JP2009505032A - Air conditioner indoor unit - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to perform a smooth discharge operation without clogging during discharge, and to prevent contamination of a ventilation unit including a heat exchanger and a blower due to dust.
A heat exchanger (10) and a blower (13) are provided in a ventilation path between the suction port (4, 6) and the blowout port (9). The air filter (11A, 11B) is installed between the suction port (4, 6) and the heat exchanger (10), and the ventilation unit (15) for discharging indoor air to the outside, the air filter ( 11A, 11B) includes a cleaning unit (Z) for removing dust adhering to the air filter surface and collecting it in a dust box (57). The ventilation unit (15) includes a fan casing (33) provided with an intake port (31) and an exhaust port body (32) and an exhaust fan (35), and a dust box (57) of the cleaning unit (Z) and a ventilation unit ( 15) includes a connection hose (55) communicating with the connection hose (55), and the front end of the connection hose (55) is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the fan casing (33) on the upstream side of the exhaust port body (32).
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to a discharge structure that removes dust from an air filter and discharges the removed dust to the outdoors.

  In an indoor unit of an air conditioner, room air is sucked into the indoor unit body from the suction port, but dust contained in the room air is captured by an air filter provided facing the suction port, and only the room air is heated. It is led to the exchanger to exchange heat. As the air conditioning operation continues, trapped dust accumulates on the air filter, and if left as it is, the flow of indoor air to the heat exchanger is hindered, leading to a decrease in heat exchange efficiency.

  Ideally, it is necessary to periodically remove dust adhering to the air filter to improve heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, the front panel which comprises the front surface of an indoor unit main body is rotatably provided, and when the front panel is opened, the air filter is exposed. If the lower end of the air filter is gripped and pulled down, it can be easily removed from the indoor unit body. After removing the dust adhering to the air filter, it can be returned to its original position by pushing the upper end of the air filter against the indoor unit body again.

  However, an indoor unit of an air conditioner that is commonly used is called a so-called wall-mounted type, and is attached to a height of a wall surface of a room. Therefore, for example, for elderly people and women, it is difficult to open / close the front panel and to attach / detach the filter, and the air filter is likely to be in a state where dust is adhered.

Therefore, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-138329 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-278923, dust (dust) contained in room air is captured by an air filter that is a dust removing means, In addition to automatically removing adhering dust, an air conditioner having means for discharging the removed dust as it is to the outdoors has been provided.
JP 2004-138329 A JP 2004-278923 A

  According to the technique of the above [Patent Document 1], an exhaust unit that exhausts a part of the air in the main body to the outside is provided in the indoor unit main body, and the dust adhered to the air filter on the exhaust path of the exhaust unit There is a garbage collection box to collect. Then, the dust attached to the air filter is collected in a garbage collection box, and the garbage in the garbage collection box is disposed outdoors by the exhaust means.

  In other words, the dust collection box is preferably divided into a plurality of parts facing the air filter, and these dust collection boxes communicate with each other in series from the upstream side to the downstream side of the exhaust path of the exhaust means. The dust accumulated in the dust collection box is guided to the exhaust pipe by the exhaust fan constituting the exhaust means, and further discharged to the outdoors.

  However, in the above-described technology, the dust sent to the dust collection box is blown off by the air sent from the exhaust fan and guided into the exhaust pipe. That is, since the wind pressure of the exhaust fan is directly applied to the dust in the garbage collection box, the dust rises and is stirred in the garbage collection box. In this state, there is a possibility that the dust is not smoothly guided into the exhaust pipe having a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the dust collection box and clogged at the connecting portion between the dust collection box and the exhaust pipe.

  Once the above-mentioned connecting portion is clogged with dust, the dust sent in after that is deposited as it is, and finally the connecting portion is completely closed. Since the operation of the exhaust fan continues even in this state, the wind pressure of the exhaust fan is applied to the brush as the dust removing means. The dust removed by the brush is blown back into the housing, and the housing is filled with the dust and adheres to the heat exchanger and the exhaust fan, or is scattered into the room from the suction port and the air outlet.

  In [Patent Document 2], at least an air conditioner indoor unit having a heat exchanger and a blower is provided with a suction / exhaust device for sucking and exhausting, a suction duct communicating with the intake / exhaust device, and a suction / exhaust device The suction exhaust device is characterized in that it is formed from a centrifugal blower incorporating a motor and a casing surrounding the centrifugal blower.

  By arranging the suction and exhaust device on the side surface of the indoor unit, exhaust the dirty air in the room outside through the air in the order of the suction duct, the suction exhaust device incorporating the centrifugal blower, and the exhaust duct. In addition, the dust attached to the filter can be removed and the filter can be automatically cleaned.

  However, in such a method of discharging and exhausting dust using a centrifugal blower, a dedicated filter cannot be provided on the suction side of a suction / exhaust device equipped with the centrifugal blower for the purpose of use. Therefore, the dust removed from the filter is guided into the suction exhaust device and easily adheres to the inner wall surface of the device and the centrifugal blower.

  Over a long period of use, a lot of dust adheres and accumulates on the wings of the centrifugal fan constituting the centrifugal blower. In particular, the centrifugal fan is a multi-blade type with a large number of blades and a narrow gap between the blades, so clogging is likely to occur while dust is accumulated between the blades. There is a risk that the exhaust characteristics cannot be secured.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object is to automatically remove the dust adhering to the air filter, and the ventilation unit sucks the removed dust and discharges it outdoors. Thus, an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can perform a smooth discharge operation without clogging during discharge and prevent contamination of a ventilation unit including a heat exchanger and a blower due to dust is provided.

  In order to solve the problems and achieve the object, the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention is configured as follows.

  In order to achieve the above object, an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention is disposed in an indoor unit body provided with a suction port and a blowout port, and a ventilation path between the suction port and the blowout port in the indoor unit body. An air filter that captures dust contained in room air, an exhaust unit that sucks indoor air into the indoor unit body and discharges it to the outdoors, and an air filter cleaning mechanism that removes dust adhering to the air filter surface The exhaust unit includes an air inlet for sucking air for ventilation on a side surface, a fan casing provided with an exhaust port body at a peripheral end, an exhaust fan accommodated in the fan casing, and the exhaust A fan motor connected to a fan for rotating the exhaust fan, and the air filter cleaning mechanism removes dust trapped in the air filter from the air filter. A removal hose and a connection hose for discharging dust removed by the removal means, and the tip of the connection hose is connected to an outer peripheral surface portion upstream of the exhaust port provided in the fan casing of the exhaust unit. The

  Further, the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a suction port and a blowout port, and is installed in a ventilation path between the suction port and the blowout port, and captures dust contained in the indoor air. An air filter cleaning mechanism for removing dust adhering to the surface of the air filter, and an exhaust unit for discharging the removed dust to the outdoors. The exhaust unit has an exhaust port body at the peripheral end portion and an exhaust fan. A fan casing formed in a scroll shape along the peripheral surface with an opening provided in a surface portion other than the projection side surface, an exhaust fan configured by a centrifugal fan accommodated in the fan casing, and the exhaust The air filter cleaning mechanism is connected to a fan for rotation and drives the exhaust fan, and the air filter cleaning mechanism is configured to discharge dust that communicates with the fan casing of the exhaust unit. With a connection hose.

  Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and a part thereof is schematically shown.

2 is a perspective view showing the interior of the indoor unit body 1 with the front panel 2 removed, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the indoor unit body 1 with the rear panel housing 3 removed. (Note that parts not marked in the description are not shown. The same applies hereinafter.)
The indoor unit body 1 is composed of a front panel 2 and a rear panel housing 3, and has a horizontally long shape. A front suction port 4 is opened at a part of the front side of the front panel 2, and a movable panel supported by an opening / closing drive mechanism is fitted therein. When the operation is stopped, the movable panel becomes the same surface as the front panel 2 and closes the front suction port 4. However, during operation, the movable panel projects and displaces toward the front side to form a gap between the front side and the front suction port 4. 4 is controlled to open.

  An upper suction port 6 is provided across the upper portions of the front panel 2 and the rear panel housing 3. A frame-like crosspiece 7 is fitted into the upper suction port 6, and is divided into a plurality of spaces by the crosspiece 7. Two blowing louvers 8a and 8b are provided in parallel at the lower part of the movable panel. Each blowing louver 8a, 8b can open and close the blowing port 9 provided in the lower front part of the indoor unit main body 1, and can set the blowing direction of heat exchange air according to the operating conditions.

  In the indoor unit main body 1, a heat exchanger 10 formed in a substantially inverted V shape by a front heat exchanger portion 10A and a rear heat exchanger portion 10B is disposed. The front heat exchanger section 10 is formed in a substantially parallel curved shape with a gap with the front panel 2, and the rear heat exchanger section 10 B is formed in a straight shape and is inclined obliquely with the upper suction port 6. Facing each other.

  On the other hand, a suction frame assembly Sa including a front air filter 11A is attached between the front suction port 4 and the front heat exchanger portion 10A. A top frame assembly Sb having an upper air filter 11B is attached between the upper suction port 6 and the upper heat exchanger portion 10B. These frame assemblies Sa and Sb are each composed of a main frame portion and an air filter holding frame, and are combined with each other with the air filters 11A and 11B interposed therebetween.

  A pair of rolls 50 are rotatably supported in parallel along the longitudinal direction at both ends in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the frame assemblies Sa and Sb, and both end portions of the air filters 11A and 11B are supported by these rolls 50. A feeding band provided in the A driving mechanism is connected to one end of the roll 50 in each frame assembly Sa, Sb, and the roll 50 is driven to rotate according to a control signal.

  The feed band has a so-called belt shape and travels endlessly as the roll 50 rotates. Each of the air filters 11A and 11B is provided only for a half circumference with respect to the entire circumference of the feed band, and has an area shape facing the suction ports 4 and 6. An air filter cleaning mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “cleaning unit”) Z described later is provided between the upper end portion of the suction frame assembly Sa and the front end portion of the top frame assembly Sb.

  An electric dust collector is attached in close contact with a part of the front side of the front heat exchanger section 10A of the heat exchanger 10. This electric dust collector is composed of a charge side electrode for applying charge to dust in the flowing air, and a dust collection side electrode for attracting and capturing the charged dust.

  An indoor blower 13 is disposed between the front and rear heat exchanger portions 10A and 10B of the heat exchanger 10 formed in the umbrella shape. The indoor blower 13 includes a fan motor and a cross-flow fan in which one support shaft is mechanically connected to the rotation shaft of the fan motor.

An exhaust unit (hereinafter referred to as “ventilation unit”) 15, which will be described later, is provided adjacent to one end of the indoor blower 13 and has an axial center on the extension of the axial center. (In FIG. 1, the ventilation unit 15 is schematically shown.)
The lower end portion of the front heat exchanger portion 10A is placed on the front drain pan 16a, and the lower end portion of the rear heat exchanger portion 10B is placed on the rear drain pan 16b and is drained from the respective heat exchanger portions 10A and 10B. It receives water and can drain to the outside through a drain hose (not shown).

  The outer surfaces of the side walls of the front and rear drain pans 16a and 16b are provided at positions close to the indoor blower 13, and constitute a nose for the cross flow fan of the indoor blower 13. A partition wall member 17 connects the side wall portions of the front and rear drain pans 16 a and 16 b constituting the nose and each side portion of the outlet 9. A space surrounded by the partition member 17 is a blowout ventilation path 18 that communicates the nose and the blowout opening 9.

  First, the ventilation unit 15 will be described in detail.

  6 is an exploded perspective view of the ventilation unit 15, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ventilation unit 15 and its surroundings, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one side of the ventilation unit 15.

  One side of the ventilation unit 15 is formed from the unit base 20, and the other side is formed from the blower mechanism 30. A damper 40 and a damper drive mechanism 45 are interposed between the unit base 20 and the blower mechanism 30, and the ventilation unit 15 is configured by these.

  The unit base 20 includes a vertical portion 20a, an inclined portion 20b, and a horizontal portion 20c. The vertical portion 20a is formed so as to project in a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the side, and matches the umbrella-like combination shape of the front heat exchanger portion 10A and the rear heat exchanger portion 10B constituting the heat exchanger 10. Since the side end portion of the heat exchanger 10 is placed on the horizontal portion 20c, a gap is formed at a portion facing the inclined portion 20b.

A circular attachment opening 21 is opened at a substantially central portion of the vertical portion 20a, and a rib 22 is provided along the peripheral surface of the opening to protrude toward the inner surface of the vertical portion 20a. On the outer surface side along the periphery of the mounting opening 21, reinforcing ribs 23 are provided radially. On the inner surface side of the vertical portion 20a, a plurality (seven) of full-closing piece portions 24 are provided along a substantially half circumference of the mounting opening 21 with a predetermined interval. Some of the full-closing pieces 24 are opened, and this opening is called a secondary ventilation opening 25.
A bearing tool 26 is fitted and fixed to the mounting opening 21 of the vertical portion 20a, and a bearing portion 27 is constituted by these. The bearing portion 27 pivotally supports one support shaft h of the cross flow fan 13 </ b> F constituting the indoor blower 13. Two stays 28a project from the inner surface side of the vertical portion 20a, and small gears 46 constituting the damper drive mechanism 45 are rotatably fitted to these stays 28a.

  A plurality of stays 28b are provided in the vicinity of the stay 28a. A screw hole is provided from the projecting end face of each stay 28b, and a mounting screw m for mounting and fixing the blower mechanism 30 is screwed. Only the stay 28b in the vicinity of the full-close piece 24 is integrally provided with a receiving portion 29 adjacent to the peripheral portion. A drive motor 47 constituting a damper drive mechanism 45 is attached and fixed to the receiving portion 29, and a drive gear 48 connected to the rotation shaft of the drive motor is rotatably supported.

  A hole 41 provided at the center of the damper 40 is rotatably fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the rib 22. The damper 40 is formed in a substantially dish-shaped cross section along the radial direction from the hole 41, and a gear portion 42 is provided along a circular outer peripheral edge. Two small gears 46 and a drive gear 48 mesh with the gear portion 42.

Between the hole 41 and the outer peripheral gear portion 42 in the damper 40, a plurality of guide vents 43 are provided in a part in the circumferential direction. These guide vents 43 have exactly the same opening size and shape as the secondary vents 25 provided in the unit base vertical portion 20a. Ventilation vent 4 for guidance
As for the crosspiece n between the three, the mutual interval is set to be the same as the mutual interval between the full closing piece portions 24.

  When the damper 40 is fitted into the rib 22, there is a gap with the inner surface of the vertical portion 20 a, and one side surface of the damper 40 is always in sliding contact with the end edge of the full-closing piece portion 24. Accordingly, each secondary ventilation port 25 is closed by the damper 40 except for the state where the guide ventilation port 43 of the damper 40 is opposed to the secondary ventilation port 25 of the vertical portion 20a.

  The air blowing mechanism 30 includes an air inlet 31 that is opened on the side surface on the damper 40 side, a fan casing 33 that has a rectangular exhaust port 32 projecting from a peripheral end thereof, and an air inlet 31 of the fan casing. The fan motor 34 is attached to the opposite side surface, and the fan 35 is attached to the rotation shaft of the fan motor.

  The fan 35 is a so-called centrifugal fan type (multi-blade type) in which air is sucked from the axial direction along with rotation and blown in the circumferential direction, and the peripheral surface of the fan casing 33 forms a scroll shape. Therefore, the fan 35 sucks air from the air inlet 31 of the fan casing 33 and blows air from the air outlet 32.

  Since the blower mechanism 30 is attached to the vertical portion 20a of the unit base 20 via the damper 40 and the damper drive mechanism 45, there is a gap between the blower mechanism 30 and the vertical portion 20a. Further, the peripheral surface of the blower mechanism 30 is attached to the inclined portion 20b and the horizontal portion 20c of the unit base 20 with a gap, and in particular, the gap at the triangular protrusion of the unit base 20 is large.

  On the other hand, the exhaust port body 32 of the fan casing 33 is inserted into a ventilation nipple 51 projecting from the lower end rear side corner of the indoor unit body 1 as shown in FIG. A discharge hose (not shown) is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the ventilation nipple 51, and the discharge hose extends outside. A drain drain nipple 52 is provided in parallel with the vicinity of the ventilation nipple 51, and a drain hose connected to the front drain pan 16a is inserted. A drain hose extending outdoors is also connected to the drain drain nipple 52.

  Next, the cleaning unit Z will be described. 2 and 3 show a part of the cleaning unit Z. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connection portion 56 of the connection hose 55 in the cleaning unit Z, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the connection portion 56 in cross section.

  The cleaning unit Z includes a rotating brush B connected to a rotation driving mechanism, a dust box 57 (only a part of which is shown) that is a dust container surrounding the rotating brush B, one side end of the dust box 57, and the ventilation unit. 15 and a connection hose 55 provided between the two.

  The dust box 57 is formed by assembling a plurality of divided portions, and surrounds the suction frame assembly Sa upper end and the top frame assembly Sb front end. The brush B is rotatably accommodated in the dust box 57. The brush B is in contact with the entire width direction at a part of the front air filter 11A and the upper air filter 11B.

  In the cleaning unit Z, the rotation driving mechanism for driving the rotating brush B is provided on the side (right side) opposite to the portion shown in FIGS. One end of the connection hose 55 is connected to the side shown in each figure.

  That is, the lower part of one side end of the dust box 57 projects in the longitudinal direction, and the unit connection port body 58 and the connection port fixing tool 59 are provided integrally there. The unit connection port 58 communicates with the inside of the dust box 57, and one end of the connection hose 55 is fitted therein. The connection port fixture 59 is fixedly attached to the unit base 20 of the ventilation unit 15 via a fixture.

  The connection hose 55 includes a bent portion a in the middle, and the other end passes through the unit base 20 of the ventilation unit 15. 8 to 10 schematically show the position of the connection hose 55 with respect to the unit base 20 by a two-dot chain line. The connection hose 55 inserted through the unit base 20 faces the fan casing 33 of the blower mechanism 30. A guide port is provided in a part of the peripheral surface of the fan casing 33, and a discharge case 60 is attached to the peripheral surface of the fan casing 33 so as to surround the guide port.

  Since the discharge case 60 includes the attachment portion c that matches the shape of the peripheral surface of the fan casing 33, there is no airflow leakage between the discharge case 60 and the guide port. The connection port b is integrally projected on the surface opposite to the attachment portion c of the discharge case 60, and the other end of the connection hose 55 is connected. A damper cover d is attached between the attachment portion c and the connection port body b inside the discharge case 60, and a backflow preventing damper 61 is provided here. The backflow preventing damper 61 allows the airflow to flow from the connection hose 55 to the guide port (attachment portion c), and prevents the airflow from the guide port to the connection hose 55 side.

  The indoor unit of the air conditioner configured as described above, when the operation switch of the remote control is turned on, the movable panel opens the front suction port 4 and blows out according to the designation of the cooling operation and the heating operation. The blowing louvers 8a and 8b provided in the mouth 9 are rotated to set the posture. At the same time, the indoor blower 13 performs a blowing action, while the compressor of the outdoor unit is driven to start the refrigeration cycle operation.

  The room air is guided into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper suction port 6 and the front suction port 4 and passes through the front air filter 11A and the upper air filter 11B. Dust contained in the room air is captured by these air filters 11A and 11B, and the room air from which the dust has been removed passes through the heat exchanger 10 to perform a heat exchange action. Thereafter, the heat exchange air is guided along the blowout air passage 18, guided from the blowout port 9 to the blowout louvers 8a and 8b and blown into the room, and the efficient air conditioning operation is continued.

  The ventilation unit 15 can be switched to three types of modes: “secondary air ventilation mode”, “primary side air ventilation mode”, and “ventilation damper fully closed mode”. Here, the designation of the secondary side and the primary side is based on the heat exchanger 10 here, and the secondary side air means the air after flowing through the heat exchanger 10, and the primary side air is heat exchange. The air before flowing into the vessel 10.

  When the clean operation mode is selected at the end of the air conditioning operation, the “secondary air ventilation mode” automatically functions. That is, immediately after the cooling operation and the dehumidifying operation are stopped, moisture (drain water) adheres to the heat exchanger 10, and the interior of the indoor unit body 1 is in a high humidity atmosphere. If left as it is, moisture adhering to the heat exchanger 10 and other parts does not evaporate, causing corrosion or mold. Therefore, the cleaning operation mode is selected, and the indoor unit body 1 is dried and sterilized.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the damper drive mechanism 45 of the ventilation unit 15 is actuated to rotate the damper 40 so as to oppose the guide ventilation port 43 of the damper 40 and the secondary ventilation port 25 of the unit base 20. Next, the ventilation mechanism 30 of the ventilation unit 15 is activated, and the secondary air is sucked into the ventilation unit 15 through the secondary ventilation port 25, the guide ventilation port 43 and the intake port 31, and blown from the exhaust port body 32. put out.

  Specifically, as indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 7, the secondary side air flows between the outer surface of the inclined portion 20 b of the unit base 20 and the heat exchanger 10, and is formed between the outer surface of the vertical portion 20 a and the end surface of the cross flow fan 13 </ b> F. The secondary ventilation port 25 and the guidance ventilation port 43 are circulated through the space, and are sucked from the intake port 31 of the fan casing 33 and blown out from the exhaust port body 32.

  When the ventilation mode provided in the remote control is selected, the “primary air ventilation mode” is automatically performed. The ventilation mode may be selected in parallel with the air conditioning operation, or may be selected when the air conditioning operation is stopped. That is, the ventilation mode is selected when it is desired to ventilate the room while cooling or heating.

  The damper drive mechanism 45 rotationally drives the damper 40 and stops the operation of the damper drive mechanism 45 when the guide ventilation port 43 is in a position not facing the secondary ventilation port 25 of the unit base 20. The surface of the damper 40 comes into contact with the edge of the full closing piece 24 of the unit base 20, and the secondary ventilation port 25 is closed by the damper. On the other hand, a gap is formed between the circumferential surface of the blower mechanism 30 and each inner surface of the unit base 20 with respect to the side surface of the damper 40, and the guide vent 43 communicates with these gaps.

  Next, the air blowing mechanism 30 is operated, and indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper suction port 6 that is always open. After the indoor air passes through the air filters 11A and 11B and dust is captured, the ventilation unit 15 serves as the primary air before passing through the heat exchanger 10, as indicated by the broken and solid arrows in FIG. And is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port body 32.

  In the “secondary air ventilation mode” and the “primary air ventilation mode”, even if the blowing pressure is applied to the discharge case 60 from the fan casing 33 constituting the blower mechanism 30, the discharge case 60. The backflow preventing damper 61 provided in the airflow prevents the airflow from flowing to the connection hose 55 side. Therefore, there is no backflow of airflow from the connection hose 55 to the dust box 57.

  By the way, the ventilation unit 15 is in direct communication with the outdoors via a hose connected to the ventilation nipple 51. If an extremely large amount of dust is filled outdoors or there is a great amount of noise at night, these may enter the ventilation unit 15 via the hose and further leak into the room via the indoor unit body 1. In such a case, the “ventilation damper fully closed mode” in which the ventilation unit 15 is completely closed is selected.

  FIG. 10 shows the state of the damper 40 when the ventilation damper fully closed mode is selected. That is, the damper driving mechanism 45 rotates the damper 40 as a closing means, and the damper n is located at a position where the crosspiece n between the guide ventilation ports 43 faces the edge of the full closing piece 24 of the unit base vertical part 20a. Stop turning. All the guide vents 43 are surrounded by the full closing piece 24 and the rib 22 of the unit base 20 to be in a completely closed state, and the secondary vent 25 of the unit base 20 is formed by the damper 40 surface. Completely closed. That is, the air inlet 31 of the fan casing 33 is closed.

  In this state, it is possible to reliably prevent outdoor dust, noise, and the like from entering the room through the ventilation unit 15 and the indoor unit main body 1, thereby improving comfort. After completion of the in-body cleaning operation mode described above and after completion of the normal air conditioning operation, the above-described fully closed mode is automatically set. Further, if the fully closed mode is selected during the air conditioning operation, a state equivalent to the normal air conditioning operation is obtained.

  Then, the user operates the remote controller (remote control panel) to select the “air filter cleaning mode”, or after the air conditioning operation is completed every predetermined period, or a preset time, or a predetermined time An “air filter cleaning mode” is performed on the belt or the like.

  The ventilation damper fully closed mode is selected in accordance with the start and timing of the air filter cleaning mode. That is, the upper air filter 11B is driven to travel toward the cleaning unit Z, and at the same time, the brush B is also rotated so that the brush surface rotates in the same direction as the moving surface of the upper air filter 11B. The rotation speed of the brush B is set to be higher than the traveling speed of the upper air filter 11B.

  Since the brush B rotates faster than the upper air filter 11B and rotates (runs) so that the contact surfaces rotate in the same direction, there is no resistance between the upper air filter and the upper air filter. The dust adhering to 11B is scraped off smoothly.

  When the removal of dust from the upper air filter 11B is completed, the brush B is driven to rotate in the reverse direction and the front air filter 11A is driven to travel in the same direction as the moving surface of the brush to remove the dust adhering to the front air filter 11A. Remove. Also at this time, since the rotation speed of the brush B is faster than the traveling speed of the front air filter 11A and the contact moving surfaces are in the same direction, there is no resistance between them and the smoothness is achieved. Dust removal is performed.

  When the dust removal for both the air filters 11A and 11B is completed, the blower mechanism 30 is actuated and the exhaust fan 35 is rotationally driven. On the other hand, since the intake port 31 of the fan casing 33 is closed by the ventilation damper fully closed mode, the inside of the fan casing 33 is in a negative pressure state.

  Due to this influence, the inside of the discharge case 60 attached via the guide port of the fan casing 33 is also in a negative pressure state. The backflow preventing damper 61 mounted in the discharge case 60 allows airflow to be guided from the connection port b to the guide port side, and a negative pressure acts on the dust collected in the dust box 57. The dust in the dust box 57 moves to the connection hose 55 side in the dust box 57 and is guided to the connection hose 55 from one end.

  Dust in the connection hose 57 passes through the backflow preventing damper 61, is guided from the discharge case 60 into the fan casing 33 through the guide port, and is blown out from the exhaust port body 32. All dust is smoothly discharged to the outside through the ventilation nipple 51 and the discharge hose.

  In this manner, the dust removed by the cleaning unit Z from the front air filters 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B and collected in the dust box 57 is discharged using the exhaust fan 35 of the ventilation unit 15. In other words, the ventilation unit 15 can perform the indoor ventilation function and the action of discharging the collected dust to the outside, so that it can be effectively used.

  The connection position of the connection hose 55 provided in the cleaning unit Z with respect to the ventilation unit 15, that is, the position of the discharge case 60, is set on the outlet side of the exhaust fan 35 and on the upstream side of the exhaust port body 32 of the fan casing 33. . For this reason, dust that moves due to the negative pressure of the air generated as the exhaust fan 35 rotates does not directly hit the exhaust fan 35 but is sucked and guided by the flow of the airflow.

  In the fan casing 33, dust flows along the centrifugal side of the exhaust fan 35 and does not adhere to the wings constituting the exhaust fan 35. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the capacity of the exhaust fan from being reduced or cause a failure, and dust can be efficiently discharged.

  In the exhaust fan 35, which is a centrifugal fan accommodated in the scroll-shaped fan casing 33, the exhaust fan 35 is fully closed while the flow path leading to the bell mouth, which is the only inlet 31 in the normal centrifugal fan, is closed. Rotate. At this time, no centrifugal airflow from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the original exhaust fan 35 is generated, but an induced airflow that rotates with the exhaust fan 35 is generated around the exhaust fan 35.

Then, most of the induced airflow on the outer peripheral side of the exhaust fan 35 is separated from the exhaust fan 35 in the nose portion of the fan casing 33, and an exhaust airflow is generated. Then, the exhaust flow causes negative pressure in the fan casing 33, and the discharge case 60 and the connection hose 55 provided on the scroll peripheral surface 33a of the fan casing 33 can obtain the intake capacity.

  By utilizing this phenomenon, the dust removed from the front air filter 11A and the upper air filter 11B is dropped into the connection hose 55 connected to the discharge case 60, so that the wings constituting the exhaust fan 35 are formed. The exhaust can be discharged to the outside without contacting the dust. That is, even if the exhaust fan 35 is limited to dust exhaust exhaust applications only, the blades are not clogged with dust, and the exhaust fan 35 maintains the blowing performance for a long period of time.

  Further, the ventilation unit 15 includes means for closing the air inlet 31 of the fan casing 33 (a damper driving mechanism 45 for driving the damper 40), and the dust that adheres to the upper air filters 11A and 11B before the cleaning unit Z. During the operation of removing the air and discharging it to the outside, the intake port 31 is closed. Therefore, the negative pressure of the backflow preventing damper 61 and the connecting hose 55 connected to the outer peripheral surface upstream of the exhaust port body 32 is increased, the dust suction capability is enhanced, and more effective dust discharge is achieved. It becomes possible.

  In the above embodiment, the front air filter 11A and the upper air filter 11B are each formed in a roll shape, and when cleaning the air filter, the air filters 11A and 11B are driven to run and the brush B is rotated to remove dust. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, the front air filter and the upper air filter are formed in a flat plate shape that matches the cross-sectional shape of the suction port, and each air filter is sequentially reciprocated with respect to the rotationally driven brush to remove dust. An air filter cleaning mechanism may be provided, or another configuration may be employed. In short, any configuration may be used as long as dust is removed from each air filter and collected in the dust box 57 which is a dust container, and the dust in the dust box 57 is guided to the ventilation unit 15 via the connection hose 55.

  11A and 11B show a second embodiment of the present invention, and in particular, a schematic configuration of the ventilation unit 15 for explaining the position of the connection hose 55 connected to the fan casing 33 in the ventilation unit 15. It is a figure and a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fan casing 33.

  The fan casing 33 is formed in a scroll shape along the peripheral surface 33a. The fan casing 33 is provided with an intake port 31 for sucking air for ventilation on the side surface, and an exhaust port body 32 communicating with the outdoors is provided at the peripheral end portion. Yes. The above-described centrifugal fan type exhaust fan 35 is housed in the fan casing 33, and as shown by a two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 11B, the air is sucked from the axial direction facing the air inlet 31 and exhausted from the circumferential direction. It is supposed to be.

  The cleaning unit Z and the ventilation unit 15 are communicated with each other via a connection hose 55. In the first embodiment described above, the discharge case 60 is attached to the fan casing 33 constituting the ventilation unit 15, and the connection hose 55 is connected to the discharge case 60. However, the description is simplified here. Therefore, the discharge case 60 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the exhaust fan 35 is removed from the front air filter 11 </ b> A and the upper air filter 11 </ b> B drawn side by side by being rotated counterclockwise, for example, and collected in the dust box 57. The dust that has been discharged out of the dust box 57 is guided to the connection hose 55 and further sucked into the fan casing 33.

  The dust is guided to a position away from the wing portion of the exhaust fan 35 by the action as described above, and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port body 32. Therefore, dust is not clogged in the wing portion of the exhaust fan 35, and the air blowing performance is kept high for a long time.

  In this embodiment, the connection hose 55 is connected to the peripheral surface 33a of the fan casing 33 which forms a scroll shape. That is, since the air inlet 31 is provided on the side surface portion of the fan casing 33, the tip end portion of the connection hose 35 cannot be connected here. In addition, as shown by fine hatching in FIG. 11B, it should not be connected to the projection surface X of the exhaust fan 35 on the side surface facing the intake port 31.

  The connection position of the connection hose 55 to the fan casing 35 may be set on the surface of the fan casing 33 other than the projection surface X of the intake port 31 and the exhaust fan 35. Accordingly, the dust guided from the cleaning unit Z to the ventilation unit 15 via the connection hose 55 is guided to a position away from the exhaust fan 35 in the fan casing 33, does not adhere to the exhaust fan 35, and the wing portion Will not clog.

  FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the ventilation unit Z for setting the position of the connection hose 55 connected to the fan casing 33 of the ventilation unit 15. is there.

  As previously described in the second embodiment, the tip of the connection hose 55 with respect to the fan casing 33 is the intake port 31 of the fan casing 33, the side surface facing the intake port 31, and the exhaust fan 35. Since it suffices to connect to a surface portion other than the projection surface X, here it is connected to one (right) side surface portion 33 b of the fan casing 33 that is off the projection surface X of the exhaust fan 35. Alternatively, as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure, the other (left) side surface portion 33c may be connected. In either case, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic configuration diagram of the ventilation unit 15 for setting the connection position of the connection hose 55 with respect to the fan casing 33 of the ventilation unit 15.

  Here, the front end portion of the connection hose 55 is connected to a peripheral surface 33 a formed in a scroll shape of the fan casing 33, and the connection direction thereof is within the fan casing 33 as the exhaust fan 35 rotates. Is directed along the flow direction K of the airflow generated.

  That is, the inside of the fan casing 33 can basically be sucked from any part, but since it is not the original usage of the centrifugal fan, the negative pressure and the exhaust air volume generated at the same rotation speed become low.

  In order to improve the exhaust performance against dust, it is necessary to reduce the pressure loss at the time of merging inflow into the fan casing 33 as much as possible. That is, it is only necessary to flow in substantially the same direction along the flow direction K of the airflow generated in the fan casing 33 that is the rotation direction of the exhaust fan 35.

  FIG. 14A is a schematic operation explanatory view when the connection hose 55 is connected without considering the above-described circumstances, and FIG. 14B is an operation explanatory diagram of external force when the connection hose 55 is connected in consideration of the above-described circumstances. It is.

  First, referring to FIG. 14A, dust removed from the inside of the connection hose 55 is guided, while an air flow toward the exhaust port body 32 is generated in the fan casing 33 as the exhaust fan 35 is driven to rotate. As soon as the dust guided to the connection hose 55 enters the fan casing 33, it collides with the airflow flowing in the fan casing 33.

  That is, since the flow direction K of the airflow flowing in the fan casing 33 is about 90 ° or an angle close to 90 ° with respect to the dust flow direction N guided to the connection hose 55, a collision is inevitable.

  For this reason, the bending loss of the dust guided from the connection hose 55 into the fan casing 33 becomes large, and the flow separation occurs, so that many small vortex flows are generated, and the pressure loss becomes large.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, the direction N of the dust guided to the connection hose 55, which is the connection direction of the connection hose 55 to the fan casing 33, is set in the fan casing 33 as the exhaust fan 35 rotates. If it is set along the flow direction K of the generated air current, the dust introduced into the fan casing 33 from the connection hose 55 joins the air current in a smooth state. There is no bending loss or flow separation as described above, and the pressure loss can be suppressed to a small level, and an increase in negative pressure and an increase in exhaust air volume can be obtained.

  FIG. 15A is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the ventilation unit 15 in the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 15B is a perspective view of the ventilation unit 15 with the side surface of the fan casing 33 removed.

  The discharge case 60 is provided with a backflow prevention damper 61A connected to a drive source (not shown). The reverse flow preventing damper 61 </ b> A is driven and controlled by a drive source based on a drive signal from the control unit, and functions to open and close the inside of the discharge case 60.

  When the primary side air ventilation mode and the secondary side air ventilation mode described above are selected, the control unit sends a closing signal to the backflow preventing damper 61 </ b> A to completely close the connection hose 55. Therefore, the backflow of air from the connection hose 55 to the cleaning unit Z is prevented.

  When the air filter cleaning mode is selected, the control is performed by switching between an open signal and a close signal for the backflow preventing damper 61A. That is, in the cleaning unit Z, when the dust is removed from the front air filters 11A and 11B and collected in the dust box 57, a closing signal is sent to the backflow preventing damper 61A to completely close the connection hose 55. Eggplant.

  Each air filter 11A. After the dust is removed from 11B, the exhaust fan 35 is driven to rotate, and an open signal is sent to the backflow prevention damper 61A in a state where the air inlet 31 of the fan casing 33 is closed. Therefore, the dust collected in the cleaning unit Z is smoothly guided from the connection hose 55 into the fan casing 33 through the backflow preventing damper 61A.

  Here, the dust collected in the cleaning unit Z is discharged to the outside by using the ventilation unit 15 that originally selects and ventilates the primary side air and the secondary side air of the heat exchanger 10. Therefore, the air for ventilation should not flow back into the cleaning unit Z even a little, and the opening / closing operation based on the drive signal is also required to smoothly discharge dust from the cleaning unit Z to the outside through the ventilation unit 15. The above-described backflow preventing damper 61A is required.

  The discharge case 60 for storing the backflow prevention dampers 61 and 61A is made of a transparent material, and the operation of the backflow prevention dampers 61 and 61A attached to the inside can be confirmed from the outside. ing.

  This is for confirming whether the backflow prevention dampers 61 and 61A operate normally in the manufacturing process of the indoor unit or at the time of service inspection after installation.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments.

  According to the present invention, dust adhering to the air filter is removed, and the removed dust is discharged quickly and smoothly to the outside to prevent the ventilation unit including the heat exchanger and the blower from being contaminated by dust. There is an effect.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air conditioner indoor unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one side of the indoor unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the indoor unit in a state where the indoor unit main body according to the embodiment is removed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a connection hose connection portion of the cleaning unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a cross section of one side portion of the cleaning unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the ventilation unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ventilation unit and the peripheral portion according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one surface side of the ventilation unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a front view of the inside of the ventilation unit when the secondary air ventilation mode according to the embodiment is selected. FIG. 10 is a front view of the inside of the ventilation unit when the ventilation damper fully-closed mode according to the embodiment is selected (also during the operation of the cleaning unit). FIG. 11A is a schematic configuration diagram of a ventilation unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11B is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the fan casing of the ventilation unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the ventilation unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a ventilation unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14A is a diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment. FIG. 14B is a comparative diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment. FIG. 15A is a partial perspective view of a ventilation unit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15B is a perspective view in which a part of the ventilation unit is omitted.

Claims (6)

An indoor unit body equipped with a suction port and a blowout port;
An air filter that is disposed in a ventilation path between the suction port and the blowout port in the indoor unit body and captures dust contained in room air;
An exhaust unit that sucks indoor air into the indoor unit body and discharges it to the outside;
An air filter cleaning mechanism for removing dust adhering to the air filter surface,
The exhaust unit is
A fan casing provided with an intake port for sucking air for ventilation on a side surface, and an exhaust port body provided at a peripheral end;
An exhaust fan housed in the fan casing;
A fan motor connected to the exhaust fan and rotating the exhaust fan;
The air filter cleaning mechanism is
Removing means for removing dust trapped in the air filter from the air filter;
A connection hose for discharging dust removed by the removing means,
An indoor unit of an air conditioner, wherein a front end portion of the connection hose is connected to an outer peripheral surface portion upstream of an exhaust port body provided in a fan casing of the exhaust unit. The exhaust unit is
A closing means for closing the air inlet of the fan casing so as to be openable and closable is provided, and during the operation of discharging the dust removed by the air filter cleaning mechanism to the outside, the air inlet is closed by operating the closing means. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust fan of the exhaust unit is rotationally driven.   The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein a backflow preventing damper is provided at a tip of the connection hose.   The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the backflow preventing damper is housed in a discharge case communicating with a fan casing, and the discharge case is made of a transparent material. An air filter provided with a suction port and a blowout port, attached in a ventilation path between the suction port and the blowout port, and capturing dust contained in the indoor air;
An air filter cleaning mechanism for removing dust adhering to the air filter surface;
In an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an exhaust unit that discharges removed dust to the outdoors,
The exhaust unit is
An exhaust fan consisting of a centrifugal fan;
An exhaust port body at a peripheral end, and a fan casing that has an opening provided in a surface portion other than the projected side surface of the exhaust fan, is formed in a scroll shape along the peripheral surface, and houses the exhaust fan; ,
A fan motor connected to the exhaust fan and rotating the exhaust fan;
The air filter cleaning mechanism is
An air conditioner indoor unit comprising a dust discharge connecting hose communicating with the opening of the fan casing of the exhaust unit.   The connection hose tip is connected to the scroll peripheral surface of the fan casing, and the connection direction is along the flow direction of the airflow generated in the fan casing as the exhaust fan rotates. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 5.

Images