JP2003240257A - Indoor unit of air conditioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the indoor unit of an air conditioning device to improve reliability against the indoor unit without leaking condensed water, generated from an indoor heat exchanger, to the interior of a room. <P>SOLUTION: The indoor unit is constituted such that the lower part of a second heat exchanger 6b on the upper side and the vicinity of the center in the direction of the thickness of a first heat exchanger on the lower side are joined to a drain guide 10' to cover a joint part of an indoor heat exchanger 6 consisting of a plurality of heat exchangers 6a and 6b, and rib 10a' is formed to guide condensed water, generated from the second heat exchanger 6b on the upper side, to the vicinity of the center of the first heat exchanger 6a on the lower side. Further, the vicinity of the center of the first heat exchanger 6a on the lower side is situated above a pipe 61 through which a refrigerant passes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, which cools or heats air in the process of circulating the air through an indoor heat exchanger to harmonize the indoor air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an air conditioner, a refrigerant circulates between an outdoor unit including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor unit fan, and an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor unit fan. However, the refrigerant flowing through each heat exchanger is cooled or heated by repeating vaporization and condensation by heat exchange with the outside air or the indoor air.

The indoor unit in such an air conditioner includes a wall-mounted indoor unit installed on a wall, a ceiling-embedded indoor unit installed by being embedded in a ceiling in a room, and a floor-standing indoor unit. There is a unit. In particular,
The ceiling-embedded indoor unit is effective in providing a wide and clean indoor space because there are no protrusions into the room.

As an example of such an indoor unit, an internal structure of a ceiling-embedded indoor unit 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 3 indicates a front panel, and a suction panel 4 provided so as to cover the suction port E,
The flap 5 that rotates at the air outlet L is provided. Further, reference numeral 6 is an indoor heat exchanger, 8 is a second drain guide, and 9
Is a drain pan, 10 is a first drain guide, 15 is an indoor unit fan, and 20 is a base.

The base 20 is molded of a material such as resin, and is configured as a component of a casing having an external shape of the air conditioner. In addition, this base 20
A cosmetic skin 2 is further provided on the outer side of the. An indoor unit fan 15 is provided near the center of the base 20,
It is rotationally driven by the power output from a fan motor (not shown). As a result, an air flow indicated by the arrow is generated in the housing, and the air flows from left to right on the paper surface.

Further, two heat exchangers 6a, 6b are provided on the side of the indoor unit fan 15 (on the left side in the drawing) and on the lower side, in other words, on the upstream side of the indoor unit fan 15 in the air circulation direction. Is provided. These heat exchangers 6
The a and 6b are configured as the indoor heat exchanger 6 by joining end portions (upper portion and lower portion) of each other at a joint portion indicated by reference numeral C and connecting them continuously. The upper heat exchanger 6b shown in the figure is configured by two heat exchangers overlapping each other.

At the joint portion C described above, each heat exchanger 6a,
A first drain guide 10 is provided to connect the ends of 6b so as to cover the ends from below. This first drain guide 1
0 plays a role of guiding condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 6b on the upper side to the heat exchanger 6a on the lower side so as not to drip downward at the lower end portion. The first drain guide 10 also functions as a wind shield that blocks the flow of air. This is to prevent a large amount of air from flowing into the joint portion C. It should be noted that the condensed water referred to here is water that is contained in the air sucked from the inside of the room and is cooled when flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 6, and adheres to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 6. is there.

Below the indoor heat exchanger 6, in other words, on the upstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 6 in the air flow,
A second drain guide 8 is provided. The second drain guide straightens the air sucked into the housing, receives the condensed water drip generated in the indoor heat exchanger 6, and guides the condensed water to the drain pan 9. The drain pan 9 is provided below the lower end of the indoor heat exchanger 6 so as not to interfere with the suction of air, and is provided so as not to overlap the suction port E.

[0009]

However, in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner described above, the first
A large amount of condensed water was easily dropped from the lower part of the drain guide 10, and it was difficult to properly guide the condensed water to the drain pan 9.

To explain the above points in more detail,
The condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 6b on the upper side is received by the first drain guide 10 and collected. Then, the condensed water becomes large drops at the lower end of the first drain guide 10 and drops on the second drain guide 8. Condensed water, which has not been dripped immediately, is also transmitted while increasing the flow velocity on the outer surface of the lower heat exchanger 6a, and the heat exchanger 6a
It becomes a large drop from the upper side of a and drops downward. This is because the surface tension acts when the condensed water is transmitted to the lower end portion of the first drain guide 10 and the outer surface of the heat exchanger 6a.

When the condensed water becomes large drops and drops on the second drain guide 8, water splash easily occurs on the plate member 8b constituting the second drain guide, and the condensed water bounced by this water splash becomes the first droplet. The 2 drain pan 8 may not be received, but may pass through the suction panel 4 and drip into the room. In particular, a flow of air sucked from the room is generated between the plate members 8b of the second drain guide 8, and when the condensed water dropped on the plate member 8b of the second drain guide 8 is repelled greatly, The bounced condensed water will fly along with the flow of air. As described above, there is a problem that the condensed water that should have been originally received by the second drain guide 8 leaks out into the room.

Particularly, in the case of the ceiling-embedded indoor unit 1, the positional relationship between the suction panel 4 and the indoor heat exchanger 6 is vertically arranged as shown in this figure, and the indoor heat exchanger 6 If you do not reliably receive the condensed water generated from the water, there is a risk of water leaking into the room. In addition, the condensed water that is dripped is provided in the drain pan 9 that is installed only below the indoor heat exchanger 6.
Need to be properly and quickly guided.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an indoor unit of an air conditioner for improving the reliability of the indoor unit without leaking condensed water generated from the indoor heat exchanger into the room. The purpose is to provide.

[0014]

The present invention adopts the following means in order to solve the above problems. In the invention according to claim 1, in the process of sucking air from the room and circulating the air to the indoor heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers are joined, cooling or heating is performed to harmonize the indoor air. In an indoor unit of an air conditioner, a joint portion of the indoor heat exchanger, a lower portion of the heat exchanger located on the upper side,
The heat exchanger located on the lower side is connected to the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction, receives the condensed water generated from the heat exchanger on the upper side, and guides it to the vicinity of the center of the heat exchanger on the lower side. It is characterized by having a drain guide.

With this structure, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger on the upper side is received by the drain guide and guided to the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the heat exchanger on the lower side. As a result, the condensed water passes through the lower heat exchanger near the center in the thickness direction and is guided to the lower side of the heat exchanger. That is, it becomes difficult for the condensed water to flow to the outer surface of the heat exchanger on the lower side, the influence of the surface tension is reduced, the flow velocity of the condensed water is suppressed, and the dripping of the condensed water is suppressed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the air is sucked from the room and the air is circulated through the indoor heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers are spliced to cool or heat the indoor air. In an indoor unit of an air conditioner for harmony, the joint portion of the indoor heat exchanger covers both ends of these heat exchangers, and the condensed water generated from the heat exchanger on the upper side is connected to the lower side. A drain guide for guiding the heat exchanger is provided, and the drain guide connects the lower portion of the heat exchanger located on the upper side and the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the heat exchanger located on the lower side. A rib that guides condensed water generated from the heat exchanger on the upper side to near the center of the heat exchanger on the lower side is provided.

As described above, since the drain guide provided so as to cover the joint portion is provided with the rib as described above, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger on the upper side can exchange heat on the lower side. It will be guided near the center of the thickness direction of the vessel and will pass near the center of the heat exchanger. At this time, since the condensed water flows along the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger while passing near the center of the heat exchanger, the condensed water is less likely to come out on the outer surface of the heat exchanger. Further, since the drain guide covers the joint portion, it serves as a wind shield for the joint portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect, the rib is connected to an upper portion of a pipe through which a refrigerant provided in the lower heat exchanger flows. It is characterized by being.

By connecting the ribs above the pipe through which the refrigerant flows in this way, the condensed water flows above the pipe, and the flow of condensed water that is easily guided to the outer surface of the heat exchanger is It becomes easy to be held near the center in the thickness direction of the exchanger. This makes it more difficult for condensed water to emerge on the outer surface of the heat exchanger.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, the drain guide is located above the suction port for taking in air from the room. It is characterized by doing.

Since the drain guide is located above the air suction port, the condensed water guided to the joint portion is transmitted through the heat exchanger on the lower side without dripping as large drops, for example, the suction port. Will be guided to a drain pan or the like installed with a restriction so as to avoid the above. In this way, by making it difficult for condensed water to drip into the suction port in large drops,
Condensed water is prevented from leaking into the room through the suction port. An example of the indoor unit in which the drain guide and the suction port are vertically arranged is a ceiling-embedded indoor unit.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the overall configuration of the air conditioner according to this embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the indoor unit. Further, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the joint portion C of FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a ceiling-embedded indoor unit, 3 is a front panel, 4 is a suction panel, and 6 is a first.
Heat exchanger 6a (lower heat exchanger) and second heat exchanger 6
indoor heat exchanger consisting of b (upper heat exchanger), 15
Is an indoor unit fan, 20 is a base, 50 is an outdoor unit,
Reference numeral 100 indicates a connection pipe. In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral C is a joint portion of the indoor heat exchanger 6, 8 is a second drain guide, 9 is a drain pan, and 10 ′ is a first drain guide (refer to the “drain guide” in the present invention). Point) 10a '
Shows ribs provided on the first drain guide 10 '.

The air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 comprises a ceiling-embedded indoor unit 1 and an outdoor unit 50 which are embedded in the ceiling of the room. The indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 50 are connected by a connection pipe 100 that accommodates a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant conducts, an electric wiring, and the like.

The exterior shape of the indoor unit 1 is formed by a casing composed of a box-shaped external skin 2 having a downward opening and a surface panel 3 formed so as to cover the opening. Has been done. Inside the makeup outer plate 2, an indoor unit fan 15 called a tangential fan as shown in the figure, a fan motor 16 for rotating the indoor unit fan 15, and a lower side of the indoor unit fan 15 are provided. The indoor heat exchanger 6 is provided, and these are fixed at respective positions of the base 20 shown by the broken line. The base 20 described in the present embodiment is a component different from the cosmetic skin 2 and is housed inside the cosmetic skin 2.

The front panel 3 is provided so as to face the room when it is embedded in the ceiling, and a suction panel 4 provided at a suction port E for sucking air from the room, and the suction panel 4.
Filter 7 that is located on the back of the vehicle and collects dust in the air
And a flap 5 provided at the air outlet L that blows out conditioned air.

The indoor unit fan 15 is constructed by providing a plurality of fins on the outer peripheral portion of a long cylindrical shape, and one end of this is rotatably supported by the base 20. Further, the other end is rotatably supported by being connected to the fan motor 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, two heats are provided laterally (leftward in the drawing) and below the indoor unit fan 15, in other words, upstream of the indoor unit fan 15 in the air flow direction. Exchangers 6a and 6b are provided. One is the first heat exchanger 6a which is located below the indoor unit fan 15 and is installed slightly inclined from the horizontal plane. Also,
The other is a second heat exchanger 6b that is continuously provided on the upper portion of the first heat exchanger 6a and is further inclined upward.

These first and second heat exchangers 6a and 6b
Are configured as the indoor heat exchanger 6 by joining their ends (upper part and lower part) at the joining part C and connecting them continuously. The second heat exchanger 6b shown in this figure
Is constructed by overlapping two heat exchangers.

The indoor heat exchanger 6 thus constructed is
A plurality of fins 60 are overlapped with each other to form a plate shape as a whole, and a plurality of pipes 61 penetrating the fins 60 are provided to connect the fins 60 to each other. The pipes 61 are arranged in upper and lower two stages so as to be parallel to the plane of the plate-shaped indoor heat exchanger 6, and adjacent pipes 61 have a predetermined interval. Further, cut-and-raised parts 62 are formed between the pipes 61 of the fin 60 to enhance heat transfer efficiency.

At the joint portion C of the indoor heat exchanger 6, there is provided a first drain guide 10 'provided so as to cover between the upper portion of the first heat exchanger 6a and the lower portion of the second heat exchanger 6b. It is equipped. This first drain guide 10 ′ has a second heat exchanger 6
The condensed water generated in b is received from the lower end portion without dropping downward and is guided to the first heat exchanger 6a. Of course, as in the conventional case, it also functions as a wind shield that blocks the flow of air to the joint C.

The first drain guide 10 'is provided with ribs 10a'. The rib 10a 'is
Each heat exchanger 6a, 6b in the first drain guide 10 '
Is provided on the attachment side to the first heat exchanger 6
It is connected near the center in the thickness direction of the upper part of a.

The location where the ribs 10a 'are connected will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the ribs 10a' are connected above the lower pipes 61a arranged in upper and lower two stages. Therefore, the condensed water received by the first drain guide 10 ′ is guided to the upper side of the pipe 61a, and the main flow of the condensed water flows as indicated by the thick arrow.

A second drain guide 8 is provided below the indoor heat exchanger 6 including the first drain guide 10 ', and a suction panel 4 installed at a suction port E is located below the second drain guide 8. .

The second drain guide 8 not only rectifies the air sucked into the housing, but also receives the dripping of condensed water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 6 by a plurality of plate members 8b, and these plate members 8b are provided on both sides. The condensed water is led to the drain pan 9 by flowing the condensed water to the flow path member 8a supported by. Drain pan 9
It is located below the lower part of the indoor heat exchanger 6 so as not to interfere with the intake of air, and is provided so as not to overlap the intake panel 4.

The flow of condensed water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 6 in the indoor unit 1 thus constructed will be described with reference to FIG. The condensed water generated in the second heat exchanger 6b is gradually guided to the lower part of the second heat exchanger 6b by gravity and is received by the first drain guide 10 '. Then, the main flow of the condensed water flows into the upper side of the pipe 61 located near the upper portion of the first heat exchanger 6a by being guided by the rib 10a 'provided in the first drain guide 10'.

The condensed water flowing into the first heat exchanger 6a is
By passing between the plurality of fins 60, the flow velocity is kept low and flows in the longitudinal direction of the fins 60, and by passing over the upper side of the pipe 61, it is difficult to be guided to the outer surface of the first heat exchanger. Become. Further, the cut-and-raised part 62 also has a function of holding condensed water, and the condensed water is continuously transmitted near the center of the indoor heat exchanger 6.
As a result, the condensed water will pass between the plurality of fins 60 over a long distance, and most of the condensed water will be drain pan 9.
It will be dripped by being guided to the vicinity of.

Further, the condensed water slightly discharged to the outer surface of the first heat exchanger 6a does not become a comparatively large droplet but drops with a lapse of time. Then, the dropped drops are received by the second drain guide 8, but the condensed water is not largely repelled, and is accurately guided to the drain pan 9. In addition, since the absolute amount of the condensed water to be dripped is greatly reduced, the condensed water is not repelled when dropped to the second drain guide 8 and is not affected by the flow of air sucked from the room, and the flow path member is not affected. It will be accurately guided to the drain pan 9 through 8a.

According to the indoor unit 1 described above, the condensed water dripping from the outer surface of the indoor heat exchanger 6 is greatly reduced, and almost all the condensed water drips from the lower portion of the first drain guide 10 '. Disappear. Therefore, the condensed water dripped into the second drain guide 8 is significantly reduced, so that the water does not leak from the suction panel, that is, the suction port E toward the room, and the reliability of the indoor unit 1 is greatly improved. It becomes possible.

As a modified example of this embodiment, the following configuration may be adopted. Although the ceiling-embedded indoor unit 1 has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and this configuration may be used for a wall-mounted indoor unit. Further, the indoor heat exchanger 6 is shown to be composed of two heat exchangers 6a and 6b, but the first drain guide 10 'may be used for the indoor heat exchangers connected to the plurality. Further, although the configuration used for the indoor heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit has been described, the same first drain guide 10 ′ may be used for the outdoor heat exchanger. According to these configurations, it is possible to appropriately guide the condensed water generated from the heat exchanger to the drain pan or the like without dropping the condensed water downward.

[0041]

The air conditioner of the present invention described above has the following effects. In the invention according to claim 1, the lower part of the heat exchanger on the upper side and the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the heat exchanger on the lower side are connected to the joint portion of the indoor heat exchangers configured by combining. Therefore, a drain guide is provided to receive the condensed water generated from the upper heat exchanger and guide it near the center in the thickness direction of the lower heat exchanger. Therefore, the flow velocity of the condensed water is suppressed and the condensed water is less likely to drip. In addition, since it does not become a large droplet even when dropped, the condensed water does not splash and the condensed water is not affected by the flow of air.
Condensed water can be appropriately discharged. Therefore, condensed water does not leak from the indoor unit, and it is possible to realize a highly reliable indoor unit of the air conditioner.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the drain guide provided so as to cover the joint portion of the indoor heat exchanger has a lower portion of the upper heat exchanger and a thickness direction of the lower heat exchanger. Since there is a rib that connects the vicinity of the center of the upper part of the heat exchanger and guides the condensed water generated from the upper heat exchanger to the vicinity of the center of the lower heat exchanger, it is possible to wind the joint part appropriately. thing,
By reducing the dripping of condensed water generated from the indoor heat exchanger including the condensed water generated from the upper part of the lower heat exchanger, water will not leak into the room and the reliability of the indoor unit will be improved. Can be significantly increased.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the rib provided on the drain guide is connected to the upper side of the pipe through which the refrigerant provided in the lower heat exchanger flows, the condensed water is connected to the pipe. It will pass through the upper side, and the passage distance will be extended while the flow velocity is kept low. Therefore, it becomes more difficult for condensed water to come out to the outer surface of the indoor heat exchanger, so that the amount of dripping of condensed water can be further reduced and the reliability of the indoor unit can be further improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the drain guide in the present invention is located above the suction port for taking in air from the room, water leakage to the room caused by dropping of condensed water is eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to improve reliability particularly in an indoor unit such as a ceiling-embedded type in which the arrangement of the indoor heat exchanger and the suction port is restricted. Further, it is possible to simplify the structure of another drain guide or the like that receives the condensed water that is dripped, and it is possible to realize a reduction in manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the indoor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of a joint of the indoor heat exchanger shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Indoor unit 6 Indoor heat exchanger 6a First heat exchanger (lower heat exchanger) 6b Second heat exchanger (upper heat exchanger) 8 Second drain guide 9 Drain pan 10 'First drain guide 10a 'rib 15 Indoor unit fan 20 base C joint section E suction port L outlet

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner that cools or heats air in a room in the process of sucking air from the room and circulating the air through an indoor heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers are joined. In the indoor unit, the joint portion of the indoor heat exchanger connects the lower part of the heat exchanger located on the upper side and the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the heat exchanger located on the lower side, and The indoor unit of the air conditioner, further comprising: a drain guide that receives condensed water generated from the heat exchanger on the side and guides it to the vicinity of the center of the heat exchanger on the lower side. 2. An air conditioner that cools or heats air in a room in the process of sucking air from the room and circulating the air to an indoor heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers are joined. In the indoor unit, the joint portion of the indoor heat exchanger covers both ends of these heat exchangers and guides condensed water generated from the upper heat exchanger to the lower heat exchanger. A drain guide is provided, and the drain guide is connected to the lower portion of the heat exchanger located on the upper side and the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the heat exchanger located on the lower side. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, which is provided with a rib that guides condensed water generated from the vessel near the center of the heat exchanger on the lower side. 3. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the rib is connected to an upper side of a pipe through which a refrigerant provided in the lower heat exchanger flows. Indoor unit of air conditioner. 4. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the drain guide is located above a suction port that takes in air from the room. Indoor unit of air conditioner.