Indoor unit in air conditioner Number:7,181,925 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent An indoor unit of an air conditioner is provided. The indoor unit has an improved airflow structure, for a rapid air conditioning of the room, a user's convenience, and an efficiency of the air conditioner.<H conditioner, Indoor, Indoor, unit, in, , 7181925.html, Patent, pto, 7181925

Title: Indoor unit in air conditioner

Abstract: An indoor unit of an air conditioner is provided. The indoor unit has an improved airflow structure, for a rapid air conditioning of the room, a user's convenience, and an efficiency of the air conditioner.

Patent Number: 7,181,925 Issued on 02/27/2007 to Lee, et al.

Inventors: Lee; Hae Rim (Jinhae-si, KR), Hur; Hvun (Busan-si, KR)
Assignee: LG Electronics Inc. (Seoul, KR)

Appl. No.: 10/960,098

Filed: October 8, 2004

Foreign Application Priority Data


Mar 04, 2004 [KR]			10-2004-0014495
Mar 04, 2004 [KR]			10-2004-0014507

Current U.S. Class: 62/262 ; 62/285

Current International Class: F25D 23/12 (20060101)

Field of Search: 62/262-263,285-291,428-429

References Cited [Referenced By]

U.S. Patent Documents


4637223	January 1987	Hosoya et al.
5372189	December 1994	Tsunekawa et al.
5542263	August 1996	Choi et al.
6105383	August 2000	Reimann et al.
7021076	April 2006	Park et al.

Foreign Patent Documents


1255609	Jun., 2000	CN
1 041 351	Oct., 2000	EP
1 361 398	Nov., 2003	EP
1 367 336	Dec., 2003	EP
1 522 795	Apr., 2005	EP
08-200799	Aug., 1996	JP
10-197000	Jul., 1998	JP
10-197001	Jul., 1998	JP
63-251734	Oct., 1998	JP

Primary Examiner: Tapolcai; William E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP

Claims

The invention claimed is:

1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a front flame for protecting a front side of the indoor unit; a heat exchanger for performing heat exchange; an air guide for guiding airflow of an inside of the indoor unit; a rear cover including inclined surfaces of which at least one of both side surfaces and upper and lower surfaces is inclined at a predetermined angle, at least one suction hole formed at at least one of the inclined surfaces and at least one position of a middle portion, and a filter insertion hole formed at a lower portion thereof; and a filter inserted into the filter insertion hole.

2. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a suction grill for protecting the suction hole.

3. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a front frame coupling part formed at a front edge part of the rear cover and coupled with the front frame.

4. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a filter guide coupled in up and down directions to inner side portions of the rear cover, for supporting the filter.

5. The indoor unit according to claim 4, wherein the rear cover comprises a first heat exchanger support part formed at an inner surface of the rear cover such that an installation position of the filter guide is guided.

6. The indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the rear cover comprises a first heat exchanger support part formed at a lower portion of the rear cover, for supporting the heat exchanger from a rear direction.

7. The indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the rear cover comprises a first heat exchanger support part protruded in an inward direction of the rear cover, for supporting the heat exchanger.

8. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a drain pan formed at a lower portion of the heat exchanger; for collecting condensed water; and a drain pan guide part formed at a lower portion of the rear cover such that a lower portion of the drain pan is fixed.

9. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a tube cover formed at a lower portion of the rear cover, for protecting a tube connected with the heat exchanger; and a tube cover fixing part formed at at least a lower portion of the rear cover such that the tube cover is fixed to the rear cover.

10. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a flow guide extending from a lower portion of the filter insertion hole to an inner portion of the rear cover.

11. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a filter fixing rib protruded from a lower end of the filter such that the filter is fixed to the rear cover; and a filter fixing groove processed at a lower portion of the filter insertion hole such that the filter fixing rib is inserted.

12. The indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises a filter handle extended with a stepped portion at a lower end of the filter such that a user holds the filter.

13. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a filter settlement surface formed at a lower surface of the filter insertion hole, for guiding settlement of the filter when the filter is placed.

14. The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a dust collector formed at an inner surface of the rear cover where the suction hole is formed, for filtering out fine dust contained in the suctioned air.

15. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a front frame for protecting a front side; a rear cover for protecting a rear side, the rear cover having one outer perimeter including an inclined portion which is inwardly inclined as it goes to a rear side; a heat exchanger received in an inner space of the font frame and the rear cover, for performing heat exchange; a blower fun for forcibly blowing air; an air guide for guiding a flow of the air by the blower fan in through the rear cover, across the heat exchanger, and out through the front frame; and a filter inserted through a predetermined position of the rear cover and mounted on an inner surface of the rear cover.

16. The indoor unit according to claim 15, wherein the inclined portion has an air suction hole formed at at least one portion thereof for sucking outer air.

17. The indoor unit according to claim 15, further comprising an air suction hole formed at a central portion of the rear cover.

18. The indoor unit according to claim 15, wherein the heat exchanger has a rear side supported by the rear cover, a lower side supported by a drain pan, and a front side supported by the air guide.

19. The indoor unit according to claim 15, wherein the inclined portion includes inclined upper and lower surfaces.

20. The indoor unit according to claim 19, wherein the inclined portion further includes inclined side surfaces.

21. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a front frame for protecting a front side of the indoor unit; a heat exchanger for performing heat exchange; an air guide for guiding airflow of an inside of the indoor unit; a rear cover including inclined surfaces of which both side surfaces or upper and lower surfaces are inclined at a predetermined angle, at least one suction hole formed at at least one of the inclined surfaces and at least one position of a middle portion of the rear cover, and a filter insertion hole formed at a lower portion of the rear cover; and a filter inserted into the filter insertion hole.

22. The indoor unit according to claim 21, further comprising a front frame coupling part formed at a front edge part of the rear cover and coupled with the front frame.

23. The indoor unit according to claim 21, further comprising a filter guide coupled in up and down directions to inner side portions of the rear cover, for supporting the filter.

Description

This Non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 10-2004-0014495 and 10-2004-0014507 filed in Korea, Republic of on Mar. 4, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner which has an improved suction and discharge method such that the indoor unit of the air conditioner can have efficient inner structure.

BACKGROUND ART

Air conditioning system is an apparatus in which a refrigerant performs a refrigerant cycle including compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation, in order to control the temperature of certain space according to user's desire. When the air conditioning system is operated to lower the temperature of the certain space, the air conditioning system is used as a cooling system. On the other hand, when the air conditioning system is operated to increase the temperature of the certain space, the air conditioning system is used as a heat pump. Meanwhile, the air conditioning system is usually used as the cooling system. The air conditioning system includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit is located in a humanly occupied space to supply a cool air thereto, and the outdoor unit is located at an outside of the humanly occupied space to release heat.

Further, the indoor unit includes a heat exchanger extracting heat from the humanly occupied space, a blower fan forcibly blowing an air to the heat exchanger to create a convective heat transfer therebetween for a fast supply of a cool air to the humanly occupied space. There are several kinds of indoor units such as a wall mount, a standing, a ceiling-suspended and a ceiling-embedded types according to the installation method of the indoor unit.

Typically, the wall mount type indoor unit is fixed to a wall of a room, and includes an air suction hole at an upper side and an air discharge hole at a bottom. However, it is not good for the user to use the typical wall mount type indoor unit having the above-mentioned structure because the suction hole is formed at the upper side and the discharge hole is formed at the bottom. In detail, the drawback is that the air conditioning is not rapidly performed for an entire indoor space because the discharging air is blown only in downward direction.

Further, an inside construction of the indoor unit is limited. For example, since a cross flow fan is installed in the related art indoor unit, a flow rate is restricted and the indoor unit has a large size because the cross flow fan occupies large portion of the indoor unit.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an indoor unit of an air conditioner that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an improved inner structure for constructing the indoor unit more efficiently.

Also, an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an improved air suction and discharge method such that the indoor unit can be installed without limitation, thereby increasing user's convenience.

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner which is intensively made for a simple and strong structure. Furthermore, the indoor unit can have a larger blast capacity than the same-sized indoor unit of the related art and thus can have an increased efficiency.

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner which is designed to increase user's convenience.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, there is provided an indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a front frame for protecting a front side of the indoor unit; a heat exchanger for performing heat exchange; an air guide for guiding airflow of an inside of the indoor unit; inclined surfaces of which both side surfaces and/or upper and lower surfaces are inclined at a predetermined angle; at least one suction hole formed at least one of the inclined surfaces and at least one position of a middle portion; a rear cover including a filter insertion hole formed at a lower portion thereof; and a filter inserted into the filter insertion hole.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a font frame for protecting a front side; a rear cover for protecting a rear side; a heat exchanger received in an inner space of the front frame and the rear cover, for performing heat exchange; a blower fan for forcibly blowing air; an air guide for guiding a flow of the air by the blower fan; a filter provided at an inner surface of the rear cover; a drain pan disposed at an inner portion of a lower side of the rear cover, for draining condensed water of the heat exchanger; and a filter guide fixed on an inner surface of the rear cover such that the fitter is mounted on an exact position of the rear cover.

In a further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a front frame for protecting a front side; a rear cover for protecting a rear side, the rear cover having one outer circumference including an inclined portion which is inwardly inclined as it goes to a rear side; a heat exchanger received in an inner space of the front frame and the rear cover, for performing heat exchange; a blower fan for forcibly blowing air; an air guide for guiding a flow of the air by the blower fan; and a filter inserted through a predetermined position of the rear cover and mounted on an inner surface of the rear cover.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

An advantage of the present invention is that an indoor unit of an air conditioner has an improved structure for constructing the indoor unit more efficiently. Also, the indoor unit has an improved air suction and discharge method, such that the indoor unit can be conveniently mounted.

Further, an advantage of the present invention is that the indoor unit has a large blast capacity compared to its size and thus has an increased efficiency. Also, the indoor unit is made to have a simple and strong structure and thereby increases user's convenience.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view schematically showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view schematically showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front exploded perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear exploded perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an airflow passage of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another air discharge passage of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another air suction passage of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view showing an installation structure of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a settlement guide as shown in FIG. 8 according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a receiving hook according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a view showing an installation structure of receiving hooks according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side view showing an air suction passage of an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an installation structure of an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing another installation structure of an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a further another installation structure of an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a view showing a way of forming a settlement guide according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a yet further another installation structure of an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a rear perspective view showing an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a partial enlarged view of "D" depicted in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a front plate according to the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a side plate according to the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a rear plate according to the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a connection of a front plate and a side plate according to the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a connection of a front plate, a side plate, and a rear plate according to the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a connection of a front plate and an indoor unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a partial rear view of a front plate to which a support protrusion is securely inserted;

FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of a rear cover according to the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a rear perspective view of a rear cover according to the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a section taken on line I I' in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a section taken on line II II' in FIG. 28;

FIG. 31 is a partial enlarged view of "A" depicted in FIG. 27;

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a filter according to the present invention;

FIG. 33 is a front perspective view of a rear cover to which a filter is coupled;

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a filter guide according to the present invention;

FIG. 35 is a partial perspective view showing a lower portion of a rear cover;

FIG. 36 is a section taken on line III III' in FIG. 35;

FIG. 37 is a section taken on line IV IV' in FIG. 35;

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of a drain pan according to the present invention;

FIG. 39 is a section taken on line V V' in FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is a section taken on line VI VI' in FIG. 38;

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a tube cover according to the present invention;

FIG. 42 is a front perspective view of a rear cover to which a drain pan and a tube cover are coupled according to the present invention;

FIG. 43 is a front perspective view of an air guide according to the present invention;

FIG. 44 is a rear perspective view of an air guide according to the present invention;

FIG. 45 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to the present invention;

FIG. 46 is a view showing a connection of a heat exchanger and an air guide according to the present invention;

FIG. 47 is a view showing a connection of a heat exchanger, an air guide, and a drain pan according to the present invention;

FIG. 48 is a partial enlarged view of "B" depicted in FIG. 47;

FIG. 49 is a perspective view showing an air guide according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 50 is a perspective view showing an air guide according to a further another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 51 is a front perspective view of an indoor unit, showing an opening/closing device according to the present invention;

FIG. 52 is a perspective view of an opening/closing device for opening and closing discharge holes according to the present invention;

FIG. 53 is a section taken on line VII VII' in FIG. 52;

FIG. 54 is a front perspective view of a transfer part according to the present invention;

FIG. 55 is a rear perspective view of a transfer part according to the present invention;

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of a link according to the present invention;

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of a driven gear according to the present invention;

FIG. 58 is a perspective view of a driving gear according to the present invention;

FIG. 59 is a perspective view of a lower case according to the present invention;

FIG. 60 is a rear perspective view of a front frame to which a discharge door motor is coupled according to the present invention;

FIGS. 61 and 62 are views showing an operation of an opening/closing device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 61 shows transfer parts located at outward position and FIG. 62 at inward position;

FIG. 63 is a view showing an opening/closing device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 64 is a view showing an opening/closing device according to a further another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 65 is a view showing an operation of an opening/closing device according to the present invention;

FIG. 66 is a rear perspective view of a front panel according to the present invention;

FIG. 67 is a front perspective view of a front frame according to the present invention;

FIG. 68 is a rear perspective view of a front frame according to the present invention;

FIG. 69 is a partial enlarged view of "C" depicted in FIG. 68;

FIG. 70 is a rear perspective view of a front frame to which a motor is mounted according to the present invention; and

FIG. 71 is a perspective view of a motor mount according to the present invention.

BEST MODE

The present invention will be understood apparently with the following embodiments. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein and it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view schematically showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view schematically showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an indoor unit 1 of an air conditioner includes a front panel 100, a front frame 200, a rear cover 600, and a tube cover 830. The front panel 100 is provided at a front of the indoor unit 1. The front frame 200 receives the front plate 100 so as to form a front cover and includes side discharge holes 220 at both sides. The rear cover 600 is coupled to the front frame 200 to protect backside of the indoor unit 1. The tube cover 830 is formed at lower portion of the indoor unit 1 to receive tubes coming outside of the indoor unit.

The side discharge hole 220 may be formed at one side or each side of the front frame 200 to discharge an air cooled at a front side portion of the indoor unit 1. In detail, since each side of the front frame 200 slopes outward from its front edge toward its backside, the air discharging through the side discharge holes 220 can be spread over entire indoor space. Further, since the side discharge holes 220 are formed on sides of the indoor unit 1, entire front face of the indoor unit 1 is clearly covered by the front panel, such that the indoor unit 1 can have better appearance.

The rear cover 600 includes a backwardly elevated center portion, and sloped portions that slope inwardly from peripheral edges toward the elevated center portion to meet the elevated center portion. The rear cover 600 is provided with suction holes to suck in outside air. The suction holes include central suction hole 620 formed at the elevated center portion, an upper suction hole 610 formed at a sloped upper portion, and a filter insertion hole 630 formed at a sloped lower portion. Each of the suction holes 620 and 610 is formed with a grill having a plurality of bars, for blocking somewhat large particles while sucking the outside air. Since the outside air can be sucked through the filter insertion hole 630 and the filter insertion hole 630 is capable of sucking the outside air, the suction holes of the present invention include the filter insertion hole 630.

The front panel may includes a transparent window 111 at a predetermined portion for observing inside the indoor unit 1, and a display unit formed inside the indoor unit 1 may be observed through the window 111 to see an operational status of the indoor unit 1. It is possible to provide the window 111 because the front panel 100 covers large portion of the front face of the indoor unit 1. This can be attained owing to an airflow structure, one aspect of the present invention, in which an air is discharged at a front lateral side.

An airflow passage inside the indoor unit will now be described with reference to above-mentioned structure of the indoor unit 1.

The airflow passage of the indoor unit 1 is described as followings: Outside air is sucked through the suction holes 610 and 620, and the filter insertion hole 630, which are formed at predetermined portions of the rear cover 600; The sucked air goes through a heat exchanger installed within the indoor unit, for a heat exchange; and the heat exchanged air is discharged through one or more discharge holes formed at a predetermined portion of the front frame 200. Specifically, since the discharge holes are formed at the front lateral inclined sides of the indoor unit 1, the discharging air can be spread over entire indoor space and thus the users can feel good quickly.

FIG. 3 is a front exploded perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention and FIG. 4 is a rear exploded perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, there are shown an entire structure of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 of the present invention. The indoor unit 1 includes the front panel 100, the front frame 200, a blower fan 800, an air guide 400, a heat exchanger 810, and the rear cover 600. The front panel 100 forms a front exterior of the indoor unit 1. The front frame 200 receives the front panel 100 to protect the front of the indoor unit 1. The blower fan 800 is disposed behind the front frame 200 for sucking outside air. The air guide 400 is to be coupled with the blower fan 800 to guide the air sucked due to the rotation of the blower fan 800. The heat exchanger 810 is disposed behind the air guide 400 to lower the temperature of the sucked air by contacting with the sucked air. The rear cover 600 is disposed behind the heat exchanger 810 to be coupled to the front frame 200 for protecting the backside of the indoor unit 1.

The indoor unit 1 includes the front panel 100, the front frame 200, the blower fan 800, the air guide 400, the heat exchanger 810, and the rear cover 600 that are assembled in this order.

The indoor unit 1 further includes a drain pan 820 and the tube cover 830. The drain pan 820 is disposed below the heat exchanger 810 to drain the water condensed at the heat exchanger 810 and the tube cover 830 is provided to protect a refrigerant tube connected to the heat exchanger 810 and a condensed water drain tube. Furthermore, the indoor unit 1 includes a lower discharge hole door 470 that are disposed below the air guide 400. The lower discharge hole door 470 determines the direction of airflow to be discharged through a bottom discharge hole 210 and opens and closes the bottom discharge hole 210. The bottom discharge hole 210 allows the air guided by a lower air guide 420 to be discharged at a lower side of the indoor unit 1.

An opening/closing device 300 is disposed between the front panel 100 and the front frame 200, for opening and closing the side discharge holes 220. Herein, the opening/closing device is fixed to the front frame 200.

An electrical part 460 is provided at upper location between the front frame 200 and the air guide 400, for controlling operations of electrical parts such as a motor. Wind direction shifters 430 are disposed at both side of the air guide 400, for shifting the direction of the air flowing through the side discharge holes 220. The wind direction shifter 430 includes a safety screen 440 for not allowing a user to insert his or her hand thereto. The safety screen 440 is provided to protect user's hand from the blower fan 800 in case the user insert his or her hand into the wind direction shifter 430. An upper air guide 410 is provided at an upper position of the air guide 400, for guiding the air blown by the blower fan 800 toward the side discharge holes 220. The lower air guide 420 is provided at a lower position of the air guide 400, for guiding the air blown by the blower fan 800 toward the bottom discharge hole 210.

Function and operation of each element of the present invention will now be described.

The front panel 100 is attached at a front face of the indoor unit 1, for forming a front exterior of the indoor unit 1. The window 111 may be provided at a predetermined portion of the front panel 100, for an observation of the display unit (240 in FIG. 67) that displays on/off status and/or operational status of the indoor unit 1. The front panel 100 may include a finishing material or a design, for a good and beautiful exterior of the indoor unit 1.

The front frame 200 includes front peripheral sides that are inclined at a predetermined angle, and the front panel 100 is attached thereto. The side discharge holes 220 and/or the bottom discharge hole 210 may be formed at at least one side of the front peripheral sides of the front frame 200. The front panel 100 may be fixedly attached to the front frame 200 or may be attached while allowing movement in left and right directions in order to form a discharge hole at the front of the indoor unit 1.

A fan motor (280 in FIG. 70) attached to a rear face of the front face 200 drives the blower fan 800, such that indoor air can be sucked into the indoor unit 1. The number of the blower fan 800 may be one or more according to the size or use of the indoor unit 1. A turbofan having a large capacity may be used for the blower fan 800.

The air guide 400 guides the air to be sucked to the blower fan 800 via an air guide hole 450, and the upper air guide 410 and the lower air guide 420 guide the sucked air to the side discharge holes 220 and the bottom discharge hole 210.

The heat exchanger 810 includes a tube 811 turned a number of times. Low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant passed an expansion valve flows in the tube 811. Since a heat exchanger with wide area has good heat transfer performance, the heat exchanger 810 may have a flat rectangular shape or folded at a predetermined angle. The drain pan 820 is provided below the heat exchanger 810 to receive the dropping water condensed at the surface of the heat exchanger 810, thereby preventing the condensed water from dropping outside of the indoor unit 1.

The rear cover 600 is provided with suction holes at least one portion, such as the upper suction hole 610 at upper portion and the central suction hole 620 at center portion. In order words, the shape and number of the suction holes, such as the upper suction hole 610 and the central suction hole 620, may be selected according to the shape and capacity of the indoor unit 1. Herein, each of the suction holes 610 and 620 includes a grill having bars repeatedly formed with a predetermined space therebetween, such that particles included in the air can be primarily blocked. Further, the rear cover may be formed with the filter insertion hole 630 at a predetermined portion, for inserting a filter (refer to FIG. 32) to filter out impurities such as dust. Preferably, the filter is inserted between the rear cover 600 and the heat exchanger 810 in order to prevent adhesion of impurities on the surface of the heat exchanger 810. The filter insertion hole 630 may be function as an air suction hole.

The peripheral sides of the rear cover 600 is formed having slopes at a predetermined angle and the upper suction hole 610 at this sloped side of the rear cover 600, such that the indoor air can be smoothly sucked. Specifically, in case the indoor unit is installed close to a corner of wall, air suction can be smoothly performed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view fully showing an airflow passage of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the indoor air is sucked through the upper suction hole 610 and/or the central suction hole 620 and/or the filter insertion hole 630 of the rear cover 600. The sucked air exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 810 and flows to the air guide hole 450 and flows to a suction side of the blower fan 800. Herein, the suction force of the blower fan 800 motivates the above airflow. The upper air guide 410 and the lower air guide 420 are functions to guide the air discharging from the blower fan 800 in a predetermined direction.

In detail, the air guided by the upper air guide 410 is discharged through the side discharge holes 220 and the air guided by the lower air guide 420 is discharged through the bottom discharge hole 210. The wind direction shifters 430 guide the air discharging through the side discharge holes 220, such that the cooled air can be spread over entire indoor space. The lower discharge hole door 470 may guide the air discharging through the bottom discharge hole 210.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another air discharge passage of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Referring to the FIG. 6, the front frame 200 is provided with a top discharge hole 211 at a top, such that the cooled air can be discharged through the top discharge hole 211. Herein, in order to discharge the cooled air through the top discharge hole 211, the structure and shape of the upper air guide 410 may be changed properly. In this case, since the pneumatic resistance may be reduced, the blowing efficiency may be increased. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another air suction passage of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the rear cover 600 is provided with side suction holes 640. By forming the side suction holes 640, the pneumatic resistance can be reduced and thus efficiency of indoor unit 1 can be increased.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view showing an installation structure of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, to fix the indoor unit on a wall, the rear cover further includes a support panel 622 formed at a rear side thereof, settlement guides 650 formed at upper and lower portions thereof, and holes 651 formed at the settlement guides in up and down directions.

The support panel 622 may be securely fixed to the rear cover 600 by using various methods such as screw coupling and adhesion. The settlement guides 650 may be fixed to the support panel 622 by using various methods such as screw coupling and adhesion, or may be formed integral with the supporting panel 633. Herein, the shape of the settlement guides 650 and the number of the holes 651 is not limited to this embodiment and may be formed various shapes and numbers according to the shape and size of the indoor unit 1. The settlement guides 650 may be fixed direct to the rear cover 600 or formed integral with the rear cover 600, without the support panel 622 therebetween.

In detail, the settlement guides 650 may have elongated cuboid shape and attached to the upper and lower portions of the support panel 622 as shown in FIG. 8, and as well the settlement guides 650 may have short cuboid shape and individually attached to four corners of the support panel 622 as shown in FIG. 9. In case the settlement guides 650 is formed as shown in FIG. 9, an air sucking space between the indoor unit 1 and the wall is enlarged, the pneumatic resistance of the airflow may be reduced furthermore.

The shape of the holes 651 is not limited to this embodiment. The holes 651 may be formed in various shapes such as groove and rectangle, provided that bars can be inserted into and supported by the holes 651.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a receiving hook according to the present invention and FIG. 11 is a view showing an installation structure of receiving hooks according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, receiving hooks 660 are coupled to a wall 840 using an adhesion-like method. The receiving hook 660 includes a support 661 for fixing the indoor unit 1 to the wall 840 while spacing between the indoor unit 1 and the wall 840, extension 662 extending forwardly from the support 661, and boss 663 protruded upwardly by a predetermined length from the extension 662.

In detail, the outer diameter of the boss 663 is designed for an exact insertion to the hole 651. The shape of the boss 663 is not limited to the cylindrical shape as this embodiment. The boss 663 may have various shapes provided that the boss 663 can be engaged and closely coupled to the hole 651 without a shake. The support 661 has a predetermined thickness in order to make a space between the indoor unit 1 and the wall when the indoor unit 1 is coupled with the receiving hooks 660. The support 661 also has a surface area larger than a predetermined value in order to couple the receiving hooks 660 to the wall 840. In case there is a sufficient coupling force, the surface area of the support 661 may be not important factor. The extension 662 is extended forwardly from the support 661 and formed with the boss 663 on a top thereof. The extension 662 allows the receiving hooks 660 as a whole to be spaced more than a predetermined distance from the wall 840, which provides a predetermined or more distance between the indoor unit 1 and the wall 840, such that the pneumatic resistance of the air sucking through the rear cover 600 can be reduced.

Though the support 661, the extension 662, and the boss 663 may be formed in various ways, preferably they are integrally formed using two or more members. The receiving hooks 660 can be arranged in rectangular fashion in which the receiving hooks 660 are disposed at upper and lower locations of the wall 840 with spaced one another as shown in the drawing. The distance between the receiving hooks 660 may be determined according to the size of the indoor unit 1.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing an indoor unit coupled with receiving hooks according to the present invention;

Referring to FIG. 12, since the indoor unit 1 is coupled with the wall 840 with spaced a predetermined distance therebetween, such that a space along which air flows to be sucked into the indoor unit 1 can be formed between the indoor unit 1 and the wall 840. The air introduced along the space may be sucked through the suction holes 610 and 620 of the rear cover 600. Meanwhile, even though there is a narrow space between the rear cover 600 and the wall 840, the upper suction hole 610 is not interfered by the wall 840 and thereby the air can be smoothly sucked. The arrow in the drawing denotes the air sucking through the central suction hole 620.

FIGS. 13 to 15 show ways of mounting an indoor unit according to embodiments of the present invention: FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an indoor unit mounted on a flat wall; FIG. 14 is a plan view showing an indoor unit mounted on a corner of a wall; and, FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an indoor unit mounted on a corner of a wall according to another embodiment.

According to the present invention, the indoor unit 1 can be mounted on a flat wall and as well a corner of a wall without limitation due to the settlement guides 650 and the receiving hooks 660. Further, the front direction of the indoor unit 1 can be freely adjusted according to attached locations of the receiving hooks 660. Therefore, the mounting position and direction of the indoor unit 1 is freely adjustable without changing the airflow passage for smooth air suction, thereby increasing user's convenience.

Referring to FIG. 13, the indoor unit 1 can be mounted on an ordinary flat wall and the receiving hooks 660 can be fixed at proper locations according to the thicknesses of the settlement guides 650.

Referring to the FIG. 14, the angles between the indoor unit 1 and the wall are different, one side has a mounting angle .alpha. of 30 degrees and the other side has a mounting angle .beta. of 60 degrees. Preferably, this installation structure can be applied when the indoor space has a rectangular shape such that the air needs to be blown much more in one direction or when there is an obstacle at one side of the indoor space. Of course, it is apparent that the mounting locations of the receiving hooks 660 depend on the mounting angles.

Referring to FIG. 15, both mounting angles .chi. and .delta. between the indoor unit 1 and the wall are 45 degrees. Preferably, this installation structure can be applied when the indoor space has a square shape such that the air needs to be blown equally in the left and the right directions.

As provided above, since the indoor unit 1 can be freely mounted on the wall without limitation of the mounting location, such that the indoor space can be used more efficiently. Also, there is an advantage of securing the space behind the indoor unit 1 for introducing the air to be sucked.

FIG. 16 is a view showing a way of forming a settlement guide according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 16, the settlement guides 650 are not coupled to the support panel 622. Instead, the settlement guides are directly fixed on a central suction panel 621 formed with the central suction hole 620. In order to directly fix the settlement guides 650 to the central suction panel 621, the thickness of the central suction panel 621 is preferably maintained thicker than a predetermined thickness at least at the portions to which the settlement guide 650 is fixed, such that the fixing of the settlement guides 650 can be securely maintained. Other features of the settlement guides 650 and the receiving hook 660 described above may be applied to this embodiment.

The settlement guides 650 are directly fixed to the central suction panel 621, thereby reducing cost and fabricating process compared when the settlement guides 650 are fixed to the support panel 622.

As described above, in order to install the indoor unit, the settlement guides 650 formed on the rear of the indoor unit 1 and the receiving hooks 660 installed on the wall 840 are coupled by a way of insertion. Of course, there may be a number of embodiments of installing the indoor unit 1 on the wall 840. Hereinafter, another embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 17 to 26 are views showing another installation structure of an indoor unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 17, the installation structure as a whole includes the indoor unit 1, a front plate 680 coupled to the rear of the indoor unit 1, a rear plate 690 directly coupled to the wall 840, and a side plate 685 which allows the coupled front plate 680 and rear plate 690 to keep the indoor unit 1 apart from the wall 840 at a predetermined angle therebetween. Ends of the side plate 685 are connected with the front plate 680 and the rear plate 685 through a predetermined way. Due to the above-mentioned structure, the indoor unit 1 can be positioned apart from the wall at a predetermined angle or much even when the indoor unit 1 is installed on a corner of wall 840, such that the indoor unit 1 can blow the air to the entire area of the indoor space more smoothly. In detail, when the indoor unit 1 is installed on the corner of wall, the indoor unit 1 can be installed on the wall at a predetermined angle instead of at a right angle, such that the air discharged from one side of the indoor unit 1 can be smoothly blown to the entire indoor space without an interference of the wall.

FIG. 18 is a rear perspective view showing an indoor unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 18, the rear cover 600 is provided at a rear with support protrusions 670 protruded by a predetermined height to form four corners of the central suction panel 621, for mounting the indoor unit 1 on the wall. The support protrusions 670 may be formed integrally with the central suction panel 621 or may be formed separately with the central suction panel 621 and then fixed thereto. Further, though when the support protrusions 670 are formed on the support panel 622 that is additionally attached on the central suction panel 621, the support protrusions 670 can perform the same function.

FIG. 19 is a partial enlarged view of "D" depicted in FIG. 18.

Referring to FIG. 19, each of the support protrusions 670 is shaped in a protruded rectangle and is configured to include a coupling groove 672 and an elevated portion 671. The coupling groove 672 is caved such that a coupling member for coupling the front panel 680 and the indoor unit 1 is inserted thereinto. The elevated portion 671 is formed above the coupling groove 672 at a height equal to the thickness of the front plate 680 such that the coupling member is more exactly coupled.

When the coupling member is inserted into the front plate 680 and the support protrusions 670, the elevated portion 671 functions to fix the coupling member at the same height as the elevated portion 671 with respect to the front plate 680 and the support protrusions 670. The elevated portion 671 enables the coupling member to be inserted exactly without deviation when the coupling member is inserted into the coupling groove 672. Therefore, since the coupling member can be inserted exactly in a perpendicular direction, the coupling of the front panel 680 and the rear cover 600 can be reliably carried out.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a front plate according to the present invention, FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a side plate according to the present invention, and FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a rear plate according to the present invention.

Referring to the FIG. 20, the front panel 680 is formed in a fashion to enhance strength and prevent interference. In detail, the front panel 680 includes support protrusion insertion holes 681, a first flanges 683, and a second flanges 684 that are formed thereon. The support protrusion insertion holes 681 in which the support protrusions 670 are inserted are formed at four corners of the front panel 680, for fixing the indoor unit 1. The first flanges 683 to which front hooks (686 in FIG. 21) of the side plate 685 are coupled are formed for fixing the side plate 685 to the front plate 680. The second flanges 684 to which front hooks (691 in FIG. 22) of the rear plate 690 are coupled are formed for fixing the rear plate 690 to the front plate 680.

Further, the front plate 680 may be formed with wall fixing holes 682 therethrough, such that the front plate 680 can be directly fixed to the wall without the side plate 685 and the rear plate 690.

In detail, the first flanges 683 and the second flanges 684 are formed by cutting and bending at predetermined portions of the front panel 680, and each flange includes two projected ribs. The number of the first and the second flanges 683 and 684 may be determined as many numbers as is required to support the indoor unit 1 and in this embodiment, each of the flanges 683 and 684 have three flanges. The shape, number, and fabricating method of the flanges 683 and 684 are limited to this embodiment and thereby the shape, number, and fabricating method may be variously changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 21, the side plate 685 includes the front hooks 686 protrusively formed at one side with a predetermined width and length for coupling with the front plate 680, and rear hooks 689 protrusively formed at the other side, such that the side plate 685 can be fixed to the front plate 680 and the rear plate 690. Further, the side plate 685 includes a rear plate fixing part 687 and a rear plate fixing hole 688 that are formed at the one side where the rear hooks 689 is formed, for securely fixing the side plate 685 and the rear plate 690.

In detail, the rear hooks 689 are provided to guide the side plate 685. The rear plate fixing part 687 is formed on a center of the other side of the side plate 685, for securely fixing the side plate 685 to the rear plate 690 with a coupling member.

Referring to FIG. 22, the rear plate 690 to be attached to the wall includes side guides 694, a side plate fixing part 692, a side plate fixing hole 693, and front hooks 691. The side guides 694 are formed at one side of the rear plate 690 with a bent shape, for guiding the rear hooks 689 of the side plate 685. The side plate fixing part 692 and the side plate fixing hole 693 are aligned with the rear plate fixing part 687 of the side plate 685, for fixing the side plate 685. The front hooks 691 are formed at the other side edge of the rear plate 690, for hooking the front plate 680.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a connection of a front plate and a side plate according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 23, the side plate 685 is coupled to the rear of the front plate 680. In detail, the front hooks 686 formed at the one side of the side plate 685 are inserted into the first flanges 683 formed at the one side of the front plate 680. In more detail, the side plate 685 or the front plate 680 is shifted in order to align the front hooks 686 and the first flanges 683 and then the side plate 685 is pushed in the insertion direction of the front hooks 686 and the first flanges 683 in order to insert the front hooks 686 into the first flanges 683. Meanwhile, though when the first flanges 683 are hooked by the front hooks 686 in one direction, the indoor unit 1 is supported without trouble because of one directional force of gravity. Merely, each of the first flanges 683 has two or more ribs that are bent and spaced each other, for preventing the indoor unit 1 from shaking even when there is small amount of impact.

When the side plate 685 is inserted into the front plate 680 according to the above-mentioned way, the side plate 685 and the front plate 680 are placed at a predetermined angle therebetween. The predetermined angle between two plates is the same as the angle between the front hooks 686 and the body of the side plate 685 and for this, the front hooks 686 have a flat shape.

After the front plate 680 and the side plate 685 are assembled in a single assembly, a coupling step of the assembly and the rear plate 690 proceeds. FIG. 24 shows the coupling step.

Referring to FIG. 24, two ends of the two plate 680 and 685 assembly are placed apart at a predetermined angle, and the rear plate 690 is coupled to the two ends. In detail, the rear hooks 689 of the side plate 685 are inserted into and guided by the side guides 694 formed on the one side of the rear plate 690 and then the front hooks 691 of the rear plate 690 are inserted in the second flanges 684 of the front plate 680. The coupling between the front hooks 691 of the rear plate 690 and the second flanges 684 of the front plate 680 is the same way as the coupling between the side plate 685 and front plate 680. As this way, the rear plate 690 is positioned by the guides of the front plate 680 and the side plate 685. Further, when the rear plate 690 is guided and positioned, the rear plate fixing part 687 and the side plate fixing part 692 are aligned and then a coupling member is inserted into the rear plate fixing hole 688 and the side plate fixing hole 693, such that the rear plate 690 is completely coupled. The rear plate 690 may be fixed to the wall using bolts or the like.

According to above steps of assembling the plates 680, 685 and 690, the coupling structure as shown in FIG. 17 is completed.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a connection of a front plate and an indoor unit according to the present invention and FIG. 26 is a partial rear view of a front plate to which a support protrusion is securely inserted.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, the coupled relationship between the indoor unit 1 and the front plate 680 will be fully described.

The support protrusions 670 formed rear of the indoor unit 1 is aligned with the support protrusion insertion holes 681. The shape of the support protrusion insertion holes 681 includes a comparatively large circular hole at an upper side and a rectangular hole at a lower side. The shape of the rectangular hole is the same as the shape of the support protrusions 670. Therefore, when inserting the support protrusions 670, the support protrusions 670 are primary inserted into the upper circular holes and secondarily, inserted into the lower rectangular holes, such that the support protrusions 670 can be conveniently inserted into the support protrusion insertion holes 681. The shapes of the support protrusion insertion holes 681 and steps of inserting the support protrusions 670 are provided since the user can't see the backside of the indoor unit when he or she mounting the indoor unit 1. That is, the user roughly places the indoor unit to insert the support protrusions 670 to the circular holes of the support protrusion insertion holes 681 and then allows the indoor unit 1 to fall due to its weight, such that the support protrusions 670 can be inserted into the rectangular holes of the support protrusion insertion holes 681 and thus the indoor unit 1 can be mounted in the exact position.

After the support protrusions 670 are exactly inserted into the rectangular holes of the support protrusion insertion holes 681, coupling members 673 are inserted. The coupling members 673 are inserted into the coupling grooves 672 with its at least one outward portion abutting upon a peripheral portion of the support protrusion insertion holes 681, such that exact positions of the coupling members 673 can be guided. Meanwhile, the coupling members 673 are inserted until they come into contact with the elevated portions 671. The elevated portions 671 are protruded at a height equal to the thickness of the front plate 680. Therefore, the coupling members 673 are equally spaced from the support protrusion 670 and the front plate 680 after the insertion, such that the coupling members 673 can be reliably coupled without bending or twisting and the coupling of the front plate 680 and the support protrusions 670 cannot be released.

Meanwhile, the angle between the indoor unit 1 and the wall can be conveniently adjusted by changing the width of the side plate 685. For this reason, the side plate 685 may be designed to have a shape that can change its width. Further, when the indoor unit 1 is mounted on a flat wall instead of a corner of wall, the front plate 685 can be directly mounted on the flat wall for a convenient mounting work.

In this embodiment, it is apparent that the front plate 680, the side plate 685, and the rear plate 690 function as the receiving hooks (refer to 660 in FIG. 10) and the support protrusions 670 function as the settlement guides 650.

FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of a rear cover according to the present invention and FIG. 28 is a rear perspective view of a rear cover according to the present invention. These drawings show the rear cover 600 in detail, including parts or potions that are not shown in the perspective view of the indoor unit 1.

Referring to FIGS. 27 and 28, the rear cover 600 includes an air suction hole at at least one portion, for sucking indoor air into the indoor unit 1. Four edge of the rear cover 600 are sloped at a predetermined angle as they travel backwardly, such that the indoor unit 1 can be conveniently mounted. The suction holes 610 and 620 are formed with grills, such that particles included in the air such as dirt and impurities can be prevented from being sucked into the indoor unit 1, and accidents occur when children insert their hand into the indoor unit 1 can be prevented. Also, the rear cover 600 includes the filter insertion hole 630 for an insertion of a filter. The filter will be described later. Tt is apparent that the filter is provided to filter off dirt in the sucking air. Further, the indoor unit 1 can be freely mounted on a corner of wall because the four edges of the rear cover 600 are sloped at the predetermined angle.

When the inside of the rear cover is viewed, the rear cover includes: one or more front frame coupling parts 701 formed at a front edge, for coupling with rear cover hooks formed on an inner surface of the front frame 200 (refer to 241 in FIG. 70); one or more first heat exchanger supports 702 formed on each side of an inner bottom, for receiving a heat exchanger 810; and second heat exchanger supports 706 protrusively formed on both sloped sides of the filter insertion hole 630, for supporting the heat exchanger 810.

Further, the rear cover 600 includes drain pan guides 707, drain pan fixing part 704, and tube cover fixing part 705. A drain pan 820 and the air guide 400 are to be coupled to the drain pan guides 707. The drain pan fixing parts 704 are protrusively formed on left and/or right sides of the drain pan guides 707 in order to insert coupling member therethrough, for coupling the drain pan 820 with the rear cover 600. The tube cover fixing parts 705 are provided for coupling the tube cover 830 in the rear cover 600.

Further, the rear cover 600 includes a flow guide 710, a filter receiving surface 711, and filter fixing grooves 712. The flow guide 710 extends from a bottom of the filter insertion hole 630 toward the inside of the indoor unit 1, for guiding the air sucked through the filter insertion hole 630. The filter receiving surface 711 is provided for guiding a lower end of the filter (refer to 720 in FIG. 32) when the filter is inserted and placed in exact position. The filter fixing grooves 712 are provided to insert protrusions formed at the lower end of the filter 702, for fixing the filter 720 in exact position. Further, the filter receiving surface 711 increases coupling degree of the filter 720 and the rear cover 600, thereby preventing a leakage of air.

FIG. 29 is a section taken on line I I' in FIG. 28 and FIG. 30 is a section taken on line II II' in FIG. 28. Referring to these drawings, the filter receiving surface 711 is bent downwardly from the flow guide 710, and the filter fixing grooves 712 are formed at a lower end of the filter receiving surface 711 and the number of the filter fixing grooves 712 is two.

FIG. 31 is a partial enlarged view of "A" depicted in FIG. 27.

Referring to FIG. 31, each of the first heat exchanger supports 702 includes a heat exchanger receiving part 713 formed having a stepped shape at a leading end portion and a filter guide insertio