JP3947917B2 - Air conditioner indoor unit - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an indoor unit of the air conditioner, and more particularly to a technology of an air conditioner that stores an indoor unit behind a ceiling.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a form of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, there is a type that is stored in the ceiling. An intake port for taking indoor air into such an indoor unit is generally covered with a filter that collects solid particles such as dust and dust in the room, and this filter is supported by a net-like member called a grill. . Operations such as cleaning, inspection, and replacement of the grill and filter need to be performed at a high position, which is complicated. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-159796 discloses a method in which a wire is wound around a drum that is controlled to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by controlling a motor, and the grill is lifted by lifting the four corners of the grill with this wire. Has been proposed.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, it is desired that the decorative panel used in such an indoor unit of an air conditioner has a small thickness for reasons such as aesthetic appearance or securing of indoor space. However, in the related art, there is a problem that the thickness is increased because a drum or a motor that winds a wire around the decorative panel is mounted.
[0004]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the work position for inspection of the grill that supports the filter of the indoor unit of the air conditioner stored in the ceiling, and to reduce the thickness of the decorative panel.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention comprises an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and air, and a blower that sends air to the indoor heat exchanger, and a blower outlet that discharges air that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger; An indoor unit of an air conditioner including a housing that is formed with a suction port that guides air to the suction side and is installed behind the ceiling is an object.
[0006]
And in order to solve the said subject, the decorative panel attached to a ceiling, the grill provided by supporting the filter which collects the solid particle | grains in the air, the duct formed in the cylinder shape, and can be expanded-contracted in a cylinder axial direction One end of this duct is connected to the suction port of the housing, the grill is detachably fixed to the other end, and the duct is kept in a contracted state by the weight of the grill , and a load exceeding the weight of the grill is applied. In addition, the decorative panel is formed with a through hole larger than the outer shape of the duct cylinder, and the grill is disposed at the position of the through hole of the decorative panel and is larger than the size of the through hole. It is characterized by being formed large .
[0007]
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to simplify the configuration without placing a motor or the like for raising and lowering the grill on the decorative panel, and to make it easy for the operator through the through hole of the decorative panel. By pulling down the duct, the grill and the filter fixed to the fixing part can be attached and detached. Therefore, the thickness of the decorative panel can be reduced without impairing the lifting / lowering function of the grill.
[0008]
Here, the duct can be formed to include, for example, rubber or a spring having elasticity in the cylinder axis direction. Thereby, the lowered grill can be easily returned to the original position. In this case, if the grill is formed to be larger than the through hole, the grill can be brought into contact with the edge of the through hole, so that the duct is retracted and the grill is pulled up to the back of the ceiling. Can be prevented.
[0009]
Furthermore, the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention can be provided with driving means for extending and contracting the duct. With such a configuration, the lifting and lowering operation of the grill can be easily performed. In this case, it is conceivable that the driving means adopts a well-known configuration such as a configuration including a suspension member locked to one point of the duct and an elevating device that raises or lowers the suspension member.
[0010]
Further, the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention, instead of the above configuration, a decorative panel that is detachably attached to the ceiling, a filter that collects solid particles in the air, a grill that supports the filter, A duct having one end connected to the suction port and the other end communicating with a through-hole formed in the decorative panel; a suspension member connected to the decorative panel; and a lifting device that raises or lowers the suspension member. The panel can be configured to be provided with a fixing portion for detachably fixing the grill.
[0011]
With such a configuration, the grille and the filter fixed to the fixing portion can be attached and detached by lowering the grille together with the decorative panel at the operator's hand without placing a motor or the like for moving the grill up and down on the decorative panel. . Therefore, the thickness of the decorative panel can be reduced without impairing the lifting / lowering function of the grill.
[0012]
In addition, the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention includes a decorative panel attached to the ceiling, a filter that collects solid particles in the air, a grill that supports the filter, and one end connected to the suction port. Equipped with a cylindrical duct whose end communicates with the through-hole of the decorative panel, a suspension member that is locked to the grill, and a lifting device that raises or lowers the suspension member. The lifting device is disposed above the decorative panel. can do. By setting it as such a structure, the thickness of a decorative panel can be made thin.
[0013]
By the way, conventionally, since it is set as the structure which latches the wire or pulley which hung the wire in the four corners of a grill, there exists a problem that the attachment or detachment work of a grill becomes complicated. Therefore, the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention has a configuration in which the fixing portion that fixes the grille has a seat that supports at least three places on the lower surface of the grille or at least two sides of the grille. As a result, the grill can be attached and detached simply by placing the grill on the seat. For example, the seat can be formed by folding the lower portions of two plates arranged at intervals in the width of the side of the grill toward the plates.
[0014]
The indoor unit of the present invention includes an annular refrigerant circulation channel in which a refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger is enclosed, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, and an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air. In addition, the present invention can be applied to an air conditioner including a refrigeration cycle in which an expansion valve that decompresses refrigerant and an indoor heat exchanger are sequentially provided.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a partial cross section of a first embodiment of a casing of an indoor unit of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a partial cross section of the first embodiment of the casing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a partial cross section of the first embodiment of the casing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a partial cross-section in a state where the grill in FIG. 3 is lowered. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the lower end portion of the duct. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
[0016]
The configuration of the air conditioner of this embodiment includes the indoor unit 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an annular refrigerant circulation passage (not shown) in which a refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 3 is enclosed, A compressor (not shown) that compresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air, an expansion valve (not shown) that decompresses the refrigerant, and the indoor heat exchanger 3 are sequentially provided. It is formed with a refrigeration cycle (not shown) provided. For example, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor during the heating operation is guided to the indoor heat exchanger 3, and the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 3 is sucked by the compressor during the cooling operation. .
[0017]
The configuration of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner having such a configuration will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 1 mainly includes an indoor heat exchanger 3 that exchanges heat between refrigerant and air, a blower 5 that sends air to the indoor heat exchanger 3, and the indoor heat exchanger 3. And a blower 5 are constituted by a box-shaped housing 7 provided inside. Two side openings 6 of the housing 7 are formed with two circular openings 9, and one end of a cylinder 13 is connected to the edge of the outlet 9. A partition plate 10 that divides the inside of the housing 7 into a heat exchanger chamber 12 on the side surface 6 side and a blower chamber 14 is provided between the side surface 6 and the surface facing the side surface 6.
[0018]
The suction port 11 is formed on the lower surface of the blower chamber 14, and a plurality of plates are passed to the suction port 11 in a direction perpendicular to the side surface 6 with a space therebetween. The partition plate 10 has an opening. The blower 5 is arranged above the suction port 11 and sends air sucked from the suction port 11 in the direction from the opening of the partition plate 10 to the side surface 6. An electric motor box 15 that drives the blower 5 and an electrical component box 17 that stores a control device that controls the air conditioner and the driving device are also disposed in the blower chamber 14. The indoor heat exchanger 3 is formed of a plurality of heat transfer tubes arranged in a direction along the side surface 6, and is disposed between the opening of the partition plate 10 and the outlet 9. The refrigerant flows through the heat transfer tube. A drain pan 19 is provided on the lower side of the indoor heat exchanger 3 to collect water condensed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 3.
[0019]
Next, the structure and movement of the duct and the grill, which are the features of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction port 11 is formed of a cylindrical and bellows-like rubber corresponding to the suction port 11 and is connected to one end of a duct 21 having elasticity in the cylinder axis direction. A fixing portion (not shown in FIG. 3) for detachably fixing the grille 23 is provided at the end. The fixing portion is arranged such that the mesh or fence surface of the grill 23 closes the duct 21, and a filter (not shown) is supported on the surface of the grill 23. Further, the other end of the duct 21 is disposed so as to be inserted into an opening formed in the ceiling 25.
[0020]
The decorative panel 27 is provided with a plate 29 having a through hole larger than the outer shape of the tube of the duct 21 by a predetermined dimension and having a surface larger than the opening of the ceiling 25, and a surface protruding from the surface of the plate 29. The cylindrical body 31 is formed so that the cylindrical body 31 is inserted into the opening of the ceiling 25. Here, the elastic coefficient of the duct 21 is set so that the lower surface of the grill 23 is at the same height as the lower surface of the plate 29. A hook 33 is provided on the lower surface of the grill 23.
[0021]
With such a configuration, when the operator replaces the filter and the grill 23, the grill 23 is pulled by being hooked on the hook 33 by using a tool having a bar-like tip attached with a hook or the like. 4, the duct 21 can be extended in the cylinder axis direction to lower the grille 23 at the operator's hand. Thereby, the grille 23 and the filter fixed to the fixing part can be attached and detached, and the decorative panel 27 can have a simple frame-like structure, and the thickness of the decorative panel 27 can be reduced. Further, with such a configuration, the grill 23 can be fixed to the duct 21 at hand, so that a problem such as a gap between the end of the duct 21 and the surface of the grill 23 is prevented. it can. Further, there is no need to provide a motor for moving the grille 23 up and down, and there is a merit in cost, and parts such as a wire, a reel, and a cashier are unnecessary.
[0022]
Here, the structure of the fixing portion provided at the tip of the duct 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a view of the lower end portion of the duct 21 as viewed from the side surface 6 in a direction facing the side surface 6. FIG. 6 is a view taken along arrow AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the fixing portion 35 provided at the lower end of the duct 21 is provided with a frame body 37 attached to the edge of the lower end of the duct 21, and suspended from the frame body 37. The plate 39 is disposed with a space in between and a seat 41 formed so that the lower portion of the plate 39 is bent toward each other. In addition, protrusions 43 are provided on both ends of the seat 41, respectively. As a result, the grill 23 can be attached and detached simply by placing the grill 23 on the seat 41.
[0023]
In the first embodiment described above, the duct 21 is formed of elastic bellows-like and cylindrical rubber. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the duct 21 has elasticity in the cylinder axis direction. If possible, for example, a spring may be used. In this case, the telescopic duct 21 preferably has a spring constant that maintains a contracted state due to the weight of the grille 23 and that expands when a load greater than the weight of the grille 23 is applied. Further, the fixing portion 35 for fixing the grill 23 is formed by the frame body 37, the plate 39, and the seat 41. However, the fixing portion 35 has at least three portions on the lower surface of the grill 23 or at least two sides of the grill 23. As long as it is possible to support, it is possible to use various known configurations. Further, in the present embodiment, the duct 21 is configured to have elasticity. However, instead of this, driving means for extending and contracting the duct 21 can be provided. With such a configuration, the lifting and lowering operation of the grill 23 can be easily performed. Further, in this case, it is considered that the driving means adopts a known configuration such as a configuration including a suspension member that is locked to one point of the duct and an elevating device that raises or lowers the suspension member. It is done.
[0024]
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of an air conditioner and an indoor unit to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a partial cross-section in a state where the grill in the second embodiment of the casing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner to which the present invention is applied is pulled down. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and configurations and features that are different from those in the first embodiment will be described.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 7, the indoor unit 51 of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which the decorative panel 53 is lifted or hung by a wire 55 that is a hanging member. That is, the decorative panel 53 has a through hole corresponding to the outer shape of the cylindrical duct 57 and is provided so as to protrude upward from the surface of the plate 59 formed larger than the opening of the ceiling 25 and the plate 59. It is formed with the cylinder 61. A grille 23 is detachably fitted in the through hole and locked. Further, one end of the wire 55 is fixed to a part of the decorative panel 53, for example, the cylindrical body 61, and the other end is connected to a shaft of a motor (not shown) that is provided in the blower chamber 14 and can rotate forward and backward. The cylindrical reel 63 is connected to the outer peripheral surface. The wire 55 is configured to suspend at least three points of the decorative panel 53.
[0026]
With this configuration, when the operator performs the replacement work of the filter and the grill 23, for example, by driving the motor with a switch for driving operation or the like, as shown in FIG. The grille 23 can be lowered together with the decorative panel 53. Thereby, the through-hole of the decorative panel 53, that is, the grill 23 fixed to the fixing portion and the filter can be attached and detached, and the decorative panel 53 can have a simple frame-like structure, and the thickness of the decorative panel 53 Can be made thinner. Furthermore, by having such a configuration, maintenance inspection and cleaning of the decorative panel 53 itself can be easily performed.
[0027]
In the present embodiment, the motor and the reel 63 are provided in the blower chamber 14. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be provided in the duct 57, for example. Further, although the wire 55 is connected to the cylindrical body 61, the wire 55 can be connected to any place of the decorative panel 53 as long as the decorative panel 53 can be lifted. Furthermore, the duct 57 of this embodiment does not need to expand and contract in the cylinder axis direction. Further, the fixing portion for locking and fixing the decorative panel 53 and the grille 23 can be configured to lock the grill to a normal decorative panel.
[0028]
(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of an air conditioner and an indoor unit to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8: is the side view which showed the partial cross section of the state which pulled down the grille in 3rd Embodiment of the housing | casing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner to which this invention is applied. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The configuration and features that are different from those in the first and second embodiments will be described. To do.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 8, the indoor unit 71 of the air conditioner according to the third embodiment has a configuration in which the grill 23 is lifted or hung by a wire 55 that is a hanging member. That is, one end of the wire 55 is stopped by a part of the grille 23, and the other end is connected to a shaft of a motor (not shown) that is provided in the blower chamber 14 and can be rotated forward and backward. It is connected with the outer peripheral surface. The wire 55 is configured to suspend at least three points of the grill 23.
[0030]
With such a configuration, when the operator performs the replacement work of the filter and the grill 23, for example, the motor is driven by a switch for driving operation, so that the grill is brought close to the operator as shown in FIG. 23 can be taken down. Thereby, the decorative panel 27 can be made into a simple frame-like structure, and the thickness of the decorative panel 27 can be reduced.
[0031]
In the present embodiment, the motor and the reel 63 are provided in the blower chamber 14. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be provided in the duct 57, for example. Furthermore, the duct 57 of this embodiment does not need to expand and contract in the cylinder axis direction. Further, the wire 55 may be configured to be fixed to any part of the indoor unit 71 such as the duct 57 or the decorative panel 27 via a pulley (not shown) provided on the grill 23.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the thickness of the decorative panel can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a partial cross section of a first embodiment of an indoor unit of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a partial cross section of the first embodiment of the indoor unit of the air conditioner to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a partial cross section of the first embodiment of the indoor unit of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied.
4 is a side view showing a partial cross-section in a state where the grill in FIG. 3 is pulled down. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a lower end portion of a duct.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a partial cross section of the air conditioner indoor unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention in a state in which the grill is pulled down.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing a partial cross section of a third embodiment of an indoor unit of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied, with the grill lowered.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Indoor Heat Exchanger 5 Blower 9 Air Outlet 11 Suction Port 21 Duct 23 Grill 27 Cosmetic Panel

Claims (1)

An indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air, a blower that sends the air to the indoor heat exchanger, a housing that houses the indoor heat exchanger and the blower and is installed behind the ceiling, and a ceiling A decorative panel that is attached to a grill, a grill that is provided to support a filter that collects solid particles in the air, and a duct that is formed in a cylindrical shape and can be expanded and contracted in a cylindrical axis direction,
The casing is formed with a blowout port for discharging the air that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger, and a suction port for guiding the air to the suction side of the blower.
One end of the duct is connected to the suction port of the housing, and the grill is detachably fixed to the other end, and the duct is held in a contracted state by its own weight, and is more than the weight of the grill. Has elasticity to stretch when a load is applied,
The decorative panel has a through hole larger than the outer shape of the duct cylinder,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner, wherein the grill is disposed at a position of a through hole of the decorative panel and is formed larger than the size of the through hole.

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