JP7401787B2 - Small animal intrusion prevention cover and outdoor unit - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a small animal intrusion prevention cover used mainly for electrical equipment installed outdoors (for example, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner).

For example, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner is installed outdoors. In areas with warm temperatures and many small animals and insects living in the area, small animals may get inside the outdoor unit. In the case of flies and mosquitoes, even if they get into the control printed circuit board and attach themselves, it is unlikely to cause any problems. However, geckos and newts have long bodies even if they are thin compared to flies and mosquitoes, so parts of the geckos and newts' bodies that should not be electrically connected on the conductive parts of the printed circuit board are This may lead to a failure or abnormality detection state.

As a measure against small animal intrusion, it has been proposed to cover an electrical component box containing a printed circuit board with a mesh bag (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP2009-257694A

However, in the case of an existing outdoor unit, covering with a bag requires the electrical parts box to be removed once, which is not easy to do. Furthermore, putting the entire electrical parts box in a bag means covering parts other than the printed circuit board, which is wasteful.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a small animal intrusion prevention cover that is easy to install, regardless of whether it is newly installed or an existing one.

(1) The small animal intrusion prevention cover of the present disclosure is a small animal intrusion prevention cover that surrounds and covers a printed circuit board mounted on an electrical device, has insulation properties, and maintains the form as a box-shaped object. The object includes a frame portion forming a skeleton, and a mesh-like outer surface portion having insulation properties and forming an outer surface of the object along the frame portion, and the mesh of the outer surface portion allows air to circulate. However, it is large enough to prevent small animals from entering.

Such a small animal intrusion prevention cover prevents small animals (for example, geckos and newts) from entering the cover.

(2) The frame has a multilayer structure, for example, in which insulating sheets are stacked on both sides of a resin plate to maintain its shape.
In this case, the frame has a certain degree of rigidity and contributes to maintaining the box shape. The insulation sheet contributes to ensuring sufficient insulation.

(3) The small animal intrusion prevention cover is, for example, a pentahedron having four side surfaces surrounding the printed circuit board from all sides and one surface serving as a top plate surface of the four sides.
In this case, the small animal intrusion prevention cover becomes a lid-shaped pentahedron that covers the printed circuit board with the printed circuit board as the bottom surface.

(4) The size of the mesh is preferably 2 mm or less.
If the thickness is 2 mm or less, even very small geckos and newts can be more reliably prevented from invading the printed circuit board.

(5) In the outdoor unit of the present disclosure, the small animal intrusion prevention cover described in (1) to (4) is attached to the printed circuit board.

It is a perspective view showing an example of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printed circuit board in FIG. 1 together with its mounting base. It is a perspective view showing the state where the small animal intrusion prevention cover is attached to the attachment base. It is a 5-sided view of a frame part, (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a left side view. 5 is a 5-sided view of the small animal intrusion prevention cover, (a) is a front view, (b) is a top side view, (c) is a bottom side view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a left side view. be. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5. FIG.

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.

《Example of air conditioner》
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. This figure is drawn with a part of the casing 10 omitted so that the inside can be seen. Assuming that the near side of the figure is the front, the outdoor unit 1 is provided with a fan cover 11 on the left surface when looking at the casing 10 from the front, and is provided with a heat exchanger and a fan (not shown) inside. A compressor 12, an accumulator 13, and other refrigerant circuit devices are provided at the lower right side of the housing 10. A printed circuit board (control board) 14 that controls the entire air conditioner including the outdoor unit 1 is provided on the upper right side of the housing 10 .

《Example of printed circuit board》
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printed circuit board 14 in FIG. 1 together with its mounting base 15. As shown in FIG. However, the printed circuit board 14 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown with a small animal intrusion prevention cover, which will be described later, removed. On the printed circuit board 14, a power module 14m, a CPU and many other electronic components, and a circuit pattern are provided. Although a refrigerant pipe is passed through the power module 14m for cooling, illustration of the refrigerant pipe is omitted here.

The mounting base 15 is provided with a female-threaded mounting hole near the outside of the printed circuit board 14 for screwing the small animal intrusion prevention cover. In FIG. 2, for example, among the six mounting holes, the mounting holes 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are visible.

Here, if the gecko 16 invades the printed circuit board 14 and straddles between conductive parts with a potential difference, current will flow through the body of the gecko 16, which may cause control malfunction or failure. A similar problem occurs if the gecko 16 is electrocuted and remains on the printed circuit board 14.

《Printed circuit board with small animal intrusion prevention cover》
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is attached to the mounting base 15. The small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is a box-shaped object made of a material having electrical insulation properties. The small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 includes a frame portion 18 that forms a frame for maintaining a box-like shape, and a mesh-like outer surface portion 19 that forms the outer surface of the object along the frame portion 18. Defined in terms of surfaces, the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is a pentahedron having four sides surrounding the printed circuit board 14 (FIG. 2) from all sides and one surface serving as a top plate surface of the four sides. The mesh size of the outer surface portion 19 is 2 mm or less.

The small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is screwed and fixed to the mounting base 15 using the screws 20a, 20b, etc. at the six locations described above. In this state, the printed circuit board 14 (FIG. 2) is surrounded by the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 and is covered from directly above the surface of the circuit board. Since the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is made of an insulating material, there is no need to keep an insulating distance from the conductive part on the printed circuit board 14 (FIG. 2). Since the outer surface portion 19 has a mesh structure that allows air to circulate, heat dissipation of the printed circuit board 14 (FIG. 2) through ventilation is not hindered.

As mentioned above, the mesh size of the outer surface portion 19 is 2 mm or less. Further, the gap between the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 and the mounting base 15 is about 1 mm. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for small animals such as geckos to enter onto the printed circuit board 14 through the mesh of the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 and the above-mentioned gaps. There is a possibility that microorganisms may enter through the mesh or the above-mentioned gaps, but even if such microorganisms do enter, the possibility of causing electrical trouble is extremely low.

Note that an electric wire (or cable) for electrical connection with the outside of the board is connected to the printed circuit board. Moreover, as mentioned above, the refrigerant pipe is also connected. These electric wires and refrigerant pipes (hereinafter referred to as electric wires, etc.) need to pass through the side of the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17. In this case, it is necessary to pass electric wires or the like so that there are no gaps. Therefore, use a soft cover or caulking material as an auxiliary measure to prevent gaps larger than 2 mm from forming. FIG. 3 shows a state in which a sponge-like cover 21 is attached to the upper side of the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17.

《Structure of small animal intrusion prevention cover》
FIG. 4 is a five-sided view of the frame portion 18. (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a left side view. In (a), the frame portion 18 has the largest opening 18a1 formed therein. In (b), the frame portion 18 is formed with an opening 18a2. Further, holes H1, H2, H3 for passing electric wires, etc., and slits S1, S2, S3 are formed. In (c), the frame portion 18 is formed with an opening 18a3. Further, holes H4, H5, H6, H7 for passing electric wires, etc., and slits S4, S5, S6 are formed.

In (d), the frame portion 18 is formed with an opening 18a4.
In (e), two openings 18a5 and 18a6 are formed in the frame 18 at positions that are not adjacent to components on the printed circuit board side, in other words, at positions where the ventilation effect by providing the openings can be reliably obtained. There is. Further, holes H8 and H9 for passing electric wires and the like and slits S8 and S9 are formed.

FIG. 5 is a five-sided view of the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17. (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a right side view, and (e) is a left side view. The outer surface portion 19 is provided along the frame portion 18 and forms the outer surface. Fixtures 22 are attached to six locations on the outside of the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17. By inserting screws into the fixtures 22 and tightening them into the mounting holes 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d (Fig. 2) and two other locations of the mounting base 15 (Fig. 2), the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 can be attached to the mounting base 15 (Fig. 2) can be fixed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. The frame portion 18 has a multilayer structure including a relatively hard flame-retardant resin plate 181 and transparent insulating sheets 182 on both sides thereof. An end portion of the outer surface portion 19 is sandwiched between a resin plate 181 and an insulating sheet 182. The material of the insulating sheet 182 is, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The outer surface portion 19 is, for example, a mesh sheet of glass fiber. The outer surface portion 19 is nonflammable, and the frame portion 18 is also flame retardant.

Although the above disclosure has been explained with reference to the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, the small animal intrusion prevention cover is applicable not only to the outdoor unit of the air conditioner but also to ventilation equipment and other electrical equipment that may be installed outdoors. Can be applied.
Further, in the above disclosure, the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is fixed to the mounting base 15 with screws, but since the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is lightweight, it may be fixed to the mounting base 15 in a hook type.

《Summary of disclosure》
The above disclosure can be generalized and expressed as follows.
The small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is a member that surrounds and covers a printed circuit board mounted on an electrical device installed outdoors, such as an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. The small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 includes a frame part 18 that has insulation properties and forms a framework that maintains the form of a box-shaped object, and a mesh-like part that has insulation properties and forms the outer surface of the object along the frame part 18. and an outer surface portion 19. The mesh of the outer surface portion 19 is sized to allow air to circulate, but to prevent small animals from entering.

Such a small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 prevents small animals (for example, geckos and newts) from entering the cover without interfering with heat dissipation of the printed circuit board 14. Since the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 has insulation properties, insulation from the conductive parts on the printed circuit board 14 is also ensured.

The frame portion 18 has a multilayer structure in which insulating sheets 182 are stacked on both sides of a resin plate 181 to maintain the shape. With such a structure, the frame portion 18 has a certain degree of rigidity and contributes to maintaining the box shape. The insulating sheet 182 contributes to ensuring sufficient insulation.

If the small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is defined in terms of surfaces, it is a pentahedron having four sides surrounding the printed circuit board 14 from all sides and one side serving as a top plate surface of the four sides.
Such a small animal intrusion prevention cover 17 is a lid-shaped pentahedron that is placed over the printed circuit board 14 with the printed circuit board 14 on the bottom side, so it can be easily installed regardless of whether it is a new electrical device or an existing electrical device. be able to.

The mesh size of the outer surface portion 19 is preferably 2 mm or less.
If the thickness is 2 mm or less, even very small geckos and newts can be more reliably prevented from invading the printed circuit board.

《Addendum》
Although the embodiments have been described above, it will be understood that various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

1: Outdoor unit (air conditioner), 10: Housing, 11: Fan cover, 12: Compressor, 13: Accumulator, 14: Printed circuit board, 14m: Power module, 15: Mounting base, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d : Mounting hole, 16: Gecko, 17: Small animal intrusion prevention cover, 18: Frame, 18a1, 18a2, 18a3, 18a4, 18a5, 18a6: Opening, 19: External surface, 20a, 20b: Screw, 21: Cover, 22 : Fixture, 181: Resin plate, 182: Insulating sheet, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, H7, H8: Hole, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S8, S9: Slit

Claims (4)

A small animal intrusion prevention cover that surrounds and covers a printed circuit board mounted on an electrical device,
a frame that has insulation properties and forms a framework that maintains the form of a box-shaped object;
a mesh-like outer surface portion having insulation properties and forming an outer surface of the object along the frame portion;
The mesh of the outer surface portion is sized to allow air circulation but prevent small animals from entering,
The frame part is a small animal intrusion prevention cover that has a multi-layer structure in which insulating sheets are stacked on both sides of a resin plate to maintain the shape . The small animal intrusion prevention cover according to claim 1 , which is a pentahedron having four side surfaces surrounding the printed circuit board from all sides and one surface serving as a top plate surface of the four sides. The small animal intrusion prevention cover according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the mesh size is 2 mm or less. An outdoor unit in which the small animal intrusion prevention cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is attached to the printed circuit board.

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