JP2007155273A - Filter cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filter cleaning device capable of easily discarding dust generated by filter cleaning without discharging the dust to the outside. <P>SOLUTION: The filter cleaning device is for removing dust in the air and is equipped with dust removal boxes 10, 11 for removing and capturing dust A adhered to a filter 4, and a suction fan 12 for sucking air inside the dust removal boxes 10, 11. A dust collecting means 32 is interposed in a suction passage 14a between the dust removal boxes 10, 11 and the suction fan 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a filter cleaning device that cleans a filter that removes dust in the air.

  Conventionally, as a cleaning device for cleaning an air filter of an air conditioner, as shown in Patent Document 1, a dust box provided with a brush for removing dust is disposed so as to contact the filter, and the filter is moved. What cleans a filter and stores dust in a dust box is known.

Moreover, as shown in Patent Document 2, a movable suction nozzle for sucking dust adhering to the filter is provided, a suction duct is provided in the suction nozzle, and a suction / exhaust device connected to the suction duct and the sucked dust are outdoors. A filter device having an exhaust duct for exhausting air is also known.
JP 2005-188808 A JP 2004-283703 A

  However, in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, in order to discard the dust accumulated in the dust box, it is necessary to remove the dust box from the air conditioner and suck the inside of the dust box with a vacuum cleaner. It was troublesome. On the other hand, in the filter device described in Patent Document 2, since air containing dust is discharged outdoors, there is a problem that the surrounding environment is damaged.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a filter cleaning device that can be easily discarded without discharging dust generated by filter cleaning outdoors.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a filter cleaning device for removing dust in the air, the dust removing box for removing and collecting the dust attached to the filter, and the air in the dust removing box. And a suction means for sucking the dust, and a dust collecting means is interposed in a suction path between the dust removal box and the suction means.

  According to the above configuration, the dust removed from the filter can be collected by the dust collecting means without being discharged outdoors. In addition, it is possible to easily dispose of the dust by collecting the dust adhering to the entire filter to the dust collecting means.

  The dust collecting means is disposed in the suction path, and is installed below the dust collecting filter part, a dust collecting filter part for removing dust in the air, a cleaning member for removing dust adhering to the dust collecting filter part, and the dust collecting filter part. A dust collection box that receives dust that has fallen from the dust collection filter section can be provided. As a result, it is possible to remove the dust adhering to the dust collection filter section, and it is possible to collect the dust after peeling off in one place of the dust collection box using gravity, which makes it easier to discard the dust. It becomes possible to do.

  In the above configuration, the dust collection filter section is formed so that the eyes are smaller than the filter to be cleaned and the filter area is small, so that the dust collection means can reliably capture dust without increasing the size of the suction means. It becomes possible to collect. Furthermore, the dust attached to the dust collecting filter portion can be easily removed by reducing the filter area.

  The dust collection filter portion may be any member that is resistant to friction with the cleaning member, and examples thereof include a mesh filter. The cleaning member may include a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the surface of the dust collection filter portion, and a moving unit that moves the cleaning blade relative to the dust collection filter portion. A rubber blade or a brush can be used as the cleaning blade.

  The moving means may move the cleaning blade with the dust collection filter portion fixed, or may move the dust collection filter portion with the cleaning blade fixed. When moving the cleaning blade, for example, the cleaning blade may be rotated about the center of the cleaning blade, but if the cleaning blade is attached to the wiper arm of the wiper device and reciprocated, the dust collecting filter section can be easily moved. It becomes possible to remove dust.

  Moreover, when moving a dust collection filter part, for example, a long mesh filter is used as a dust collection filter part, and this is passed over two rolls installed in parallel at a distance, Each end of the direction is wound around a roll and the filter is stretched. Then, the cleaning blade is fixed in contact with the filter surface, and the two rolls are synchronously rotated to move the filter in one direction so that dust attached to the filter surface can be removed. .

  In addition, it is preferable to apply an antistatic process to the dust collection box because dust can be easily discarded without remaining in the dust collection box. As antistatic processing, for example, when the dust collection box is made of synthetic resin, the resin surface is oxidatively decomposed with an oxidizing agent such as potassium permanganate to generate hydrophilic groups on the surface, or an antistatic agent is used on the resin raw material. Or a method of applying an antistatic agent to the molded plastic surface can be employed.

  The dust removal box used in the present invention may have any opening as long as it has an opening, removes dust adhering to the filter, and collects it from the opening in the internal space. Specifically, the suction means may be operated in a state where the suction means is connected to the dust removal box and the opening surface of the dust removal box is in contact with the filter surface. As a result, air is sucked from the back side of the filter toward the dust removal box, and at the same time, the dust is separated from the filter, collected in the dust removal box, and immediately sucked to the suction means.

  As another form of the dust removal box, it is also possible to use a halved dust removal box disposed so that its opening faces face each other, and a filter is sandwiched between both boxes. In this case, since the inside of the box is a sealed space, dust can be collected in the box by installing a brush in the box and wiping the filter surface with the brush. Dust collected in both boxes may be sucked by suction means. The suction means can be operated simultaneously with the filter wiping with a brush.

  When using the halved dust removal box, the dust removal box is formed long so as to cross the filter, both boxes are placed opposite to each other with the filter in between, and an air inlet is formed on one end side of the box in the filter transverse direction. It is also possible to connect a suction means for sucking air to the other end side.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to generate an air flow having a high flow velocity in the entire space in the box from one end side to the other end side of the dust removal box, thereby efficiently removing dust attached to the filter in the box. Can be removed well. That is, dust can be removed by applying an air flow having a high flow velocity from the side of the filter.

  The filter cleaning device described above can be mounted on an air conditioner that includes a suction port and an air outlet and a filter that is interposed between the suction port and the air outlet to remove dust in the air. Examples of the air conditioner include an air conditioner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an air cleaner, and a heater.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the dust removal box that removes and collects dust attached to the filter and the suction unit that sucks the air in the dust removal box are provided, and the dust removal box and the suction unit Since the dust collecting means is interposed in the suction path between the two, the dust collecting means can collect the dust without discharging it outdoors, and the dust that has adhered to the entire filter is collected. It is possible to easily dispose of dust by concentrating on.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a case where a separate type air conditioner indoor unit having a cooling / heating function as a main function is used as an air conditioner, and the filter cleaning device according to the present invention is mounted on the indoor unit. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

  In FIG.1 and FIG.2, the suction inlet 2 and the blower outlet 3 are each formed in the upper part and the lower part of the indoor unit main body 1 of an air conditioner, and the blower outlet 3 from the suction inlet 2 is formed in the inside of the main body 1. FIG. A ventilation path is formed between the filter 4, the filter 4, the indoor heat exchanger 5, and the blower fan 6 in this order, with the suction port 2 side as the upstream side. The indoor unit is provided with a filter cleaning device for cleaning the filter 4.

  A louver 9 for changing the direction of the air flow in the vertical direction is swingably attached to the air outlet 3. Note that the louver 9 operates quickly when the cooling / heating air flow is turned off, and closes the outlet 3 as shown. That is, the louver 9 also has a role of an open / close panel of the blowout port 3.

  When the air conditioning operation is performed in the indoor unit configured as described above, first, the blower fan 6 is operated to suck indoor air from the suction port 2, and the indoor air passes through the filter 4 and comes into contact with the indoor heat exchanger 5. . The indoor air conditioned by being warmed or cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 5 is discharged into the room through the outlet 3.

  The front portion of the indoor unit body 1 is formed to be openable and closable by a front panel 7. A filter guide 8 is formed inside the front panel 7. As shown in FIG. 3, when the front panel 7 is lifted upward and opened, the tip of the filter guide 8 rotates in conjunction with this. Oriented forward, this makes it possible to insert the filter 4. When the front panel 7 is closed, the front end of the filter guide 8 is also interlocked and rotated downward, and the filter 4 is set in the indoor unit body 1 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the suction ports 2 are formed at two left and right positions on the upper surface of the main body 1, and below (in the vicinity of the downstream side) are formed in a vertically long rectangle corresponding to each suction port 2. Two filters 4 are arranged side by side. The length of the filter 4 in the horizontal direction is substantially the same as that of each suction port 2. The vertical length of the filter 4 is longer than the vertical length of the suction port 2, and the lower portion of the filter 4 is bent and held along the filter guide 8 with the front panel 7 closed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the panel of the indoor unit is removed, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the filter 4 is further removed therefrom. The filter cleaning device has, as a basic configuration for removing dust attached to the filter 4, a dust removal box 10 and 11, and a suction fan 12 as suction means for sucking air inside the dust removal box 10 and 11. Moving means for reciprocating the filter 4 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the filter cleaning device includes dust collecting means 32 interposed in the suction path 14a in the pipe 14 that connects the dust removal boxes 10 and 11 and the suction fan 12. Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the filter cleaning device will be described.

  The dust removal box 10 and the dust removal box 11 are formed in a halved shape, both of which are elongated, and are installed with the longitudinal direction oriented in the horizontal direction of the filter so as to cross the two filters 4. Yes. The dust removal boxes 10 and 11 are arranged with an interval x so that the opening end faces 10a and 11a of the two are opposed to each other with the filter 4 in between.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a vent 15 is formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the front side box 10 and the back side box 11, and the other end side is maintained with a gap x between them. Is held fitted. The other end side of the pipe 14 is connected to the suction fan 12.

  That is, the boxes 10 and 11 are arranged to face each other, thereby forming a box body 16 in which a vent hole 15 is formed on one end side and the suction fan 12 is connected on the other end side. A space surrounded by the box body 16 is an air flow path 17. The air flow path 17 has a vent 15 of the box body 16 as an inlet, and is configured to generate an air flow by sucking air from the inlet to the suction fan 12. Two slit-shaped gaps 18 (interval x) are formed in the box body 16 in the longitudinal direction, and the filter 4 can move in the longitudinal direction in the gap 18.

  FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the filter and its AA and BB cross sections. The filter 4 includes a frame body 31 including a vertical frame 31a and a horizontal frame 31b provided around the mesh filter 19, and vertical ribs 20 and horizontal ribs 21 for reinforcing the filter. A plurality of the vertical ribs 20 and the horizontal ribs 21 are made of synthetic resin and formed on the surface of the mesh filter 19 at equal intervals.

  Whereas the horizontal frame 31b and the horizontal rib 21 are formed with a sufficient thickness to prevent warping and waviness of the filter 4, the vertical frame 31a and the vertical rib 20 are formed thinner than the horizontal rib 21. Has been. Thereby, the filter 4 can be easily bent in the vertical direction while maintaining the rigidity in the horizontal direction.

  Racks 22 are provided on the vertical frames 31 a formed at the left and right ends of the filter 4. The rack portion 22 meshes with a pinion 28 which is a moving means described later, and reciprocates the filter 4 in the vertical direction. The rack portion 22 has a shape obtained by forming a strip-like material into a corrugated shape, and this peak portion functions as a rack. It is like that. In this way, the rack portion 22 is formed in a waveform so that the vertical flexibility of the filter 4 is maintained.

  A mesh filter 19 that allows the air sucked from the suction port 2 to pass through is stretched at the upper part of the filter 4. A thin resin sheet 23 is used in the lower part of the filter instead of the mesh filter 19, and the lower part of the filter is air. Has a structure that does not pass through. In addition, the resin sheet 23 is formed to be thin like the vertical ribs 20, so that the flexibility in the vertical direction is secured over the entire filter 4.

  The moving means for reciprocating the filter 4 in the vertical direction includes a filter holding means 24 for holding the filter 4 and a driving means 26 for moving the filter 4 by the motor 25, as shown in FIGS. . The filter holding means 24 is composed of a pair of guide paths into which the left and right ends of the filter 4 can be inserted. The cross-sectional shape of the filter holding means 24 is represented as a black portion in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the filter holding unit 24 is provided along the suction port 2, and passes between the dust removal boxes 10 and 11 while being gently inclined downward on the front side of the suction port 2. From there, a U-shaped path 24a is formed that descends substantially vertically along the front panel 7 and then U-turns inward and rises toward the suction port. The filter guide 8 described above constitutes a part of the filter holding means 24 with the front panel 7 closed.

  The drive means 26 includes a motor 25, a drive gear 27 connected to the motor 25, a pinion 28 and a rubber roller 29 that mesh with the drive gear 27. A gear having the same shape as a pinion (not shown) is attached to the rotation shaft of the rubber roller 29, so that the pinion 28 and the rubber roller 29 rotate in the same direction.

  The pinion 28 is partly exposed from the filter holding means 24 near the box body 16 and is disposed so as to mesh with the back surface side of the rack portion 22 provided in the filter 4. The rubber roller 29 is disposed so as to be partly exposed in the U-shaped path 24a, and rotates while contacting the back side of the filter 4 in the U-shaped path 24a, so that the frictional force causes the movement of the bent filter 4 to move. It is configured to perform smoothly.

  One pair of driving means 26 is attached to each of the left and right guide paths of the filter holding means 24. However, as shown in FIG. The drive gears 27 arranged on the left and right sides are fixed to the same rotary shaft 30 connected to the motor 25, and are driven to rotate in the same way on the left and right.

  When the filter 4 is set in the indoor unit main body 1, the filter upper part is inserted into the filter holding means 24 from the filter guide 8, and the filter 4 is disposed below the suction port 2. At this time, the distance x between the boxes 10 and 11 is set to be slightly larger than the thickness y of the thickness of the lateral rib 21 and the thickness of the filter. It is possible to set the filter 4 smoothly without generating a large friction with 11 (see FIG. 7). The filter 4 is set with the surface on which the lateral ribs 21 are formed as the surface, and this surface is facing up.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of both boxes and the filter when the filter 4 is set in the indoor unit body 1. In the filter 4, horizontal ribs 21 are formed at substantially the same interval z as the width of the boxes 10 and 11 (the distance between the opening end faces 10a and 11a of the dust removal box). As a result, it is possible to close the gap 18 by positioning the lateral ribs 21 in the two gaps 18 formed in the box body 16. Thus, it becomes possible to form the cylindrical box body 16 without a gap with the front side box 10, the back side box 11, and the horizontal rib 21 interposed therebetween.

  Next, the dust collecting means 32 will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the dust collecting means. The dust collecting means 32 includes a dust collecting filter portion 33 interposed in the suction path 14 a, a cleaning member that removes dust attached to the dust collecting filter portion 33, and a dust collecting box 36 installed below the dust collecting filter portion 33. And. The dust collection filter unit 33 is made of a mesh filter and uses a finer mesh than the filter 4. The filter area of the dust collection filter unit 33 is considerably smaller than the filter area of the filter 4, and thus the dust A adhering to the dust collection filter unit 33 can be easily removed by the wiper device 35.

  The dust collection box 36 is coated with an antistatic agent on the inner wall, thereby being subjected to antistatic processing. The cleaning member includes a cleaning blade 34 and a wiper device 35 that reciprocates the cleaning blade 34.

  In this embodiment, a brush blade is used as the cleaning blade 34, and the cleaning blade 34 is attached to the wiper arm 35a. In addition, the dust collection box 36 is accommodated in the pipe 14 so as to be able to be taken out in a recess 14 b formed in the upstream bottom portion of the dust collection filter portion 33. When the accumulated dust is discarded, the dust collection box 36 can be pulled out directly from the side of the indoor unit.

  The case where the filter 4 is cleaned with the filter cleaning device having the above configuration will be described. When the filter 4 is set in the indoor unit body 1 and the air conditioner is operated, air is sucked from the suction port 2 and the horizontal rib The dust A in the air adheres to the surface of each section 4 a of the mesh filter 19 divided by 21.

  The indoor unit body 1 is provided with a control means including an input circuit, a CPU, a memory, and an output circuit. For example, when it is determined that the operation time of the air conditioner has reached a predetermined time, When it is determined that the surface of the filter 4 is dirty based on the detection result of the dirt detection means, etc., the operation of the suction fan 6 and the moving means is controlled to clean the filter.

  Specifically, first, the moving means is operated, and the filter 4 is moved in the vertical direction by the interval z between the horizontal ribs 21 and stopped as shown in FIG. In this way, the section 4 a that was initially adjacent to the air flow path 17 can be put into the air flow path 17, and further, the lateral rib 21 can be positioned in the gap 18 of the box body 16.

  Next, the suction fan 6 is operated, and air is sucked from the vent 15 which is the inlet of the air flow path 17 to the suction fan 12. As a result, an air flow having a high flow velocity is generated in the air flow path 17, and the dust A adhering to the surface of the section 4a is blown off to remove the dust. Thereafter, by repeating the above operation, the filter 4 can be cleaned for each section 4a, and the removed dust A adheres to the dust collecting filter portion 33 installed in the suction path 14a. When the cleaning of the last section 4a is completed, the filter 4 is moved to the original position by the moving means.

  After the cleaning of the entire filter 4 is completed, the wiper device 35 is operated, and the dust A adhering to the dust collection filter portion 33 is removed. The dust A falling from the dust collection filter part 33 is collected in the dust collection box 36 accommodated in the recess 14b and can be easily discarded.

Indoor unit perspective view of an air conditioner showing an embodiment of the present invention Cross section of indoor unit in FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the front panel opened state of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which removed the panel of the indoor unit of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which removed the filter from FIG. Plan view and sectional view of the filter used in the indoor unit of FIG. Schematic sectional view showing the state of the dust removal box and filter in FIG. Partially enlarged perspective view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit body 2 Inlet 3 Outlet 4 Filter 5 Indoor heat exchanger 6 Blower fan 7 Front panel 8 Filter guide 9 Louver 10 Front side box 11 Back side box 12 Suction fan 13 Top panel 14 Piping 14a Suction path 15 Vent 16 Box Body 17 Air flow path 18 Slit 19 Mesh filter 20 Vertical rib 21 Horizontal rib 22 Rack part 23 Resin sheet 24 Filter holding means 25 Motor 26 Drive means 27 Drive gear 28 Pinion 29 Rubber roller 30 Rotating shaft 31 Frame body 31a Vertical frame 31b Horizontal Frame 32 Dust collection means 33 Dust collection filter section 34 Cleaning blade 35 Wiper device 35a Wiper arm 36 Dust collection box

Claims (6)

A filter cleaning device for removing dust in the air, comprising: a dust removal box that removes and collects dust attached to the filter; and a suction unit that sucks air in the dust removal box, A filter cleaning device comprising a dust collecting means interposed in a suction path between a dust removal box and a suction means. The dust collecting means is disposed in the suction path, and is installed below the dust collecting filter part, a dust collecting filter part for removing dust in the air, a cleaning member for removing dust attached to the dust collecting filter part, and the dust collecting filter part The filter cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dust collection box that receives dust that has fallen from the dust collection filter section. 3. The filter cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the dust collecting filter portion is formed so as to have finer eyes and a smaller filter area than the filter. 3. The cleaning member includes a cleaning blade that contacts a surface of the dust collection filter portion, and a moving unit that moves the cleaning blade relative to the dust collection filter portion. Or the filter cleaning apparatus of 3. 5. The filter cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the moving means is a wiper device that reciprocates the cleaning blade. 6. The filter cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dust collection box is subjected to antistatic processing.

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