U.S. patent application number 16/960401 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-29 for air duct machine.
This patent application is currently assigned to Qingdao Haier Air-conditioning Electronic Co., Ltd. The applicant listed for this patent is Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd., Qingdao Haier Air-conditioning Electronic Co., Ltd. Invention is credited to Yuan WANG, Jiyi ZHANG, Xunzhi ZHU.
Application Number | 20200340687 16/960401 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004973372 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-29 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200340687 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZHU; Xunzhi ; et
al. |
October 29, 2020 |
AIR DUCT MACHINE
Abstract
An air duct machine including a cabinet, an electric control
box, a heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan; the electric control
box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan are all disposed
inside the cabinet, one of side panels of the cabinet is provided
with a return air vent and an air outlet, the electric control box
is disposed close to the return air vent, the centrifugal fan is
disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat exchanger is
disposed between the electric control box and the centrifugal fan.
This improves the selectivity and flexibility of installation of
the air duct machine, and facilitates maintenance. The air duct
machine can have an ultra-thin design when installed in the ceiling
or wall, so that the installation space is reduced. Moreover, the
airflow direction will not change due to the change of the
installation method.
Inventors: |
ZHU; Xunzhi; (Qingdao,
CN) ; WANG; Yuan; (Qingdao, CN) ; ZHANG;
Jiyi; (Qingdao, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Qingdao Haier Air-conditioning Electronic Co., Ltd
Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. |
Qingdao, Shandong
Qingdao, Shandong |
|
CN
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Qingdao Haier Air-conditioning
Electronic Co., Ltd
Qingdao, Shandong
CN
Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.
Qingdao, Shandong
CN
|
Family ID: |
1000004973372 |
Appl. No.: |
16/960401 |
Filed: |
February 12, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
February 12, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2019/074856 |
371 Date: |
July 7, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 11/89 20180101;
F24F 1/0059 20130101; F24F 1/0014 20130101; F24F 1/0022 20130101;
F24F 13/222 20130101; F24F 1/0057 20190201 |
International
Class: |
F24F 1/0059 20060101
F24F001/0059; F24F 1/0022 20060101 F24F001/0022 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 19, 2018 |
CN |
201811558380.5 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. An air duct machine, comprising: a cabinet, an electric control
box, a heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan; wherein the electric
control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan are all
disposed inside the cabinet, a side panel of the cabinet is
provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the electric
control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the
centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat
exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the
centrifugal fan.
12. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein the air
outlet comprises a first air outlet and a second air outlet, the
centrifugal fan comprises a first centrifugal fan and a second
centrifugal fan, the first air outlet and the second air outlet are
disposed on both sides of the return air vent respectively, the
first centrifugal fan is disposed close to the first air outlet,
and the second centrifugal fan is disposed close to the second air
outlet.
13. The air duct machine according to claim 12, wherein the heat
exchanger comprises a first portion, a second portion, and a third
portion connecting the first portion with the second portion, the
first portion and the second portion are disposed on both sides of
the electric control box respectively, and the first portion, the
second portion, the third portion and the return air vent together
form an accommodation space capable of accommodating the electric
control box.
14. The air duct machine according to claim 13, wherein the first
portion and the third portion are disposed at a first included
angle therebetween, the second portion and the third portion are
disposed at a second included angle therebetween, and the degree of
the first included angle is the same as the degree of the second
included angle.
15. The air duct machine according to claim 13, wherein the first
portion and the third portion are integrally provided.
16. The air duct machine according to claim 13, wherein the second
portion and the third portion are integrally provided.
17. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein a water
receiving tray is provided in the cabinet at the bottom of the heat
exchanger.
18. The air duct machine according to claim 17, wherein the water
receiving tray is fixedly connected to an inner bottom wall of the
cabinet.
19. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein both the
return air vent and the air outlet are disposed on a front side
panel of the cabinet.
20. The air duct machine according to claim 11, wherein the cabinet
is a sheet metal structural member.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of air
conditioning, and particularly provides an air duct machine.
BACKGROUND
[0002] An air duct machine or ducted air conditioner is a type of
air conditioner, and has the advantages of saving space, leaving no
dead spots in sanitation, and requiring only a local ceiling. It is
more aesthetically beautiful than wall-mounted air conditioners and
cabinet air conditioners since the air duct machine is of a
built-in type, in which only air vents (including a return air vent
and an air outlet) are exposed to the outside.
[0003] In the related art, the air duct machines are mostly of an
ultra-thin design; in order to reduce the depth of the ceiling, a
structural design in which the return air vent is located on the
side and the air outlet is located on a lower portion or both the
return air vent and the air outlet are located on the lower portion
is generally used. This design not only imposes limitations on the
installation of the air duct machine, but also is adverse to the
maintenance of the air duct machine.
[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a new air duct machine in the
art to solve the above problems.
SUMMARY
[0005] In order to solve the above problems in the related art,
namely, to solve the problems that the installation of existing air
duct machines has limitations and the maintenance of the air duct
machines is inconvenient, the present disclosure provides an air
duct machine, wherein the air duct machine includes a cabinet, an
electric control box, a heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan; the
electric control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan
are all disposed inside the cabinet, one of side panels of the
cabinet is provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the
electric control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the
centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat
exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the
centrifugal fan.
[0006] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the air outlet includes a first air outlet and a second
air outlet, and the centrifugal fan includes a first centrifugal
fan and a second centrifugal fan, wherein the first air outlet and
the second air outlet are disposed on both sides of the return air
vent respectively, the first centrifugal fan is disposed close to
the first air outlet, and the second centrifugal fan is disposed
close to the second air outlet.
[0007] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the heat exchanger includes a first portion, a second
portion, and a third portion connecting the first portion with the
second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion
are disposed on both sides of the electric control box
respectively, and the first portion, the second portion, the third
portion and the return air vent together form an accommodation
space capable of accommodating the electric control box.
[0008] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the first portion and the third portion are disposed at a
first included angle therebetween, the second portion and the third
portion are disposed at a second included angle therebetween, and
the degree of the first included angle is the same as the degree of
the second included angle.
[0009] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the first portion and the third portion are integrally
provided.
[0010] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the second portion and the third portion are integrally
provided.
[0011] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, a water receiving tray is provided in the cabinet at the
bottom of the heat exchanger.
[0012] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the water receiving tray is fixedly connected to an inner
bottom wall of the cabinet.
[0013] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, both the return air vent and the air outlet are disposed
on a front side panel of the cabinet.
[0014] In a preferred technical solution of the above air duct
machine, the cabinet is a sheet metal structural member.
[0015] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in a
preferred technical solution of the present disclosure, by
disposing both the return air vent and the air outlet of the air
duct machine on the same side panel of the cabinet, the air duct
machine may be either installed on the ceiling, or embedded into
the wall, or also flexibly integrated into the furniture, so as to
provide greater selectivity and flexibility for the installation of
the air duct machine and meet personalized and creative demands of
users at home. Moreover, since both the return air vent and the air
outlet are disposed on the same side panel of the cabinet, only one
side of the air duct machine needs to be exposed to the outside;
that is, air return, air discharge and maintenance of the air duct
machine can all be performed on this side, which is convenient for
the maintenance personnel during maintenance. In addition, the air
duct machine of the present disclosure can have a smaller
installation depth; for example, the air duct machine may have an
ultra-thin design when installed in the ceiling, so that the
installation space of the ceiling is reduced and the decoration
cost is reduced. The installation space may also be saved during
wall-embedded installation. Moreover, the airflow direction will
not change due to the change of the installation method, so that
compared with the existing technology in which the return air vent
is located on the side and the air outlet is located on a lower
portion or both the return air vent and the air outlet are located
on the lower portion, more space is saved, user's demands on indoor
space arrangement are met, and the user experience is improved.
[0016] Further, through the design of dual centrifugal fans and
dual air outlets, the air duct machine of the present disclosure
can also ensure the air output when designed very thin, meet the
user's demands on use, and further improve the user experience.
[0017] Further, the electric control box is disposed upstream of
the heat exchanger, that is, the air first passes through the
electric control box before passing through the heat exchanger.
With this arrangement, the condensation water will not be blown
back to the electric control box, thereby ensuring the safety in
using the electric control box and further improving the user
experience.
[0018] Further, the condensation water may be sufficiently
collected by the water receiving tray to prevent the condensation
water from leaking downwards and accumulating in multiple places
inside the cabinet, thereby avoiding affecting the normal operation
of the air duct machine, and improving the safety of the operation
of the air duct machine.
[0019] Further, the cabinet is a sheet metal structural member so
that the manufacture of the cabinet is facilitated and the strength
of the cabinet is ensured; therefore, the cabinet will not be
easily damaged, and the structural strength and safety of the air
duct machine in use are improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an external structure of an
air duct machine according to the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the external structure of the
air duct machine according to the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an internal structure of the
air duct machine according to the present disclosure; and
[0023] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the internal structure of the
air duct machine according to the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure
will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments
are only used to explain the technical principles of the present
disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection
of the present disclosure.
[0025] It should be noted that in the description of the present
disclosure, directional or positional relationships indicated by
terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "left",
"right", "front", "rear", "inner" and "outer" are based on the
directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They
are merely used for the convenience of description, and do not
indicate or imply that the device or element involved must have a
specific orientation, or be configured or operated in a specific
orientation, and therefore they should not be construed as limiting
the present disclosure. In addition, terms "first", "second", and
"third" are only used for descriptive purposes, and should not be
understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0026] In addition, it should also be noted that in the description
of the present disclosure, terms such as "dispose", "install",
"connect" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense,
unless explicitly stated and defined otherwise; for example, they
may indicate a fixed connection, a detachable connection or an
integral connection, or may indicate a mechanical connection or an
electrical connection; or may indicate a direct connection, or an
indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal
communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art,
the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure
may be interpreted according to the specific circumstances.
[0027] In view of the problems mentioned in the background that the
installation of existing air duct machines has limitations and the
maintenance of the air duct machines is inconvenient, the present
disclosure provides an air duct machine, which aims to improve the
selectivity and flexibility of the installation of the air duct
machine, facilitate the maintenance of the air duct machine,
further save space, meet user's demands on use, and improve the
user experience.
[0028] Specifically, the air duct machine includes a cabinet, an
electric control box, a heat exchanger, and a centrifugal fan. The
electric control box, the heat exchanger, and the centrifugal fan
are all disposed inside the cabinet, one of side panels of the
cabinet is provided with a return air vent and an air outlet, the
electric control box is disposed close to the return air vent, the
centrifugal fan is disposed close to the air outlet, and the heat
exchanger is disposed between the electric control box and the
centrifugal fan. There may be one or more air outlets, and
correspondingly, there also may be one or more centrifugal fans.
The adjustment and change of the number of the centrifugal fans and
the number of the air outlets do not impose any limitation on the
present disclosure, and are within the scope of protection of the
present disclosure. It should be pointed out that the number of the
air outlets and the number of the centrifugal fans are preferably
in a one-on-one correspondence, so that the air entering from the
return air vent can be led out from different air outlets. In
addition, the number of the return air vent may also be one or more
than one, as long as air introduction can be realized through the
return air vent. The cabinet includes a top panel, a bottom panel,
and a plurality of side panels. The top panel and the bottom panel
of the cabinet are connected by the plurality of side panels.
Generally, the cabinet has four side panels, i.e., a front panel, a
rear panel, a left panel, and a right panel. In practical
applications, those skilled in the art may flexibly set the
locations of the return air vent and the air outlet, as long as the
return air vent and the air outlet are disposed on the same side
panel. In the following, the technical solutions of the present
disclosure will be described in combination with two embodiments
respectively.
First Embodiment
[0029] In this embodiment, each of the number of the air outlets
and the number of the centrifugal fans is one. In this case, the
air outlet may be disposed on one side of the return air vent, and
it is preferable to dispose the air outlet on the left side or
right side of the return air vent. In this way, the air duct
machine can have an ultra-thin design, which shortens the
installation depth of the air duct machine, thereby facilitating
the installation and arrangement of the air duct machine. With this
structure, after the centrifugal fan is turned on, air can be
sucked in from the return air vent, then it passes through the
electric control box, the heat exchanger and the centrifugal fan in
sequence, and finally is blown out from the air outlet. Preferably,
a water receiving tray is disposed in the cabinet and below the
heat exchanger. The condensation water can be collected by the
water receiving tray, and the heat exchanger can be fixed to an
inner bottom wall of the cabinet.
[0030] In the first embodiment, the heat exchanger may be set to
have a "-" shape, an arc shape, or a two-folded segment shape (such
as an "L" shape or a "V" shape), and in practical applications,
those skilled in the art may flexibly set the specific shape of the
heat exchanger, as long as the air entering from the return air
vent can fully contact various portions of the heat exchanger and
therefore heat exchange can be realized.
Second Embodiment
[0031] In this embodiment, each of the number of the air outlets
and the number of the centrifugal fans is two. Specifically, as
shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the air outlets in the front panel of the
cabinet 1 include a first air outlet 11 and a second air outlet 12,
and the centrifugal fans include a first centrifugal fan 2 and a
second centrifugal fan 3, wherein the first air outlet 11 and the
second air outlet 12 are disposed on both sides of the return air
vent 13 respectively, the first centrifugal fan 2 is disposed close
to the first air outlet 11, and the second centrifugal fan 3 is
disposed close to the second air outlet 12. The first air outlet 11
and the second air outlet 12 are preferably disposed on the left
side and the right side of the return air vent 13, so that the air
duct machine can have an ultra-thin design and the air can be
output from two positions, thereby shortening the installation
depth of the air duct machine and meeting user's demands on use.
With this structure, after the first centrifugal fan 2 and the
second centrifugal fan 3 are turned on, the first centrifugal fan 2
can guide a part of the air entering from the return air vent 13 to
the first air outlet 11 through the heat exchanger 4, and the
second centrifugal fan 3 can guide another part of the air entering
from the return air vent 13 to the second air outlet 12 through the
heat exchanger 4, so as to realize simultaneous output of the air
from the first air outlet 11 and the second air outlet 12.
Preferably, similarly to the first embodiment, a water receiving
tray is disposed in the cabinet 1 and below the heat exchanger 4.
The condensation water can be collected by the water receiving
tray, and the heat exchanger 4 can be fixed to an inner bottom wall
of the cabinet 1.
[0032] In the second embodiment, the heat exchanger 4 may be set to
have a semi-circular shape, an arc shape, or a three-folded segment
shape, etc. In practical applications, those skilled in the art may
flexibly set the specific shape of the heat exchanger 4, as long as
the air entering from the return air vent 13 can fully contact
various portions of the heat exchanger 4 and therefore heat
exchange can be realized. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat
exchanger 4 preferably includes a first portion 41, a second
portion 42, and a third portion 43 connecting the first portion 41
with the second portion 42. The first portion 41 and the second
portion 42 are disposed on both sides of the electric control box 5
respectively, and the first portion 41, the second portion 42, the
third portion 43 and the return air vent 13 together form an
accommodation space capable of accommodating the electric control
box 5. With this arrangement, the heat exchanger 4 has a
three-folded segment shape, so that the air entering from the
return air vent 13 can fully contact the heat exchanger 4 under the
action of the first centrifugal fan 2 and the second centrifugal
fan 3. In this structure, it is preferable that the first portion
41 and the third portion 43 are disposed at a first included angle
therebetween, the second portion 42 and the third portion 43 are
disposed at a second included angle therebetween, and the degree of
the first included angle is the same as the degree of the second
included angle. For example, each of the first included angle and
the second included angle is set as an obtuse angle, so that the
heat exchanger 4 and the air outlet enclose an accommodation space
with a trapezoidal horizontal section, thereby facilitating the
accommodation of the electric control box 5. It should be noted
that the first portion 41 and the third portion 43 are integrally
provided, and the second portion 42 and the third portion 43 are
also integrally provided so that the heat exchanger 4 can be
manufactured in one piece. In addition, by providing two fans,
i.e., the first centrifugal fan 2 and the second centrifugal fan 3,
in case of failure of one of the centrifugal fans, the other
centrifugal fan can continue to operate; that is, instead of
outputting air from two air outlets, air is output from a single
air outlet, so that the air duct machine can continue to operate.
In addition, by applying corresponding control logics to the two
centrifugal fans, the versatility of the air duct machine can also
be achieved. For example, the air duct machine can be flexibly
switched among no air output, single-outlet air output and
dual-outlet air output. The improvement of the product structure
does not impose any limitation on the present disclosure, and
should be included in the scope of protection of the present
disclosure.
[0033] Preferably, in the present disclosure, the cabinet 1 is
preferably a sheet metal structural member. Of course, the cabinet
1 may also be made of other structural members. Those skilled in
the art can flexibly set the structure and material of the cabinet
1 in practical applications, as long as components such as the
electric control box 5, the heat exchanger 4, and the centrifugal
fan can be accommodated and installed through the cabinet 1. In
addition, an outer side of the cabinet 1 may also be provided with
connection structures such as lugs, screw holes and/or hooks so as
to facilitate installing the cabinet 1 into the ceiling or
embedding the cabinet 1 into the wall or furniture.
[0034] Heretofore, the technical solutions of the present
disclosure have been described in connection with the preferred
embodiments shown in the drawings, but it can be easily understood
by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the
present disclosure is obviously not limited to these specific
embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes
or replacements to the related technical features without departing
from the principle of the present disclosure. The technical
solutions after the modification or replacement will fall within
the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
* * * * *