Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner is disclosed which uses a single blowing fan having one inlet and a pair of outlets to suck air from a room or from the outdoors and to blow a fraction of the sucked air to a dehumidification flow path while blowing the remaining fraction of the sucked air to a regeneration flow path. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of elements constituting the air conditioner, and thus, to reduce the installation costs. Also, it is possible to design a compact structure of the air conditioner.

1 . An air conditioner comprising: 
 a dehumidifying rotor divided into an absorption portion adapted to absorb moisture from air and a regeneration portion adapted to release moisture to air;    a dehumidification flow path defined to extend through the absorption portion and adapted to guide air, to be dehumidified by the absorption portion, to pass through the absorption portion;    a regeneration flow path defined to extend through the regeneration portion and adapted to guide air, to be humidified by the regeneration portion, to pass through the regeneration portion; and    a blowing fan which sucks air from a room or from the outdoors, and forces a fraction of the sucked air to flow along the dehumidification flow path while forcing the remaining fraction of the sucked air to flow along the regeneration flow path.    
   
   
       2 . The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the blowing fan is arranged in the dehumidification flow path.  
   
   
       3 . The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the blowing fan includes an inlet, through which the air is sucked into blowing fan, and a plurality of outlets, through each of which the air sucked through the inlet is discharged into an associated one of the dehumidification flow path and the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       4 . The air conditioner according to  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of the outlets comprise a first outlet, through which a fraction of the air sucked through the inlet is discharged into the dehumidification flow path, and a second outlet, through which the remaining fraction of the sucked air is discharged into the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       5 . The air conditioner according to  claim 4 , wherein the inlet and the first outlet communicate with the dehumidification flow path, and the second outlet communicates with the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       6 . The air conditioner according to  claim 4 , wherein the blowing fan comprises a centrifugal fan including a scroll housing provided with the inlet, the first outlet, and the second outlet, and an impeller rotatably mounted in the scroll housing.  
   
   
       7 . The air conditioner according to  claim 4 , wherein the first outlet and the second outlet are arranged perpendicular to each other.  
   
   
       8 . The air conditioner according to  claim 4 , wherein the first outlet and the second outlet are divided from each other by a flow guide mounted to the scroll housing.  
   
   
       9 . The air conditioner according to  claim 6 , further comprising: 
 a heater arranged in the regeneration flow path, and adapted to heat the air which will pass through the regeneration portion.    
   
   
       10 . The air conditioner according to  claim 6 , further comprising: 
 a condenser arranged in the regeneration flow path, and adapted to condense the air which has passed through the regeneration portion.    
   
   
       11 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein the blowing fan is arranged in the regeneration flow path between the condenser and the dehumidifying rotor.  
   
   
       12 . An air conditioner comprising: 
 a dehumidifying rotor divided into an absorption portion adapted to absorb moisture from air and a regeneration portion adapted to release moisture to air;    a dehumidification flow path defined to extend through the absorption portion and adapted to guide air, to be dehumidified by the absorption portion, to pass through the absorption portion;    a regeneration flow path defined to extend through the regeneration portion and adapted to guide air, to be humidified by the regeneration portion, to pass through the regeneration portion;    a heater arranged in the regeneration flow path, and adapted to heat the air which will pass through the regeneration portion;    a condenser arranged in the regeneration flow path, and adapted to condense the air which has passed through the regeneration portion; and    a blowing fan which sucks air from a room or from the outdoors, and forces a fraction of the sucked air to flow along the dehumidification flow path while forcing the remaining fraction of the sucked air to flow along the regeneration flow path.    
   
   
       13 . The air conditioner according to  claim 12 , wherein the blowing fan includes an inlet, through which the air is sucked into blowing fan, and a plurality of outlets, through each of which the air sucked through the inlet is discharged into an associated one of the dehumidification flow path and the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       14 . The air conditioner according to  claim 13 , wherein the plurality of the outlets comprise a first outlet, through which a fraction of the air sucked through the inlet is discharged into the dehumidification flow path, and a second outlet, through which the remaining fraction of the sucked air is discharged into the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       15 . The air conditioner according to  claim 14 , wherein the inlet and the first outlet communicate with the dehumidification flow path, and the second outlet communicates with the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       16 . The air conditioner according to  claim 14 , wherein the first outlet and the second outlet are arranged perpendicular to each other.  
   
   
       17 . The air conditioner according to  claim 14 , wherein the first outlet and the second outlet are divided from each other by a flow guide mounted to the scroll housing.  
   
   
       18 . An air conditioner comprising: 
 a dehumidifying rotor divided into an absorption portion adapted to absorb moisture from air and a regeneration portion adapted to release moisture to air;    a dehumidification flow path defined to extend through the absorption portion and adapted to guide air, to be dehumidified by the absorption portion, to pass through the absorption portion;    a regeneration flow path defined to extend through the regeneration portion and adapted to guide air, to be humidified by the regeneration portion, to pass through the regeneration portion;    a heater arranged in the regeneration flow path, and adapted to heat the air which will pass through the regeneration portion;    a condenser arranged in the regeneration flow path, and adapted to condense the air which has passed through the regeneration portion; and    a blowing fan which sucks air from a room or from the outdoors, and forces a fraction of the sucked air to flow along the dehumidification flow path while forcing the remaining fraction of the sucked air to flow along the regeneration flow path,    wherein the blowing fan comprises a scroll housing including an inlet, through which the air is sucked into blowing fan, and a plurality of outlets, through each of which the air sucked through the inlet is discharged into an associated one of the dehumidification flow path and the regeneration flow path, and an impeller rotatably mounted in the scroll housing.    
   
   
       19 . The air conditioner according to  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of the outlets comprise a first outlet communicating with the dehumidification flow path, and a second outlet communicating with the regeneration flow path.  
   
   
       20 . The air conditioner according to  claim 19 , wherein the first outlet and the second outlet are divided from each other by a flow guide mounted to the scroll housing.