JP2012052695A - Air filter and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air filter which is used in an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism, reduces frictional resistance during movement, and suppresses partial wear-out that is caused on the air filter and a filter traveling path.SOLUTION: In the air filter 14 which is used in an air conditioner having the air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism in which the side of the air filter 14 moves during cleaning, and in which a ventilation portions 141 is divided into a plurality of sections by frames 142 to 145 arranged at the circumference of the filter, friction resistance reducing ribs 146 which are formed to be continuous waveforms continuous to the movement direction of the filter 14 are formed on surfaces of the frames 142, 144 among the frames 142 to 145 which extend to the movement direction of the air filter 14, and serve as vertical frame sides contacting with a guide face of a filter movement passage.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air filter used in an air conditioner equipped with an air fill movement type filter cleaning mechanism, and an air conditioner including the air filter.

When the dust collected by the air filter is accumulated in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, the ventilation resistance increases and the operation efficiency decreases. Therefore, an air conditioner having a filter cleaning mechanism that periodically removes dust collected by the air filter and automatically cleans the air filter is provided.
Various methods have been proposed for such a filter cleaning mechanism. For example, in the case of an air filter moving method, an air filter disposed on the upstream side of the heat exchanger is moved along the filter guide, It is configured to scrape dust on the air filter through a rotating brush or the like installed along the movement path and collect it in a dust box.

  As an air filter used in such an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. This air filter reduces friction by reducing the contact area between the air filter and the guide surface by providing a plurality of concave and convex grooves parallel to the insertion direction on the filter side contact surface that contacts the air filter guide. Is.

JP 2010-071524 A

By the way, in an indoor unit of an air conditioner equipped with the above-described air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism, torque reduction at the time of driving the filter that moves the air filter is a problem.
The torque when moving the filter is determined by sliding friction between the frame section that divides the ventilation section of the air filter into a plurality and the filter movement path (guide surface) of the automatic filter cleaning mechanism formed on the indoor unit body side. Therefore, it is necessary to consider this frictional force. Since this frictional force increases the required torque, ribs (convex grooves) in the direction in which the air filter slides are formed on the left and right vertical frames that serve as the filter-side contact surface, as in Patent Document 1, for example. This may reduce the frictional force.

However, such a rib always moves while contacting the same part with respect to the filter moving path. That is, when the air filter moves, the contact surface between the air filter and the filter moving path is always in the same region, and therefore, partial wear increases in this contact region portion.
As a result, the air filter and fill movement path may deteriorate in a relatively short time due to partial wear of the contact portion, and this deterioration reduces the durability and life of the air filter and the filter cleaning mechanism. It becomes a factor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to be used in an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism to reduce frictional resistance during movement, and to move the air filter and fill. An object of the present invention is to provide an air filter capable of suppressing partial wear generated in a path.
Furthermore, this invention is providing the air conditioner provided with the filter cleaning mechanism of the air filter movement system which uses this air filter.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.
An air filter according to the present invention is used in an air conditioner having an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism in which an air filter side moves during cleaning, and a plurality of sections are formed by a frame portion provided with a ventilation portion through which air passes. In the air filter that is divided into two, the waveform of the frame portion that extends in the moving direction of the air filter and contacts the guide surface of the filter moving path is a waveform continuous in the moving direction of the filter. The friction resistance reducing rib formed is provided.

According to such an air filter, on the surface of the vertical frame that extends in the moving direction (vertical direction) of the air filter and contacts the guide surface of the filter moving path among the frame sections that divide the ventilation section into a plurality of parts, Since the frictional resistance reduction ribs formed in a waveform continuous in the moving direction are provided, when the filter is moved, the contact surface with the filter moving path is dispersed in the width direction of the vertical frame in addition to the reduction of the contact area. For this reason, when the air filter moves, the contact surface between the air filter and the filter moving path is not always in the same region, and therefore, partial wear in this contact region can be suppressed.
In addition, since the corrugated friction reducing rib is continuous in the moving direction, smooth movement without being caught by a step or the like becomes possible.

  In the above air filter, it is preferable that the frictional resistance reducing rib has a curved upper end contact surface, thereby reducing the frictional resistance while minimizing the contact area with the filter moving path.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention is installed in a casing, and is disposed on the heat exchanger disposed from the front surface to the upper surface and the rear surface, and disposed on the upstream side of the heat exchanger. And an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism that removes dust collected by the air filter while moving the air filter along a filter guide. Is.

  According to such an air conditioner, since the air filter according to claim 1 or 2 is provided, when the air filter moves, the contact surface between the air filter and the filter moving path is dispersed in the width direction of the vertical frame. And will not always be in the same area. Therefore, the filter cleaning mechanism of the air filter moving method suppresses partial wear that has occurred during the movement of the air filter, and the durability and life of the air filter and the filter cleaning mechanism are improved.

  According to the present invention described above, the frictional resistance reducing ribs having a waveform continuous in the moving direction of the air filter are provided on the surface of the vertical frame that partitions the ventilation portion and contacts the filter moving path. The contact surface that comes into contact with the filter moving path during the movement is distributed in the width direction of the vertical frame, and the frictional resistance is reduced and it is prevented from always hitting at the same location. As a result, partial deterioration of the air filter and the filter moving path is prevented or suppressed, and the durability and life of the air filter and the filter cleaning mechanism are improved. Therefore, the quality of the air filter and the air conditioner equipped with the air filter can be improved. Has a remarkable effect.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the air filter which concerns on this invention, (a) is a perspective view which shows the example of whole structure, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a). It is a top view which shows the waveform modification of a friction reduction rib about the air filter shown in FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the front panel of the air conditioner shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state by which the air filter of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 3 is arrange | positioned in the normal position. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state in the middle of the air filter of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 3 moving at the time of cleaning. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the air filter of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 3 moved to the movement end (forward movement end) position at the time of cleaning.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air filter and an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view with the front panel removed, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Has been. Here, a wall-mounted air conditioner 1 is illustrated.
The air conditioner 1 includes a base main body 2, a front cover 3 attached to the base main body 2 so as to cover the front portion of the base main body 2 from the top, bottom, left, and front, and the front attached to the front of the front cover 3. A horizontally long rectangular casing 5 composed of the panel 4 is provided.

The front surface and the upper surface of the front cover 3 constituting the housing 5 are formed as lattice-like crosspieces 6 and 7 on the substantially entire surface, and the air suction port 8 is formed by the crosspieces 6 and 7. , 7 are configured to also serve as filter guides.
A suction grill 9 is installed on the upper surface of the front cover 3, and a blow-out port 10 for blowing air temperature-controlled over substantially the entire width is opened at a front portion of the lower surface. The air outlet 10 includes a plurality of louvers 11 that change the wind direction in the left-right direction, and two upper and lower louvers that are divided into left and right that can change the wind direction up and down and that can close the air outlet 10. A horizontal flap 12 is provided. The louver 11 and the horizontal flap 12 are configured to be independently rotated by a motor (not shown).

An air flow path 13 is formed in the housing 5 from the front and upper surface air inlets 8 to the air outlet 10 at the front part of the lower surface, and an air filter is formed in the air flow path 13 from the upstream side. 14, an indoor heat exchanger (heat exchanger) 15 and an indoor fan 16 are sequentially arranged.
The room air sucked through the suction grill 9 passes through the air filter 14 and is removed from the dust, and then cooled or heated by the indoor heat exchanger 15, and passed through the indoor fan 16 from the air outlet 8 to the room. It has come to be blown out. The air filter 14 is divided into left and right parts and installed, and a horizontally-long air purification filter 17 is disposed at a front upper portion of the back side of the air filter 14.

  The indoor heat exchanger 15 is a plate fin tube type heat exchanger bent in a substantially Λ shape, and is disposed in the housing 5 from a lower position on the front surface to an upper surface and a rear surface. On the downstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 15, an elongated cylindrical cross-flow fan that constitutes the indoor fan 16 is disposed in the inner space. The air filter 14 is provided on the upstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 12 in the area on the front side of the grid-like crosspieces 6 and 7 provided on substantially the entire front surface and upper surface of the front cover 3 constituting the housing 5. It is attached along the 1st filter guide path | route 18 formed of many filter guides so that it may cover.

  The first filter guide path 18 includes the surfaces of the crosspieces 6 and 7 of the front cover 3, the lower surface of the suction grill 9, the filter guide 19 installed on the front side of the front cover 3, and the outer surface of the filter frame 20 of the air purification filter 17. A large number of filter guides such as a filter guide 21 installed in the front upper portion of the front cover 3 so as to face the filter frame 20 and a filter guide member 22 arranged on the back surface of the front panel 4 so as to face the filter guide 19. Is formed by.

  The first filter guide path 18 includes a guide path 18 </ b> A formed along the upper surface side of the housing 5 and a guide path 18 </ b> B formed along the front surface side of the housing 5. In addition, the air filter 14 attached along the upstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 15 via the first filter guide path 18 removes dust collected on the upstream side surface thereof, so that the filter cleaning mechanism 23 The first filter guide path 18 can be reciprocated.

  The filter cleaning mechanism 23 removes dust collected on the air filter 14 and automatically cleans the air filter 14, and is installed in a lower part on the front side of the front cover 3. The filter cleaning mechanism 23 of the present embodiment includes a pair of left and right cylindrical drive rollers 24 for reciprocating the air filter 14, and an air filter 14 that is disposed below the drive roller 24 and is moved by the drive roller 24. A pair of left and right rotating brushes 25 for scraping dust from the dust collecting surface and a pair of left and right removable dust boxes 26 for collecting and storing the dust scraped off by the rotating brush 25 are provided.

  Gears 24A are provided at both left and right ends of the drive roller 24, and the gears 24A and racks 14A provided on the left and right sides of the filter frame of the air filter 14 are meshed with each other. As a result, the air filter 14 can reciprocate in the first filter guide path 18 via the drive roller 24. The drive roller 24 is rotated forward and backward via a motor (not shown).

  Further, when the air filter 14 is moved via the drive roller 24 of the filter cleaning mechanism 23 during filter cleaning, the second filter guide path 27 and the third filter guide path 29 for securing the movement path are provided in the housing. 5 is formed. The second filter guide path 27 is a curved path (U-turn path) for turning the air filter 14 upward via a curved portion along the driving roller 24, and the outer peripheral surface of the driving roller 24 and the driving roller 24. And a curved guide member 28 provided along the line. The second filter guide path 27 is continuous with one end of the first filter guide path 18.

  The third filter guide path 29 is a path for guiding the air filter 14 to a position off the upper part of the indoor heat exchanger 15, and is continuous with the end of the second filter guide path 27 on the U-turned side. ing. The third filter guide path 29 is connected to the guide path 18B of the first filter guide path 18 extending in the vertical direction along the back surface of the front panel 4 on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger 15, and the indoor heat exchange. It extends upwardly in parallel with the guide path 18B through the space between the front side of the vessel 15.

  The third filter guide path 29 includes a path 29A extending between the surface of the crosspiece 6 on the front surface side of the front cover 3 and the rear surface 19A of the filter guide 19 and the interior of the housing 5. A path 29B formed by a filter guide 21 and a filter guide member 22 on the back surface of the front panel 4 that extends to the back surface of the front panel 4 across the first filter guide path 18 at an upper front portion, A path 29 </ b> C formed by the filter guide 21 and the filter guide member 22, which is folded downward along the back surface and extends downward, joins the first filter guide path 18 near the lower end of the filter guide 21. Has been.

  Further, the position where the third filter guide path 29 and the first filter guide path 18 intersect is when the air filter 14 is moved along the third filter guide path 29 and one end of the air filter 14 reaches the intersecting position. The second filter guide path 27 is set at an uppermost position farthest from the U-turn position so that the other end of the air filter 14 moving through the first filter guide path 18 passes through the intersection position. .

The filter cleaning mechanism 23 described above is an air filter moving method in which the air filter 14 side moves. The air filter 14 is in a predetermined installation position shown in FIG. 5 in a normal air conditioning operation state.
However, at the time of filter cleaning, the air filter 14 moves downward by the rotation of the driving roller 24, and reaches the movement end position shown in FIG. 7 through the state in the middle of movement shown in FIG. In this way, the air filter 14 passes through the rotary brush 25 over its entire length, so that dust that adheres when the moving air filter 14 passes through the rotary brush 25 is removed, and the air filter 14 is cleaned. Complete. When the cleaning of the air filter 14 is completed in this way, the series of filter cleaning steps are completed by returning the air filter 14 to a predetermined position during the air conditioning operation by rotating the driving roller 24 in the reverse direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the air filter 14 used in the filter cleaning mechanism 23 is divided into a plurality of sections by upper, lower, left, and right frame portions 142 to 145 provided around a mesh-shaped ventilation portion 141 that allows airflow to pass therethrough. Has been.
In the illustrated configuration example, the four frame portions 142 and 143 form an outer frame that forms a rectangle, and the five frame portions (partition frames) 144 and 145 are provided in the inner frame to thereby form a rectangular shape divided into twelve segments. A ventilation part 141 is formed. However, the number of divisions of the frame portions 144 and 145 and the ventilation portion 141 is not limited to this configuration example, and can be appropriately changed according to various conditions.

  Among these, the pair of left and right frame portions 142 are vertical filter frames (vertical frames) through which the air filter 14 moves during cleaning, and the back surface (downstream side surface) of the rack 14A meshes with the gear 24A of the drive roller 24. Is formed.

On the other hand, the surface (upstream side surface) of the frame part 142 is provided with a frictional resistance reducing rib 146 formed in a waveform continuous in the moving direction of the air filter 14. Similarly, in the five frame portions 144 and 145 that define the ventilation portion 141, the two frame portions (vertical frames) 144 provided in the vertical direction in which the air filter 14 moves during cleaning are also applied to the air filter. Frictional resistance reducing ribs 146 formed in a waveform continuous in the moving direction of 14 are provided.
That is, in the air filter 14 of the present embodiment, the filter portions 18, 27, and 29, as described above, with respect to the frame portions 142 and 144 on the vertical frame side extending in the moving direction of the air filter 14. Friction resistance reducing ribs 146 are provided on the surface in contact with the guide surface of the filter moving path through which the filter 14 moves during cleaning.

  Here, a specific example of the guide surface of the filter movement path is a wall surface forming member on the upstream side of the filter, such as the filter guide 21 and the filter guide member 22 that form the first filter guide path 18. It is a wall surface on which the surface of the filter 14 slides in contact. That is, the guide surface of the filter movement path defines the movement path of the air filter 14 that moves during filter cleaning, and defines the movement path on the upstream side before the air sucked for air conditioning from now on passes through the air filter 14. It is a wall surface.

The frictional resistance reducing ribs 146 protrude from the surfaces of the frame portions 142 and 144 and are continuously provided to both ends in the moving direction of the air filter 14. The illustrated friction facing reduction rib 146 is formed in a waveform having a continuous curved surface, such as a sine curve. In addition, about a continuous waveform, it is not limited to what a curved surface continues, For example, like the modification shown in FIG. 2, the friction resistance reduction rib 147 which made the triangle continuous may be sufficient.
Further, the cross-sectional shape of the frictional resistance reduction ribs 146 and 147 is a curved surface shape having a small contact area in contact with the guide surface at the time of sliding, such as a substantially semicircular shape or a substantially semielliptical shape shown in FIG. It is desirable.

  If such an air filter 14 is employed, the friction resistance reducing ribs 146 are provided on the surfaces of the frame portions 142 and 144 that extend in the moving direction of the air filter 14 and are in contact with the guide surface of the filter moving path. When the filter is moved, since the contact area with the guide surface is small, the frictional resistance is reduced and smooth movement with a relatively small torque is possible. At this time, since the frictional resistance reducing ribs 146 are continuously provided in the moving direction, there is no portion to be caught like a stepped portion that occurs when the frictional resistance reducing ribs 146 are intermittently provided. Therefore, the air filter 14 is smooth and smooth. It is possible to move.

  Further, since the frictional resistance reduction rib 146 has a wave shape, the contact surface with the filter moving path is dispersed in the width direction of the frame portions 142 and 144 that are vertical frames. That is, the guide surface on the filter movement path side that contacts the frictional resistance reducing rib 146 is widened by the width of the waveform unlike the case of a straight line, so that the frictional resistance reducing rib 146 always slides at the same position in the width direction. By doing so, the wear does not concentrate in a limited range in the width direction. In other words, when the air filter 14 moves, the contact surface between the air filter 14 and the filter moving path does not always fluctuate in the width direction and concentrate in the same region. Progress can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the fair filter and the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the air filter 14 moves on the surfaces of the frame portions 142 and 144 on the side of the vertical frame that partitions the ventilation portion 141 and contacts the filter movement path. Since the frictional resistance reduction ribs 146 formed in a continuous waveform in the direction are provided, the contact surface that contacts the filter moving path when the air filter 14 moves is dispersed in the width direction of the frame portions 142 and 144 to reduce the frictional resistance. At the same time, it is possible to prevent hitting at the same place.

As a result, partial deterioration of the air filter 14 and the filter moving path can be prevented or suppressed, and the durability and life of the air filter 14 and the filter cleaning mechanism 23 are improved. Therefore, the air filter 14 and the air conditioner 1 including the air filter 14 are improved in quality such as durability and reliability.
In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the summary, such as a specific structural example of the filter cleaning mechanism made into the air filter moving system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 5 Case 14 Air filter 15 Heat exchanger 23 Filter cleaning mechanism 141 Ventilation part 142-145 Frame part 146,147 Friction resistance reduction rib

Claims (3)

In an air filter that is used in an air conditioner having an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism that moves on the air filter side during cleaning, and in which an air-permeable vent is divided into a plurality of sections by a frame provided around ,
A friction resistance reducing rib formed in a waveform continuous in the moving direction of the filter is provided on the vertical frame side surface extending in the moving direction of the air filter and in contact with the guide surface of the filter moving path. An air filter characterized by that.   The air filter according to claim 1, wherein the frictional resistance reduction rib has a curved upper end contact surface. A heat exchanger installed in the housing and disposed from the front surface to the upper surface and the rear surface thereof, the air filter according to claim 1 or 2 disposed on the upstream side of the heat exchanger, and the air An air conditioner comprising: an air filter moving type filter cleaning mechanism that removes dust collected by the air filter while moving the filter along the filter guide.

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