JP7317683B2 - indoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

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

An indoor unit of an air conditioner is sometimes provided with a sensor to detect the state of the sucked air. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of providing a sensor in an air passage connecting a suction port formed on the front surface of an indoor unit main body and a blower to detect the state of air sucked from the suction port. ing.

JP-A-2001-91042

However, in the conventional technology as described above, the sensor detects the state of the air sucked from the suction port formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect the state of the air in the living space below the indoor unit. In some cases, a suction port is formed on the upper surface of the indoor unit main body. In this case, even if a sensor is provided in the air passage connecting the suction port on the upper surface of the indoor unit 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 excellent in maintainability.

In order to solve the above problems, an indoor unit for an air conditioner according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first inlet for sucking air formed in at least one of an upper surface and a front surface of an indoor unit main body; a second suction port that is a hole for sucking air formed in the lower surface of the machine body; a sensor that detects the amount of substances contained in the air that is sucked from the second suction port; and the second suction port. a filter disposed between the sensor and removing dust contained in the air flowing into the sensor; and a filter support component supporting the filter, wherein the filter support component is attached to the indoor unit main body. On the other hand, it is detachably provided in the front-rear direction of the indoor unit main body from the front of the indoor unit main body.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION 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 excellent in maintainability.

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

[Embodiment 1]
One embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 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 part of the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an indoor unit 1 of an air conditioner includes an indoor unit main body 10, a baffle plate 20 arranged in front of the indoor unit main body 10, a horizontal louver 21, a filter 30, A filter case (filter support component) 40 is provided. When viewing the indoor unit body 10 from the front (front), the width direction is the horizontal direction, the depth direction of the indoor unit body 10 is the front-rear direction, and the height direction of the indoor unit body 10 is the vertical direction.

The baffle plate 20 and the horizontal louvers 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 arrangement angle 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 of each other. The horizontal louver 21 is smaller than the baffle plate 20. - 特許庁Therefore, the horizontal louver 21 can more finely adjust the direction of the air blown out from the indoor unit main body 10 than the baffle plate 20. - 特許庁

The indoor unit body 10 includes a cabinet 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, the heat exchanger 18, the drain pan 17, etc. are attached to the cabinet body, and the cabinet cover 11 is fitted so as to cover the cabinet body.

(Suction port and suction port)
A front surface of the indoor unit main body 10 is formed with an air outlet 10A through which air is blown out from which a part of the cabinet cover 11 is opened. The upper surface of the indoor unit main body 10 is formed with a first suction port 10B for sucking air, which is formed by opening a part of the cabinet cover 11 . A second suction port 10</b>C, which is a hole for sucking air, is formed in the lower surface of the indoor unit body 10 by opening a part of the cabinet cover 11 .

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

The blower 12A is arranged in a blower room 12 surrounded by the cabinet body, the cabinet cover 11 and the drain pan 17. As shown in FIG. A blower chamber 12 is arranged on each of the upper air path and the lower air path.

The blower 12A draws in 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 blows the sucked air toward the outlet 10A by rotation of the blower fan.

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

As a result, the air sucked from the first inlet 10B and the second inlet 10C is blown out from the outlet 10A through the blower 12A and the heat exchanger 18. As shown in FIG. The baffle plate 20 is arranged in front of the outlet 10A and guides the flow of air blown out from the outlet 10A in a desired direction.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the blower 12A preferably includes a sirocco fan as a blower fan. With such a configuration, the rotation of the blower fan can easily increase the negative pressure generated around the internal hole 17A of the blower chamber 12, making it easy to take in air from the second suction port 10C. The inner hole 17A will be described later.

The present invention is not limited to this, and the blower 12A may be equipped with various blower fans other than the sirocco fan. 12 A of air blowers may be equipped with a cross-flow fan as a ventilation fan, for example.

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 preferably 90 mm or more. In other words, the second suction port 10C is preferably formed at a position that is 90 mm or more behind the front end of the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 .

According to such a configuration, the distance between the blowout port 10A and the second suction port 10C is appropriately separated. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the air blown from the outlet 10A from being directly sucked from the second inlet 10C. Therefore, the indoor unit 1 more easily sucks the air in the room where the indoor unit 1 is installed from the second inlet 10C than the air blown from the outlet 10A.

When the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is equipped with a filter (not shown) with a high air cleaning effect such as a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) at the first inlet 10B, from the outlet 10A The blown air becomes purified clean air. The HEPA filter allows the air sucked by the blower 12A to pass through and collects and removes particles such as dust contained in the air to purify the air.

Therefore, when the clean air blown out from the outlet 10A is sucked in from the second inlet 10C and mixed with the air to be detected by the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15, the accuracy of detecting the state of the air in the living space is reduced. It is likely to decline. According to the above configuration, it is possible to effectively prevent the clean air blown from the outlet 10A from being mixed with the air sucked from the second inlet 10C. Therefore, compared with 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)
Air sucked from the second suction port 10</b>C is detected by a dust sensor (sensor) 14 and an odor sensor (sensor) 15 provided in the indoor unit 1 . Dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15 are housed in sensor case 16 arranged in 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 from the second suction port 10C. Specifically, the dust sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the amount of dust contained in the air sucked from the second suction port 10C (for example, the number of dust particles per unit volume). The odor sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the amount of odorant contained in the air sucked from the second suction port 10C (for example, the concentration of the odorant). The sensor case 16 is arranged on a path through which the air sucked 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 in the upper part of the room. Therefore, in many cases, the living space where people actually live is located below the indoor unit 1 in the room. However, since the first suction port 10B is formed on the upper surface of the indoor unit main body 10, the air sucked through the first suction port 10B is mainly limited to the upper air in the room. Therefore, when the air detected by sensors such as the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 is sucked 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, by the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15, the air sucked from the second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10, not the air sucked from the first suction port 10B. Configuration. The second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 is easier to suck air in the living space than the first suction port 10B. Therefore, the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 that detect the amount of substances contained in the air sucked 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 indoor air and notifying the user of it, 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 odorous substances in the air, the indoor unit 1 can appropriately perform the removing function based on the air condition of 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 included in the indoor unit 1 are not limited to the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15, and 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 a state in which the sensor case 16 is removed from the drain pan 17 shown in FIG.

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 in 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 fan chamber 12 and the space in which the sensor case 16 is arranged. The drain pan 17 is formed with an internal hole 17A penetrating in the vertical direction (thickness direction). Arrow Y in FIG. The air sucked 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 of the wind shield portion 171 of the drain pan 17 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the wind shield 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, left and right sides of the internal hole 17A on the windward side. An opening 171A is formed.

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

Further, as a more preferable configuration, the portion of the wind shield portion 171 extending upward from the front is rounded to form a curved surface. As a result, the effect of the wind shielding part 171 on the original airflow flowing in the fan chamber 12 indicated by the arrow Y can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, drain pan 17 is provided with sensor case 16 housing dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15 . 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 caused by dust such as lint. More specifically, the filter 30 is located above the second inlet 10C and between the second inlet 10C and the sensor case 16, more specifically between the second inlet 10C and the dust sensor 14. placed in between. Filter 30 removes dust contained in the air flowing into dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15 .

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

Since filter 30 removes dust, failure of dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15 can be avoided. In order to more reliably avoid failure of dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15, filter 30 is preferably a coarse dust filter capable of removing coarse dust (relatively large dust of a predetermined size or larger). Specifically, it is preferable to use a filter with about 30 cells per inch. If a too fine filter (having a large number of cells) is used, the intake of air is inhibited, and substances contained in the air in the living space below the indoor unit 1 are collected by the filter, and the substances are removed. Inability to accurately detect quantity.

The user of the air conditioner needs to remove the filter 30 and perform maintenance such as cleaning on a regular basis. However, the indoor unit 1 is often arranged above the window, and in that case, the curtain rail is positioned directly below the indoor unit 1 . In some cases, furniture is 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 workability during attachment and detachment of the filter 30 is reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described below, the filter case 40 supports the filter 30, 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 a state in which the filter case 40 is removed from the cabinet cover 11 shown in FIG. . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an insertion opening 11D for inserting the filter case 40 is formed in the lower portion of the front surface of the cabinet cover 11. As shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, inside the insertion opening 11D of the cabinet cover 11, a body-side engaging portion 111 for positioning the filter case 40 in the front-rear direction is provided.

Filter case 40 supports filter 30 . The filter case 40 is detachably attached to 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 of 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 portion 41 , a rear wall portion 42 , a left wall portion 43 , a right wall portion 44 , a bottom portion 45 , a front rib 46 and a rear rib 47 . , provided.

The front rib 46 and the rear rib 47 are provided between the front wall portion 41 and the rear wall portion 42 so as to extend in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. located on the front side. The front rib 46 and the rear rib 47 extend over the entire width of the filter case 40 in the left-right direction.

A laterally extending case hole 45</b>A is formed between the rear rib 47 and the rear wall portion 42 in the bottom portion 45 . The case hole 45A extends over the entire width of the filter case 40 in the left-right direction. The lateral length of the case hole 45A is approximately the same as the lateral length of the second suction port 10C (shown in FIG. 1), or even longer than the lateral length of the second suction port 10C. good. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal length of the case hole 45A is approximately the same as the longitudinal length of the second suction port 10C, or longer than the longitudinal length of the second suction port 10C. It can be long.

When the opening area of the case hole 45A is larger than the opening area of the second suction port 10C, for example, 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 accommodated on the rear end side of the filter case 40 , more specifically, between the rear rib 47 and the rear wall portion 42 and between the left wall portion 43 and the right wall portion 44 . Therefore, the filter 30 housed in the filter case 40 is positioned above the case hole 45A. Filter 30 is fixed by claws 432 and 442 provided on the upper edges of left wall portion 43 and right wall portion 44, respectively. The rear wall portion 42 is cut from above near the center in the left-right direction, and an extension portion 421 extends rearward from the cut edge portion.

Component-side locking portions 431 and 441 are provided as symmetrical stepped portions on the front portions of the left wall portion 43 and the right wall portion 44, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, when the filter case 40 is inserted from the insertion opening 11D of the cabinet cover 11 and attached to the cabinet cover 11, the part-side engaging portions 431 and 441 of the filter case 40 are engaged with the body side of the cabinet cover 11. It abuts against 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 placed on the lower surface of the cabinet cover 11 to be positioned in the vertical direction. Further, the position of the filter case 40 in the left-right direction is determined by the insertion opening 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 positioned above the second suction port 10C. Therefore, the indoor unit 1 is configured such that the flow of air sucked from the second suction port 10</b>C is less likely to be blocked by the filter case 40 . Further, the filter case 40 is configured so that the air sucked from the case hole 45A passes through the filter 30 and flows out toward the rearward sensor case 16 along the extending portion 421 (shown in FIG. 8). It is

(Effect)
According to the above configuration, the indoor unit 1 uses the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor to absorb air not from the first intake port 10B but from the second intake port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10. 15. The second suction port 10C formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10 is easier to suck air in the living space than the first suction port 10B. Therefore, the dust sensor 14 and the odor sensor 15 that detect the amount of substances contained in the air sucked from the second suction port 10C can accurately detect the state of the air in the living space.

Moreover, the filter case 40 can be attached to and removed from the cabinet cover 11 from the front of the cabinet cover 11 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, for example, even when a curtain rail or furniture is positioned directly below the indoor unit 1, the filter 30 can be easily attached and detached. Therefore, it is possible to provide the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner with excellent maintainability.

Further, by bringing the component-side engaging portions 431 and 441 into contact with the body-side engaging portion 111, the filter case 40 can be easily positioned in the front-rear direction. The filter 30 can be easily arranged. Therefore, dust contained in the air flowing into dust sensor 14 and odor sensor 15 can be more reliably removed.

Moreover, since the filter case 40 is placed on the lower surface of the cabinet cover 11, it is not necessary to strictly adjust the insertion angle of the filter case 40 when attaching the filter case 40 to the indoor unit main body 10. - 特許庁Therefore, filter case 40 can be easily attached to cabinet cover 11 .

(Modification)
In addition, in the present embodiment, the first suction port 10B is formed on the upper surface of the indoor unit body 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. 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 upper surface and the front surface of the indoor unit body 10 . In other words, the first suction port 10B may be formed in at least one of the upper surface and the front surface of the indoor unit main body 10 .

〔summary〕
An indoor unit for an air conditioner according to aspect 1 of the present invention includes a first suction port for sucking air formed on at least one of an upper surface and a front surface of an indoor unit main body, and a lower 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 a substance contained in the air sucked from the second suction port, and is disposed between the second suction port and the sensor, A filter for removing dust contained in the air flowing into the sensor, and a filter support component for supporting the filter, wherein the filter support component is attached to the indoor unit main body from the front of the indoor unit main body. It is detachably provided in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit main body.

An air conditioner indoor unit according to Aspect 2 of the present invention is, in Aspect 1, a fan for blowing the air sucked from the first suction port, a fan chamber in which the fan is arranged, and the sensor. and a partition wall having an internal hole formed therein, the sensor being sucked 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.

An air conditioner indoor unit according to aspect 3 of the present invention is the above-described aspect 1 or 2, wherein an outlet for blowing the air is formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body, and the second suction port includes the It may be formed at a position spaced 90 mm or more rearward from the front end of the lower surface of the indoor unit main body.

An air conditioner indoor unit according to aspect 4 of the present invention is an air conditioner indoor unit according to aspects 1 to 3, wherein the filter support component is inserted through an insertion opening formed in the front surface of the indoor unit main body, may be placed on the

According to aspect 5 of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner indoor unit according to aspects 1 to 4, wherein the filter support component includes a component-side engaging portion, and the indoor unit main body engages the component-side engaging portion. A body-side engaging portion for stopping may be provided.

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

Reference Signs List 1 indoor unit 10 indoor unit body 10A outlet 10B first inlet 10C second inlet 11 cabinet cover 111 body-side locking portion 12A blower 14 dust sensor (sensor)
15 Odor sensor (sensor)
17 drain pan (partition wall)
17A Inner hole 30 Filter 40 Filter case 431, 441 Component-side locking portion 45A Case hole

Claims (5)

a first suction port for sucking air formed in at least one of the upper surface and the front surface of the indoor unit main body;
a second suction port, which is a hole for sucking air, formed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body;
a sensor for detecting the amount of substances contained in the air sucked from the second suction port;
a filter disposed between the second inlet and the sensor for removing dust contained in the air flowing into the sensor;
a filter support component that supports the filter;
The indoor unit of an air conditioner, wherein the filter support component is detachably attached to the indoor unit main body from the front of the indoor unit main body in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit main body. an air blower that blows the air sucked from the first suction port;
A partition wall in which an internal hole is formed to separate a blower room in which the blower is arranged and a space in which the sensor is arranged,
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is arranged between said internal hole and said second suction port on a path through which said air sucked from said second suction port passes. indoor unit. An outlet for blowing out the air is formed on the front surface of the indoor unit main body,
3. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the second suction port is formed at a position spaced rearwardly by 90 mm or more from a front end of the lower surface of the indoor unit main body. 4. The air according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter support part is inserted from an insertion opening formed in the front surface of the indoor unit main body and placed on the lower surface of the indoor unit main body. The indoor unit of the harmony machine. The filter support component has a component-side locking portion,
The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indoor unit main body includes a main body side locking portion that locks the component side locking portion.

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