Apparatus for operating auto-shutter in air conditioner

• US 20060199504A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winia Mando Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Winia Mando Incorporated
• Inventors: Park, Jun Hyung, Jung, Hyoung Bok, Moon, Kwang Oh, Kim, Jun Woo, Bae, Joung Hwa
• Granted Patent: US 7,399,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/229
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0011 characterised by air outlets
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/005 mounted on the floor; standing on the floor
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/1426 characterised by actuating means

Abstract

An apparatus for operating an auto-shutter in an air-conditioner is provided, which includes an external casing in which a louver frame having an exit is installed in the inner portion of the upper end thereof, an auto-shutter movable between an opened position opening the exit and a closed position closing the exit, and a shutter driver driving the auto-shutter. The shutter driver includes a driving motor which is rotatable forwardly and backwardly, a screw-rod shaped rotational rod which is coupled with the driving motor and thus rotates, a bushing which is coupled with the rotational rod and ascends and descends along with the rotational rod, a slider one end of which is coupled with the auto-shutter and the other end of which is coupled with the bushing, an angular rotating unit which makes the driving motor and the rotational rod rotate by a predetermined angle when the auto-shutter moves from the opened position to the closed position, and a rotational rod guider which guides and supports rotation of the rotational rod, wherein guide rails are formed on both side surfaces in the louver frame in order to guide the auto-shutter. Also, the shutter driver may include a driving motor which is provided to provide a driving force for opening and closing and moving the auto-shutter and is rotatable forwardly and backwardly, a screw-rod shaped rotational rod which is coupled with the driving motor and thus rotates, a bushing which is coupled with the rotational rod and ascends and descends along with the rotational rod, and a slider one end of which is coupled with the auto-shutter and the other end of which is coupled with the bushing, wherein guide rails are formed on both side walls in the louver frame in order to guide the auto-shutter. Likewise, without employing an auto-shutter driving system which is opened and closed by the rack-and-pinion mutual operation in a conventional rack and pinion structure, the auto-shutter is opened and closed by a new system having a shutter driver which includes a screw-rod shaped rotational rod, a bushing, a slider, and a driving motor, thereby driving the auto-shutter more effectively in view of driving power used.

Claims

1. An auto-shutter operating apparatus for use in an air-conditioner, the auto-shutter operating apparatus comprising:

an external casing in which a louver frame having an exit is installed in the inner portion of the upper end thereof;

an auto-shutter movable between an opened position opening the exit and a closed position closing the exit; and

a shutter driver driving the auto-shutter,

wherein the shutter driver comprises;

a driving motor which is rotatable forwardly and backwardly;

a screw-rod shaped rotational rod which is coupled with the driving motor and thus rotates;

a bushing which is coupled with the rotational rod and ascends and descends along with the rotational rod;

a slider one end of which is coupled with the auto-shutter and the other end of which is coupled with the bushing;

an angular rotating unit which makes the driving motor and the rotational rod rotate by a predetermined angle when the auto-shutter moves from the opened position to the closed position; and

a rotational rod guider which guides and supports rotation of the rotational rod, wherein guide rails are formed on both side surfaces in the louver frame in order to guide the auto-shutter.

2. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angular rotating unit comprises:

a pair of pins which are formed on both side surfaces of the driving motor;

a pair of pin blocks which arrange the pins in the external casing having pin accommodators which rotatably encompass the pins; and

fixing members which fix the pin blocks to the external casing.

3. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotational rod guider comprises:

a fixing plate which is fixed along the horizontal direction in the area of the exit; and

an elongate hole which is penetratively formed on the plate surface of the fixing plate and into which the upper end of the rotational rod is inserted.

4. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of protrusions which are extended outwards and radially are formed on both side surfaces of the auto-shutter, and guide rails which accommodate and guide the protrusions comprises a vertical section and horizontal sections which are horizontally extended from certain portions of the vertical section, respectively.

5. An auto-shutter operating apparatus for use in an air-conditioner, the auto-shutter operating apparatus comprising:

an external casing in which a louver frame having an exit is installed in the inner portion of the upper end thereof;

an auto-shutter movable between an opened position opening the exit and a closed position closing the exit; and

a shutter driver driving the auto-shutter,

wherein the shutter driver comprises;

a driving motor which is provided to provide a driving force for opening and closing and moving the auto-shutter and is rotatable forwardly and backwardly;

a screw-rod shaped rotational rod which is coupled with the driving motor and thus rotates;

a bushing which is coupled with the rotational rod and ascends and descends along with the rotational rod; and

a slider one end of which is coupled with the auto-shutter and the other end of which is coupled with the bushing,

wherein guide rails are formed on both side walls in the louver frame in order to guide the auto-shutter.

6. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotational rod has a circular rod shaped shaft structure of having a truncated surface formed by truncating the circular screw-rod shaped shaft axially and symmetrically left and right, screw grooves formed in the overall portion of the rotational rod in whole except for the truncated surface, and rounded curved surfaces formed at a start point of each of screw grooves, and wherein the bushing has screw threads which correspond to and are engaged with screw grooves of the rotational rod, on the inner circumferential surface of the bushing, and curved surfaces corresponding to the curved surfaces of the rotational rod, in the screw threads.

7. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a number of oil grooves are formed in the rotational rod at a certain interval separately from the screw grooves, and oil grooves are vertically formed in the inner circumferential surface of the bushing at equi-intervals, separately from the screw threads.

8. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a shield film is formed along the lower circumference of the rotational rod, in order to prevent oil from being introduced into the driving motor, and the driving motor is coupled at the lower side of the shield film.

9. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a coupler whose cross-section is reduced in comparison with the body of the rotational rod is formed at the lower end of the shield film of the rotational rod, a coupling hole with which the rotational shaft of the driving motor is coupled is formed at the center of the coupler, and a number of reinforced ribs are formed axially at certain intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the coupler.

10. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein one end of the slider is formed of a rectangular body on the left and right sides of which hinge pins are provided, and the other end of the slider which is coupled with the bushing is formed of a link portion of a shaft-shaped form integrally extended from the rectangular body, a slider combiner is formed on the rear surface of the auto-shutter, wherein the slider combiner has a structure of the bracket 54 which is protruded at certain intervals so that the slider may be smoothly coupled with the auto-shutter, and pin accommodation grooves are formed on the bracket.

11. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the slider is integrally formed with the bushing.

12. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a stop position of the auto-shutter, that is, a stop point in time of the driving motor is determined by a detector unit comprising a proximation sensor provided in one side of the louver frame, a first detection bar integrally formed in the lower end of the bushing or the slider coupled with the bushing, and a second detection bar provided in the upper end of one side of the auto-shutter.

13. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a stop position of the auto-shutter, that is, a stop point in time of the driving motor is determined by a detector unit comprising a plurality of proximation sensors provided in one side of the louver frame at a predetermined interval (an interval between the open and closed positions of the auto-shutter) up and down, a detection bar integrally formed in the lower end of the bushing or the slider coupled with the bushing.

14. The auto-shutter operating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a inner bent portion is formed in the upper end of the auto-shutter, to thereby make the bent portion of the auto-shutter and the contact surface of the louver frame congruent and engaged with other when the auto-shutter descends to open the exit completely.