WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims a priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202321387873.3, titled “WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER,” and filed on May 31, 2023 by Wuhu Maty Air-conditioning Equipment Co. Ltd. and Guangdong Midea Air-Conditioning Equipment Co. LTD.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of air conditioner technologies, and more particularly, to a window air conditioner.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, a window air conditioner includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit through a connector. The outdoor unit can be reversed relative to the connector, thus a rotating shaft needs to be arranged between the outdoor unit and the connector. The rotating shaft has a complex structure, resulting in difficulties when assembling the outdoor unit with the connector, and low assembly efficiency.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure aims at solving at least one of the technical problems existing in the related art. To this end, the present disclosure provides a window air conditioner, which has lower assembly difficulty and higher assembly efficiency.

The window air conditioner includes: an indoor unit component adapted to be arranged at an indoor side; an outdoor unit component adapted to be arranged at an outdoor side; and a connector adapted to pass through a window opening, and connect the indoor unit component with the outdoor unit component. The connector includes a first connection plate. The outdoor unit component includes a second connection plate. The first connection plate and the second connection plate are connected to each other through a pivot component to allow the outdoor unit component to rotate relative to the indoor unit component. When the window air conditioner is in a use state, the connector is located at an upper end of a space between the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component, the first connection plate and the second connection plate are positioned horizontally, and the pivot component is located at a top of each of the first connection plate and the second connection plate. The first connection plate includes an extension member extending to a position above the second connection plate. The extension member is sandwiched between the second connection plate and the pivot component.

According to the window air conditioner of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate and the second connection plate are connected to each other through the pivot component. The extension member of the first connection plate extending to a position above the second connection plate is sandwiched between the second connection plate and the pivot component. On the one hand, the pivot component is formed as a separate module, and in an assembly process, the pivot component with a complex structure does not need to be disassembled, such that the assembly efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, the pivot component and the second connection plate can cooperate to realize pre-positioning of the first connection plate, such that further assembly after the pre-positioning can be performed with lowered alignment difficulty, the assembly is simpler and more convenient, further improving the assembly efficiency of the window air conditioner.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate further includes a stop member connected to a side of the extension member close to the indoor unit component. The stop member extends downward relative to the extension member to provide a stop at a back side of a back plate of the outdoor unit component.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pivot component includes a first hinge base and a second hinge base that are hingedly connected to each other and arranged in a direction from the indoor unit component to the outdoor unit component. The first hinge base is mounted at the first connection plate, and the second hinge base is mounted at the second connection plate. The first hinge base includes a press stop member, and when the window air conditioner is in the use state, the press stop member is located above the second connection plate and is spaced apart from the second connection plate to form an accommodation gap with the second connection plate. The extension member extends into the accommodation gap to be sandwiched between the press stop member and the second connection plate.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first hinge base includes a plane section. The first connection plate includes a connection member coplanar with the extension member. The connection member and the extension member are attached to a bottom of the plane section. The connection member is fixedly connected to the plane section.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate includes a connection member. The pivot component is supported at a top of the connection member. The connection member is provided with an engagement structure. An end of the pivot component close to the indoor unit component is engaged with the engagement structure to prevent the pivot component from being vertically separated from the first connection plate.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the engagement structure is constructed as an elastic snap and forms an engagement opening opened towards the outdoor unit component. An end of the pivot component close to the indoor unit component is engaged into the engagement opening.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate includes a plate body. The connection member is constructed as a protrusion structure located at a top of the plate body.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pivot component is fixedly connected to the connection member through a threaded fastener

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outdoor unit component has a bent member at a top of the back plate of the outdoor unit component. The bent member extends to a position above the second connection plate. When the window air conditioner is in the use state, the bent member is sandwiched between the extension member and the second connection plate. A top cover of the outdoor unit component covers over the second connection plate and the pivot component.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector includes a bottom plate and a top plate connected to an upper part of the bottom plate. An accommodation cavity is formed between the bottom plate and the top plate. A line and/or a pipeline for connecting the indoor unit component with the outdoor unit component passes through the accommodation cavity. The bottom plate serves as the first connection plate

Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be given at least in part in the following description, or become apparent at least in part from the following description, or can be learned from practicing of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and more understandable from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a window air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing cooperation among an outdoor unit component, a connector, and a pivot component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of an outdoor unit component, a connector, and a pivot component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a circled region A in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing cooperation among a first connection plate, a pivot component, and a second connection plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

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 limiting, the present disclosure.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms such as “center,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer” should be construed to refer to the orientation or the position as shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed apparatus or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that terms “first” and “second” are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features associated with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, “plurality” means at least two, unless otherwise specifically defined.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, a window air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the window air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an indoor unit component 10 adapted to be arranged at an indoor side, an outdoor unit component 20 adapted to be arranged at an outdoor side, and a connector 30 adapted to pass through a window opening. The indoor unit component 10 and the outdoor unit component 20 are connected to each other through the connector 30.

The window air conditioner 100 has an installing state and a use state. The outdoor unit component 20 is rotatably engaged with the connector 30. In the installing state, an angle formed between a back plate 22 of a housing of the outdoor unit component 20 and the connector 30 is substantially 180° (close to 180° or equal to 180°, the back plate 22 extending in a horizontal direction or substantially horizontal direction). In the use state, an angle formed between the back plate 22 of the outdoor unit component 20 and the connector 30 is substantially 90° (close to 90° or equal to 90°, the back plate 22 extending in a vertical direction or substantially vertical direction). The outdoor unit component 20 is rotatably connected to the connector 30 and can be switched between the installing state and the use state, such that the window air conditioner 100 can be conveniently installed on the window opening. During installation, an installer does not need to poke most of his or her body out of the window opening, which can reduce potential safety hazards during installing and improve the installing convenience.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the connector 30 includes a first connection plate 31, the outdoor unit component 20 includes a second connection plate 21, and the first connection plate 31 and the second connection plate 21 are connected to each other through a pivot component 40 to allow the outdoor unit component 20 to rotate relative to the indoor unit component 10. When the window air conditioner 100 is in use, the connector 30 is located at an upper end of a space between the indoor unit component 10 and the outdoor unit component 20. The first connection plate 31 and the second connection plate 21 are positioned horizontally, and the pivot component 40 is located at a top of each of the first connection plate 31 and the second connection plate 21. The first connection plate 31 includes an extension member 311 extending to a position above the second connection plate 21. The extension member 311 is sandwiched between the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40.

Being positioned horizontally means that a plate thickness direction of the first connection plate 31 and a plate thickness direction of the second connection plate 21 are substantially vertical, and being sandwiched means being located between two objects, i.e., the extension member 311 is spatially located between the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40.

In the related art, two hinge bases of the pivot component 40 are fixed on the first connection plate 31 and the second connection plate 21, respectively, and the two hinge bases are connected to each other through a rotating shaft or a pin shaft. A matching lock structure is arranged between the two hinge bases to ensure fixing stability and reliability of the outdoor unit component 20 in the installing state and the use state, resulting in higher difficulty when assembling the pivot component 40 with the outdoor unit component 20 and assembling the pivot component 40 with the indoor unit component 10. In particular, alignment between the first connection plate 31 and the pivot component 40 and alignment between the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40 are difficult to achieve, which causes assembly difficulties and less convenience in use.

According to the present disclosure, when the window air conditioner 100 is in the use state, the extension member 311 of the first connection plate 31 that extends to a position above the second connection plate 21 is sandwiched between the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40, and the first connection plate 31 is connected to the second connection plate 21 through the pivot component 40 to allow the pivot component 40 to form an assembled module. During installation, the pivot component 40 may be fixed to the second connection plate 21. After the pivot component 40 is fixed to the second connection plate 21, the extension member 311 arranged at the first connection plate 31 and extending towards the second connection plate 21 may be further sandwiched between the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40, to pre-position the first connection plate 31, so as to reduce the assembly difficulty between the first connection plate 31 and the pivot component 40 and improve the assembly efficiency. Further, there is no need to disassemble the pivot component 40.

An assembly structure between the outdoor unit component 20, the indoor unit component 10, the connector 30, and the pivot component 40 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the extension member 311 extending towards the first connection plate 31 may be arranged at the second connection plate 21, and a sandwiching space is formed between the first connection plate 31 and the pivot component 40. The extension member 311 extends into the sandwiching space between the first connection plate 31 and the pivot component 40, to achieve spatial sandwiching and pre-positioning, such that a same technical effect as the above structure can be realized, which is not described here.

According to the window air conditioner 100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate 31 and the second connection plate 21 are connected to each other through the pivot component 40, and the extension member 311 of the first connection plate 31 extending to a position above the second connection plate 21 is sandwiched between the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40. On the one hand, the pivot component 40 is formed as a separate module, and in the assembly process, the pivot component 40 with a complicated structure does not need to be disassembled, such that the assembly efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, the pivot component 40 and the second connection plate 21 can cooperate to realize the pre-positioning of the first connection plate 31, such that further assembling after the pre-positioning can be performed with lowered alignment difficulty, the assembly is simpler and more convenient, further improving the assembly efficiency of the window air conditioner 100.

The up-down direction and the inside-outside direction involved in the present disclosure all take the window opening as a reference. An inside and an outside of the window opening are relative concepts. The inside-outside direction corresponds to a width direction of the window opening. A left-right direction is a length direction of the window opening. The up-down direction corresponds to a height direction of the window opening.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate 31 further includes a stop member 312 connected to a side of the extension member 311 close to the indoor unit component 10. The stop member 312 extends downward relative to the extension member 311 to form a stop at a back side of the back plate 22 of the outdoor unit component 20.

The extension member 311 of the first connection plate 31 is arranged opposite to the second connection plate 21 in the up-down direction (i.e., the vertical direction). The back plate 22 of the outdoor unit component 20 is arranged close to the window opening in the use state. The back side of the back plate 22 is arranged close to the first connection plate 31. The stop member 312 is arranged at a side of the first extension member 311 close to the indoor unit component 10 (i.e., an inner side of the extension member 311). The extension member 311 and the stop member 312 are both configured to have a plate structure having an “L” shaped cross-section. The back surface of the back plate 22 facing inward may be pushed against the stop member 312, such that a displacement of the outdoor unit component 20 can be limited by the stop member 312, to improve the structural stability and reliability of the outdoor unit component 20 in the use state, and the outdoor unit component 20 can be invisible from indoors by arranging the stop member 312, to improve the aesthetics of the window air conditioner 100, providing a higher level of use feeling and improving the use experience of the window air conditioner 100.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the pivot component 40 includes a first hinge base 41 and a second hinge base 42 hingedly connected to each other and arranged in a direction from the indoor unit component 10 to the outdoor unit component 20. The first hinge base 41 is mounted at the first connection plate 31. The second hinge base 42 is mounted at the second connection plate 21. The first hinge base 41 includes a press stop member 411. When the window air conditioner 100 is in the use state, the press stop member 411 is arranged above the second connection plate 21 and is spaced apart from the second connection plate 21 to form an accommodation gap with the second connection plate 21. The extension member 311 extends into the accommodation gap to be sandwiched between the press stop member 411 and the second connection plate 21. Therefore, the press stop member 411 and the second connection plate 21 press against the first connection plate 31, which can achieve the pre-positioning and also improve connection stability and reliability between the first connection plate 31 and the pivot component 40.

The pivot component 40 includes the first hinge base 41 and the second hinge base 42. A lock hole may be formed on the first hinge base 41, and a lock shaft may be correspondingly arranged at the second hinge base 42. The outdoor unit component 20 is rotatable around a pivot axis of the pivot component 40 relative to the connector 30, so as to switch between the use state and the installing state. In the installing state, the outdoor unit component 20 and the connector 30 are located above a horizontal plane at which the window still is located. In this state, the outdoor unit component 20 can be transported to the outdoor side more simply and more conveniently. In use state, most part of the outdoor unit component 20 is located below the horizontal plane at which the window still is located and can abut against a wall surface of an outer wall to fix the window air conditioner 100.

The outdoor unit component 20 is movable (e.g. rotatable or slidable) relative to the connector 30, such the outdoor unit component 20 can move relative to the connector 30 in an installing position and a fixed position. Therefore, it is difficulty to ensure fixing stability, which can cause potential safety hazards and reduce the installing convenience.

The present disclosure further provides the lock assembly on the window air conditioner 100. The lock assembly includes the lock hole and the lock shaft. The lock hole is formed at one of the first hinge base 41 and the second hinge base 42. A plurality of lock holes may be provided and are arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the pivot axis. The lock shaft is arranged at another of the second hinge base 42 and the first hinge base 41, and is adapted to be inserted into the lock hole. A position correspondence between the lock shaft and the plurality of lock holes changes with a change of a rotation angle of the outdoor unit component 20 relative to the connector 30. The lock shaft locks the outdoor unit component 20 and the connector 30 at different relative rotation angles when inserted into different lock holes.

Assuming that an angular interval between the installing state and the use state is 90°, and two lock holes are provided. The angular interval of the two lock holes in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis is 90°. One of the lock holes is a first lock hole, and another of the lock holes is a second lock hole. When the lock shaft is inserted into the first lock hole, the outdoor unit component 20 can be fixed at the installing position. When the lock shaft is inserted into the second lock hole, the outdoor unit component 20 can be fixed at the fixed position. In other embodiments, a plurality of first lock holes and a plurality of second lock holes may be provided. The plurality of first lock hole form one group, and the plurality of second lock hole form another group. The number of lock shafts is consistent with the number of the first lock holes and the number of the second lock holes.

When the lock hole is formed on the outdoor unit component 20 or a structure connected to the outdoor unit component 20, the corresponding lock shaft is arranged at the connector 30 or a structure connected to the connector 30. When the lock shaft is arranged at the outdoor unit component 20 or a structure connected to the outdoor unit component 20, the corresponding lock hole is formed on the connector 30 or a structure connected to the connector 30.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first hinge base 41 includes a plane section 412. The first connection plate 31 includes a connection member 313 coplanar with the extension member 311. The connection member 313 and the extension member 311 are attached to a bottom of the plane section 412. The connection member 313 is fixedly connected to the plane section 412.

The first hinge base 41 has a flat plate section configured to be connected to the first connection plate 31. The flat plate section is at least partially formed as a press stop member 411 to press against the first connection plate 31. The flat plate section is at least partially formed as the plane section 412. The extension member 311 is coplanar with the connection member 313. The connection member 313 is attached to the plane section 412. A connection between the plane section 412 and the connection member 313 can achieve a reliable and stable connection between the first connection plate 31 and the pivot component 40.

The connection member 313 is coplanar with the extension member 311. The plane section 412 is coplanar with the press stop member 411, or the press stop member 411 is further formed as the plane section 412. Therefore, there is no segment difference between the plane section 412 and the connection member 313, which facilitates assembly, while improving assembly accuracy and reliability after assembly. In addition, a problem of fracture at a connection position between the stop member and the connection member 313 can be avoided to further improve the connection stability and reliability.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection plate 31 includes the connection member 313. The pivot component 40 is supported at a top of the connector 30. The connection member 313 is provided with an engagement structure 3131. An end of the pivot component 40 close to the indoor unit component 10 is engaged with the engagement structure 3131 to prevent the pivot component 40 from being vertically separated from the first connection plate 31.

The engagement structure 3131 is constructed as an elastic snap and forms an engagement opening opened towards the outdoor unit component 20. An end of the pivot component 40 close to the indoor unit component 10 is engaged into the engagement opening to improve the connection stability and reliability between the first connection plate 31 and the first hinge base 41.

The first connection plate 31 includes a plate body 314. The connection member 313 is constructed as a protrusion structure at a top of the plate body 314.

In the vertical direction, the connection member 313 is arranged higher than the plate body 314 to form a gap between the connection member 313 and the plate body 314. The second connection plate 21 may be inserted into the gap to avoid interference between the first connection plate 31 and the first hinge base 41 and between the first connection plate 31 and the second connection plate 21, which improves assembly convenience.

The pivot component 40 is fixedly connected to the connection member 313 through a threaded fastener to improve the connection stability and reliability between the pivot component 40 and the connector 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outdoor unit component 20 has a bent member 221 at a top of the back plate 22 of the outdoor unit component 20. The bent member 221 extends to a position above the second connection plate 21. When the window air conditioner 100 is in the use state, the bent member 221 is sandwiched between the extension member 311 and the second connection plate 21. A top cover of the outdoor unit component 20 covers over the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40.

The bent member 221 and the extension member 311 of the first connection plate 31 are opposite to each other in the inside-outside direction and are staggered in the vertical direction. The extension member 311, the bent member 221, and the press stop member 411 of the first hinge base 41 are sequentially arranged in the vertical direction to improve the connection stability of the pivot component 40 with the outdoor unit component 20 and the connector 30. The top cover of the outdoor unit component 20 covers over the second connection plate 21 and the pivot component 40. Therefore, foreign matters can be prevented from entering to improve the operating stability and reliability of the pivot component 40 and further improve the aesthetics of the window air conditioner 100.

In some embodiments, the connector 30 includes a bottom plate and a top plate connected to an upper part of the bottom plate. An accommodation cavity is formed between the bottom plate and the top plate. A line and/or a pipeline for connecting the indoor unit component 10 with the outdoor unit component 20 passes through the accommodation cavity. The bottom plate serves as the first connection plate 31.

The first connection plate 31 is formed as the bottom plate. The top plate opposite to the bottom plate is arranged above the bottom plate. A side plate extending is arranged at the top plate, or a side plate extending upwards is arranged at the bottom plate, to form the accommodation cavity. The line and/or the pipeline passes through the accommodation cavity. Therefore, the operating stability and the use safety of the window air conditioner 100 are improved, with the line and the pipeline being invisible, such that the aesthetics of the window air conditioner 100 can be improved.

In the description of this specification, description with reference to the terms “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “exemplary embodiments,” “examples” “specific examples,” or “some examples” etc., mean that specific features, structure, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included 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. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it should be understood by 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.