PACKAGING MEMBER AND PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of priority to Chinese patent application No. 202411392243.4, filed on Sep. 30, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

A portable air conditioner, also known as “a movable air conditioner”, is a type of portable air conditioner that is highly energy-efficient, does not require installation, and may be freely placed in different rooms.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of air conditioning devices, and more particularly to a packaging member and a portable air conditioner.

The present disclosure proposes a packaging member and a portable air conditioner to increase a loading capacity of a container for portable air conditioners.

A packaging member according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is for packaging of a portable air conditioner, the packaging member includes a damping protruding portion configured to be arranged in an accommodation cavity of the portable air conditioner, the packaging member has an accommodation groove configured to wrap an air duct assembly of the portable air conditioner, and the accommodation groove extends at least partially into the accommodation cavity.

A portable air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is fitted with any packaging member described above, and the portable air conditioner includes a housing and an air duct assembly, in which an upper portion of the housing has an accommodation cavity and an accommodation opening facing upward and communicated with the accommodation cavity, and at least a part of the accommodation cavity is configured to accommodate the damping protruding portion of the packaging member; and the air duct assembly is wrapped by the accommodation groove, and the accommodation opening is configured to be passed through by the air duct assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a portable air conditioner in a transporting state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 1.

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

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portable air conditioner in a transporting state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a portable air conditioner in a transporting state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portable air conditioner in a usage state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a portable air conditioner in a usage state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along C-C in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along D-D in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a top cover of a portable air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portable air conditioner in a usage state according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a top cover of a portable air conditioner in a supporting state according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of part G in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a portable air conditioner with a top cover omitted according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a top cover of a portable air conditioner in a retracted state according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the drawings. The following embodiments are described with reference to the drawing. It should be understood that embodiments described herein are intended to explain the present disclosure, but not to limit the present disclosure.

During the transportation of the portable air conditioner, an air duct assembly is placed outside of a housing of the whole mobile air conditioner, for example, in a packaging member above the whole unit, resulting in an increased height of the whole unit and a reduced loading capacity per container for portable air conditioners.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a packaging member 4 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is for packaging of a portable air conditioner 100. The packaging member 4 includes a damping protruding portion 401 and an accommodation groove 42 configured to wrap an air duct assembly 2. The portable air conditioner 100, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, includes a housing 1 and the air duct assembly 2. An upper portion of the housing 1 has an accommodation cavity 11 and an accommodation opening 12, and the accommodation opening 12 faces upward and is communicated with the accommodation cavity 11. The damping protruding portion 401 of the packaging member 4 is arranged in the accommodation cavity 11, the accommodation groove 42 extends at least partially into the accommodation cavity 11, and the accommodation opening 12 is configured to be passed through by the air duct assembly 2.

The packaging member 4 may be a foam member.

In the packaging member 4 and the portable air conditioner 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the damping protruding portion 401 and the accommodation groove 42 on the packaging member 4, and providing the accommodation cavity 11 and the accommodation opening 12 communicated with the accommodation cavity 11 on the housing 1 of the portable air conditioner 100, when the portable air conditioner 100 is in transporting state, the damping protruding portion 401 may be placed in the accommodation cavity 11 and the air duct assembly 2 may be placed in and wrapped by the accommodation groove 42, thereby reducing a height of the portable air conditioner 100 in the transporting state, and increasing the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner 100. In addition, when it is necessary to install the portable air conditioner 100, the air duct assembly 2 is taken out from the accommodation groove 42, and then the installation and fixation of the air duct assembly 2 are carried out. In addition, the air duct assembly 2 in the accommodation cavity 11 is wrapped by the packaging member 4, which may prevent the air duct assembly 2 from scratching the housing 1, thus improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the accommodation groove 42 has a communication opening 43 configured to be in communication with the accommodation cavity 11.

By providing the communication opening 43 in the accommodation groove 42, the accommodation groove 42 is communicated with the accommodation cavity 11, so that a part of the air duct assembly 2 may be located inside the accommodation cavity 11 and outside the accommodation groove 42. Therefore, most of the air duct assembly 2 is placed in the portable air conditioner, thus reducing the height of the portable air conditioner 100 in the transporting state and further increasing the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner 100.

In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the accommodation groove 42 of the packaging member 4 may not be communicated with the accommodation cavity 11. In this case, the air duct assembly 2 is entirely located in the accommodation groove 42.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the portable air conditioner 100 includes an electrical control box 3 arranged at a lower side of the accommodation cavity 11. The damping protruding portion 401 includes a partition section 41 configured to be arranged between the electrical control box 3 and the air duct assembly 2 to separate the electrical control box 3 from the air duct assembly 2.

By providing the partition section 41 on the packaging member 4 and using the partition section 41 to separate the electrical control box 3 from the air duct assembly 2, the air duct assembly 2 is prevented from scratching the electrical control box 3, thus further improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, an upper surface of the partition section 41 is configured to be fitted with the air duct assembly 2, and a lower surface of the partition section 41 is configured to be fitted with the electrical control box 3.

By fitting the upper surface of the partition section 41 with the air duct assembly 2, and fitting the lower surface of the partition section 41 with the electrical control box 3, on the one hand, structural compactness of the packaging member 4, the air duct assembly 2 and the electrical control box 3 is improved, thus further increasing the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner 100; on the other hand, the fixing stability of the air duct assembly 2 may be enhanced, thus improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100 in the transporting state.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the packaging member 4 protrudes upward from the housing 1.

By arranging a part of the packaging member 4 to protrude upward from the housing 1, the packaging member 4 may be used to protect the upper portion of the housing 1; moreover, a space for placing the air duct assembly 2 may be increased.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, the packaging member 4 includes a covering portion 402 configured to cover and wrap an outer side of the housing 1.

For example, a front side of the packaging member 4 wraps a front side of the housing 1, a rear side of the packaging member 4 wraps a rear side of the housing 1, a left side of the packaging member 4 wraps a left side of the housing 1, and a right side of the packaging member 4 wraps a right side of the housing 1.

By covering and wrapping the outer side of the housing 1 with the covering portion 402 of the packaging member 4, the packaging member 4 may be used to protect the housing 1 from scratches and damage to the housing 1 during the transporting state.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an avoidance portion 31 is provided on an upper portion of the electrical control box 3, and the avoidance portion 31 forms a space with a height difference in an up-down direction for avoiding the air duct assembly 2.

By providing the avoidance portion 31 on the upper portion of the electrical control box 3, the space with the height difference formed by the avoidance portion 31 is configured to avoid the air duct assembly 2, which may increase the space of the accommodation cavity 11, facilitates placing more of the air duct assembly 2 within the accommodation cavity 11, reduces the height of the portable air conditioner 100 in the transporting state, and further increases the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the avoidance portion 31 that forms the space with the height difference is an avoidance inclined surface.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a part of the electrical control box 3 is gradually inclined downward along a front-rear direction, so that the avoidance inclined surface forms the space with the height difference in the up-down direction.

By configuring the avoidance portion 31 that forms the space with the height difference as the avoidance inclined surface, it is possible to form the avoidance portion 31 on the electrical control box 3 by configuring only a part of the electrical control box 3 as the inclined surface. Thus, the structure of the electrical control box 3 may be simplified, which facilitates the processing and manufacturing of the electrical control box 3 and helps to reduce the cost of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, the avoidance portion 31 that forms the space with the height difference is a recessed portion.

For example, the upper portion of the electrical control box 3 has a stepped structure, a tread surface with a smaller height is arranged below a tread surface with a larger height, so that the tread surface with the smaller height forms the recessed portion, and the space with the height difference is formed above the tread surface with the smaller height.

By configuring the avoidance portion 31 that forms the space with the height difference as the recessed portion, the recessed portion may be used as an accommodation space for the air duct assembly 2, thereby increasing the space of the accommodation cavity 11, facilitating placement of more of the air duct assembly 2 in the accommodation cavity 11, reducing the height of the portable air conditioner 100 in the transporting state, and further increasing the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9, the portable air conditioner 100 includes a cold air duct 61 and a hot air duct 62, and the cold air duct 61 is arranged above the hot air duct 62. The electrical control box 3 is arranged above the cold air duct 61, and a heat dissipater 32 is arranged below the electrical control box 3 and within the cold air duct 61.

By arranging the heat dissipater 32 below the electrical control box 3 and placing the heat dissipater 32 within the cold air duct 61, the cooling and heat dissipation of the electronic control box 3 may be achieved by utilizing a low-temperature airflow within the cold air duct 61, thus improving the reliability of the electrical control box 3. Thus, the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100 is improved.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9, the portable air conditioner 100 includes an evaporator 7, a condenser 8, and a compressor 9. The evaporator 7, the condenser 8, and the compressor 9 are arranged inside the housing 1. The evaporator 7 is arranged in the cold air duct 61, and the condenser 8 is arranged in the hot air duct 62. The portable air conditioner 100 includes a base 10 arranged below the housing 1 and connected to the housing 1, and the compressor 9 is installed on the base 10.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 1 has an air outlet 14 in communication with the cold air duct 61. The air outlet 14 and the accommodation opening 12 are arranged on different sides of the housing 1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the air outlet 14 is arranged on the front side of the housing 1, and the accommodation opening 12 is arranged on the upper side of the housing 1.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the portable air conditioner 100 further includes a top cover 5 detachably connected to the housing 1, and the top cover 5 is configured to close or open the accommodation opening 12.

By detachably connecting the top cover 5 to the housing 1, when the portable air conditioner 100 is in the transporting state, the top cover 5 may be removed from the housing 1 and then placed beside the housing 1, thereby opening the accommodation opening 12 to allow the air duct assembly 2 to be placed in the accommodation cavity 11 through the accommodation opening 12. When it is necessary to install the portable air conditioner 100, the air duct assembly 2 is first taken out from the accommodation cavity 11, and then the top cover 5 is connected to the housing 1 to close the accommodation opening 12 with the top cover 5.

Thus, when the portable air conditioner 100 is in a usage state, the accommodation opening 12 is closed by the top cover 5, thus preventing dust and other impurities from entering the housing 1 and improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, the housing 1 is snap-fitted to the top cover 5.

The snap fit between the housing 1 and the top cover 5 facilitates the connection and disassembly of the top cover 5.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the top cover 5 has a first snap 51 and a second snap 52 arranged opposite to each other along a preset direction, and the preset direction is perpendicular to the up-down direction. At least one of the first snap 51 and the second snap 52 has a guide inclined surface 53. The housing 1 has a first snap-fit portion 131 and a second snap-fit portion 132, the first snap 51 is snap-fitted with the first snap-fit portion 131, and the second snap 52 is snap-fitted with the second snap-fit portion 132.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the first snap 51 and the second snap 52 are arranged opposite to each other along the front-rear direction. The first snap 51 is arranged at a front side of the second snap 52, and the first snap-fit portion 131 is arranged at a front side of the second snap-fit portion 132. The first snap 51 has the guide inclined surface 53.

The first snap 51 is snap-fitted with the first snap-fit portion 131, and the second snap 52 is snap-fitted with the second snap-fit portion 132, thus achieving the snap-fit connection between the top cover 5 and the housing 1. By providing the guide inclined surface 53 on at least one of the first snap 51 and the second snap 52, during the snap-fit connection between the top cover 5 and the housing 1, the first snap 51 and/or the second snap 52 may be guided by the guide inclined surface 53 to snap into the corresponding first snap-fit portion 131 and/or second snap-fit portion 132, which thus further facilitates the connection and disassembly of the top cover 5.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the housing 1 is provided with a limiting rib 13 arranged around the accommodation opening 12. The limiting rib 13 includes a first segment and a second segment arranged opposite to each other along the preset direction. The first segment forms the first snap-fit portion 131, and the second segment forms the second snap-fit portion 132.

For example, the first segment is arranged at a front side of the second segment, the first snap 51 is snap-fitted with the first segment, and the second snap 52 is snap-fitted with the second segment.

By providing the limiting rib 13 on the housing 1, different portions of the limiting rib 13 are used to form the first snap-fit portion 131 and the second snap-fit portion 132 respectively, so that the structure of the housing 1 is simplified, thus facilitating the processing and manufacturing of the housing 1 and helping to reduce the cost of the portable air conditioner 100.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 17, the top cover 5 includes a cover body 501 and a support strut 502. The cover body 501 is snap-fitted to the housing 1, and the support strut 502 is arranged on a lower side of the cover body 501 and movably connected to the cover body 501, so that the support strut 502 may be switched between a supporting state and a retracted state. The housing 1 has a slot 15. When in the supporting state, the support strut 502 may be inserted and fitted with the slot 15 to support the cover body 501; and when in the retracted state, the support strut 502 is in limiting fit with a second limiting member 504 so that the support strut 502 may be stably maintained in the retracted state; and a height of the support strut 502 in the up-down direction in the supporting state is greater than a height of the support strut 502 in the up-down direction in the retracted state.

When the top cover 5 is connected to the housing 1, the support strut 502 is in the supporting state, and the support strut 502 is inserted and fitted with the slot 15 of the housing 1 to utilize the support strut 502 to support the cover body 501, thus preventing the cover body 501 from collapsing or other problems. When the portable air conditioner 100 needs to be transported, the top cover 5 is removed from the housing 1 and the support strut 502 is in the retracted state and placed beside the housing 1, so that the top cover 5 has a smaller height to reduce the occupied space of the top cover 5, thereby reducing the occupied space of the portable air conditioner 100 and increasing the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner 100 during transportation.

Alternatively, a first end of the support strut 502 is rotatably connected to the cover body 501, and a second end of the support strut 502 is arranged in a cantilevered manner.

By rotatably connecting the support strut 502 to the cover body 501, the support strut 502 may be switched between the supporting state and the retracted state by rotating the support strut 502, which not only simplifies the structure of the top cover 5 but also facilitates the assembly and disassembly of the top cover 5.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the support strut 502 has a rotating shaft 5021, the cover body 501 has a rotating shaft hole 5011, and the rotating shaft 5021 is rotatably fitted with the rotating shaft hole 5011.

The connection structure between the support strut 502 and the cover body 501 is simple, which is convenient for processing and manufacturing, and conducive to reducing the cost of the top cover 5, thereby reducing the cost of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, the lower side of the cover body 501 is provided with a first limiting member 503, and when in the supporting state, the support strut 502 is in limiting fit with the first limiting member 503.

By providing the first limiting member 503, when in the supporting state, the support strut 502 is in limiting fit with the first limiting member 503, so that the support strut 502 may be stably maintained in the supporting state, thus improving the supporting reliability of the support strut 502 for the cover body 501 and improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, the first limiting member 503 is a limiting block.

Alternatively, the first limiting member 503 is integrally formed with the cover body 501.

For example, the first limiting member 503 is integrally injection-molded with the cover body 501.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 17, the lower side of the cover body 501 has a second limiting member 504, and when in the retracted state, the support strut 502 is in limiting fit with the second limiting member 504.

By providing the second limiting member 504, when in the retracted state, the support strut 502 is in a limiting fit with the second limiting member 504, so that the support strut 502 may be stably maintained in the retracted state, thus improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 14, the second limiting member 504 has a limiting groove, or a limiting groove is defined between the second limiting member 504 and the cover body 501. When in the retracted state, the support strut 502 is snap-fitted with the limiting groove.

For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the second limiting members 504 are arranged in a pair, there is a spacing between the pair of two second limiting members 504, and the limiting groove is defined between the pair of two second limiting members 504 and the cover body 501. In some other embodiments, the limiting groove may be directly arranged on the second limiting member 504.

By providing the limiting groove, when in the retracted state, the support strut 502 is snap-fitted with the limiting groove, which may improve the limiting reliability of the second limiting member 504 for the support strut 502 and improve the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

Alternatively, the second limiting member 504 is integrally formed with the cover body 501.

For example, the second limiting member 504 is integrally injection-molded with the cover body 501.

Alternatively, the second end of the support strut 502 is provided with a guide inclined surface.

By providing the guide inclined surface on the second end of the support strut 502, when the support strut 502 is in the support state, the guide inclined surface may guide the support strut 502 to insert into the slot 15, so as to improve the installation efficiency of the top cover 5.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 14, the support strut 502 is arranged in middle of the cover body 501. An edge of the cover body 501 has a snap-fit portion 505 of the top cover, the housing 1 has a snap-fit portion 16 of the housing, and the snap-fit portion 16 of the housing is snap-fitted with the snap-fit portion 505 of the top cover.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the cover body 501 is generally rectangular, and the support strut 502 is located in the middle of the cover body 501 in the front-rear direction and located in the middle of the cover body 501 in the left-right direction.

By arranging the support strut 502 in the middle of the cover body 501, the support stability of the support strut 502 for the cover body 501 may be improved, thus enhancing the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100.

In some embodiments, a plurality of the support struts 502 are arranged at intervals, and at least two support struts 502 of the plurality of the support struts 502 have different lengths.

For example, four support struts 502 are provided, the four support struts 502 form two support groups, and the two support groups are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. Two support struts 502 in the same support group are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. Additionally, the lengths of two support struts 502 of the four support struts 502 at the front side are shorter than those of two support struts 502 at the rear side.

By providing a plurality of support struts 502 and arranging them at intervals, when in the supporting state, the support strength of the support struts 502 for the cover body 501 may be improved, thus enhancing the reliability of the portable air conditioner 100. By providing at least two support struts 502 with different lengths, it is convenient to design the support struts according to the dimensions of different portions of the housing 1. For example, the upper portion of the housing 1 may be configured to be higher at the front side and lower at the rear side.

In the packaging member 4 and the portable air conditioner 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the detachable top cover 5 on the upper portion of the housing 1, during factory shipment, the top cover 5 is placed as an accessory beside the housing 1, and the air duct assembly 2 is placed in the accommodation cavity 11 of the housing 1 and is reliably fixed by the packaging member 4, so as to avoid scratch and damage to the housing 1. When a whole unit of the air conditioner is delivered to a user's home, the user takes out the air duct assembly 2 for use and connects the top cover 5 to the housing 1, and the unit may be normally used. The present disclosure saves space for placing the air duct assembly 2, solves problems that the whole unit is too high to fit in a three-layer container, and the air duct assembly 2 cannot be placed suitably, thus ensuring the integrity of the appearance and effectively improving the container loading capacity for the air conditioner.

In the packaging member and the portable air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the damping protruding portion and the accommodation groove on the packaging member, and providing the accommodation cavity and the accommodation opening communicated with the accommodation cavity on the housing of the portable air conditioner, when the portable air conditioner is in the transporting state, the damping protruding portion may be placed in the accommodation cavity and the air duct assembly may be placed in and wrapped by the accommodation groove, thereby reducing the height of the portable air conditioner in the transporting state, and increasing the container loading capacity for the portable air conditioner. In addition, when it is necessary to install the portable air conditioner, the air duct assembly is taken out from the accommodation cavity, and then the installation and fixation of the air duct assembly are carried out. In addition, the air duct assembly in the accommodation cavity is wrapped by the packaging member, which may prevent the air duct assembly from scratching the housing, thus improving the reliability of the portable air conditioner.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and shall not be understood as limitation to the present disclosure, and changes, modifications, alternatives and variations which can be made in the above embodiments by those skilled in the art all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.