b force the support pins 24a and 24b to be elevated or
lowered.
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each pair of guide grooves formed
on each of the support plates 22a and 22b is comprised of a first
guide groove 25 and a second guide groove 26. The first guide
groove 25 consists of a vertical groove portion 25a longitudinally
extended on one of the support plates 22a and 22b and a horizontal
groove portion 25b transversely extended from the upper end of the
vertical groove portion 25a on one of the support plates 22a and
22b; while the second guide groove 26 consists of a vertical groove
portion 26a longitudinally extended on one of the support plates
22a and 22b and a horizontal groove portion 26b transversely
extended from the upper end of the vertical groove portion 26a on
one of the support plates 22a and 22b. The vertical groove portions
25a and 26a serve to guide the elevation and lowering of the first
and second support pins 24a and 24b, respectively. The horizontal
groove portions 25b and 26b serve to guide the first and second
support pins 24a and 24b so that the shutter 21 is somewhat
projected through the air outlet 13 by allowing the first and
second support pins 24a and 24b to move forward when the first and
second support pins 24a and 24b reach the upper ends of the
vertical groove portions 25a and 26b, respectively.
[0040] The lower end of the first guide groove 25 and the upper end
of the vertical groove portion of the second guide groove 26
coincide with each other, thus causing the first and second guide
grooves 25 and 26 to be connected to each other. However, the first
support pin 24a is moved along only the first guide groove 25 and
the second support pin 24b is moved along only the second guide
groove 26, so the support pins 24a and 24b are moved smoothly. To
this end, as shown in FIG. 9, the first and second guide grooves 25
and 26 are formed to have different depths and the first and second
support pins 24a and 24b are formed to have different lengths. In
more detail, the first guide groove 25 is formed to have a
relatively deep depth, whereas the second guide groove 26 is formed
to have a relatively shallow depth. The portion of the first
support pin 24a inserted into the first guide groove 25 is formed
to have a relatively long length, while the portion of the second
support pin 24b inserted into the second guide groove 26 is formed
to have a relatively short length.
[0041] FIG. 10 is a cross section showing guide grooves and support
pins in accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention. In this embodiment, the depths of the first and second
guide grooves 25 and 260 are different, the lengths of the first
and second support pins 24a and 240b are different, the width of
the second guide groove 260 is larger than that of the first guide
groove 25, and the outer diameter of the second support pin 240b
inserted into the second guide groove 260 is larger than that of
the first support pin 24a to correspond to the width of the second
guide groove 260. This construction allows the support pins 25 and
260 to be smoothly elevated or lowered, and prevents the support
pins 25 and 260 from being wrongly assembled.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 8, an upper inclined slot 35 and a
lower inclined slot 36 are formed on each of the elevation members
27a and 27b at positions where the support pins 24a and 24b pass
through the elevation member 27a or 27b. The inclined slots 35 and
36 serve to cause the support pins 24a and 24b to be moved along
the horizontal groove portions 25b and 26b when the support pins
24a and 24b are upwardly moved along the vertical groove portions
25a and 26a and reach the horizontal groove portions 25b and 26b by
the elevation of the elevation members 27a and 27b.
[0043] In this case, the upper inclined slot 35 has a vertical
extension 35a that is downwardly extended from its lower end, and
the lower inclined slot 36 is formed to have a length larger than
that of the upper inclined slot 35. Two connecting bars 37 are
attached to both side ends of the shutter 21. Two projections 37a
and 37b are formed on each of the connecting bars 37 in upper and
lower positions to hold the first and second support pins 34a and
34b. The upper projection 37a connected to the first support pin
24a is situated in a rear position, while the lower projection 37b
connected to the second support pin 24b is situated in a front
position. The horizontal groove portion 25b of the first guide
groove 25 is formed to be shorter than that of the horizontal
groove portion 26b of the second guide groove 26.
[0044] In this construction, the first support pin 24a is situated
behind the second support pin 24b on the side of the shutter 21, so
the first and second support pins 24a and 24b are engaged with the
upper and lower inclined grooves 35 and 36 without hindrance.
Additionally, this construction allows the shutter 21 to be closed,
in such a way that the front surface of the shutter 21 is situated
in the same plane that the front surface of the front panel 12
forms and a position difference t is maintained between the first
and second support pins 24a and 24b, when the shutter 21 is
completely closed by the elevation of the elevation members 27a and
27b. When the shutter 21 is opened by the lowering of the elevation
members 27a and 27b, the shutter 21 is first opened on its lower
portion and the shutter 21 is forwardly inclined, thereby allowing
the lowering of the shutter 21 to be performed smoothly.
[0045] In particular, this construction, as illustrated in FIG. 11,
causes the opening and closing of the shutter 21 to be performed
smoothly when the front panel of the air conditioner body 10 is
curved. In this case, when the horizontal groove portion 26b of
each second guide groove 26 and the lower inclined slot 36 of each
elevation member 27a is formed to have a length greater than usual
and the position difference t between the first and second support
pins 24a and 24b is enlarged, the shutter 21 is closed with its
front surface situated in the same plane as the front surface of
the front panel 12 forms. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 12, when
the shutter 21 is opened by the lowering of the elevation members
27a and 27b, the lower portion of the shutter 21 is first opened,
thus allowing the lowering of the shutter 21 to be smoothly
performed.
[0046] In addition, an interval between the upper horizontal groove
portion 25b and the lower horizontal groove portion 26b should
coincide with an interval between the first and second support pins
24a and 24b in order to cause the above operations to be smoothly
performed.
[0047] The operation of the air outlet opening apparatus of the
present invention is described, hereinafter.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, when the air outlet 13 of the air
conditioner body 10 is opened, the elevation member 27a is situated
on the lower portion of the support plate 22a, and the support pins
24a and 24b are also situated on the lower portion of the support
plate 22a while being present in the vertical groove portions 24a
and 26a of the first and second guide grooves 25 and 26,
respectively. The support pins 24a and 24b are prevented from being
laterally displaced by the guidance of the vertical groove portions
25a and 26a, and the elevation member 27a is prevented from being
laterally displaced by the presence of the elevation member 27a in
the depression 23. At this time, the support pins 24a and 24b are
situated in the upper portions of the upper and lower inclined
slots 35 and 36 of the elevation member 27a, respectively. The
support pins 24a and 24b are situated in the vertical groove
portions 25a and 26a to have a predetermined horizontal position
difference t, so the upper portion of the shutter 21 is tilted
toward the air outlet 13 at a predetermined angle .theta..
[0049] In this state, when the pinion gear 31a engaged with the
rack gear portion 30 of the elevation member 27a is rotated by the
operation of the drive motor 32, the elevation member 27a is
elevated, as illustrated in FIG. 6. At this time, the support pins
24a and 24b are elevated by the pushing of the elevation member
27a, and the shutter 21 secured to the support pins 24a and 24b are
elevated at the same time. Thereafter, when the first and second
support pins 24a and 24b reach the upper ends of the vertical
groove portions 25a and 26a of the first and second guide grooves
25 and 26, the support pins 24a and 24b are not elevated any more,
but are moved along the horizontal groove portions 25b and 26b of
the first and second guide grooves 25 and 26.
[0050] If the elevation member 27a is elevated further when the
first and second support pins 24a and 24b reach the upper ends of
the vertical groove portions 25a and 26a of the first and second
guide grooves 25 and 26, the support pins 24a and 24b are pushed by
the upper and lower inclined slots 35 and 36 formed in the
elevation member 27a and moved toward the air outlet 13 along the
vertical groove portions 25b and 26b of the first and second guide
grooves 25a and 26a. When the upper end of the elevation member 27a
reaches the upper end of the depression 23, the support pins 24a
and 24b are situated near to the air outlet 13 and in the lower
portions of the upper and lower inclined slots 35 and 36.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, if the elevation member 27a is elevated
further when the first support pin 24a reaches the end of the
vertical groove portion 25b of the upper guide groove 25, the first
support pin 24a stops horizontal movement and, consequently, the
horizontal movement of the upper portion of the shutter 21 is
stopped. However, the first support pin 24a is guided into the
vertical extension 35a and, thereby, the elevation member 27a is
elevated further. At this time, the second support pin 24b is in
the middle of the lower inclined slot 36, so the second support pin
24b can be horizontally moved further. As shown in FIG. 7, when the
elevation member 27a is completely elevated, the lower end of the
shutter 21 coincides with the lower end of the air outlet 13,
thereby allowing the shutter 21 to be situated in the same plane
that the front panel 10 forms. The lower portion of the shutter 21
is closed later than the upper portion of the shutter 21.
[0052] In order to open the closed shutter 21, the pinion gear 31a
is rotated in the opposite direction by the operation of the drive
motor 32, thus lowering the elevation member 27a. The support pins
24a and 24b are inwardly pushed by the two inclined slots 35 and 36
of the elevation member 27a, resulting in being opened while being
moved to the interior of the air conditioner body 10 along the
horizontal groove portions 25b and 26b of the guide grooves 25 and
26. In this case, the lower portion of the shutter 21 is first
opened owing to difference between the upper and lower inclined
grooves 35 and 36 and difference in the arrangement of the support
pins 24a and 24b.
[0053] If the elevation member 27a is further lowered when the
support pins 24a and 24b reach the vertical groove portions 25a and
26a of the guide grooves 25 and 26 and are situated in the upper
portions of the inclined slots 35 and 36, the support pins 24a and
24b are lowered along the vertical groove portions 25a and 26a of
the guide grooves 25 and 26, thereby causing the air outlet 13 of
the front panel 12 to be completely opened. The opening of the
shutter 21 is performed in the reverse manner of the closing of the
shutter 21.
[0054] Meanwhile, during the opening and closing of the shutter 21,
the first and second support pins 24a and 24b having different
lengths are moved along the first and second guide grooves 25 and
26 having different depths, so the shutter 21 is smoothly elevated
and lowered.
[0055] When the shutter 21 is closed or opened, the two pinion
gears 31a and 31b are rotated at the same time because the gears
31a and 31b are connected by the common shaft 34. Subsequently, the
two elevation members 27a and 27b are selectively elevated and
lowered by the operation of the pinion gears 31a and 31b at the
same time. Accordingly, since in the air outlet opening apparatus
of the present invention the shutter 21 is selectively opened and
closed by the simultaneous elevation and lowering of the two
elevation members 27a and 27b mounted beside the shutter 21, the
shutter 21 is selectively opened and closed smoothly and
precisely.
[0056] As described above, the present invention provides an air
outlet opening apparatus for air conditioners, which is capable of
selectively elevating and lowering its shutter smoothly without the
lateral tilt of the shutter because the shutter is selectively
elevated and lowered by two elevation members mounted beside the
shutter.
[0057] In addition, the elevation and lowering of the shutter are
guided by the vertical groove portions formed on support plates and
the opening and closing of the shutter are guided by the horizontal
groove portions formed on the support plates and inclined slots
formed in the elevation members, so the opening and closing of the
shutter is performed precisely.
[0058] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *