JP5789592B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner suitable for keeping the inside of an air conditioner clean and improving comfort in a use space.

  An air conditioner circulates indoor air in a heat exchanger to produce air that has been heated, cooled, and dehumidified (conditioned air), and blows the air into the room to air condition the room. At this time, by adding various functions in addition to adjusting the temperature and humidity, the interior space can be made clean and comfortable, and the indoor unit can be kept clean and clean even after long-term use. It is desired.

  Inside the indoor unit of the air conditioner, the fine dust and dust contained in the inflowing air are the structure of the indoor unit due to static electricity generated by the friction between the inflowing air generated by the blower fan and the resin parts that constitute the indoor unit. It collides with parts and accumulates dust after long-term use. In particular, the heat exchanger is placed immediately after the filter placed to remove dust contained in the inflowing air, so fine dust that has passed through the filter is likely to accumulate, and heat exchange is performed during cooling and dehumidifying operations in summer. Moisture in the air condenses on and adheres to the aluminum fins that make up the vessel, resulting in high humidity. Based on the moisture and dust nutrients, germs, molds, etc. grow and the filter is contaminated.

  If it becomes such a state, between the aluminum fins comprised by a plurality of sheets will be clogged and it will become difficult for inflow air to pass through, so heat exchange will not be performed and air conditioning performance will fall. In addition, a nasty smell is generated from the generated mold or the like, causing asthma and an allergic reaction.

  On the other hand, Patent Literature 1 is known as an air conditioner that keeps the interior of an indoor unit clean. In Patent Document 1, LEDs having a wavelength region of 300 nm to 400 nm are permanently installed upstream or downstream of the filter in the air flow direction and upstream or downstream of the heat exchanger in the air flow direction. Catch fungus and mold in the air in the suspended matter decomposition part attached with photocatalyst such as titanium oxide, zinc oxide, apatite, etc. The photocatalyst is excited by irradiating this suspended matter decomposition part with LED light. Removal or removal with LED light itself having a wavelength of 300 to 400 nm.

However, when an LED is arranged in the air inflow path of the indoor unit, especially if it is permanently installed upstream or downstream of the heat exchanger, it becomes a resistor of the inflowing air, resulting in a large pressure loss and a decrease in basic performance during cooling and heating. become. Further, it is difficult to reach the downstream side of the heat exchanger, and even if dust adheres to and accumulates on the LED surface, it cannot be cleaned, and it is difficult to exhibit its original performance without being irradiated with light. In addition, the photocatalyst and the like attached to the suspended matter decomposition part for catching and decomposing and removing fungi and fungi, etc., and the structure by LED irradiation, the cost for achieving the sterilization function becomes high, and LED due to long-term use Need to be replaced .

JP 2005-300110 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to keep the interior of an indoor unit of an air conditioner clean and low-cost while suppressing a decrease in cooling and heating capacity due to a decrease in the air volume of an indoor unit ventilation path through which room air passes. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that prevents odors and bacteria from being blown out from an air outlet of an indoor unit.

The air conditioner of the present invention includes a filter for collecting dust, a heat exchanger disposed on the downstream side of the filter, a blower fan for blowing air to the heat exchanger, and disposed on the upstream side of the filter. a mobile cleaning unit to clean, movably mounted cleaning unit, comprises a UV LED that irradiates ultraviolet rays, a network constituting a filter all SANYO coated with a metal to a resin of the metal or fibrous, movable The type cleaning unit has a brush for cleaning the filter, and the ultraviolet irradiation means is located behind the brush in the traveling direction at the start of cleaning of the movable cleaning unit .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the air conditioner which keeps the indoor unit interior of an air conditioner clean at low cost, and prevents that an unpleasant smell and microbe are blown out from the blower outlet of an indoor unit can be provided.

The block diagram of the air conditioner which concerns on one Example of this invention Side sectional view of the indoor unit of FIG. The perspective view of the indoor unit 2 with the front panel 7 removed Side sectional view of indoor unit 2 equipped with ultraviolet LED

  The air conditioner of the present embodiment includes a filter that collects dust from indoor air, a heat exchanger, a blower fan that blows air so as to exchange heat with the heat exchanger, and a casing unit that guides the airflow from the blower fan. A blower outlet arranged continuously with the casing part, a blade arranged at the blower outlet for controlling the vertical direction of the blown air, and arranged on the upstream side of the suction air of the dust collecting filter, toward the heat exchanger And an ultraviolet LED that emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 254 nm to 280 nm. By setting the ultraviolet wavelength to 254 nm to 280 nm, cells such as molds and fungi can be damaged and sterilized by the ultraviolet light itself, minimizing components and reducing costs. Therefore, the interior of the indoor unit of the air conditioner can be kept clean at low cost, and unpleasant odors and bacteria can be prevented from being blown out from the outlet of the indoor unit.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the whole structure of the air conditioner 1 of a present Example is demonstrated using FIGS. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the indoor unit 2 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the indoor unit 2 with the front panel 7 removed.

  In FIG. 1, an air conditioner 1 is configured by connecting an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3 with a connection pipe 5, and air-conditions the room. A basic internal structure such as a blower fan 14, filters 15 and 15 ′, a heat exchanger 16, a dew tray 17, up and down wind direction plates 18 and 18 ′, and left and right wind direction plates 19 is attached to the housing 9 of the indoor unit 2. It is done. The heat exchanger 16 is disposed on the suction side of the blower fan 14 and is formed in a substantially inverted V shape.

  A basic internal structure such as the blower fan 14 attached to the inside of the housing 9 is included in the indoor unit 2 by attaching the decorative frame 8. A front panel 7 is attached to the front surface of the decorative frame 8. Below the front panel 7, a display unit 11 that displays an operation status and a light receiving unit 10 that receives an infrared operation signal from a separate remote controller 12 are arranged.

  In FIG. 2, by operating the blower fan 14, air flows as indicated by white arrows, and dust in the passing air is collected by the filters 15 and 15 '. The filters 15 and 15 ′ are for removing dust contained in the sucked room air, and are arranged so as to cover the suction side of the heat exchanger 16. The dust trapped in the filters 15 and 15 ′ is reciprocated along the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 2 by moving a movable filter cleaning unit 26 with a raised brush 25 for scraping off dust after the air conditioning operation is stopped. Removed. As a result, the filters 15 and 15 'are kept clean, and a decrease in inflow air due to clogging of the filters 15 and 15' is suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in cooling and heating performance. The movable filter cleaning unit 26 is located at the right end of the filters 15 and 15 ′ of the indoor unit 2 during the air conditioning operation, and operates to the left as indicated by the arrow in FIG. When it reaches the left end of 15 ', it turns back and returns to the original position and stops. The blower fan 14 is disposed in the center of the indoor unit 2 so as to suck room air from the air suction port 6 and blow it out from the air blower port 13.

  The air conditioner 1 circulates room air to the heat exchanger 16 to produce conditioned air that has been heated, cooled, or dehumidified, and blows the air into the room to make the room environment comfortable. At this time, since the filters 15 and 15 ′ for removing the dust in the circulating air are arranged on the suction side of the heat exchanger 16, most of the dust in the circulating air is collected by the filters 15 and 15 ′. Some of them enter the inside of the air conditioner 1 under the mesh of the filters 15 and 15 '. The dust collides with any wall facing the air path in the air conditioner 1, is bounced back, and returns to the airflow again. The dust that has returned to the airflow returns to the room from the air outlet of the air conditioner 1.

  However, something in the dust adheres to the inner wall of the air conditioner 1 without being rebounded by the influence of electrostatic force, the action of gravity, chemical affinity, and the like. It is considered that the dust adheres as a result of the dust adhering to the wall surface due to the physical energy of the incoming air generated by the blower fan 14 and the electrostatic force acting in a low humidity environment.

  Some dust adhered to the wall peels off the wall in a relatively short time due to airflow and other influences, and is carried out of the air conditioner 1 along the airflow. It remains attached to the wall. In this way, when a long time has passed since the attachment, depending on the type of dust, it changes physicochemically, and fungi such as fungi grow and grow and adhere firmly to the wall with their secretions and hyphae There are also things. In particular, since the heat exchanger 16 is arranged immediately after the filters 15 and 15 ′ arranged to remove dust contained in the inflowing air, fine dust that has passed through the filters 15 and 15 ′ is likely to accumulate, During the cooling and dehumidifying operation in summer, moisture in the air is condensed and attached to the aluminum fins that make up the heat exchanger 16, resulting in high humidity. Based on the moisture and dust nutrients, germs, molds, etc. Proliferate and become contaminated. If it will be in such a state, between aluminum fins comprised with a plurality of sheets will be clogged, and since it will become difficult for inflow air to pass through, heat exchange will not be performed and air conditioning performance will fall. In addition, a bad odor is generated from the generated mold or the like, causing an asthma or an allergic reaction, which deteriorates the indoor environment.

  Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, it is only necessary to sterilize so that mold and fungi contained in the dust attached to the heat exchanger 16 cannot be propagated. As a means for sterilization, it is effective to irradiate the heat exchanger 16 with an ultraviolet LED having a wavelength region of 254 nm to 280 nm.

  Here, an air conditioner including a mechanism for keeping the inside of the indoor unit 2 clean using ultraviolet LEDs and a sterilization operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the indoor unit 2 including the ultraviolet LED. In order to widely irradiate the bacteria and mold contained in the dust adhered to the heat exchanger 16 with ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet LED 27 is arranged in a direction facing the filters 15 and 15 ′ of the movable cleaning unit 26 and the traveling direction of the raised brush 25. Attach to the downstream side. After the air conditioning operation, as described above, the movable cleaning unit 26 is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 2 to irradiate ultraviolet rays while removing dust from the filters 15 and 15 ′ attached by the air conditioning operation with the raised brush 25. Therefore, the ultraviolet rays can be effectively irradiated over the entire area of the heat exchanger 16.

  The ultraviolet rays irradiated here are ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm to 280 nm. By setting the wavelength to 254 nm to 280 nm, the ultraviolet rays are directly absorbed into the DNA of fungi and mold cells, causing a chemical change, and repairing by damaging the gene. The function is lost, and it becomes possible to sterilize instantly.

  In addition, after the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the heat exchanger 16 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to disinfect bacteria and molds attached thereto, so that air does not flow into the indoor unit 2 due to the operation of the blower fan 14, and dust is collected. No new intrusion. Therefore, the bacteria and mold attached to the heat exchanger 16 are surely sterilized and almost completely annihilated, and the next time the air-conditioning operation is performed, the bacteria, mold, malodor generated by them, and the like are not blown into the indoor space.

  Further, a sterilization operation (irradiation of ultraviolet rays by ultraviolet LEDs) is performed while the operation of the air conditioner in which the front panel 7 and the vertical wind direction plate 18 are closed is stopped. When the ultraviolet LED 27 is energized during the sterilization operation, oxygen molecules in the air are dissociated by the ultraviolet rays to release oxygen atoms, and ozone is generated by being combined with the oxygen molecules. This ozone is effective in sterilization and deodorization because of its strong oxidizing power and high reactivity, but when it is at a high concentration, it may affect the human body. By operating the ultraviolet LED 27 which is a sterilization operation with the upper and lower wind direction plates 18 and 18 'closed, the safety to the human body is ensured without releasing ozone into the use space of the air conditioner. 2 By filling ozone inside, it becomes possible to sterilize bacteria and mold attached to the heat exchanger 16 by a synergistic effect with the ultraviolet LED 27.

  In the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the filters 15 and 15 'positioned at the downstream portion of the ultraviolet LED 27 are generally made of a fibrous PET resin or PP resin as a net for removing dust in the air. A net-like material is used, but when it is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, it absorbs light energy and generates radicals in the molecular chains of the polymers that make up the resin, inducing a hydrogen abstraction reaction from other molecules. This causes oxidation and deterioration. In order to prevent this deterioration, the net | network which comprises the filters 15 and 15 'uses a metal, or uses what coated the metal to the resin fiber. By making the filters 15 and 15 'metal, it is possible to prevent oxidative deterioration due to ultraviolet rays, and it is possible to obtain a sterilizing action by the ultraviolet LED 27 over a long period of time. The metal to be used is preferably stainless steel that is less susceptible to oxidation. As a coating method, adhesion with a resin constituting a sputtering or vapor deposition method is enhanced, and durability is obtained.

  As described above, the air conditioner of the present embodiment includes a filter that collects dust from indoor air, a heat exchanger, a blower fan that blows air to exchange heat with the heat exchanger, and an airflow from the blower fan. A casing part that guides the casing part, a blower outlet that is arranged continuously with the casing part, a blade that is arranged at the blower outlet and controls the vertical direction of the blown air, and is arranged on the intake air upstream side of the dust collection filter, And an ultraviolet LED that irradiates ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm to 280 nm toward the heat exchanger. By setting the ultraviolet wavelength to 254 nm to 280 nm, cells such as molds and fungi can be damaged and sterilized by the ultraviolet light itself, minimizing components and reducing costs. Therefore, the interior of the indoor unit of the air conditioner can be kept clean at low cost, and unpleasant odors and bacteria can be prevented from being blown out from the outlet of the indoor unit.

  Further, in this embodiment, the ultraviolet LED 27 is reciprocated in at least one of the longitudinal direction and the depth direction of the indoor unit to irradiate ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm to 280 nm. By reciprocating the ultraviolet LED 27, it is possible to irradiate ultraviolet light over the entire heat exchanger with a small number of LEDs.

  In this embodiment, after the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the ultraviolet LED is reciprocated to irradiate ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm to 280 nm. Ultraviolet LEDs with a wavelength of 254 nm to 280 nm generate ozone that may affect the human body, but prevent the diffusion of ozone into the usage space by blowing air by operating the ultraviolet LEDs after stopping the air conditioning operation Can do.

  In this embodiment, the metal constituting the filter is a metal or resin fiber net coated with metal. By using a metal or a resin fiber net coated with a metal, the filter can be prevented from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air conditioner, 2 ... Indoor unit, 3 ... Outdoor unit, 5 ... Connection piping, 6 ... Air inlet, 7 ... Front panel, 8 ... Cosmetic frame, 9 ... Housing, 10 ... Light-receiving part, 11 ... Display , 12 ... remote control, 13 ... air outlet, 14 ... air blower, 15 ... filter, 15 '... filter, 16 ... heat exchanger, 17 ... dew plate, 18 ... vertical wind direction plate, 18' ... vertical wind direction plate, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... Right-and-left wind direction board, 21 ... Casing part, 25 ... Brushed brush, 26 ... Movable cleaning unit, 27 ... Ultraviolet LED

Claims (3)

A filter that collects dust, and a heat exchanger disposed downstream of the filter ;
A blower fan for blowing air to the heat exchanger;
A movable cleaning unit disposed upstream of the filter and cleaning the filter;
An indoor unit attached to the movable cleaning unit and having ultraviolet irradiation means for irradiating ultraviolet rays;
Network constituting the filter all SANYO coated with a metal to a resin of the metal or fibrous,
The movable cleaning unit has a brush for cleaning the filter;
The ultraviolet irradiation unit is an air conditioner located behind the brush in a traveling direction at the start of cleaning of the movable cleaning unit . In claim 1,
The movable cleaning unit is an air conditioner that reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit. In claim 1 or 2 ,
The indoor unit has a blower outlet and a vertical wind direction plate that is arranged at the blower outlet and controls the vertical direction of the blown air.
An air conditioner that irradiates ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet irradiation means in a state in which the upper and lower wind direction plates are closed.