Window Air Conditioner

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Nos. 202211581356. X and 202223293348.3 filed on Dec. 7, 2022 by GD Midea Air-Conditioning Equipment Co., LTD., and entitled “WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER.”

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

In the related art, a window air conditioner is directly arranged at a window sill or arranged at a windowsill through a mounting support. An indoor unit component is connected to an outdoor unit component through an intermediate connector. That is, two ends of the intermediate connector are connected to the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component, respectively. By arranging the intermediate connector, the outdoor unit component can be fixed at an outdoor side through a traction action of the intermediate connector.

However, the window air conditioner has poor sealing performance, and a sealing effect between an indoor side and the outdoor side is poor, which will affect a temperature regulation effect of the window air conditioner.

The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the related art. To this end, the present disclosure provides a window air conditioner. The window air conditioner has better sealing performance and better temperature regulation effect.

The window air conditioner includes an outdoor unit component, an indoor unit component, an intermediate component, and a pipeline assembly. The outdoor unit component is adapted to be arranged at an outdoor side. The indoor unit component is adapted to be arranged at an indoor side. The indoor unit component has a first connection end. The intermediate component is adapted to be arranged at a windowsill and includes a first shell assembly, a second shell assembly, and a seal assembly. The second shell assembly and the first shell assembly are movable relative to each other in an inner-outer direction. The second shell assembly is connected to the outdoor unit component. The second shell assembly has a second connection end connected to the first connection end. The second connection end has a port in communication with an inner cavity of the intermediate component. The seal assembly includes a first seal member configured to seal the port. The pipeline assembly extends through the first seal member and the inner cavity of the intermediate component. The pipeline assembly has an inner end connected to the indoor unit component and an outer end connected to the outdoor unit component.

Thus, by arranging the first seal member at the second connection end of the first shell assembly, on the one hand, the inner cavity of the intermediate component and an inner cavity of the indoor unit component can be isolated from each other to prevent outdoor side airflow from entering an indoor side space, thereby achieving an isolation of the indoor side from the outdoor side and ensuring a stable temperature regulation effect of the window air conditioner; On the other hand, the first seal member is arranged at a component of the intermediate component that is kept stationary relative to the indoor unit component. Therefore, the reliability and stability of sealing can be improved to allow the sealing performance of the window air conditioner to be better.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first seal member includes a first seal and a second seal. The second seal is arranged around an edge of the first seal in a circumferential direction of the port. The second seal has a first cavity formed in the second seal.

In some embodiments, the second seal has a plurality of the first cavities arranged at intervals in an axial direction of the port.

In some embodiments, the first shell assembly includes a plurality of sub-shells. The seal assembly includes a second seal member configured to seal connections where the plurality of sub-shells are connected to one another.

In some embodiments, the plurality of sub-shells include a first upper shell and a first lower shell. The port is formed between an inner end portion of the first upper shell and an inner end portion of the first lower shell. Two side edges of the first upper shell in a transverse direction are correspondingly connected to two side edges of the first lower shell in the transverse direction, respectively, and the two side edges of the first upper shell in the transverse direction are sealingly engaged with the two side edges of the first lower shell in the transverse direction through the second seal member.

In some embodiments, the second seal member has a second cavity formed in the second seal member; and/or the second seal member and at least part of the first seal member are integrally formed.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first shell assembly is arranged around the second shell assembly. The intermediate component further includes a slide rail assembly. The slide rail assembly includes a first slide rail and a second slide rail that are slidably engaged with each other in the inner-outer direction. The first slide rail is fixedly connected to the first shell assembly. The second slide rail is fixedly connected to the second shell assembly. The first shell assembly and/or the second shell assembly covers the slide rail assembly.

In some embodiments, the first seal member includes a first seal and a third seal. The first seal is shaped to match the port. The first seal has a through hole. The third seal is configured to seal the through hole. The pipeline assembly extends through the third seal. The third seal has deformation resistance greater than deformation resistance of the first seal.

In some embodiments, the pipeline assembly includes a plurality of passing members. Each of the plurality of passing members is one of a refrigerant pipe, a drain pipe, a strong electric wire, and a weak electric wire. Two adjacent passing members of the plurality of passing members are spaced apart from each other by the third seal.

In some embodiments, the third seal includes a first sub-member and a second sub-member. The first sub-member is inserted in and engaged with the second sub-member through a concave-convex structure. A plurality of perforations arranged at intervals are formed between the first sub-member and the second sub-member. The plurality of passing members pass through the plurality of perforations in a one-to-one correspondence.

In some embodiments, the plurality of the passing members is arranged at intervals in a transverse direction.

In some embodiments, the first seal member further includes a pipe joint internally having a channel. The pipe joint is embedded in the third seal. The pipeline assembly includes a drain pipe. The drain pipe includes an inner pipe section located inside the third seal and an outer pipe section located outside the third seal. The inner pipe section and the outer pipe section are connected to the pipe joint and in communication with each other through the channel.

In some embodiments, the pipe joint has a plurality of the channels. A plurality of drain pipes are provided and in communication with the plurality of the channels in a one-to-one correspondence.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connection end is formed between an outer end of a top plate of the indoor unit component and an upper end of a rear back plate of the indoor unit component. The first connection end is arranged around the second connection end.

In some embodiments, the second shell assembly has an outer end rotatably connected to an upper part of an inner end of the outdoor unit component.

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.

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 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 orientations or the positions as illustrated 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 referred apparatus or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, these terms cannot be understood as limitations of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that terms “first” and “second” are only for descriptive purposes, and should not 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, a window air conditioneraccording to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described with reference toto.

As shown in,,, and, the window air conditioneraccording to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes an outdoor unit component, an indoor unit component, an intermediate component, and a pipeline assembly.

The outdoor unit componentis adapted to be arranged at an outdoor side, and the indoor unit componentis adapted to be arranged at an indoor side, allowing temperature regulation (for example, cooling or heating) on the indoor side to be realized through the indoor unit componentand the outdoor unit component. The indoor unit componenthas a first connection end. The intermediate componentis adapted to be arranged at a windowsill and includes a first shell assembly, a second shell assembly, and a seal assembly. The second shell assemblyand the first shell assemblyare movable relative to each other in an inner-outer direction. The second shell assemblyis connected to the outdoor unit component. The first shell assemblyhas a second connection endconnected to the first connection end. The second connection endhas a port in communication with an inner cavity of the intermediate component. The seal assemblyincludes a first seal memberconfigured to seal the port. The pipeline assemblyextends through the first seal memberand the inner cavity of the intermediate component. An inner end of the pipeline assemblyis connected to the indoor unit component. An outer end of the pipeline assemblyis connected to the outdoor unit component.

An inner end of the intermediate componentand an outer end of the intermediate componentare connected to the indoor unit componentand the outdoor unit component, respectively. The first connection endof the indoor unit componentis connected to the second connection endof the first shell assembly. The outdoor unit componentis connected to an outer end of the second shell assembly. Each of the first shell assemblyand the second shell assemblyis limited as a cavity structure, and the first shell assemblyis slidably engaged with the second shell assemblyto adjust a distance between an inner end of the first shell assemblyand the outer end of the second shell assemblyto fit a wall of different thickness. The cavity of the first shell assemblyand the cavity of the second shell assemblyare in communication with each other to form the inner cavity of the intermediate component. The inner cavity of the intermediate componentis in communication with both the indoor unit componentand the outdoor unit component. The pipeline assemblyextends through the inner cavity of the intermediate componentto lead from the indoor side to the outdoor side. Therefore, condensed water of the indoor unit componentis discharged, and communication, power supply, and refrigerant circulation of the outdoor unit componentare realized.

By arranging the first seal memberof the seal assemblyat the port of the first connection end, and enabling the pipeline assemblyto pass through the first seal member, the inner cavity of the indoor unit componentand the inner cavity of the intermediate componentare isolated from each other through the first seal member. Therefore, cold air from the outdoor side is prevented from flowing into the indoor side through the intermediate component, thereby effectively realizing the sealing between the indoor side and the outdoor side. In addition, outdoor side airflow is prevented from flowing into the indoor unit componentto avoid the influence on the temperature regulation of the indoor unit component, thereby improving the temperature regulation effect and use experience of the window air conditioner.

When an outdoor side temperature is low, the outdoor side airflow entering the indoor unit componentwill affect the heating of the window air conditioner, and when the outdoor side temperature is high, the outdoor side airflow entering the indoor unit componentwill affect the cooling of the window air conditioner.

The second connection endis located at the inner end of the first shell assembly. In a process of sliding engagement between the first shell assemblyand the second shell assembly, each of the inner end of the first shell assemblyand the outer end of the second shell assemblyis correspondingly formed as a fixed end. The first seal memberis arranged at the fixed end of the first shell assemblyadjacent to the indoor side or located at the indoor side, instead of being arranged at a region where relative motion exists. The sealing effect of the seal assemblycan be further improved to allow the sealing stability and reliability of the window air conditionerto be higher.

In the window air conditioneraccording to the embodiments of the present disclosure, by arranging the first seal memberat the second connection endof the first shell assembly, on the one hand, the inner cavity of the intermediate componentand the inner cavity of the indoor unit componentcan be isolated from each other to prevent the outdoor side airflow from entering an indoor side space, thereby achieving an isolation of the indoor side from the outdoor side and ensuring a stable temperature regulation effect of the window air conditioner; On the other hand, the first seal memberis arranged at a component of the intermediate componentthat is kept stationary relative to the indoor unit component, thereby improving the reliability and stability of sealing to allow the sealing performance of the window air conditionerto be better.

The inner-outer direction involved in the present disclosure takes a window as a reference. An inner side of the window is inner, and an outer side of the window is outer, to distinguish the indoor side from the outdoor side. Also, a direction towards the outdoor side is defined as outward, and a direction towards the indoor side is defined as inward. A width direction of the windowsill perpendicular to the inner-outer direction is defined as a transverse direction, and a height direction of the windowsill perpendicular to the inner-outer direction is defined as a vertical direction.

As shown in, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first seal memberincludes a first sealand a second seal. The second sealis arranged around an edge of the first sealin a circumferential direction of the port. The second sealhas a first cavity formed in the second seal.

The first sealhas a same contour as that of the port to seal the port. A gap between the first sealand the port is further sealed through the second sealarranged around an axial direction of the first seal, so as to improve the sealing effect through the cooperation of the first sealwith the second seal. Thus, the isolation of the inner cavity of the indoor unit componentfrom the inner cavity of the intermediate componentcan be ensured.

The second sealis constructed as a flexible member and has the first cavity, allowing the second sealto be compressed and deformed to better seal a gap between the first sealand the first shell assembly, thereby improving the sealing effect. Assembly errors generated during assembly between the first sealand the first shell assemblycan be absorbed through the second seal. Therefore, the first shell assemblyand the first sealcan have larger machining tolerances, so as to reduce machining difficulty, improve machining efficiency, and reduce machining cost.

For example, a plurality of first cavities arranged at intervals in an axial direction of the port is formed in the second seal.

A side of the second sealattached to the first sealis constructed as a plane, and a side of the second sealcompressed by the first shell assemblyis constructed as an arc. An extending direction of the arc is in the axial direction of the port. The cavity of the second sealis further provided with an isolation strip extending in a length direction of the second sealto form the plurality of first cavities arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the port.

In this way, on the one hand, the connection stability between the first sealand the second sealcan be improved, and the assembly difficulty between the second sealand the first shell assemblycan be reduced, which is convenient for assembly; On the other hand, the plurality of first cavities arranged at intervals can improve the structural strength of the second sealto prolong a service life of the second seal, and can further improve the sealing effect of the second sealto effectively improve the sealing performance of the window air conditioner.

As shown inand, in some embodiments, the first shell assemblyincludes a plurality of sub-shells. The seal assemblyincludes a second seal memberconfigured to seal a position where the plurality of sub-shells are connected.

The plurality of sub-shells can include an upper shell and a lower shell, or a left shell and a right shell, etc. The first shell assemblycan be assembled through the plurality of sub-shells, and the cavity of the first shell assemblycan be formed by the plurality of sub-shells. The second shell assemblymay be arranged around the first shell assembly, or the first shell assemblymay be arranged around the second shell assembly, to realize the sliding engagement between the first shell assemblyand the second shell assembly. There is a gap in a region where the plurality of sub-shells are assembled (i.e., a connecting position), which may cause the outdoor side airflow to enter the indoor side through the gap. Therefore, the second seal memberis correspondingly provided to seal positions where the plurality of sub-shells are connected to each other, thereby further improving the sealing effect of the seal assembly.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of sub-shells include a first upper shelland a first lower shell. The port is formed between an inner end portion of the first upper shelland an inner end portion of the first lower shell. Two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction are correspondingly connected to two side edges of the first lower shellin the transverse direction, respectively, and the two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction are sealingly engaged with the two side edges of the first lower shellin the transverse direction through the second seal member.

Each of the two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction has a lower edge extending downward, and/or each of the two side edges of the first lower shellin the transverse direction has an upper edge extending upward. The upper edge is connected to the lower edge, or the upper edge is connected to each of the two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction, or the lower edge is connected to each of the two side edges of the first lower shellin the transverse direction. The second seal memberis arranged at a connection between the first lower shelland the first upper shellto seal a connection gap between the first lower shelland the first upper shell. The inner end portion of the first lower shelland the inner end portion of the first upper shellform the port, and the port is sealed by the first sealand the second seal. The connection gap between the first lower shelland the first upper shellis sealed through the second seal member, thereby effectively improving the sealing performance of the seal assembly.

In some embodiments, the second seal memberhas a second cavity formed in the second seal member. By forming the second cavity, the sealing effect of the second seal membercan be improved. A plurality of second cavities is also provided and can be arranged at intervals in the height direction (vertical direction) of the windowsill, allowing the structural strength of the second seal memberto be higher and the service life to be longer. In other embodiments, the second seal memberand at least part of the first seal memberare integrally formed, allowing the second seal memberand the second sealto be consistent in structure and integrally molded. Each of the second sealand the second seal membercan be formed by bending reasonably an assembled flexible sealing rubber strip, to facilitate assembly of the seal assemblyat the intermediate component.

As shown in, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first shell assemblyis arranged around the second shell assembly. The intermediate componentfurther includes a slide rail assembly. The slide rail assemblyincludes a first slide railand a second slide railthat are slidably engaged with each other in the inner-outer direction. The first slide railis fixedly connected to the first shell assembly. The second slide railis fixedly connected to the second shell assembly. The first shell assemblyand/or the second shell assemblycovers the slide rail assembly.

For example, the second shell assemblyincludes a second upper shelland a second lower shell. Two side edges of the second upper shellin the transverse direction are correspondingly connected to two side edges of the second lower shellin the transverse direction, respectively. The intermediate componentincludes the slide rail assembly. The slide rail assemblyincludes the first slide railand the second slide rail. The first slide railis fixed to the first lower shell. The second slide railis fixed to the second lower shell. The two side edges of the second upper shellin the transverse direction cover the slide rail assembly, and the two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction cover the two side edges of the second upper shellin the transverse direction, respectively.

For another example, the first slide railis fixed to the first lower shell. The second slide railis fixed to the second lower shell. The two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction cover the slide rail assembly, and the two side edges of the second upper shellin the transverse direction cover the two side edges of the first upper shellin the transverse direction, respectively. Thus, by providing the slide rail assembly, the first shell assemblyand the second shell assemblyare slidably engaged with each other, thereby improving the ease and reliability of adjusting a length of the intermediate component.

As shown in, in some embodiments, the first seal memberincludes a first sealand a third seal. The first sealis shaped to match the port. The first sealhas a through hole. The third sealis configured to seal the through hole. The pipeline assemblyextends through the third seal. The third sealhas deformation resistance greater than deformation resistance of the first seal.

The through hole is formed at the first seal, and the third sealis arranged in the through hole. The third sealhas better deformation resistance. The pipeline assemblyis fixed through the third seal. However, a temperature of a refrigerant pipein the pipeline assemblychanges greatly, and the pipeline assemblymay move during operating of the window air conditioner. The third sealwith better deformation resistance can effectively suppress deformation, so as to improve the sealing effect. In this case, the third sealwith better deformation resistance is arranged only in a region through which the pipeline assemblypasses, thereby reducing production cost of the whole seal assembly.