JP2022141363A - air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner with excellent sanitation.SOLUTION: An air conditioner comprises: a housing; a heat exchanger that is housed in the housing, and exchanges heat with the sucked air; a wash water receiver 70 that is housed in the housing, is arranged vertically above the heat exchanger, stores wash water for washing the heat exchanger, and has a drain hole for discharging the stored wash water; a drain hole presser 80 that closes the drain hole in a standby state other than a cleaning state of cleaning the heat exchanger, and opens the drain hole by moving in a first direction from the position in the standby state; and a first elastic body 85 that has restoration force in a direction opposite to the first direction so that the drain hole presser 80 closes the drain hole in the standby state, and supports the drain hole presser 80 on the wash water receiver 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner such as a dehumidifier.

An air conditioner draws in air through a filter, but a considerable amount of dust and the like enters the housing. The dust adheres to the heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the sucked air, reducing the heat exchange rate, and possibly generating odors due to the growth of mold mediated by the dust. Conventionally, as a countermeasure against adhering dust, the heat exchanger is dried to suppress the generation of odor.

JP-A-2005-334795

The method of drying the heat exchanger simply removes the humidity, so it cannot remove the accumulated dust itself, and is not a fundamental solution. As described above, conventional methods are insufficient in dealing with dust, and there is a demand for a method for cleaning heat exchangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner excellent in sanitation.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a housing, a heat exchanger that is housed in the housing and exchanges heat with sucked air, and a heat exchanger that is housed in the housing, a wash water receiver disposed vertically above the heat exchanger and having a drain hole for accumulating wash water for washing the heat exchanger and discharging the accumulated wash water; and a washing state for washing the heat exchanger. a drain hole retainer that closes the drain hole in a standby state other than the standby state and opens the drain hole by moving in a first direction from a position in the standby state; and a first elastic body having a restoring force in a direction opposite to the first direction and supporting the drain hole retainer to the wash water receiver.

The air conditioner according to the present invention is excellent in hygiene.

1 is an external perspective view of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment; FIG. The left side view of the dehumidifier with the front frame and the rear frame removed. The disassembled perspective view of a dehumidifier. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the dehumidifier; FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a wash water receiver and a drain hole holder; FIG. 3 is a perspective view mainly showing the washing water receiver from above; Sectional drawing which follows the VII-VII line of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view mainly showing the pouring spout from above. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8; The perspective view which shows a washing|cleaning lever from the front. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram particularly showing a cleaning lever arranged on the rear frame; The perspective view which shows a rear frame from the front. The perspective view which shows the water-filling port of a rear frame from back. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the water inlet and the water inlet cover from the rear and right. Explanatory drawing showing the relationship between the water inlet and the water inlet cover from the front and left. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view from the front showing a state in which the drain hole of the water storage section is closed; Sectional drawing which shows the state which the water-storage part drain hole closed from the left. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view from the front showing a state in which the drain hole of the water storage section is open; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view from the left showing a state in which the drain hole of the water storage section is open;

An embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, an air conditioner of the present invention is applied to a dehumidifier 1 that uses a vapor compression refrigeration cycle to condense moisture contained in the air for dehumidification.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a dehumidifier 1 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the dehumidifier 1 with the front frame 11 and the rear frame 12 removed.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifier 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the dehumidifier 1. As shown in FIG.

In the following description, the definitions of front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right shown in each drawing are used. The vertical direction is the up-down direction, and the horizontal direction is the direction included in the planar direction including the front-rear and left-right directions.

The dehumidifier 1 has a housing 10 that has the appearance of the dehumidifier 1 . The housing 10 has a front frame 11 , a rear frame 12 , a rear frame decorative plate 13 , a top plate 14 and a base 15 .

The front frame 11 and the rear frame 12 are combined with each other to form a housing 10 that faces the front-rear direction of the dehumidifier 1 .

The rear frame 12 has a suction port 21 , a tank insertion port 22 , a water filling port 23 and a lever support port 24 . The suction port 21 has a plurality of slits 26 and has a filter 27 and a filter case 28 on its outer surface. The filter 27 is made of resin mesh, non-woven fabric, or the like, and removes dust, odor components, and the like from the intake air. Filter case 28 fixes filter 27 to suction port 21 . The tank insertion port 22 is arranged below the suction port 21, through which the drain tank 51 is inserted and removed. The water injection port 23 and the lever support port 24 are arranged above the suction port 21 (details will be described later). The rear frame decorative plate 13 is attached above the rear frame 12 to cover a portion of the rear frame 12 that is not desired to be visually recognized.

The top plate 14 is arranged above the combined front frame 11 and rear frame 12 to form the housing 10 facing upward. The upper plate 14 has an air outlet 31 , an operation section 32 and an LED display section 33 . The air outlet 31 is arranged on the surface of the top plate 14 facing upward. The air outlet 31 has a louver unit 35 capable of horizontally controlling the blowing direction of dry air from obliquely upward. The louver unit 35 has a louver 36 and a louver motor 37 that drives the louver 36 .

The operation unit 32 and the LED display unit 33 are arranged on a surface that slopes downward and forward from the upper surface. The operation unit 32 is a touch panel that implements, for example, an operation switch, a timer switch, an operation mode selection switch, and the like. The LED display unit 33 displays the operating state of the dehumidifier 1 and the like in the lighting state of an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

The base 15 is arranged below the combined front frame 11 and rear frame 12 and serves as the base of the dehumidifier 1 .

The main internal parts of the dehumidifier 1 accommodated in the housing 10 include a fan case 41, a sirocco fan 42, a blower motor 43, a compressor 45, a heat exchanger 46, a drain pan 49, and a drain tank. 51 and a control unit 55 .

The fan case 41 is arranged on the base 15 and mainly supports and positions the sirocco fan 42 , the blower motor 43 and the drain tank 51 .

The sirocco fan 42 is rotated by the rotation of the blower motor 43 , sucks air from the suction port 21 , and forms an air flow that blows out from the blowout port 31 . The sirocco fan 42 and the blower motor 43 are attached to the fan case 41 so that their rotating shafts extend in the front-rear direction.

The compressor 45 is fixed on the base 15 and connected to the heat exchanger 46 via a pipe 45a and a pressure reducing device 45b.

The heat exchanger 46 exchanges heat with the air sucked from the suction port 21 . The heat exchanger 46 has an evaporator 46a arranged at a position close to the suction port 21 and a condenser 46b arranged ahead of the evaporator 46a. The evaporator 46 a and the condenser 46 b are fin-tube heat exchangers in which fins 48 are attached to U-shaped refrigerant pipes 47 . As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant pipe 47 has a plurality of straight portions 47a extending in the horizontal direction (lateral direction) and a bent portion 47b that bends in the vertical direction and connects the two straight portions 47a. The portion 47 a and the bent portion 47 b appear continuously along the length of the refrigerant pipe 47 .

Compressor 45, pipe 45a, decompression device 45b, and heat exchanger 46 form a refrigeration cycle through which refrigerant flows. The refrigeration cycle has a compressor 45, a condenser 46b, a decompression device 45b, and an evaporator 46a in order of refrigerant flow. When the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 46a, the refrigerant takes heat from the air passing through the evaporator 46a and evaporates. Also, as the refrigerant flows through the condenser 46b, it reheats and condenses the air passing through the condenser 46b. As a result, the air sucked from the suction port 21 is filtered by the filter 27 to remove dust, odor components, etc., cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 46a, and then heated by the condenser 46b to form low-humidity air. It is discharged from the outlet 31 .

The drain pan 49 supports and fixes the heat exchanger 46 from below on the opposite side of the fan case 41 in the front-rear direction to the side on which the sirocco fan 42 is arranged. The drain pan 49 engages with the refrigerant pipes 47 and the fins 48 located below the heat exchanger 46 to support the heat exchanger 46 in the front-back and left-right directions. The drain pan 49 has a drain port, receives drain water generated and dropped from the evaporator 46a and washing water used to wash the evaporator 46a, and discharges the drain water from the drain port.

The drain tank 51 stores drain water discharged from the drain port of the drain pan 49 . The drain tank 51 is attached to and detached from the housing 10 by being slid in the front-rear direction from the tank insertion port 22 . The drain tank 51 inserted into the housing 10 is arranged in the tank chamber 41 b formed by the fan case 41 .

The drain tank 51 has a tank lid 54 and a floating accommodation portion 52 . The tank lid 54 drops drain water and the like from the drain port of the drain pan 49 into the drain tank 51 . The float housing part 52 houses a float 53 having, for example, a magnet for detecting the water level in the drain tank 51 . The magnetic field of the magnet corresponding to the water level is detected by an AMR sensor (Anisotropic-Magneto-Resistance, anisotropic magnetic resistance sensor) 62 mounted on the control unit 55 or the like, and notifies the user that the drain tank 51 is full.

The control unit 55 is supported by the case 56 and arranged to the left of the fan case 41 . The control unit 55 electrically controls each part such as the louver motor 37, the blower motor 43, the compressor 45, and the LED display part 33 based on an instruction from the operation part 32 or a pre-stored program. controls the operation of As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 55 has a storage section 57 and a timer 58 . The storage unit 57 stores an operation program of each unit and the like. The timer 58 measures time for timer operation of the dehumidifier 1 and the like.

Control unit 55 has temperature sensor 59 and humidity sensor 60 . A temperature sensor 59 and a humidity sensor 60 are provided at predetermined positions on the body of the dehumidifier 1 to measure the ambient temperature and humidity of the dehumidifier 1 . The control unit 55 uses temperature and humidity as necessary to control each section. The notification unit 61 outputs an alarm sound for informing the user of the situation based on an instruction from the control unit 55 .

The dehumidifier 1 further includes, as internal components accommodated in the housing 10, a wash water receiver 70, a drain hole retainer 80, a water inlet cover 90, and a wash lever 100.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the washing water receiver 70 and the drain hole holder 80. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view mainly showing the washing water receiver 70 from above.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line VII-VII of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the wash water receiver 70 is arranged above the heat exchanger 46 and behind the fan case 41 . The washing water receiver 70 has a function of storing washing water for washing the heat exchanger 46 , draining the accumulated washing water, and a function of supporting the heat exchanger 46 . The wash water receiver 70 has a water storage portion 71 , an overflow portion 74 , a support piece 76 and a heat exchanger retainer 79 .

The water storage part 71 is a water storage space for cleaning water that opens upward. The water reservoir 71 is arranged at least above the evaporator 46a. It is preferable that the water reservoir 71 be arranged over substantially the entire length of the heat exchanger 46 in the left-right direction. The water storage unit 71 has a capacity capable of storing at least a predetermined amount of water (for example, 200 ml) required for cleaning the heat exchanger 46, for example. The water reservoir 71 has a pair of spring stoppers 72 on its left and right outer surfaces. The water reservoir 71 has a rear wall 71a, a front wall 71b, and left and right walls 71d. The front wall 71b is lower than the rear wall 71a and the left and right walls 71d. As a result, when washing water exceeding the capacity of the water reservoir 71 is injected, it overflows from the front wall 71b.

The water storage portion 71 has a water storage portion drain hole 73 (drain hole) on the bottom surface 71c. The water storage section drain hole 73 is a slit-shaped hole that is preferably arranged over substantially the entire length of the water storage section 71 in the left-right direction, that is, over substantially the entire length of the heat exchanger 46 in the left-right direction. Further, the water storage portion drain hole 73 is arranged along the direction in which the straight portion 47 a of the refrigerant pipe 47 extends. In the example of FIG. 6, the water reservoir drain hole 73 is divided into two in the left-right direction. The water reservoir drain hole 73 drains the washing water downward toward the heat exchanger 46 side. Specifically, the water storage part drain hole 73 is located above the evaporator 46a, which is close to the suction port 21 and dust tends to accumulate, and is far from the electric parts such as the control unit 55 and the blower motor 43. reaches the refrigerant pipe 47 and the fins 48 of the evaporator 46a.

The overflow section 74 is arranged in front of the water storage section 71 and above the condenser 46b. The overflow portion 74 is spatially connected to the water storage portion 71 above the front wall 71 b of the water storage portion 71 . The overflow portion 74 receives the wash water that has been poured beyond the water storage capacity of the water storage portion 71 and overflows from the front wall 71b. The overflow section 74 has an overflow section drain hole 75 at the bottom. The overflow portion 74 has a cleaning water flow path and an overflow portion drainage hole 75 so that the cleaning water is led to the evaporator 46a side. In other words, the overflow portion 74 is positioned above the condenser 46b, but discharges the washing water toward the rear evaporator 46a.

The support piece 76 is a piece-like portion extending forward from the front right end of the overflow portion 74 . The support piece 76 has a support hole 77 and engages with a claw 41 a ( FIG. 2 ) arranged at a corresponding position of the fan case 41 through the support hole 77 . The wash water receiver 70 is thereby supported by the fan case 41 .

The heat exchanger presser 79 is a plate-like member having a surface direction along the vertical direction, which is formed downward from the left and right ends of the wash water receiver 70 . As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger retainer 79 engages with the refrigerant pipe 47 and the fins 48 located above the heat exchanger 46 to support the heat exchanger 46 in the front-rear and left-right directions. The heat exchanger holder 79 also supports the heat exchanger 46 in the vertical direction by being paired with the drain pan 49 that similarly supports the heat exchanger 46 .

The drain hole retainer 80 is a substantially frame-shaped member that extends in the left-right direction and is supported with respect to the wash water receiver 70 in order to close or open the water reservoir drain hole 73 of the water reservoir 71 . The drain hole retainer 80 opens the water reservoir drain hole 73 by moving upward (first direction, direction along the vertical direction). The drain hole retainer 80 has a seal portion 81 , an arm portion 83 and a lever connecting portion 87 .

The seal portion 81 is a laterally extending lower end portion of the drain hole retainer 80 and has a lateral length corresponding to the lateral length of the water storage portion drain hole 73 . The seal portion 81 has a seal member 82, and reliably closes the water storage portion drain hole 73 so that the wash water stored in the water storage portion 71 does not leak during a standby state other than the washing state. Here, a state in which the dehumidifier 1 receives an instruction from the user to wash the heat exchanger 46 from the washing lever 100 is called a washing state, and a state in which the washing lever 100 does not receive the instruction, that is, a state other than the washing state. Standby state.

The arms 83 are arranged at the left and right ends of the drain hole retainer 80 and have a pair of horizontal surfaces facing in the vertical direction. Arm 83 has a pair of spring holes 84 . A pair of spring holes 84 support one ends of a pair of drain hole pressing springs 85 (first elastic bodies). The other ends of the pair of drain hole pressing springs 85 are supported by the pair of spring stoppers 72 of the washing water receiver 70 .

The pair of drain hole pressing springs 85 has a restoring force downward (in the direction opposite to the first direction) so that the drain hole pressing spring 80 closes the water reservoir drain hole 73 in the standby state, and cleans the drain hole pressing spring 80. It is supported by a water pan 70. The drain hole retainer 80 is pulled downward when the drain hole pressing spring 85 is in a standby state and no load is applied, and the seal portion 81 closes the water storage portion drain hole 73 . The drain hole retainer 80 is pulled upward against the restoring force from the position in the standby state and moves to the position in the cleaning state, and the seal portion 81 opens the water storage portion drain hole 73 .

The lever connecting portion 87 (connecting portion) is a portion that engages with the cleaning lever 100 and converts the operation of the cleaning lever 100 into a force for operating the drain hole presser 80 . Specifically, the lever connecting portion 87 receives a leftward (second direction) force from a transmission portion 103 (described later), and the leftward force is a force that moves the drain hole holder 80 upward (first direction). Convert to The lever connection portion 87 has a lever opening 88 through which the transmission portion 103 passes. Lever opening 88 is in meshing contact with transmission portion 103 during leftward movement of transmission portion 103 and converts the leftward force received from transmission portion 103 into an upward force.

The lever connecting portion 87 has a shape that can convert the horizontal movement of the cleaning lever 100 into the vertical movement of the drain hole holder 80 . Specifically, the lever opening 88 has an upper side 88a that slopes along the slope of the upper surface 103a (described later) of the transmission portion 103 and slopes downward toward the left.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view mainly showing the water filling spout 90 from above.

9 is a cross-sectional view along line IX-IX in FIG. 8. FIG.

The water inlet cover 90 normally closes the water inlet 23 and has a function of pouring cleansing water from the outside of the housing 10 into the cleansing water receiver 70 during cleansing. The water inlet cover 90 has a drawer shape and is slid in the front-rear direction with respect to the water inlet 23 of the rear frame 12 . The pouring spout cover 90 has a pouring part 91 and a draining part 96 .

The water injection part 91 is formed by a rear wall 91a, left and right walls 91b, a front wall 91c and a bottom surface 91d extending in the vertical direction, and forms a space with an upper opening. The surface of the rear wall 91 a facing the rear is flush with the rear frame 12 and exposed to the outside of the dehumidifier 1 . The rear wall 91a has a handle 92 extending rearwardly. The handle 92 is used by the user when the spout lid 90 is withdrawn from the housing 10 . The front wall 91c is formed in a lattice shape and has an opening, through which washing water poured into the water inlet 91 is drained. The front wall 91c is lower than the rear wall 91a and the left and right walls 91b. The left and right walls 91b extend further forward than the front wall 91c. The left and right walls 91b each have retaining ribs 93 extending in the vertical direction on surfaces facing outward. The bottom surface 91d is slanted forward to ensure that the poured washing water is discharged from the front wall 91c.

The drainage part 96 is arranged in front of the front wall 91 c and has a water splash prevention wall 97 and a lower opening 98 . The water splash prevention wall 97 is a wall-like portion that slopes forward and downward from the upper end of the front wall 91 c to substantially the same plane as the bottom surface 91 d of the water injection section 91 . The lower opening 98 is formed by a lower end 97a of the water splash prevention wall 97, a front end 99 of the bottom surface 91d, and left and right walls 91b connecting the left and right ends of the lower end 97a and the front end 99. As shown in FIG. The lower opening 98 is positioned substantially above the water reservoir 71 of the flush water receiver 70 when the water pouring spout cover 90 is pulled out from the rear frame 12 and is in a water pourable state.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the cleaning lever 100 from the front.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram specifically showing the washing lever 100 arranged on the rear frame 12. As shown in FIG.

The cleaning lever 100 (instruction input unit) moves to the left (second direction, horizontal direction) from the standby state position to issue an instruction to open the drain hole retainer 80, that is, to instruct the dehumidifier 1 to be cleaned from the standby state. It has a function to accept an instruction to shift to a state. The cleaning lever 100 slides in the left-right direction with respect to the lever support opening 24 ( FIG. 1 ) of the rear frame 12 . The cleaning lever 100 has a thin plate portion 101 , a finger hook recess 102 , a transmission portion 103 and a spring support portion 105 .

The thin plate portion 101 (base portion) is a plate-like member that faces substantially parallel to the rear surface 12a (surface facing forward) of the rear frame 12 . The thin plate portion 101 has a surface 108 a ( FIG. 1 ) facing the outside (rear) of the housing 10 and a rear surface 108 b facing the inside (forward) of the housing 10 . The finger hooking recess 102 is formed in a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the thin plate portion 101 and is a portion recessed forward in a substantially rectangular shape. The user's finger is hooked on the finger hook recess 102 when the cleaning lever 100 is moved leftward by the user.

The transmission portion 103 is a cylindrical portion having a substantially trapezoidal cross section, which is provided on the rear surface 108b and protrudes forward (third direction) substantially perpendicularly to the rear surface 108b. The transmission portion 103 transmits the leftward moving force received by the thin plate portion 101 to the drain hole retainer 80 . The transmission portion 103 is arranged at a position overlapping the finger hook recess 102 when viewed in the front-rear direction. The transmission portion 103 has an upper surface 103a that faces substantially upward and slopes downward toward the left. The transmission portion 103 has a plurality of (three in FIG. 10) contact ribs 104 (projections) on the upper surface 103a. The contact rib 104 protrudes upward from the upper surface 103a and contacts the upper side 88a of the lever opening 88 of the drain hole retainer 80 through which the transmission portion 103 penetrates. The contact ribs 104 reduce the contact area with the upper edge 88a and reduce friction. Further, by providing the contact ribs 104 at two or more locations, the contact with the upper side 88a during sliding is stabilized, and the drain hole retainer 80 is moved straight upward.

The spring support portion 105 is a small piece rising forward from the right end side of the thin plate portion 101 and has a spring hole 106 . The spring hole 106 supports one end of a lever spring 107 (second elastic body). The other end of the lever spring 107 is supported by the spring stop portion 123 of the rear frame 12 . The lever spring 107 has a rightward (direction opposite to the second direction) restoring force in the standby state, and supports the cleaning lever 100 on the rear frame 12 (the housing 10). The cleaning lever 100 is pulled to the right in a no-load state, which is a standby state. The cleaning lever 100 receives force from the standby state position and moves leftward by the user's operation through the finger hooking recess 102, thereby sliding leftward against the restoring force and moving to the cleaning state position. .

Next, the water injection port 23 and the lever support port 24 of the rear frame 12 will be described.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the rear frame 12 from the front.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the water inlet 23 of the rear frame 12 from the rear.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the relationship between the water inlet 23 and the water inlet cover 90 from the rear and right.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the water inlet 23 and the water inlet cover 90 from the front and left.

The water inlet 23 has a water inlet opening 111 , a pair of guide rails 113 , a pair of lid pressing pieces 115 , elastic claws 116 and protective walls 118 .

The water injection opening 111 is an opening formed in the rear frame 12 and corresponds to the dimensions of the rear wall 91 a of the water injection lid 90 . The pair of guide rails 113 are substantially U-shaped members extending forward from the right and left edges 111 a of the water injection opening 111 . The guide rails 113 are engaged with the right and left sides 94 of the bottom surface 91d of the pouring spout cover 90 at groove portions to position the pouring spout cover 90 and guide its sliding in the front-rear direction.

The pair of lid pressing pieces 115 are elastic pieces extending forward from the left and right edges 111 a of the water inlet 111 above the pair of guide rails 113 . The front ends of the pair of lid holding pieces 115 are arranged at positions corresponding to the retainer ribs 93 of the left and right walls 91b of the pouring spout lid 90, and engage with the retainer ribs 93 in the front-rear direction, thereby causing the spout lid 90 to move backward unintentionally. support it so that it does not slide into Also, when the water inlet cover 90 is pulled out rearward by the user, the pair of cover pressing pieces 115 deflects in the left-right direction and escapes, releasing engagement with the retainer ribs 93 .

The elastic claw portion 116 is an elastic thin plate member having a substantially U-shaped cross section that extends forward from the upper edge 111b of the water injection opening 111 and extends rearward through the bent portion 116a. The elastic claw portion 116 has a function of preventing the water poured from the water filling opening 111 from entering the inside of the housing 10 by the U-shaped internal space. The elastic claw portion 116 has a retaining claw 117 at its tip. As shown in FIG. 14, when the pouring spout cover 90 is pulled out backward by a required amount, the retainer claw 117 is caught on the upper end of the front wall 91c, thereby preventing the pouring spout cover 90 from being pulled out more than the required amount. act as a stop.

The protection wall 118 is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section and extending forward from the upper edge 111b of the water injection opening 111 . The protective wall 118 partitions the space of the water injection opening 111 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 15, a microswitch 120 is arranged to the left of this protective wall 118 , and the protective wall 118 protects the microswitch 120 from washing water injected from the water inlet 23 . The microswitch 120 is turned on by coming into contact with the left wall 91b when the pouring spout cover 90 is inserted, and is turned off by being out of contact with the left wall 91b when the pouring spout cover 90 is pulled out.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the lever support port 24 holds the cleaning lever 100 slidably in the left-right direction with respect to the rear frame 12 . The lever support port 24 has a support opening 121, a pair of guide rails 122, and a spring stop portion 123 (FIG. 11).

The support opening 121 exposes the finger hook recess 102 and part of the thin plate portion 101 of the cleaning lever 100 from the rear frame 12 , allowing the user to perform a sliding operation via the finger hook recess 102 .

A pair of guide rails 122 (guide portions) are arranged on the rear surface 12a of the rear frame 12 above and below the upper and lower edges 121a of the support opening 121 in parallel with the upper and lower edges 121a. The pair of guide rails 122 are engaged with the upper and lower sides 101a (FIGS. 10 and 11) of the thin plate portion 101 of the cleaning lever 100 at groove portions to position the cleaning lever 100 and move the cleaning lever 100 in the horizontal direction. Movably support and guide the slide.

The spring stop portion 123 is arranged on the rear surface 12 a of the rear frame 12 and to the right of the right edge 121 b of the support opening 121 . The spring stop portion 123 supports the other end of the lever spring 107 as described above.

Next, the cleaning process of the heat exchanger 46 in the dehumidifier 1 will be specifically described.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the water storage section drain hole 73 is closed from the front.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view from the left showing a state in which the water reservoir drain hole 73 is closed.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view from the front showing a state in which the water storage section drain hole 73 is open.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the water storage section drain hole 73 is opened from the left.

When the dehumidifier 1 is operated for a certain period of time and the heat exchanger 46 needs to be cleaned, the user starts the cleaning process.

In the washing process, the user first pulls out the water injection port cover 90 and a predetermined amount of water is injected into the water injection portion 91 as washing water. At this time, if water is poured vigorously, there is a risk that the water will splash on the bottom surface 91d and the left and right walls 91b. However, the elastic claw portion 116 of the U-shaped water injection port 23 isolates the water injection portion 91 from the inside of the housing 10 and prevents water from entering the inside of the housing 10 . In addition, the protection wall 118 isolates the microswitch 120 from the water injection part 91 to prevent water from adhering to the microswitch 120 .

Washing water is drained from the opening formed by the grid of the front wall 91c. At this time, the grid-like front wall 91c prevents foreign matter from falling and the user's finger from entering the interior. Washing water drops downward from the lower opening 98 of the drainage portion 96 . The washed water that has fallen is stored in the water storage portion 71 of the wash water receiver 70 . At this time, there is a possibility that water exceeding the capacity of the water storage portion 71 may be poured from the water inlet 23 . In response to this, the overflow portion 74 can receive the water overflowing from the front wall 71b and lead it to the side of the evaporator 46a to be cleaned through the overflow portion drainage hole 75, so that the water enters the housing 10 unintentionally. is prevented.

When a predetermined amount of water is injected and the water injection port lid 90 is closed, an instruction is received from the user to open the drain hole restrainer 80 and shift from the standby state to the washing state. Specifically, when the cleaning lever 100 is slid to the left against the restoring force of the lever spring 107 via the finger hooking recess 102 by the user, the transmitting portion 103 moves within the lever opening 88 with the upper side 88a. It moves to the left while making contact, and transmits leftward force to the lever connecting portion 87 . The lever connecting portion 87 converts the left force of the cleaning lever 100 into an upward force as described above. As a result, the drain hole retainer 80 moves upward against the restoring force of the drain hole pressing spring 85 .

When the drain hole retainer 80 is lifted, the water reservoir drain hole 73 is opened and the wash water stored in the water reservoir 71 is drained. The washing water removes dust adhering to the evaporator 46a by flowing down from above the evaporator 46a. The washing water and dust that have flowed down reach the drain pan 49 and are discharged to the drain tank 51 in the same manner as the drain water that drops from the evaporator 46a.

At this time, since a predetermined amount of cleansing water is stored in the water reservoir 71 and then drained, compared to the case where the cleansing water is guided to the heat exchanger 46 without being stored as it is poured from the water inlet 23, for example, the cleansing water is drained. is vigorously drained. This facilitates removal of dust from the evaporator 46a.

When all the water in the water reservoir 71 is drained, the washing lever 100 is released from the user's operation, and automatically slides rightward by the restoring force of the lever spring 107 and automatically returns to the standby position. At the same time, the drain hole retainer 80 is also automatically moved downward by the restoring force of the drain hole pressing spring 85 to close the water reservoir drain hole 73 and return to the standby state position.

Such a dehumidifier 1 can remove the dust accumulated in the heat exchanger 46 by washing it away with washing water. Since the dehumidifier 1 can remove dust itself, it is excellent in terms of hygiene.

Further, in the dehumidifier 1, the state in which the drain hole retainer 80 closes the water reservoir drain hole 73 can be maintained by the restoring force of the drain hole pressing spring 85, so that a predetermined amount of washing water required for washing is stored in the water reservoir 71. Washing water is not discharged from the water reservoir drain hole 73 until it is discharged. Therefore, the dehumidifier 1 can reliably exhibit the cleaning action by cleaning with the momentum of the stored cleaning water. Further, even if the washing state is shifted to the standby state while the washing water remains in the water storage portion 71 and the operation of the dehumidifier 1 is resumed, the drain hole pressing spring 85 acts to reliably drain the water storage portion. Aperture 73 can be closed. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the washing water from leaking into the heat exchanger 46 during operation of the dehumidifier 1 .

Further, the washing lever 100 is slid to the left in order to receive an instruction from the user to shift to the washing state, and after the reception of the instruction is completed, the restoring force of the lever spring 107 ensures that the washing lever 100 is in the standby state. position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the drain hole retainer 80 interlocked with the cleaning lever 100 from being raised, that is, the water reservoir drain hole 73 from being left open. That is, the double action of the drain hole pressing spring 85 and the lever spring 107 can prevent the water reservoir drain hole 73 from remaining open in the standby state.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

For example, the air conditioner according to the present invention can be used not only for the dehumidifier 1 but also for other equipment having a heat exchanger that requires cleaning of dust contained in the sucked air, such as air conditioners, humidifiers, and dryers. can be applied.

Although an example in which the water storage section drain hole 73 has a slit shape extending in the left-right direction has been described, if the washing water can be drained from above the heat exchanger 46, it can be divided into two or more slits, a plurality of circles, ellipses, or multiple shapes. A rectangular small hole may be used.

The opening/closing mechanism for the water reservoir drain hole 73 realized by the drain hole retainer 80 and the cleaning lever 100 is an example, and is not limited to this. For example, the moving direction (first direction) of the drain hole holder 80 and the moving direction (second direction) of the cleaning lever 100 may be the same. In this case, the action of the lever spring 107 (second elastic body) may also be performed by the drain hole pressing spring 85 (first elastic body).

1 Dehumidifier 10 Case 11 Front Frame 12 Rear Frame 13 Rear Frame Decorative Plate 14 Top Plate 15 Base 21 Suction Port 23 Water Inlet 24 Lever Support Port 31 Blow Out Port 41 Fan Case 42 Sirocco Fan 43 Blow Motor 45 Compressor 46 Heat Exchanger Unit 46a Evaporator 46b Condenser 47 Refrigerant pipe 47a Straight portion 47b Bent portion 48 Fin 49 Drain pan 51 Drain tank 55 Control unit 70 Cleaning water receiver 71 Water storage portion 71a Rear wall 71b Front wall 71c Bottom surface 72 Spring stopper 73 Water storage drain hole 74 Overflow part 75 Overflow part drain hole 79 Heat exchange holder 80 Drain hole retainer 81 Seal part 82 Seal member 83 Arm part 84 Spring hole 85 Drain hole pressing spring 87 Lever connection part 88 Lever opening 90 Water injection port cover 91 Water injection part 91a Rear wall 91b Left and right walls 91c Front wall 91d Bottom surface 96 Drainage unit 97 Water splash prevention wall 98 Lower opening 100 Cleaning lever 101 Thin plate portion 102 Finger hanging recess 103 Transmission unit 105 Spring support unit 106 Spring hole 107 Lever spring 111 Water injection opening 121 Support opening 122 Guidance Rail 123 Spring stopper

Claims (4)

a housing;
a heat exchanger that is housed in the housing and exchanges heat with the sucked air;
a wash water receiver that is housed in the housing and arranged vertically above the heat exchanger, has a drain hole for storing wash water for washing the heat exchanger, and discharges the collected wash water;
a drain hole presser that closes the drain hole in a standby state other than a cleaning state for cleaning the heat exchanger and moves in a first direction from a position in the standby state to open the drain hole;
a first elastic body having a restoring force in a direction opposite to the first direction so that the drain hole retainer closes the drain hole in the standby state, and supports the drain hole retainer to the wash water receiver; with air conditioner. an instruction input unit that receives an instruction to open the drain hole holder by moving in the second direction from the standby state position, and transmits the force of moving in the second direction to the drain hole holder;
2. The air according to claim 1, wherein said drain hole retainer receives a force in said second direction from said instruction input portion, and converts said force in said second direction into a force for moving said drain hole retainer in said first direction. harmony machine. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising a second elastic body having a restoring force in a direction opposite to said second direction and supporting said instruction input section on said housing. The first direction is a direction along the vertical direction,
4. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein said second direction is a horizontal direction orthogonal to said vertical direction.

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