JP2005164206A - Indoor unit for air conditioner, and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an indoor unit for an air conditioner with a ventilation function that is easy to install. <P>SOLUTION: The indoor unit for an air conditioner comprises a casing 10, an indoor air suction port 12, a centrifugal fan 18, a heat exchanger 22, indoor air supply ports 24, an exhaust air duct 52 having an opening 50 exposed to a part of a supply opening 16 of the centrifugal fan 18, an intake air duct 56 communicating with a suction opening 14 of the centrifugal fan 18, and a confluent air duct 60 communicating with the exhaust air duct 52 and the intake air duct 56 and having an outlet 58 in a sidewall part of the casing 10. The exhaust air duct 52 and the intake air duct 56 are provided with air duct opening/closing means 64 and 66 respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning indoor unit having a ventilation function and an air conditioner including the air conditioning indoor unit.

  An air conditioner cools or warms indoor air in an office building or the like. For example, an air conditioner includes an outdoor unit that compresses refrigerant by a compressor and condenses or evaporates the compressed refrigerant, and an indoor unit that cools and warms indoor air using the refrigerant condensed or evaporated by the outdoor unit. Composed.

  As an indoor unit of such an air conditioner, one having a ventilation function has been proposed. For example, the indoor unit has a casing, an indoor air intake port formed on the lower surface of the casing, and an annular opening that opens toward the peripheral portion in the casing, and has a suction port provided facing the indoor air intake port. A centrifugal fan having an air outlet, a heat exchanger disposed between the peripheral wall of the casing and the air outlet of the centrifugal fan, and between the heat exchanger and the peripheral wall of the casing An indoor air outlet is formed on the lower surface of the casing so as to face the space. The ventilation function consists of an exhaust air passage provided in communication with the space between the peripheral side wall of the casing and the heat exchanger at four locations, and an intake air passage provided in communication with the suction port of the centrifugal fan. It is formed so as to be openable to the outside air (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-227772 A

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the exhaust air passage and the intake air passage are separately provided as dedicated pipes, and the exhaust air passage is disposed on the upper side of the casing. Since the machine becomes larger, the work of installing the indoor unit becomes complicated. In particular, in the case of a ceiling-embedded type in which the indoor unit is installed on the back of the ceiling, there is not much space on the back of the indoor ceiling, which makes it difficult to install the indoor unit.

  An object of the present invention is to realize an air conditioning indoor unit with a ventilation function that can be easily installed.

  In order to solve the above problems, an air conditioner of the present invention is provided in communication with an exhaust air passage having an opening provided facing a part of a blowout port of a centrifugal fan and a suction port of the centrifugal fan. An intake air passage, and a confluence air passage that communicates with the exhaust air passage and the intake air passage and has a drawer opening provided in a side wall portion of the casing, and the air passage opening and closing means respectively on the exhaust air passage and the intake air passage Is provided.

  That is, the exhaust air path and the intake air path are formed as one merged air path and are stored in a package (for example, in a casing). Therefore, since the number of ventilation air passages can be reduced and the height of the indoor unit can be reduced, the installation work of the indoor unit is simplified.

  In this case, the indoor air is harmonized by closing the opening and closing means of both the exhaust air passage and the intake air passage. When the exhaust airway opening / closing means is closed and the intake airway opening / closing means is opened, the room air is harmonized and the outside air is taken into the room from the outside. Further, when the opening / closing means for the exhaust air passage is opened and the opening / closing means for the intake air passage is closed, the room air is harmonized and part of the room air is exhausted to the outside.

  According to the present invention, an air conditioning indoor unit with a ventilation function that can be easily installed can be realized. In particular, the indoor unit can be easily installed even in places where the installation space in the height direction is limited.

  An embodiment of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a ceiling-embedded air conditioning indoor unit to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a front view of the air conditioning indoor unit of FIG. 1 viewed from the bottom, and FIG. 3 is the air conditioning unit of FIG. It is a front view when the blowing grill and filter of an indoor unit are removed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 1 of this embodiment is embedded and arrange | positioned at the ceiling of indoors, such as an office building. The indoor unit 1 has a box-shaped casing 10, an indoor air suction port 12 formed on the lower surface of the casing 10, and a suction port 14 provided facing the indoor air suction port 12. A centrifugal fan 18 having an annular outlet 16 that is open toward the heat exchanger 22, a heat exchanger 22 disposed between the peripheral side wall 20 and the outlet 16 along the peripheral side wall 20 of the casing 10, and a heat exchanger 22. An indoor air outlet 24 formed on the lower surface of the casing 10 facing the space between the peripheral wall 20 of the casing 10 and the like is provided.

  The casing 10 is fitted in an opening formed in the ceiling 26 and disposed on the back of the ceiling 26. The indoor air inlet 12 is formed in a portion near the center of the lower surface of the casing 10. A suction grill 28 and a filter 29 are attached to the indoor air suction port 12 in order from the indoor side.

  The centrifugal fan 18 includes a cylindrical bell mouth 32, a fan 36 having a plurality of blades supported on a rotating shaft of a motor 34 via an annular hub, a fan case 33 attached to the fan 36, and the like. . The bell mouth 32 is arranged extending in the vertical direction, the lower opening is formed as the suction port 14, and the upper opening 30 is formed with the opening diameter being narrowed from the suction port 14. An inlet opening of the fan case 33 is attached to the opening edge of the upper opening 30. The inlet opening is formed on the lower surface of the fan case. The fan case 33 is formed such that the lower surface is curved outward in the radial direction (centrifugal direction), and the annular blowout port 16 is formed at the periphery. The motor 34 is fixed to the inside of the upper surface of the casing 10 so as to be coaxial with the bell mouth 32. An annular hub is coaxially attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 34. A plurality of blades of the fan 36 are supported on the outer periphery of the annular hub at a predetermined interval and a predetermined angle.

  The heat exchanger 22 is formed by arranging heat transfer tubes having fins in the vertical direction. The upper part of the heat exchanger 22 is supported on the inside of the upper surface of the casing 10, and the lower part is placed on the inner bottom of the drain pan 23. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 22 is formed to be bent so as to surround the periphery of the centrifugal fan 18. The heat exchanger 22 is divided into two heat exchangers 22a and 22b in the surrounding direction. Each of the divided heat exchangers 22a and 22b is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the indoor side. A space 40 is formed so that the end portions 42a and 42b of the heat exchangers 22a and 22b are spaced apart from each other. The other end 46 of the heat exchanger 22a is formed with an inlet for refrigerant flowing in from the outdoor unit and an outlet for refrigerant flowing through the outdoor unit. The same applies to the other end 48 of the heat exchanger 22b.

  The indoor air outlets 24 are respectively formed in the vicinity of the four sides of the lower surface of the casing 10. The formed indoor air outlet 24 communicates with a space 21 defined between the outer peripheral surface of the heat exchanger 22 and the inner surface of the casing. In addition, wind direction adjusting blades are rotatably provided in the indoor air outlet 24.

  Here, the exhaust air passage, the intake air passage, and the merging air passage, which are features of the present embodiment, will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 1 communicates with an exhaust air passage 52 having an opening 50 provided facing a part of the outlet 16 of the centrifugal fan 18 and the suction port side of the centrifugal fan 18. An provided intake air passage 56 is provided. A merging air passage 60 is provided which communicates with the exhaust air passage 52 and the intake air passage 56 and has a drawing port 58 provided in a side wall portion of the casing 10. On the exhaust air passage 52 and the intake air passage 56, on-off valves 64 and 66 are provided as air passage opening / closing means, respectively.

  The exhaust air passage 52 is formed such that the opening length in the vertical direction of the opening 50 corresponds to the opening length in the vertical direction of the outlet 16. The height of the duct of the exhaust air passage 52 is gradually narrowed as the distance from the outlet 16 increases. The intake air passage 56 has an intake port 54 that communicates with the body of the bell mouth 32. The merged air passage 60 is formed by joining the exhaust air passage 52 and the intake air passage 56 in the casing 10. The merging air passage 60 is connected to the outside air air passage 62 through a flange attached to the outlet 58. The other end of the outside air passage 62 is formed to be openable to the outside of the room. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the merged air passage 60 is located in the space 40 of the heat exchanger 22. That is, the merging air passage 60 does not directly contact the heat exchanger 22, and a gap is formed between the surface of the merging air passage 60 and the surface of the heat exchanger 22.

  The on-off valve 64 is rotatably provided in the opening 50 of the exhaust air passage 52. The on-off valve 64 is formed in a plate shape, and the plate area corresponds to the opening area of the opening 50. The on-off valve 64 is supported by the rotation motor 70. The on-off valve 66 is rotatably provided at a base portion of the intake air passage 56, that is, a portion on the side of the merging air passage 60. The on-off valve 66 is formed in a plate shape, and the plate area corresponds to the pipe cross-sectional area of the intake air passage 56. A part of the on-off valve 66 is supported by the rotation motor 72.

  The operation of the indoor unit 1 configured as described above will be described. The indoor unit 1 operates based on three modes: an indoor air conditioning mode, an outdoor air intake mode, and an indoor air discharge mode. First, in the indoor air conditioning mode, the opening / closing valve 64 is rotated by the rotation motor 70 based on the control command, whereby the opening 50 of the exhaust air passage 52 is closed by the opening / closing valve 64. Similarly, when the opening / closing valve 66 is rotated by the rotation motor 72, the intake air passage 56 is closed by the opening / closing valve 66. When the centrifugal fan 18 is operated, room air is sucked from the suction port 14 via the suction grill 28 and the filter 29. The sucked room air flows upward in the bell mouth 32 and then turns in the centrifugal direction along the shroud 33. The turned room air is discharged from the outlet 16 toward the heat exchanger 22. The discharged room air is harmonized (for example, cooled or warmed) by the refrigerant in the heat transfer tube when flowing through the gap between the heat transfer tubes of the heat exchanger 22. The room air that has passed through the heat exchanger 22 is returned to the room through the room air outlet 24.

  When the indoor air conditioning mode is switched to the outdoor air intake mode, the opening / closing valve 66 is rotated and folded by the rotation motor 72 so that the intake air passage 56 is opened. Accordingly, outdoor air outside the room flows into the bell mouth 32 from the intake port 54 via the intake air passage 56. The air that has flowed in is mixed (mixed) with the room air from the suction port 14 and then harmonized by the heat exchanger 22 in the same manner as in the room air conditioning mode. The mixed air of the conditioned room air and the outside air is returned to the room through the room air outlet 24.

  Further, when the indoor air conditioning mode is switched to the indoor air exhaust mode, the opening / closing valve 64 is rotated and folded by the rotation motor 70 to open the opening 50. Therefore, a part of the room air blown from the blower outlet 16 by the centrifugal fan 18 flows into the exhaust air passage 52 from the opening 50. The indoor air that has flowed in is released to the outside of the room through the merging air passage 60 and the outside air air passage 62. In addition, the other indoor air blown out from the blower outlet 16 by the centrifugal fan 18 is returned to the room from the indoor air blower outlet 24 after being conditioned by the heat exchanger 22 as in the case of the indoor air conditioning mode. By appropriately switching between the indoor air conditioning mode, the outdoor air intake mode, and the indoor air exhaust mode, the indoor air can be cleaned while being harmonized.

  According to the present embodiment, the exhaust air passage 52 and the intake air passage 56 are formed in one merged air passage 60, and the formed confluence air passage 60 is stored in the casing 10, so Since the number of roads can be reduced and the height of the indoor unit 1 can be reduced, the installation work of the indoor unit 1 is simplified.

  Furthermore, since the merging air passage 60 is located in the space 40 of the heat exchanger 22, the air flowing into the exhaust air passage 52 is not harmonized by the heat exchanger 22. That is, since the heat energy of the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 22 is used not only for the harmony of the room air released to the outside air but only for the harmony of the room air returned to the room, the loss of the heat energy of the refrigerant is prevented. Can do. Moreover, since the air which flows into the confluence | merging wind path 60 is not cold air after heat exchange, for example, it becomes unnecessary to process the confluence | merging air path 60 with a heat insulation coating.

  Further, since the indoor air is ventilated by using the air flow by the centrifugal fan 18, the structure of the indoor unit 12 can be simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated fan for ventilation is separately provided.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a ceiling-embedded indoor unit has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to a ceiling-suspended type. In addition to the centrifugal fan, various types of fans may be used as the fan of the indoor unit.

  The indoor air conditioning mode, the outdoor air intake mode, or the indoor air exhaust mode may be switched based on a command from a remote controller (remote controller). Further, the amount of dust contained in the room air may be detected, and each mode may be switched based on the detected value. Thereby, a user's usability can be improved.

  Moreover, although the example which divides | segments a heat exchanger was demonstrated in this embodiment, a part of heat exchanger may be notched and a space may be formed and a confluence | merging wind path may be located in the formed space. .

  In addition, the indoor unit for air conditioning of this embodiment is applicable to an air conditioning apparatus. For example, the air conditioner includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger through which the refrigerant flows and an outdoor unit that blows air to the outdoor heat exchanger, and the indoor unit of the present embodiment. A refrigerant can be circulated from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit to form a refrigeration cycle.

It is sectional drawing of the ceiling-embedded indoor unit of embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of a ceiling embedded type indoor unit of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view when the blowing grill and filter of the indoor unit for air conditioning of FIG. 2 are removed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 12 for air conditioning Indoor air inlet 18 Centrifugal fan 22 Heat exchanger 24 Indoor air outlet 40 Space 50 Opening 52 Exhaust airway 56 Inlet airway 58 Drawer port 60 Confluence airway 64 On-off valve for exhaust airway 66 On-off valve for intake airway

Claims (3)

A box-shaped casing, an indoor air suction port formed on the lower surface of the casing, and a ring-shaped opening that opens toward the peripheral edge of the casing and has a suction port provided facing the indoor air suction port A centrifugal fan having an outlet, a heat exchanger disposed between the peripheral side wall and the outlet along the peripheral side wall of the casing, and between the heat exchanger and the peripheral side wall of the casing In the indoor unit for air conditioning comprising an indoor air outlet formed on the lower surface of the casing facing the space,
An exhaust air passage having an opening provided facing a part of the outlet of the centrifugal fan, an intake air passage provided in communication with the suction port of the centrifugal fan, the exhaust air passage, and the intake air A converging air passage having a draw-out port provided in a side wall portion of the casing, the air passage opening / closing means being provided in each of the exhaust air passage and the intake air passage. Air conditioner indoor unit.   2. The indoor unit for air conditioning according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger has a notch formed in a portion where the exhaust air passage and the intake air passage or the combined air passage are disposed. An air conditioner comprising the air conditioning indoor unit according to claim 1.

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