JPH04125129U - spot cooler - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Eliminate the wiring from the spot cooler body to the drain tank in the "spot cooler". [Structure] A sub-tank 20 is provided in the spot cooler main body 10a to repeatedly store a certain amount of condensed water and discharge it to the drain tank 11 using the principle of "shishiodoshi",
A limit switch 25 controls the drainage operation of this sub-tank 20.
Detected by. Then, the amount of water drained into the drain tank 11 is measured by counting the number of times n that the limit switch 25 is turned on, and when the limit switch 25 is turned on a predetermined number of times N, it is detected that the drain tank 11 is full of water. [Effect] Improved convenience.

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

0001

[Industrial application field]

This invention relates to a spot cooler, and in particular, a sensor is installed in the drain tank. Detects when the drain tank is full and stops the operation of the spot cooler without attaching any water. Regarding spot coolers that can be stopped.

0002

[Conventional technology]

Figure 3 is an external view showing an example of a conventional spot cooler, and Figure 4 is the structure of its main parts. FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a main part schematically showing the main part. As shown in Figure 1, this spot cooler is a spot cooler that takes in air to cool the spot. A drain tank for storing condensed water generated by cooling the air cooler body 10 and the air. The drain tank 11 is connected to the drain tank 11 by a drain hose 12 of an appropriate length. The cooler 11 is installed at an appropriate location outside the spot cooler main body 10. example For example, in FIG. 1, the spot cooler main body 10 and the drain tank 11 are each placed on a shelf 1. It is placed above and below 3. In addition, such a spot cooler has a function that detects when the drain tank 11 is full. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a sensor is installed on the lid 14 of the drain tank 11. 15 (for example, a float switch, etc.) is attached.

0003

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, in such conventional spot coolers, the drain tank is Since the sensor 15 is attached to the lid 14 of the tank 11, A harness 16 is required to connect to the control section within the spot cooler main body 10. In this case, the harness 16 is usually wrapped around the drain hose 12 as shown in FIG. It is attached. The relationship between the spot cooler main body 10 and the drain tank 11 is The presence of the harness 16 between them makes it difficult for the user to attach and detach the drain tank 11. In addition to making it troublesome to dispose of water in the drain tank 11 when the water is full, This results in an increase in man-hours during the construction stage.

0004 The present invention was devised in view of the problems of the prior art. A system that can detect when the drain tank is full without attaching a sensor to the drain tank. The purpose is to provide a pot cooler.

[0005]

[Means to solve the problem]

This invention aims to achieve the above objective by cooling air using a built-in evaporator. It is used to store condensed water generated around the spot cooler body and the evaporator. A spot cooler is connected to a drain tank by a drain hose. and is provided in the spot cooler main body so as to be tiltable about a horizontal axis as a fulcrum, water storage means capable of storing a certain amount of condensed water discharged into the drain tank; a detection means for detecting that the condensed water in the water storage means has been discharged; The number of times the water storage means drains is counted based on the signal, and when this number is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, and control means for stopping the operation of the spot cooler main body when the spot cooler body reaches It is characterized by the following.

[0006]

[Effect]

In the present invention configured in this way, each time a certain amount of condensed water accumulates in the water storage means, Then, the water storage means tilts due to its own weight and discharges the condensed water to the drain tank. and, The detection means detects the drainage operation of the water storage means and outputs the signal to the control means. Strengthen. The control means counts the number of drain operations of the water storage means based on the signal from the detection means. Well, this number of times is preset based on the ratio of each capacity of the drain tank and the water storage means. When the number of times the drain tank reaches the specified number of times is reached, it is determined that the drain tank is full and the drain tank is filled with water. Stop the operation of the pot cooler body. In this way, it is not necessary to attach a sensor for detecting full water to the drain tank. It is possible to detect when the drain tank is full.

[0007]

【Example】

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section showing the internal structure of a spot cooler according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate the same members.

[0008] As shown in Figure 1, this spot cooler cools a spot by introducing air. a drain tank that stores condensed water generated by cooling the cooler body 10a and air; The spot cooler is connected to the spot cooler 11 by a drain hose 12 of an appropriate length. Inside the main body 10a, there is a fan 17 for introducing air into the main body 10a, and a fan 17 for introducing air into the main body 10a. The fan motor 18 that drives the fan 17 and the introduced air are heated by exchanging heat with the refrigerant. and an evaporator 19 for cooling. In addition, inside the main body 10a In addition to the evaporator 19, other components of the refrigeration cycle (for example, For example, compressors, condensers, etc.) are located.

[0009] Also, inside the spot cooler main body 10a, there is a drain to be discharged to the drain tank 11. A sub-tank 20 capable of storing a certain amount of condensed water is arranged as a water storage means. There is. As shown in FIG. 1, this sub-tank 20 has a triangular cross section and an open top. It consists of a container part 20a and a plate-shaped or rod-shaped support part 20b that supports it, In this support part 20b, a horizontal axis 2 parallel to the bottom surface of the spot cooler main body 10a It is tiltably mounted on a support stand 21 using 2 as a fulcrum. At this time, The sub-tank 20 is configured such that its container portion 20a is located below the evaporator 19. It is located in In addition, a weight of appropriate weight is attached to the support portion 20b of the sub-tank 20. 23 is attached, and when a certain amount of condensed water accumulates in the container part 20a, its own weight (Position B in the figure) spills condensed water into the lower passage 24, and at the same time It is designed to return to the original initial position (position A in the figure) by moving. In other words, subtan Ku20 is based on the same principle as the so-called "Sozu" or "Shishiodoshi". Every time a certain amount of condensed water accumulates, it is automatically drained. Therefore, The condensed water generated around the evaporator 19 as the air cools is temporarily It falls into the tank 20 and is stored, and when it reaches a certain amount, the sub tank 20 tilts. (Position B in the diagram) Spilled water is spilled into the lower passage 24 and passed through the drain hose 12 to the outside. The water is discharged to the drain tank 11.

0010 Furthermore, due to the tilting of the sub-tank 20, inside the spot cooler main body 10a, A limit switch 25 is arranged as a detection means at a position to be operated. sand That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the sub-tank 20 is tilted to position B, 0b presses the actuating piece 25a of the limit switch 25 and closes the contact. On the other hand, when returning from position B to the original direction, the contacts open. Therefore, this When the limit switch 25 is turned on, it means that the condensed water in the sub tank 20 has been discharged. This means that it has been detected.

[0011] Furthermore, inside the spot cooler main body 10a, there is a A controller 26 is disposed as a control means for controlling the entire system. child The controller 26 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer with a built-in counter, and includes , the aforementioned fan motor 18, limit switch 25, and compressor (not shown). is connected. In this embodiment, as described below, the controller 26 is The number of times (n) the limit switch 25 is turned on, that is, the draining operation of the sub tank 20 Count the number of times, and when this number (n) reaches a preset number of times (N) or more It is designed to perform controls such as stopping the operation of the spot cooler. The controller 26 also includes a start switch that starts the operation of the spot cooler. switch 27 and a warning to notify the user that the drain tank 11 is full. light 28 and a reset button to restart the spot cooler after it has stopped operating. The set buttons 29 are respectively connected.

[0012] In this way, the condensed water in the sub-tank 20 is discharged to the drain tank 11 every time a certain amount (V _s ) accumulates, so such draining operation of the sub-tank 20 is detected by the limit switch 25 and By counting the number of times, the amount of water discharged from the sub-tank 20 can be measured. Therefore, based on the ratio of the capacity (V _d ) of the drain tank 11 and the amount of water discharged from each sub-tank 20 (V _s ) in advance, the number of times (N) of draining operations of the sub-tank 20 required for the drain tank 11 to become nearly full is determined in advance. (that is, N is given by the integer value of V _d ÷ V _s ), the drain tank 11 reaches approximately full state by counting the number of times (n) that the limit switch 25 is turned on. This means that it is possible to detect whether or not this is the case. For example, if the capacity of the drain tank 11 is 5 liters and the amount of water discharged from each sub-tank 20 is 0.5 liters, if the limit switch 25 is turned on ten times, the drain tank 11 will be almost full.

[0013] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the spot cooler configured as described above. It is. First, the controller 26 determines whether or not the start switch 27 is turned on. off (step 1), and waits until it is turned on if it is not turned on; If so, set the counter n to 0 (step 2) and turn off the fan motor. 18 and a compressor (not shown) to start operating the spot cooler. (Step 3).

[0014] Next, the controller 26 determines whether the limit switch 25 is turned on. (Step 4), and if it is not turned on, return to Step 3, but if it is turned on, the Assuming that a certain amount of condensed water in the tank 20 has been discharged, the counter value is set by 1. Increment (step 5).

[0015] Next, the controller 25 determines that the value of the counter n indicates that the drain tank 11 is full. (Step 6) If not, the process returns to step 3, while if it is greater than or equal to the predetermined value N, the drain tank 11 It is determined that the water level has reached approximately full level, and the warning light 28 is turned on (step 7). In addition to prompting users to discard the water in the drain tank 11, In order to prevent the water from overflowing in 11, the operation of the spot cooler will be temporarily stopped. (Step 8).

[0016] Next, the controller 25 operates as long as the starting switch 26 is not turned off (the starting switch 26 is turned off). Step 9) Subsequently, it is determined whether the reset button 29 is turned on or not. (Step 12), if the reset button 29 is turned on, return to Step 2; If it is not turned on, return to step 7. In other words, if the user After discarding the water in 1 and setting the drain tank 11 in the specified position, press the reset button. If you press button 29, the spot cooler will start operating again from the initial state. ing.

[0017] As described above, according to this embodiment, there is a "shishiodoshi" in the spot cooler main body 10a. A sub-tank 20 and a limit switch 25 are provided to which the principle is applied, and the sub-tank 20 The fullness of the drain tank 11 is detected by counting the number of times the drain tank 11 is drained. The sensor for detecting full water, which was conventionally attached to drain tank 11, has now been replaced. The sensor 15 is no longer required, and the spot cooler body 10a is connected to the drain tank 11. It is no longer necessary to provide the harness 16. Therefore, the spot cooler body 10 The ease of attaching and detaching the drain tank 11 to a is improved, making it easier for users to drain the tank when it is full Not only does the wastewater treatment of the in-tank 11 become easier, but the harness 16 can be arranged at the manufacturing stage. The number of man-hours is reduced by the elimination of line processes, and productivity is improved.

[0018] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the spot cooler main body 10a and the drain Since the harness 16 between the spot cooler body 10 and the tank 11 is removed, the spot cooler body 10 It is now possible to freely set the distance between a and the drain tank 11. The shape and size of the space where the cooler will be used, or the internal layout of the space, etc. Increased flexibility in selecting spot cooler placement according to various usage conditions, increasing convenience. will improve. For example, the spot cooler main body 10a can be operated remotely from the ceiling. If it is hung, the installation location of the drain tank 11 can be selected from a wider range than before. can.

[0019] Further, according to this embodiment, the sensor 15 is installed in the drain tank 11 as described above. Since there is no need to install it, there are no restrictions on the structure or shape of the drain tank 11. Any general-purpose tank can be used as the drain tank 11.

[0020] In this embodiment, the limit switch 25 controls the sub-tank 20. The drainage operation is detected, but in addition to this, a photoelectric switch or other suitable It is also possible to use a detection switch.

[0021] In addition, in this embodiment, a notification device is used to notify the user that the drain tank 11 is full of water. As a step, a visually appealing warning light 28 was used, but a buzzer or other auditory warning light was used. or both may be used together.

[0022]

[Effect of the idea]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need to install a sensor in the drain tank. The structure is designed to detect when the drain tank is full, making it possible to detect when the drain tank is full. The wiring that used to come out from the main body of the drain tank to the drain tank is no longer necessary, and the drain tank can be drained easily. Improves ease of handling when water is used and flexibility in spot cooler placement.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal structure of a spot cooler according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the controller in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an external view showing an example of a conventional spot cooler.

4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a main part schematically showing the structure of a main part of the spot cooler shown in FIG. 3; FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10a...Spot cooler body 11...Drain tank 12...Drain hose 19...Evaporator 20...Subtank (water storage means) 22...Horizontal axis 23...Weight 25...Limit switch (detection means) 26...Controller (control means)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Claim 1: A spot cooler body (10a) that cools air with a built-in evaporator (19) and a drain tank (11) that stores condensed water generated around the evaporator (19) are connected by a drain hose (12). In the spot cooler formed by connecting the spot cooler main body (10
a) It is provided inside so that it can be tilted freely around the horizontal axis (22),
a water storage means (20) capable of storing a certain amount of condensed water to be discharged into the drain tank (11); and a detection means (25) for detecting that the condensed water in the water storage means (20) has been discharged. , a control means for counting the number of draining operations of the water storage means (20) based on the signal from the detection means (25), and stopping the operation of the spot cooler main body (10a) when this number reaches a predetermined number or more; (26) A spot cooler characterized by having the following.