(19)
(11) EP 4 517 208 A1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
published in accordance with Art. 153(4) EPC

(43) Date of publication:
05.03.2025 Bulletin 2025/10

(21) Application number: 23794954.0

(22) Date of filing: 31.03.2023
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
F24F 13/20(2006.01)
F24F 13/08(2006.01)
F24F 13/12(2006.01)
F24F 1/0011(2019.01)
(52) Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC):
F24F 13/08; F24F 1/0011; F24F 13/12; F24F 2130/20
(86) International application number:
PCT/CN2023/085737
(87) International publication number:
WO 2023/207519 (02.11.2023 Gazette 2023/44)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC ME MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR
Designated Extension States:
BA
Designated Validation States:
KH MA MD TN

(30) Priority: 25.04.2022 CN 202210444309

(71) Applicant: GD Midea Air-Conditioning Equipment Co., Ltd.
Foshan, Guangdong 528311 (CN)

(72) Inventor:
  • WEN, Xianchun
    Foshan, Guangdong 528311 (CN)

(74) Representative: RGTH 
Patentanwälte PartGmbB Neuer Wall 10
20354 Hamburg
20354 Hamburg (DE)

   


(54) AIR CONDITIONER


(57) The present disclosure discloses an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a frame component and a panel component. The frame component has an air outlet. The panel component is mounted at the frame component, and the panel component and the frame component define a cavity. A variable gap is formed at a side of the cavity close to the air outlet. The frame component is provided with a brush member at the variable gap. A swirling component is mounted at the panel component, and the swirling component is adapted to extend out of the variable gap to guide airflow at the air outlet. The swirling component has an end portion connected to the panel component; the frame component is further provided with a supporting portion at the variable gap; and the swirling component has a middle part supported by the supporting portion.




Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION



[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210444309.4, titled "AIR CONDITIONER", and filed on April 25, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD



[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of household appliance manufacturing technologies, and more particularly, to an air conditioner.

BACKGROUND



[0003] In the related art, a brush strip of an air conditioner is prone to being crushed and cannot be restored to its original shape, and thus cannot be used normally. Furthermore, a swirling component is prone to deformation, and therefore operation of a lifting mechanism of the swirling component and operation of the swirling component cannot be tested normally. As a result, production cost is increased.

SUMMARY



[0004] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the related art. To this end, one object of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner, capable of avoiding a swirling component from deforming downwards under its own gravity and crushing a brush member. Furthermore, it is beneficial to ensure that operation of a lifting mechanism of the swirling component and operation of the swirling component can be tested normally during a production.

[0005] An air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure comprises a frame component and a panel component. The frame component has an air outlet. The panel component is mounted at the frame component, and the panel component and the frame component define a cavity. A variable gap is formed at a side of the cavity close to the air outlet. The frame component is provided with a brush member at the variable gap. A swirling component is mounted at the panel component, and the swirling component is adapted to extend out of the variable gap to guide airflow at the air outlet. The swirling component has an end portion connected to the panel component; the frame component is further provided with a supporting portion at the variable gap; and the swirling component has a middle part supported by the supporting portion.

[0006] In the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the supporting portion to support the middle part of the swirling component, the swirling component can be avoided from deforming downwards under its own gravity, and the brush component is thus prevented from being crushed. Therefore, the brush component can be easily protected, which facilitates prolonging service life of the brush component. Furthermore, during the production, it is beneficial to ensure that the operation of the lifting mechanism of the swirling component and the operation of the swirling component can be tested normally, which facilitates reducing production cost of the air conditioner.

[0007] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the swirling component is slidably engaged with the panel component and in rolling contact with the supporting portion.

[0008] In the air conditioner of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the supporting portion is constructed as a rolling member rotatably mounted at a side surface of the frame component facing towards the panel component. A rotation axis of the rolling member is perpendicular to a sliding direction of the swirling component.

[0009] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rolling member comprises a rotary shaft and a roller fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft. The frame component is provided with a mounting groove formed at the side surface of the frame component facing towards the panel component. The rotary shaft is rotatably mounted in the mounting groove. The roller at least partially extends out of the mounting groove to be in rolling contact with the swirling component.

[0010] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rolling member comprises a rotary shaft and a roller fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft. The frame component is provided with a seat on the side surface of the frame component facing towards the panel component. The rotary shaft is rotatably supported by the seat. The roller protrudes from the seat to be in rolling contact with the swirling component.

[0011] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the swirling component is adapted to slide into or out of the cavity from the variable gap. When the swirling component slides into a maximum position inside the cavity, a first side edge of the swirling component is supported by the supporting portion; and when the swirling component slides into a maximum position outside the cavity, a second side edge of the swirling component is supported by the supporting portion.

[0012] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the supporting portion and the brush member are spaced apart from each other in a sliding direction of the swirling component.

[0013] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the brush member is constructed in an elongated strip shape, a length direction of the brush member is in a length direction of the swirling component. A spacing between the supporting portion and the brush member is smaller than a width of the brush member.

[0014] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, at the variable gap, the supporting portion is located at a side of the brush member close to the cavity.

[0015] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of supporting portions is provided, and the plurality of supporting portions is arranged at an interval and supports the swirling component.

[0016] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the brush member is constructed in an elongated strip shape; a length direction of the brush member is in a length direction of the swirling component; and the plurality of the supporting portions is arranged at an interval in the length direction of the swirling component.

[0017] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of supporting portions comprises two supporting portions. A spacing between one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of two ends of the swirling component is equal to a spacing between another one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of the two ends of the swirling component; and/or a spacing between the two supporting portions is equal to a spacing between each of the two supporting portions and a corresponding end of the swirling component.

[0018] In the air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, at the variable gap, the frame component is further provided with a supporting protrusion spaced apart from the supporting portion, the supporting protrusion supporting the swirling component at a side of the end portion of the swirling component facing away from the panel component.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of present disclosure will be provided at least in part in the following description, or will become apparent in part from the following description, or can be learned from the practice of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS



[0020] These and other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a frame component, a rolling member, and a brush member according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a rolling member according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an assembling view of a swirling component and a panel component according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.


Reference numerals:



[0021] 

air conditioner 100,

frame component 10, mounting groove 11, mounting position 12, air outlet 13, panel component 20, panel brush member 201, swirling component 30, first lifting mechanism 31, second lifting mechanism 32, first rear cover 33, second rear cover 34, rolling member 40, rotary shaft 41, roller 42, brush member 50, supporting protrusion 60.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS



[0022] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative only, and are intended to explain rather than limit the present disclosure.

[0023] In the related art, an air conditioner needs to be placed horizontally during production and storage and transportation. During the horizontal placement of the air conditioner, a swirling component tends to deform downward under its own gravity, and a brush strip located below the swirling component is thus excessively squeezed by the swirling component due to the downward deformation of the swirling component. As a result, the brush strip is crushed and cannot be restored to its original shape, and thus cannot be used normally. During the production, operation of a lifting mechanism of the swirling component and operation of the swirling component cannot be tested normally due to the deformation of the swirling component. That is, production requirements of the air conditioner cannot be met, which increases production cost.

[0024] In the present disclosure, a frame component 10 is provided with a supporting portion at a variable gap. The supporting portion is located between the frame component 10 and a swirling component 30, and the supporting portion abuts against the swirling component 30 at a side of the swirling component 30 facing towards the frame component 10. Therefore, the supporting portion can support the swirling component 30. Thus, when the swirling component 30 is located in a cavity, a middle part of the swirling component 30 can be prevented from deforming downwards due to its own gravity, to protect a brush member 50 and prevent the brush member 50 from being deformed by a force and unable to recover. Meanwhile, it is beneficial to ensure that operation of a lifting mechanism of the swirling component 30 and operation of the swirling component 30 can be tested normally, to reduce difficulty of testing. In this way, the production cost is reduced.

[0025] An air conditioner 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Exemplarily, the air conditioner 100 in the present disclosure may be a wall-mounted unit, and the air conditioner 100 comprises a panel component 20, a frame component 10, and a swirling component 30. The panel component 20 is mounted above the frame component 10, and a panel brush member 201 is mounted at the panel component 20. A base component is mounted in the frame component 10. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the swirling component 30 is mounted at the panel component 20. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, two ends of the swirling component 30 are movably connected to the panel component 20 through a first lifting mechanism 31 and a second lifting mechanism 32, respectively, and a first rear cover 33 and a second rear cover 34 are disposed outside the first lifting mechanism 31 and the second lifting mechanism 32, respectively.

[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure comprises the frame component 10 and the panel component 20.

[0027] Specifically, the frame component 10 has an air outlet 13, and the panel component 20 is mounted at the frame component 10. The panel component 20 and the frame component 10 define a cavity, and a variable gap is formed at a side of the cavity close to the air outlet 13. The frame component 10 is provided with a brush member 50 at the variable gap. A swirling component 30 is mounted at the panel component 20, and the swirling component 30 is adapted to extend out of the variable gap to guide airflow at the air outlet 13. The swirling component 30 has an end portion connected to the panel component 20. The frame component 10 is further provided with a supporting portion at the variable gap. The swirling component 30 has a middle part supported by the supporting portion.

[0028] It can be understood that the panel component 20 is mounted above the frame component 10, and the cavity is formed between the panel component 20 and the frame component 10. The variable gap is formed at the side of the cavity close to the air outlet 13, that is, the variable gap is in communication with the cavity, and therefore the swirling component 30 can easily extend out of the cavity or be retracted into the cavity from the variable gap.

[0029] The swirling component 30 is disposed at a side of the panel component 20 facing towards the frame component 10. The swirling component 30 has a first end (left end) connected to the panel component 20 through the first lifting mechanism 31, and a second end (right end) connected to the panel component 20 through the second lifting mechanism 32. The first rear cover 33 is disposed at a side of the first lifting mechanism 31 close to the frame component 10, and the second rear cover 34 is disposed at a side of the second lifting mechanism 32 facing towards the frame component 10. The first rear cover 33 and the second rear cover 34 are configured to shield the first lifting mechanism 31 and the second lifting mechanism 32, respectively, to protect the first lifting mechanism 31 and the second lifting mechanism 32.

[0030] Exemplarily, the swirling component 30 is mounted at the side of the panel component 20 facing towards the frame component 10, and the first lifting mechanism 31 and the second lifting mechanism 32 are configured to drive the swirling component 30 to move relative to the panel component 20, to enable the swirling component 30 to extend or be retracted from the variable gap. That is, when the swirling component 30 extends from the variable gap, the swirling component 30 can guide airflow blown out of the air outlet 13 for swirling. When the swirling component 30 is retracted from the variable gap, the swirling component 30 is located in the cavity.

[0031] The frame component 10 is provided with a brush member 50 at the variable gap. The brush member 50 is adapted to abut with a side of the swirling component 30 facing towards the frame component 10, and the brush member 50 is configured to prevent a problem of condensation droplets on the panel component 20 caused by the airflow blown out of the air outlet towards the panel component 20 during use of the air conditioner 100.

[0032] For example, the brush member 50 is made of an elastic material such as nylon. Exemplarily, the brush member 50 may be constructed as a brush strip. The brush strip has bristles with a diameter of 0.05 mm and a height of 10 mm. Of course, the brush member 50 may also be constructed as other structures, which are not limited herein.

[0033] Further, when the swirling component 30 extends from the variable gap, the middle part of the swirling component 30 abuts with an upper end of the brush member 50, and the brush member 50 is configured to prevent the airflow blown out of the air outlet 13 towards a side of the panel component 20 facing towards the cavity. Thus, the problem of the condensation droplets on the panel component 20 during the use of the air conditioner 100 can be avoided by providing the brush member 50.

[0034] It should be noted that in the related art, when the swirling component 30 is located in the cavity, the two ends of the swirling component 30 abut with the frame component 10 through the first rear cover 33 and the second rear cover 34, respectively. Moreover, the middle part of the swirling component 30 tends to deform downwards due to its own gravity, and the downwardly deformed swirling component 30 may exert a squeezing force on the brush member 50, thereby causing the brush member 50 to be deformed by the force and unable to recover. Furthermore, during the production, the operation of the lifting mechanism of the swirling component 30 and the operation of the swirling component 30 cannot be tested normally due to the downward deformation of the swirling component 30, which increases the difficulty of the testing.

[0035] In the present disclosure, the frame component 10 is provided with the supporting portion at the variable gap. The supporting portion is located between the frame component 10 and the swirling component 30, and the supporting portion abuts against the swirling component 30 at the side of the swirling component 30 facing towards the frame component 10. Therefore, the supporting portion can support the swirling component 30. Thus, when the swirling component 30 is located in the cavity, the middle part of the swirling component 30 can be prevented from deforming downwards due to its own gravity, to protect the brush member 50 and prevent the brush member 50 from being deformed by the force and unable to recover. Meanwhile, it is beneficial to ensure that the operation of the lifting mechanism of the swirling component 30 and the operation of the swirling component 30 can be tested normally, to reduce the difficulty of the testing.

[0036] In the air conditioner 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the supporting portion to support the middle part of the swirling component 30, the swirling component can be avoided from deforming downwards under its own gravity, and the brush component 50 is thus prevented from being crushed. Therefore, the brush component 50 can be easily protected, which facilitates prolonging the service life of the brush component 50. Furthermore, during the production, it is beneficial to ensure that the operation of the lifting mechanism of the swirling component 30 and the operation of the swirling component 30 can be tested normally, which facilitates reducing the production cost of the air conditioner 100.

[0037] In some embodiments, the swirling component 30 is slidably engaged with the panel component 20 and in rolling contact with the supporting portion.

[0038] For example, the two ends of the swirling component 30 are mounted to the panel component 20 through the first lifting mechanism 31 and the second lifting mechanism 32, respectively, and each of the first lifting mechanism 31 and the second lifting mechanism 32 is configured to drive the swirling component 30 to slide relative to the panel component 20, and thus to allow the swirling component 30 to extend out of the cavity or to be retracted into the cavity along the variable gap.

[0039] Further, when the swirling component 30 slides relative to the panel component 20, that is, when the swirling component 30 extends from the cavity or is retracted into the cavity along the variable gap, the swirling component 30 is in rolling engagement with the supporting portion, to facilitate reducing a friction force between the swirling component 30 and the supporting portion. Thus, energy consumption of the swirling component 30 is reduced.

[0040] The supporting portion is constructed as a rolling member 40 rotatably mounted at a side surface of the frame component 10 facing towards the panel component 20. A rotation axis of the rolling member 40 is perpendicular to a sliding direction of the swirling component 30.

[0041] For example, the supporting portion may be constructed as a ball. Of course, the supporting portion may also be constructed as other structures, which are not limited herein.

[0042] The rolling member 40 is mounted at the side surface of the frame component 10 facing towards the panel component 20, and therefore the rolling member 40 can easily support the swirling component 30. Moreover, the rotation axis of the rolling member 40 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the swirling component 30, that is, a rotation direction of the rolling member 40 is tangent to the sliding direction of the swirling component 30.

[0043] Therefore, the rotation direction of the rolling member 40 cooperates with the sliding direction of the swirling component 30, and the rolling engagement between the swirling component 30 and the rolling member 40 is thus realized, avoiding interference between the movement of the swirling component 30 and the movement of the rolling member 40.

[0044] Exemplarily, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the rolling member 40 comprises a rotary shaft 41 and a roller 42 fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft 41, and as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the frame component 10 has a mounting groove 11 formed at the side surface of the frame component 10 facing towards the panel component 20. The rotary shaft 41 is rotatably mounted in the mounting groove 11, and the roller 42 at least partially extends out of the mounting groove 11 to be in rolling contact with the swirling component 30.

[0045] It can be understood that as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the mounting groove 11 is located at the side surface of the frame component 10 facing towards the panel component 20, and the rotary shaft 41 is mounted in the mounting groove 11, to enhance structural stability of the rotary shaft 41 and allow the rotary shaft 41 not to be directly visible. In this way, it is beneficial to make full use of the mounting space to allow for a miniaturization design of the air conditioner 100.

[0046] The roller 42 is fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft 41, and therefore the roller 42 can easily drive the rotary shaft 41 to rotate synchronously, and the roller 42 at least partially extends out of the mounting groove 11 to abut against the swirling component 30.

[0047] Therefore, the part of the roller 42 extending out of the mounting groove 11 can support the swirling component 30, preventing the middle part of the swirling component 30 from deforming downwards due to its own gravity, to facilitate protecting the brush member 50.

[0048] Meanwhile, the roller 42 at least partially extends out of the mounting groove 11 to facilitate the rolling contact between the roller 42 and the swirling component 30. That is, when the swirling component 30 moves relative to the panel component 20, the swirling component 30 is in rolling engagement with the roller 42.

[0049] Specifically, when the swirling component 30 extends from the variable gap or is retracted from the variable gap, the swirling component 30 rubs against the rolling member 40 to enable the rolling member 40 to rotate.

[0050] For example, when the swirling component 30 extends from the variable gap, the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 allows the roller 42 to drive the rotary shaft 41 to rotate towards a first direction in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 41. When the swirling component 30 is retracted from the variable gap, the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 allows the roller 42 to drive the rotary shaft 41 to rotate towards a second direction in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 41.

[0051] Therefore, by converting the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 into power for the rolling member 40 to rotate, the friction force of the rolling member 40 on the swirling component 30 is reduced.

[0052] In some other examples, the rotary shaft 41 is fixedly mounted in the mounting groove 11, and the roller 42 is loosely arranged around the rotary shaft 41. When the swirling component 30 extends from the variable gap or is retracted from the variable gap, the swirling component 30 can drive the roller 42 to rotate around the rotary shaft 41 as the rotation axis.

[0053] For example, when the swirling component 30 extends from the variable gap, the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 allows the roller 42 to rotate towards a first direction in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 41. When the swirling component 30 is retracted from the variable gap, the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 allows the roller 42 to rotate towards a second direction in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 41.

[0054] Therefore, by converting the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 into power for the roller 42 to rotate, the friction force of the roller 42 on the swirling component 30 is reduced.

[0055] It should be noted that the first direction is opposite to the second direction. For example, the first direction is clockwise and the second direction is counterclockwise, or the first direction is counterclockwise and the second direction is clockwise.

[0056] In yet some other embodiments, the rolling member 40 comprises a rotary shaft 41 and a roller 42 fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft 41.

[0057] The frame component 10 is provided with a seat (not illustrated in the figures) on a side surface of the frame component 10 facing towards the panel component 20. The rotary shaft 41 is rotatably supported by the seat, and the roller 42 protrudes from the seat to be in rolling contact with the swirling component 30.

[0058] It can be understood that the rolling member 40 is mounted at the frame component 10 through the seat to enhance structural stability of the rolling member 40, and the roller 42 protrudes from the seat to abut against the swirling component 30.

[0059] Therefore, the part of the roller 42 protruding from the seat can easily support the swirling component 30, preventing the middle part of the swirling component 30 from deforming downwards due to its own gravity, to facilitate protecting the brush member 50.

[0060] Meanwhile, the roller 42 at least partially protrudes from the seat to facilitate the rolling contact between the roller 42 and the swirling component 30. That is, when the swirling component 30 moves relative to the panel component 20, the swirling component 30 is in rolling engagement with the roller 42.

[0061] In some embodiments, the swirling component 30 is adapted to slide into or out of the cavity from the variable gap. When the swirling component 30 slides into a maximum position inside the cavity, a first side edge of the swirling component 30 is supported by the supporting portion; and when the swirling component 30 slides into a maximum position outside the cavity, a second side edge of the swirling component 30 is supported by the supporting portion.

[0062] It can be understood that the supporting portion can support the swirling component 30 in the process of the swirling component 30 extending or being retracted from the variable gap. The first side edge of the swirling component 30 is supported by the supporting portion when the swirling component 30 slides to the maximum position inside the cavity. That is, when the swirling component 30 is located in the cavity, the supporting portion can support the swirling component 30, avoiding the swirling component 30 from deforming downwards under its own gravity, thereby preventing the brush member 50 from being crushed. Thus, the protection of the brush member 50 is facilitated.

[0063] Further, when the swirling component 30 slides to the maximum position outside the cavity, the second side edge of the swirling component 30 is supported by the supporting portion. Therefore, when the swirling component 30 extends outside the cavity, the supporting portion can still support the swirling component 30. Meanwhile, the brush member 50 can prevent the airflow blown out of the air outlet 13 from blowing towards the panel. That is, while the supporting portion provides supporting on the swirling component 30, it ensures that the brush member 50 can prevent the panel from having the problem of the condensation droplets.

[0064] In some embodiments, the supporting portion and the brush member 50 are spaced apart from each other in a sliding direction of the swirling component 30.

[0065] It can be understood that as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the frame component 10 has a mounting groove 11 and a mounting position 12 at a side of the frame component 10 facing towards the panel component 20 (such as an upper side in FIG. 2). The supporting portion is mounted in the mounting groove 11, and the brush member 50 is mounted at the mounting position 12. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the mounting groove 11 and the mounting position 12 are spaced apart from each other in a sliding direction of the swirling component 30. That is, the supporting portion and the brush member 50 are spaced apart from each other in the sliding direction of the swirling component 30.

[0066] For example, the supporting portion is disposed at a side of the brush member 50 close to the cavity, or the supporting portion is disposed at a side of the brush member 50 facing away from the cavity.

[0067] Therefore, when the swirling component 30 extends or is retracted from the variable gap, the swirling component 30 is capable of being in rolling engagement with the supporting portion. Moreover, the supporting portion is disposed at the side of the brush member 50 close to the cavity or the side of the brush member 50 facing away from the cavity, which facilitates reducing difficulty of arranging the supporting portion and avoiding interference between the supporting portion and the brush strip.

[0068] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the brush member 50 is constructed in an elongated strip shape, and a length direction of the brush member 50 is in a length direction of the swirling component 30; and a spacing between the supporting portion and the brush member 50 is smaller than a width of the brush member 50.

[0069] It can be understood that the mounting position 12 is constructed as an elongated strip groove, the brush member 50 is constructed in the elongated strip shape, and the length direction of the brush member 50 is in the length direction of the swirling component 30. As a result, the brush member 50 can better prevent the panel component 20 from having the problem of the condensation droplets.

[0070] Optionally, a spacing between the supporting portion and the brush member 50 is smaller than a width of the brush member 50. Therefore, it is convenient to prevent the supporting portion from being unable to protect the brush member 50 due to an excessive spacing between the supporting portion and the brush member 50.

[0071] In some embodiments, at the variable gap, the supporting portion is located at a side of the brush member 50 close to the cavity.

[0072] It can be understood that as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the mounting groove 11 is disposed at a side of the mounting position 12 close to the cavity, that is, the supporting portion is disposed at the side of the brush member 50 close to the cavity.

[0073] Therefore, when the swirling component 30 extends or is retracted from the variable gap, the swirling component 30 is capable of being in rolling engagement with the supporting portion. Moreover, the supporting portion is disposed at the side of the brush member 50 facing towards the cavity, and thus the supporting portion is not directly visible at an outside, which facilitates reducing the difficulty of arranging the supporting portion and avoiding the interference between the supporting portion and the brush strip.

[0074] In some embodiments, a plurality of supporting portions is provided, and the plurality of supporting portions is arranged at intervals and supports the swirling component 30.

[0075] It can be understood that three supporting portions may be provided, or four supporting portions may be provided. Of course, other numbers of supporting portions may also be provided, which is not limited herein.

[0076] Exemplarily, as illustrated in FIG. 1, two supporting portions are provided, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, two mounting grooves 11 are provided. Each of the two supporting portions is mounted in the corresponding one of the two mounting grooves 11, and the two supporting portions can support the swirling component 30 simultaneously.

[0077] Therefore, by arranging the plurality of supporting portions to support different regions of the swirling component 30, respectively, better supporting on the swirling component 30 by the plurality of supporting portions and a distribution of a weight of the swirling component 30 by the plurality of supporting portions are facilitated. Thus, the brush member 50 is better protected.

[0078] Further, the brush member 50 is constructed in an elongated strip shape; a length direction of the brush member 50 is in a length direction of the swirling component 30; and the plurality of supporting portions is arranged at intervals in the length direction of the swirling component 30.

[0079] It can be understood that the mounting position 12 is constructed as an elongated strip groove, the brush member 50 is constructed in the elongated strip shape, and the length direction of the brush member 50 is in the length direction of the swirling component 30. As a result, the brush member 50 can better prevent the panel component 20 from having the problem of the condensation droplets. Moreover, the two mounting grooves 11 are provided and spaced apart from each other in the length direction of the swirling component 30. That is, the two mounting grooves 11 are spaced apart from each other in a length direction of the mounting position 12.

[0080] Therefore, each of the two supporting portions is mounted in the corresponding mounting groove 11. Thus, the two supporting portions can simultaneously support the middle part of the swirling component 30 in the length direction of the swirling component 30. Moreover, the two supporting portions can distribute the weight of the middle part of the swirling component 30, thereby better protecting the brush member 50.

[0081] In some embodiments, two supporting portions are provided. A spacing between one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of two ends of the swirling component 30 is equal to a spacing between another one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of the two ends of the swirling component 30. Specifically, after a mounting in practice, a spacing between one of the two mounting grooves 11 and a corresponding one of two ends of the mounting position 12 is equal to a spacing between another one of the two mounting grooves 11 and a corresponding one of the two ends of the mounting position 12. That is, a spacing between one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of two ends of the brush member 50 is equal to a spacing between another one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of the two ends of the brush member 50. As a result, the two supporting portions can balance the weight of the middle part of the swirling component 30, thereby facilitating the two supporting portions to better support the swirling component 30.

[0082] And/or, a spacing between the two supporting portions is equal to a spacing between each of the two supporting portions and a corresponding end of the swirling component 30. Specifically, a spacing between each of the two supporting portions and the corresponding end of the swirling component 30 is equal to the spacing between the two supporting portions. As a result, the two supporting portions can better balance the weight of the middle part of the swirling component 30 to better support the swirling component 30.

[0083] It should be noted that each of the spacing between the two supporting portions, the spacing between the one of the two supporting portions and the corresponding end of the swirling component 30, and the spacing between the other one of the two supporting portions and the corresponding end of the swirling component 30 may be adjusted based on a relative position relationship between the supporting portions and the swirling component 30.

[0084] In some embodiments, at the variable gap, the frame component 10 is further provided with a supporting protrusion 60 spaced from the supporting portion. The supporting protrusion 60 supports the swirling component 30 at a side of the end portion of the swirling component 30 facing away from the panel component 20.

[0085] Exemplarily, two supporting protrusions 60 are provided. The two supporting protrusions 60 are located at two sides of the brush member 50 in a length direction of the brush member 50, respectively. That is, the brush member 50 is located between the two supporting protrusions 60, and the supporting portion is also located between the two supporting protrusions 60.

[0086] Therefore, the two supporting protrusions 60 can serve to support the two ends of the swirling component 30, respectively. Meanwhile, the supporting portion can support the middle part of the swirling component 30. As a result, the supporting protrusion 60 and the supporting portion can simultaneously support the two ends and the middle part of the swirling component 30. Therefore, the swirling component 30 can be avoided from deforming downwards under its own gravity, and the brush component 50 is thus prevented from being crushed. Therefore, the brush component 50 can be easily protected, which facilitates prolonging the service life of the brush component 50. Furthermore, during the production, it is beneficial to ensure that the operation of the lifting mechanism of the swirling component 30 and the operation of the swirling component 30 can be tested normally, which facilitates reducing the production cost of the air conditioner 100.

[0087] In the description of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that, terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "over", "below", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "in", "out", "clockwise", "anticlockwise", "axial", "radial" and "circumference" refer to the directions and location relations which are the directions and location relations shown in the drawings, and for describing the present disclosure and for describing in simple, and which are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or the elements are disposed to locate at the specific directions or are structured and performed in the specific directions, which could not to be understood to the limitation of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may comprise one or more this feature distinctly or implicitly. In the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more than two, unless specified otherwise.

[0088] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "coupled" should be understood broadly, such as fixed, detachable mountings, connections and couplings or integrated, and can be mechanical or electrical mountings, connections and couplings, and also can be direct and via media indirect mountings, connections, and couplings, and further can be inner mountings, connections and couplings of two components or interaction relations between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0089] In the description of this specification, descriptions with reference to the terms "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "an exemplary embodiment", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" etc., mean that specific features, structure, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are comprised in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0090] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is conceivable for those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes, modifications, replacements, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure shall be defined by the claims as appended and their equivalents.


Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising:

a frame component having an air outlet;

a panel component mounted at the frame component, wherein the panel component and the frame component defining a cavity, a variable gap being formed at a side of the cavity close to the air outlet, the frame component being provided with a brush member at the variable gap, a swirling component being mounted at the panel component, and the swirling component being adapted to extend out of the variable gap to guide airflow at the air outlet, wherein:

the swirling component has an end portion connected to the panel component;

the frame component is further provided with a supporting portion at the variable gap; and

the swirling component has a middle part supported by the supporting portion.


 
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the swirling component is slidably engaged with the panel component and in rolling contact with the supporting portion.
 
3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein:

the supporting portion is constructed as a rolling member rotatably mounted at a side surface of the frame component facing towards the panel component; and

a rotation axis of the rolling member is perpendicular to a sliding direction of the swirling component.


 
4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein:

the rolling member comprises a rotary shaft and a roller fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft; and

the frame component is provided with a mounting groove formed at the side surface of the frame component facing towards the panel component, the rotary shaft being rotatably mounted in the mounting groove, and the roller at least partially extending out of the mounting groove to be in rolling contact with the swirling component.


 
5. The air conditioner according to claim 3 or 4, wherein:

the rolling member comprises a rotary shaft and a roller fixedly arranged around the rotary shaft; and

the frame component is provided with a seat on the side surface of the frame component facing towards the panel component, the rotary shaft being rotatably supported by the seat, and the roller protruding from the seat to be in rolling contact with the swirling component.


 
6. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the swirling component is adapted to slide into or out of the cavity from the variable gap, wherein:

when the swirling component slides into a maximum position inside the cavity, a first side edge of the swirling component is supported by the supporting portion; and

when the swirling component slides into a maximum position outside the cavity, a second side edge of the swirling component is supported by the supporting portion.


 
7. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the supporting portion and the brush member are spaced apart from each other in the sliding direction of the swirling component.
 
8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein:

the brush member is constructed in an elongated strip shape,

a length direction of the brush member is in a length direction of the swirling component; and

a spacing between the supporting portion and the brush member is smaller than a width of the brush member.


 
9. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at the variable gap, the supporting portion is located at a side of the brush member close to the cavity.
 
10. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a plurality of supporting portions is provided, the plurality of the supporting portions being arranged at an interval and supporting the swirling component.
 
11. The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein:

the brush member is constructed in the elongated strip shape;

the length direction of the brush member is in the length direction of the swirling component; and

the plurality of the supporting portions is arranged at an interval in the length direction of the swirling component.


 
12. The air conditioner according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the plurality of the supporting portions comprises two supporting portions, wherein:

a spacing between one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of two ends of the swirling component is equal to a spacing between another one of the two supporting portions and a corresponding one of the two ends of the swirling component; and/or

a spacing between the two supporting portions is equal to a spacing between each of the two supporting portions and a corresponding end of the swirling component.


 
13. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at the variable gap, the frame component is further provided with a supporting protrusion spaced apart from the supporting portion, the supporting protrusion supporting the swirling component at a side of the end portion of the swirling component facing away from the panel component.
 




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Cited references

REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION



This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description