JP2005221220A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner having a more superior air conditioning function. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner is provided with a cabinet 30 comprising an appearance of the air conditioner, a base 2 provided in a lower part of the cabinet, and formed with a lower part suction opening sucking in air in a front face, each filter 6, 7, and 8 provided in a multilayer state in an upper side of the base for removing foreign matter in the air, and each filter frame 10 for inserting and fixing each filter. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner having an improved air purification function.

  Generally, an air conditioner is a device that adjusts indoor air to provide a more comfortable indoor environment to the user. The air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and cools or heats indoor air by using a change in the thermodynamic state of the refrigerant circulating inside. The air conditioner also performs a function of purifying indoor air through a filter provided inside.

  The air conditioner is roughly classified into a separation type and an integral type. Here, the integrated type includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit in one case, and is generally installed in a window. On the other hand, in the separation type, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are provided separately, and the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

1 to 4 show an indoor unit of a separation type air conditioner according to a conventional technique.
As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit of the air conditioner includes a base 101, a cabinet 102, a blower, and a heat exchanger 130.

  Here, the cabinet 102 forms the appearance of the indoor unit, and a front panel 104 is provided in front of the cabinet 102. Discharge ports 104a, 104b, and 104c are formed on the upper front surface and both side surfaces of the front panel 104, and suction ports 104d and 104e are formed on the lower side surfaces.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a heat exchanger 130 and a blower 120 are provided in the cabinet 102, and a base 101 is provided in the lower part of the cabinet 102.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the discharge port 104 a formed on the upper front surface of the front panel 104 is selectively opened and closed by a drive panel 110 provided to be able to move up and down. The discharge port 104a is closed when the drive panel 110 is raised and opened when the drive panel 110 is lowered. In addition, a movable panel 112 that can be moved back and forth is provided in order to remove a step generated when the drive panel 110 is raised.
The side discharge ports 104b and 104c are provided with discharge panels 114 and 116 that can be rotated to adjust the air direction.
On the other hand, an air filter 109 is provided inside each side suction port 104d, 104e. On both front sides of the blower 120, electrostatic precipitators 121 and 122 that ionize and collect foreign substances in the air that have passed through the filter 109 are provided.

The operation of the indoor unit according to the prior art is as follows.
When the blower 120 is driven, room air flows into the indoor unit through the suction ports 104d and 104e. At this time, foreign substances in the air are removed by the air filter 109 and the dust collectors 121 and 122. Next, the air is blown by the heat exchanger 130 to exchange heat with the refrigerant. At this time, the cooled / heated air is discharged again into the room through the discharge ports 104a, 104b, 104c.

However, the air conditioner according to the prior art has the following problems.
Since the air volume of air sucked through each of the both-side suction ports is small, it takes a long time to heat and cool the room.
Further, not only when the indoor air is cooled and heated, but also when the air is purified, the air is sucked through the both-side suction ports. Therefore, a more excellent purification function cannot be realized, and it takes time to purify.

  The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner having a more excellent air conditioning function.

  To achieve the above object, in an air conditioner according to the present invention, a cabinet that forms the exterior of an indoor unit, a base that is provided at the lower part of the cabinet and has a lower suction part that sucks air at the front surface, An air conditioner comprising: each filter provided in multiple layers above the base for removing foreign substances in the air; and a filter frame into which the filters are inserted and fixed. provide.

Here, the filter frame includes a cover portion that covers both side surfaces and the rear surface, and support guides that are formed in multiple layers at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction inside the cover portion. Is done. Each of the support guides is configured to include a first member that connects both front side surfaces of the cover portion, and a second member that connects the first member and the rear surface of the cover portion.
In addition, the front upper portion of each side surface of the cover portion has a stepped shape in which a horizontal portion and a vertical portion are repeated, and the first member is mounted on the horizontal portion. Protrusions having a first hole are provided on both sides of the cover part, a second hole is formed in the base at a position corresponding to the first hole, and a fastening member passes through each hole. Fastened to the base. An alignment protrusion for aligning the position of the protrusion is provided on the base.
In addition, a first guide is provided on both sides of the upper surface of the base so as to protrude in an “L” shape and into which the first filter is inserted while sliding.

  On the other hand, the filter frame is provided on a lower surface of the filter frame so that the second filter is inserted while sliding on the upper surface, and is provided on the upper side of the first guide. Including a third support guide inserted while sliding. Here, in order to prevent the inserted third filter from separating upward, a fourth support guide protruding in an “L” shape is further provided on the upper side of the third support guide.

  Here, the third filter includes a nano copper filter and a nano silver filter. A hepa filter (HEPA filter) is provided below the second filter. A nanocarbon filter is provided on the second filter.

  A round suction guide is formed at the suction port to guide the air sucked from the front side upward. A photocatalytic plasma air cleaner is provided on the upper part of the filter frame.

On the other hand, the cabinet has a pair of side portions inclined rearward at a predetermined angle with respect to the front surface, and an upper discharge port is formed in the upper portion of the cabinet, and each side surface is formed in the upper portion of each side portion. A discharge port is formed, and each side suction port is formed below each side surface portion. Here, each vane controlled by a microcomputer is provided to selectively open and close each suction port and each discharge port.
When operating to cool / heat indoor air, all the vanes provided at the respective suction ports and the respective discharge ports are opened.

When operating to purify indoor air, the vanes provided at the lower suction ports and the upper discharge ports are all opened and provided at the side suction ports and the side discharge ports. Each vane is closed.
In the stopped state, all the vanes provided at the respective suction ports and the respective discharge ports are closed.

  Here, the front surface of the cabinet comprises a front panel that can be opened and closed. The cabinet has a pair of rear side surfaces that are inclined forward at a predetermined angle with respect to the rear surface. Each side suction port is provided with each filter for purifying air.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cabinet of an air conditioner indoor unit in which each air suction port and each air discharge port are formed, and a lower suction port is provided at the front of the cabinet. It is configured to include a formed base, filters provided in multiple layers above the lower suction port, and opening / closing means for selectively opening and closing each air suction port and each air discharge port.

  Here, when the indoor air is cooled / heated, each of the air inlets and each of the air outlets are all opened, and when purifying the indoor air, each of the lower inlets is opened and the side discharges are made. The outlet is sealed.

  The opening / closing means includes vanes rotatably attached to the air intake ports and the air discharge ports, motors connected to the vanes, and a microcomputer that controls driving of the motors. Composed.

  As described above, the air conditioner indoor unit according to the present invention has the following effects.

  First, since a multilayer high-performance filter is provided above the lower suction port, the air purification performance of room air is further improved. That is, when the indoor air is purified, the side suction ports and the side discharge ports are closed, so that the air that has passed through the lower suction port can be purified more quickly and cleanly.

  Second, the filter can be easily inserted while sliding between the support guides through the open front of the filter frame. Also, the filter can be replaced more easily by opening the front panel.

  Third, the front side surface of the filter frame is formed in a step shape, and each filter guide is mounted so as not to interfere with the stepped side surface. Accordingly, the filter frame has a minimum volume and a structure in which a plurality of filters are mounted in multiple layers without mutual interference.

  Fourth, each protrusion provided on the side surface of the filter frame can be more easily loaded at an accurate position by contacting the alignment protrusion. Accordingly, the assembly time of the filter frame is shortened.

  Fifth, when the room is cooled / heated, the air can be harmonized more quickly by opening all the discharge ports and increasing the air volume.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention is configured to include a cabinet 30, a base 2, filters 6, 7, 8 and a filter frame 10 as shown in FIG.

  Here, the cabinet 30 forms the appearance of the indoor unit. The base 2 is provided at the lower part of the cabinet 30, and a lower suction port 3 through which air is sucked is formed on the front surface thereof. On the upper surface of the base 2, multilayer filters 6, 7, 8 for removing foreign substances in the sucked air are mounted. Each of the filters 6, 7 and 8 is attached to a filter frame 10 provided on the upper side of the base 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cabinet 30 has both side surfaces 40 b and 40 c inclined rearward with respect to the front surface. Side discharge ports 41 and 42 through which air is discharged are formed at the upper portions of the side surfaces 40b and 40c, and side suction ports 50a and 56a through which air is sucked are formed at the lower portions.

  Here, rotatable vanes 43, 44, 51, 57 are attached to the side suction ports 50 a, 56 a and the side surface discharge ports 41, 42. The vanes 43, 44, 51, 57 adjust the air direction of the air sucked or discharged, or open / close the side discharge ports 41, 42. Each vane 43, 44, 51, 57 is connected to a motor (not shown), and the vane is rotated by driving the motor.

  The motor connected to each vane is selectively operated by a control signal generated from the microcomputer. Accordingly, the side suction ports 50a and 56a or the side discharge ports 41 and 42 are selectively opened and closed.

  On the other hand, as shown in the figure, a pair of rear side surface portions 30a that are inclined forward at a predetermined angle with respect to the rear surface of the cabinet 30 are provided. The rear side surface portion 30a is in close contact with both side walls when the indoor unit is installed at a corner of the room. Therefore, when the indoor unit is installed, the indoor space utilization is improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an upper discharge port 45 is formed in the upper portion of the cabinet 30, and a lower suction port 3 is formed in the front surface of the base 2. The lower suction port 3 and the upper discharge port 45 are also mounted with vanes 4 and 46 for selectively opening and closing them. The upper discharge port 45 is preferably provided on the upper surface of the cabinet 30 as illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a filter 52 that removes foreign substances in the air is also mounted inside the side suction ports 50a and 56a. The filter 52 is inserted into the filter guide 53. The front surface of the cabinet 30 is covered with a front panel 60 that can be opened and closed. Therefore, when an internal part of the air conditioner fails, it can be repaired more easily after opening the front panel.

  For this purpose, the upper side of the front panel 60 is connected to an upper bracket 62a mounted on the upper surface of the cabinet 30, and the lower side is connected to a lower bracket (62b in FIG. 9) mounted on the upper surface of the base 2. Connected. Here, the front panel 60 and the brackets 62a and 62b are rotatably connected using hinges. Accordingly, the front panel 60 is opened and closed by rotating around the hinge. At this time, the locking means 82 provided on the front panel 60 is coupled to or separated from the coupling portion 80 formed on the cabinet 30.

  On the other hand, multilayer filters 6, 7, 8 are provided above the base 2 where the lower suction port 3 is formed.

  The air that has passed through the multilayer filters 6, 7, 8 in order is purified very cleanly. A photocatalytic plasma air purifier 70 is provided above the multilayer filters 6, 7, 8.

  The photocatalytic plasma air cleaner 70 includes a high voltage generator, an ionization unit, a collection unit, and a photocatalytic filter.

  Here, the high voltage generation unit applies a high voltage to the ionization unit to induce discharge. The ionization unit irradiates light energy by ionizing dust in the air with energy generated during the discharge. The collection unit collects the ionized dust. The photocatalytic filter collects odor particles decomposed by light energy irradiated from the ionization portion.

  Above the photocatalyst plasma air cleaner 70, a controller 84 is provided in which a my computer for controlling a motor connected to the vanes 43, 44, 51, 57 is housed. A blower for blowing air and a heat exchanger are provided above the air cleaner 70.

  On the other hand, the mounting structure of each multilayer filter will be described in detail as follows.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of each filter, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing each filter and filter frame, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view in the ‘A-A’ direction of FIG. 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the plurality of filters 6, 7, 8 are provided in layers on the upper side of the base 2 in which the lower suction port 3 is formed on the front surface. The lower suction port 3 is formed with a round suction guide 3a for guiding the air sucked from the front side upward.

  Here, each of the filters 6, 7, 8 is mounted inside the filter frame 10. The filter frame 10 includes a cover portion and support guides 11 and 12. Here, the said cover part is a flame | frame which covers each side surface 10b and the back surface 10a. Each of the support guides 11 and 12 is formed in multiple layers with a predetermined interval vertically inside the cover portions 10a and 10b. That is, the support guides 11 and 12 are provided in multiple layers so that a space into which the filter is inserted is formed.

  The support guides 11 and 12 include first members 11a and 12a that connect the front side surfaces of the cover part, and second members that connect the first members 11a and 12a and the rear surface 10a of the cover part. 11b and 12b. Accordingly, air passes between the members. Each filter is inserted and fixed between the support guides 11, 12, and 13.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the upper part on the front side of each side surface 10b of the cover portion has a stepped shape in which a horizontal portion 19a and a vertical portion 19b are repeated, and the first members 11a and 12a are Attached to each horizontal portion 19a. Accordingly, the first members 11a and 12a provided in front of the filter frame 10 do not interfere with each other.

  On the other hand, on both sides of the cover part, there are provided projecting parts 14 formed with first holes 14a. A second hole 2e is formed at a position corresponding to the first hole 14a on the upper surface of the base, and the bolt 15 penetrates the holes 14a and 2e and is fastened to the base 2 to thereby form the filter frame. 10 is fixed to the upper side of the base 2.

  An alignment protrusion 2d for aligning the position of the protrusion 14 is provided on the upper surface of the base 2. The alignment protrusion 2d protrudes upward along a part or all of the outline profile of the protrusion 14. Therefore, when the protrusion 14 and the alignment protrusion 2d are brought into contact with each other at the time of assembly, loading is performed at an accurate position.

  On the other hand, on both sides of the upper surface of the base 2, there are provided first support guides 2a that protrude in an “L” shape and into which the first filter 6 is inserted while sliding inward. That is, a space for inserting the first filter 6 is formed between the upper surface of the base 2 and the lower surface of the filter frame 10 by the first support guide 2a.

The filter frame 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the filter frame 10 includes a second support guide 11 and a third support guide 12. Here, the second support guide 11 is provided at the lower part of the filter frame 10 so that the second filters 7 and 8 are inserted while sliding on the upper surface thereof. The third support guide 12 is provided on the upper surface of the second support guide 11 so that the third filter 8 is inserted while sliding on the upper surface thereof.

  On the other hand, in order to prevent the third filter 8 inserted on the upper surface of the third support guide 12 from being detached upward, a fourth support projecting in an “L” shape above the third support guide 12. A guide 13 is provided. Accordingly, the third filter 8 is inserted and fixed between the upper surface of the third support guide 12 and the fourth support guide 13.

As shown in FIG. 10, multilayer filters 6, 7, 8 are provided on the upper side of the base 2.
Here, a pre-filter 6 a that traps dust in the air is provided inside the first filter 6. A support frame 6b is provided at the edge of the prefilter 6a.
A support frame 7 a is also provided on the edge of the second filter 7. Inside the second filter 7, a hepa filter 7b, nanocarbon filters 7c and 7d, and a nonwoven fabric 7e are laminated. Here, an acidic nanocarbon 7c and a basic nanocarbon filter 7d are sequentially provided on the upper side of the hepa filter 7b. On the other hand, the nonwoven fabric 7e prevents the carbon from being blown off.

  A nano copper filter 8 b and a nano silver filter 8 c are provided inside the support frame 8 a of the third filter 8.

Hereinafter, the operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the filters 7, 8, 9 are detachably inserted while sliding between the support guides 2 b, 11, 12, 13 formed on the upper side of the base 2. That is, the filters are inserted through the opened front of the filter frame 10.

  Here, the support guides 2b, 11, 12, and 13 guide the insertion of the filters 7, 8, and 9, respectively. Further, the support frames 6a, 7a, 8a of the filters are clamped between the support guides 2b, 11, 12, 13 and are stably fixed.

The air conditioner can selectively perform a cooling / heating operation or an air purification operation.
First, in the case of operating to cool / heat the room, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, the vanes provided in all the suction ports 3, 50a, 56a and the discharge ports 41, 42, 45 are provided. 4, 51, 57, 43, 46 are all opened. As described above, each vane 4, 51, 57, 43, 46 is connected to a motor controlled by a microcomputer. Accordingly, when the blower is activated, indoor air is sucked into the cabinet 30 through the lower suction port and the side suction ports 50a and 56a. The sucked air passes through the filters 6, 7, 8, 52 and the photocatalytic plasma air cleaner 70, and is then heat exchanged with a heat exchanger.

  Next, the heat-exchanged air is again discharged into the room through the upper discharge port 45 and the side surface discharge ports 41 and 42. Accordingly, room air is sucked from the three surfaces and discharged to the three surfaces.

  Here, since a plurality of inlets and outlets are opened, the air volume of the air passing through the heat exchanger increases. On the other hand, since air flows in through the side suction ports 50a and 56a having a relatively weak filter structure, the air purification performance is not excellent.

  On the other hand, when operating to purify indoor air, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, the vanes 4 and 46 provided in the lower suction port 3 and the upper discharge port 45 are opened, The vanes 51 and 57 provided at the side suction ports 50a and 56a and the side discharge ports 41 and 42 are closed.

  Accordingly, room air is sucked only through the lower suction port 3. At this time, the sucked air passes through the multi-layered high performance filters 6, 7, 8 provided on the upper side of the lower suction port 3, so that it is more effectively purified. That is, although the number of opened suction ports and discharge ports is small, the sucked air is more purified. Next, the purified air is discharged again into the room through the upper discharge port 45.

Hereinafter, the air purification process by the multilayer filters will be described. The first filter 6 filters large dust in the air. Fine dust is filtered by the hepa filter 7b of the second filter 7, and odor particles and fine dust are filtered by the nanocarbon filters 7c and 7d. Next, the air is antibacterial and deodorized while passing through the nano copper filter 8b and the nano silver filter 8c of the third filter 8.
The air that has passed through the filters passes through the photocatalytic plasma air cleaner 70 and is then discharged through an upper outlet 45 formed in the upper portion of the cabinet 30. Here, the photocatalyst plasma air cleaner 70 ionizes and collects dust or odor particles in the air.

As described above, the indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention harmonizes air more efficiently by controlling the opening and closing of the suction port and the discharge port according to the operation purpose.
On the other hand, when the air conditioner is stopped, the vanes of the suction port and the discharge port are all closed. Therefore, indoor dust is prevented from flowing into the cabinet. Further, since the filters can be drawn forward after the front panel is opened, the filters can be easily replaced.

It is the front view which showed the indoor unit by which the air discharge port in the air conditioner by a prior art was open | released. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the indoor unit by a prior art. It is the perspective view which showed the indoor unit by which the air discharge port by the prior art was sealed. It is the perspective view which showed the indoor unit by which the air discharge port by the prior art was open | released. It is the perspective view which showed the indoor unit of the air conditioner by this invention. It is the front view which showed the indoor unit by this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the indoor unit by which the front panel by this invention was open | released. It is the perspective view which showed each filter with which the lower inlet of the indoor unit by this invention was mounted | worn. It is the perspective view which showed the filter and filter frame of the indoor unit by this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the filter and filter frame of the indoor unit by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Base 3 Lower suction port 6 1st filter 7 2nd filter 8 3rd filter 10 Filter frame 11 2nd support guide 12 3rd support guide 13 4th support guide 30 Cabinet 40a, 40b Side inclined part 41, 42 Side discharge port 45 Upper discharge ports 50a, 56a Side suction ports 4, 43, 44, 46, 51, 57 Bain 60 Front panel

Claims (25)

A cabinet that looks like an air conditioner,
A base provided at the lower part of the cabinet and having a lower inlet through which air is sucked on the front surface;
Each filter provided in multiple layers on the upper side of the base to remove foreign substances in the air;
An air conditioner comprising: each filter frame in which each filter is inserted and fixed. The filter frame is
A cover portion covering each side surface and rear surface;
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising support guides formed in multiple layers at predetermined intervals in the upper and lower sides inside the cover portion. Each of the support guides is
A first member connecting both front side surfaces of the cover part;
The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising: a second member that connects the first member and a rear surface of the cover portion.   The upper part on the front side of each side surface of the cover part has a stepped shape in which a horizontal part and a vertical part repeat, and the first member is mounted on the horizontal part. Air conditioner.   Protrusions having a first hole are provided on both sides of the cover part, a second hole is formed at a position corresponding to the first hole in the base, and a fastening member passes through each hole. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioner is fastened to a base.   The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein an alignment protrusion for aligning the position of the protrusion is provided on an upper portion of the base.   3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein a first guide that protrudes in an “L” shape on both sides of the upper surface of the base and into which the first filter is inserted while sliding is provided. The filter frame is
A second support guide provided at a lower portion of the filter frame so that the second filter is inserted while sliding on the upper surface;
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising: a third support guide that is provided on an upper side of the first guide and into which the third filter is inserted while sliding.   9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a fourth support guide protruding in an "L" shape on the upper side of the third support guide to prevent the inserted third filter from separating upward. Air conditioner.   The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the third filter is configured to include a nano copper filter and a nano silver filter.   The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein a hepa filter is provided below the second filter.   The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein a nanocarbon filter is provided on an upper portion of the second filter.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a round suction guide is formed at the suction port to guide the air sucked from the front inward.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a photo-catalyst plasma air purifier is provided on an upper portion of the filter frame. The cabinet forms a predetermined angle with respect to the front surface and has a pair of side surfaces inclined rearward.
An upper discharge port is formed in the upper part of the cabinet, each side discharge port is formed in the upper part of each side part, and each side suction port is formed in the lower part of each side part. The air conditioner according to claim 1.   The air conditioner according to claim 15, wherein each vane controlled by a microcomputer is provided to selectively open and close the suction port and the discharge port. When operating to cool / heat indoor air,
The air conditioner according to claim 16, wherein all the vanes provided in the respective suction ports and the respective discharge ports are opened. When operating to purify indoor air,
The vanes provided at each lower suction port and each upper discharge port are opened,
The air conditioner according to claim 16, wherein each vane provided in each side suction port and each upper discharge port is closed. In the stop state,
The air conditioner according to claim 16, wherein all the vanes provided in each of the suction ports and the discharge ports are closed.   16. The air conditioner according to claim 15, wherein the front surface of the cabinet is a front panel that can be opened and closed.   16. The air conditioner according to claim 15, wherein the cabinet has a pair of rear side surfaces inclined forward at a predetermined angle with respect to the rear surface.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein each of the suction ports is provided with a filter for purifying air. An air conditioner indoor unit cabinet in which each air inlet and each air outlet is formed;
A base provided at a lower portion of the cabinet and having a lower suction port formed on a front surface;
Each filter provided in multiple layers above the lower inlet,
An air conditioner comprising: opening and closing means for selectively opening and closing each suction port and each discharge port. When cooling / heating indoor air, the air inlets and air outlets are all opened,
The air conditioner according to claim 23, wherein, when purifying indoor air, the lower suction port is opened and the side discharge ports are sealed. The opening / closing means includes
Each vane rotatably mounted on each air inlet and each air outlet;
A motor connected to each vane;
24. The air conditioner according to claim 23, further comprising a microcomputer that controls driving of the motor.

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