JP3103353B1 - Method and apparatus for cleaning car air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a cleaning operation while visually observing a cleaning state of an evaporator to be cleaned, an inner wall of an evaporator box, an inner wall of a ventilation duct, and a blower fan in a timely manner, and exhibit a cleaning power superior to a chemical cleaning power. A method of cleaning a car air conditioner, which can completely clean and remove relatively large dust. SOLUTION: 1 provided on an evaporator box wall.
A small video camera inserted through one of the working holes when the steam nozzle is inserted into the evaporator box through one of the at least one working hole and the steam is sprayed from the steam nozzle onto the object to be cleaned to clean the dirt. By photographing the object to be cleaned at least before, during or after cleaning, the photographed image is reproduced on a display screen of a reproducing device connected to the small video camera, and the reproduced image is observed to observe the object to be cleaned. A method for cleaning a car air conditioner, comprising checking a dirt condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to cleaning of a car air conditioner which is provided with a blower fan (blower) upstream of an evaporator (heat exchanger) and exhausts air sucked from the fan into the vehicle through the evaporator. A method and an apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A large amount of mold and bacteria are generated inside a car air conditioner having the above-described structure. The reason is that car air conditioners introduce outside air due to their structure, so that fallen leaves, twigs, insects, garbage, dust, dust of exhaust gas, etc. contained in the outside air adhere to and accumulate inside the This is because bacteria propagate them as nutrients. In particular, molds and bacteria tend to propagate on the evaporator. All the air from the blower fan flows into the evaporator,
In addition, since it has a dense structure in which many fins are stacked, dust and dirt are likely to accumulate. Furthermore, since the evaporator is a cooler, the surface vicinity is humid,
A humid environment is formed. From the above, the evaporator is a hotbed where mold and bacteria are most propagated.

[0003] When these molds and bacteria are sown in the car from the air outlet with cold air, they enter the body and cause allergies, sensoku, irritable pneumonia,
Causes health problems such as hay fever. In addition, it may cause unpleasant odor and unpleasant odor. In addition, if dirt or dust accumulates in the evaporator, the inflow and discharge of the air sucked from the blower fan is hindered, the heat exchange efficiency is reduced, and energy loss is likely to occur. As described above, dirt on a car air conditioner, particularly dirt on an evaporator, causes a health hazard and an unpleasant odor, and also causes energy loss. Therefore, various cleaning techniques have been conventionally proposed.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-160913 discloses a fan and evaporator in a car air conditioner having a fan and an inside / outside air switching damper inside a ventilation duct, and further having an evaporator box provided with an evaporator in the next stage. A spray port for cleaning agent spraying is opened in the lower part of the evaporator box between the evaporator box and the spray nozzle of the spray-type cleaning agent storage container is inserted from the spray port, and an operator manually presses the pressing portion of the container. By pressing, the foaming detergent in the container is sprayed toward the fins of the evaporator. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-159392 discloses that a spray-type detergent storage container is provided on the upstream side of the fan. After cleaning the fan by spraying the foaming detergent toward the evaporator, the fan is rotated to guide the foaming detergent to the evaporator to clean the evaporator. It is further JP-A-10-185
No. 493 discloses that cleaning is performed by providing a rinsing agent container provided with a switching device in combination with a spray type cleaning agent storage container, and a suction / drainage container in a lower part of a ventilation duct downstream of an evaporator. I have. However, these conventional techniques have the following problems.

(A) Since the washing operation is performed in a state where the inner wall of the ventilation duct, the evaporator, and the like cannot be observed from the outside, it cannot be determined at all whether the washing is evenly and uniformly and how much the washing level is. . (B) Since cleaning is performed using only the chemical cleaning power of the foaming detergent,
Sufficient cleaning effects cannot be expected in heavily soiled areas. (C) Relatively large debris, such as defoliation, twigs, and insects, taken in with the introduction of outside air cannot be removed by the foaming detergent.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to perform a cleaning operation while appropriately observing the cleaning state of an evaporator to be cleaned, an inner wall of an evaporator box, an inner wall of a ventilation duct, and a blower fan, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for cleaning a car air conditioner, which exhibits a cleaning power superior to a chemical cleaning power and can completely clean and remove relatively large dust.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the present invention provides: Inserting a steam nozzle into the evaporator box through one or more working holes provided in the wall of the evaporator box, and spraying steam from the steam nozzle to the object to be cleaned to clean the work holes. An object to be cleaned is photographed at least before, during or after cleaning by a small video camera inserted through any of them, and the photographed image is reproduced on a display screen of a reproducing device coupled to the small video camera. 1. A method for cleaning a car air conditioner, comprising observing a stain condition of an object to be cleaned by observing Before cleaning the object to be cleaned with steam, dirt on the object to be cleaned is removed in advance using a vacuum nozzle and / or a cleaning agent. Cleaning method of car air conditioner,

[0008] 3. After the object to be cleaned is washed and dried with steam, at least one of an antibacterial agent, a deodorant, and an antistatic agent is applied to the object to be cleaned. Or 2. 3. Car air conditioner cleaning method, The object to be cleaned is at least one of an evaporator, an inner wall of an evaporator box, an inner wall of a ventilation duct, and a blower fan. ~ 3. 4. The method for cleaning a car air conditioner according to any one of (1) a steam nozzle that can be inserted into the evaporator box through any one or more working holes provided in the wall of the evaporator box; and (2) a small video camera that can be inserted into the evaporator box through any of the working holes. (4) A cleaning device for a car air conditioner, comprising: a playback device connected to the small-sized video camera and playing back the captured image on a display screen; 4. It has a vacuum nozzle which can be inserted into the evaporator box through any of the working holes. Cleaning equipment for car air conditioners.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. [About various jigs for cleaning] Drilling jig The drilling jig for drilling holes in the evaporator box wall can be any known jig that can drill a hole through which a steam nozzle, a small video camera, and a vacuum nozzle can be inserted into the evaporator box. . As a preferable example, for example, FIG.
There are drilling jigs shown in FIGS. This drilling jig (a) is a ring-shaped hole having a central drill blade 3 ′, a ring-shaped flange 2 provided on the outer periphery thereof, and a mountain-shaped blade at a tip end provided between them. It comprises a cutter 3 and a shaft 4 provided on the back surface thereof.
Is attached to the tip of an electric drill. The drilling jig (b) is replaced with the drill blade 3 'of the drilling jig (a),
It has a central column 1 having the same diameter as the diameter of the ring-shaped hole cutter 3. The method of using the drilling jigs (a) and (b) is as follows.

First, the drill blade 3 'of the drilling jig (a)
Then, a hole is formed by the ring-shaped hole cutter 3. Next, the central cylinder 1 of the drilling jig (b) is fitted into the hole drilled by the ring-shaped hole cutter 3 of the drilling jig (a), and the larger hole is formed by the ring-shaped hole cutter 3 having a larger diameter. Open. Using a larger diameter drilling jig (b) (not shown), a predetermined larger diameter hole is made in the same manner as described above. Drill blade 3 'of this drilling jig (a) and drilling jig (b)
Center cylinder 1 serves to fix the position of the ring-shaped hole cutter 3, and the ring-shaped flange 2 on the outer periphery of the hole cutter 3 serves as a stopper after drilling,
This is preferable because the object to be cleaned in the evaporator box is not damaged.

2. Steam nozzle Steam nozzle 11 is a work hole 1 drilled with a drilling jig.
Any type may be used as long as it can be inserted into the evaporator box 6 through 0 and the steam can be sprayed on the object to be cleaned. Preferably, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, one connected to a flexible (for example, metal, synthetic resin) elongated hose 12 having a steam injection port at the tip and having a steam supply passage. Can be used, the hose 1
2 is connected to the steam generator 13 at the appropriate length end.

3. Small video camera A small video camera can likewise be inserted through the working hole 10,
There is no particular limitation as long as the inside of the evaporator box 6 can be freely photographed, and all small video cameras generally used for photographing a narrow space where humans cannot enter directly can be used. Preferably, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a ring-shaped light (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the distal end, and a cylindrical small CCD camera head 14 having a lens mounted at the center thereof, and a camera cable 15 connected thereto. And a camera controller 16 connected thereto. This camera controller 1
6 is a photographed image reproducing device via a video adapter 17,
For example, it is connected to a personal computer 18. The ring-shaped light is formed separately from the small CCD camera head 14,
It may be inserted from a working hole (not shown) other than the working hole 10.

4. Vacuum nozzle The vacuum nozzle 19 may be of any type as long as it can be inserted into the evaporator box 6 through the work hole 10 and can remove dirt from the object to be cleaned by vacuum suction. Preferably, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a flexible (e.g., metal, synthetic resin) elongated hose 20 having a vacuum suction port and a vacuum suction passage at the tip can be used. The hose is connected to the vacuum generator 21 at the appropriate length end. Figures 1-8 below
An example of the cleaning method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0014]

[Example] (Preparation work) A tray for receiving sewage is placed under a drain hose connected to a drain port (not shown) of the evaporator box 6. 2. The glove box and the dash panel are removed, the evaporator box 6 is exposed, and preparation for the washing operation is performed. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, one or two places where the cleaning operation is easy are selected on the outside air intake side from the fan 7 of the evaporator box 6, and a small hole (for example, 3.2 mm in diameter) is drilled in that place. Then, insert the search pin 23 bent into an L-shape as shown in FIG. 6 into the hole and rotate it to check whether there is any obstacle inside. When there are obstacles,
Fill the holes with hot melt adhesive.

When there is no obstacle, FIG.
A drill jig having a hole cutter 3 having a diameter of 16 mm shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the electric drill 22, and a hole having a diameter of 16 mm is formed centering on the hole previously drilled. Then, use your fingers to check for any obstacles inside. If an obstacle is confirmed at this point, the hole is closed using a rubber packing 24 having a fitting groove on the side surface shown in FIG. Next, a larger hole is made by using a drilling jig shown in FIG. The same operation is repeated using a drilling jig having a hole cutter 3 having a larger diameter than that shown in FIG. Drill a working hole (maximum diameter 42 mm) 10 as large as 42 mm. 4. As shown in FIG. 3, a small CCD camera head with a light source (IK-SM43H, manufactured by Toshiba Corporation) 14 and a personal computer 18 are set. At this time, power may be taken from a cigar lighter (not shown) using, for example, an inverter. Next, the camera head 14 is inserted into the evaporator box 6 through the working hole 10 to photograph the inside of the evaporator box 6, and the image is reproduced on a display screen (a liquid crystal type or a cathode ray tube type) of the personal computer 18 and observed in detail. I do. On this occasion,
This image is recorded on the personal computer 18 if necessary.

(Dust and Dust Removal Work) While observing the image on the display screen of the personal computer 18,
The large dust inside is taken out of the working hole 10 using tweezers or the like. Dust and the like attached to the fins of the evaporator 5 are scraped off using a horse hair condenser brush. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a vacuum nozzle 19 connected to the vacuum generator 13 is inserted through the working hole 10 to remove dust, dust, and dirt from the fins inside. 2. The inside of the evaporator box 6 is checked with the camera head 14 to see if large dirt, dust or dirt has been removed. If the ring is not removed, perform the same operation again.

(Washing work / antibacterial work) A cleaning agent in a spray can, for example, a plant-based cleaning agent, a petroleum-based cleaning agent, an animal-based cleaning agent, or a foaming cleaning agent is injected from the working hole 10 and left as it is for about 5 minutes. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam nozzle 11 is inserted into the evaporator box 6 through the working hole 10, and the inside of the evaporator 5, the inner wall of the evaporator box 6, the inner wall of the ventilation duct 9, and the fan 7 are steam-cleaned. At this time, it is desirable to insert the steam nozzle 11 also from the front blower 8 in the vehicle to clean the inner wall of the ventilation duct 9 with steam. The contaminated waste water after the steam cleaning is discharged to a tray below a drain hose connected to a drain port (not shown). 3. When the steam cleaning is completed, the work hole 10 is closed using the rubber packing 24 shown in FIG. 7 in the work hole 10, the temperature of the car air conditioner is set to HOT, and hot air is flown into the evaporator box 6 to be dried.

4. The rubber packing 24 is removed, and the small-sized CCD camera head 14 with the light source is put again in the evaporator box 6 to check whether the inside is completely dried. 5. As shown in FIG. 8, one or more of an antibacterial solvent, an odor preventing solvent, and an antistatic solvent are uniformly applied to the inside of the evaporator box 6 using a spray gun 25 so as to be uniform. 6. 3. The same operation as described above is performed, and hot air is flown into the ehabolator box for drying. 7. 4. The same operation as described above is performed, and it is checked whether the inside is completely dried with a small CCD camera with a light source. Then, if necessary, the image after application of an antibacterial agent or the like is recorded on the personal computer 18 and stored. This recorded image is useful for comparing the stain status of the object to be cleaned before and after cleaning.

(End work) The rubber packing 24 is fitted into the working hole. 2. Install the glove box and dash panel as before. 3. Remove the sewage pan. In the above steps, the following operations (1) to (3) can be appropriately changed. The working hole 10 can use a mounting hole of a device mounted on the evaporator box 6 instead of using a drilling jig. If the fan 7 is removable, it is taken out of the vehicle and steam-cleaned separately from the evaporator 5 and the like. Detergents, such as plant detergents, petroleum detergents, animal detergents, and foam detergents, may be applied with a spray gun or by hand or electric spray. The application of the antibacterial solvent, the deodorant solvent, and the antistatic solvent may be carried out in a spray can. Or you may apply by manual or electric spraying instead of a spray gun.

[0020]

As described above, according to the cleaning method of the present invention, the cleaning operation can be performed while visually observing the cleaning state of the evaporator, the inner wall of the evaporator box, the inner wall of the ventilation duct, and the blower fan as needed. Since high-pressure and high-temperature steam having a cleaning power superior to that of a chemical cleaning power is used, an excellent cleaning effect not provided by conventional cleaning technology can be exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drilling jig.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a cleaning operation using a steam nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an operation of observing a dirt situation using a small CCD camera.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a cleaning operation using a vacuum nozzle.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a drilling operation using an electric drill.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a search pin.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rubber packing.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of an application operation of an antibacterial solvent, a deodorant solvent, and an antistatic solvent.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Central cylinder 2 Ring-shaped flange part 3 Hole cutter 3 'drill blade 4 Shaft part 5 Evaporator 6 Evaporator box 7 Blower fan 8 Air blow-out port 9 Ventilation duct 10 Working hole 11 Steam nozzle 12 Hose 13 Steam generator 14 Small CCD camera head 15 Camera Cable 16 Camera Controller 17 Video Adapter 18 Personal Computer 19 Vacuum Nozzle 20 Hose 21 Vacuum Generation 22 Electric Drill 23 Search Pin 24 Rubber Packing 25 Spray Gun

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B08B 3/02-3/08 F28G 9/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A center drill is mounted on an evaporator box wall.
Blade (3 ') and a ring-shaped flange provided on its outer periphery
(2) and a mountain-shaped blade at the tip provided between them
Ring-shaped hole cutters (3) and their backs
A drilling jig (a) composed of a shaft (4) provided.
And a central column (1) and a ring provided on its outer periphery
The flange (2) and the tip provided between them have a mountain-shaped blade
Ring-shaped hole cutters (3) with
Drilling jig composed of a shaft (4) provided on the surface
(B), one or more working holes are provided, and a steam nozzle is inserted into the evaporator box through any of the working holes, and steam is sprayed from the steam nozzle to the object to be cleaned to remove dirt. At this time, a small video camera inserted through one of the working holes photographs at least an object to be cleaned before, during or after cleaning, and the captured image is displayed on a display screen of a playback device coupled to the small video camera. A method for cleaning a car air conditioner, comprising reproducing the image and observing the reproduced image to check the contamination state of the object to be cleaned. 2. The method for cleaning a car air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein before the object to be cleaned is washed with steam, dirt on the object to be cleaned is removed in advance using a vacuum nozzle and / or a cleaning agent. . 3. The object to be cleaned is washed and dried with steam, and then at least one of an antibacterial agent, a deodorant, and an antistatic agent is applied to the object to be cleaned. 3. The method for cleaning a car air conditioner according to 2. 4. An object to be cleaned is at least one of an evaporator, an inner wall of an evaporator box, an inner wall of a ventilation duct, and a blower fan.
4. The method for cleaning a car air conditioner according to claim 3.