JP3586249B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner provided with a discharge port opening / closing device that prevents eccentricity of an opening / closing door that opens / closes a discharge port and facilitates opening / closing operation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The recently developed indoor unit of the air conditioner is equipped with a discharge port opening / closing device that opens the discharge port when used and closes the discharge port when not in use to prevent dust and foreign matter from flowing into the discharge port. .
[0003]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such a discharge port opening / closing device includes an opening / closing door 3 provided in a size corresponding to the discharge port 2 so as to open and close the discharge port 2 formed in the front cover 1 of the main body. The opening / closing door 3 is supported on both sides of the discharge port 2 and includes a pair of guide members 4 for guiding the opening / closing door 3 to move up and down, and elevating means for moving the opening / closing door 3 up and down.
[0004]
An upper rail 5a and a lower rail 5b are provided on the two guide members 4 on both sides of the discharge port 2 to guide the opening and closing of the opening / closing door 3, and upper and lower rails 5a and 5b are provided on both upper and lower sides of the opening / closing door 3. An upper support pin 6a and a lower support pin 6b are provided so as to be coupled to the rail 5b to guide the opening and closing door 3 up and down. An inclined portion 5c is provided at the upper portion of the lower rail 5b so as to extend toward the discharge port 3 so that the lower support pin 6b is guided forward of a predetermined section when the door 3 is raised. This is intended to make the appearance beautiful when the front surface of the front door 1 and the front surface of the front panel 1 are flush with each other when the door 3 is raised.
[0005]
The elevating means includes an elevating member 7 having a rack gear 7a formed thereon, a pinion gear 8a meshing with the rack gear 7a of the elevating member 7, and a drive motor 8 for rotating the pinion gear 8a. At this time, the elevating member 7 is provided to be able to ascend and descend in a substantially central portion behind the opening / closing door 3, and the upper portion is connected to the back surface of the opening / closing door 3 via a connecting member 9 having a predetermined length. The pinion gear 8a meshes with the rack gear portion 7a of the elevating member 7.
[0006]
In such a discharge port opening / closing device, when the pinion gear 8a is rotated by the drive motor 8, the elevating member 7 is moved up and down, and the opening / closing door 3 coupled to the elevating member 7 moves along the two rails 5a and 5b of the guide member 4. The discharge port 2 is opened and closed while moving up and down.
[0007]
However, in the discharge port opening / closing device having such a configuration, the elevating member 7 for elevating the opening / closing door 3 is disposed at the center of the opening / closing door 3, and the connecting member 9 that mediates the connection between the opening / closing door 3 and the elevating member 7 is also provided. Since the opening / closing door 3 is rotatably connected to the center of the rear surface of the opening / closing door 3, there is a problem that the opening / closing door 3 is not smoothly moved up and down when the opening / closing door 3 is eccentric due to a swing of the apparatus. Further, when such a problem is prolonged, the rails 5a and 5b and the support pieces 6a and 6b are worn, and the opening and closing of the discharge port 2 is incomplete.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been devised in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. The purpose of the present invention is to prevent the eccentricity of the opening and closing of the opening and closing door so that the opening and closing of the opening and closing door and the opening and closing operation of the discharge port can be smoothly performed. Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner provided with a discharge port opening / closing device.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An air conditioner according to the present invention for achieving the above-described object has an opening / closing door that opens and closes a discharge port formed on a front panel, and a door on both sides of the discharge port to guide the opening and closing of the door. In an air conditioner provided with a provided guide rail, elevating means for elevating the opening / closing door, and a connecting member for mediating the connection between the elevating means and the opening / closing door, the connecting member has a force transmitted through the elevating means. It is extended in the lateral direction so as to be distributed and transmitted to a lower portion of the opening and closing door, and is rotatably coupled to a lower end of the opening and closing door.
[0010]
In addition, both ends of the connecting member are coupled to the guide rail so as to move up and down along the guide rail.
[0011]
A portion corresponding to the discharge port is opened at the rear of the front panel, and a support panel having support portions bent at both ends is provided. The guide rails are formed at upper and lower portions of the support portion, respectively. An upper protrusion formed on both upper sides of the opening and closing door so that the opening and closing door moves up and down along the upper rail, and the connecting member moves up and down along the lower rail. And a lower projection formed at both ends of the connection member.
[0012]
The lower rail may include an inclined portion formed to be inclined forward and upward to guide the lower protrusion toward the discharge port when the opening / closing door is raised.
[0013]
The lower protrusion may include a first protrusion and a second protrusion provided at an upper portion and a lower portion so as to be separated from each other.
[0014]
The elevating means is coupled to the support panel so as to be movable up and down, an upper part is rotatably coupled to the connecting member, and an elevating member having a rack gear portion formed in a longitudinal direction, and the elevating member is configured to elevate the elevating member. A drive motor having a pinion that meshes with the rack gear is provided.
[0015]
In addition, a coupling shaft extending a predetermined length in the lateral direction is provided at a lower center of the coupling member so as to prevent eccentricity of a portion where the coupling member is coupled to the lifting member, and a coupling shaft is provided above the lifting member. A coupling groove is formed to be coupled to the coupling shaft, and a length of the coupling shaft and the coupling groove corresponds to a width of the elevating member.
[0016]
The connecting member has an extension at an upper portion thereof which is bent toward the discharge port and extends to a predetermined length, and both ends of the extension are rotatably coupled to both lower sides of the opening and closing door. It is characterized by.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner to which the present invention is applied includes a main body 10 including a box-shaped casing 11 and a front cover 12 that covers an open front of the casing 11. It is provided with a normal heat exchanger 15 for heat exchange and a blower fan 16 for blowing air.
[0019]
A suction port 14 for sucking room air into the interior of the main body 10 is formed on the lower side of the front cover 12, and a discharge port 13 for discharging the conditioned air into the room again is formed on the upper side. Also, a number of horizontal and vertical wind direction blades 17 and 18 for adjusting the direction of the discharged air are provided inside the discharge port 13.
[0020]
In order to prevent dust and foreign matter from flowing into the inside of the main body 10, the discharge port 13 is closed when the air conditioner is not used, and is opened when the air conditioner is used. A switching device 20 is provided.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outlet opening / closing device 20 includes an opening / closing door 21 having a size corresponding to the outlet 13 so that the outlet 13 formed in the front panel 12 can be opened / closed. Guide rails 23 and 24 for guiding the ascending and descending operation of the vehicle. Further, the discharge port opening / closing device 20 includes an elevating means 50 for forcibly moving the opening / closing door 21 up and down, a connecting member 40 for guiding the elevating of the opening / closing door 21 while connecting the opening / closing door 21 to the elevating means, and such a device. It includes a support panel 30 mounted behind the front panel 12 so that it can be provided.
[0022]
The support panel 30 is provided with an opening 31 for air flow at an upper portion corresponding to the discharge port 13, around which the rigidity of the support panel 30 is reinforced and the support panel 30 is fixed to the back surface of the front panel 12. A support 32 is provided for the purpose. At this time, the support portion 32 extends from both ends of the support panel 30 and the upper and lower ends of the opening 31 toward the rear surface of the front panel 12 by bending a predetermined length. Such a configuration is to form a space separated between the back surface of the front panel 12 and the support panel 30 so that the opening / closing door 21 and the lifting / lowering means 50 can be built in the separated space. It is.
[0023]
Further, in such a configuration, guide rails 23 and 24 for elevating the opening / closing door 21 are formed on the inner surface of the both-side support portion 32, and the above-described horizontal and vertical wind direction vanes 17 and 18 are installed around the upper opening 31. And a plurality of connecting holes 33 and 34 and blade driving motors 17a and 18a for driving the wind direction blades 17 and 18 can be mounted.
[0024]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide rails 23 and 24 formed on the support portion 32 include an upper rail 23 and a lower rail 24 that are formed to be vertically longer at the upper and lower portions of the support portion 32, respectively. The upper rail 23 is formed so as to be entirely inclined so that an upper end thereof is close to the discharge port 13 so that the upper rail 23 can move toward the front where the discharge port 13 is provided when the opening / closing door 21 rises. The lower rail 24 is formed so as to be substantially vertical, and an upper portion thereof is formed with an inclined portion 24a which is formed to be inclined forward by a predetermined angle so that the lower portion of the ascending opening / closing door 21 is guided toward the discharge port 13 side. Is provided. The configuration of the guide rails 23 and 24 is such that when the opening / closing door 21 is closed by the operation of the lifting / lowering means 50, the opening / closing door 21 is guided toward the discharge port 13 so that the front surface of the opening / closing door 21 is It is intended to be beautiful in appearance by closing it in the same state as the front surface.
[0025]
The opening / closing door 21 is provided with an upper protrusion 22 which is protruded from both sides of the upper part so as to move up and down along the upper rail 23 and is connected to the upper rail 23. The lower portion of the opening / closing door 21 is rotatably connected to a connecting member 40 that guides the lower portion of the opening / closing door 21 while mediating the connection with the lifting / lowering means 50.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 40 extends in the lateral direction so as to substantially correspond to the width of the opening / closing door 21, and lower projections 41 formed at both ends thereof enter the lower rail 24 so that the lower rail 24 is moved. It is configured to go up and down along. At this time, the lower projections 41 at both ends allow the connecting member 40 to be moved up and down while the rotation of the connecting member 40 is restricted, and at the same time, the upper protrusions separated from each other so as to prevent eccentricity of the connecting member 40 in the process of moving up and down. It comprises a first projection 41a and a lower second projection 41b. Further, an upper portion of the connecting member 40 is provided with an extension portion 42 which is bent toward the discharge port 13 and extends a predetermined length, and a hinge shaft 43 for coupling with a lower end of the opening / closing door 21 is provided at both ends of the extension portion 42. Is formed. A coupling hole 21 a for coupling with the hinge shaft 43 is formed on both lower sides of the opening and closing door 21.
[0027]
Such a configuration of the connecting member 40 is such that the force transmitted through the lifting / lowering means 50 is uniformly distributed and transmitted to the lower portion of the opening / closing door 21 so that the opening / closing door 21 moves up and down smoothly without eccentricity. . Further, in such a configuration, when the connecting member 40 rises along the lower rail 24 and reaches the upper inclined portion 24a in the process of closing the opening / closing door 21, the connecting member 40 rotates forward by a predetermined angle. In this case, the lower portion of the opening / closing door 21 is moved to the discharge port 13 side by closing the upper bent portion 42 to a larger radius so as to be more securely closed.
[0028]
The elevating means 50 is connected to the lower central part of the connecting member 40 and is provided slidably up and down in the central part of the support panel 30 so that the connecting member 40 can be raised and lowered, and a rack gear part 51a is formed on one side. It includes an elevating member 51 and a drive motor 53 having a pinion 52 that meshes with a rack gear portion 51a so as to elevate the elevating member 51. At this time, a guide rail 36 for the elevating member is formed in the center of the support panel 30 in a vertical direction, and a drive motor 53 for operating the elevating member 51 is mounted on the support panel 30 adjacent to the guide rail 36.
[0029]
Further, the upper part of the elevating member 51 and the connecting member 40 are connected so as to be rotatable with each other. For such connection, a predetermined length in the lateral direction is provided at the lower central part of the connecting member 40. The coupling shaft 44 is formed, and a coupling groove 51 b corresponding to the coupling shaft 44 is formed above the elevating member 51. At this time, it is desirable that the length of the coupling shaft 44 and the coupling groove 51b be provided so as to correspond to the width of the elevating member 51, so that the eccentricity of the connecting member 40 is prevented when the elevating member 51 moves up and down. Further, it is desirable that a predetermined extra space is formed above the coupling shaft 44 of the coupling member 40 to facilitate the rotation of the coupling member 40.
[0030]
Next, the operation of the discharge port opening / closing device for an air conditioner according to the present invention having such a configuration will be described.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 7, when the discharge port 13 is open, the opening / closing door 21, the connecting member 40, and the elevating member 51 for operating them are all kept in a lowered state. At this time, the upper projection 22 of the opening / closing door 21 is placed below the upper rail 23, and the lower projections 41 at both ends of the connecting member 40 are placed below the lower rail 24. In addition, since the connecting member 40 is supported through two lower protrusions 41 including a first protrusion 41a and a second protrusion 41b which are vertically separated from each other, rotation is restricted.
[0032]
In this state, if the pinion 52 meshed with the rack gear portion 51a of the elevating member 51 is rotated by the operation of the drive motor 53, as shown in FIG. 8, the opening / closing door 21 is raised while the elevating member 51 is raised. That is, the elevating member 51 pushes up the connecting member 40, and the connecting member 40 pushes up the lower end of the door 21 again, so that the door 21 is raised.
[0033]
At this time, if the elevating member 51 further moves up a predetermined section in a state where the lower protrusions 41 on both sides of the connecting member 40 reach the inclined portion 24a of the lower rail 24, the upper first protrusion 41a enters the inclined portion 24a first. The rotation of the connecting member 40 is performed while the rotation is being performed. The upper bent portion 42 of the connecting member 40 rotates to a larger radius. Therefore, since the lower part of the opening / closing door 21 rotatably connected to the extension part 42 moves to the discharge port 13 side, the front face thereof closes with the front face of the front panel 12.
[0034]
Further, the upper protrusion 22 on the upper part of the opening / closing door 21 gradually moves toward the discharge port 13 while ascending along the inclined upper rail 23, so that when the opening / closing door 21 is completely closed, like the lower part, the front projection 22 moves forward. It closes with the front of the panel 12 aligned.
[0035]
When the opening and closing door 21 is closed and reopened, the drive motor 53 rotates in the reverse direction to rotate the pinion 52 in the opposite direction as described above, and the lifting member 51 is lowered, and the connecting member 40 is lowered together with the lifting member 51. The opening / closing door 21 is opened while being performed.
[0036]
At this time, the connecting member 40 rotates in the opposite direction when the lower protrusion 41 including the first protrusion 41a and the second protrusion 41b closes while coming out of the inclined portion 24a of the lower rail 24. After the first projection 41a and the second projection 41b have completely separated from the inclined portion 24a of the lower rail 24, they open while falling.
[0037]
On the other hand, according to the present invention, when the opening / closing operation is performed, the force transmitted through the elevating member 51 is uniformly distributed and transmitted to the lower part of the opening / closing door 21 through the connecting member 40 formed long in the lateral direction. Eccentricity of the opening / closing door 21 is prevented, and a smooth lifting operation is performed. In addition, the connecting member 40 moves up and down while preventing eccentricity and swinging through the two lower protrusions 41a and 41b connected to the lower rails 24 on both sides, so that the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door 21 is further smoothed.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the air conditioner according to the present invention, not only the force of the vertically moving elevating member is uniformly distributed and transmitted to the opening / closing door through the horizontally long connecting member, but also the both ends of the connecting member. Since the lower protrusion moves up and down along the lower rail, the eccentricity and swinging of the opening / closing door are prevented, and there is an effect that a smooth opening / closing operation is performed.
[0039]
Further, according to the present invention, when the opening / closing door is closed, the connecting member rotates at a predetermined angle and presses the lower portion of the opening / closing door toward the discharge port, so that the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door is accurately performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a discharge port opening / closing device of a conventional air conditioner.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a discharge port opening / closing device of a conventional air conditioner.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an internal configuration of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a discharge port opening / closing device of the air conditioner according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a main part of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a connecting member of an outlet opening / closing device of an air conditioner according to the present invention and a coupling structure thereof.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the discharge port opening / closing device of the air conditioner according to the present invention, showing a state where the opening / closing door is opened.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the discharge port opening / closing device of the air conditioner according to the present invention, showing a state where the opening / closing door is closed.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 Main body 12 Front panel 13 Discharge port 20 Discharge port Opening / closing device 21 Opening / closing door 22 Upper projection 23 Upper rail 24 Lower rail 24a Inclined section 30 Support panel 32 Support section 36 Lifting member guide rail 40 Connecting member 41 Lower projection 42 Extension section 43 Hinge shaft 44 Coupling shaft 50 Elevating means 51 Elevating member 52 Pinion 53 Drive motor

Claims (8)

An opening / closing door for opening / closing a discharge port formed on a front panel, guide rails provided on both sides of the discharge port to guide the opening / closing of the opening / closing door, lifting means for raising / lowering the opening / closing door, An air conditioner including a connection member that mediates connection between the means and the opening / closing door,
The connecting member is extended in a lateral direction so that a force transmitted through the lifting / lowering means is distributed and transmitted to a lower portion of the door, and is rotatably coupled to a lower end of the door. Machine. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the connection member are coupled to the guide rail so as to move up and down along the guide rail. Behind the front panel, there is provided a support panel in which a portion corresponding to the discharge port is opened and a support portion bent at both ends is formed, and the guide rails are formed at upper and lower portions of the support portion, respectively. An upper protrusion formed on both sides of an upper portion of the opening / closing door to move up and down along the upper rail, and a lower protrusion formed at both ends of the connecting member to move up and down along the lower rail. The air conditioner according to claim 2, comprising: 4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the lower rail includes an inclined portion formed to be inclined forward and upward to guide the lower protrusion toward the discharge port when the opening / closing door rises. 5. Machine. 4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the lower protrusion includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion provided to be separated from each other at an upper portion and a lower portion. 5. The elevating means is vertically coupled to the support panel, an upper part is rotatably coupled to the connecting member, and an elevating member having a rack gear portion formed in a longitudinal direction, and the rack gear is configured to elevate the elevating member. The air conditioner according to claim 3, further comprising: a drive motor including a pinion that meshes with the portion. A coupling shaft extending a predetermined length in the lateral direction is provided at a lower center of the coupling member so as to prevent eccentricity of a portion where the coupling member is coupled with the lifting member, and an upper portion of the lifting member is provided with the coupling shaft. 7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein a coupling groove coupled to the coupling shaft is formed, and a length of the coupling shaft and the coupling groove corresponds to a width of the lifting member. Machine. The connection member has an extension at an upper portion thereof which is bent toward the discharge port and extends to a predetermined length, and both ends of the extension are rotatably connected to both lower sides of the opening and closing door. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein:

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