JP2020133915A - Draining unit and indoor unit of air conditioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a draining unit capable of reducing a frequency of maintenance for removing micro-organism and slime.SOLUTION: A draining unit of an air conditioning device includes a drain pan 13 for storing drain water DW generated in a heat exchanger and having a drain reservoir 130 recessed with respect to the other region, a drain pump 16 for pumping up the drain water stored in the drain pan 13, drain piping 17 for discharging the drain water DW pumped up by the drain pump 16 to the external, and a sterilization element generation source 25 generating a sterilization element SD in the drain water DW stored in the drain pan 13. The sterilization element generation source 25 generates the sterilization element SD toward the drain water DW stored in the drain reservoir 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to extermination of microorganisms generated in a drain pan provided in an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

In the indoor unit of an air conditioner, when air is passed through a heat exchanger to adjust the temperature to a predetermined temperature, a lot of dust, mold, microorganisms and the like contained in the air adhere to the surface of the heat exchanger. Then, especially during cooling, a large amount of condensed water is generated on the surface of the heat exchanger, and the generated condensed water is collected in the drain pan. This condensed water contains deposits such as dust, mold, and microorganisms adhering to the surface of the heat exchanger.

In this way, dirt is accumulated in the drain water in the drain pan, and the nutritional state is good for microorganisms such as molds and fungi, which can provide an environment suitable for reproduction. In particular, the amount of drain water increases during the summer season from the rainy season when high temperature and high humidity conditions overlap, and it becomes a hotbed for the growth of microorganisms, and a large amount of viscous slime, which is a microorganism and a biotransformer from the microorganisms, is generated. Block the flow path of piping and drain pumps.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes to prevent the growth of microorganisms by installing a UV light source for irradiating the dirt collecting portion with ultraviolet rays having a predetermined wavelength.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-253711

However, the proposal of Patent Document 1 irradiates the microorganisms and slime collected in the dirt collecting portion made of a filter-like member with ultraviolet rays. Microorganisms and slime that have been killed by being exposed to ultraviolet rays are accumulated in the dirt collection area, so that the microorganisms and slime that newly flow into the dirt collection area are buried in the microorganisms and slime that have accumulated so far. I can't deny it. Therefore, in order to prevent the growth of microorganisms in Patent Document 1, maintenance is required to frequently remove dead microorganisms and slime in the dirt collecting portion.

From the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drainage unit that requires less frequent maintenance to remove microorganisms and slime, and an air-conditioning indoor unit having the drainage unit.

The drainage unit of the present invention includes a drain pan that stores drain water generated in a heat exchanger and has a drain pool recessed from another region, and a drain pump that sucks up the drain water stored in the drain pan. Further, the drainage unit of the present invention includes a drain pipe for draining the drain water sucked up by the drain pump, and a sterilizing element generation source for generating a sterilizing element in the drain water stored in the drain pan.
The bactericidal element generation source according to the present invention generates a bactericidal element toward the drain water stored in the drain pool.

In the drainage unit of the present invention, preferably, the drain pan has a transparent region facing the drain pool, and the bactericidal element source generates ultraviolet rays transmitted through the transparent region.
In the drainage unit of the present invention, preferably, the drain pump is provided so that its suction port corresponds to the drain pool, and the sterilizing element source generates a sterilizing element toward the suction port.

In the drainage unit of the present invention, the bactericidal element source preferably generates the bactericidal element while the drain pump is operating or the drain pump is stopped.
Further, in the drainage unit of the present invention, the sterilizing element generation source preferably generates the sterilizing element only for a predetermined time after the drain pump is stopped.

The present invention comprises an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a refrigerant and indoor air, a blower that sends indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger, and drain water that is condensed and liquefied on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger. Provided is an indoor unit of an air conditioner including a drainage unit (30) having a deviation as described above for discharging.

The drainage unit of the present invention generates a bactericidal element from a bactericidal element source toward the drain water stored in the drain pool. Since a drain pump is provided in the drain pool, the microorganisms and slime collected together with the drain water in the drain pool are sterilized and then discharged by the drain pump. Therefore, according to the drainage unit of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the sterilized microorganisms and slime from remaining in the drain pan, so that the frequency of maintenance for removing the microorganisms and slime can be reduced.

It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drainage unit according to the present embodiment, and (b) is a plan view of a drain pan constituting the drainage unit. It is a figure which shows the operation of the drainage unit which concerns on this embodiment, (a) shows when the indoor unit is operating, (a) shows after the indoor unit is stopped. It is a flowchart which shows the operation procedure of the indoor unit which concerns on this embodiment. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drainage unit according to a modified example of the present embodiment, and (b) is a plan view of a drain pan constituting the drainage unit. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drainage unit according to another modification of the present embodiment, and (b) is a plan view of a drain pan constituting the drainage unit.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[Indoor unit 10]
The indoor unit 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 constitutes a ceiling-mounted air conditioner together with an outdoor unit and a refrigerant pipe (not shown).
The outdoor unit includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outdoor air, and an outdoor fan.
The refrigerant pipe connects between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit 10 so that the refrigerant circulates between them.

The indoor unit 10 includes an indoor heat exchanger 12 for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air, and a drain pan 13 inside the case main body 11 which is embedded in the ceiling (not shown). Further, the indoor unit 10 includes a blower 14 that sends indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 12, a motor for driving the blower (not shown), and a baffle plate 15 that guides the indoor air toward the blower 14. ing.
An exterior panel (not shown) is attached to the lower part of the case body 11. A suction port for sucking indoor air into the case body 11 is formed in the central portion of the exterior panel, and air that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger 12 is blown out to the outside adjacent to the suction port. The air outlet is formed.
The upper and lower parts in the present embodiment refer to the upper and lower parts when the indoor unit 10 is installed on the ceiling. FIG. 1 shows the state of being installed on the ceiling and the top and bottom inverted.

During operation of the air conditioner, the refrigerant from the outdoor unit is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 12, and the blower 14 is rotationally driven by the blower drive motor. Then, the indoor air taken in from the suction port of the exterior panel flows into the blower 14 along the baffle plate 15 and is blown to the indoor heat exchanger 12 by the blower 14. When the indoor air is cooled or heated in the process of passing through the indoor heat exchanger 12, it becomes conditioned air and is discharged into the room from the outlet of the exterior panel.

[Drainage unit 30]
When the indoor air is cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 12 during the cooling operation, the moisture in the indoor air is condensed and liquefied on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 12 to become drain water DW, which is directed toward the drain pool 130 of the drain pan 13. It flows. Since the drain pool 130 is formed to be recessed from the other regions of the drain pan 13, the drain water DW flowing through the drain pan 13 is collected in the drain pool 130 and stored as shown in FIG. 3A. The drain water DW stored in the drain pool 130 is sucked up by the drain pump 16 provided corresponding to the drain pool 130, and is externally passed through the drain pipe 17, the drain socket 18 (FIG. 1), and the drain pipe (not shown). It is typically discharged to the outside. The drainage unit 30 is composed of the drain pan 13, the drain pump 16, the drain pipe 17, and the drain socket 18. The operation and stop of the drain pump 16 are controlled according to the instructions of the controller 40 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The controller 40 controls the light emission of the ultraviolet light source 25 described later.

[Drain pan 13]
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the drain pan 13 has a rectangular and annular bottom portion 13A, and an inner peripheral wall portion 13B and an outer peripheral wall portion 13C rising upward from the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge of the bottom 13A, respectively. And have. The exterior panel described above is provided so as to cover the lower surface of the bottom portion 13A. Interior light (indoor lighting or sunlight) enters the inside of the exterior panel through the suction port or outlet of the exterior panel.
The bottom portion 13A is provided with a slope that gradually descends from various parts of the bottom portion 13A toward the corner portion 13E. The drain pool 130 is composed of the bottom portion 13A, the inner peripheral wall portion 13B, and the outer peripheral wall portion 13C around the corner portion 13E. Since the drain water DW is almost always accumulated in the drain pool 130, the drain pool 130 is in an environment in which microorganisms can easily propagate.

The drain water DW of the drain pool 130 contains microorganisms and slime produced from the microorganisms, and due to its specific gravity, it tends to stay at the bottom of the drain pool 130. Further, since slime has adhesiveness, it easily adheres to the bottom of the drain pool 130. The deposits are, for example, gray or brown and become darker as the degree of contamination increases.

A through hole 13D penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in the drain pool 130. The through hole 13D is closed by a plate-shaped transparent member 20.
The transparent member 20 has translucency, and is a synthetic resin such as PET resin (poly / ethylene / terephthalate), PP resin (poly / propylene), AS resin (acrylonitrile / styrene), or glass such as soda glass. It is composed of. The transparent member 20 made of these materials transmits visible light and ultraviolet rays.
The transparent member 20 has an inner surface 20A facing the drain water DW and an outer surface 20B facing the outer panel.
Instead of using the transparent member 20, the through hole 13D may be closed with the ultraviolet light source 25.

The drain pan 13 is provided with a water level gauge 19 for measuring the water level of the drain water DW on the inner peripheral wall portion 13B. A float switch is used for the water level gauge 19. The float switch is a switch in which a float (float) floating on the liquid surface is switched on / off at a predetermined water level or more / or less by fluctuating up and down according to the liquid level by buoyancy. The controller 40 acquires ON / OFF information of the water level gauge 19. The controller 40 controls the operation of the drain pump 16 and the ultraviolet light source 25 based on the acquired ON / OFF.

[Ultraviolet light source 25]
As shown in FIG. 2, the ultraviolet light source 25 is provided so as to face the outer surface 20B of the transparent member 20. The ultraviolet light source 25 corresponds to the source of the bactericidal element in the present invention, and irradiates the microorganisms and slime contained in the drain water DW collected in the drain pool 130 with ultraviolet rays as the bactericidal element. The ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet light source 25 pass through the transparent member 20 forming the transparent region and irradiate the microorganisms and slime.
Ultraviolet rays are generally classified into UV-A (400 nm to 315 nm), UV-B (315 nm to 280 nm), and UV-C (280 nm to 200 nm) according to their wavelengths. As the ultraviolet light source 25 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that light containing ultraviolet rays having a wavelength classified as UV-C (280 nm to 200 nm), particularly a wavelength of 280 nm to 250 nm can be emitted. Since ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 185 nm contribute to the generation of ozone by dissociating oxygen, the bactericidal effect can be enhanced by selecting ultraviolet rays having a wavelength including this wavelength.
The form of the ultraviolet light source 25 does not matter as long as it can emit the desired ultraviolet rays. For example, a light emitting diode (LED), a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, a mercury lamp, or the like can be used.

[History of accumulation of microorganisms]
Next, the process of accumulation of microorganisms and slime in the drain pan 13 will be described.
First, the drain water DW collected in the drain pan 13 contains microorganisms. Then, when the drain pump 16 is operated and the drain water DW of the drain pan 13 is sucked up to the drain pipe 17, the microorganisms and slime in the drain water DW move to the drain pipe 17 together with the drain water DW. Microorganisms and slime that have moved to the drain pipe 17 adhere to the inner wall of the drain pipe 17.

When the operation of the drain pump 16 is stopped, the water remaining in the drain pipe 17 flows back to the drain pan 13 mainly due to the action of gravity. The water flowing back from the drain pipe 17 to the drain pan 13 side is called "return water". When the return water is generated, the microorganisms and slime accumulated in the drain pipe 17 are also returned to the drain pan 13 by the water flow of the return water RW. Therefore, a large amount of microorganisms and slime are accumulated in the drain water DW of the drain pan 13.

When the operation of the drain pump 16 is restarted, the microorganisms and slime are sucked up together with the drain water DW, and the microorganisms and slime adhere to and accumulate on the drain pump 16 and the drain pipe 17. Then, when the operation of the drain pump 16 is stopped again, water is generated by returning from the drain pipe 17 to the drain pan 13, and the microorganisms and slime accumulated in the drain pipe 17 are flowed to the drain pan 13.

By repeating the intermittent operation of the drain pump 16 in this way, the drain water DW, the microorganism, and the slime reciprocate between the drain pan 13 and the drain pipe 17. When microorganisms and slime, particularly viscous slime, are excessive, the drain pump 16 and the drain pipe 17 may be clogged, resulting in problems such as abnormal operation of the drain pump 16 and poor drainage. Therefore, the drainage unit 30 in the present embodiment includes an ultraviolet light source 25 that sterilizes microorganisms that are the main constituents of slime production.

[Operation of drainage unit 30]
Next, an example of the operation of the drainage unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the ultraviolet light source 25 does not irradiate ultraviolet rays during the operation of the indoor unit 10 and the drain pump 16. However, when the indoor unit 10 and the drain pump 16 are stopped, the ultraviolet light source 25 irradiates the ultraviolet rays. When the drain pump 16 is operating, the drain water DW collected in the drain pool 130 is sucked up by the drain pump 16 and flows through the drain pipe 17, so that the drain water DW of the drain pan 13 is as shown in FIG. 3A. Few. However, when the drain pump 16 is stopped, the return water RW flows back to the drain pan 13, so that the drain water DW of the drain pan 13 increases as shown in FIG. 3 (b).

A procedure for controlling the operation / stop of the drain pump 16 and the irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light source 25 will be described with reference to FIG. The controller 40 executes this control procedure.
When the power of the air conditioner is turned on, the indoor unit 10 starts operation (FIGS. 4 S101 and S103). When the operation of the indoor unit 10 is started, the controller 40 acquires the water level information sent from the water level gauge 19. This water level information is either whether or not the water level of the drain water DW exceeds the water level meter 19 (FIG. 4, S105). The acquisition of water level information by the controller 40 is continuously performed thereafter (FIG. 4, S105 N).
When the controller 40 acquires the water level information that the water level of the drain water DW has reached the water level gauge 19 (FIG. 4 S105 Y), the controller 40 instructs the operation of the drain pump 16 (FIG. 4 S107).

When the controller 40 detects that the power of the air conditioner is turned off while the drain pump 16 is operating (FIG. 4 S109 Y), the controller 40 stops the operation of the drain pump 16 (FIG. 4 S111). The operation of the indoor unit 10 is stopped (FIG. 4, S113). After stopping the indoor unit 10, the controller 40 instructs the ultraviolet light source 25 to irradiate the sterilizing element SD composed of, for example, ultraviolet rays (FIG. 4, S115). Irradiation of the bactericidal element SD is performed for a predetermined time.

The controller 40 acquires the water level information that the water level of the drain water DW has reached the water level gauge 19 while the drain pump 16 continues to operate, and the drain water DW has reached or has reached the water level gauge 19. It is determined whether or not it is present (FIGS. 4 S109 N, S117).
The controller 40 stops the operation of the drain pump 16 when the water level of the drain water DW becomes lower than that of the water level gauge 19 (FIG. 4 S117 N). After this, the controller 40 also acquires the water level information from the water level gauge 19 and controls the operation of the drain pump 16 and the like in the same manner as described above (FIGS. 4 S119 and S105).
If the water level of the drain water DW remains at the water level gauge 19, the controller 40 continues the operation of the drain pump 16 (FIGS. 4 S117 Y, S107). After that, the controller 40 controls the operation of the drain pump 16 and the like as described above.

[Effect of drainage unit 30]
The drainage unit 30 according to the present embodiment has the following effects.
The drainage unit 30 irradiates ultraviolet rays, which are bactericidal elements, from the ultraviolet light source 25, which is a source of sterilizing elements, toward the drain water DW stored in the drain pool 130. Since the drain pump 16 is provided corresponding to the drain pool 130, the microorganisms and slime collected together with the drain water DW in the drain pool 130 are sterilized and then discharged by the drain pump 16. Therefore, according to the drainage unit 30, since the sterilized microorganisms and slime can be suppressed from remaining in the drain pan 13, the frequency of maintenance for removing the microorganisms and slime can be reduced.

In particular, according to the drainage unit 30, the ultraviolet light source 25 is provided at a position facing the drain pool 130 and corresponding to the suction port of the drain water DW of the drain pump 16. As a result, according to the drainage unit 30, in addition to the drain water DW and the return water RW, the drain pump 16 and its suction port can be sterilized at the same time. That is, according to the drainage unit 30, since a plurality of sterilization targets can be intensively sterilized at one time, the generation of microorganisms and slime in the entire drain pan 13 can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the drainage unit 30, the frequency of maintenance for removing microorganisms and slime can be further reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the ultraviolet light source 25 is made to emit light after the operation of the drain pump 16 is stopped, the return water can be sterilized after being accumulated in the drain pool 130. As a result, the above-mentioned intensive sterilization at one time is realized.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the configurations listed in the above embodiments can be selected or appropriately changed to other configurations as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated.
In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 25 is made to emit light after the operation of the drain pump 16 and the indoor unit 10 is stopped. However, as long as the sterilizing function of the ultraviolet light source 25 can be exhibited, there is no restriction on the timing of light emission of the ultraviolet light source 25 in the present invention. That is, in the present invention, the ultraviolet light source 25 can be made to emit light regardless of whether the drain pump 16 is operated, and for example, the ultraviolet light source 25 can be made to emit light while the indoor unit 10 is operating.

In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 25 is provided so that the ultraviolet light source 25 faces the bottom 13A of the drain pan 13, but as long as the drain water DW stored in the drain pool 130 can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet light source 25 The position is arbitrary.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the ultraviolet light source 25 may be provided so as to face the outer peripheral wall portion 13C. The region of the outer peripheral wall portion 13C corresponding to the ultraviolet light source 25 is made of a material capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 25 is provided directly under the drain pump 16, but the position of the ultraviolet light source 25 is arbitrary as long as the drain water DW stored in the drain pool 130 can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of the drain pool 130 having a wide flat area, the ultraviolet light source 25 can be provided facing the drain pool 130 even if it is not necessarily directly under the drain pump 16. Even in this case, the ultraviolet light source 25 can irradiate the drain water DW of the drain pool 130 with ultraviolet rays.

In the above embodiments, ultraviolet rays are used for sterilizing microorganisms, but the sterilizing element in the present invention is not limited to ultraviolet rays.
For example, the drain reservoir 130 using a ozonizer instead of the ultraviolet light source 25 generates ozone (O _3), a portion of the drain water DW by the ozone water may be sterilized microorganisms. In the drain water DW, a part of ozone generates hydroxyl radical (OH radical). Hydroxyl radical has the strongest oxidizing power among molecules called active oxygen, and reacts with all substances such as bacterial sugars, proteins and lipids to decompose and kill them.

As another bactericidal element, it is also possible to sterilize microorganisms and slime by generating plasma. In the simplest case, a pair of electrodes is arranged in the drain water DW of the drain pool 130, and a high voltage pulse is applied between both electrodes from the pulse power source to vaporize the liquid and generate plasma. A part of the drain water DW becomes plasma-treated water and can sterilize microorganisms and slime.

Furthermore, heat treatment can be mentioned as another bactericidal element. For example, by arranging a heating wire in the drain pool 130 and energizing the heating wire to heat it, surrounding microorganisms can be sterilized.

10 Indoor unit 11 Case body 12 Indoor heat exchanger 13 Drain pan 13A Bottom 13B Inner peripheral wall 13C Outer wall 13D Through hole 13E Corner corner 14 Blower 15 Blower 16 Drain pump 17 Drain piping 18 Drain socket 19 Water level gauge 20 Transparent Member 20A Inner surface 20B Outer surface 25 Ultraviolet light source 30 Drainage unit DW Drain water RW Return water

Claims (6)

A drain pan that stores drain water generated by the heat exchanger and has a drain pool that is recessed from other areas,
A drain pump that sucks up the drain water stored in the drain pan,
A drain pipe for draining the drain water sucked up by the drain pump, and
A bactericidal element source that generates a bactericidal element in the drain water stored in the drain pan is provided.
The source of the bactericidal element is
A drainage unit of an air conditioner that generates the sterilizing element toward the drain water stored in the drain pool.
The drain pan has a transparent area facing the drain pool.
The bactericidal element source generates ultraviolet rays that pass through the transparent region.
The drainage unit according to claim 1.
The drain pump is provided so that its suction port corresponds to the drain pool.
The bactericidal element source generates the bactericidal element toward the suction port.
The drainage unit according to claim 1 or 2.
The sterilizing element generation source generates the sterilizing element while the drain pump is in operation or the drain pump is stopped.
The drainage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The bactericidal element generation source generates the bactericidal element for a predetermined time after the drain pump is stopped.
The drainage unit according to claim 4.
An indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air,
A blower that sends indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger,
The drain water generated by condensing and liquefying on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger is discharged.
The drainage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
An indoor unit of an air conditioner equipped with.

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