/Patent Tracker
SamsungGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 4/10

Samsung patents air conditioner design that cools electronics via internal duct

Samsung has been granted a patent for an outdoor air conditioning unit that uses a specific internal duct to manage heat. The design routes air through a heat sink attached to the control board, directing the waste heat into the main heat exchange room where the fan can expel it.

Why it mattersThis is a routine engineering improvement that helps keep the sensitive electronic components in the outdoor unit cooler, potentially improving the reliability of the air conditioner.

In the filing’s own words

An outdoor unit of the air conditioner includes: a heat exchange room, a machine room, a partition, a control box accommodating a PCB in the machine room, a heat sink discharging heat from the PCB, and a duct discharging heat from the heat sink to the heat exchange room. The duct includes a duct inlet introducing air, a duct outlet discharging air to the heat exchange room, a first flow path extending from the duct inlet in a first direction along a first part of the heat sink, and a second flow path connecting the first flow path to the duct outlet, in which a second part of the heat sink which extends from the first part in the first direction, is positioned. A width of the second flow path in a second direction is greater than a width of the first flow path in the second direction.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a housing including a heat exchange room and a machine room; a partition configured to partition the heat exchange room from the machine room and including a partition opening; a fan positioned in the heat exchange room; a control box positioned in the machine room and configured to accommodate a printed circuit board; a heat sink configured to discharge heat generated in the printed circuit board to outside of the control box and extending along a first direction; and a duct positioned inside the machine room and configured to discharge heat transferred from the heat sink to the heat exchange room, wherein at least a part of the heat sink is positioned inside the duct, the duct comprises: a duct inlet configured to introduce air into inside of the duct; a duct outlet connected to the partition opening and configured to discharge air to the heat exchange room; a first flow path formed inside the duct and extending from the duct inlet in the first direction along a first part of the heat sink, the first part of the heat sink being adjacent to the duct inlet and positioned in the first flow path; and a second flow path formed inside the duct and connecting the first flow path to the duct outlet, wherein a second part of the heat sink is positioned in the second flow path and extends from the first part of the heat sink in the first direction, and a width of the second flow path in a second direction different from the first direction is greater than a width of the first flow path in the second direction.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
Outdoor unit of air conditioner
Patent number
US12753934B2
Application number
18768480
Filed
Jul 10, 2024
Granted
Oct 6, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
20

Classified under

F24F 1/24 Mechanical engineeringF24F 13/02 Mechanical engineeringF24F 13/20 Mechanical engineeringF24F 2013/207 Mechanical engineering
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Samsung in Chips & hardware

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.