JP2001141293A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an air conditioner capable of distributing conditioned air to every corner of a room and uniforming a temperature distribution in the room to a desired temperature. A fan (stirring means) 10 installed on a front grill 4 for stirring conditioned air blown out from an outlet 8 is provided outside the outlet 8.
For example, two fan devices 10 are installed on both sides in the width direction on the front surface of the air conditioner 1. In this case, the conditioned air is agitated or accelerated by the fan device 10 after being blown out from the outlet 8, and spreads to every corner of the room.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of adjusting indoor air comfortably and economically.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional air conditioners (air conditioners: air conditioners) are often mounted at high places in a room, and are often mounted on side walls, ceilings, and the like.
In an air conditioner installed at such a position, for example, during cooling, a person who is on the extended line of the conditioned air from the air outlet feels cold, and a person who is laterally separated from the extended line of the outlet direction has the opposite effect. It may feel as if the air conditioning is not working. On the other hand, at the time of heating, since warm conditioned air is blown out from a high place, there is a problem in that a so-called head-and-foot heat is unlikely to occur.

[0003]

Accordingly, attempts have been made to provide a louver or the like at the outlet to change the direction of conditioned air to be blown at various angles. However, in such a configuration, the stirring power is weak, and it is not possible to spread the conditioned air to every corner of the room, and it is difficult to make the temperature distribution in the room uniform.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner in which conditioned air can be spread to every corner of a room and the temperature distribution in the room can be easily made uniform at a desired temperature.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an air conditioner of the present invention is provided with an air outlet for blowing conditioned air, and the conditioned air blown from the air outlet. Characterized by having one or more stirring means for stirring the mixture. In this way, by providing the air conditioner with the stirring means for stirring the conditioned air blown out from the outlet, the conditioned air blown out from the outlet, for example, purified air, dry air, cold air, warm air, etc. As a result, the air is stirred in various directions, and the conditioned air reaches every corner of the room. Such an air conditioner includes a heat exchanger and a blower, and has an air outlet that blows out conditioned air that has passed through the heat exchanger into a room. It is preferred that In this case, the temperature distribution in the room can be made uniform at a desired temperature simply and in a short time.

Specifically, the stirring means can be provided outside the outlet. When the stirring means is provided outside the outlet, that is, at a position not inside the outlet, the above-described stirring effect can be achieved with respect to the conditioned air blown out from the outlet. In this case,
The stirring means can be disposed outside or inside the air conditioner as long as it is outside the outlet.

[0007] The stirring means may be an electric fan provided with an impeller. In this case, since the conditioned air can be stirred while being accelerated by the fan device, turbulence of the conditioned air can be generated in the room. Therefore, the conditioned air can be spread more effectively to every corner of the room, and the temperature distribution in the room can be made uniform at a desired temperature. Further, when the stirring means is constituted by such a fan device, it is economical because the installation thereof is simple and the driving energy for driving the fan device can be reduced. As a fan device having such an impeller, for example, a centrifugal (radial, multi-blade), mixed-flow, or axial-flow (propeller) fan can be used.

[0008] The stirring means may be provided in front of the outlet in the conditioned air blowing direction, and may stir while accelerating the conditioned air blowing in the blowing direction. In this case, the stirring means such as a fan is located forward of the outlet in the blowing direction, and for example, the conditioned air blown into the fan from the outlet is stirred while being accelerated by the fan and is stirred in the room. Will be blown into.

[0009] The stirring means may be provided behind the air outlet in the conditioned air blowing direction, and may stir while accelerating the conditioned air blowing in the blowing direction. In this case, the stirring means such as a fan is located behind the outlet in the blowing direction, and for example, the conditioned air blown out from the outlet can be stirred while being accelerated by the fan so as to be pushed out from behind. . The stirring means is provided on the side of the conditioned air blowing direction, and the same stirring effect can be exhibited even when the conditioned air is stirred from the side of the blowing direction.

On the other hand, the outlet may be provided so as to open substantially vertically downward, and the conditioned air may be blown substantially vertically downward from the outlet. In this case, if the conditioned air blown substantially vertically downward from the outlet is agitated by, for example, a stirring means from the side and / or the rear of the conditioned air, the conditioned air spreads throughout the room in the same manner as described above. It is possible to make it. Further, the air outlet is provided so as to open substantially in the horizontal direction,
The conditioned air may be blown from the outlet in a substantially horizontal direction. Also in this case, it is preferable that the conditioned air blown out from the blow-out port in a substantially horizontal direction is stirred by the stirring means, for example, from the side and / or the rear side in the blow-out direction.

Next, the fan device can be attached so as to swing freely. In this case, it is possible to automatically or manually change the direction of the fan, and as such a swinging means, for example, the direction of the fan is set with one end on the rotation axis of the impeller as a fulcrum. It should be changeable. An air conditioner equipped with such a fan device can stir the conditioned air in an arbitrary direction, and can evenly uniform the temperature distribution in the room.

The stirring means may be provided with an air purifying means for purifying air. As such an air purifying means, for example, it is preferable to use a porous mesh filter or the like for removing dust, dust and the like,
For example, it can be provided on the suction side of a fan device.
In this case, it is possible to purify the air in the room in addition to the effect of stirring the conditioned air.

If the stirring means is attached to the air conditioner at a position satisfying the above-described stirring direction of the conditioned air and located outside the outlet, the front of the air conditioner can be installed. One or more external and / or internal members selected from the side, bottom, and top surfaces may be installed.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view and a partially exploded perspective view of an air conditioner (indoor unit) 1 as one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of an air conditioner 1 and an outdoor unit 2 attached thereto. It is.

In FIG. 1, an air conditioner 1 is installed, for example, at a high position on a side wall in a room, and has an outer shape formed of an outer box 3 and a front grill 4. The front grille 4 is provided with a plurality of inside air inlets 5 for sucking air (room air) in the room, and the air sucked therefrom is arranged in the outer box 3 as shown in FIG. Heat exchanger 6
(Evaporator for air conditioner, condenser for heater, dual use for air conditioner, etc.). The conditioned air is sent, for example, by a centrifugal blower fan (blower) 7 shown in FIGS. 1B and 2 to an air outlet 8 provided at the bottom of the front surface of the air conditioner 1 to change the wind direction. The direction of the conditioned air blown out by the device 9 can be changed to some extent. In the present embodiment, the side provided on the wall of the air conditioner 1 is referred to as a rear side, and the opposite side is referred to as a front side, unless otherwise specified. In the installed state of the air conditioner 1, the lower side in the height direction is defined as a bottom side or a lower side (lower side), and the upper side in the height direction is defined as an upper side (upper side).

In the case of this embodiment, a fan (stirring means) 10 installed on the front grill 4 and for stirring the conditioned air blown out from the outlet 8 is provided outside and forward of the outlet 8. . For example, two fan devices 10 are provided on both sides in the width direction on the front surface of the air conditioner 1, and the rotating shaft 13 is rotated by a fan device driving unit 15 shown in FIG. And an impeller 11 provided on the rotating shaft 13 and rotating with the rotating shaft 13. A protective net 12 is provided around the impeller 11 so as to cover the impeller 11. I have. As shown in FIG. 2, a filter (air purification means) 10a for purifying air is provided on the air intake side of the fan device 10 and on the front grill 4 side of the protection net 12 thereof.

More specifically, the fan 10 has a structure in which a support shaft 14 extending from a rotary shaft 13 is inserted from the front of the air conditioner 1 into the interior above the outlet 8. The air conditioner 1 is configured to cover about half of the front surface in the height direction. In addition, a support shaft 14 extending from the rotation shaft 13 is supported by a rotation mechanism 17, and the rotation mechanism 17 itself can be rotated by a driving unit 15. Then, as the rotation mechanism 17 rotates, the portion of the support shaft 14 supported by the rotation mechanism 17 rotates, and the support shaft 14 itself swings. Due to the swing of the support shaft 14, the fan device 10 can swing freely.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conditioned air A blown from the outlet 8 is
The fan 10 is sucked into the fan 10 through a, is accelerated and stirred from the front of the fan 10 by the impeller 11, and is blown out in various directions in the room. In addition, the conditioned air A that is not sucked into the fan 10 is also accelerated or agitated by the fan 10 from the rear in the blowing direction after being blown out from the outlet 8. As a result, the conditioned air A is It is assumed to spread throughout the room.

The air taken in from the inside air suction port 5 is accurately sensed by the inside air temperature sensor 16 shown in FIG. 2 as a temperature in the room which is uniformly conditioned by the air conditioner 1, and a control not shown. The mechanism can control the driving amount of the blower fan 7 and / or the compressor 20 (FIG. 2) described later to accurately maintain the temperature in the room.

The air conditioner 1 serves as an indoor unit with respect to an air conditioning medium (for example, a refrigerant) circulating between the air conditioner 1 and the outdoor unit 2 shown in FIG. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 2 includes a compressor 20 for compressing the conditioning medium, an outdoor heat exchanger 21 as a condenser (for cooling) for liquefying the conditioning medium,
A fan 22 is provided. Here, for example, during the cooling operation, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 20 is liquefied in the condenser 21 and takes away the surrounding heat when the refrigerant is vaporized in the heat exchanger (evaporator) 6 of the air conditioner 1. The air blown by the blower fan 7 is cooled. The cycle of the refrigerant having passed through the evaporator 6 being compressed by the compressor 20 of the outdoor unit 2 and liquefied again by the condenser 21 is repeated.
During the heating operation, the flow of the refrigerant is opposite to the above,
The heat exchanger 6 of the air conditioner 1 serves as a condenser and emits heat when the refrigerant is liquefied, and the air ventilated here is heated and flows indoors. The liquefied refrigerant is vaporized in the outdoor heat exchanger 21 serving as an evaporator, pressurized by the compressor 20, and thereafter the same cycle is repeated.

Hereinafter, a modification of the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The following drawings show only points different from the above-described air conditioner 1, and are conceptual diagrams in which details are omitted. FIG. 3 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of an air conditioner 101 as a first modification. In the air conditioner 101, the outlet 8 is provided on the bottom side of the front surface of the air conditioner 101, and the fan 10 is located above the outlet 8 and is located beside the front portion of the air conditioner 101. For example, two of them are located inside the front grille 4 at both ends in the direction. Also,
The inside air suction port 5 is provided, for example, between two fan devices 10, and the conditioned air A blown out from the blowout port 8 is provided in FIG.
As shown in (b), it is configured to be stirred by the fan 10. In this case, it is convenient for the conditioned air A blown out from the blowout port 8 to be blown upward by the wind direction changing device 9 (see FIG. 2) in order to increase the stirring efficiency.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, the upper part of the front grill 4 is projected forward to incline the front grill 4, and the fan unit 10 can also incline the upper part forward. It is. In this case, the conditioned air A can be more effectively agitated or accelerated from the side of the blowout direction of the conditioned air A blown from the outlet 8.

FIG. 4 shows an air conditioner 1 as a second modification.
02 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of FIG. In the air conditioner 102, the outlet 8 is connected to the air conditioner 102.
Is provided at the middle part in the height direction on the front surface of the horn, and the conditioned air is blown upward (FIG. 4B). The fan units 10 are located above and behind the air outlets 8 and are located on both lateral side ends of the front surface of the air conditioner 102. For example, two fan units 10 are provided inside the front grill 4. The inside air suction port 5 is provided, for example, between two fan devices 10, and the conditioned air A blown upward from the blowout port 8, as shown in FIG. It is configured to be stirred or accelerated by the wind device 10. In this case, the inside air suction port 5 can be provided below the front grill 4, more specifically, below the outlet 8.

FIG. 5 shows an air conditioner 1 as a third modification.
03 is a front view (a) and a side view (b). In the air conditioner 103, the outlet 8 is connected to the air conditioner 103.
Is provided at a middle portion in the height direction on the front surface of the horn, and the conditioned air is blown downward.
The fan units 10 are located below and behind the air outlets 8 and are located on both lateral side ends of the front surface of the air conditioner 103. For example, two fans 10 are provided inside the front grill 4. The inside air suction port 5 is provided, for example, above the outlet 8, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the conditioned air A blown, for example, downward from the outlet 8, blows the fan device from the side in the blowing direction. It is configured to be stirred by 10.

FIG. 6 shows an air conditioner 1 as a fourth modification.
FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a side view, and FIG. The air-conditioning apparatus 104 has a substantially concave shape in which a part on the front side is depressed, and the outlet 8 is provided on the bottom side in the height direction in the recessed portion 104a in the front part of the air-conditioning apparatus 104. On the other hand, 90
The fan unit 10 is provided, for example, two inside the front grille 4 in the side part 104b which travels forward from the side part of the hollow part 104a in the direction which spreads more than °. In the present embodiment, the fan 10 is attached in a state where it is inclined toward the center of the air conditioner 104. In this case, since the fan device 10 is located in front of the outlet 8 and laterally in the conditioned air blowing direction, the conditioned air A blown out from the outlet 8 is shown in FIG. As shown in (1), the fan device 10 is configured to stir from the side in the blowing direction. The inside air inlet 5 is provided, for example, above the outlet 8.

FIG. 7 shows an air conditioner 1 as a fifth modification.
FIG. 5B is a front view (a) and a top view (b) of FIG. The air-conditioning apparatus 105 has a shape in which a central portion protrudes forward on the front side thereof, and the air outlet 8 has the protruding portion 105a.
, And conditioned air is blown toward both sides of the air conditioner 105.
On the other hand, on both sides of the front surface of the air conditioner 105,
The electric fan 10 is provided inside the front grill 4 at both side portions 105b, 105b in a state facing forward. In this case, since the fan device 10 is located behind the air outlet 8 on the rear side of the air conditioner and is located laterally in the direction in which the conditioned air is blown out, the conditioned air A blown out from the outlet 8 As shown in FIG. 7B, the fan 10 is configured to be agitated from the side in the blowing direction by the fan device 10. The inside air suction port 5 is, for example,
5a is provided on the front surface.

FIG. 8 shows an air conditioner 1 as a sixth modification.
06 is a front view (a) and a side view (b). The air conditioner 106 is provided with a fan 10 on the inside of both side surfaces thereof, and the air outlets 8 are further provided on the inside of the fan 10, respectively. Conditioned air is blown out. The inside air inlet 5 is provided, for example, on the front surface of the air conditioner 106. In this case, the fan 10 is connected to the outlet 8
The conditioned air A blown out from the outlet 8 is positioned further forward in the blowing direction of the conditioned air, and is agitated in the blowing direction by the fan 10 as shown in FIG. ing.

FIG. 9 shows an air conditioner 1 as a seventh modification.
07 is a front view (a) and a side view (b). The air conditioner 107 has an outer shape in which the upper part protrudes from the lower part in the front part, and the air outlet 8 is provided on the bottom part (lower part) of the front part of the air conditioner 107. .
In this case, for example, the conditioned air is blown forward from the outlet 8. Two fan units 10 are installed above and in front of the air outlet 8, downward at the upper part (projecting part) protruding from the front part, and at two lateral end sides, for example. As shown in FIG. 9B, the conditioned air A blown forward from the outlet 8, for example, is stirred or accelerated by the fan 10 from the side in the blowing direction, that is, from above the air conditioner 107. It has become. The inside air suction port 5 is provided, for example, above the outlet 8, specifically, on the front surface of a protruding portion where the fan 10 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, the fan device 10 provided at the protruding portion is tilted so that the blowing direction of the wind blown from the fan device 10 is inclined forward of the air conditioner 107. For example, it is also possible to incline the front side of the fan device 10 upward, and in this case, the stirring efficiency of the conditioned air A blown from the outlet 8 is further improved.

FIG. 10 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of an air conditioner 108 as an eighth modification. The air conditioner 108 has an outer shape in which the upper part protrudes from the lower part at the front part thereof, and the air outlet 8 is provided in the upper part (projecting part) from which the air outlet 8 protrudes. In this case, for example, the conditioned air is blown downward or forward from the outlet 8. The fan units 10 are installed forward and downward on the front side below and behind the outlet 8 and below the base end of the protruding part. For example, two fan units 10 are installed on both lateral ends of the air conditioner. Have been. As shown in FIG. 10B, the conditioned air A blown downward from the outlet 8, for example, is agitated or accelerated by the fan 10 from the side in the blowing direction, that is, from behind the air conditioner 108. It has become. The inside air inlet 5 is located below the outlet 8, for example, specifically, the fan 1
0 is provided on the front surface. FIG.
As shown in (c), for example, the fan device 10 is set so that the blowing direction of the wind blown from the fan device 10 is inclined obliquely downward to the air conditioner 108.
Can be tilted forward, in which case
The stirring efficiency of the conditioned air A blown from the outlet 8 is further improved. Note that the air-conditioning apparatus 108 having such a configuration is used.
For example, not only the wall surface in the room but also the upper surface 108a side can be provided on the ceiling surface. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), when the air conditioner 108 is formed in a thin plate shape, when the air conditioner 108 is mounted on the ceiling surface, the protrusion from the ceiling surface is reduced, and the space can be saved. At the same time, the fan 10 provided on the side of the conditioned air A in the blowing direction allows the conditioned air A to spread to every corner in the room.

FIG. 11 is a front view of an air conditioner 109 as a ninth modification. The air conditioner 109 is, for example, a device provided for use on a ceiling surface 120 in a room,
In this case, it has a substantially square front shape. In addition,
In this example, the surface facing the room is the front surface. On the front surface of the air conditioner 109, four air outlets 8 are provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the rectangular shape, for example, four in a longitudinal direction substantially in parallel with each side. Are provided at the four corners. In the center of the front,
An electric fan 10 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the four outlets 8. In this case, for example, the conditioned air is blown downward or laterally from the outlet 8. The fan device 10 is swingable by a mechanism similar to that shown in FIG. 2, for example, and is configured to agitate the blown conditioned air A. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11B, a gap may be provided between the ceiling surface 120 and the air conditioner 109 above the outlet 8, and the inside air inlet 5 may be provided behind the gap. is there.

FIG. 12 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of an air conditioner 110 as a tenth modification. The air conditioner 110 is different from the example of FIG. 11 in the form of the fan device 10, and otherwise has the same configuration as that of FIG. 11. The fan 10 has a surface formed by the impeller (fan) substantially perpendicular to the ceiling surface, so that the wind blown from the fan 10 is directed in the horizontal direction, that is, the outlet 8.
It is installed so that it faces. Further, a support shaft 112 extending from the rotation shaft of the impeller is mounted on the fan device 10, and a rotatable shaft 111 vertically supported on the support shaft 112 is mounted on the ceiling 120. Then, with the rotation of the shaft 111, the electric fan 10
It is rotatable so as to draw a circle around 1.
In this case, the fan device 10 is configured to stir the conditioned air A blown downward or laterally from the outlet 8 while rotating itself.

In each of the above modifications, each fan 10 provided inside the air conditioner may be provided, for example, on the front surface of the front grill 4 of the air conditioner. It is also possible to combine the fans 10 to form an air conditioner having a plurality of fans 10. In addition, by making all the fan devices 10 swing freely, the effect of stirring the conditioned air can be further improved. Further, the inside air suction port 5 is not limited to the position shown in each embodiment and modification, and may be provided at various positions such as a front surface, a bottom surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface of the air conditioner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view and a partially cutaway perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 and an outdoor unit associated therewith.

FIG. 3 is a front view and a side view showing a first modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view showing a second modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 5 is a front view and a side view showing a third modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 6 is a front view, a side view, and a top view showing a fourth modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 7 is a front view and a top view showing a fifth modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 8 is a front view and a side view showing a sixth modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 9 is a front view and a side view showing a seventh modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 10 is a front view and a side view showing an eighth modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 11 is a front view and a side view showing a ninth modification of the air conditioner.

FIG. 12 is a front view and a side view showing a tenth modified example of the air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 air conditioner 6 heat exchanger 7 blower fan (blower) 8 outlet 10 fan device (stirring means) A conditioned air

Claims (11)

[Claims] An air outlet for blowing out conditioned air, wherein the air for stirring the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet is provided.
Or an air conditioner comprising a plurality of stirring means. 2. An air conditioner comprising a heat exchanger and a blower, wherein the air conditioner has an outlet for blowing conditioned air having passed through the heat exchanger into a room, wherein the air is blown from the outlet. An air conditioner comprising one or more stirring means for stirring the conditioned air. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the stirring means is provided outside the outlet. 4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said stirring means is a fan provided with an impeller. 5. The stirrer is provided in front of the outlet in the conditioned air blowing direction, and stirs while accelerating the conditioned air blowing in the blowing direction. The air conditioner according to any one of the above. 6. The stirrer is provided behind the outlet in the conditioned air blowing direction, and stirs while accelerating the conditioned air blowing in the blowing direction. The air conditioner according to any one of the above. 7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the stirring means is provided on a side of the conditioned air in a blowing direction, and agitates the conditioned air from a side in the blowing direction. . 8. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet is provided so as to open substantially vertically downward, and the conditioned air is blown substantially vertically downward from the air outlet. Air conditioner. 9. The air outlet according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet is provided so as to open in a substantially horizontal direction, and the conditioned air is blown out from the air outlet in a substantially horizontal direction. Air conditioner. 10. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the fan device is attached so as to swing freely. 11. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said stirring means is provided with air purification means for purifying air.