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EP-4741727-A1 - AIR CONDITIONER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MIRROR ATTACHABLE TO AIR CONDITIONER

EP4741727A1EP 4741727 A1EP4741727 A1EP 4741727A1EP-4741727-A1

Abstract

Disclosed are an air conditioner and a method of manufacturing a mirror attachable to the air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a case including a front wall and having a suction port and a discharge port formed therein, a mirror disposed in front of the front wall, a display device disposed behind the mirror, and a radar sensor disposed behind the mirror. The mirror includes a glass panel, a first layer formed on the rear surface of the glass panel and containing tin, and a second layer formed on the rear surface of the first layer in an area other than an area corresponding to the display device and an area corresponding to the radar sensor, thereby ensuring smooth operation of the display device and the radar sensor disposed behind the mirror.

Inventors

  • Choi, Sunggyu
  • KIM, YOUNGWOO
  • KIM, JINHO
  • SONG, SEUNGYONG

Assignees

  • LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251111

Claims (15)

  1. An air conditioner comprising: a case (10) comprising a front wall (20), the case (10) having a suction port (11) and a discharge port (12) formed therein; a display device (51) and a radar sensor (52) disposed at the front wall (20); and a mirror (60) disposed in front of the front wall (20) and in front of the display device (51) and the radar sensor (52); wherein the mirror (60) comprises: a glass panel (600); a first layer (620) formed on a rear surface of the glass panel (600) and comprising a reflective material, wherein the first layer is formed in front of display device (51) and the radar sensor (52); and a second layer (630) formed on a rear surface of the first layer (620), wherein the second layer (630) comprises an opening formed therein corresponding to the display device (51) and to the radar sensor (52).
  2. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the first layer (620) is configured to at least partially allow an emission from the display device (51) and/or from the radar sensor (52) to pass therethrough, and the second layer (630) is less transmissive to the emission from the display device (6) and/or the radar sensor than the first layer (620), and is preferably formed by printing a black ink composition on the rear surface of the first layer (620); and the opening of the second layer (630) is aligned with the display device (51) and/or the radar sensor (52) for the emission from the display device (51) and/or the radar sensor to pass therethrough.
  3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front wall (20) has an opening (50) or accommodation space formed therein, and wherein the display device (51) and the radar sensor (52) are disposed in the opening (50) or accommodated in the accommodation space.
  4. The air conditioner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mirror (60) comprises a third layer (640) formed on the rear surface of the first layer (620) in the area corresponding to the display device (51), the third layer (640) being translucent, preferably the third layer (640) is formed by printing a black ink composition.
  5. The air conditioner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mirror (60) comprises a fourth layer (650) formed behind the first layer (620), wherein the fourth layer is aligned with the opening of the second layer (630) and is formed in front of the display device (51) and the radar sensor (52) to protect the display device (51) and the radar sensor (52).
  6. The air conditioner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mirror (60) comprises a synthetic resin film (660) formed on a rear surface of the second layer (630); and/or wherein the mirror (60) comprises a fifth layer (610) formed between the glass panel (600) and the first layer (620).
  7. The air conditioner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reflective material is tin, preferably having a purity of 99.99% or higher, and/or wherein the first layer (620) has a light transmittance of 14% to 18%.
  8. The air conditioner according to any one of the preceding claims 1, wherein the display device (51) comprises an infrared sensor (511), and/or wherein the mirror (60) is attached to the front wall by an adhesive layer (70).
  9. A method of manufacturing a mirror (60) for attaching to a front wall (20) of an air conditioner comprising a display device (51) and a radar sensor (52) disposed at the front wall (20), the method comprising: forming (S10) a glass panel (600); forming (S20) a first layer (620) comprising a reflective material on a rear surface of the glass panel (600); and forming (S30) a second layer (630) on a rear surface of the first layer (620), wherein the second layer is formed with an opening configured to correspond to the display device (51) and to the radar sensor (52).
  10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the reflective material is tin having a purity of 99.99% or higher, and/or wherein the first layer (620) is formed to have a light transmittance of 14% to 18%.
  11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, comprising forming (S40) a translucent third layer (640) on the rear surface of the first layer (620) in the area configured to correspond to the display device (51).
  12. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the second layer (630) or the third layer (640) is formed by printing a black ink composition.
  13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, comprising, after forming the third layer (640), forming (S50) a transparent fourth layer (650) behind the first layer (620) in the area corresponding to the display device (51) and the area corresponding to the radar sensor (52).
  14. The method according to claim 13, comprising, after forming the fourth layer (650), forming (S60) a synthetic resin film (660) on a rear surface of the second layer (630).
  15. A method of manufacturing an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprising: manufacturing the mirror (60) according to any one claims 9 to 14, and attaching the mirror (60) to the front wall of the case of the air conditioner.

Description

This application claims the priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0159344, filed on November 11, 2024 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner and a method of manufacturing a mirror attachable to the air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner to which a mirror is attached and a method of manufacturing the mirror. Description of the Related Art An air conditioner is a device that regulates the temperature of air in an indoor space to a temperature set by a user. In order to cool or heat air in the indoor space, the air conditioner may supply heat-exchanged air to the indoor space. Various new functions related to operation of an air conditioner have recently been developed, and thus concepts such as smart air conditioners or intelligent air conditioners are gaining attention. The air conditioner disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0138270 includes a radar sensor that measures the heart rate of a user present within a certain distance from the air conditioner. In the above conventional air conditioner, the radar sensor is exposed from an external panel of the air conditioner. Because the radar sensor senses the user using electromagnetic waves, if the radar sensor is not exposed outside the panel, it is difficult to measure the signals of the user. However, because the radar sensor is exposed outside, the radar sensor may be contaminated due to dust, foreign substances, etc., and the accuracy thereof may deteriorate. This arrangement of the radar sensor may degrade the aesthetics of the air conditioner and may lead to inconvenience in using the air conditioner. In addition, if a display indicating information about the operation of the air conditioner is disposed on the front surface of the air conditioner, it is difficult to attach a mirror in front of the display. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present disclosure to solve the above and other problems. Another object of the present disclosure may be to provide an air conditioner in which a radar sensor and a display device operate smoothly, with a mirror attached to a front side of a case. Another object of the present disclosure may be to provide an air conditioner provided with a mirror in which there is no difference in reflectivity between an area corresponding to the display device and the other areas. Another object of the present disclosure may be to provide an air conditioner capable of making the rear side of a mirror invisible except for a display or a signal transmitting/receiving sensor disposed in the air conditioner, thereby improving the aesthetics of the air conditioner. Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of manufacturing a mirror attachable to the air conditioner capable of accomplishing the above objects. The objects of the present disclosure are not limited to the objects mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. One or more of the objects of the present technique are achieved by the invention defined by the features of the independent claim(s). According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner is presented. The air conditioner includes a case including a front wall and having a suction port and a discharge port formed therein, a mirror disposed in front of the front wall, a display device disposed behind the mirror, and a radar sensor disposed behind the mirror, wherein the mirror includes a glass panel, a first layer formed on a rear surface of the glass panel and including or comprising or containing silvering for example a layer formed of tin, and a second layer formed on a rear surface of the first layer in an area other than an area corresponding to the display device and/or an area corresponding to the radar sensor to conceal a rear side of the glass panel. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner is presented. The air conditioner comprises a case including a front wall, the case having a suction port and a discharge port formed therein; a display device and a radar sensor disposed at the front wall, and a mirror disposed in front of the front wall and in front of the display device and the radar sensor. The mirror comprises: a glass panel, and a first layer formed on a rear surface of the glass panel, and in front of display device and the radar sensor, and optionally also in front of the front wall portion around the display device and/or the radar sensor. The first layer is a silvering layer or reflective layer, preferably formed of tin. The first layer is configured to at least partially allow an emission or emissions (e.g. a light/radiation/signal) from the display device and/or the radar sensor to pass therethrough to an outside, and a radiation or signal ref