JP2013164239A - Air filter and air conditioner using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air filter which can be always smoothly moved by preventing displacement between a rack and a pinion, and to provide an air conditioner using the air filter.SOLUTION: In an air filter 11, a rack 11A engaged with a pinion for driving a filter is integrally disposed on filter frames on both sides. In the air filter 11, tooth thickness of rack teeth 11B, 11C which are disposed at end parts of the rack 11A and are engaged with the pinion first is set smaller than tooth thickness of other rack teeth 11D. An air conditioner includes a filter cleaning mechanism for removing dust from the surface of the air filter 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air filter applied to an air conditioner equipped with an automatic filter cleaning mechanism and an air conditioner using the same.

  When the dust collected by the air filter is accumulated, the ventilation resistance increases, and the operation efficiency of the air conditioner 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 has been put into practical use, and various types of filter cleaning mechanisms are provided. For example, an air filter disposed on the upstream side of the heat exchanger is moved along the filter moving path, and dust on the surface of the air filter is removed via a rotating brush or the like installed on the moving path. It is known that it is removed and collected in a dust box.

  For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, such a filter cleaning mechanism is provided with an air filter in which racks are integrally provided on filter frames on both sides so as to be movable along a filter moving path. The air filter is reciprocated along the movement path by a filter drive mechanism having a pinion that meshes with the rack of the rack, and dust is removed from the surface of the air filter by a rotating brush provided on the movement path. .

JP 2010-71523 A

  Although what was shown by patent document 1 is set as the structure which guides the end of an air filter to the position which meshes with a pinion with a filter guide, an air filter is attached and detached by a general user for maintenance, and again When setting, it is not guaranteed that the rack on the air filter side is set so as to be engaged with the pinion so that there is no deviation. Therefore, when the user installs and removes the air filter, it may be tilted at a slight angle. This may cause meshing, which may cause the air filter to move in an inclined state and become inoperable. It was. For this reason, in the above-mentioned type of filter cleaning mechanism, it is a problem how to eliminate the engagement between the rack and the pinion.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in an air filter applied to a filter cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans by moving the air filter, the meshing between the rack and the pinion is always suppressed, An object is to provide an air filter capable of moving smoothly and an air conditioner using the same.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the air filter of the present invention and the air conditioner using the same employ the following means.
That is, the air filter according to the present invention is provided at the end of the rack in the air filter in which the rack that meshes with the pinion for driving the filter is integrally provided on the filter frames on both sides. The thickness of the rack teeth meshing with the pinion is smaller than the thickness of the other rack teeth.

  According to the present invention, the tooth thickness of the rack teeth that are provided at the ends of the racks provided on the filter frames on both sides and first mesh with the pinion is made smaller than the tooth thickness of the other rack teeth. When the air filter is set in the air conditioner, it can be set with redundancy as much as the tooth thickness of the rack tooth that first meshes with the filter driving pinion is reduced. Therefore, even when the air filter is attached or detached, the air filter can be prevented from being set obliquely, the air filter side rack can be skillfully engaged with the pinion, and can be moved smoothly during cleaning. Further, since the tip of the air filter can be made flexible by reducing the tooth thickness, the mobility of the air filter with respect to a curved moving path or the like can be improved.

  Further, the air filter of the present invention is the above air filter, wherein the air filter is an air filter that can be set upside down, and is provided at both ends of the rack, and rack teeth that first mesh with the pinion. Both the thicknesses are smaller than the tooth thicknesses of the other rack teeth.

  According to the present invention, the air filter is an air filter that can be set upside down, and the thickness of the rack teeth that are provided at both ends of the rack and first mesh with the pinion are both greater than the thickness of the other rack teeth. Therefore, even when the air filter is set upside down and meshed with the pinion, it can be skillfully set by providing redundancy as described above. Therefore, the air filter can be moved smoothly and its mobility can be improved.

  Furthermore, the air conditioner according to the present invention is provided with racks on the filter frames on both sides, detachable on the upstream side of the heat exchanger, and movably disposed along the filter moving path. A filter driving mechanism that moves the air filter along the filter movement path, and a filter cleaning mechanism that removes dust from the surface of the air filter. The air conditioner is characterized in that the air filter is any one of the above-described air filters.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner in which an air filter provided with a rack is moved by a filter driving mechanism having a pinion that meshes with the rack, and dust on the surface is removed by the filter cleaning mechanism. Since the air filter is one of the above-mentioned air filters, the air filter cannot be moved during automatic cleaning of the air filter because the air filter is set obliquely when the air filter is attached or detached during maintenance. Troubles such as becoming can be prevented. Therefore, the reliability of the automatic filter cleaning mechanism can be increased, and the occurrence of abnormal noise can be suppressed by increasing the mobility of the air filter and moving it smoothly.

  According to the air filter of the present invention, when the air filter is set in the air conditioner, the rack tooth is initially set with redundancy so that the thickness of the rack tooth that first meshes with the filter drive pinion is reduced. Therefore, even when the air filter is attached / detached, the air filter can be prevented from being set at an angle, the rack on the air filter side can be skillfully engaged with the pinion, and moved smoothly during cleaning. it can. Further, since the tip of the air filter can be made flexible by reducing the tooth thickness, the mobility of the air filter with respect to a curved moving path or the like can be improved.

  In addition, according to the air conditioner of the present invention, when the air filter is attached or detached during maintenance, the air filter is set at an angle. Therefore, the reliability of the automatic filter cleaning mechanism can be improved, and the occurrence of abnormal noise can be suppressed by increasing the mobility of the air filter and moving it smoothly.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air conditioner shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the state which removed the front panel of the air conditioner shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front cover of the air conditioner shown in FIG. It is a front view of the air filter integrated in the air conditioner shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the A section of the air filter shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the B section of the air filter shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 is an exploded perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which the front panel is removed, FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the front cover.
In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the example applied to the wall-hanging type air conditioner 1, this invention is not limited to this.

  The air conditioner 1 includes a mounting plate 2 installed on a wall surface, a base body 3 attached to the mounting plate 2, a blower 4 assembled to the base body 3 and its drive motor 5, and heat assembled to the base body 3. An exchanger 6, a refrigerant pipe 7 extending rearward from one side of the heat exchanger 6, a control box 8 assembled to the base body 3, a blowout outlet assembly 9 assembled to the base body 3, and the base body 3 The front cover 10 assembled to the base body 3 so as to cover the front, top and bottom and left and right side surfaces of each assembled device, the air filter 11 incorporated in the front cover 10 and its cleaning mechanism 12, and the front cover 10 It is assembled by a front panel 13 attached so as to cover the front surface.

  The base body 3 is for mounting and supporting the air conditioner 1 by being mounted on a mounting plate 2 installed on the wall surface. The base main body 3 is attached to the back side heat exchanger of the heat exchanger 6 bent into a Λ shape. A part of the air path of the drain pan and the blower 4 is integrally formed. The blower 4 is a cross flow fan including a cylindrical impeller disposed horizontally along the air path of the base body 3, and is rotatably supported by the base body 3 via a drive motor 5. Yes.

  The heat exchanger 6 is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger bent in a Λ shape, and is installed so as to cover the upper surface and the front surface of the blower (cross flow fan) 4. A refrigerant pipe 7 for circulating the refrigerant from one side of the heat exchanger 6 is extended backward. Further, in the lower part of the front heat exchanger of the heat exchanger 6, a drain pan 14, a stabilizer 15 that forms the air path of the blower 4, a wind direction adjusting louver 16, a flap 17, and the like incorporated therein. The blower outlet assembly 9 which consists of is assembled | attached.

  The control box 8 is incorporated in the right side of the base body 3 and controls the operation of the air conditioner 1 according to a command from the remote controller. The front cover 10 has a grid-like bar 19 on the upper surface and the front surface, and forms an air suction port 20. The crosspiece 19 is configured to also serve as a filter guide. Further, in the front cover 10, a center frame 10 </ b> A is formed at the center in the left-right direction of the air suction port 20, and side frames 10 </ b> B and 10 </ b> C are formed on both the left and right sides of the air suction port 20. The center frame 10A and the side frames 10B and 10C are provided with necessary strength because components and related parts of the filter cleaning mechanism 12 described later are assembled.

  A pair of left and right suction grilles 21 corresponding to the air suction ports 20 are integrally assembled on the upper surface of the front cover 10, and the front panel 13 is assembled on the front surface so as to be opened and closed upward with the upper part as a fulcrum. Between the upper surface and the front surface of the front cover 10 and the suction grille 21 and the front panel 13, an air filter 11 that collects dust in indoor air sucked from the suction grille 21 is connected to a filter moving path 26, which will be described later. A filter cleaning mechanism 12 is incorporated that is disposed so as to be movable along the lines 34 and 35 and removes dust collected by the air filter 11 from the filter surface and automatically cleans the air filter 11. The air filter 11 and the filter cleaning mechanism 12 are incorporated on the front cover 10 side.

  An air channel 23 extending from the suction grill 21 to the outlet 18 is formed in the housing assembled by the base body 3, the air outlet assembly 9, the front cover 10, the front panel 13, and the like. Inside, the air filter 11, the heat exchanger 6, and the air blower 4 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side. Thereby, the indoor air sucked through the suction grille 21 passes through the air filter 11 and is removed of dust, and then cooled or heated in the process of passing through the heat exchanger 6, and is blown out through the blower 4 through the outlet 18. Is blown into the room.

  A pair of air filters 11 are disposed on the left and right sides corresponding to the air suction port 20, and a horizontally-long air purification filter 24 is placed on the left and right sides of the air filter 11 via a filter holding frame 25 at the front upper portion on the back side. A pair is provided. The pair of air filters 11 are formed by a large number of filter guide members so as to cover the front region of the grid-like crosspieces 19 provided on the upper surface and the front surface of the front cover 10 on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 6. It is disposed along the first filter movement path 26.

  The first filter moving path 26 includes a surface of the grid-shaped crosspiece 19, a lower surface of the suction grille 21, a guide member 27 disposed on the front surface side of the front cover 10, an outer surface of the filter holding frame 25 of the air filter 24, and a filter holding The front cover is constituted by a large number of guide members such as a guide member 28 disposed in the front upper portion of the front cover 10 facing the frame 25 and a guide member 29 disposed opposite the guide member 26 on the rear surface of the front panel 13. Corresponding to a pair of air filters 11 on the left and right of 10, a pair is formed on both sides thereof. These many filter guide members are integrally assembled to the front cover 10.

  The first filter moving path 26 is formed along a moving path 26A formed along the air suction port 20 on the upper surface side of the front cover 10 and the air suction port 20 on the front side of the front cover 10. And a movement path 26B. Further, the pair of left and right air filters 11 disposed at the upstream position of the heat exchanger 6 via the first filter moving path 26 removes dust collected on the dust collecting surface, The pair of filter cleaning mechanisms 12 can reciprocate in the first filter moving path 26.

  The filter cleaning mechanism 12 is for automatically cleaning the air filter 11 by removing dust collected by the surface of the air filter 11, and is disposed in a lower part on the front side of the front cover 10. The filter cleaning mechanism 12 of the present embodiment is disposed opposite to a filter driving roller (driving mechanism) 30 having a pair of left and right cylindrical shapes for reciprocating the air filter 11 and the filter driving roller 30. A pair of left and right rotating brushes (dust removing mechanism) 31 that scrapes dust from the dust collecting surface of the air filter 11 moved by 30 and a pair of left and right detachable that collect and collect dust scraped by the rotating brush 31 A dust box 32 and a pair of left and right drive mechanisms 33 including a stepping motor and a reduction gear train (not shown) for driving the filter driving roller 30, the rotating brush 31, and the like are provided.

  Pinions (gears) 30A are formed at the left and right ends of the pair of filter drive rollers 30, and racks 11A provided on the filter frames on the left and right sides of the air filter 11 are engaged with the pinions 30A. Thus, the pair of left and right air filters 11 can reciprocate in the first filter movement path 26 via the filter driving rollers 30. Each filter drive roller 30 can be rotated forward and backward via a filter stepping motor of the drive mechanism 33.

  Further, when the air filter 11 is moved through the filter driving roller 30 of the filter cleaning mechanism 12 during filter cleaning, the second filter moving path 34 and the third filter moving path 35 for securing the moving path are in front. A pair of air filters 11 are formed in the cover 3 corresponding to the pair of air filters 11. The second filter moving path 34 is a U-turn path for turning the air filter 11 upward via a curved portion along the filter driving roller 30, and is provided along the outer peripheral surface of the filter driving roller 30 and along the U-turn path. The curved guide member 36 is formed. The second filter movement path 34 is continuous with one end of the first filter movement path 26.

  The third filter movement path 35 is a path for guiding the air filter 11 to a position off the upper part of the heat exchanger 6 and is continuous with the end portion of the second filter movement path 34 on the U-turned side. ing. The third filter moving path 35 includes a moving path 26 </ b> B of the first filter moving path 26 extending in the vertical direction along the back surface of the front panel 13 on the front side of the heat exchanger 6, and the heat exchanger 6. Is extended upward in parallel with the movement path 26B.

  The third filter moving path 35 includes a moving path 35A extending between the surface of the crosspiece 19 on the front surface side of the front cover 10 and the rear surface 27A of the guide member 27 and the front surface of the front cover 10. A movement path 35B formed by a guide member 28 and a guide member 29 provided on the back surface of the front panel 13, which intersects the first filter movement path 26 at an upper portion and extends to the back surface of the front panel 13, Folded downward along the back surface of the front panel 13 and extended downward, and joined to the first filter moving path 26 in the vicinity of the lower end of the guide member 28, provided on the back surface of the guide member 28 and the front panel 13. And a movement path 35 </ b> C formed by the guide member 29.

  The position where the third filter movement path 35 and the first filter movement path 26 intersect is a process in which the air filter 11 is moved along the third filter movement path 35 and one end of the position reaches the intersection position. The air filter 11 that is moving along the first filter movement path 26 is set at an uppermost position farthest from the U-turn position of the second filter movement path 34 so that the other end of the air filter 11 passes through the intersection position.

  The filter driving roller 30, the rotating brush 31, the dust box 32, the driving mechanism 33, and the like constituting the filter cleaning mechanism 12 are detachably incorporated into the front cover 10 via a plurality of sliding lock mechanisms 37 and 38. . The lock mechanisms 37 and 38 are incorporated in the dust box 32, and the dust box 32 is detachably incorporated between the center frame 10A of the front cover 10 and the side frames 10B and 10C via the lock mechanisms 37 and 38. . Then, by opening the lock mechanisms 37 and 38, the dust box 32, the rotating brush 31, the filter driving roller 30 and the driving mechanism 33 incorporated in the dust box 32 are detachable and removable.

  In order to remove dust collected by the air filter 11 and automatically clean the air filter 11, the air filter 11 is mounted so as to be movable along the filter movement paths 26, 34, and 35. For maintenance, the front panel 13 is opened upward and the dust box 32 is removed, so that it can be pulled out from the lower end to the front lower side. As shown in FIG. 5, the air filter 11 has a vertically long rectangular shape. When the air filter 11 is reset after cleaning, the upper end portion is inserted into the moving path 26B and moved so as to be pushed into the moving path 26A. Thereafter, the lower end of the rack 11A is guided between the guide member and the filter driving roller 30 along the guide member constituting the moving path 34, and the rack 11A on the air filter 11 side is pinned on the filter driving roller 30 side. It is necessary to mesh with 30A.

In the present embodiment, in order to enable the rack 11A on both sides of the air filter 11 and the pinions 30A on both sides of the filter driving roller 30 to be skillfully engaged and set, the air filter 11 is shown in FIGS. It is configured as shown.
Here, the air filter 11 has a configuration in which the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides are symmetrical so that they can be set in the same manner even if they are turned upside down. In the rack 11A provided integrally with the filter frames on both sides of the air filter 11 The rack teeth 11B and 11C at both the upper and lower end portions have a configuration in which the tooth thickness a is smaller than the other rack teeth 11D.

  That is, the tooth thickness a of the rack teeth 11B and 11C provided at both the upper and lower end portions to be initially engaged with the pinion 30A is made smaller than the tooth thickness b of the other rack teeth 11D. <B is satisfied.

With the configuration described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
When the air conditioner 1 is operated, room air is sucked through the suction grille 21 and the air suction port 20 by the rotation of the blower 4. In the process of passing through the air filter 11 and the air filter 24, the air is cleaned of dust, odor, and the like, purified, and supplied to the heat exchanger 6. Then, the air is cooled or heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the process of passing through the heat exchanger 6 and blown into the room through the air flow path 23 and the air blowing port 18 to cool or heat the room. Provided.

  When the operation time of the air conditioner 1 becomes longer, dust collected in the air filter 11 is gradually accumulated, and the ventilation resistance is gradually increased. If the operation is continued as it is, the pressure loss increases and the operation efficiency of the air conditioner 1 is reduced. For example, the filter cleaning mechanism 12 is operated every time the operation ends when the accumulated operation time reaches the set time, and the air An automatic filter cleaning operation for removing dust accumulated in the filter 11 is performed. In this automatic filter cleaning operation, the filter driving roller 30 and the rotating brush 31 are driven via the drive mechanism 33, and the air filter 11 disposed along the first filter moving path 26 is moved to the second filter moving path 34. This is performed by moving to the third filter moving path 35 via.

  That is, the rotation of the filter driving roller 30 moves the air filter 11 meshed with the pinion 30A via the rack 11A, and from the first filter moving path 26 to the second filter moving path 34 and the third filter moving path 35. Being forwarded. During this time, the rotating brush 31 disposed opposite to the filter driving roller 30 is in contact with the surface of the air filter 11 while being rotated, and the dust accumulated on the surface is scraped and collected in the dust box 32. The dust collecting surface of the air filter 11 is automatically cleaned.

  When the air filter 11 is moved forward to a predetermined position, the stepping motor of the drive mechanism 33 is reversely rotated, and the air filter 11 passes through the second filter movement path 34 from the third filter movement path 35 in the reverse manner. By being moved back to the first filter movement path 26, the automatic cleaning of the air filter 11 is completed. The dust collected in the dust box 32 by the automatic cleaning of the filter is incorporated into the dust box 32 by releasing the lock mechanisms 37 and 38 and removing the dust box 32 from the front cover 10 when a certain amount of dust is accumulated. By removing the rotating brush 31, the dust can be discarded and processed.

On the other hand, it is desirable to periodically remove and clean the air filter 11. By removing the dust box 32, the air filter 11 can be pulled down along the first filter moving path 26 and removed. The air filter 11 needs to be set at a predetermined position so as not to be displaced or inclined when it is mounted again.
In order to cope with this, in the present embodiment, racks 11A integrally provided on the filter frames on both sides of the air filter 11 are rack teeth 11B at both ends that first mesh with the drive-side pinion 30A. The tooth thickness a of 11C is configured to be smaller than the tooth thickness b of the other rack tooth 11D.

  By adopting such a configuration, when the air filter 11 is set at a predetermined position of the first filter moving path 26 on the air conditioner 1 side, the rack teeth that first mesh with the pinion 30A on the filter drive roller 30 side. As long as the tooth thickness a of 11B or 11C is reduced, it can be set with redundancy. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the air filter 11 from being set obliquely, and thereby, even when the air filter 11 is attached or detached, the rack 11A of the air filter 11 is skillfully engaged with the pinion 30A. Can be moved smoothly during cleaning.

Further, as described above, by reducing the tooth thickness a of the rack teeth 11B and 11C provided at both ends of the rack 11A, the air filter tip can be made flexible. For this reason, the mobility of the air filter 11 with respect to the curved movement paths 35, 35, etc. can be improved.
Further, the air filter 11 of the present embodiment is an air filter that can be set even when the top and bottom are reversed, and the tooth thickness a of 11B and 11C provided at both ends of the rack 11A is the same as that of the other rack teeth 11D. Since it is smaller than the tooth thickness b, even when the air filter 11 is set upside down, it can be set with respect to the pinion 30A with redundancy as described above.

  As a result, when the air filter 11 is attached or detached during maintenance, the air filter 11 is set at an angle, so that the air filter 11 cannot be moved during the subsequent automatic cleaning of the air filter 11. Can be prevented, and the reliability of the automatic filter cleaning mechanism and the air conditioner 1 equipped with the mechanism can be improved. Moreover, by increasing the mobility of the air filter 11 and moving the air filter 11 smoothly, the occurrence of abnormal noise or the like can be suppressed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the invention concerning the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, it can change suitably. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the wall-mounted air conditioner 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to other types of air conditioners as well. The filter cleaning mechanism 12 may be of any configuration as long as the air filter 11 is driven by meshing the rack 11A and the pinion 30A to move along the movement path to remove dust and clean it. Good. In particular, the filter movement path can be modified in various ways.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the air filter 11 having a configuration that can be set upside down has been described as an example. However, the air filter has a fixed top and bottom and meshes with the pinion 30A on the lower end side. In this case, only the rack teeth 11B at the lower end may be configured to have a reduced tooth thickness a.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 6 Heat exchanger 11 Air filter 11A Rack 11B, 11C Rack teeth 11D of both ends Other rack teeth 12 Filter cleaning mechanism 26 First filter moving path 30 Filter drive roller (drive mechanism)
30A Pinion 34 Second filter moving path 35 Third filter moving path a Thickness of rack teeth at both ends b Thickness of other rack teeth

Claims (3)

In the air filter in which the rack meshing with the filter drive pinion is integrally provided on the filter frames on both sides,
An air filter characterized in that a thickness of a rack tooth provided at an end of the rack and first meshed with the pinion is made smaller than a thickness of other rack teeth.   The air filter is an air filter that can be set upside down, and is provided at both ends of the rack, and the tooth thicknesses of the rack teeth that first mesh with the pinion are both smaller than the tooth thicknesses of the other rack teeth. The air filter according to claim 1. Racks are provided on the filter frames on both sides, an air filter that is detachable on the upstream side of the heat exchanger, and is movably disposed along the filter moving path;
A filter drive mechanism that includes a pinion that meshes with the rack of the air filter, and that moves the air filter along the filter movement path;
In an air conditioner comprising a filter cleaning mechanism that removes dust from the surface of the air filter,
An air conditioner, wherein the air filter is the air filter according to claim 1.

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