JP5034473B2 - Air conditioner indoor unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to an indoor unit of an air conditioner having a function of automatically removing dust attached to a filter.

In recent years, as an indoor unit of an air conditioner, an indoor unit of a type in which a filter and a brush are relatively moved while being in contact with each other and dust attached to the filter is removed has become widespread (for example, see Patent Document 1). . In the device described in Patent Document 1, a brush is brought into contact with a filter at a predetermined pressure, and the filter is reciprocated by a motor. Specifically, the rotation shaft having the drive wheels rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor. The drive wheel is in contact with the filter surface at a predetermined pressure, and can rotate to feed the filter in a predetermined direction.
JP 2004-44933 A

  However, since the reaction force of the driving force which acted on the filter from the driving wheel acts on the bearing of the rotating shaft via the driving wheel when the filter is sent out by the driving wheel, the one described in Patent Document 1 Abnormal noise such as rubbing noise is likely to occur between the bearings and noise suppression measures are required. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any countermeasures.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that suppresses abnormal noise such as rubbing noise generated when moving a filter by an inexpensive method.

The indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus according to the first invention includes an indoor heat exchanger, a fan, a filter, a roller, and a guide member. The indoor heat exchanger exchanges heat with the incoming air flow. The fan generates an air flow. The filter removes dust contained in the air flow. The roller moves the filter. The guide member has a bearing for supporting the rotating shaft of the roller. The rotating shaft is covered with a detachable auxiliary shaft and is not in direct contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bearing . In addition, a plurality of convex portions are formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft so as to protrude in the radial direction at equal intervals with respect to the central axis. Further, a plurality of slits into which convex portions are inserted are formed on the outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft at equal intervals with respect to the central axis of the auxiliary shaft. When the convex portion is inserted into the slit, the convex portion does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary shaft.

In this indoor unit, the convex portion of the rotation shaft prevents the rotation of the rotation shaft and the auxiliary shaft, and the rotational force is evenly distributed to the plurality of convex portions and slits. Improves durability without concentrating. Further, there is no sliding friction between the rotating shaft and the bearing, and the magnitude of the sliding friction with respect to the bearing depends on the material of the auxiliary shaft. For this reason, only by applying a material having a low friction coefficient to the auxiliary shaft, sliding friction with respect to the bearing can be reduced, and generation of rubbing noise can be suppressed.

  The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention is the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, and the rotating shaft is integrally formed of the same material as the roller. The bearing is integrally formed of the same material as the guide member. The auxiliary shaft is formed of a material having a low coefficient of friction.

  In this indoor unit, since the material of the roller and the guide member is selected without being influenced by the friction coefficient of each other, the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the roller and the guide member is expanded, and the material cost is reduced.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising a transmission gear that transmits the power of the drive source to the roller, and the auxiliary shaft is connected to the transmission gear. Is provided.

  In this indoor unit, the auxiliary shaft is attached to the rotating shaft to achieve the connection between the rotating shaft and the transmission gear, thereby reducing the number of parts and the material cost.

An air conditioner indoor unit according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner indoor unit according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the transmission gear and the auxiliary shaft are integrally formed.

  In this indoor unit, a material with a low friction coefficient is selected as the material for the transmission gear regardless of the presence or absence of the auxiliary shaft. Therefore, the material for the auxiliary shaft is unified with the same material as the transmission gear. Material costs can be reduced by unifying the materials.

In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, the convex portion of the rotating shaft prevents idle rotation between the rotating shaft and the auxiliary shaft, and the rotational force is evenly distributed to the plurality of convex portions and slits. The stress is not concentrated on the two convex portions and the slit, and the durability is improved. Further, only by applying a material having a low coefficient of friction to the auxiliary shaft, sliding friction with respect to the bearing is reduced, and generation of rubbing noise can be suppressed.

  In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the invention, the material of the roller and the guide member is selected without being influenced by the friction coefficient of each other, so the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the roller and the guide member is expanded. Material costs are reduced.

In the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, the auxiliary shaft is attached to the rotation shaft to achieve the connection between the rotation shaft and the transmission gear, thereby reducing the number of parts and the material cost.

In the indoor unit for an air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the material for the auxiliary shaft is unified with the same low friction coefficient material as that of the transmission gear, so that the material cost can be reduced.

<Schematic configuration of air conditioner>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of an air conditioner. In FIG. 1, an air conditioner 1 has an indoor unit 2 installed indoors and an outdoor unit 3 installed outdoor, and can perform indoor cooling and heating.

  The outdoor unit 3 includes an outdoor air conditioning unit 5 and a humidity control unit 4 disposed on the outdoor air conditioning unit 5. The humidity control unit 4 can supply outdoor air to the room or exhaust indoor air to the outside. Between the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor unit 2, the outdoor air from the humidity control unit 4 An air supply / exhaust hose 6 is provided for supplying humidity-controlled air or the like to the indoor unit 2 side or for discharging indoor air to the outside.

<Indoor unit>
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The indoor unit 2 is a wall-mounted indoor unit that is attached to the wall surface of the room, and includes a casing 10, a frame 11, an indoor heat exchanger 12, a fan 13, a filter 21, a dust box 60, and the like as shown in FIG. is doing.

  The casing 10 includes a grill 10a, a front panel 10b, and a back plate 10c. The grill 10 a is disposed so as to cover the filter 21. The front panel 10b is attached so as to cover the front surface of the grill 10a. The grill 10a is provided with a display unit 77 (see FIG. 1) for displaying the operation status of the indoor unit 2. The display unit 77 is provided so as to be recognized from the front of the indoor unit 2. The display unit 77 is composed of a plurality of LEDs, and displays the operation status of the indoor unit 2 with or without lighting.

  Inside the indoor unit 2, a frame 11, an indoor heat exchanger 12, a fan 13, and a filter 21 are arranged. The indoor heat exchanger 12 and the fan 13 are attached to the frame 11. The indoor heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat with the passing air. The fan 13 blows the air taken in from the room against the indoor heat exchanger 12 and then blows it into the room.

  A blowout port 15 is provided in the lower front portion of the frame 11, and a horizontal flap 17 that guides air blown from the blowout port 15 is provided in the blowout port 15. The horizontal flap 17 can change the air guiding direction and can open and close the outlet 15.

  A filter 21 is disposed between the grill 10 a and the indoor heat exchanger 12, and dust contained in the air flowing toward the indoor heat exchanger 12 is removed. In this embodiment, in order to automatically clean the filter 21 to which dust has adhered, a roller 31 that moves the filter 21 and a guide member 41 that supports the filter 21 and the roller 31 are further provided. Hereinafter, members related to the filter cleaning function will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Related parts of filter cleaning function>
(Filter 21)
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the filter and its peripheral components. In FIG. 3, the filter 21 includes a filter portion 22 that removes dust in the air, and a support frame 23 that supports the upper and lower ends, the left and right ends, and the center portion of the filter portion 22. In the present embodiment, the support frame 23 is formed of an elastomer and is easily deformed by an external force, but is easily restored when the external force disappears. The material of the support frame 23 is not limited to elastomer, but is selected from polymer materials such as rubber and resin. A rack 24 that meshes with a pinion gear 32 to be described later is formed on the support frames 23 at the left and right ends of the filter 21.

  The filter 21 is disposed on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger 12 and removes dust from the air taken in from the room and outdoors. Thereby, the filter 21 prevents dust floating in the air from contaminating the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 12. The filter 21 is disposed so as to cover almost the entire region on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger 12 in a normal state.

(Roller 31)
The roller 31 has pinion gears 32 at both ends. Each pinion gear 32 meshes with the rack 24 of the filter 21, and the filter 21 moves up and down as the pinion gear 32 rotates.

  At the center of each pinion gear 32, a rotating shaft 33 protruding outward is provided, and the rotating shaft 33 is supported by a bearing 43 of a guide member 41 described later. In order to reduce the frictional resistance between the rotating shaft 33 and the bearing 43, the auxiliary shaft 34 is attached to the rotating shaft 33 before the rotating shaft 33 is inserted into the bearing 43.

  The auxiliary shaft 36 of the transmission gear 35 is attached to the rotary shaft 33 on the opposite side of the rotary shaft 33 to which the auxiliary shaft 34 is attached. The transmission gear 35 is a gear that transmits rotation from the drive source to the roller 31, and the auxiliary shaft 36 is coaxially and integrally formed. When attaching the auxiliary shaft 36 to the rotating shaft 33, the operator inserts the rotating shaft 33 into the bearing 43 of the guide member 41, and then rotates the rotating shaft in the bearing 43 from the direction opposite to the side where the rotating shaft 33 is inserted. While looking at 33, the auxiliary shaft 36 is fitted to the rotary shaft 33.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary shaft 34 and the transmission gear 35 are formed of polyacetal resin having self-lubricating properties and a low friction coefficient. The material is not limited to polyacetal resin, but is selected from resins having a self-lubricating property and a low friction coefficient such as polyamide resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin.

  Although the roller 31 and the rotating shaft 33 may be integrally formed or the roller 31 may be retrofitted to the roller 31, in this embodiment, the roller 31 and the rotating shaft 33 are integrally formed. . Because the rotating shaft 33 is covered with the auxiliary shaft 34 formed of a resin having a low coefficient of friction, there is no problem even if the material of the rotating shaft 33 is the same as the material of the roller 31. This is because the material can be selected, and as a result, low cost can be realized.

  Similarly, the guide member 41 and the bearing 43 may be integrally formed or may be retrofitted to the guide member 41. In the present embodiment, for the same reason as described above, the guide member 41 is provided. And the bearing 43 are integrally formed.

(Shapes of rotating shaft 33 and auxiliary shaft 34)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the roller end portion and the auxiliary shaft. In FIG. 4, the rotation shaft 33 of the roller 31 includes a cylindrical portion 33 a and a plurality of convex portions 33 b that protrude in the radial direction from the side surface of the cylindrical portion 33 a. Four convex portions 33b are formed at intervals of a central angle of 90 ° with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical portion 33a.

  The auxiliary shaft 34 includes a hollow cylindrical portion 34a and a plurality of slits 34b penetrating the side wall of the cylindrical portion 34a. Four slits 34b are formed at intervals of 90 ° with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical portion 34a.

  The column portion 33 a of the rotation shaft 33 fits into the cylinder portion 34 a of the auxiliary shaft 34, and the convex portion 33 b of the rotation shaft 33 fits into the slit 34 b of the auxiliary shaft 34. The height of the convex portion 33b is set to a dimension that does not protrude outward in the plate thickness direction of the slit 34b. For this reason, it is not the rotating shaft 33 but the cylindrical portion 34 a of the auxiliary shaft 34 that is directly supported on the inner surface of the bearing 43 of the guide member 41.

(Shapes of transmission gear 35 and auxiliary shaft 36)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the roller end portion and the transmission gear. In FIG. 5, the auxiliary shaft 36 of the transmission gear 35 has substantially the same shape as the auxiliary shaft 34, and includes a hollow cylindrical portion 36a and a plurality of slits 36b penetrating the side wall of the cylindrical portion 36a. Four slits 36b are formed at intervals of 90 ° with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical portion 36a.

  The columnar portion 33 a of the rotating shaft 33 fits into the cylindrical portion 36 a of the auxiliary shaft 36, and the convex portion 33 b of the rotating shaft 33 fits into the slit 36 b of the auxiliary shaft 36. The height of the convex portion 33b is set to a dimension that does not protrude outward in the plate thickness direction of the slit 36b. For this reason, it is not the rotating shaft 33 but the cylindrical portion 36 a of the auxiliary shaft 36 that is directly supported on the inner surface of the bearing 43 of the guide member 41.

  In the present embodiment, the height of the convex portion 33 b is only slightly lower than the outer periphery of the auxiliary shafts 34 and 36. As a result, the convex portion 33b fits into the slits 34b and 36b to become one axis, and both complement each other, so that it is not necessary to increase the size of both in order to maintain one strength, The amount of material used is reduced.

(Guide member 41)
2 and 3, the guide member 41 includes a guide groove 42 serving as a track for the filter 21 to move, and a bearing 43 that supports the rotation shaft 33 of the pinion gear 32.

  The guide groove 42 includes a front guide groove 42a, a lower guide groove 42b, a rear guide groove 42c, and an upper guide groove 42d. The lengths of the front guide groove 42a and the rear guide groove 42c correspond to about three-quarters of the length in the longitudinal direction of the filter 21, and the length of the upper guide groove 42d is about four minutes in the longitudinal direction of the filter 21. This corresponds to a length of 1. The lower guide groove 42b forms an arc track coaxial with the tip circle of the pinion gear 32 described above, and connects the lower end of the front guide groove 42a and the lower end of the rear guide groove 42c. Both the upper end of the front guide groove 42a and the upper end of the rear guide groove 42c are connected to the inlet of the upper guide groove 42d.

(Position detection means 50)
The filter 21 moves along the guide groove 42 described above and stops at a predetermined position. The stop position of the filter 21 is detected by the position detector 50. In FIG. 2, the position detecting means 50 is disposed in the vicinity of the terminal end of the upper guide groove 42d. The position detection unit 50 includes a limit switch 51, a lever 52, and a rotation member 53. The limit switch 51 opens and closes an internal contact by moving a button. The lever 52 is hinged on the outside of the limit switch 51, and rotates to push the button of the limit switch 51 when an external force is applied. The rotating member 53 rotates by contacting the corner of the filter 21 and pushes the lever 52.

(Dust box 60)
The dust box 60 has a function of removing dust adhering to the filter 21 and temporarily storing the dust. The dust box 60 is attached to the upper position of the outlet 15 of the casing 10. The dust box 60 can be attached and detached without interfering with the front panel 10b even when the front panel 10b is closed. The dust box 60 is provided with a rotating brush 61, and the rotating brush 61 is in contact with the filter 21. The rotating brush 61 is rotationally driven by a brush drive motor (not shown).

<Filter cleaning operation>
In the indoor unit 2, the filter 21 is automatically cleaned by the control unit regularly or by a remote controller when required by the user. The mechanism will be described below.

  The rack 24 of the filter 21 is accommodated in the front guide groove 42a and the upper guide groove 42d, and one end of the rack 24 (hereinafter referred to as the first end portion 24a) is engaged with the pinion gear 32. When the roller 31 rotates, the rotation is transmitted from the pinion gear 32 to the rack 24, and the filter 21 is turned by the roller 31 in the lower guide groove 42b and is conveyed to the rear guide groove 42c side. As the roller 31 continues to rotate, the first end 24a of the rack 24 enters the upper guide groove 42d and reaches the end of the upper guide groove 42d.

  When the first end 24a of the rack 24 reaches the end of the upper guide groove 42d, the first end 24a pushes and rotates the rotating member 53 of the position detecting means 50. The rotation of the rotating member 53 is transmitted to the lever 52, and the button of the limit switch 51 is pushed by the lever 52 to turn on. The controller of the air conditioner determines that the first end 24a of the rack 24 has reached the end of the upper guide groove 42d from the ON signal output from the limit switch 51, and stops the rotation of the roller 31. At this time, the rack 24 is accommodated in the rear guide groove 42c and the upper guide groove 42d, and the other end of the rack 24 (hereinafter referred to as the second end portion 24b) is engaged with the pinion gear 32.

  When the filter 21 moves, the dust adhering to the surface of the filter 21 is scraped off by the rotating brush 61. The rotating brush 61 rotates at least during a period in which the filter 21 is moving from the front to the rear, and the rotation direction is a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the filter 21.

  When the filter 21 moves from the front to the rear and the removal of dust is completed, the control unit rotates the roller 31 in the reverse direction. Since the second end 24b of the rack 24 of the filter 21 meshes with the pinion gear 32, rotation is transmitted from the pinion gear 32 to the rack 24, and the direction of the filter 21 is changed by the roller 31 in the lower guide groove 42b. It is conveyed to the front guide groove 42a side. When the roller 31 continues to rotate backward, the second end 24b of the rack 24 enters the upper guide groove 42d and reaches the end of the upper guide groove 42d.

  When the second end 24b of the rack 24 reaches the end of the upper guide groove 42d, the second end 24b pushes and rotates the rotating member 53 of the position detecting means 50. The rotation of the rotating member 53 is transmitted to the lever 52, and the button of the limit switch 51 is pushed by the lever 52 to turn on. The controller of the air conditioner determines that the second end 24b of the rack 24 has reached the end of the upper guide groove 42d from the ON signal output from the limit switch 51, and stops the rotation of the roller 31.

<Features>
(1)
In the indoor unit 2, the guide member 41 includes a bearing 43 that supports the rotation shaft 33 of the roller 31. The rotating shaft 33 is covered with a removable auxiliary shaft 34 and does not directly contact the inner peripheral surface of the bearing 43. Since the auxiliary shaft 34 is formed of a material having a low friction coefficient, sliding friction with respect to the bearing 43 is reduced, and generation of rubbing noise is suppressed.

(2)
In the indoor unit 2, the roller 31 and the rotating shaft 33 are integrally formed of the same material. The guide member 41 and the bearing 43 are integrally formed of the same material. The auxiliary shaft 34 is formed of a material having a low friction coefficient. Since the roller 31 and the guide member 41 are selected without being influenced by each other's friction coefficient, the freedom degree of material selection expands and material cost is reduced.

(3)
In the indoor unit 2, a plurality of convex portions 33 b projecting in the radial direction are formed on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft 33. A plurality of slits 34 b into which the convex portions 33 b are inserted are formed on the outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft 34. When the convex portion 33 b is inserted into the slit 34 b, the convex portion 33 b does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary shaft 34. The convex portion 33 b of the rotation shaft 33 prevents the rotation shaft 33 and the auxiliary shaft 34 from idling. Further, since the rotational force is evenly distributed to the plurality of convex portions 33b and the slits 34b, stress is not concentrated on one convex portion 33b and the slit 34b, and durability is improved.

(4)
In the indoor unit 2, an auxiliary shaft 36 is provided in the transmission gear 35 that transmits the power of the drive source to the roller 31. Since the transmission gear 35 and the auxiliary shaft 36 are integrally formed, the number of parts is reduced. Moreover, material costs can be reduced by unifying the materials of the transmission gear 35 and the auxiliary shaft 36.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the filter is moved, the generation of abnormal noise such as a rubbing noise is suppressed, which is useful for an indoor unit of an air conditioner having a filter moving type filter cleaning function.

The external view of an air conditioning apparatus. Sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The disassembled perspective view of a filter and its peripheral components. The perspective view of a roller edge part and an auxiliary shaft. Perspective view of roller end and transmission gear

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus 2 Indoor unit 12 Indoor heat exchanger 13 Fan 21 Filter 31 Roller 33 Rotating shaft 33b Protruding part 34, 36 Auxiliary shaft 34b, 36b Slit 35 Transmission gear 41 Guide member 43 Bearing

Claims (4)

An indoor heat exchanger (12) for exchanging heat with the incoming air stream;
A fan (13) for generating the air flow;
A filter (21) for removing dust contained in the air flow;
A roller (31) for moving the filter;
A guide member (41) having a bearing (43) for supporting the rotating shaft (33) of the roller (31);
With
Said rotary shaft (33) is an inner circumferential surface and not in direct contact structure of the covered with removable auxiliary shaft (34, 36) bearing (43),
A plurality of convex portions (33b) protruding in the radial direction at equal intervals with respect to the central axis are formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft (33),
On the outer periphery of the auxiliary shaft (34, 36), a plurality of slits (34b, 36b) into which the convex portion (33b) is inserted are formed at equal intervals with respect to the central axis of the auxiliary shaft (34, 36). And
When the convex portion (33b) is inserted into the slit (34b, 36b), the convex portion (33b) does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary shaft (34, 36).
Indoor unit (2) of air conditioner (1). The rotating shaft (33) is integrally formed of the same material as the roller (31),
The bearing (43) is integrally formed of the same material as the guide member (41),
The auxiliary shafts (34, 36) are formed of a material having a low coefficient of friction.
The indoor unit (2) of the air conditioning apparatus (1) according to claim 1. A transmission gear (35) for transmitting the power of the drive source to the roller (31);
The auxiliary shaft (36) is provided on the transmission gear (35),
The indoor unit (2) of the air conditioning apparatus (1) according to claim 1 . The transmission gear (35) and the auxiliary shaft (36) are formed integrally.
The indoor unit (2) of the air conditioning apparatus (1) according to claim 1 .

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