Indoor device for air conditioner having wind visors

• US 10,203,124 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2014
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeong, Changhoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Savani, Avinash A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Becton, Martha M
• Application Number:
  US14/510,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20150211756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0011 characterised by air outlets
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0014 having two or more outlet openings
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0047 mounted in the ceiling or at the ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/082 Grilles, registers or guards
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/14 built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/10 with air supply, or exhaust, through perforated wall, floor or ceiling outlet members for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air-diffusers F24F13/06

Abstract

An indoor device for an air conditioner having wind visors is provided. Each wind visor may have a shape corresponding to a shape of a respective discharge hole of the indoor device and may be directly rotatably mounted on a bottom surface of the indoor device to guide discharged air, thereby providing a simplified structure. A fixing portion, on which the wind visor may be installed, may be provided in the indoor device, and the wind visor may be rotatably coupled to the fixing portion through the simplified structure.

Claims

1. An indoor device for an air conditioner, the indoor device comprising:

a panel disposed on a lower end of a cabinet in which a heat exchanger and a blower fan are accommodated and exposed through a ceiling, the panel having a centrally located suction hole formed inside a grill seat and a discharge hole formed beyond the periphery of the grill seat;

a suction grill installed at the grill seat and covering the suction hole, the suction grill having a concave portion formed to correspond to an inner line edge of the discharge hole;

a vane which is formed in a shape corresponding to a shape of the discharge hole, mounted interior of the discharge hole, and configured to rotate to open or close the discharge hole; and

a wind visor disposed under the vane and exterior to the discharge hole to guide the air which is discharged passing through the vane from the discharge hole, wherein the wind visor comprises;

a fixing portion disposed on an exterior side of the panel; and

a guide plate having a rounded inner surface to guide the air in a lateral direction, the guide plate being detachably connected to the fixing portion such that the guide plate may rotate using the fixing portion as an axis to adjust a discharge angle of the air guided by the wind visor,

and wherein the guide plate is positioned to be spaced below the discharge hole, has an upper edge, a lower edge and a curved surface that extends roundly such the profile corresponds to the shape of the concave portion and the upper edge of the guide plate is in contact with and corresponds to the shape of the concave portion and wherein the curved surface of the guide plate tapers such that both the upper edge and the lower edge arc to meet at a rounded point near the fixing portion.

2. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing portion is disposed on the one side of the panel corresponding to each of both ends of the guide plate, and wherein the wind visor further comprises:

coupling portions that extend in directions facing each other and having screw shapes to pass through the fixing portion are disposed at the both ends of the guide plate, respectively; and

a cap having a screw thread corresponding to an inside of a respective coupling portion of the coupling portions and coupled to the respective coupling portion to fix the guide plate at a predetermined angle.

3. The indoor device according to claim 2, wherein the fixing portion protrudes from an outer surface of the panel.

4. The indoor device according to claim 3, wherein the discharge hole comprises a plurality of discharge holes and the fixing portion comprises a plurality of fixing portions, wherein a corner cover that defines an exterior of each edge of the indoor device is detachably disposed on each edge of the panel between the plurality of discharge holes, and wherein each corner cover includes a cutoff cut to expose at least a portion of a respective fixing portion of the plurality of fixing portions outside of the indoor device.

5. The indoor device according to claim 2, wherein the coupling portions are integrated with the guide plate when the guide plate is molded.

6. The indoor device according to claim 2, wherein the coupling portions are provided as separate members and are coupled to the guide plate.

7. The indoor device according to claim 2, wherein the discharge hole comprises a plurality of discharge holes and the fixing portion comprises a plurality of fixing portions, wherein a corner cover that defines an exterior of each edge of the indoor device is detachably disposed on each edge of the panel between the plurality of discharge holes, and wherein the plurality of fixing portions is disposed on the corner covers.

8. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein a coupling portion press-fitted into the fixing portion that protrudes inward to serve as a rotational shaft of the guide plate is disposed on each of both lateral ends of the guide plate, and wherein a plurality of planes corresponding to each other are provided on a circumference of each coupling portion and an inner surface of the fixing portion.

9. The indoor device according to claim 8, wherein a central portion of the coupling portion is cut in a longitudinal direction to pass through the fixing portion, or the coupling portion is elastically deformed when the guide plate rotates.

10. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein a connection member that connects the fixing portion to the guide plate and serves as a rotational shaft of the guide plate is disposed on each of both lateral ends of the guide plate.

11. The indoor device according to claim 10, wherein the connection member comprises:

a first connection member connected to each of both lateral ends of the guide plate; and

a second connection member connected to the fixing portion, and wherein the first and second connection members are rotatably coupled to each other.

12. The indoor device according to claim 11, wherein the first connection member comprises a rotational portion that protrudes to be inserted into the second connection member and a tooth portion disposed around the rotational portion, and wherein the second connection member comprises a rotational shaft that passes through the rotational portion and a restricter that contacts an outer surface of the tooth portion to selectively restrict relative rotation between the first and second connection members.

13. The indoor device according to claim 10, wherein the connection member comprises:

a mount protrusion coupled to an end of the guide plate;

a rotational portion disposed on a lower portion of the mount protrusion, wherein the rotational portion protrudes to be inserted into the fixing portion; and

teeth disposed around the rotational portion.

14. The indoor device according to claim 13, wherein an opening, in which the rotational portion is accommodated, and a tooth portion corresponding to the teeth are defined in the fixing portion, and wherein a center of the opening is cut and elastically deformed when the rotational portion rotates.

15. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate extends along the concave portion and is opened to the outside of the indoor device.

16. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein both lateral ends of the guide plate are formed to be rounded inward.

17. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is rounded toward the panel in a direction of each of both lateral ends of the guide plate.

18. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge hole comprises a plurality of discharge holes defined, respectively, in each of four sides of the panel, and wherein each discharge hole has a width that gradually decreases in an outward direction.

19. The indoor device according to claim 1, wherein the wind visor contacts the panel along the inner line of the discharge hole and is open in an outward direction.