JP2023126587A - Indoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can accurately detect the state of air in a living space, and has excellent maintainability.SOLUTION: An indoor unit (1) of an air conditioner comprises: a main body comprising a first suction port (10B) provided in at least one of an upper surface and a front surface, a discharge port (10A) provided in the front surface, a first air path for establishing communication between the first suction port and the discharge port, and a second suction port (10C) provided in a lower surface, and smaller than the first suction port; and a sensor unit for detecting the amount of a substance contained in air sucked from the second suction port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner is sometimes provided with a sensor to detect the state of the air it sucks. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a sensor is provided in an air path connecting a suction port formed on the front surface of an indoor unit body and an air blower to detect the state of air sucked from the suction port. ing.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-91042

However, in the conventional technology as described above, the sensor detects the state of the air sucked in from the suction port formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult to detect the state of the air in the living space below the indoor unit. Further, a suction port may be formed on the top surface of the indoor unit body. In this case, even if a sensor is provided in the air path connecting the suction port on the top surface of the indoor unit body and the blower, it is still difficult to detect the state of the air in the living space below the indoor unit.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can accurately detect the state of air in a living space and is easy to maintain.

In order to solve the above problems, an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first suction port provided on at least one of the top surface or the front surface, a first air outlet provided on the front surface, a main body having a first air path that communicates the suction port with the outlet; and a second suction port provided on the bottom surface that is smaller than the first suction port; and a sensor unit that detects the amount of the substance being absorbed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can accurately detect the state of air in a living space and is easy to maintain.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drain pan included in the indoor unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the drain pan shown in FIG. 3 with the sensor case removed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a wind shield part of the drain pan shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the indoor unit cabinet shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cabinet shown in FIG. 6 with the filter case removed. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the filter case shown in FIG. 7 with the filter removed.

[Embodiment 1]
One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an indoor unit 1 of an air conditioner according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner includes an indoor unit main body 10, a baffle plate 20 disposed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body 10, a horizontal louver 21, a filter 30, A filter case (filter support component) 40 is provided. Note that when the indoor unit main body 10 is viewed from the front (front), the width direction is defined as the left-right direction, the depth direction of the indoor unit main body 10 is defined as the front-back direction, and the height direction of the indoor unit main body 10 is defined as the vertical direction.

The air guide plate 20 and the horizontal louver 21 are members that guide the flow of air blown out from the indoor unit main body 10 in a desired direction by changing the angle of arrangement with respect to the indoor unit main body 10. The angle of arrangement of the baffle plate 20 and the horizontal louver 21 with respect to the indoor unit main body 10 is changed independently. The horizontal louver 21 is smaller than the baffle plate 20. Therefore, the horizontal louver 21 can adjust the direction of air blown out from the indoor unit main body 10 more finely than the baffle plate 20.

The indoor unit main body 10 includes a cabinet main body (not shown), a cabinet cover 11, a blower 12A, a heat exchanger 18, a drain pan (partition wall) 17, and the like. The blower 12A, heat exchanger 18, drain pan 17, etc. are attached to the cabinet body, and the cabinet cover 11 is fitted to cover the cabinet body.

(Suction port and suction port)
On the front surface of the indoor unit main body 10, an air outlet 10A is formed through which air is blown out by opening a part of the cabinet cover 11. A first suction port 10B is formed on the upper surface of the indoor unit main body 10 and is opened in a part of the cabinet cover 11 to suck air. A second suction port 10C, which is a hole for sucking air, is formed in the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10, and is a hole through which a portion of the cabinet cover 11 opens.

Inside the indoor unit main body 10, there is an upper air path through which air sucked in from the first suction port 10B passes and reaches the blowout port 10A, and an upper air path through which air sucked in from the second suction port 10C passes and reaches the blowout port 10A. A lower air path is formed.

The blower 12A is arranged in a blower chamber 12 surrounded by the cabinet body, the cabinet cover 11, and the drain pan 17. The blower chamber 12 is arranged on both the upper air passage and the lower air passage.

The blower 12A sucks air from the first suction port 10B and the second suction port 10C by rotation of the blower fan included in the blower 12A. The blower 12A then blows the sucked air toward the outlet 10A by rotating the blower fan.

The heat exchanger 18 is a member that cools or heats the air passing through it to a desired temperature. The air blown from the blower 12A to the outlet 10A is cooled or heated to a desired temperature by the heat exchanger 18, and then blown out from the outlet 10A.

Thereby, the air sucked in from the first suction port 10B and the second suction port 10C passes through the blower 12A and the heat exchanger 18 and is blown out from the air outlet 10A. The air guide plate 20 is arranged in front of the air outlet 10A, and guides the flow of air blown out from the air outlet 10A in a desired direction.

In this embodiment, the blower 12A preferably includes a sirocco fan as the blower fan. According to such a configuration, the negative pressure generated around the internal hole 17A of the blower chamber 12 can be easily increased by the rotation of the blower fan, so that air can be easily taken in from the second suction port 10C. The internal hole 17A will be described later.

The present invention is not limited thereto, and the blower 12A may include various types of blower fans other than the sirocco fan. The blower 12A may include, for example, a crossflow fan as a blower fan.

It is preferable that the distance d1 between the front end of the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 and the second suction port 10C is 90 mm or more. In other words, the second suction port 10C is preferably formed at a position 90 mm or more away from the front end of the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 to the rear side.

According to such a configuration, the distance between the blow-off port 10A and the second suction port 10C is appropriately spaced. Therefore, the air blown out from the air outlet 10A can be effectively prevented from being directly sucked in through the second suction port 10C. Therefore, the indoor unit 1 can more easily suck in the air in the room where the indoor unit 1 is installed from the second suction port 10C than the air blown out from the air outlet 10A.

If the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is equipped with a filter (not shown) with a high air purifying effect, such as a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter), at the first suction port 10B, air from the air outlet 10A The blown air becomes purified and clean air. The HEPA filter passes air sucked in by the blower 12A, collects and removes particles such as dust contained in the air, and purifies the air.

Therefore, when the clean air blown out from the air outlet 10A is sucked in from the second suction port 10C and mixed with the air to be detected by the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15, the accuracy of detecting the air condition in the living space will be reduced. There is a risk of a decline. According to the above configuration, it is possible to effectively suppress the clean air blown out from the blowout port 10A from being mixed with the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C. Therefore, compared to the case where the second suction port 10C is provided near the front end of the indoor unit main body 10, the state of the air in the living space can be detected more accurately.

(sensor)
The air sucked in from the second suction port 10C is detected by a dust sensor (sensor) 14 and an odor sensor (sensor) 15 provided in the indoor unit 1. The dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 are housed in a sensor case 16 placed in a drain pan 17.

The dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 are sensors that detect the amount of substances contained in the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C. Specifically, the dust sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the amount of dust (for example, the number of dust particles per unit volume) contained in the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C. Further, the odor sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the amount of odor substances (for example, the concentration of odor substances) contained in the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C. The sensor case 16 is arranged on a path through which air sucked in from the second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 passes.

The indoor unit 1 is generally installed above the room. Therefore, indoor spaces where people actually live are often located below the indoor unit 1. However, since the first suction port 10B is formed on the top surface of the indoor unit main body 10, the air sucked through the first suction port 10B is mainly limited to the air above the room. Therefore, when air detected by sensors such as the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 is sucked in from the first suction port 10B, the state of the air in the living space cannot be accurately detected.

Here, the indoor unit 1 detects not the air sucked in from the first suction port 10B but the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 using the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15. It is the composition. The second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 can more easily suck in air from the living space than the first suction port 10B. Therefore, the dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15, which detect the amount of substances contained in the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C, can accurately detect the state of the air in the living space.

For example, if the indoor unit 1 has a function of detecting the cleanliness of the indoor air and notifying the user, the indoor unit 1 can accurately notify the user of the state of the air in the living space. Further, when the indoor unit 1 has a function of removing dust or odor substances in the air, the indoor unit 1 can appropriately perform the removal function based on the state of the air in the living space.

Note that the indoor unit 1 may include only the dust sensor 14 or only the odor sensor 15 as a sensor housed in the sensor case 16. Further, the sensors provided in the indoor unit 1 are not limited to the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15, but may be any sensor that detects the amount of substances contained in the air.

(drain pan)
3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the drain pan 17 included in the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the drain pan 17 shown in FIG. 3 with the sensor case 16 removed.

The drain pan 17 is a member that receives drain water generated in the heat exchanger 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the drain pan 17 is arranged at the lower part of the indoor unit main body 10, and is connected to a drain pipe (not shown) for discharging drain water.

The drain pan 17 also functions as a partition wall that vertically partitions the blower room 12 and the space in which the sensor case 16 is arranged. The drain pan 17 is formed with an internal hole 17A that penetrates in the vertical direction (thickness direction), and a wind shield part 171 is integrally formed on the upper surface of the drain pan 17 so as to surround the internal hole 17A. In FIG. 2, an arrow Y indicates a flow line of air inside the blower room 12. Air sucked in from the second suction port 10C passes through the internal hole 17A and flows into the blower chamber 12 from the opening 171A.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the wind shield part 171 of the drain pan 17 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the windshield portion 171 is provided to cover at least the windward side of the internal hole 17A. In this embodiment, as a more preferable configuration, the wind shield part 171 is formed so as to cover the front, upper side, and both left and right sides of the internal hole 17A, and the wind shield part 171 is formed so as to cover the front, upper, and left and right sides of the internal hole 17A. An opening 171A is formed.

By providing the wind shield part 171, the air below the drain pan 17 can be efficiently sucked in through the internal hole 17A even in a situation where a strong vortex of air exists in the blower room 12 due to suction by the blower 12A. It becomes possible.

Moreover, as a more preferable configuration, the portion of the windshield portion 171 directed upward from the front is rounded to form a curved surface. Thereby, the influence of the wind shield part 171 on the original airflow flowing inside the blower room 12 as indicated by the arrow Y can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a sensor case 16 housing a dust sensor 14 and an odor sensor 15 is arranged in the drain pan 17. The sensor case 16 is configured to be attached to the drain pan 17 from below.

(filter)
As shown in FIG. 2, a filter 30 is provided on the windward side of the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 in order to prevent failures due to inflow of dust such as lint. More specifically, the filter 30 is located above the second suction port 10C, between the second suction port 10C and the sensor case 16, more specifically between the second suction port 10C and the dust sensor 14. placed in between. The filter 30 removes dust contained in the air flowing into the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15.

The air sucked in from the second suction port 10C passes through the filter 30, the dust sensor 14, the odor sensor 15, the internal hole 17A, the wind shield 171, the blower 12A, and the heat exchanger 18, and then is blown out from the air outlet 10A. In other words, the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 are arranged on a path through which air sucked from the second suction port 10C passes between the internal hole 17A and the second suction port 10C.

Since the filter 30 removes dust, failure of the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 can be avoided. In order to more reliably avoid failure of the dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15, the filter 30 is preferably a coarse dust filter that can remove coarse dust (relatively large dust of a predetermined size or more). Specifically, it is preferable to use a filter having about 30 cells per inch. If a filter that is too fine (with a large number of cells) is used, air suction will be obstructed, and substances contained in the air in the living space below the indoor unit 1 will be collected by the filter and the substances will be removed. It becomes impossible to accurately detect the amount.

It is necessary for the user of the air conditioner to remove the filter 30 and periodically perform maintenance such as cleaning. However, the indoor unit 1 is often placed above a window, and in that case, the curtain rail is located directly below the indoor unit 1. Furniture may also be placed directly below the indoor unit 1.

If there is an installation such as a curtain rail or furniture directly below the indoor unit 1, it is difficult to attach and detach the filter 30 from below the indoor unit 1, and the workability when attaching and detaching the filter 30 is reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described below, the filter 30 is supported by the filter case 40, and the filter case 40 is configured to be detachable in the front-rear direction.

(filter case)
6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cabinet cover 11 of the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cabinet cover 11 shown in FIG. 6 with the filter case 40 removed. . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an insertion opening 11D into which the filter case 40 is inserted is formed at the lower part of the front surface of the cabinet cover 11. As shown in FIG. 2, a body-side locking portion 111 for positioning the filter case 40 in the front-rear direction is provided inside the insertion opening 11D in the cabinet cover 11.

Filter case 40 supports filter 30. The filter case 40 is attached to and detached from the front of the cabinet cover 11 from the front of the cabinet cover 11 through the insertion opening 11D in the front-rear direction.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the filter case 40 shown in FIG. 7 with the filter 30 removed. As shown in FIG. 8, the filter case 40 includes a front wall 41, a rear wall 42, a left wall 43, a right wall 44, a bottom 45, a front rib 46, and a rear rib 47. , is provided.

The front rib 46 and the rear rib 47 are provided between the front wall part 41 and the rear wall part 42 so as to extend in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and the front rib 46 is longer than the rear rib 47. It is located at the front. The front rib 46 and the rear rib 47 extend across the entire width of the filter case 40 in the left and right direction.

A case hole 45A extending in the left-right direction is formed between the rear rib 47 and the rear wall part 42 in the bottom part 45. Case hole 45A extends across the entire width of filter case 40 in the left and right direction. The length of the case hole 45A in the left-right direction is approximately the same as the length of the second suction port 10C (shown in FIG. 1) in the left-right direction, or even if it is longer than the length of the second suction port 10C in the left-right direction. good. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the length of the case hole 45A in the front-rear direction is approximately the same as the length of the second suction port 10C in the front-rear direction, or is longer than the length of the second suction port 10C in the front-rear direction. It can be long.

If the opening area of the case hole 45A is larger than the opening area of the second suction port 10C, even if there is a slight error in the mounting position of the filter case 40, the air sucked from the second suction port 10C will flow through the case. It becomes easier to reach the filter 30 through the hole 45A. Therefore, the opening area of the case hole 45A is preferably larger than the opening area of the second suction port 10C.

The filter 30 is housed on the rear end side of the filter case 40 , more specifically between the rear rib 47 and the rear wall 42 and between the left wall 43 and the right wall 44 . Therefore, the filter 30 housed in the filter case 40 is located above the case hole 45A. The filter 30 is fixed by claws 432 and 442 provided on the upper edges of the left wall portion 43 and the right wall portion 44, respectively. The rear wall portion 42 is cut out from above near the center in the left-right direction, and an extension portion 421 is provided so as to extend rearward from this cut edge.

Component-side locking portions 431 and 441 are provided in the front portions of the left wall portion 43 and the right wall portion 44, respectively, as left-right symmetrical stepped portions. As shown in FIG. 2, when the filter case 40 is inserted through the insertion opening 11D of the cabinet cover 11 and attached to the cabinet cover 11, the component side locking parts 431 and 441 of the filter case 40 are connected to the main body side of the cabinet cover 11. It comes into contact with the stop portion 111 and is locked. Thereby, the filter case 40 is positioned in the front-rear direction.

At this time, the filter case 40 is positioned on the lower surface of the cabinet cover 11 in the vertical direction. Further, the position of the filter case 40 in the left-right direction is determined by the insertion port 11D.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the filter case 40 is attached to the indoor unit main body 10, the case hole 45A is located above the second suction port 10C. Therefore, the indoor unit 1 is configured such that the flow of air sucked in from the second suction port 10C is not easily obstructed by the filter case 40. Further, the filter case 40 is configured such that air sucked through the case hole 45A passes through the filter 30 and flows out toward the rear sensor case 16 along the extension portion 421 (shown in FIG. 8). has been done.

(effect)
According to the above configuration, the indoor unit 1 receives air not sucked in from the first suction port 10B but from the second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 through the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor. Detected by 15. The second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 can more easily suck in air from the living space than the first suction port 10B. Therefore, the dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15, which detect the amount of substances contained in the air sucked in from the second suction port 10C, can accurately detect the state of the air in the living space.

Furthermore, the filter case 40 can be attached to and detached from the cabinet cover 11 from the front of the cabinet cover 11 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if, for example, a curtain rail or furniture is located directly below the indoor unit 1, the filter 30 can be easily attached and detached. Therefore, it is possible to provide an indoor unit 1 for an air conditioner that is easy to maintain.

Furthermore, by bringing the component-side locking portions 431 and 441 into contact with the main body-side locking portion 111, the filter case 40 can be easily positioned in the front-rear direction, so that the filter case 40 can be positioned at a position overlapping the second suction port 10C. The filter 30 can be easily arranged. Therefore, dust contained in the air flowing into the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 can be removed more reliably.

Further, since the filter case 40 is placed on the lower surface of the cabinet cover 11, there is no need to strictly adjust the angle at which the filter case 40 is inserted when attaching the filter case 40 to the indoor unit main body 10. Therefore, the filter case 40 can be easily attached to the cabinet cover 11.

(Modified example)
Note that in this embodiment, the first suction port 10B is formed on the top surface of the indoor unit main body 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first suction port 10B may be formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body 10. Alternatively, the first suction port 10B may be formed on both the top surface and the front surface of the indoor unit main body 10. In other words, the first suction port 10B may be formed on at least one of the top surface and the front surface of the indoor unit main body 10.

〔summary〕
The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to aspect 1 of the present invention includes a first suction port for sucking air formed on at least one of the top surface and the front surface of the indoor unit main body, and a first suction port formed on the bottom surface of the indoor unit main body. a second suction port that is a hole for sucking air; a sensor that detects the amount of substance contained in the air sucked from the second suction port; and a sensor disposed between the second suction port and the sensor; A filter that removes dust contained in the air flowing into the sensor; and a filter support component that supports the filter; It is provided removably in the front-rear direction of the indoor unit main body.

Aspect 2 of the present invention provides an indoor unit for an air conditioner according to Aspect 1, including a blower for blowing the air sucked in from the first suction port, a blower room in which the blower is arranged, and a blower room in which the blower is arranged. and a partition wall in which an internal hole is formed, and the sensor is sucked in from the second suction port between the internal hole and the second suction port. It may be arranged on a path through which the air passes.

In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1 or 2, an outlet from which the air blows out is formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body, and the second suction inlet is configured to It may be formed at a position 90 mm or more away from the front end of the lower surface of the indoor unit main body on the rear side.

In the indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Aspect 4 of the present invention, in Aspects 1 to 3 above, the filter support component is inserted from an insertion opening formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body, and It may be placed on top of the

Aspect 5 of the present invention provides an indoor unit for an air conditioner according to Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the filter support component includes a component-side locking portion, and the indoor unit main body engages the component-side locking portion. A main body side locking portion may be provided.

[Additional notes]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1 Indoor unit 10 Indoor unit main body 10A Air outlet 10B First suction port 10C Second suction port 11 Cabinet cover 111 Main body side locking part 12A Air blower 14 Dust sensor (sensor)
15 Odor sensor (sensor)
17 Drain pan (partition wall)
17A Internal hole 30 Filter 40 Filter case 431, 441 Component side locking part 45A Case hole

Claims (6)

A first suction port provided on at least one of the top surface or the front surface, a blowout port provided on the front surface, a first air path communicating the first suction port and the blowout port, and a first air path provided on the bottom surface. a main body having a second suction port smaller than the first suction port;
An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising: a sensor unit that detects the amount of substances contained in the air sucked from the second suction port. The main body has a second air path that communicates the second air intake port with the first air path,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is arranged in the second air path. The sensor unit includes a dust sensor and an odor sensor,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the dust sensor is provided in a position closer to the second suction port in the second air path than the odor sensor. The air conditioner according to claim 3, further comprising a filter disposed between the second suction port and the dust sensor in the second air path to remove dust contained in the air flowing into the dust sensor. Indoor unit. Claims 2 to 4, wherein the communication port through which the second air path and the first air path communicate with each other opens in a direction in which an end of the second air path on the first air path side extends. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to any one of the above. The indoor air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second suction port is provided on the front side of the lower surface and at a position away from the front end of the lower surface. Machine.

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