EP3367015A1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents
Air conditioner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3367015A1 EP3367015A1 EP16857180.0A EP16857180A EP3367015A1 EP 3367015 A1 EP3367015 A1 EP 3367015A1 EP 16857180 A EP16857180 A EP 16857180A EP 3367015 A1 EP3367015 A1 EP 3367015A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- wind direction
- air conditioner
- direction plate
- air
- plate unit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/20—Casings or covers
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/30—Control or safety arrangements for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
- F24F11/49—Control or safety arrangements for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring ensuring correct operation, e.g. by trial operation or configuration checks
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/08—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates
- F24F13/10—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers
- F24F13/14—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre
- F24F13/15—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre with parallel simultaneously tiltable lamellae
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F2120/00—Control inputs relating to users or occupants
- F24F2120/10—Occupancy
- F24F2120/12—Position of occupants
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an air conditioner including a wind direction plate which changes the direction of air discharged from an outlet in the left-right direction.
- the conventional air conditioner includes a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air, and which is attached to an upper part of a side wall of a room. Inside the housing, an air passage is formed to allow mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet. In the air passage, an air blower and a heat exchanger are disposed. On an upper wall of the air passage on a downstream side of the air blower, there is disposed a wind direction plate unit which is attachable and detachable.
- the wind direction plate unit has a base part, a plurality of vertical wind direction plates, a connection part, and an operation member.
- the base part has an engagement part which engages with the upper wall of the air passage.
- the vertical wind direction plates stand on the base part to be aligned with each other in the left-right direction, and rotatable in the left-right direction.
- the connection part connects the plurality of wind direction plates with each other.
- the operation member is disposed at a center part of the connection part in the left-right direction, and the user can rotate the wind direction plates in the left-right direction by operating the operation member.
- a plurality of lateral wind direction plates which are attachable and detachable with respect to the housing, are arranged parallel to each other in the up-down direction.
- the lateral wind direction plates are rotatable in the up-down direction to change the direction of air discharged from the outlet in the up-down direction.
- the user can detach the wind direction plate unit by removing the lateral wind direction plates, then releasing the engagement of the engagement part with the upper wall of the air passage, and then holding and pulling the wind direction plate unit downward. This allows the user easy cleaning of the wind direction plates, and further, easy cleaning of the air passage and the air blower via the outlet.
- Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent No. 3306250 (Page 4 , Page 5, FIG. 3 )
- the present invention aims to provide an air conditioner with improved user-friendliness.
- a blower includes a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air, an air passage which is disposed in the housing to allow mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet, an air blower which is disposed in the air passage, and a wind direction plate unit which is attachable and detachable, and has a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction.
- the wind direction plate unit includes a base part which is constituted by a downstream-side end part of a lower wall of the air passage, and a bottom wall part which constitutes a bottom wall of the housing.
- the wind direction plate unit in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for the wind direction plate unit to be attached and detached by being moved to slide along a direction in which air is discharged from the outlet.
- the air conditioner having the above configuration further include a wind direction plate motor which is disposed inside the housing, and a connection part which is rotatably fitted to the base part, and connects a shaft of the wind direction plate motor to the wind direction plate.
- the connection part has a groove which is open at a rear end thereof such that the shaft is allowed to enter the groove through the rear end, and the connection part is supported by being loosely fitted in a through hole of the base part.
- both side walls of the groove in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for both side walls of the groove to be inclined in directions such that the both side walls are more away from each other toward rear ends thereof.
- the through hole in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for the through hole to be formed in an elliptical shape with a major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction.
- the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an engagement part which is disposed in the housing, a movable member which is disposed between the bottom wall part and the base part of the wind direction plate unit, and which is biased by a biasing part into engagement with the engagement part, and a press member which is pressable via an opening formed in the bottom wall part.
- the press member when the press member is pressed, the movable member is caused to move to release the engagement of the movable member with the engagement part.
- the base part in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for the base part to include an uneven part disposed on an outer surface thereof such that a position of the press member coincides with a position of the uneven part in the left-right direction.
- the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an attachment/detachment detecting sensor which detects attachment and detachment of the wind direction plate unit.
- the air blower is prohibited from being driven when the wind direction plate unit has been detached.
- the attachment/detachment detecting sensor be a push button switch including a push button and an arm member disposed facing the push button, and that the wind direction plate unit be attached to the housing by being moved to slide on the arm member to cause the arm member to press the push button.
- the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an occupancy sensor which detects a human body existing in a room.
- air is discharged from the outlet avoiding the human body by means of the wind direction plate.
- the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an operation lever which is coupled to the occupancy sensor to change the direction of the occupancy sensor in the left-right direction, and a lid which is openable and closable, and covers the operation lever.
- a recess be disposed in a leading end of the operation lever, that a projection be disposed on the lid to be fitted in the recess, and that a direction of the occupancy sensor is variable between three directions by selectively holding one of the following three states: a first state where a right side surface of the operation lever inclined leftward is caught by the projection; a second state where the projection fits in the recess of the operation lever; and a third state where a left side surface of the operation lever inclined rightward is caught by the projection.
- an air conditioner includes a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air, an air passage which is disposed in the housing to allow mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet, an air blower which is disposed in the air passage, an occupancy sensor which detects a human body existing in a room, and a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction based on a result of detection performed by the occupancy sensor.
- the air conditioner further includes an operation lever which is coupled to the occupancy sensor and changes a direction of the occupancy sensor in the left-right direction, and a lid which is openable and closable, and covers the operation lever.
- a wind direction plate unit which is attachable and detachable and has a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction, includes a base part constituted by a downstream-side end part of a lower wall of an air passage, and a bottom wall part which constitutes a bottom wall of the housing.
- FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an air conditioner of a first embodiment.
- An air conditioner 1 which is installed on a wall inside a room, is an indoor unit connected to an outdoor unit (not shown) installed outdoors.
- the air conditioner 1 receives instructions, including those for starting operation and stopping operation, from a remote controller (not shown) operated by a user.
- the air conditioner 1 includes a housing 2 which is attached to a side wall W (see FIG. 2 ) inside a room, and a front panel 3, which constitutes a front face of the housing 2, is detachably attached with respect to the housing 2.
- the housing 2 engages a claw part (not shown) with, and thereby is supported on, an attachment plate (not shown), which is attached to the side wall W at a height close to a ceiling S (see FIG. 2 ).
- an inlet 4 is formed to extend in the left-right direction, and an outlet 5 is formed in a lower part of the housing 2.
- the outlet 5 has a substantially rectangular shape extending in the left-right direction of the housing 2, and faces downward.
- FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the air conditioner 1.
- an air passage 6 is disposed which allows mutual communication between the inlet 4 and the outlet 5.
- an air blower 7 is disposed which blows out air. When the air blower 7 is driven, air in the room is drawn into the air passage 6 through the inlet 4, and is then blown out into the room through the outlet 5.
- a cross flow fan is preferably used, but other kinds of air blowers may be used instead.
- a heat exchanger 8 is disposed between the inlet 4 and the air blower 7 inside the air passage 6, a heat exchanger 8 is disposed.
- the heat exchanger 8 is connected to a compressor (not shown) disposed in the outdoor unit to operate a refrigeration cycle, and exchanges heat with air in the air passage 6.
- the wind guide panel 80 is opened, and cool air and warm air, respectively, are blown out into the room through the outlet 5.
- a drain pan 9 is disposed under the heat exchanger 8.
- a blow-out passage 63 is formed in the air passage 6, between the air blower 7 and the outlet 5, a blow-out passage 63 is formed.
- Upper and lower surfaces of the blow-out passage 63 are respectively constituted by an upper wall 63a and a lower wall 63b, and left and right surfaces of the blow-out passage 63 are constituted by side walls (not shown) on which a shaft of the air blower 7 is supported.
- the upper wall 63a and the lower wall 63b are both inclined downward toward their front ends, and guide air in a front downward direction.
- a wind direction plate unit 10 is disposed to be attachable and detachable with respect to the housing 2.
- the wind direction plate unit 10 includes a plurality of wind direction plates 12 which are rotatable in the left-right direction. Thereby, the direction of air discharged through the outlet 5 is changed in the left-right direction.
- a guide member (not shown) is disposed which guides the wind direction plate unit 10 to its fitting position. For attachment and detachment of the wind direction plate unit 10, the guide member guides the wind direction plate unit 10 to slide along a blowing-out direction of the outlet 5. A detailed description of the wind direction plate unit 10 will be given later.
- the wind guide panel 80 is supported, by an extendable arm member (not shown) disposed in the housing 2, to be rotatable in the up-down direction. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the wind guide panel 80 closes the outlet 5 when the air conditioner 1 is not operating. Thereby, an inside of the air passage 6 becomes invisible, and as a result, the appearance of the air conditioner 1 is improved.
- the wind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line X, and guides conditioned air discharged through the outlet 5 in a horizontal or upper direction, as indicated by an arrow A.
- the wind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by an alternate long and two short dashes line Y, and guides conditioned air discharged through the outlet 5 in a downward direction as indicated by an arrow B.
- the direction of conditioned air discharged through the outlet 5 is changed in the up-down direction by the wind guide panel 80.
- a filter 70 is disposed which extends in the left-right direction and faces the inlet 4.
- the filter 70 is arranged from a front end part to a rear end part of the housing 2, and captures dust in the air drawn into the air passage 6 through the inlet 4.
- the filter 70 is formed by joining a polypropylene mesh (not shown), by welding, to a rectangular frame (not shown) which is formed of a synthetic resin such as ABS or the like and which has window parts arranged in a plurality of lines and columns.
- racks At left and right end parts of the frame of the filter 70, there are formed racks (not shown) which respectively mesh with pinions (not shown) disposed in the housing 2.
- a filter cleaner 50 is disposed which removes dust from the filter 70 and collects the removed dust.
- the filter cleaner 50 includes a filter motor (not shown), a rotary brush 51, a dust box 52, and a guide frame 53.
- the filter motor drives and rotates the pinions meshing with the racks of the filter 70.
- the guide frame 53 is disposed in an upper part of an inside of the housing 2, and guides the filter 70, which is caused to move when the filter motor is driven.
- the filter motor is driven, the filter 70 moves to and fro between a capture position C at which the filter 70 faces the inlet 4 and an inversion position D at which the filter 70 is turned upside down.
- the dust box 52 is disposed below the guide frame 53, and is attachable and detachable with respect to the housing 2.
- the rotary brush 51 is disposed over the dust box 52, and is driven to rotate by a brush motor (not shown). The rotary brush 51 removes dust from the filter 70 while the filter 70 is moving, and the removed dust is collected in the dust box 52.
- FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the wind direction plate unit 10, as seen from a rear face side.
- FIG. 4 shows a side sectional view of the wind direction plate unit 10, illustrating how the wind direction plate unit 10 is attached to the housing 2.
- FIG. 5 shows a top view of the wind direction plate unit 10.
- FIG. 6 shows a rear sectional view of the wind direction plate unit 10.
- the wind direction plate unit 10 includes a base part 11, a plurality of wind direction plates 12, a connection part 13, and a bottom wall part 14.
- the base part 11 is constituted by a downstream-side end part of the lower wall 63b of the air passage 6.
- an upper surface of the base part 11 is flush with an upper surface of such a part of the lower wall 63b as is on the upstream side of the base part 11.
- the through hole 11a is formed in a substantially elliptical shape which has a major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction, and cut parts 11g (see FIG. 11 ) are disposed one at each of left and right end parts of the through hole 11a.
- the plurality of wind direction plates 12 are stood on the base part 11 to be aligned with each other in the left-right direction, and are rotatable, in the left-right direction.
- the connection part 13 has an insertion part 13c (see FIG. 10 ) which has a groove 13a and is inserted in the through hole 11a, and a connection bar 13b which is connected to the insertion part 13c and couples the plurality of wind direction plates 12 to each other.
- a later-described cap 22 which is disposed on a shaft 21 of a wind direction plate motor 20, is fitted to be attachable and detachable.
- the insertion part 13c is substantially circular shaped in horizontal section, and has two engagement parts 13d (see FIG. 11 ) projecting from a circumferential surface of the insertion part 13c, and a flange 13e (see FIG.
- the engagement parts 13d are respectively inserted in the cut parts 11g, and then the insertion part 13c is turned. Thereby, the peripheral part of the through hole 11a is disposed between the engagement parts 13d and the flange 13e, and the insertion part 13c is rotatably supported at the base part 11 by being loosely fitted in the through hole 11a.
- the bottom wall part 14 is connected to a front end of the base part 11 (a terminal end of the lower wall 63b of the air passage 6), and constitutes a bottom wall of the housing 2. Further, in right and left parts of the wind direction plate unit 10, lock mechanisms 100 are disposed for locking the wind direction plate unit 10 onto the housing 2.
- FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show rear sectional views of one of the lock mechanisms 100 that is disposed in the left part of the wind direction plate unit 10.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a locked state
- FIG. 8 illustrates an unlocked state.
- the right-side one of the lock mechanisms 100 has the same configuration as the left-side one, and thus the following description of the lock mechanisms 100 will be given by taking the left-side lock mechanism 100 as a representative example of the lock mechanisms 100.
- the lock mechanism 100 has an engagement part 16 (see FIG. 9 ), a biasing part 17, a movable member 18, and a press member 19.
- FIG. 9 shows a top sectional view of a left end part of a lower end part of the housing 2.
- the engagement part 16 is a recess formed in the left end part of the lower end part of the housing 2 to have an opening on a side face.
- Anterior to the engagement part 16, a slope 25 is disposed which is inclined such that a rearer part of the slope 25 is closer to a center part of the housing 2 in the left-right direction.
- the movable member 18 is disposed between the bottom wall part 14 and the base part 11 of the wind direction plate unit 10, and biased, by the biasing part 17 which is a coil spring or the like, in a direction toward engagement of a leading end part 18a of the movable member 18 with the engagement part 16.
- the biasing part 17 which is a coil spring or the like
- the press member 19 is pressable via an opening 14a formed in the bottom wall part 14.
- a leading end part 19a of the press member 19 slides on the slope 18 of the movable member 18 to cause the movable member 18 to move rightward (leftward in the figure).
- the leading end part 18a moves rightward such that the engagement between the leading end part 18a and the engagement part 16 is released, and the wind direction plate unit 10 is unlocked from the housing 2.
- FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show a front sectional view and a bottom sectional view, respectively, of the insertion part 13c of the connection part 13.
- the wind direction plate motor 20 Behind a front end part of the lower wall 63b inside the housing 2, the wind direction plate motor 20 is disposed.
- the cap 22 To a leading end part of the shaft 21 of the wind direction plate motor 20, the cap 22 is fitted which is rectangular shaped in section.
- the groove 13a has a rear end thereof opened, such that the cap 22 is allowed to enter and exit the groove 13a via the open rear end. Thereby, it is easy to couple and uncouple the wind direction plate unit 10 to and from the shaft 21 of the wind direction plate motor 20.
- the connection part 13 is coupled to the shaft 21 to allow the rotation of the shaft 21 to be transferred to the wind direction plates 12.
- FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are a perspective sectional view and a top sectional view, respectively, of a right end part of the wind direction plate unit 10. Note that FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 show the wind direction plate unit 10 in a state where it is attached in the housing 2. At each of left and right end parts of the lower end part of the housing 2, an attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30 is disposed.
- the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30 is a push-button switch, and includes a push button 31 and an arm member 32.
- the arm member 32 is made of a thin-rectangular shaped plate of a metal such as stainless steel or the like, and disposed, with a front end thereof as a fulcrum, so as to be biased in a direction away from the push button 31, and face the push button 31.
- a rear end of the arm member 32 is curved to be convex upward to form a curved part 32a.
- FIG. 14 shows a side view of the arm member 32 of the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30.
- the projection 15 slides on the arm member 32 rearward from the front side. Then, when the projection 15 reaches a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 15', it moves onto the curved part 32a to push the arm member 32 down into a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 32'. Meanwhile, the push button 31 is pushed by the arm member 32 down into a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 31'.
- the air conditioner 1 thereby determines that the wind direction plate unit 10 has been attached to the housing 2.
- the pressing of the push button 31 by the projection 15 via the arm member 32 is released.
- the air conditioner 1 thereby determines that the wind direction plate unit 10 has been detached from the housing 2. At this time, driving of the air blower 7 is prohibited. This allows safe cleaning of the air blower 7 and the air passage 6 to be performed with the wind direction plate unit 10 detached.
- the above-configured air conditioner 1 starts the cooling or heating operation when the user operates the remote controller.
- the wind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line X (see FIG. 2 ), such that conditioned air is discharged through the outlet 5 in the horizontal or upper direction, as indicated by the arrow A.
- the wind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line Y (see FIG. 2 ), such that conditioned air is discharged downward through the outlet 5, as indicated by the arrow B.
- heating of the room is performed.
- the filter motor of the filter cleaner 50 is driven to cause the pinions to turn.
- the filter 70 is caused to move, along the guide frame 53, from the capture position C toward the inversion position D, and on reaching the inversion position D, the filter 70 moves toward the capture position C.
- the rotary brush 51 is caused to rotate by the brush motor, and dust on the filter 70 is removed by the rotary brush 51.
- the dust removed from the filter 70 is accumulated in the dust box 52.
- the dust box 52 is detachable from the housing 2 to dump the dust accumulated therein.
- the wind direction plates 12 are arranged to be perpendicular to a width direction (the left-right direction) of the housing 2 (a state illustrated in FIG. 5 ). In this state, a long side of the cap 22 of the wind direction plate motor 20 is perpendicular to the width direction of the housing 2. Further, the wind guide panel 80 is disposed in the position indicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line Y (see FIG. 2 ).
- the wind direction plate unit 10 includes the base part 11 which is constituted by the downstream-side end part of the lower wall 63b of the air passage 6, and the bottom wall part 14 constituting the bottom wall of the housing 2. Thereby, the user is allowed to easily detach the wind direction plate unit 10, without performing any detachment operation inside the air passage 6 far away from the outlet 5. This contributes to the improvement of user-friendliness of the air conditioner 1.
- the lock mechanism 100 since the lock mechanism 100 is disposed outside the air passage 6, the lock mechanism 100 does not interfere with the air flowing in the air passage 6. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent air flow disturbance which would otherwise be caused by the lock mechanism 100, and thus to prevent degradation of the blowing performance of the air conditioner 1.
- the user With the wind direction plate unit 10 detached, the user can easily reach the inside of the air passage 6 and the air blower 7 via the outlet 5 for cleaning. It is also easy for the user to clean the wind direction plates 12. This contributes to the improvement of the cleanability of the air conditioner 1.
- the air blower 7 since the air blower 7 is prohibited from being driven at this time, safe cleaning of the air blower 7 and the air passage 6 is ensured.
- the notification for prompting the user to attach the wind direction plate unit 10 may be given by lighting an indicator (not shown) disposed on the front face of the housing 2.
- the user After cleaning the air passage 6 and the air blower 7, the user attaches the wind direction plate unit 10 to the housing 2. At this time, the leading end part 18a of the movable member 18 is pressed against the slope 25 (see FIG. 9 ) of the housing 2, and thus moves against the biasing force of the biasing part 17 to reach the engagement part 16, and then the leading end part 18a engages with the engagement part 16. Thus, just by moving the wind direction plate unit 10 to slide along the blowing-out direction of the outlet 5 without pressing the press member 19, the leading end part 18a is brought into engagement with the engagement part 16, and the wind direction plate unit 10 is locked to the housing 2.
- the wind direction plate unit 10 which is attachable and detachable, and has the wind direction plates 12, includes the base part 11, which is constituted by the downstream-side end part of the lower wall of the air passage 6, and the bottom wall part 14, which constitutes the bottom wall of the housing 2.
- This configuration allows the user to easily detach the wind direction plate unit 10 without performing any detachment operation inside the air passage 6 away from the outlet 5. This contributes to the improvement of user-friendliness of the air conditioner 1.
- connection part 13 of the wind direction plate unit 10 has the groove 13a, which is open at a rear end thereof such that the shaft 21 of the wind direction plate motor 20 is allowed to enter the groove 13a through the rear end, and the connection part 13 is loosely fitted in the through hole 11a disposed in the base part 11.
- connection part 13 is supported by being loosely fitted in the through hole 11a, it is possible to allow the shaft 21 to make an exit from the groove 13a with ease, and also to allow the shaft 21 to make an entry into the groove 13a with ease.
- both side walls of the groove 13a are inclined in directions such that the both side walls are more away from each other toward rear ends thereof.
- the through hole 11a of the base part 11 is formed in an elliptical shape with the major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction, it is possible to easily achieve movement of the insertion part 13c of the connection part 13 in the left-right direction.
- the engagement part 16 which is disposed inside the housing 2
- the movable member 18 which is disposed between the bottom wall part 14 and the base part 11 of the wind direction plate unit 10 and biased by the biasing part 17 into engagement with the engagement part
- the press member 19 which is pressable via the opening 14a formed in the bottom wall part 14.
- attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30 which detects the attachment and the detachment of the wind direction plate unit 10, and when the wind direction plate unit 10 is detached, driving of the air blower 7 is prohibited. This allows safe cleaning of the air blower 7 and the air passage 6, with the wind direction plate unit 10 detached.
- the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30 is a push button switch, and the arm member 32 is disposed which faces the push button 31 of the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30, such that, when the wind direction plate unit 10 is attached, the projection 15 slides on the arm member 32 to press the push button 31.
- the push button 31 securely pressed on attaching the wind direction plate unit 10 to the housing 2, even in a case where the stroke (moving distance) of the push button 31 is short.
- FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of an air conditioner of the second embodiment.
- the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the second embodiment includes an occupancy sensor 40. In the other respects, the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.
- an occupancy sensor 40 which detects a human body existing in a room, to point in a lower frontward direction with respect to the housing 2.
- the occupancy sensor 40 is an infrared sensor, and detects a human body existing in the room.
- the occupancy sensor 40 has a predetermined view angle (for example, 60°) in the left-right direction.
- FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 show a perspective view and a side sectional view, respectively, of the occupancy sensor 40.
- the occupancy sensor 40 is disposed inside an opening 40a of the housing 2. Over the opening 40a, there is disposed an accommodation chamber 40c which has an opening 40b in a front face thereof, and an operation lever 41 is disposed in the accommodation chamber 40c.
- the operation lever 41 is coupled to the occupancy sensor 40 via a rotation shaft 41a disposed at a rear end of the operation lever 41.
- the operation lever 41 and the occupancy sensor 40 are both rotatable about the rotation shaft 41a in the left-right direction.
- a recess 41a is formed, and in a front part of the operation lever 41, a convex part 41b is disposed behind the recess 41a to project upward in a hemispherical shape. As illustrated in FIG.
- a plurality (three, in the present embodiment) of concave parts 40d are aligned in the left-right direction, in each of which the convex part 41b is fittable.
- a lid 42 which is made of resin, openable and closable, and covers the operation lever 41.
- a lower end of the lid 42 is pivotally supported on the housing 2 via a horizontal shaft, and on a back of an upper end part of the lid 42, a projection 42a is disposed to project rearward to fit in the recess 41a of the operation lever 41.
- the lid 42 has an engagement claw 42b disposed at each side end part of the lid 42 to engage in one of engagement holes 42c of the housing 2, and, at an upper end of the lid 42, a handle 42d is disposed.
- a step part 40g is disposed, with a predetermined gap between the handle 42d and the step part 40g when the lid 42 is in a closed state. With this configuration, it is possible to easily hold the handle 42d of the lid 42 in the close state.
- the lid 42 has an opening 42f formed at a position opposing the occupancy sensor 40.
- a person who installs the air conditioner 1 holds the handle 42d and opens the lid 42. At this time, the engagement claw 42b is elastically deformed such that the engagement thereof with the engagement hole 42c is released.
- the operation lever 41 is rotated about the rotation shaft 41a in the left-right direction to fit the convex part 41b in a left one of the concave parts 40d. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 19 , the operation lever 41 is inclined leftward such that a left side surface of the operation lever 41 contacts a left side surface of the accommodation chamber 40c. And, when the lid 42 is closed, a right side surface of the operation lever 41 is caught by the projection 42a, such that the occupancy sensor 40 is held pointing in a leftward direction as illustrated in FIG. 22 .
- the operation lever 41 is rotated to fit the convex part 41b in a middle one of the concave parts 40d. And, when the lid 42 is closed, as illustrated in FIG. 20 , the projection 42a of the lid 42 fits in the recess 41a of the operation lever 41, such that the occupancy sensor 40 is held pointing in a frontward direction as illustrated in FIG. 23 .
- the operation lever 41 is rotated to fit the convex part 41b in a right one of the concave parts 40d.
- the operation lever 41 is inclined rightward such that the right side surface of the operation lever 41 contacts a right side surface of the accommodation chamber 40c.
- the lid 42 is closed, the left side surface of the operation lever 41 is caught by the projection 42a, such that the occupancy sensor 40 is held pointing in a rightward direction as illustrated in FIG. 24 .
- the pointing operation of the occupancy sensor 40 is changeable in the left-right direction by operating the operation lever 41. This makes it possible to optimize the detection range of the occupancy sensor 40 in accordance with the installation position of the air conditioner 1 to allow secure detection of a human body existing in the room.
- the person who installs the air conditioner 1 does not need to touch the occupancy sensor 40 to change its direction. This helps protect the occupancy sensor 40 from being touched with a finger to be soiled.
- the wind direction plates 12 of the wind direction plate unit 10 rotates in the left-right direction such that air is discharged through the outlet 5 avoiding the detected human body. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from continuously receiving wind directly from the air conditioner 1, and this helps reduce damage to the user's health.
- the air conditioner 1 further includes the occupancy sensor 40 which detects a human body existing in the room, and discharges air through the outlet 5, avoiding the human body by means of the wind direction plates 12 of the wind direction plate unit 10. Thereby, it is possible to prevent wind from continuously blowing directly to the user, and thus to reduce damage to his or her health.
- the air conditioner 1 further includes the operation lever 41, which is coupled to the occupancy sensor 40, and makes it possible to change the direction of the occupancy sensor 40 in the left-right direction. This allows a person who installs the air conditioner 1 to change the direction of the occupancy sensor 40 without touching the occupancy sensor 40. Thus, it is possible to reduce soiling of the occupancy sensor 40 caused by being touched with a finger. Further, since the operation lever 41 is covered by the lid 42, the direction of the occupancy sensor 40 is prevented from being unintendedly changed by, for example, the person who installs the air conditioner 1, the user, or the like.
- the direction of the occupancy sensor 40 is variable between three directions by selectively holding one of the following three states: a state where the operation lever 41 is inclined leftward, with the right side surface thereof caught by the projection 42a (first state); a state where the projection 42a fits in the recess 41a of the operation lever 41 (second state); and a state where the operation lever 41 is inclined rightward, with the left side surface thereof caught by the projection 42a (third state).
- FIG. 25 shows a top view of a wind direction plate unit 10 of an air conditioner 1 of the third embodiment.
- a base part 11 of the wind direction plate unit 10 has a configuration different from its counterpart in the first embodiment.
- the third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.
- a plurality of projections 11b are arranged parallel to each other at predetermined intervals in a front-rear direction.
- the position of the press member 19 coincides with the position of the projections 11b in the left-right direction.
- the projections 11b project upward from a flat surface 11c of the base part 11 such that a height (an amount of projection from the flat surface 11c) of each projection 11b is approximately 0.5 mm.
- the projections 11b and the flat surface 11c between adjacent ones of the projections 11b together form an uneven 11d.
- the uneven part 11d functions as an anti-slip surface when the user holds the wind direction plate unit 10 with his or her fingers at the position of the press member 19 in the up-down direction, and allows the user to securely hold the wind direction plate unit 10 while pressing the press member 19 upward. This further improves the user-friendliness of the air conditioner 1.
- the projections 11b do not become a large resistance to air flowing in the air passage 6, and thus does not very much hinder the blowing performance of the air conditioner 1.
- the uneven part 11d is disposed on the outer surface of the base part 11 such that the position of the press member 19 and that of the uneven part 11d coincide with each other in the left-right direction. Thereby, it is possible for the user to securely hold the wind direction plate unit 10 in detaching the wind direction plate unit 10.
- an uneven part may be formed by arranging dotted projections, instead of the linear projections 11b, in a matrix pattern on the outer surface of the base part 11.
- an uneven part similar to the uneven part 11d of the present embodiment may be disposed in the air conditioner 1 of the second embodiment.
- the present invention is applicable to air conditioners having a wind direction plate which changes the direction of air discharged through an outlet in the left-right direction.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a wind direction plate which changes the direction of air discharged from an outlet in the left-right direction.
- A conventional air conditioner is disclosed in
Patent Document 1 listed below. The conventional air conditioner includes a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air, and which is attached to an upper part of a side wall of a room. Inside the housing, an air passage is formed to allow mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet. In the air passage, an air blower and a heat exchanger are disposed. On an upper wall of the air passage on a downstream side of the air blower, there is disposed a wind direction plate unit which is attachable and detachable. - The wind direction plate unit has a base part, a plurality of vertical wind direction plates, a connection part, and an operation member. The base part has an engagement part which engages with the upper wall of the air passage. The vertical wind direction plates stand on the base part to be aligned with each other in the left-right direction, and rotatable in the left-right direction. The connection part connects the plurality of wind direction plates with each other. The operation member is disposed at a center part of the connection part in the left-right direction, and the user can rotate the wind direction plates in the left-right direction by operating the operation member.
- At the outlet, a plurality of lateral wind direction plates, which are attachable and detachable with respect to the housing, are arranged parallel to each other in the up-down direction. The lateral wind direction plates are rotatable in the up-down direction to change the direction of air discharged from the outlet in the up-down direction.
- When the air blower is driven, air inside the room is drawn into the air passage through the inlet, and air that has exchanged heat with the heat exchanger is discharged from the outlet into the room. At this time, it is possible to change the direction of the air discharged from the outlet in the left-right direction by operating the operation member of the wind direction plate unit
- When the air blower is not operating, the user can detach the wind direction plate unit by removing the lateral wind direction plates, then releasing the engagement of the engagement part with the upper wall of the air passage, and then holding and pulling the wind direction plate unit downward. This allows the user easy cleaning of the wind direction plates, and further, easy cleaning of the air passage and the air blower via the outlet.
- Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No.
3306250 Page 4 ,Page 5,FIG. 3 ) - However, with the conventional air conditioner described above, the user has to put his or her hand into the air passage via the outlet to release the engagement of the wind direction plate unit with the upper wall of the air passage. This makes it troublesome to detach the wind direction plate unit from the housing, and disadvantageously degrades the user friendliness of the air conditioner.
- The present invention aims to provide an air conditioner with improved user-friendliness.
- To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, a blower includes a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air, an air passage which is disposed in the housing to allow mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet, an air blower which is disposed in the air passage, and a wind direction plate unit which is attachable and detachable, and has a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction. Here, the wind direction plate unit includes a base part which is constituted by a downstream-side end part of a lower wall of the air passage, and a bottom wall part which constitutes a bottom wall of the housing.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for the wind direction plate unit to be attached and detached by being moved to slide along a direction in which air is discharged from the outlet.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the air conditioner having the above configuration further include a wind direction plate motor which is disposed inside the housing, and a connection part which is rotatably fitted to the base part, and connects a shaft of the wind direction plate motor to the wind direction plate. Here, the connection part has a groove which is open at a rear end thereof such that the shaft is allowed to enter the groove through the rear end, and the connection part is supported by being loosely fitted in a through hole of the base part.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for both side walls of the groove to be inclined in directions such that the both side walls are more away from each other toward rear ends thereof.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for the through hole to be formed in an elliptical shape with a major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable for the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an engagement part which is disposed in the housing, a movable member which is disposed between the bottom wall part and the base part of the wind direction plate unit, and which is biased by a biasing part into engagement with the engagement part, and a press member which is pressable via an opening formed in the bottom wall part. Here, when the press member is pressed, the movable member is caused to move to release the engagement of the movable member with the engagement part.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable for the base part to include an uneven part disposed on an outer surface thereof such that a position of the press member coincides with a position of the uneven part in the left-right direction.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable for the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an attachment/detachment detecting sensor which detects attachment and detachment of the wind direction plate unit. Here, the air blower is prohibited from being driven when the wind direction plate unit has been detached.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable that the attachment/detachment detecting sensor be a push button switch including a push button and an arm member disposed facing the push button, and that the wind direction plate unit be attached to the housing by being moved to slide on the arm member to cause the arm member to press the push button.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable for the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an occupancy sensor which detects a human body existing in a room. Here, air is discharged from the outlet avoiding the human body by means of the wind direction plate.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable for the air conditioner having the above configuration to further include an operation lever which is coupled to the occupancy sensor to change the direction of the occupancy sensor in the left-right direction, and a lid which is openable and closable, and covers the operation lever.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable that a recess be disposed in a leading end of the operation lever, that a projection be disposed on the lid to be fitted in the recess, and that a direction of the occupancy sensor is variable between three directions by selectively holding one of the following three states: a first state where a right side surface of the operation lever inclined leftward is caught by the projection; a second state where the projection fits in the recess of the operation lever; and a third state where a left side surface of the operation lever inclined rightward is caught by the projection.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, an air conditioner includes a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air, an air passage which is disposed in the housing to allow mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet, an air blower which is disposed in the air passage, an occupancy sensor which detects a human body existing in a room, and a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction based on a result of detection performed by the occupancy sensor. Here, the air conditioner further includes an operation lever which is coupled to the occupancy sensor and changes a direction of the occupancy sensor in the left-right direction, and a lid which is openable and closable, and covers the operation lever.
- According to the present invention, in an air conditioner, a wind direction plate unit, which is attachable and detachable and has a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction, includes a base part constituted by a downstream-side end part of a lower wall of an air passage, and a bottom wall part which constitutes a bottom wall of the housing. With this configuration, a user can easily detach the wind direction plate unit from the air conditioner, without performing any detachment operation inside an air passage far away from the outlet. This contributes to the improvement of user-friendliness of the air conditioner.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an air conditioner of a first embodiment; -
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 5 is a top view illustrating the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 6 is a rear sectional view illustrating the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 7 is a rear sectional view illustrating a lock mechanism for the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment, showing a state where the wind direction plate unit is locked; -
FIG. 8 is a rear sectional view illustrating the lock mechanism for the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment, showing a state where the wind direction plate unit is unlocked; -
FIG. 9 is a top sectional view illustrating an engagement part for the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 10 is a front sectional view illustrating a connection part of the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 11 is a bottom sectional view illustrating the connection part of the wind direction plate unit incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 12 is a perspective sectional view illustrating an attachment/detachment detecting sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 13 is a top view illustrating the attachment/detachment detecting sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 14 is a side view illustrating the attachment/detachment detecting sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the first embodiment; -
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an air conditioner of a second embodiment; -
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an occupancy sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment; -
FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of the occupancy sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment; -
FIG. 18 is a front view of an operation lever incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment; -
FIG. 19 is a top sectional view of the operation lever incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, with the occupancy sensor pointing leftward; -
FIG. 20 is a top sectional view of the operation lever incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, with the occupancy sensor pointing frontward; -
FIG. 21 is a top sectional view of the operation lever incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, with the occupancy sensor pointing rightward; -
FIG. 22 is front view of the occupancy sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, with the occupancy sensor pointing leftward; -
FIG. 23 is a front view of the occupancy sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, with the occupancy sensor pointing frontward; -
FIG. 24 is a front view of the occupancy sensor incorporated in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, with the occupancy sensor pointing rightward; and -
FIG. 25 is a top view of a wind direction plate unit incorporated in an air conditioner of a third embodiment. - First Embodiment: Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an air conditioner of a first embodiment. Anair conditioner 1, which is installed on a wall inside a room, is an indoor unit connected to an outdoor unit (not shown) installed outdoors. Theair conditioner 1 receives instructions, including those for starting operation and stopping operation, from a remote controller (not shown) operated by a user. - The
air conditioner 1 includes ahousing 2 which is attached to a side wall W (seeFIG. 2 ) inside a room, and afront panel 3, which constitutes a front face of thehousing 2, is detachably attached with respect to thehousing 2. Thehousing 2 engages a claw part (not shown) with, and thereby is supported on, an attachment plate (not shown), which is attached to the side wall W at a height close to a ceiling S (seeFIG. 2 ). - In a top face of the
housing 2, aninlet 4 is formed to extend in the left-right direction, and anoutlet 5 is formed in a lower part of thehousing 2. Theoutlet 5 has a substantially rectangular shape extending in the left-right direction of thehousing 2, and faces downward. When theair conditioner 1 is not operating, theoutlet 5 is shut with awind guide panel 80, which is curved. -
FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of theair conditioner 1. Inside thehousing 2, anair passage 6 is disposed which allows mutual communication between theinlet 4 and theoutlet 5. Inside theair passage 6, anair blower 7 is disposed which blows out air. When theair blower 7 is driven, air in the room is drawn into theair passage 6 through theinlet 4, and is then blown out into the room through theoutlet 5. As theair blower 7, a cross flow fan is preferably used, but other kinds of air blowers may be used instead. - Between the
inlet 4 and theair blower 7 inside theair passage 6, aheat exchanger 8 is disposed. Theheat exchanger 8 is connected to a compressor (not shown) disposed in the outdoor unit to operate a refrigeration cycle, and exchanges heat with air in theair passage 6. Thereby, during cooling operation and heating operation of theair conditioner 1, thewind guide panel 80 is opened, and cool air and warm air, respectively, are blown out into the room through theoutlet 5. Under theheat exchanger 8, adrain pan 9 is disposed. - In the
air passage 6, between theair blower 7 and theoutlet 5, a blow-out passage 63 is formed. Upper and lower surfaces of the blow-out passage 63 are respectively constituted by anupper wall 63a and alower wall 63b, and left and right surfaces of the blow-out passage 63 are constituted by side walls (not shown) on which a shaft of theair blower 7 is supported. Theupper wall 63a and thelower wall 63b are both inclined downward toward their front ends, and guide air in a front downward direction. - At a position near the
outlet 5, in the blow-out passage 63, a winddirection plate unit 10 is disposed to be attachable and detachable with respect to thehousing 2. The winddirection plate unit 10 includes a plurality ofwind direction plates 12 which are rotatable in the left-right direction. Thereby, the direction of air discharged through theoutlet 5 is changed in the left-right direction. Further, at a position near a terminal end of theair passage 6 in thehousing 2, a guide member (not shown) is disposed which guides the winddirection plate unit 10 to its fitting position. For attachment and detachment of the winddirection plate unit 10, the guide member guides the winddirection plate unit 10 to slide along a blowing-out direction of theoutlet 5. A detailed description of the winddirection plate unit 10 will be given later. - The
wind guide panel 80 is supported, by an extendable arm member (not shown) disposed in thehousing 2, to be rotatable in the up-down direction. As illustrated inFIG. 2 , thewind guide panel 80 closes theoutlet 5 when theair conditioner 1 is not operating. Thereby, an inside of theair passage 6 becomes invisible, and as a result, the appearance of theair conditioner 1 is improved. - During the cooling operation of the
air conditioner 1, thewind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line X, and guides conditioned air discharged through theoutlet 5 in a horizontal or upper direction, as indicated by an arrow A. During the heating operation of theair conditioner 1, thewind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by an alternate long and two short dashes line Y, and guides conditioned air discharged through theoutlet 5 in a downward direction as indicated by an arrow B. Thus, the direction of conditioned air discharged through theoutlet 5 is changed in the up-down direction by thewind guide panel 80. - Between the
inlet 4 and theheat exchanger 8, afilter 70 is disposed which extends in the left-right direction and faces theinlet 4. Thefilter 70 is arranged from a front end part to a rear end part of thehousing 2, and captures dust in the air drawn into theair passage 6 through theinlet 4. Thefilter 70 is formed by joining a polypropylene mesh (not shown), by welding, to a rectangular frame (not shown) which is formed of a synthetic resin such as ABS or the like and which has window parts arranged in a plurality of lines and columns. At left and right end parts of the frame of thefilter 70, there are formed racks (not shown) which respectively mesh with pinions (not shown) disposed in thehousing 2. - In the
housing 2, afilter cleaner 50 is disposed which removes dust from thefilter 70 and collects the removed dust. Thefilter cleaner 50 includes a filter motor (not shown), arotary brush 51, adust box 52, and aguide frame 53. - The filter motor drives and rotates the pinions meshing with the racks of the
filter 70. Theguide frame 53 is disposed in an upper part of an inside of thehousing 2, and guides thefilter 70, which is caused to move when the filter motor is driven. When the filter motor is driven, thefilter 70 moves to and fro between a capture position C at which thefilter 70 faces theinlet 4 and an inversion position D at which thefilter 70 is turned upside down. - The
dust box 52 is disposed below theguide frame 53, and is attachable and detachable with respect to thehousing 2. Therotary brush 51 is disposed over thedust box 52, and is driven to rotate by a brush motor (not shown). Therotary brush 51 removes dust from thefilter 70 while thefilter 70 is moving, and the removed dust is collected in thedust box 52. -
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the winddirection plate unit 10, as seen from a rear face side.FIG. 4 shows a side sectional view of the winddirection plate unit 10, illustrating how the winddirection plate unit 10 is attached to thehousing 2.FIG. 5 shows a top view of the winddirection plate unit 10.FIG. 6 shows a rear sectional view of the winddirection plate unit 10. The winddirection plate unit 10 includes abase part 11, a plurality ofwind direction plates 12, aconnection part 13, and abottom wall part 14. - The
base part 11 is constituted by a downstream-side end part of thelower wall 63b of theair passage 6. When the winddirection plate unit 10 is attached to thehousing 2, an upper surface of thebase part 11 is flush with an upper surface of such a part of thelower wall 63b as is on the upstream side of thebase part 11. On each of two side end parts of thebase part 11, a throughhole 11a and aprojection 15 projecting sideways are disposed. The throughhole 11a is formed in a substantially elliptical shape which has a major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction, and cutparts 11g (seeFIG. 11 ) are disposed one at each of left and right end parts of the throughhole 11a. The plurality ofwind direction plates 12 are stood on thebase part 11 to be aligned with each other in the left-right direction, and are rotatable, in the left-right direction. - The
connection part 13 has aninsertion part 13c (seeFIG. 10 ) which has agroove 13a and is inserted in the throughhole 11a, and aconnection bar 13b which is connected to theinsertion part 13c and couples the plurality ofwind direction plates 12 to each other. In thegroove 13a, a later-describedcap 22, which is disposed on ashaft 21 of a winddirection plate motor 20, is fitted to be attachable and detachable. Theinsertion part 13c is substantially circular shaped in horizontal section, and has twoengagement parts 13d (seeFIG. 11 ) projecting from a circumferential surface of theinsertion part 13c, and aflange 13e (seeFIG. 10 ) disposed over theengagement parts 13d to cover a peripheral part of the throughhole 11a from above thebase part 11. Theengagement parts 13d are respectively inserted in thecut parts 11g, and then theinsertion part 13c is turned. Thereby, the peripheral part of the throughhole 11a is disposed between theengagement parts 13d and theflange 13e, and theinsertion part 13c is rotatably supported at thebase part 11 by being loosely fitted in the throughhole 11a. - The
bottom wall part 14 is connected to a front end of the base part 11 (a terminal end of thelower wall 63b of the air passage 6), and constitutes a bottom wall of thehousing 2. Further, in right and left parts of the winddirection plate unit 10,lock mechanisms 100 are disposed for locking the winddirection plate unit 10 onto thehousing 2. -
FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show rear sectional views of one of thelock mechanisms 100 that is disposed in the left part of the winddirection plate unit 10.FIG. 7 illustrates a locked state, andFIG. 8 illustrates an unlocked state. The right-side one of thelock mechanisms 100 has the same configuration as the left-side one, and thus the following description of thelock mechanisms 100 will be given by taking the left-side lock mechanism 100 as a representative example of thelock mechanisms 100. - The
lock mechanism 100 has an engagement part 16 (seeFIG. 9 ), a biasingpart 17, amovable member 18, and apress member 19.FIG. 9 shows a top sectional view of a left end part of a lower end part of thehousing 2. Theengagement part 16 is a recess formed in the left end part of the lower end part of thehousing 2 to have an opening on a side face. Anterior to theengagement part 16, aslope 25 is disposed which is inclined such that a rearer part of theslope 25 is closer to a center part of thehousing 2 in the left-right direction. Themovable member 18 is disposed between thebottom wall part 14 and thebase part 11 of the winddirection plate unit 10, and biased, by the biasingpart 17 which is a coil spring or the like, in a direction toward engagement of aleading end part 18a of themovable member 18 with theengagement part 16. At a right end part of themovable member 18, there is disposed aslope 18b which is inclined upward from right to left. - The
press member 19 is pressable via anopening 14a formed in thebottom wall part 14. When the user presses thepress member 19 upward, aleading end part 19a of thepress member 19 slides on theslope 18 of themovable member 18 to cause themovable member 18 to move rightward (leftward in the figure). Thereby, theleading end part 18a moves rightward such that the engagement between theleading end part 18a and theengagement part 16 is released, and the winddirection plate unit 10 is unlocked from thehousing 2. -
FIG. 10 andFIG. 11 show a front sectional view and a bottom sectional view, respectively, of theinsertion part 13c of theconnection part 13. Behind a front end part of thelower wall 63b inside thehousing 2, the winddirection plate motor 20 is disposed. To a leading end part of theshaft 21 of the winddirection plate motor 20, thecap 22 is fitted which is rectangular shaped in section. - The
groove 13a has a rear end thereof opened, such that thecap 22 is allowed to enter and exit thegroove 13a via the open rear end. Thereby, it is easy to couple and uncouple the winddirection plate unit 10 to and from theshaft 21 of the winddirection plate motor 20. By thecap 22 being fitted in thegroove 13a, theconnection part 13 is coupled to theshaft 21 to allow the rotation of theshaft 21 to be transferred to thewind direction plates 12. -
FIG. 12 andFIG. 13 are a perspective sectional view and a top sectional view, respectively, of a right end part of the winddirection plate unit 10. Note thatFIG. 12 andFIG. 13 show the winddirection plate unit 10 in a state where it is attached in thehousing 2. At each of left and right end parts of the lower end part of thehousing 2, an attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30 is disposed. - The attachment/
detachment detecting sensor 30 is a push-button switch, and includes apush button 31 and anarm member 32. Thearm member 32 is made of a thin-rectangular shaped plate of a metal such as stainless steel or the like, and disposed, with a front end thereof as a fulcrum, so as to be biased in a direction away from thepush button 31, and face thepush button 31. A rear end of thearm member 32 is curved to be convex upward to form acurved part 32a. -
FIG. 14 shows a side view of thearm member 32 of the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30. In attaching the winddirection plate unit 10 to thehousing 2 from the front of thehousing 2 by moving the winddirection plate unit 10 as indicated by an arrow S, theprojection 15 slides on thearm member 32 rearward from the front side. Then, when theprojection 15 reaches a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 15', it moves onto thecurved part 32a to push thearm member 32 down into a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 32'. Meanwhile, thepush button 31 is pushed by thearm member 32 down into a position indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 31'. Theair conditioner 1 thereby determines that the winddirection plate unit 10 has been attached to thehousing 2. - When the wind
direction plate unit 10 is detached from thehousing 2, the pressing of thepush button 31 by theprojection 15 via thearm member 32 is released. Theair conditioner 1 thereby determines that the winddirection plate unit 10 has been detached from thehousing 2. At this time, driving of theair blower 7 is prohibited. This allows safe cleaning of theair blower 7 and theair passage 6 to be performed with the winddirection plate unit 10 detached. - The above-configured
air conditioner 1 starts the cooling or heating operation when the user operates the remote controller. During the cooling operation, thewind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line X (seeFIG. 2 ), such that conditioned air is discharged through theoutlet 5 in the horizontal or upper direction, as indicated by the arrow A. Thereby, cooling of the room is performed. During the heating operation, thewind guide panel 80 rotates into a position indicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line Y (seeFIG. 2 ), such that conditioned air is discharged downward through theoutlet 5, as indicated by the arrow B. Thereby, heating of the room is performed. - When the user operates the remote controller to stop the cooling or heating operation, in a case where the
air conditioner 1 has been operated a number of times exceeding a predetermined upper limit number of times, the filter motor of thefilter cleaner 50 is driven to cause the pinions to turn. Thereby, thefilter 70 is caused to move, along theguide frame 53, from the capture position C toward the inversion position D, and on reaching the inversion position D, thefilter 70 moves toward the capture position C. Meanwhile, therotary brush 51 is caused to rotate by the brush motor, and dust on thefilter 70 is removed by therotary brush 51. The dust removed from thefilter 70 is accumulated in thedust box 52. Thedust box 52 is detachable from thehousing 2 to dump the dust accumulated therein. - While neither the cooling operation nor the heating operation of the
air conditioner 1 is being performed, when a predetermined button on the remote controller is pressed, thewind direction plates 12 are arranged to be perpendicular to a width direction (the left-right direction) of the housing 2 (a state illustrated inFIG. 5 ). In this state, a long side of thecap 22 of the winddirection plate motor 20 is perpendicular to the width direction of thehousing 2. Further, thewind guide panel 80 is disposed in the position indicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line Y (seeFIG. 2 ). - Then, when the user pushes the
press member 19 upward while holding the winddirection plate unit 10 in the up-down direction at the position of thepress member 19 with his/her fingers, the engagement of theleading end part 18a of themovable member 18 with theengagement part 16 is released to unlock the winddirection plate unit 10. Then, the user slides the winddirection plate unit 10 along the blowing-out direction of theoutlet 5 to detach the winddirection plate unit 10. - Here, the wind
direction plate unit 10 includes thebase part 11 which is constituted by the downstream-side end part of thelower wall 63b of theair passage 6, and thebottom wall part 14 constituting the bottom wall of thehousing 2. Thereby, the user is allowed to easily detach the winddirection plate unit 10, without performing any detachment operation inside theair passage 6 far away from theoutlet 5. This contributes to the improvement of user-friendliness of theair conditioner 1. - Further, since the
lock mechanism 100 is disposed outside theair passage 6, thelock mechanism 100 does not interfere with the air flowing in theair passage 6. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent air flow disturbance which would otherwise be caused by thelock mechanism 100, and thus to prevent degradation of the blowing performance of theair conditioner 1. - With the wind
direction plate unit 10 detached, the user can easily reach the inside of theair passage 6 and theair blower 7 via theoutlet 5 for cleaning. It is also easy for the user to clean thewind direction plates 12. This contributes to the improvement of the cleanability of theair conditioner 1. Here, since theair blower 7 is prohibited from being driven at this time, safe cleaning of theair blower 7 and theair passage 6 is ensured. - When the wind
direction plate unit 10 is not attached to thehousing 2, if the user operates the remote controller for the cooling operation or the heating operation, a voice notification , such as "Please attach the wind direction plate unit," will be given to the user. This provides an easy way of prompting the user to attach the winddirection plate unit 10. Here, the notification for prompting the user to attach the winddirection plate unit 10 may be given by lighting an indicator (not shown) disposed on the front face of thehousing 2. - After cleaning the
air passage 6 and theair blower 7, the user attaches the winddirection plate unit 10 to thehousing 2. At this time, theleading end part 18a of themovable member 18 is pressed against the slope 25 (seeFIG. 9 ) of thehousing 2, and thus moves against the biasing force of the biasingpart 17 to reach theengagement part 16, and then theleading end part 18a engages with theengagement part 16. Thus, just by moving the winddirection plate unit 10 to slide along the blowing-out direction of theoutlet 5 without pressing thepress member 19, theleading end part 18a is brought into engagement with theengagement part 16, and the winddirection plate unit 10 is locked to thehousing 2. - According to the present embodiment, the wind
direction plate unit 10, which is attachable and detachable, and has thewind direction plates 12, includes thebase part 11, which is constituted by the downstream-side end part of the lower wall of theair passage 6, and thebottom wall part 14, which constitutes the bottom wall of thehousing 2. This configuration allows the user to easily detach the winddirection plate unit 10 without performing any detachment operation inside theair passage 6 away from theoutlet 5. This contributes to the improvement of user-friendliness of theair conditioner 1. - To detach or attach the wind
direction plate unit 10, it is moved to slide along the blowing-out direction of theoutlet 5. With this configuration, it is possible to detach the winddirection plate unit 10 with more ease while preventing interference between thewind direction plates 12 and the upper wall of theair passage 6. - Further, the
connection part 13 of the winddirection plate unit 10 has thegroove 13a, which is open at a rear end thereof such that theshaft 21 of the winddirection plate motor 20 is allowed to enter thegroove 13a through the rear end, and theconnection part 13 is loosely fitted in the throughhole 11a disposed in thebase part 11. With this configuration, it is possible to couple and uncouple theconnection part 13 and the winddirection plate motor 20 to and from each other with ease in attaching and detaching the winddirection plate unit 10. - Here, if the user touches the
wind direction plates 12 with a finger in detaching the winddirection plate unit 10, there may occur a case where long sides of thecap 22 is caused to incline with respect to the width direction of thehousing 2. Even in such a case, since theconnection part 13 is supported by being loosely fitted in the throughhole 11a, it is possible to allow theshaft 21 to make an exit from thegroove 13a with ease, and also to allow theshaft 21 to make an entry into thegroove 13a with ease. - Further, the both side walls of the
groove 13a are inclined in directions such that the both side walls are more away from each other toward rear ends thereof. With this configuration, thecap 22 of the winddirection plate motor 20 makes an easy entry into thegroove 13a when the winddirection plate unit 10 is attached to thehousing 2. Thus, it is possible to couple the winddirection plate motor 20 to thewind direction plates 12 with ease. - Further, since the through
hole 11a of thebase part 11 is formed in an elliptical shape with the major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction, it is possible to easily achieve movement of theinsertion part 13c of theconnection part 13 in the left-right direction. Thus, it is possible, in attaching and detaching the winddirection plate unit 10, to easily achieve the coupling and the uncoupling of theconnection part 13 and the winddirection plate motor 20 to and from each other. - Further included are the
engagement part 16 which is disposed inside thehousing 2, themovable member 18 which is disposed between thebottom wall part 14 and thebase part 11 of the winddirection plate unit 10 and biased by the biasingpart 17 into engagement with the engagement part, and thepress member 19 which is pressable via theopening 14a formed in thebottom wall part 14. When thepress member 19 is pressed, themovable member 18 is caused to move to release the engagement thereof with theengagement part 16. This allows the user to easily unlock the winddirection plate unit 10 while holding the winddirection plate unit 10 in the up-down direction. - Further included is the attachment/
detachment detecting sensor 30 which detects the attachment and the detachment of the winddirection plate unit 10, and when the winddirection plate unit 10 is detached, driving of theair blower 7 is prohibited. This allows safe cleaning of theair blower 7 and theair passage 6, with the winddirection plate unit 10 detached. - Further, the attachment/
detachment detecting sensor 30 is a push button switch, and thearm member 32 is disposed which faces thepush button 31 of the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30, such that, when the winddirection plate unit 10 is attached, theprojection 15 slides on thearm member 32 to press thepush button 31. With this configuration, it is possible to have thepush button 31 securely pressed on attaching the winddirection plate unit 10 to thehousing 2, even in a case where the stroke (moving distance) of thepush button 31 is short. Thus, it is possible to prevent misdetection by the attachment/detachment detecting sensor 30. - Second Embodiment: Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of an air conditioner of the second embodiment. For convenience of description, such parts as find their counter parts in the first embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 14 referred to above are denoted by the common reference signs. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the second embodiment includes anoccupancy sensor 40. In the other respects, the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. - At a position above the
outlet 5, in a lower part of thehousing 2, there is disposed anoccupancy sensor 40, which detects a human body existing in a room, to point in a lower frontward direction with respect to thehousing 2. Theoccupancy sensor 40 is an infrared sensor, and detects a human body existing in the room. Theoccupancy sensor 40 has a predetermined view angle (for example, 60°) in the left-right direction. -
FIG. 16 andFIG. 17 show a perspective view and a side sectional view, respectively, of theoccupancy sensor 40. Theoccupancy sensor 40 is disposed inside anopening 40a of thehousing 2. Over theopening 40a, there is disposed anaccommodation chamber 40c which has anopening 40b in a front face thereof, and anoperation lever 41 is disposed in theaccommodation chamber 40c. - The
operation lever 41 is coupled to theoccupancy sensor 40 via arotation shaft 41a disposed at a rear end of theoperation lever 41. Theoperation lever 41 and theoccupancy sensor 40 are both rotatable about therotation shaft 41a in the left-right direction. At a front end of theoperation lever 41, arecess 41a is formed, and in a front part of theoperation lever 41, aconvex part 41b is disposed behind therecess 41a to project upward in a hemispherical shape. As illustrated inFIG. 18 , in a front part of an upper wall of theaccommodation chamber 40c, a plurality (three, in the present embodiment) ofconcave parts 40d are aligned in the left-right direction, in each of which theconvex part 41b is fittable. - Further, anterior to the
operation lever 41, there is disposed alid 42 which is made of resin, openable and closable, and covers theoperation lever 41. A lower end of thelid 42 is pivotally supported on thehousing 2 via a horizontal shaft, and on a back of an upper end part of thelid 42, aprojection 42a is disposed to project rearward to fit in therecess 41a of theoperation lever 41. - The
lid 42 has anengagement claw 42b disposed at each side end part of thelid 42 to engage in one ofengagement holes 42c of thehousing 2, and, at an upper end of thelid 42, ahandle 42d is disposed. In thehousing 2, at a position opposing thehandle 42d, astep part 40g is disposed, with a predetermined gap between thehandle 42d and thestep part 40g when thelid 42 is in a closed state. With this configuration, it is possible to easily hold thehandle 42d of thelid 42 in the close state. Thelid 42 has anopening 42f formed at a position opposing theoccupancy sensor 40. - A person who installs the
air conditioner 1 holds thehandle 42d and opens thelid 42. At this time, theengagement claw 42b is elastically deformed such that the engagement thereof with theengagement hole 42c is released. In a case of installing theair conditioner 1 in a right end part of the side wall W, theoperation lever 41 is rotated about therotation shaft 41a in the left-right direction to fit theconvex part 41b in a left one of theconcave parts 40d. As a result, as illustrated inFIG. 19 , theoperation lever 41 is inclined leftward such that a left side surface of theoperation lever 41 contacts a left side surface of theaccommodation chamber 40c. And, when thelid 42 is closed, a right side surface of theoperation lever 41 is caught by theprojection 42a, such that theoccupancy sensor 40 is held pointing in a leftward direction as illustrated inFIG. 22 . - In a case of installing the
air conditioner 1 in a middle part of the side wall W in the left-right direction, theoperation lever 41 is rotated to fit theconvex part 41b in a middle one of theconcave parts 40d. And, when thelid 42 is closed, as illustrated inFIG. 20 , theprojection 42a of thelid 42 fits in therecess 41a of theoperation lever 41, such that theoccupancy sensor 40 is held pointing in a frontward direction as illustrated inFIG. 23 . - In a case of installing the
air conditioner 1 in a left end part of the side wall W, theoperation lever 41 is rotated to fit theconvex part 41b in a right one of theconcave parts 40d. As a result, as illustrated inFIG. 21 , theoperation lever 41 is inclined rightward such that the right side surface of theoperation lever 41 contacts a right side surface of theaccommodation chamber 40c. And, when thelid 42 is closed, the left side surface of theoperation lever 41 is caught by theprojection 42a, such that theoccupancy sensor 40 is held pointing in a rightward direction as illustrated inFIG. 24 . - As has been described above, the pointing operation of the
occupancy sensor 40 is changeable in the left-right direction by operating theoperation lever 41. This makes it possible to optimize the detection range of theoccupancy sensor 40 in accordance with the installation position of theair conditioner 1 to allow secure detection of a human body existing in the room. - At this time, the person who installs the
air conditioner 1 does not need to touch theoccupancy sensor 40 to change its direction. This helps protect theoccupancy sensor 40 from being touched with a finger to be soiled. - In the
air conditioner 1 configured as described above, during the cooling or heating operation, when a human body existing in the room is detected by theoccupancy sensor 40, thewind direction plates 12 of the winddirection plate unit 10 rotates in the left-right direction such that air is discharged through theoutlet 5 avoiding the detected human body. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from continuously receiving wind directly from theair conditioner 1, and this helps reduce damage to the user's health. - According to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve the same advantages as the first embodiment.
- The
air conditioner 1 further includes theoccupancy sensor 40 which detects a human body existing in the room, and discharges air through theoutlet 5, avoiding the human body by means of thewind direction plates 12 of the winddirection plate unit 10. Thereby, it is possible to prevent wind from continuously blowing directly to the user, and thus to reduce damage to his or her health. - The
air conditioner 1 further includes theoperation lever 41, which is coupled to theoccupancy sensor 40, and makes it possible to change the direction of theoccupancy sensor 40 in the left-right direction. This allows a person who installs theair conditioner 1 to change the direction of theoccupancy sensor 40 without touching theoccupancy sensor 40. Thus, it is possible to reduce soiling of theoccupancy sensor 40 caused by being touched with a finger. Further, since theoperation lever 41 is covered by thelid 42, the direction of theoccupancy sensor 40 is prevented from being unintendedly changed by, for example, the person who installs theair conditioner 1, the user, or the like. - Further, the direction of the
occupancy sensor 40 is variable between three directions by selectively holding one of the following three states: a state where theoperation lever 41 is inclined leftward, with the right side surface thereof caught by theprojection 42a (first state); a state where theprojection 42a fits in therecess 41a of the operation lever 41 (second state); and a state where theoperation lever 41 is inclined rightward, with the left side surface thereof caught by theprojection 42a (third state). - Thereby, it is possible to securely hold the
occupancy sensor 40 in a state where its direction is adjusted in accordance with the installation position of theair conditioner 1. Thus, it is possible to maintain an optimal detection range of theoccupancy sensor 40 with ease. - Third Embodiment: Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 25 shows a top view of a winddirection plate unit 10 of anair conditioner 1 of the third embodiment. For convenience of description, such parts as find their counter parts in the first embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 14 referred to above are denoted by the common reference signs. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that abase part 11 of the winddirection plate unit 10 has a configuration different from its counterpart in the first embodiment. In the other respects, the third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. - On a top surface (outer surface) of the
base part 11, a plurality ofprojections 11b, each having a linear shape extending in the left-right direction in top view, are arranged parallel to each other at predetermined intervals in a front-rear direction. The position of thepress member 19 coincides with the position of theprojections 11b in the left-right direction. Theprojections 11b project upward from aflat surface 11c of thebase part 11 such that a height (an amount of projection from theflat surface 11c) of eachprojection 11b is approximately 0.5 mm. Theprojections 11b and theflat surface 11c between adjacent ones of theprojections 11b together form an uneven 11d. - With this configuration, in detaching the wind
direction plate unit 10, theuneven part 11d functions as an anti-slip surface when the user holds the winddirection plate unit 10 with his or her fingers at the position of thepress member 19 in the up-down direction, and allows the user to securely hold the winddirection plate unit 10 while pressing thepress member 19 upward. This further improves the user-friendliness of theair conditioner 1. - Note that as long as the height of the
projections 11b is approximately 1 mm or lower, theprojections 11b do not become a large resistance to air flowing in theair passage 6, and thus does not very much hinder the blowing performance of theair conditioner 1. - According to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve the same advantages as the first embodiment. Further, the
uneven part 11d is disposed on the outer surface of thebase part 11 such that the position of thepress member 19 and that of theuneven part 11d coincide with each other in the left-right direction. Thereby, it is possible for the user to securely hold the winddirection plate unit 10 in detaching the winddirection plate unit 10. - Note that, in the present embodiment, an uneven part may be formed by arranging dotted projections, instead of the
linear projections 11b, in a matrix pattern on the outer surface of thebase part 11. - Further, an uneven part similar to the
uneven part 11d of the present embodiment may be disposed in theair conditioner 1 of the second embodiment. - It should be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above discussed embodiments, and that the present invention is implementable with various modifications and changes without departing from the gist of the invention. It should also be understood that the present invention may be implemented by combining some or all of the embodiments.
- The present invention is applicable to air conditioners having a wind direction plate which changes the direction of air discharged through an outlet in the left-right direction.
-
- 1
- air conditioner
- 2
- housing
- 3
- front panel
- 4
- inlet
- 5
- outlet
- 6
- air passage
- 7
- air blower
- 8
- heat exchanger
- 9
- drain pan
- 10
- wind direction plate unit
- 11
- base part
- 11a
- through hole
- 11d
- uneven part
- 12
- wind direction plate
- 13
- connection part
- 13a
- groove
- 14
- bottom wall
- 15
- projection
- 16
- engagement part
- 17
- biasing part
- 18
- movable member
- 19
- press member
- 20
- wind direction plate motor
- 21
- shaft
- 22
- cap
- 30
- attachment/detachment detecting sensor
- 31
- push button
- 32
- arm member
- 40
- occupancy sensor
- 41
- operation lever
- 41a
- recess
- 42
- lid
- 42a
- projection
- 50
- filter cleaner
- 51
- rotary brush
- 52
- dust box
- 53
- guide frame
- 70
- filter
- 80
- wind guide panel
- 100
- lock mechanism
Claims (12)
- An air conditioner, comprising:a housing which has an inlet and an outlet for air;an air passage which allows mutual communication between the inlet and the outlet;an air blower which is disposed in the air passage; anda wind direction plate unit which is attachable and detachable, and has a wind direction plate which changes a direction of air discharged from the outlet in a left-right direction,whereinthe wind direction plate unit includes a base part which is constituted by a downstream-side end part of a lower wall of the air passage, and a bottom wall part which constitutes a bottom wall of the housing.
- The air conditioner according to claim 1,
wherein
the wind direction plate unit is attached and detached by being moved to slide along a direction in which air is discharged from the outlet. - The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:a wind direction plate motor which is disposed inside the housing; anda connection part which is rotatably fitted to the base part, and connects a shaft of the wind direction plate motor to the wind direction plate,whereinthe connection part has a groove which is open at a rear end thereof such that the shaft is allowed to enter the groove through the rear end, andthe connection part is supported by being loosely fitted in a through hole of the base part.
- The air conditioner according to claim 3,
wherein
both side walls of the groove are inclined in directions such that the both side walls are more away from each other toward rear ends thereof. - The air conditioner according to claim 4,
wherein
the through hole is formed in an elliptical shape with a major axis thereof extending in the left-right direction. - The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:an engagement part which is disposed in the housing;a movable member which is disposed between the bottom wall part and the base part of the wind direction plate unit, and which is biased by a biasing part into engagement with the engagement part; anda press member which is pressable via an opening formed in the bottom wall part,wherein,when the press member is pressed, the movable member is caused to move to release the engagement thereof with the engagement part.
- The air conditioner according to claim 6,
wherein
the base part includes an uneven part disposed on an outer surface thereof such that a position of the press member coincides with a position of the uneven part in the left-right direction. - The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising
an attachment/detachment detecting sensor which detects attachment and detachment of the wind direction plate unit,
wherein
the air blower is prohibited from being driven when the wind direction plate unit has been detached. - The air conditioner according to claim 8,
wherein
the attachment/detachment detecting sensor is a push button switch including a push button and an arm member disposed facing the push button, and
the wind direction plate unit is attached to the housing by being moved to slide on the arm member to cause the arm member to press the push button. - The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising
an occupancy sensor which detects a human body existing in a room,
wherein
air is discharged from the outlet avoiding the human body by means of the wind direction plate. - The air conditioner according to claim 10, further comprising:an operation lever which is coupled to the occupancy sensor, and changes a direction of the occupancy sensor in the left-right direction; anda lid which is openable and closable, and covers the operation lever.
- The air conditioner according to claim 11,
wherein
a recess is disposed in a leading end of the operation lever,
a projection is disposed on the lid to be fitted in the recess, and
a direction of the occupancy sensor is variable between three directions by selectively holding one of the following three states:a first state where a right side surface of the operation lever inclined leftward is caught by the projection;a second state where the projection fits in the recess of the operation lever; anda third state where a left side surface of the operation lever inclined rightward is caught by the projection.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2015209257A JP6633345B2 (en) | 2015-10-23 | 2015-10-23 | Air conditioner |
PCT/JP2016/075200 WO2017068862A1 (en) | 2015-10-23 | 2016-08-29 | Air conditioner |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3367015A1 true EP3367015A1 (en) | 2018-08-29 |
EP3367015A4 EP3367015A4 (en) | 2019-09-11 |
Family
ID=58557233
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP16857180.0A Withdrawn EP3367015A4 (en) | 2015-10-23 | 2016-08-29 | Air conditioner |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP3367015A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6633345B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN108139111B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2017068862A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN107702307B (en) * | 2017-09-12 | 2023-07-14 | 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 | Air deflector mechanism and air conditioner with same |
JP7037575B2 (en) * | 2017-10-18 | 2022-03-16 | シャープ株式会社 | air conditioner |
JP7033934B2 (en) * | 2018-01-22 | 2022-03-11 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Controller, cooling system, cooling device control method, and program |
EP3786542B1 (en) * | 2018-04-24 | 2023-10-25 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | Wind direction adjustment mechanism, indoor unit of air conditioner, and air conditioner |
CN109654599B (en) * | 2018-10-26 | 2021-03-16 | 青岛海尔空调器有限总公司 | Wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit and control method |
JP7246911B2 (en) * | 2018-12-17 | 2023-03-28 | シャープ株式会社 | air conditioner |
Family Cites Families (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH10253146A (en) * | 1997-03-14 | 1998-09-25 | Hitachi Ltd | Wind direction controller and air conditioner equipped with the same |
JP2001227812A (en) * | 2000-02-17 | 2001-08-24 | Sharp Corp | Air conditioner |
JP2004219049A (en) * | 2002-12-25 | 2004-08-05 | Sanyo Electric Co Ltd | Air conditioner |
JP2005127671A (en) * | 2003-10-27 | 2005-05-19 | Sharp Corp | Air conditioner |
JP3952035B2 (en) * | 2004-04-22 | 2007-08-01 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Air conditioner, cleaning method of air conditioner |
JP5009049B2 (en) * | 2007-05-23 | 2012-08-22 | パナソニック株式会社 | Air conditioner |
WO2009098849A1 (en) * | 2008-02-08 | 2009-08-13 | Panasonic Corporation | Air conditioner |
KR101356650B1 (en) * | 2008-02-12 | 2014-02-05 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Indoor unit of air conditioner |
JP4698747B2 (en) * | 2009-08-19 | 2011-06-08 | シャープ株式会社 | Wall-mounted air conditioner |
JP4965618B2 (en) * | 2009-09-15 | 2012-07-04 | シャープ株式会社 | Air direction change device for air conditioner |
CN103528175B (en) * | 2013-10-09 | 2017-09-15 | Tcl空调器(中山)有限公司 | Air conditioner and its air ducting |
-
2015
- 2015-10-23 JP JP2015209257A patent/JP6633345B2/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-08-29 WO PCT/JP2016/075200 patent/WO2017068862A1/en unknown
- 2016-08-29 EP EP16857180.0A patent/EP3367015A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2016-08-29 CN CN201680051080.0A patent/CN108139111B/en active Active
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2017083040A (en) | 2017-05-18 |
WO2017068862A1 (en) | 2017-04-27 |
CN108139111B (en) | 2021-06-29 |
CN108139111A (en) | 2018-06-08 |
JP6633345B2 (en) | 2020-01-22 |
EP3367015A4 (en) | 2019-09-11 |
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