JPH0123046Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an air conditioner having an indoor unit installed at a high location, such as a ceiling-embedded type or a ceiling-suspended type, and particularly relates to the structure of a drain discharge mechanism.

[Conventional technology]

Indoor units that are installed in high places and in narrow spaces, such as ceiling-embedded and ceiling-suspended types, are required to be thinner in order to save space and reduce the feeling of intimidation, and the drain pan has a small drain storage capacity.
In addition, for various reasons, such as the difficulty of draining smoothly due to the inability to provide a large head for draining, a forced draining method using a drain pump has traditionally been adopted.
It is publicly known from Publication No. 9623 and the like. The drain discharge mechanism using this forced discharge method is the fourth
As schematically shown in the figure, the drain pump 1
0' is installed lower than the drain pan 8', and a drain pipe P is connected between them. An indoor unit having such a drain discharge mechanism has, for example, a front plate having an inlet and an outlet.

Considering the case where the [front grille] is installed in the ceiling so that it is almost flush with the ceiling board,
As schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, servicing of the drain discharge mechanism had to be carried out by removing the outer plate 16 from the side of the main body.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

As mentioned above, if drain is to be discharged by forced discharge, the head in the drain pan 8' cannot be large enough, so when the drain pump 10' is energized, the drain flow speed in the drain pipe P is quite high. As the low liquid level in the drain pan 8' drops, the liquid level around the drain outlet provided in the drain pan 8' drops rapidly, causing the drain outlet to open to the atmosphere. There was a problem in that air entrapment phenomenon easily occurred, and the drain pump 10' ran dry and stopped discharging the drain. In addition, in the case of the ceiling recessed type, as mentioned above, since it is a horizontal type, service work must be performed inside the ceiling, which is troublesome, so it is necessary to prepare for some difficulty before installing the front panel.

If you remove the [front grille] and perform service work from below, it is not only difficult to check the position of inserting your hands from the side at the back through a narrow space, but it is also impossible to perform the service work because it is an impossible working position. In the end, inconvenience was unavoidable whether the service was performed from within the ceiling or by lowering the unit. In view of these various practical problems, the present invention was developed, and in particular, it is possible to make the drain discharge mechanism including the drain pan and drain pump into a structure with a small head as a whole. However, by eliminating the air entrapment phenomenon when the pump is energized, it is possible to ensure smooth drain discharge while maintaining the thin shape of the indoor unit. By having a split structure with a downward servicing system that can be attached and detached from below, it is possible to improve inspection and serviceability, and to ensure that the drain discharge function is stably performed over a long period of time.

[Means to solve the problem]

Therefore, as is clear from the embodiments of the attached drawings, the present invention is located below the indoor coil 6 of the casing and above the air inlet 2 on the lower surface where the suction grille 4 is removably provided. In a ceiling-mounted air conditioner equipped with a drain pan 8 that also serves as a partition between a fan room and a coil room, the bottom of the drain pan 8 is partially serviceable from the air suction port 2. It has a two-tiered bottom structure formed in a drop-in part 9 that is one step lower than the part, and has a cylindrical part 9 _A that extends downward into a cylindrical shape and has a male threaded part on the outer periphery, and a female threaded part on the inner periphery. The drop-in portion 9 is formed by a bottom cover portion 9 _B that is screwed onto the cylindrical portion 9 _A and covers substantially all of the tube portion 9 A;
A ring-shaped sealing member 14 fitted around the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion _9A is sandwiched between the bottom of the drain pan 8 and the upper edge of the lid portion _9B to seal the liquid in the drop-in portion 9. On the other hand, it is characterized in that a drain pump 10 for discharging drain to a high place is disposed within the drop portion 9.

[Effect]

In the present invention having the above-mentioned means, since the drain pump is disposed in the drop-in part, it takes the form of a so-called submersible pump, so even if the drain in the drain pan is pumped up to almost the entire amount, the pump suction port remains closed. By being able to maintain the state immersed in water and eliminating the air entrapment phenomenon, on the other hand, by rotating the bottom cover side of the dropping part and loosening the screws, it can be removed only by manual operation, By removing the front panel such as the front grill facing this depressed portion, the drain pump can be serviced from below easily and in a comfortable position, thus achieving the desired purpose.

【Example】

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a ceiling-embedded indoor unit, and the casing of this indoor unit 1 has an air inlet 2 in the center of the lower surface facing the front, and air outlet outlets on both left and right sides across the inlet 2. 3 and 3 are open, respectively, and the air suction port 2 is provided with a suction grill 4, and the air outlet 3 is provided with a blow-off grill 5. The interior of the casing is divided into a fan chamber facing the air inlet 2 and a coil chamber facing the air outlet 3 by a drain pan 8 and a side plate 13 which also serve as partition plates. A centrifugal fan 7 is disposed with its discharge port facing the coil chamber, and indoor coils 6, 6 are disposed above the drain pan 8 in the coil chamber. When the fan motor 7 is energized, indoor air is sucked in from the air suction port 2, and the indoor air is passed through the indoor coils 6, 6, through the outer chamber of the side plate 13, and then cooled or warmed from the air outlet 3, 3. Air circulation is achieved by sending the air into the room. The drain pan 8 is a shallow U-shaped dish consisting of a portion extending directly below the indoor coils 6, 6 and a portion connecting these two portions. Although the outlet is arranged around the outlet, a part of the bottom where service from the air suction port 2 is available is made lower than the other part,
The drain pan 8 is formed into a depressed portion 9 having a volume sufficient to accommodate a drain pump 10, which will be described later, and has a two-tiered bottom structure. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drop-in portion 9 has a split structure that can be detachably engaged with the main body of the drain pan 8, but the connecting portion for engagement is on the main body side. A cylindrical portion _9A having a male thread on the outer periphery is engaged with the cylindrical portion _9A so that the other side forms a circular deep dish shape with a female thread on the inner periphery and covers almost the entirety of the cylindrical portion _9A . They are formed on the bottom cover portion _9B , respectively, and are engaged by screwing. In this case, in order to prevent water from leaking at the engaging part, an O-ring-shaped sealing member 14 is used and fitted around the cylindrical part _9A having a male thread on the outer periphery. It is interposed under pressure between the outer bottom surface and the upper edge of the bottom cover part _9B forming the round deep dish part, and thus water leakage from the joint surface can be reliably prevented. The drop-in portion 9 is removable from the fan chamber below the drain pan 8, and the bottom cover portion 9 _B
It is important that the drop-in part 9 opens downward when the air intake is removed from the air intake port 2, so that the air intake port 2 can be serviced from the air suction port 2. A drain pump 10 is housed inside the drop-in portion 9 configured as described above.
Reference numeral 0 has a thin shape with small dimensions in the vertical direction, and a drain pipe 12 is connected to this, a small motor 11 is directly connected to the shaft, and it is fixed to the casing via a suitable support member 15. The drain pump 10 is, for example, a centrifugal pump, in which a rotor is disposed horizontally to the vertical axis in a pump housing that is thin in the vertical direction, and the rotor and the motor 11 are axially connected. The structure is such that the suction port is opened directly below the rotor and the discharge port is opened in the side plate of the pump housing, and the suction port is located at a position lower than the upper bottom of the higher side of the drain pan 8. It is something that is required to be established. In addition, when fixing the drain pump 10, it is preferable to make it possible to install and remove it from the downward opening using a tool such as a screwdriver when the divided body of the drop-in part 9 is removed. is a bracket member that fixes the support member 15 to the casing;

[15A] and a hook-shaped member fixed to the drain pump 10

[15B] Both members are formed from

[15A],

[15B] can be integrally joined by screw tightening, and this screw tightening portion is provided at a position where it can be operated by a screwdriver inserted from the downwardly directed opening as described above. In this way, by providing the drop-in part 9 in the drain pan 8 and storing the drain pump 10 in the drop-in part 9, even if the drain head above the top of the drain pan 8 is small, it can be easily drained. Since the head at the suction port of the drain pump 10 in the recess 9 can be set to a large value, when the drain pump 10 is energized, the liquid seal at the suction port can be maintained even when there is no drain above the upper bottom portion. Therefore, it is possible to avoid exposing the inlet to the atmosphere and causing an air entrainment phenomenon. It is preferable that the upper bottom of the drain pan 8 has a gentle downward slope toward the drop-in portion 9, and the drop-in portion 9 is not visible when the suction grill 4 is removed from the fan chamber facing the suction port 2. It is desirable to select and provide a location that is convenient and easily accessible. However, the drain pump 10 and the drain drain pipe 1
When performing inspection services such as 2, for example, after removing the suction grill 4 from the indoor side, the connection part between the drain pump 10 and the drain drain pipe 12 is removed by removing the bottom cover part _9B of the drop part 9. Since it can be seen through the downward opening and the service direction is downward, it is easy to install and remove the drain pump 10, etc., and the indoor unit 1 simply has a suction grill etc. in the installed state. Service can be performed by simply removing the front panel.

[Effect of the idea]

As mentioned above, the drain pan 8 is inserted into the drop part 9.
This depressed portion 9 has a double-bottom structure in which
By arranging the drain pump 10 at the drain pump 10, the drain head at the suction port of the drain pump 10 can be substantially enlarged, and the drain head can be kept under a liquid seal at all times, so that almost the entire amount of drain can be drained. To smoothly pump up and discharge water, and to eliminate air entrapment to perform stable forced drainage. Further, the drop-in portion 9 has a cylindrical portion _9A extending downward into a cylindrical shape and having a male threaded portion on the outer periphery, and a female threaded portion provided on the inner periphery which is screwed into the cylindrical portion _9A , and substantially all of the portions are screwed together. The drain pump 1 can be removed by loosening and removing the bottom cover _9B by hand without using _any tools.
0. Drainage pipes, etc. can be serviced from the bottom to the top, making service work simple and easy by simply removing the front panel of the indoor unit 1. As a result, service man-hours are reduced and reliability is improved. You can expect high quality service.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an indoor unit according to an example of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are an enlarged sectional view and an enlarged separated perspective view of the drain pan drop-in part in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a drain discharge mechanism in a conventional air conditioner, and FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of main parts in the conventional air conditioner. 1...Indoor unit, 8...Drain pan, 9...
...Drop part, 10...Drain pump, 14...
Seal member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It is below the indoor coil 6 in the casing,
In a ceiling-mounted air conditioner, a drain pan 8, which also serves as a partition between a fan chamber and a coil chamber, is disposed above the air inlet 2 on the bottom surface of which the suction grill 4 is removably attached. The bottom has a two-tiered bottom structure in which a part of the part that can be serviced from the air suction port 2 is formed into a depressed part 9 that is one step lower than the other part, and extends downward into a cylindrical shape. A cylindrical portion _9A having a male threaded portion on the outer periphery;
The drop-in part 9 is formed by _a bottom cover part _9B which has a female threaded part on the inner periphery and is screwed onto the cylindrical part _9A to cover almost the entire part thereof, By sandwiching the fitted ring-shaped sealing member 14 between the bottom of the drain pan 8 and the upper edge of the lid _9B , the liquid in the drop-in portion 9 is sealed. An air conditioner characterized in that a drain pump 10 for discharging water is disposed within the drop portion 9.