JP2008185331A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner having a dust arrester capable of automatically and surely removing dust sticking to a filter and preventing removed dust from sticking again to the filter. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner has a heat exchanger 3 and a blower fan 2 enclosed in a body cabinet comprising an air suction port 121 and an air blowoff port 131, and the dust removing filter 5 disposed between the air suction port 121 and the heat exchanger 3. A sliding means for reciprocating the filter 5, and a filter cleaning part 7 disposed to contact the filter 5 along a moving path of the filter 5, are included in the body cabinet. The sliding means comprises a motor 6 comprising an output gear 75 provided on the body cabinet side, and a rack part provided on the filter 5 side to be meshed with the output gear 75. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a filter cleaning function for automatically cleaning a dirty filter. More specifically, the present invention reliably removes dust adhering to the filter and easily collects the removed dust. It relates to a harmonic machine.

  In current air conditioners (indoor units), a dust-proof filter is attached in order to prevent dust from flowing into the air intake port. In general, this filter is detachably attached, and the user removes and cleans the filter at the right time, and after washing, is returned to the indoor unit by the user's hand.

  Usually, since the air conditioner is installed at a high place in the room, it is extremely difficult for elderly people and women to attach and remove the filter. Therefore, there is a problem that the cleaning work of the filter is easily avoided.

  If the filter is left in a state where dust is accumulated, not only will the air flow rate decrease and heat exchange efficiency will decrease, but it will also generate mold and other odors and house dust that may cause allergic symptoms. There is also a risk of attracting.

  Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-99479 discloses a roll-type circulation filter that is provided with a dust removal device on the circulation system to remove dust adhering to the filter. However, this has the following problems.

  That is, first of all, since the filter cannot be removed, the filter cannot be washed and cannot be completely cleaned. Even if the filter can be removed, the filter may be damaged when the filter is attached again.

  Secondly, since the upper surface of the dust removing device is always open, when the collection box is filled with dust, there is a possibility that dust in the collection box may be scraped out of the collection box when the filter is rolled up. .

  In particular, ceiling wall type air conditioners (indoor units) that are installed near the corners of the wall and ceiling, which have recently started to appear, are prone to dust accumulation on the filter because the air inlet is open toward the ceiling. It is often required to clean the filter.

  Then, the subject of this invention is providing the air conditioner which has the filter cleaning function which can collect | recover the removed dust easily while being able to remove the dust adhering to a filter reliably.

  In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that a blower fan is housed in a main body cabinet having an air suction port and an air blower outlet, and between the air suction port and the blower fan. In the air conditioner in which a filter for dust removal is arranged, a cleaning unit for cleaning the filter is provided in the main body cabinet, and the cleaning unit is provided with a filter cleaning means for cleaning in contact with the filter on the upper side of the filter. A holding portion for holding the filter so as to contact the filter cleaning means is provided on the leeward side of the filter.

  The invention described in claim 1 includes a mode in which the holding portion is formed of a brush as described in claim 2.

  The invention described in claim 1 includes a mode in which the holding portion is pressed against the filter by pressing means, as described in claim 3.

  According to the present invention, a blower fan is housed in a main body cabinet having an air suction port and an air blower outlet, and a dust removing filter is disposed between the air suction port and the blower fan. In the conditioner, a cleaning unit that cleans the filter in the main body cabinet and a filter drive unit that reciprocates the filter along the cleaning unit are provided, and the cleaning unit is a filter that contacts and cleans the filter. A dust box having a collecting unit for collecting dust removed by the filter cleaning unit, and a holding unit for holding the filter so as to contact the filter cleaning unit, and a leeward side of the air suction port and The dust box and filter cleaning means are provided on the windward side of the filter, and the filter cleaning means is provided in the dust box. The filter is disposed on the leeward side of the filter, and the collection unit of the dust box is provided on one side and the other side of the filter cleaning means along the operation direction of the filter. The dust attached to the filter can be surely removed without removing from the filter.

  In addition, since the holding unit is made of a brush, the movement amount can be absorbed by the brush of the holding unit even if the filter moves to the filter holding unit side.

  Furthermore, since the holding part is provided at a position facing the filter cleaning means, it is possible to reliably remove dust attached to the filter.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner (indoor unit) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The main body cabinet 1 of the air conditioner includes a base 11 that is installed on a wall surface via a mounting bracket (not shown), an upper panel 12, and a front panel 13, all of which are made of synthetic resin. The main body cabinet 1 stores a cross flow fan 2 as a blower fan, a heat exchanger 3 and a dew holder 4.

  The base 11 has a back plate 110 and a pair of left and right side plates (not shown) formed so as to project forward from both sides of the back plate 110, and the heat exchanger 3 is attached between the side plates.

  In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 3 includes three heat exchange units 31 to 33 combined in a substantially Λ (lambda) shape, and is arranged so as to cover the cross flow fan 2.

  The base 11 is formed with a dew receiving portion 111 for receiving dew condensation water generated by the back side heat exchange unit 32, and further, a storage groove 112 for storing various pipes, electric wires and the like is formed at the lower back side. Yes.

  An upper panel 12 is attached to the upper end side of the base 11. The top panel 12 is fixed to the base 11 via a locking claw (not shown) projecting from the rear end thereof, and the tip side is bridged in an arch shape to the tip of the front panel 13 so as to cover the heat exchanger 3. .

  The upper panel 12 is provided with an air inlet 121 over the entire surface. Although not shown in the drawing, a grille is formed in the air suction port 121 in a bar shape. The crosspiece portion may be removable, and the shape thereof can be arbitrarily selected.

  A front panel 13 is attached to the lower end side of the base 11. The front panel 13 includes a pair of left and right side plates formed so as to cover both side plates of the base 11, the rear end side is detachably fixed to the base 11 via a locking claw (not shown), and the front end side is from the base 11. It is formed in a cross-sectional ship bottom shape that curves upward.

  In the center of the front panel 13, an air outlet 131 that blows out air from the cross flow fan 2 is provided. The air outlet 131 includes a diffuser 132 that controls the amount of blow and a left and right wind direction plate 133 that controls the direction of the blow. And the up-and-down wind direction board 134 is provided.

  An open / close panel 14 that is opened and closed when the filter 5 is pulled out of the apparatus is integrally provided on the front surface of the front panel 13. The open / close panel 14 is rotatably supported around the upper end side. When the filter 5 moves in the forward direction, the other end side is lifted by the filter 5 and the filter 5 is pulled out (see FIG. 11).

  The open / close panel 14 is also used as an approach means when removing the filter cleaning unit 7 from the main body cabinet 1.

  Between the air inlet 121 of the top panel 12 and the heat exchanger 3, a filter 5 that removes dust contained in the air toward the heat exchanger 3 is provided, and a filter on the side plate of the base 11 is provided. A slide means 6 (drive motor 6) that slides 5 in a predetermined direction and a filter cleaning unit 7 that removes dust adhering to the filter 5 are provided.

  7A and 7B are perspective views of the filter viewed from the front side and the back side. The filter 5 includes a frame 51 formed in a frame shape with a predetermined width, and a filter unit 52 surrounded by the frame 51 and regularly formed with a mesh. The frame 51 and the filter part 52 are made of an integrally molded product of synthetic resin.

  The filter 5 is made of, for example, a base resin such as polypropylene, but it is more preferable to add an antistatic material such as a conductive resin to the base resin. That is, the filter 5 is easily charged by friction with nylon brushes 73 and 74, which will be described later, and thus prevents dust from being attracted by charging. In addition to this, an antifungal material and an antibacterial material may be further added.

  On the back side of the filter 5, a rack part 53 is provided in parallel along the sliding direction, and rail parts 54, 54 are provided at both side ends of the frame 51 in the sliding direction.

  The rack portion 53 is composed of a single rack tooth formed at a predetermined pitch, and meshes with a rotation gear 75 of the bottom cover 71 described later. In this embodiment, the rack portion 52 is formed at the center of the filter 5, but the position thereof is not particularly limited and may be changed as appropriate.

  The rails 54, 54 are composed of two rail pieces integrally projecting outward from both side end portions in the sliding direction of the frame 51, and at one end side (the front end side in the forward direction in this embodiment) A guide portion 543 is provided for guiding opening / closing levers 83a and 83b of the filter cleaning portion 7 described later to either the open rail surface 541 or the closed rail surface 542.

  In this embodiment, the guide portion 543 is formed by a cut-and-raised piece obtained by obliquely cutting and raising one end side of the rail piece, and the cut-and-raised piece comes into contact with the opening / closing levers 83a and 83b.

  The filter 5 is supported so as to be slidable along guide rails (not shown) provided on both side walls of the upper panel 12, and the tip side is inserted into the filter cleaning unit 7.

  FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of the filter 5. In the present invention, in the filter 5, the height H of the mesh (vertical mesh 55) parallel to the sliding direction is higher than the height h of the mesh (horizontal mesh 56) in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. Is set.

  According to this, when the filter groove parallel to the sliding direction appears on the surface of the filter 5, the cleaning brushes 73 and 74 installed in the filter cleaning unit 7 described later when the filter 5 is slid between the meshes. It is easy to enter and dust attached between the meshes can be surely removed.

  Next, the drive motor 6 and the filter cleaning unit 7 will be described with reference to the enlarged view of FIG. The drive motor 6 is fixed to the side surface of the base 11 via the mounting portion 62, and its output shaft is meshed with a rotary gear 75 provided on the bottom cover 71 of the filter cleaning portion 7 described later. An output gear 61 is attached.

  The drive motor 6 is controlled and driven by a control / drive means (not shown), and is driven by a remote control operation or a timer, for example. The specific driving method and rotation order are arbitrary.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the filter cleaning unit 7 includes a bottom cover 71 and a top cover 72 that covers the bottom cover 71. One end side is fixed via a hinge unit 70, and the other end side is opened and closed. It is provided as possible.

  The bottom cover 71 is made of an integrally molded synthetic resin, and is formed in a box that is longer than at least the width of the filter 5 and includes a storage space 711 for storing dust therein. In the bottom cover 71, a storage space 711 is partitioned by reinforcing ribs 712a to 712d (four in this embodiment) at a predetermined interval.

  Among the ribs 712a to 712d, the ribs 712b and 712c are provided in parallel to the center of the bottom cover 7, and a rotary gear 75 that meshes with the drive motor 6 is rotatably supported between the ribs 712b and 712c.

  A part of the rotating gear 75 is exposed from the bottom surface of the bottom cover 71 as shown in FIG. 2, and meshes with the output shaft 61 of the drive motor 6.

  A first cleaning brush 73 for cleaning one surface of the filter 5 is provided in the storage space 711. In this embodiment, the first cleaning brush 73 has a large number of brush lines implanted at predetermined intervals. It consists of a straight brush and is provided so as to contact the filter 5 at a right angle.

  In this embodiment, the first cleaning brush 73 is supported by an L-shaped support rib, but more preferably, a pressing means such as a compression spring between the support rib and the bottom cover 71 as shown in FIG. 731 is preferably provided so that the first cleaning brush 73 always contacts the filter 5.

  The top cover 72 is made of a synthetic resin molded into a box that can be fitted along the periphery of the opening of the bottom cover 71 and is at least longer than the width of the filter 5, and is used for partitioning at positions facing the ribs 712a to 712d. Four ribs 722a to 722d are provided in the storage space 721.

  The top cover 72 is provided with rotating shafts 723 and 723 on the connecting end side. The rotating shaft 723 is supported by the bearing holes 713 and 713 of the bottom cover 71 so as to be opened and closed. .

  In the storage space 721 of the top cover 72, a second cleaning brush 74 for cleaning the other surface of the filter 5 is provided. In this embodiment, the second cleaning brush 74 is perpendicular to the filter 5. And an upright brush 741 that contacts the filter 5 and an inclined brush 742 that contacts the filter 5 at an angle from an oblique direction.

  According to this, the dust scraped from the filter surface on the top cover 72 side adheres to the filter 5 again and is easily taken out of the filter cleaning unit 7, but the inclined brush 742 implanted in an oblique direction is filtered by the filter. The dust reattached to the filter 5 can be surely scraped off by being inserted into the eyes. The pressing means 731 described above may be provided on the second cleaning brush 74 side.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom cover 71 is provided with a fitting groove 714 for fitting the top cover 72 together, whereas the top cover 72 has a fitting groove 714 with respect to the fitting groove 714. A fitting claw 724 for fitting is projected. By fitting them together, the bottom cover 71 and the top cover 72 are held in a closed state.

  In this embodiment, the bottom cover 71 and the top cover 72 are locked by fitting the fitting groove 714 and the fitting claw 724 together, but other fitting means may be employed.

  Between both ends of the bottom cover 71 and the top cover 72, slit-like introduction ports 76 and 77 are provided for introducing the filter 5 into the filter cleaning unit 7. When the filter 5 is moved in the forward direction, the introduction port 76 is opened, and when the filter 5 is moved in the backward direction, the introduction port 76 is urged so that the dust accumulated in the filter cleaning unit 7 is discharged out of the cleaning unit. A shutter 8 is provided to prevent it.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter 8 includes a pair of rotating shafts 81a and 81b arranged in parallel to each other and a pair of movable scrapers 82a and 82b that open and close in directions away from and approaching each other about the rotating shafts 81a and 81b. Open / close levers 83a and 83b attached to the rotary shafts 81a and 81b and opening and closing the movable scrapers 82a and 82b via predetermined scraper opening and closing means.

  One rotating shaft 81a is rotatably supported by bearings 714a to 714d provided on the ribs 712a to 712d of the bottom cover 71, and the other rotating shaft 82a is provided to the ribs 722a to 722d of the top cover 72. The bearings 724a to 724d are rotatably supported and rotate in directions opposite to each other.

  In this embodiment, coil springs 84a and 84b are provided at the ends of the rotary shafts 81a and 81b, and the movable scrapers 82a and 82b are always urged by the springs in the closing direction via the coil springs 84a and 84b. Yes.

  The movable scrapers 82a and 82b are erected integrally in an L shape along the rotation shafts 81a and 81b, respectively, and are provided at symmetrical positions. In this embodiment, a total of four movable scrapers 82a and 82b are provided in two places as a pair of upper and lower sides.

  On the opposing surfaces of the movable scrapers 82a and 82b, there is provided a wiping portion 821 that contacts the filter when it is closed and wipes off dust adhering to the filter. In this embodiment, the wiping portion 821 is formed by attaching a raised sheet having a large number of minute brush-like hairs, but felt or nonwoven fabric may be used in addition to this.

  The open / close levers 83a and 83b are integrally fixed to the rotary shafts 81a and 81b at one end side, and protruded in an L shape in the direction away from the rotary shafts 81a and 81b at the other end side. A lever arm 831 that moves along the rail portion 54 of the filter 5 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, one opening / closing lever 83a is provided on the left end side of the rotating shaft 81a, and the other opening / closing lever 83b is provided on the right end side of the rotating shaft 81b. The lever arm 831 is driven by one rail 54 (right side in FIG. 7A), and the lever arm 831 of the other opening / closing lever 83b is driven by the other rail 54 (left side in FIG. 7A).

  In this embodiment, the filter cleaning unit 7 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, but it is more preferable that a fungicide or an antibacterial material is further added. According to this, it is possible to effectively prevent mold and the like from growing in the dust stored in the filter cleaning unit 7, and it is also possible to prevent the generation of malodor.

  Next, a method for attaching the filter cleaning unit 7 to the main body cabinet 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, a locking portion 715 for fixing the filter cleaning portion 7 to the main body cabinet 1 is provided on the side surface of the bottom cover 71 of the filter cleaning portion 7.

  The locking portion 715 is made of a U-shaped elastically deformable elastic piece provided on a part of the bottom cover 71, and a part of the locking portion 715 is locked on a locking recess 135 provided on the side surface of the front panel 13. A locking claw 716 is provided.

  On the other hand, two guide ribs 133 and 133 project in parallel along the insertion direction of the filter cleaning portion 7 on both side surfaces of the front panel 13, and a locking portion 715 is inserted between the guide ribs 133 and 133. A guide portion 134 is formed. The guide portion 134 is formed with a locking recess 135 that locks the locking claw 716 one step lower.

  According to this, the filter cleaning part 7 is inserted along the guide part 134, and the locking claw 715 and the locking recess 135 are fitted, so that the filter cleaning part 7 is securely fixed to the front panel 13. be able to.

  In this embodiment, the guide part 134 is provided on both side surfaces of the front panel 13, but the installation location of the guide part 134 can be appropriately selected. In addition, any other means that can be used as a fixing means for the filter cleaning unit 7 can be selected as appropriate.

  Next, an example of a procedure for cleaning the filter 5 of the air conditioner 1 will be described. First, when a user operates a filter cleaning button provided on a remote controller or the like, a control unit (not shown) issues a command to the drive motor 6 to rotate the drive motor 6 in the discharging direction of the filter 5.

  The rotational force of the drive motor 6 is transmitted from the output gear 61 to the rotation gear 77 and transmitted to the rack portion 53 meshed with the rotation gear 75, whereby the filter 5 is discharged in the discharge direction (lower left direction in FIG. 1). Slide.

  When the filter 5 starts to slide in the discharging direction, the rail portion 54 provided at the side end of the filter 5 moves the movable scrapers 82a and 82b in the opening direction. Note that the movable scrapers 82a and 82b rotate in directions opposite to each other, and the movement method is the same. Therefore, in the following description, only one operation is illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 9 (a), when the filter 5 starts moving, the open guide surface is formed so that the lever arms 831 of the open / close levers 83a and 83b ride on the guide portion 543 provided at the end of the rail portion 54. 541.

  At this time, the movable scrapers 82a and 82b are forcibly moved in the opening direction by rotating the lever arms 831 around the rotation shafts 81a and 81b while riding on the opening guide surface 541.

  The filter 5 is introduced into the filter cleaning unit 7 while the movable scrapers 82a and 82b are in an open state, and is attached to the filter 5 by moving between the cleaning brushes 73 and 74 provided in the filter cleaning unit 7. Garbage is scraped out.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the tip of the filter 5 comes into contact with the lower side of the open / close panel 14 of the front panel 13 and is pulled out of the machine while pushing up the open / close panel 14. In this embodiment, the opening / closing panel 14 is pushed up by the filter 5, but other dedicated opening / closing means may be provided to open / close the filter 5 without applying a load.

  When the filter 5 moves by a predetermined amount of movement, a control unit (not shown) sends a reverse rotation command to the drive motor 6 to slide the filter 5 in the storage direction (upper right direction in FIG. 1). At this time, the movable scrapers 82a and 82b are urged in the closing direction so that the dust stored in the filter cleaning unit 7 again adheres to the filter 5 and is not taken out of the cleaning unit.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the lever arm 831 that has moved along the open rail surface 541 reaches the end of the rail portion 54, the lever arm 831 is forcibly pulled back to the closed state by a spring bias, and each movable scraper 82a and 82b contact each other.

  Therefore, when the filter 5 starts moving in the storage direction, the lever arm 831 is guided to the closed rail surface 542 as it is, and the movable scrapers 82a and 82b are maintained in the closed state. At this time, the surface of the filter 5 is wiped off by the contact surfaces 821 of the movable scrapers 82a and 82b, and is carried into the machine in a clean state.

  When the cleaning described above is repeated a plurality of times and the dust becomes full in the filter cleaning unit 7, the front panel 13 is opened, the locked state is released, the filter cleaning unit 7 is removed, and collected inside. Just remove the trash.

  In this embodiment, one filter cleaning unit 7 is provided for one filter 5. For example, when the filter 5 is provided in two places in one main body cabinet 1, the filter cleaning unit 7 and Two drive motors 6 are also provided to drive it.

  In this embodiment, the main body cabinet 1 has been described using a ceiling wall type air conditioner. For example, the cleaning unit of the present invention may be applied to a normal wall-mounted air conditioner. The configuration can be appropriately selected according to the specifications.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in an air conditioner in which a filter for dust removal is disposed between an air inlet and a heat exchanger, the filter is directed inside and outside the main body cabinet. By providing a sliding means for reciprocally moving the filter and a filter cleaning part arranged so as to come into contact with the filter along the moving path of the filter, the dust adhered to the filter without removing the filter from the main body cabinet. Can be reliably removed.

  Further, the filter cleaning unit can be attached to and detached from the main body cabinet, and the collected dust can be easily collected by combining the top cover and the bottom cover so that they can be opened and closed.

  Furthermore, the filter cleaning unit is provided with an openable shutter to prevent dust accumulated inside from being discharged outside, so that the dust collected in the cleaning unit when the filter moves in the filter cleaning unit. Is prevented from being taken out of the cleaning section again.

The principal part sectional view of the air harmony machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. The expanded sectional view of the filter cleaning part periphery of the said air conditioner. The perspective view of a filter cleaning part. The disassembled perspective view of the filter cleaning part attached to the said air conditioner. Explanatory drawing explaining the fitting method of a bottom cover and a top cover. Explanatory drawing explaining the attachment procedure of a filter cleaning part and an air conditioner. The perspective view of the state which looked at the filter from the front side and the back side. The elements on larger scale of the said filter. Explanatory drawing explaining the opening / closing procedure of a movable scraper. Sectional drawing of the principal part of the state which pulled out the filter out of the main body cabinet. The perspective view of the state which pulled out the filter out of the main body cabinet.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 11 Base 12 Top panel 121 Air inlet 13 Front panel 14 Opening / closing panel 2 Cross flow fan 3 Heat exchanger 4 Dew receiving 5 Filter 51 Frame 52 Filter part 53 Rack part 54 Rail part 541 Open rail surface 542 Closed rail surface 543 Guide unit 6 Drive motor 7 Filter cleaning unit 71 Bottom cover 711 Storage space 712a to 712d Rib 72 Top cover 721 Storage space 721a to 721d Rib 73 First cleaning filter 74 Second cleaning filter 8 Shutter 81a, 81b Rotating shaft 82a, 82b Movable scraper 83a, 83b Lever part

Claims (3)

In an air conditioner in which a blower fan is housed in a main body cabinet including an air suction port and an air blower outlet, and a dust removing filter is disposed between the air suction port and the blower fan.
A cleaning unit for cleaning the filter in the main body cabinet and a filter driving unit for reciprocating the filter along the cleaning unit are provided.
The cleaning part
Filter cleaning means for cleaning in contact with the filter;
A dust box having a collection unit for collecting dust removed by the filter cleaning means;
A holding portion for holding the filter so as to contact the filter cleaning means;
The dust box and the filter cleaning means are provided on the leeward side of the air suction port and on the leeward side of the filter,
Providing the filter cleaning means in the dust box;
While providing the holding portion on the leeward side of the filter,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit of the dust box is provided on one side and the other side of the filter cleaning means along the operation direction of the filter. The air conditioner characterized in that the holding part is made of a brush. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion is provided at a position facing the filter cleaning means.