JP2014228157A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an air conditioner capable of preventing elution of antibacterial components from an antibacterial agent not immersed in drain water and extending a duration of an antibacterial agent bacteriostatic effect.SOLUTION: In an air conditioner, an antibacterial member 10 including antibacterial agent 1 eluding water soluble antibacterial components and antibacterial agent separation means 7a for separating parts of the antibacterial agent is provided in a drain pan receiving condensed water condensed on a surface of a heat exchanger as drain water 6, and the antibacterial agent separation means 7a divides the antibacterial agent 1 vertically to a water level of the drain water 6 stored in the drain pan. Out of the antibacterial agent 1 arranged in upper and lower portions of the antibacterial agent separation means 7a, the antibacterial agent 1 arranged in the lower portion of the antibacterial agent separation means 7a is arranged so as to be immersed in the drain water 6 stored in the drain pan.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of bacteriostatic drain water in a drain pan.

  As a conventional air conditioner, in the drain pan part, the antibacterial member is formed to a predetermined length longer than the length corresponding to the minimum water level and the maximum water level of the drain groove, and the lower end side is immersed corresponding to the minimum water level of the drain water There is a configuration that is installed in a state where the upper end side is positioned higher than the maximum water level by a predetermined dimension while being positioned where possible. In this way, in consideration of the consumption of the antibacterial agent according to the water level, if the dimension of the antibacterial member extending above the maximum water level is appropriately set and placed, it is continuous within a desired period. It is disclosed that it can be used at a certain concentration. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)

JP 2006-170478 A

  In the conventional air conditioner configuration, water is sucked up from the part of the immersed antibacterial agent to the part where it is not immersed, and the antibacterial component elutes. There was a problem that could not be planned.

  This invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and prevents elution of antibacterial components from antibacterial agents not immersed in drain water, thereby prolonging the life of the bacteriostatic effect of the antibacterial agents. An air conditioner that can be used is obtained.

  In the air conditioner according to the present invention, a drain pan that stores condensed water generated in the heat exchanger as drain water, an antibacterial agent that contacts the drain water and elutes a water-soluble antibacterial component, and the antibacterial agent are drain water. It has an antibacterial agent separating means that divides up and down in the water surface direction, and is provided with an antibacterial member arranged so that the antibacterial agent located in the lower part is immersed in the drain water.

  This invention elutes an antibacterial agent in a necessary amount when necessary, can maintain a bacteriostatic effect stably over a long period of time, and can be easily installed in a drain water of an air conditioner. Therefore, it is possible to prevent drainage failure of drain water caused by slime and slime.

It is a perspective view of the air conditioner which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view of the air conditioner which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air conditioner which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drain pump vicinity of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the antibacterial member of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the use progress state of the antibacterial member of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows another antibacterial member of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the antibacterial member of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drain pump vicinity of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the antibacterial member of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the drain pump vicinity of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, the outline | summary of the air conditioner in this Embodiment is demonstrated.
The air conditioner in the present embodiment is an air conditioner that includes a heat exchanger, a drain pan that receives condensed water generated from the heat exchanger as drain water, and a drain pump that discharges the drain water accumulated in the drain pan. is there. Specifically, a ceiling-embedded air conditioner (a type that has a decorative panel and the decorative panel is exposed indoors, and the entire body is installed behind the ceiling), and optionally a drain pump is attached. There are also a ceiling-suspended air conditioner and a wall-mounted air conditioner.

  In the present embodiment, the following description will be given by taking as an example a ceiling-embedded air conditioner, that is, a type having a decorative panel and exposing the decorative panel indoors. However, the ceiling-embedded air conditioner is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. In the following description, the ceiling-embedded air conditioner is abbreviated as an air conditioner.

  Next, the configuration of the air conditioner will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a state in which the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 for carrying out the present invention is attached to a ceiling, as viewed from below.
In FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 is an indoor unit, and is embedded in a ceiling of a room 45 so that a substantially rectangular decorative panel 47 provided at the lower part of the air conditioner 100 can be seen. In the vicinity of the center of the decorative panel 47, there is a substantially rectangular grille 38 communicating with the air inlet to the air conditioner 100, which serves as the inlet. The air outlet 48 communicates with a main body air outlet 40 formed along each side of the housing 20 which will be described later with reference to FIG. Furthermore, each blower outlet 48 is provided with the vane 49 which controls the wind direction of a blowing wind.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the upper surface cover of the air conditioner 100 (not shown in FIG. 1) is removed and the internal configuration is viewed from above.
In FIG. 2, the housing 20 has a substantially quadrangular cross-sectional shape as with the decorative panel 47. A main body outlet 40 is formed along each side of the housing 20. A centrifugal blower 30 is installed at a substantially central portion of the housing 20. The heat exchanger 21 is arranged in a substantially annular shape so as to surround the centrifugal blower 30.

  Further, the drain pump 4 is disposed at one corner of the casing 20 having a substantially square cross section. The drain pump 4 discharges the drain water accumulated in the drain pan 5 that receives the condensed water generated from the heat exchanger 21 as drain water to the outside of the housing 20. In order to bacterize the drain water 6, the antibacterial member 10 is disposed in the vicinity of the drain pump 4.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 for carrying out the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line AA in FIG.
In FIG. 3, a centrifugal blower 30 including a fan 30 a that is a turbo fan having a lower side as a suction port and a fan motor 30 b that drives the fan 30 a is disposed at a substantially central portion in the housing 20.
A fan motor 30b is attached to the top surface side of the housing 20, and a bell mouth 50 for introducing air into the fan 30a is disposed below the fan 30a.

  Further, the heat exchanger 21 is arranged in a substantially annular shape so as to surround the fan 30 a, and the drain pan 5 is installed at the lower part of the heat exchanger 21. The heat exchanger 21 constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with a compressor or the like that compresses refrigerant of an outdoor unit (not shown). In the heat exchanger 21, the indoor air sucked from the grill 38 by the fan 30a and the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle exchange heat to generate cold air or hot air.

  On the outside along each side of the drain pan 5, there is a main body outlet 40 that communicates the secondary side of the heat exchanger 21 that is in contact with room air and the room, and communicates with the outlet 48 of the decorative panel 47. Yes.

  A vane 49 is attached to the blowout port 48, and the blowout direction of cold air or hot air generated by the heat exchanger 21 can be adjusted. The shape of the vane 49 is substantially the same as that of the air outlet 48, and is designed in consideration of the design that substantially closes the air outlet 48 when the vane 49 is closed.

  A substantially rectangular grill 38 is attached to the opening at the substantially center of the decorative panel 47. The grill 38 is engaged with the decorative panel 47 by, for example, claws.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of the drain pump 4 in the first embodiment for carrying out the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. However, the drain pump 4 has shown the external shape.
In FIG. 4, the water condensed in the heat exchanger 21 is stored as drain water 6 in the drain pan 5. The drain water 6 is sucked and discharged from the suction port 4 a of the drain pump 4.
The material of the drain pan 5 installed below the heat exchanger 21 is polystyrene foam, and a skin layer 5a made of ABS resin is integrally formed on the surface. The thickness of the skin layer 5a is about 0.5 mm.

  The reason why the drain pan 5 is made of expanded polystyrene is as follows. There is a heat exchanger 21 above the drain pan 5. For example, during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 100, the temperature of the heat exchanger 21 becomes lower than the room air, and the drain pan 5 is also heated by heat transfer from the heat exchanger 21. To be cooled. Therefore, it is necessary to insulate in order to suppress dew condensation, and the material is foamed polystyrene.

  The reason why the skin layer 5a made of ABS resin is integrally formed on the surface of the polystyrene foam is as follows. Styrofoam is heat-insulating, but has a drawback that drain water 6 leaks. Therefore, in order to prevent the drain water 6 from leaking from the drain pan 5, a skin layer 5a made of ABS resin is integrally formed on the surface.

  A drain socket 2 (separate part) made of polyphenylene oxide resin having a drain drain port 2a used when the drain pump 4 fails is insert-molded at the deepest part of the drain pan 5 that is substantially directly below the drain pump 4. Yes. Since the drain outlet 2a of the drain socket 2 is unnecessary if the drain pump 4 is normal, it is normally closed with the drain plug 3.

  The reason why the drain socket 2 is made of polyphenylene oxide resin is as follows. If the drain socket 2 is molded with the same ABS resin as the skin layer 5a, the heat resistance is insufficient, and the drain drain port 2a is not sufficiently accurate. Therefore, the drain water 6 may leak even if the drain plug 3 is plugged. Therefore, the material of the drain socket 2 is a polyphenylene oxide resin that is more heat resistant than expanded polystyrene.

  However, if the polystyrene foam molding technology is improved in the future, the drain socket 2 can also be integrally formed of ABS resin having low heat resistance.

  The antibacterial member 10 is held in the drain pan 5 by the antibacterial member holding portion 8a, and prevents the propagation of germs in the drain water 6 by the antibacterial agent described later. The antibacterial member holding portion 8 a is made of, for example, a hydrophobic material, and uses a holder that can easily fix the antibacterial member 10 in the drain pan 5.

Next, the configuration of the antibacterial member 10 will be described.
FIG. 5: shows sectional drawing of the antibacterial member of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 for implementing this invention. The initial state of use is shown.
In FIG. 5, the antibacterial member 10 includes an antibacterial agent 1, an antibacterial agent separating means 7 a, and a storage container 11.
The antibacterial agent separating means 7a is provided so as to divide the antibacterial agent 1 into the upper portion 9a and the lower portion 9b in the direction of the drain water 6 (in other words, the direction perpendicular to the water surface of the drain water). In the use state of the antibacterial member 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the antibacterial agent 1 of the upper portion 9a is located above the water surface of the drain water.

The antibacterial agent 1 is contained in the storage container 11, and the antibacterial agents 1 are separated little by little by the antibacterial agent separating means 7 a, and arranged in a horizontal position with respect to the water surface of the drain water 6.
The antibacterial agent 1 is a material having high solubility in water, and at least one of silver, copper, iron, and zinc having antibacterial performance in a silicate compound containing one of calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, and boron. It is composed of a mixture of metal complexes containing two or more main components.

  The antibacterial agent separating means 7a has a plate shape and is incorporated in the storage container 11 so as to be slidable along the inner surface of the storage container 11, and the antibacterial agent 1 disposed above and below the antibacterial agent separating means 7a. Are arranged so as not to touch each other. The material of the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is hydrophobic or hygroscopic such as silica.

  Moreover, the antibacterial agent 1 separated by the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is classified according to the amount that can obtain the bacteriostatic effect for a predetermined period in the assumed standard use state.

The storage container 11 for wrapping the antibacterial agent 1 has water resistance, and is made of resin fibers such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), nylon, etc. This is a structure that allows water to pass through the opening 11a having an opening diameter that does not drop off. The opening diameter is not too small.
The storage container 11 may be made of a net-like material.

Next, operation | movement of the air conditioner 100 is demonstrated using FIGS. 1-4.
In FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 is configured to suck indoor warm air from the grill 38, cool the air in the heat exchanger 21, and return cool air from the outlet 48 to the room.
2 and 3, condensed water is generated on the heat exchanger 21 when the warm air passes through the heat exchanger 21 and is cooled. The condensed water is dropped into the drain pan 5 disposed at the lower part of the heat exchanger 21 and stored as drain water. The drain pump 4 disposed at one corner of the drain pan 5 operates when the centrifugal blower 30 is in operation, sucks up the drain water 6 stored in the drain pan 5 and discharges it outside the housing 20. While the drain pump 4 is operating, there is little water in the drain pan 5, but when the drain pump 4 is stopped, the water level of the drain water 6 in the drain pan 5 becomes higher than during operation of the drain pump 4.

  The reason is that the water in the rising portion of the drain pipe (not shown) connected to the drain pump 4 flows back to the drain pan 5 when the drain pump 4 is stopped. For example, when the drain pump 4 is stopped, depending on the installation status of the air conditioner, about 200 cc to about 1000 cc of water flows back to the drain pan 5 through the drain pump 4 from the rising portion of the drain pipe.

  After the cooling operation is stopped, the temperature of the ceiling rises to 35 to 40 ° C. Therefore, the temperature of the drain water 6 in the drain pan 5 approaches the ambient temperature and increases to about 20 to 30 ° C. This temperature of 20-30 ° C. is a temperature suitable for bacterial growth. On the other hand, the drain water 6 generated during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 100 has a low temperature (about 10 ° C.), and bacteria hardly propagate.

  From the above events, it is effective for bacteriostatic inhibition to perform bacteriostatic drain water after stopping the cooling operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the drain pump 4 is stopped, a part of the antibacterial agent 1 in the antibacterial member 10 is immersed in the drain water 6, and a part protrudes from the drain water. At this time, since the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is disposed at a position not immersed in the drain water 6, the antibacterial agent 1 that is not soaked in water and that is above the antibacterial agent separating means 7a closest to the water surface is drained. Since the water is not transmitted and the antibacterial component only in the immersion part is eluted, the bacterial propagation in the drain water can be suppressed with the minimum required amount.

Next, the state in which the antibacterial member 10 is immersed in drain water and a predetermined time has elapsed will be described.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state in which the antibacterial member of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 for carrying out the present invention is immersed in the drain water 6 for a long time.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the antibacterial component is eluted from the antibacterial agent 1, it is uniformly reduced from the outer periphery, the volume of the immersed antibacterial agent 1 is reduced, and the antibacterial agent separating means 7a and the antibacterial agent separating means 7a are disposed thereon. The antibacterial agent 1 settles downward and is gradually immersed. Since the antibacterial agent 1 not immersed in water is gradually immersed in this manner, the amount of the antibacterial agent immersed in water can be kept constant at all times, so that the bacteriostatic effect can be maintained for a long time with the minimum amount required. can do.

  Further, a plurality of antibacterial agent separating means 7a may be provided, and one unit that is divided is an amount capable of obtaining a bacteriostatic effect for a predetermined period in an assumed standard use state, so that maintenance can be performed. Since the amount of antibacterial agent consumed can be ascertained, the environmental load at the installation location can be estimated.

  Furthermore, when the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is composed of a hydrophobic material, the water sucked up by the antibacterial agent 1 in the immersion part can be reliably stopped by the antibacterial agent separating means 7a. Further, when the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is made of a water-absorbing material such as silica, the water absorbed by the immersed antibacterial agent 1 is absorbed by the first antibacterial agent separating means 7a, and the antibacterial above It can be configured so that moisture does not extend over the agent 1. At this time, since the antibacterial agent 1 is formed with a substantially uniform particle size, the volume of the immersed particles is reduced approximately equally, so that the first antibacterial agent separating means 7a settles substantially horizontally with respect to the water surface. To do.

  In the above-described embodiment, the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is slidably provided on the storage container 11. However, the antibacterial agent separating means 7a is fixed to the storage container 11 for each section of the antibacterial agent 1. The antibacterial member 10 may be moved for each division unit every predetermined usage time.

Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7: shows sectional drawing of another antibacterial member of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 for implementing this invention. The difference from the antibacterial member described above is that the antibacterial agent separating means has a granular shape.
In FIG. 7, the antibacterial member 10 has antibacterial agent separation means 7b (white granular portions arranged in layers in the drawing) composed of a plurality of granular bodies. The antibacterial agent separating means 7b is provided so as to separate the antibacterial agent 1, and is made of a material having hydrophobicity or hygroscopicity such as silica, like the antibacterial agent separating means 7a described above. Moreover, even if the container 11 is comprised with a net-like material, it has the same effect.
The water sucked up by the immersed antibacterial agent 1 can be configured such that the antibacterial agent separating means 7b prevents the water from reaching the upper antibacterial agent 1.

Embodiment 2
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In the second embodiment, similarly to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, the vicinity of the drain pump is configured as shown in FIG. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the location similar to Embodiment 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
The difference from the first embodiment is the configuration of the antibacterial member and the mounting form in the drain pan.

FIG. 8: shows sectional drawing of the antibacterial member of the air conditioner in Embodiment 2 for implementing this invention.
In FIG. 8, the antibacterial member 10 is provided with a float 12 that is a floating body such as a foam on the outer periphery of the storage container 11 in which the antibacterial agent 1 is packaged and slightly below the antibacterial agent separating means 7 a. It is. The antibacterial member 10 described in the first embodiment may not be optimal with respect to the water level of the drain water 6 depending on the attachment position to the drain pan. By providing the float 12, when the antibacterial member 10 is installed in the drain pan, the antibacterial agent separating means 7 a is always disposed at a position higher than the maximum water level of the drain water 6. It is possible to suppress the soaking and sucking up of water into the antibacterial agent 1 located above, and the bacteriostatic effect can be maintained for a long time.

FIG. 9: shows sectional drawing which has arrange | positioned the antibacterial member of the air conditioner in Embodiment 2 for implementing this invention. However, the drain pump 4 has shown the external shape.
In FIG. 9, the antibacterial member 10 is arranged in a state of floating on the drain water 6, and is fixed to the drain pan 5 by the antibacterial member holding portion 8 b so that the antibacterial member 10 can be appropriately moved up and down and left and right according to the water level of the drain water 6. The antibacterial member holding portion 8b uses, for example, a string-like holder made of a hydrophobic material.

Embodiment 3
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
In the third embodiment, similarly to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, the vicinity of the drain pump is configured as shown in FIG. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the location similar to Embodiment 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
The difference from the first embodiment is the configuration of the antibacterial member and the mounting form in the drain pan.

FIG. 10: shows sectional drawing of the antibacterial member of the air conditioner in Embodiment 3 for implementing this invention.
In FIG. 10, the antibacterial agent separating means 7c has a balance shape and functions as a balance rod, and the antibacterial agent 1 contained in the storage container 11 is disposed at both ends. The weights of the antibacterial agents 1 provided at both ends of the antibacterial agent separating means 7c are different. At the beginning of use, the antibacterial agent 1 on the side having a larger weight is immersed in drain water as shown in FIG. The antibacterial component gradually elutes from the immersed antibacterial agent 1 depending on the elapsed time of use, and the weight of the immersed antibacterial agent 1 decreases. When the weight of the immersed antibacterial agent 1 decreases, the antibacterial agent separating means 7c rotates counterclockwise around the fulcrum, so that the antibacterial agent 1 at the other end gradually approaches the water surface, and both ends of the drain water 6 enter the drain water 6 after a certain period of time. The antibacterial agent 1 is immersed.

FIG. 11: shows the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the drain pump vicinity of the air conditioner in Embodiment 3 for implementing this invention. However, the drain pump 4 has shown the external shape.
In FIG. 11, in this structure, since the weight immersed in the drain water 6 can always be made constant and the antibacterial agent 1 in the other end is immersed after a certain period, a long-term bacteriostatic effect can be obtained.

  With the above configuration, the bacteriostatic effect can be obtained over a long period of time by immersing the minimum amount of antibacterial agent 1 in drain water and suppressing the suction of water to the antibacterial agent 1 not immersed in water. A harmonic machine can be provided.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the case where the storage container made of resin or the like is used has been described, but the same effect can be obtained even if a net-shaped storage container is used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antibacterial agent, 5 Drain pan, 6 Drain water, 7a-7c Antibacterial agent separation means, 10 Antibacterial member

In the air conditioner pertaining to the present invention, a heat exchanger, a drain pan for storing condensed water generated in the heat exchanger as drain water, antimicrobial agent to elute the antimicrobial component of the contact with the water-soluble and the drain water , housing the antimicrobials separation means, and said antibacterial agent wherein the antimicrobial agent separating means divides vertically the antimicrobial agent in the water surface direction of the drain water, the drain water has a water flow can container, the lower and a antimicrobial member disposed antimicrobial agent located at a portion so immersed in the drain water, the antimicrobial agent separating means provided on the movable with respect to the vertical direction to the water surface of the drain water in the storage container It is what has been .

Claims (11)

A heat exchanger,
A drain pan for storing condensed water generated in the heat exchanger as drain water;
An antibacterial agent that elutes a water-soluble antibacterial component in contact with the drain water, and an antibacterial agent separating means that divides the antibacterial agent vertically in the direction of the water surface of the drain water; An antibacterial member arranged to be immersed in the drain water;
Air conditioner equipped with. In the antibacterial member, the antibacterial agent and the antibacterial agent separating means are accommodated in a storage container through which the drain water can be passed, and the storage container is predetermined for each portion divided by the antibacterial agent separating means. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial agent is stored in an amount that provides a bacteriostatic effect during a period of time. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial agent separating means is provided so that the antibacterial agent in the upper part is located above the water surface of the drain water stored in the drain pan. Machine. The antibacterial member is held by a drain pan, and the antibacterial agent separating means is provided movably with respect to the water surface direction of the drain water in the storage container. Air conditioner as described in. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the antibacterial agent separating means is a plate-like body interposed between the antibacterial agents. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the antibacterial agent separating means is a granular body interposed between the antibacterial agents. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the antibacterial agent separating means is made of a hydrophobic material. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the antibacterial agent separating means is made of a hygroscopic material. The air according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein a floating body is provided on an outer periphery of the storage container, and the antibacterial member is movable according to a water level of the drain water by the floating body. Harmony machine. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial agent separating unit has a balance structure, and the antibacterial agents having different weights are arranged at both ends of the antibacterial agent separating unit. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a drain pump for discharging the drain water stored in the drain pan.

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