JP2006183996A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem in an air conditioner equipped with an air filter device wherein cleaning operation of an air filter is automatically performed to save time and labor but dust recovered into a dust box must be manually cleaned to thereby require periodical maintenance that is the cleaning work of the dust box. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner is equipped with a filter cleaning device having a suction nozzle 16 with a suction hole for sucking dust stuck to an indoor unit 1, and an air suction-exhaust device 30 connected to the suction nozzle 16 to suck and exhaust dust and indoor side air. The air conditioner is also equipped with an exhaust duct 17 with one end connected to the filter cleaning device and with the other end communicating with the outdoors, and one or both of dust and indoor side air sucked from the filter cleaning device are exhausted from the exhaust duct 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

    The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of automatically cleaning an air filter.

  The air conditioner that blows air into the room after the air drawn in by the blower fan is cooled or heated by a heat exchanger is installed on the back side of the suction unit to prevent dust floating in the air from entering the indoor unit. Is provided with an air filter. When dust adheres to and accumulates on this air filter, the airflow resistance increases, the COP (coefficient of performance = (cooling capacity / required power)) of the air conditioner indoor unit decreases, and power consumption increases. The air filter is configured to be detachable so that attached dust can be cleaned.

  However, in an air conditioner having an air filter detachably configured in this manner, the air filter is removed from the air conditioner indoor unit in a relatively short period according to the frequency of use of the air conditioner and washed with water or There is a problem that it takes a lot of trouble and time because it requires maintenance to clean the dust adhering with a vacuum cleaner.

In order to cope with this problem, an air filter device 50 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-99479.
In this air filter device 50, the belt-like air filter 51 is placed between the feeding / rewinding shafts 52, 53 arranged at the upper part and the lower part of the indoor unit, respectively, to the suction parts 57, 58 from the back surface. The air filter 51 is configured so as to be movable up and down by spanning it so as to face and rotating one shaft 53 by a motor 54 or the like. A cleaning brush 55 for cleaning dust adhering to the air filter 51 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the place where the air filter 51 is disposed, and the cleaning brush 55 is scraped off below the cleaning brush 55. A dust box 56 for collecting collected dust is provided.

According to the air conditioner provided with the air filter device 50, the air filter 51 is wound up and the air filter 51 is cleaned by performing a predetermined operation to drive the motor 54 for driving the air filter. Since the operation is performed, the trouble of removing the air filter 51 and washing it with water can be saved.
JP 2001-99479 A

  However, according to the air conditioner equipped with the air filter device 50 disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the cleaning operation of the air filter 51 is automatically performed and labor can be saved, the dust collected in the dust box 56 is reduced. There is a problem that a person has to clean and requires regular maintenance of the dust box 56, which takes time and labor for the maintenance.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has at least a suction nozzle having a suction hole for sucking dust adhering to an indoor unit, and an intake / exhaust device connected to the suction nozzle for sucking and discharging dust and indoor air. An air conditioner comprising a filter cleaning device, and having an exhaust duct having one end connected to the filter cleaning device and the other end communicating with the outside, wherein the dust sucked from the filter cleaning device and the indoor air Any one or both of these may be discharged from the exhaust duct.

  According to the above configuration, since the dust suction operation and the ventilation operation can be performed by one intake / exhaust device, when the dust intake / exhaust device and the ventilation intake / exhaust device are provided separately, respectively. In comparison, the storage space can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the said structure, if the hose used for discharging | emitting dust outdoors and the hose used for ventilation are shared, the hole for hose penetration provided in the wall surface of a room will be single. Therefore, the restriction on the installation location of the indoor unit is reduced, and the construction of the hole opened in the wall surface can be made in one place, so that the number of construction steps can be reduced.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the filter cleaning device is provided with a ventilation opening and an opening / closing body that opens and closes the ventilation opening, and the indoor air is communicated with the intake / exhaust device when the opening / closing device is opened.

  Further, the ventilating opening of the present invention and the opening / closing body for opening and closing the ventilating opening are provided in any of the flow paths from the dust suction hole of the suction nozzle to the outlet of the intake / exhaust device. .

Moreover, the opening part for opening and closing the opening part for ventilation and the said opening part for ventilation of this invention was provided in the intake / exhaust apparatus, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
Moreover, the opening part for opening and closing the opening part for ventilation and the said opening part for ventilation of this invention was provided in the suction nozzle, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

    Moreover, the opening and closing body for opening and closing the ventilation opening and the ventilation opening according to the present invention is characterized in that the opening and closing device has an opening, and the opening allows passage of indoor air.

  According to the present invention, when the hose used for discharging dust to the outdoors and the hose used for ventilation are shared, a single hole for hose penetration provided on the wall surface of the room is sufficient. Therefore, the restriction on the installation location of the indoor unit is reduced, and the construction of the hole opened in the wall surface can be made in one place, so that the number of construction steps can be reduced.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner is provided with a frame 2 that forms both side surfaces and a bottom surface portion, and a front and top surface portion of the indoor unit 1. A main outer shell portion is composed of an air filter 8 in which a large number of portions 8a are fitted in a filter frame 8b, an outer surface panel 4 attached to the front and upper sides of the air filter 8 so as to be openable and closable. The upper surface portion and the front surface portion of the outer panel 4 are respectively formed with suction portions 5 and 6 for sucking room air, and a blowing portion 7 is formed in front of the lower portion. In the air passage connecting the suction parts 5 and 6 and the blowing part 7 in the indoor unit 1, a blower fan comprising the air filter 8, the heat exchanger 9 comprising two heat exchangers 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B, and a cross flow fan. 10 are arranged. Then, the air sucked from the suction portions 5 and 6 by the blower fan 10 passes through the air filter 8 and is cooled or heated by the heat exchanger 9 and then blown out from the blowing portion 7. Note that one heat exchanger 9 </ b> A is arranged from the upper side to the front side of the blower fan 10 and the other heat exchanger 9 </ b> B is arranged from the upper side to the rear side of the blower fan 10 so as to surround the blowing part 7. A rear guider 11 is provided in the vicinity of the rear surface of the indoor unit 1 and a stabilizer 12 is provided at an end of the water tray 13 in order to smoothly send out air by the blower fan 10. Reference numeral 14 denotes a wind direction changing blade.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an intake / exhaust device 30 for sucking and discharging dust adhering to the air filter 8 is installed near the side surface in the indoor unit 1. A suction nozzle 16 is connected to a suction side portion (suction duct connection port 31) of the intake / exhaust device 30 via a bellows-shaped suction duct 15 and a blow-out side portion (exhaust duct connection) of the intake / exhaust device 30. An exhaust duct 17 whose tip communicates with the outside is connected to the port 32).

  The suction nozzle 16 is formed in a shape extending in the depth direction and the vertical direction so as to face the windward surface of the air filter 8, and the back end portion and the lower end portion thereof are formed in the filter frame of the air filter 8. 8b is inserted into guide grooves 8c and 8d formed at the upper back end and the lower end of the air filter 8b, and is guided so as to move left and right in a posture along the windward side surface of the air filter 8. The lower portion of the suction nozzle 16 is screwed to a screw shaft 18 arranged so as to extend left and right, and the screw shaft 18 is driven by a nozzle drive motor 21 via transmission gears 19 and 20. The suction nozzle 16 is moved left and right.

  A plurality of suction holes 16a are formed on the surface of the suction nozzle 16 facing the air filter 8 from the upper surface portion to the front surface portion of the air filter 8, and each suction hole 16a is formed by suction operation of the intake / exhaust device 30 described later. The air filter 8 is configured to be able to suck dust.

  The suction duct 15 that connects the suction nozzle 16 and the suction duct connection port 31 of the suction / exhaust device 30 is partially bent so that the suction duct 15 can be sucked into the intake / exhaust device 30 regardless of the position of the air filter 8 in the left-right direction. The flow path is formed well.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the intake / exhaust device 30 includes a centrifugal intake / exhaust fan 34 that is rotated by an intake / exhaust motor 33, a casing 35 that accommodates the intake / exhaust fan 34, and a wind of the casing 35. A suction cover 36 provided integrally with the casing 35 and an attachment substrate 37 to which the casing 35 and the like are attached are provided on the upper side. And as shown in FIG. 1 etc., the intake / exhaust device 30 (the casing 35 and the suction cover 36 of the intake / exhaust device 30) is extended in the up-down direction and the depth direction in the side part inside the indoor unit 1. On the other hand, in the left-right direction, a flat shape with a small thickness is arranged. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the suction cover 36 faces both the suction duct connection port 31 connected to the suction duct 15 and the suction port 38 to the intake / exhaust fan 34 so as to open on one side. As seen from the side, the shape of the flow path gently connecting the outer peripheral portion 31a of the suction duct connection port 31 and the outer peripheral portion 38a of the suction port 38 to the intake / exhaust fan 34 (for example, pistons of various engines) The crankshaft to be connected is formed in a crank shape as viewed from the side). In the first embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 31a of the suction duct connection port 31 and the outer peripheral portion 38a of the suction port 38 to the intake / exhaust fan 34 are connected smoothly and linearly. It is not limited to this, and it may be connected gently by a curve. In the first embodiment, the suction cover 36 is disposed so that the flow path from the suction duct connection port 31 to the suction port 38 to the suction / exhaust fan 34 extends obliquely upward. The exhaust port provided in the lower part is extended in the direction as it is to form the exhaust duct connection port 32.

  In this configuration, when the air filter 8 is cleaned, the intake / exhaust motor 33 and the nozzle driving motor 21 are driven by performing a predetermined operation (for example, pressing a cleaning button). Then, the suction nozzle 16 moves along the windward surface of the air filter 8 in a state in which the intake / exhaust device 30 is activated. At this time, dust adhering to the air filter 8 together with air passes through the suction hole 16a and the suction nozzle 16 The dust sucked in and sucked into the suction / exhaust device 30 from the suction duct 15 is discharged out of the room together with air through the exhaust duct 17. Thereby, the dust of the air filter 8 can be automatically discharged to the outside, and the maintenance work can be realized without the need for a person to perform dust cleaning work.

  Moreover, according to the said structure, it can be set as low noise by using the centrifugal intake / exhaust fan 34 which sucks in from the center part and exhausts from an outer peripheral part using the centrifugal force as the intake / exhaust apparatus 30. FIG. Further, a suction cover 36 is integrally provided on the windward side of the casing 35, and the suction cover 36 is formed so that the suction duct connection port 31 and the suction port 38 of the intake / exhaust fan 34 are opened and faced on one side. The air containing dust from the suction duct 15 is sucked by forming a flow path shape in which the outer peripheral portion of the suction duct connection port 31 and the outer peripheral portion of the suction port 38 are gently connected in a side view. The dust sucked from the air filter 8 at a good flow rate in the cover 36 is sucked into the casing 35 without staying in a part of the suction cover 36 and is well discharged outside the room.

  Further, by forming the casing 35 and the suction cover 36 in a flat shape with a small thickness in the left-right direction, or by arranging the intake / exhaust motor 33 in the intake / exhaust fan 34, the intake / exhaust device 30 can be placed indoors. While being compactly accommodated in the side part of the machine 1, it does not project into the flow path for heat exchange and cause trouble, and the increase in the size of the indoor unit 1 can be minimized.

  Further, by using a sirocco fan, which is known as a high air volume / low noise type fan, as the intake / exhaust fan 34, the intake / exhaust device 30 can be reduced in size, and low noise can be achieved even if it is rotated at a high speed. Therefore, it is suitable as the indoor unit 1.

Further, by configuring the suction nozzle 16 to be movable in the lateral direction along the air filter 8, even when the air filter 8 has a curved portion or a deformed portion in side view, the air filter 8 dust can be sucked in well.
(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner is different from the indoor unit 1 of the first embodiment in the following points. That is, in the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner, a ventilation opening 40 is formed in a part of the suction cover 36 of the intake / exhaust device 30, here the upper part, and the opening / closing for opening and closing the ventilation opening 40. A body 41 is provided. The opening / closing body 41 is rotated by an opening / closing drive means 42 having an opening / closing motor or the like.

  In the second embodiment, the opening / closing body 41 is substantially horizontal and closes the ventilation opening 40, and the opening / closing body 41 rotates obliquely upward from the closing position to open the ventilation opening 40. It is designed to rotate over an open posture that opens the door. The rotation control signal when driving the intake / exhaust fan 34 is the same in both cases where the opening / closing body 41 is in the closed position and in the open position.

  With this configuration, when the opening / closing drive means 42 is driven to rotate the opening / closing body 41 to the open position and the ventilation opening 40 of the suction cover 36 is opened, the ventilation opening 40 enters the indoor unit 1 from the ventilation opening 40. The indoor air that has flowed in is sucked in, and the air sucked into the casing 35 from the suction cover 36 by the intake / exhaust fan 34 of the intake / exhaust device 30 is discharged from the exhaust duct 17 to the outside of the room. Thereby, the dirty air in the room can be discharged to the outside and ventilated.

  At this time, since air is sucked and exhausted from the two places of the suction hole 16a of the suction nozzle 16 and the ventilation opening 40 of the suction cover 36, compared to the case of sucking and exhausting air from the suction nozzle 16 alone, There is an advantage that the load on the intake / exhaust fan 34 is reduced and the ventilation air volume can be increased.

  Further, by providing the ventilation opening 40 at the upper part of the suction cover 36, the ventilation air flows from the upper part of the suction cover 36 in a longitudinal direction in the casing 35 of the intake / exhaust fan 34. Thereby, it is possible to prevent dust contained in the ventilation air from staying in the suction cover 36 and the casing 35. As a result, it is possible to prevent the flow path in the suction cover 36 and the casing 35 from becoming narrow due to dust accumulation and increase the ventilation resistance, and maintain a good suction state.

  It is possible to provide the ventilation opening 40 on the front surface portion and the rear surface portion of the suction cover 36, but in this case, it is necessary to devise or clean the dust so that dust does not stay inside. There is.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, since the dust suction operation and the ventilation operation can be performed by one intake / exhaust device 30, a dust intake / exhaust device and a ventilation intake / exhaust device are provided separately. Compared to the case, the storage space can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
(Embodiment 3)
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram conceptually showing an intake / exhaust device in an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 11, the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner is provided with a control unit 43 that controls the rotation speed of the intake / exhaust motor 33 that rotates the intake / exhaust fan 34. The controller 43 controls the rotational speed of the intake / exhaust fan 34 during the dust suction operation in which the ventilation opening 40 is closed and the dust is sucked in, and in the ventilation operation in which the ventilation opening 40 is opened and the room air is sucked in. Control to make them different. For example, during the dust suction operation, air is sucked and exhausted only from the suction nozzle 16, and the load on the suction and exhaust fan 34 is larger than when suctioning and exhausting air from the suction nozzle 16 and the ventilation opening 40. Therefore, the rotational speed of the intake / exhaust fan 34 is increased.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to realize the optimum dust exhaust air volume and ventilation air volume in each case of the dust suction operation and the ventilation operation. Therefore, the dust of the air filter 8 can be sucked very well during the dust suction, and an amount of room air suitable for ventilation can be sucked during the ventilation operation.

In the above case, the case where the rotational speed of the intake / exhaust fan 34 is set larger during dust suction operation than during ventilation operation is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the total opening area of the suction holes 16a of the suction nozzle 16 In addition, an optimum rotational speed may be set in accordance with the opening area of the ventilation opening 40 of the suction cover 36 or the like.
(Embodiment 4)
Next, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of an air conditioner indoor unit according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the indoor unit 1 in this air conditioner, a radial fan is used as the centrifugal intake / exhaust fan 34.

  According to this configuration, the radial fan can realize low noise even when the load is larger than the sirocco fan. Therefore, the operation noise of the suction / exhaust device 30 when removing dust from the air filter 8 is reduced. be able to.

  If a centrifugal fan such as a sirocco fan or a radial fan is used as the intake / exhaust fan 34, as described above, the intake / exhaust device 30 has a plurality of advantages in terms of high air volume, low noise, miniaturization, and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to use an axial flow fan or a mixed flow fan other than the centrifugal type.

  In any of the above embodiments, the suction nozzle 16 is moved to remove the dust from the air filter 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the suction force from the suction nozzle 16 is increased. Thus, it is possible to remove the dust from the air filter 8 without moving the suction nozzle 16. Furthermore, even if the air filter 8 is not provided, the dust attached to the indoor unit 1 is sucked into the outdoor unit. It is also possible to discharge.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention can be applied to devices installed in an environment that can be exhausted outside the room, other than the air conditioner.

It is a front external view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which saw the arrow of the indoor unit in the II line in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 of the indoor unit. It is the perspective view which showed the structure regarding the air filter of the indoor unit, and its cleaning mechanism. It is a simplified side view of the intake / exhaust device provided in the indoor unit. It is a perspective view of the same intake / exhaust device. It is a rough front sectional view of the intake and exhaust device. It is side surface sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the intake / exhaust device in the indoor unit of the air conditioner. It is a rough front sectional view of the intake and exhaust device. It is a figure which shows notionally the intake / exhaust apparatus and control part in the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing of the intake / exhaust apparatus of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner. It is the perspective view which showed the structure regarding the air filter and its cleaning mechanism in the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 5 Suction part 6 Suction part 7 Blowout part 8 Air filter 9 Heat exchanger 9A Heat exchanger 9B Heat exchanger 10 Blower fan 15 Suction duct 16 Suction nozzle 16a Suction hole 17 Exhaust duct 17
18 Screw shaft 21 Nozzle drive motor 30 Intake / exhaust device 31 Suction duct connection port 32 Exhaust duct connection port 33 Suction / exhaust motor 34 Suction / exhaust fan 35 Casing 36 Suction cover 38 Suction port 40 Ventilation opening 41 Opening / closing body 42 Opening / closing drive Means 43 Controller

Claims (6)

A filter cleaning device having at least a suction nozzle having a suction hole for sucking dust adhering to the indoor unit, and an intake / exhaust device connected to the suction nozzle for sucking and discharging dust and indoor air; and the filter cleaning device An air conditioner including an exhaust duct having one end connected and the other end communicating with the outside,
One or both of dust sucked from the filter cleaning device and indoor air or both are discharged from the exhaust duct. The filter cleaning device is provided with an opening for opening and an opening / closing body for opening and closing the opening for ventilation, and indoor air is communicated with the intake / exhaust device when the opening / closing device is opened. Air conditioner. 3. The ventilation opening and the opening / closing body for opening and closing the ventilation opening are provided in any of the flow paths from the dust suction hole of the suction nozzle to the outlet of the intake / exhaust device. Air conditioner. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the ventilation opening and the opening / closing body that opens and closes the ventilation opening are provided in the intake / exhaust device. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the ventilation opening and the opening / closing body for opening and closing the ventilation opening are provided in a suction nozzle. The opening / closing body for opening / closing the ventilation opening and the ventilation opening has an opening, and the opening allows the indoor air to pass therethrough. Air conditioner.

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