KR-20260062206-A - An air conditioner

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a case forming an intake port and a discharge port, a heat exchanger installed inside the case and exchanging heat with air, and a dehumidification filter provided on one side of the heat exchanger and capable of dehumidifying air, thereby improving dehumidification performance. The above dehumidification filter is placed at the outlet side of the heat exchanger so that the air dehumidified first in the heat exchanger can be easily dehumidified secondarily as it passes through the dehumidification filter.

Inventors

• 정여지
• 권영헌
• 황준호

Assignees

• 엘지전자 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241028

Claims (20)

1. A case forming an intake port and an exhaust port for drawing in air from an indoor space; A fan provided inside the above case and generating airflow; A heat exchanger provided inside the above case, through which air sucked in from the above intake port passes and exchanges heat; A dehumidifying filter provided on one side of the heat exchanger and comprising a dehumidifying member for dehumidifying air; A through hole formed in the above case and discharging air that has regenerated the dehumidifying member; and An air conditioner comprising a damper installed in the through hole and operating to open or close the through hole.
2. In paragraph 1, An air conditioner further comprising an exhaust duct connected to the above damper and configured to discharge air expelled through the open damper into an external space when the damper is opened.
3. In paragraph 1, The above dehumidification filter is, An air conditioner positioned downstream of the heat exchanger so that air heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger can pass through the dehumidification filter.
4. In paragraph 3, An air conditioner in which the dehumidifying filter is positioned to be in contact with the heat exchanger so as to prevent air passing through the heat exchanger from bypassing the dehumidifying filter.
5. In paragraph 3, The above dehumidification filter is an air conditioner connected to the above heat exchanger.
6. In paragraph 5, The above heat exchanger includes a refrigerant tube and a heat exchange fin, and further includes a cover member that shields the refrigerant tube. The above dehumidification filter is an air conditioner connected to the above cover member.
7. In paragraph 1, It further includes a discharge vane that operates to close the discharge port when the damper operates to open the through hole, The above discharge vane is an air conditioner that operates to open the discharge port when the above damper operates to close the through hole.
8. In paragraph 1, The above dehumidification filter includes a filter frame that forms a receiving space, and The above dehumidifying element has a bead shape and is an air conditioner placed in the above receiving space.
9. In paragraph 8, An air conditioner comprising a plurality of frame shells forming a plurality of receiving spaces so that the filter frame has a honeycomb shape.
10. In paragraph 8, An air conditioner in which the filter frame is composed of a thermally conductive metal material to allow heat transfer to the dehumidifying element.
11. In paragraph 8, The above dehumidification element is an air conditioner composed of a metal-organic framework (MOF) material so as to be easily regenerated by heat transferred from the filter frame.
12. In paragraph 8, The above dehumidification filter is an air conditioner comprising a support member made of mesh material that is attached to or fastened to the filter frame to prevent the dehumidification member disposed in the receiving space from detaching.
13. In paragraph 1, An air conditioner in which the discharge port is formed on the first surface of the case and the through hole is formed on the second surface of the case.
14. In paragraph 1, An air conditioner comprising a damper motor that provides driving force to the damper and a damper bracket that supports the damper motor.
15. In Paragraph 14, The above damper bracket is an air conditioner comprising a bracket body forming a bracket passage where the damper is installed, and a case fixing part connected to the bracket body and fastened to the case.
16. A case forming an intake port and an exhaust port for drawing in air from an indoor space; A fan provided inside the above case and generating airflow; An indoor heat exchanger provided inside the above case, through which air sucked in from the above intake port passes and exchanges heat; and A dehumidifying filter is provided on the downstream side of the indoor heat exchanger and includes a filter frame forming a receiving space and a dehumidifying member disposed in the receiving space. When the indoor heat exchanger acts as an evaporator during dehumidification operation, the air dehumidified primarily in the indoor heat exchanger passes through the dehumidification filter and is dehumidified secondarily, and An air conditioner characterized by the fact that when the indoor heat exchanger acts as a condenser during regeneration operation, moisture from the dehumidifying member is desorbed using the condensation heat of the indoor heat exchanger.
17. In Paragraph 16, It includes an outdoor unit comprising a compressor, a four-way valve, and an outdoor heat exchanger, and During the above dehumidification operation, the four-way valve guides the refrigerant compressed by the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger so that the indoor heat exchanger acts as an evaporator, and An air conditioner in which, during the above regeneration operation, the above four-way valve guides the refrigerant compressed in the compressor to the above indoor heat exchanger so that the above indoor heat exchanger acts as a condenser.
18. In Paragraph 16, An air conditioner comprising an exhaust duct that discharges air containing the detached moisture to the outside of the case during the above regeneration operation.
19. In Paragraph 18, The above case has a through hole formed therein and further includes a damper that operates to open or close the through hole, and The above damper is an air conditioner connected to the above exhaust duct.
20. In Paragraph 16, The above dehumidifying element is an air conditioner composed of zirconium (Zr), iron (Fe), or aluminum (Al) material having a bead shape.

Description

An air conditioner The present invention relates to an air conditioner. An air conditioner is a device designed to maintain the air in a designated space in the most suitable condition according to its use and purpose. Generally, the air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, and a refrigeration cycle that performs the compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes of a refrigerant is driven to cool or heat the designated space. The aforementioned predetermined space can be proposed in various ways depending on the location where the air conditioner is used. For example, when the air conditioner is placed in a home or office, the aforementioned predetermined space may be an indoor space of a house or building. When the air conditioner performs cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger equipped in the outdoor unit functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger equipped in the indoor unit functions as an evaporator. On the other hand, when the air conditioner performs heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser, and the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator. The air conditioner can perform dehumidification operation. When performing the dehumidification operation, a refrigeration cycle for cooling operation is driven, and when the refrigeration cycle is driven, dehumidification can be achieved through a control method that lowers the dew point based on the relative humidity of the indoor air (humid air). However, in the case of conventional air conditioners, when performing dehumidification operation, the dew point must be lowered to a low temperature (evaporation temperature drop) until the target humidity is reached, which caused the indoor temperature to drop excessively, resulting in discomfort for occupants. Additionally, there was a problem where power consumption increased as the compressor's input work increased to lower the dew point. Meanwhile, when operating air conditioning during the rainy season, there was a problem where occupants could not feel comfortable due to high relative humidity even if the indoor air temperature reached the target temperature. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a part of the indoor unit configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a combination of a heat exchanger and a dehumidification filter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a dehumidification filter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along 8-8 of Figure 6. FIG. 9 is a drawing showing a damper installed on the side of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a front perspective view showing the configuration of a damper according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view showing the configuration of a damper according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is an internal perspective view showing a part of the configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing air flow when an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention performs dehumidification operation. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing air flow when an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention performs regenerative operation. FIG. 15 is a psychrometric chart showing the changes in air temperature and humidity during dehumidification operation of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, compared with the prior art. Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted. In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b