JP2011242031A - Ceiling embedded type air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ceiling embedded type air conditioner capable of completing work during installation and maintenance for a short time and suppressing generation and growth of slime caused by bacteria.SOLUTION: The ceiling embedded type air conditioner includes: a cabinet (7) wherein a heat exchanger (1), a drain pan (4) and a water discharge pump (8) are stored; a drain connection port (9); and a drain hose (10). The ceiling embedded type air conditioner further includes a cartridge (23) comprising a netlike outer cylindrical body (25), a netlike inner cylindrical body (26) and a flange part (27) extended outwardly from the edge part of the outer cylindrical body (25) and having an antibacterial agent stored in an annular space (28) formed between the outer cylindrical body (25) and the inner cylindrical body (26). The cartridge (23) is mounted to the inner side of the drain connection port (9) so that the flange part (27) is made to abut on an end face (9c) of the drain connection port (9). A one-touch type coupling mechanism (20) is provided in a connection part located at one end of the drain hose (10) and connected to the drain connection port (9).

Description

  The present invention relates to a ceiling-embedded air conditioner, and in particular, provides reliable and efficient work during ceiling installation piping work, and suppresses generation and growth of slime due to bacteria in a drain hose after long-term use. It is related with the structure of the drain connection part which can do.

  Piping work in a general ceiling-embedded air conditioner is forced to work in a limited ceiling space after the main body is installed on the back of the ceiling, so skilled workers with a certain level of skill can Needed. For example, in the operation of connecting a drain hose for discharging condensed water to an air conditioner main body, in the prior art, a method of fixing the drain hose to a main body connecting portion with an adhesive or the like with a binding band by screw tightening (FIG. 6). In this case, skilled work is required for this work, and it has become a factor of lack of work stability as well as lower work efficiency. In addition, the drain hose was attached and detached at the time of service and maintenance. On the other hand, an indoor heat exchanger is built into the ceiling-mounted air conditioner, and the condensed water discharged and dropped from the indoor heat exchanger is collected by a drain pan and pumped up by a drain pump. The main thing is led to the outside through.

  Regarding the generation and growth of slime by bacteria, which is the current problem here, bacteria that have entered from the outside of the machine through the drain hose and bacteria contained in moisture such as condensed water adhere to the drain hose inner surface, It reproduces by absorbing the condensed water staying in the drain hose and surrounding nutrient sources, and produces slime (polysaccharide viscous substance).

  In recent residential structures, because it is highly confidential and highly insulated, heat tends to be trapped in the attic, etc., and the ambient temperature of the air conditioner body installed inside the ceiling tends to rise. The accumulated condensate is suitable for bacterial activity and breeding, so it is an environment that promotes the production and growth of slime. If these slimes are produced in large quantities, it may cause water leaks due to off-flavors and blockage of the drain path. Therefore, as a measure for suppressing the generation and growth of slime by bacteria in the drain hose, for example, a dedicated container containing an antibacterial agent is arranged near the condensed water staying in the drain hose, and the collected condensed water is collected. Maintaining a state where bacteria and slime are hard to settle on the inner surface of the drain hose by taking measures such as suppressing the growth of bacteria by changing the water quality, and periodically cleaning the accumulated condensed water. Measures have been taken. Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known as techniques for suppressing generation and growth of slime.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which an antibacterial agent that is in contact with drain water is disposed in a drain pipe that is downstream from the discharge port of the drain pump and higher than the discharge port. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the drain water passing through the drain pipe contacts the antibacterial agent during operation of the drain pump, it is possible to prevent the slime from growing on the downstream side of the drain pump. Moreover, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the drain pump is stopped, the return water containing the high concentration antibacterial agent remaining in the drain pipe flows back to the drain pan, thereby preventing slime growth in the drain pan. be able to. As described above, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that can effectively prevent the growth of slime in the drain pan and the drain pipe.

  In Patent Document 2, a heat exchanger, a drain pan provided below the heat exchanger, receiving drain water condensed by the heat exchanger, and drain water accumulated in the drain pan are pumped above the drain pan and discharged to the outside. A technique for disposing an antibacterial metal ion generator inside a drainage means is disclosed for an air conditioner equipped with a drainage means. According to the technique described in Patent Document 2, silver ions can be diffused in the drain pan, and bacterial growth can be suppressed.

  In Patent Document 3, a drain pan provided vertically below the indoor heat exchanger, a drain pump that drains the drain dripped from the indoor heat exchanger into the drain pan, and one end connected to the discharge port of the drain pump. In addition, a technique is disclosed in which a heating unit that heats the drain pipe to 55 ° C. or more is disclosed for an air conditioner that includes a drain pipe that guides the drain discharged from the discharge port to the outside. According to the technique described in Patent Document 3, the propagation of bacteria in the drain pipe is suppressed, the agar-like substance is prevented from being metabolized in the drain pipe, and the drain pipe by the agar-like substance is prevented. Blockage can be prevented.

JP 2006-194492 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-145025 JP 2008-128571 A

  Here, when installing a ceiling-embedded air conditioner, a skilled engineer who has acquired a certain level of skill is required, so the actual situation is that workers are limited and inconvenienced. This is as described above. Therefore, there is an urgent need to facilitate installation and maintenance of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner.

  On the other hand, regarding the suppression of slime generation and growth by bacteria in the drain hose, the above-mentioned conventional technology must take into account the cost of additional parts and work, especially the ceiling installed in the ceiling. In the embedded air conditioner, inconvenience is imposed on the maintenance and service aspects.

  In Patent Document 1, it cannot be said that the arrangement method and shape of the antibacterial agent consider the flow of the drain, and there is no specific mention of the workability at the time of maintenance. There is a problem that enormous difficulty is involved in actual application.

  In patent document 2, an antibacterial metal ion generator must be attached, and there exists a subject that cost is forced.

  In Patent Document 3, the heating means must be operated at the time of cooling, and extra energy that does not contribute to the cooling capacity is consumed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose thereof is to obtain a stable work result without requiring a dedicated technician for pipe connection work, and to produce and grow slime by bacteria. An object of the present invention is to provide a ceiling-embedded air conditioner that can suppress the above.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a cabinet in which at least a heat exchanger, a drain pan that collects condensed water dripped from the heat exchanger, and a drain pump that discharges condensed water to the outside of the apparatus are housed. In a ceiling-embedded air conditioner comprising a drain connection port provided in the cabinet, and a drain hose connected to the drain connection port and through which condensed water pumped from the drainage pump flows, a mesh-like outer cylinder A body, a mesh-like inner cylindrical body disposed inside the outer cylindrical body, and a flange formed to extend outward from an end edge of the outer cylindrical body, and An annular space formed between the outer cylindrical body and the inner cylindrical body is provided with a cartridge containing an antibacterial agent (for example, a steel chip), and the flange portion is connected to the drain. Is attached to the inside of the drain connection port so as to abut on the end surface of the drain hose, and a one-touch type coupling mechanism is provided at one end of the drain hose and connected to the drain connection port. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, since the drain hose can be attached to the drain connection port with a single touch, the work at the time of installation and maintenance can be completed in a short time even if it is not a skilled worker. Further, according to the present invention, since the cartridge has a flange portion, the flange portion may be attached so as to contact the end surface of the drain connection port. That is, it is not necessary to adjust the mounting position of the cartridge. Therefore, even a skilled worker can easily attach the cartridge to the drain connection port in a short time. Further, according to the present invention, since the antibacterial agent is accommodated in the annular space between the outer cylindrical body and the inner cylindrical body of the cartridge, there is an advantage that generation and growth of slime by bacteria can be suppressed.

  Further, in the above configuration, the drain connection port includes a cylindrical mounting portion protruding from the cabinet, a convex portion is formed on a peripheral surface of the mounting portion, and the connection portion of the drain hose is the mounting A cylindrical sleeve having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the portion, and the drain connection port and the drain hose are connected by fitting the sleeve into the mounting portion from the outside, and the coupling mechanism is It is preferable that the connection between the drain connection port and the drain hose is maintained by engaging with the portion. This is because the drain hose can be securely attached to the drain connection port by a simple operation of simply fitting the drain hose sleeve into the drain connection port mounting portion.

  According to the present invention, a stable work result can be obtained without requiring a dedicated expert engineer for pipe connection work, and generation and growth of slime due to bacteria can be suppressed.

Sectional drawing of the Example of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner of this invention. Sectional drawing of the drain connection port of the Example. The enlarged view of the one-touch connection part of the Example. The perspective view of the drain connection port of the Example. Sectional drawing of the antimicrobial cartridge used for the Example. Sectional drawing of the drain connection port of the conventional ceiling-embedded air conditioner. The perspective view of the drain piping enforcement example of a ceiling embedded type air conditioner.

  Hereinafter, a ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the present invention. FIG. 2A is a sectional view of the drain connection port of the embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the drain hose. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the one-touch connection part of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drain connection port of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an antimicrobial cartridge used in the examples. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a drain connection port of a conventional ceiling-embedded air conditioner, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of drain piping.

  In this embodiment, a drain hose connection structure of a ceiling-embedded air conditioner and a removable antibacterial cartridge structure that suppresses the generation and growth of slime by bacteria will be mainly described.

  Before explaining the details of the structure of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the outline of the construction of the drain pipe will be described first. FIG. 7 shows an example of drain piping. In general, when installing the ceiling-embedded air conditioner, the refrigerant pipe and the drain pipe 36 are preliminarily installed before attaching the ceiling board, and then the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 38 is attached at a predetermined position. . Then, a hole is made in the outer wall surface 33, and a refrigerant pipe and a drain pipe 36 are installed outside through a pipe bush 34 fitted in the hole so that the drain water is guided to the outside. Depending on the case, the piping cover 35 may be installed to improve the appearance of the wall surface. After that, the ceiling board is pasted, the ceiling opening around the ceiling-embedded air conditioner is finished to a predetermined size, and finally, the decorative panel 5 is attached and completed. During this time, of course, a trial operation of air conditioning and a drain water passing test are also performed.

  Next, the structure of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 38 according to the embodiment includes a heat exchanger 1 in a cabinet 7, a drain pan 4 for collecting condensed water 6 dripped from the heat exchanger 1, a condensation In a state in which a drain pump (drainage pump) 8 that discharges water 6 to the outside of the machine, a once-through fan 2 that is disposed on the back of the heat exchanger 1, and a fan motor 3 that drives the once-through fan 2 are accommodated. It is embedded in the indoor ceiling, and the part exposed from the ceiling is covered with the decorative panel 5.

  When the cross-flow fan 2 rotates, the indoor air sucked from the suction grille 5a of the decorative panel 5 passes through the heat exchanger 1 and changes moisture in the air to condensed water 6 when heat is exchanged. It is dripped at the drain pan 4 and collected in a water collecting portion 4a provided at one end of the drain pan 4 as shown in FIG. The condensed water 6 collected in the water collecting section 4a is pumped up by the drain pump 8 and discharged from the drain connection port 9 to the outside of the apparatus.

  At this time, when drain water (condensed water) stagnates in the drain pan 4 or the drain hose 10, slime is generated. Slime is produced and grown by microorganisms such as bacteria that have entered in the water and from the outside. Bacteria proliferate actively when the surrounding nutritional state and temperature environment are in place, but when the nutritional state and temperature environment deteriorate, the growth activity decreases and the adhesion to the solid surface such as drain pan 4 increases. If this happens, drain water may overflow from the drain pan 4 due to clogging of the drain hose 10 or accumulation of slime on the drain pan 4, and this may hinder the use of the air conditioner.

  Here, in order to facilitate understanding of the characteristics of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the present embodiment, first, the conventional configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Conventionally, the drain connection port 9 is flexible. A drain hose 10 is inserted, fixed with a hose band 11, and drain water is discharged. The drain hose 9 is initially connected to the ceiling-embedded air conditioner before the ceiling panel is attached, so even if it is a little cumbersome, there is no ceiling panel. It is not a big problem because it can be done by securing the necessary scaffolding from the room that is not placed.

  However, when a long time has passed using a ceiling-embedded air conditioner, slime may be generated as described above. In this case, the drain connection portion is removed to remove the slime, It is necessary to clean the inside of the piping. In this case, however, the air conditioner is installed, the ceiling is stuck, and the room is often in use. The conventional structure is extremely difficult to work in a short time.

  In this regard, in the ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the drain connection port 9 includes the mounting portion 9a for mounting the antibacterial cartridge 23, the antibacterial cartridge (cartridge) 23 is mounted, and the drain hose 10 is connected. Since the one-touch coupling method is adopted, slime generation can be suppressed, the drain hose 10 can be connected in a short time, and maintenance can be easily performed when the slime suppression effect is weakened. It has become. The details of this embodiment will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, an antibacterial cartridge (cartridge) 23 is a sleeve-like molded product in which a net having a ring-shaped space and a frame are integrated. The ceramic balls 24 are filled with granular ceramic balls (antibacterial agent) 24 that suppress the generation of such particles. Examples of such ceramic balls 24 include surface active balls S-TA-15 manufactured by Nagano Ceramics Co., Ltd. There is a ball W-140.

  More specifically, the antibacterial cartridge 23 according to this embodiment includes a mesh-like outer cylindrical body 25, a mesh-like inner cylindrical body 26 disposed inside the outer cylindrical body 25, and an end of the outer cylindrical body. And a collar portion 27 formed so as to extend outward from the edge portion. Both the outer cylindrical body 25 and the inner cylindrical body 26 have a mesh-like configuration in which the number of holes having a size that does not hinder the flow of the condensed water 6 and smaller than the diameter of the ceramic ball 24 is innumerable. Yes. The ceramic balls 24 are accommodated in an annular space 28 formed between the outer cylindrical body 25 and the inner cylindrical body 26. Note that the flange portion 27 extends outward from the end portion so as to surround the end portion of the outer cylindrical body 25.

  This antibacterial cartridge 23 is inserted into the drain connection port 9 of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner as shown in FIG. 4 before the drain hose 10 is connected, and the flange 27 is brought into contact with the end surface 9c of the mounting portion 9a of the drain connection port 9. Make contact. Then, as shown in FIG. 2A, it is mounted by pressing with a one-touch coupling 20. When drain water (condensed water) flows, antibacterial components are dissolved from the ceramic balls 24 into the drain water, exhibiting antibacterial action, and suppressing generation of slime.

  If this antibacterial cartridge 23 has been used for a long time, the amount of the antibacterial component that dissolves will decrease, and a sufficient slime-inhibiting action will not be performed. For this reason, it is necessary to periodically replace the antibacterial cartridge 23. As described above, this replacement work is performed in a place where the work environment behind the ceiling is not good, but after the drain hose 10 is removed by the one-touch coupling method. Since the antibacterial cartridge 23 attached to the drain connection port 9 is replaced and the drain hose 10 is simply connected again with one touch, the work is completed in an extremely short time, and an extra burden is not imposed on the operator. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described ceramic balls, and any ceramic balls can be used as long as they have an effect of suppressing generation of slime.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the one-touch coupling 20, which is provided at one end of the drain hose 10 as shown in FIG. The one-touch coupling 20 includes a packing 30, a lock piece 31, and a holding spring 32 on a sleeve 22 fixed to one end of the drain hose 10. When the slide socket 21 is held by hand and is slid to the dotted line position, the lock piece 31 has a radius. The sleeve 22 can be removed from the drain connection port 9 by overcoming the convex portion 9b formed on the peripheral surface of the mounting portion 9a of the drain connection port 9, and the hand is released from the slide socket 21. The slide socket 21 is moved to the position indicated by the solid line by the internal holding spring 32. When the slide socket 21 is located at the position indicated by the solid line, the lock piece 31 is pressed by the slide socket 21 and cannot be moved in the radial direction. The lock is not released. There are various one-touch coupling methods, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described method, and various one-touch coupling methods can be used.

  As described above, according to the ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the place of installation work is the back of the ceiling, and the work enters the back of the ceiling or the work on a high stepladder. Even if the workability is not good, it is easy to install the ceiling-mounted air conditioner, and it is easy to install and remove the air conditioner and the drain pipe during maintenance around the drain. It becomes easy to do. For this reason, the work at the time of installation and maintenance can be performed reliably in a short time.

  In the ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to the above-described embodiment, the drain hose is configured so that the mounting portion 9a of the drain connection port 9 is a male (convex) and the drain hose 10 is a female (concave). 10 can be easily fitted into the mounting portion 9a.

  In addition, the large ceiling-embedded air conditioner 38 installed on the back of the ceiling is fixed and the position is determined, and the drain hose 10 that is delicate compared to the air conditioner 38 is on the floating side. The drain hose 10 can be easily connected by holding the connecting portion of the one-touch coupling 20 with one hand while releasing the locking mechanism on the concave side. In this case, you can balance your body with the other hand, so you can work comfortably. If this is reversed, the air conditioner main body side becomes the concave side, so that the locking mechanism is released with one hand and the floating drain hose 10 is pulled and connected with another hand. It becomes difficult to balance one's body, and the connection work of the drain hose 10 becomes extremely difficult.

  In the ceiling-embedded air conditioner of the embodiment, a ceramic ball (steel chip) 24, which is generally said to have antibacterial action, is housed in a removable antibacterial cartridge 23 inside the one-touch coupling connection mechanism. Therefore, a substance having an antibacterial action is dissolved from the antibacterial cartridge 23 into the drain water (condensed water), and slime is prevented from being generated and growing in the drain hose 10 by bacteria. This antibacterial cartridge 23 must be replaced when the antibacterial substance is not dissolved, but since the mounting location of the antibacterial cartridge 23 is inside the one-touch coupling connection part, it can be easily replaced by removing the one-touch coupling part. Good maintainability. For this reason, the production | generation and growth of the slime by bacteria can be suppressed continuously by regular and simple maintenance.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Heat exchanger, 2 ... Cross-flow fan, 3 ... Fan motor, 4 ... Drain pan, 4a ... Water collecting part, 5 ... Cosmetic panel, 5a ... Suction grill, 6 ... Condensed water, 7 ... Cabinet, 8 ... Drain pump ( (Drainage pump), 9 ... drain connection port, 9a ... mounting portion, 9b ... convex portion, 9c ... end face, 10 ... drain hose, 11 ... hose band, 20 ... one-touch coupling, 21 ... slide socket, 22 ... sleeve, 23 ... antibacterial cartridge (cartridge), 24 ... ceramic ball (antibacterial agent), 25 ... outer cylindrical body, 26 ... inner cylindrical body, 27 ... buttocks, 28 ... annular space, 30 ... packing, 31 ... lock piece, 32 ... holding Spring. 33 ... Outer wall, 34 ... Pipe bush, 35 ... Pipe cover, 36 ... Drain pipe, 38 ... Embedded ceiling air conditioner

Claims (2)

A cabinet that houses at least a heat exchanger, a drain pan that collects condensed water dripped from the heat exchanger, and a drain pump that discharges condensed water to the outside of the apparatus, a drain connection port provided in the cabinet, and the drain In the ceiling-embedded air conditioner provided with a drain hose connected to the connection port and through which the condensed water pumped from the drainage pump flows,
A mesh-shaped outer cylindrical body, a mesh-shaped inner cylindrical body disposed inside the outer cylindrical body, and a flange formed to extend outward from an edge of the outer cylindrical body. And a cartridge containing an antibacterial agent in an annular space formed between the outer cylindrical body and the inner cylindrical body,
The cartridge is attached to the inside of the drain connection port so that the flange portion contacts the end surface of the drain connection port,
A one-touch coupling mechanism is provided at one end of the drain hose and connected to the drain connection port. In the description of claim 1,
The drain connection port includes a cylindrical mounting portion protruding from the cabinet, and a convex portion is formed on a peripheral surface of the mounting portion.
The connection part of the drain hose includes a cylindrical sleeve having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the mounting part,
The drain connection port and the drain hose are connected by fitting the sleeve into the mounting portion from the outside, and the coupling mechanism is engaged with the convex portion, whereby the drain connection port and the drain are connected. A ceiling-embedded air conditioner characterized in that the connection with the hose is maintained.

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