JPH0630492U - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To provide an air conditioner for installation above the ceiling that eliminates the drain pan and reconfigures the drain pump assembly structure to achieve downsizing, simplification of the structure, and maintenance-free operation. To do. [Structure] A water collecting groove 2a for collecting condensed water that is dripped from above is provided on the upper surface of a pedestal 2 of the heat exchanger 1, and a pump casing 7 of the drain pump A is provided on the bottom surface of a condensed water reservoir 5 that is recessed in a part thereof. In addition to forming a concave portion, a drain port 9 for condensed water is provided on the upper part of the peripheral wall of the pump casing, and a boss hole 12a for projecting the boss 8a of the pump impeller 8 upward is provided on the open top surface of the pump casing. The condensed water, which was blocked by the cover plate 12 and collected in the condensed water reservoir, flowed down into the pump casing through the gap between the boss holes, and was discharged to the outside of the machine from the drain port by the pump impeller. On the outer peripheral surface of the boss,
A dust removing claw 15 for preventing dust from clogging the gap between the boss holes is provided in a protruding manner, and the mount is preferably made of a foam synthetic resin covered with the covering material layer 6.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention simplifies the structure of the drain pump that discharges the condensed water condensed in the heat exchanger to the outside of the machine and eliminates the drain pan, thereby achieving a smaller size and lighter weight, and maintenance-free drain pump. , About the air conditioner installed above the ceiling.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of the drain pump portion of the conventional ceiling-mounted air conditioner. Reference numeral 50 is a drain pan of an air conditioner (not shown), which temporarily stores condensed water 51 that is condensed and drops on the surface of the heat exchanger. The drain pump 60 is composed of a pump 60A and a motor 60B for driving the pump 60A. In the pump 60A, a triangular plate-shaped impeller 62 is coaxially housed in a funnel-shaped pump casing 61, and a rotary shaft of a motor 60B vertically installed in a shaft hole provided in a boss 62a portion of the impeller 62. 63 is axially fitted. The pump casing 61 has a lid 64 that seals the top opening, a water inlet 65 at the bottom end, and a drain 66 at the top side. The lid 64 is provided with a shaft hole 64a through which the boss 62a is inserted. When the motor 60B is driven with the water level in the drain pan 50 reaching the water level that blocks the water intake port 65, the water attached to the lower end of the impeller 62 due to the high speed rotation of the impeller 62 is centrifugally generated by the impeller 62. As it goes up, it ascends, reaches the position of the drainage port 66, and is discharged to the outside of the air conditioner.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The above-mentioned drain pump is generally used in an air conditioner that is installed behind the ceiling and is difficult to maintain and inspect. The drain pump under such usage conditions has some problems to be improved as listed below. a) An air conditioner that installs indoor units in a narrow space above the ceiling needs to be made as small as possible, but a drain pump whose structure is bulky hinders this size reduction. b) When the drain pump absorbs a large amount of water, the water sucked up by the impeller 62 may rise to above the drainage port 66 and overflow upward from the gap of the shaft hole 64a. In that case, dust and oil and fat floating on the water surface of the condensed water 51 pass through the gap together and adhere to this portion. Then, when it is not used during the off season, the dust and oil film solidify to close the gap, making it difficult for the pump 60A to absorb water and increasing the load on the motor 60B. c) Even in such a case, the inspection and repair of the air conditioner installed in the ceiling is extremely troublesome. d) Since the pump 60A and the motor 60B are made separately and combined, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps increase accordingly, resulting in higher cost. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make the attached drain pump as small as possible and have a simple structure so that it can be manufactured at low cost, and solve the problem that condensed water contaminated with dust causes the above-mentioned inconvenience. It is to provide an air conditioner that is maintenance-free.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioner according to the present invention is provided with a water collecting groove 2a for collecting condensed water dripping from the heat exchanger 1, on the upper surface of the pedestal 2 of the heat exchanger 1, and collecting the water. Condensed water reservoir 5 is recessed in a part of groove 2a, and a recessed portion that serves as pump casing 7 of drain pump A is formed in the bottom surface of condensed water reservoir 5 and condensed water is provided above the peripheral wall of pump casing 7. A drain port 9 is provided, and the open top surface of the pump casing 7 is closed by a lid plate 12 having a boss hole 12a for projecting the boss 8a of the pump impeller 8 upward, so that condensed water collected in the condensed water reservoir 5 It is configured such that it flows down into the pump casing 7 through the gap of the boss hole 12a and is discharged to the outside of the machine from the drain port 9 by the pump impeller 8. A dust removing claw 15 for removing dust or the like that tends to be clogged in the gap between the boss holes may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the boss 8a. Further, it is preferable that the pedestal 2 is made of foamed synthetic resin and a coating layer 6 made of metal, synthetic resin or the like is provided on the surface thereof. Further, it is preferable that a plurality of support legs 20 are provided so as to project downward on the electric motor 17 that drives the pump impeller 8, and the lower ends of the support legs 20 are pressed against the upper surface of the cover plate 12.

[0005]

[Action]

 The condensed water condensed on the surface of the heat exchanger 1 drops into the water collecting groove 2a provided on the upper surface of the gantry 2 and collects in the condensed water reservoir 5 provided on a part of the water collecting groove 2a. It flows into the pump casing 7 through the gap of the boss hole 12a provided in the lid plate 12 that closes the open top surface of the casing 7, and is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drainage port 9 by the action of the pump impeller 8 which rotates at high speed. When a foreign substance such as dust is about to be clogged in the gap, the dust removing claw 15 that is provided on the outer periphery of the boss 8a and rotates to reliably remove it. Further, if the pedestal 2 is made of foamed synthetic resin provided with the coating material layer 6, the weight can be reduced while maintaining the required strength, and the cold heat possessed by the heat exchanger 1 is less likely to be dissipated. Further, the lid plate 12 can be fixed only by placing the support leg 20 of the electric motor 17 on the lid plate 12.

[0006]

【Example】

 An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a ceiling-mounted air conditioner will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Since the structural feature of this air conditioner is in the indoor unit, the following description will be limited to this indoor unit. The indoor unit 30 whose schematic structure is shown in FIG. 2 is installed so that the air outlet panel 32 constituting the lower surface of the casing 31 faces the unit mounting hole 40 a formed in the ceiling plate 40. An air inlet 32a for indoor air is provided at the center of the air outlet panel 32, and an air outlet 32b for conditioned air is provided at the peripheral edge.

Inside the casing 31, a pedestal 2 on which the heat exchanger 1 is placed is installed above a predetermined distance from the suction port 32a. The heat exchanger 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape so as to surround the blower 3, and the air blown out from the blower 3 is generated by the air chamber 4 for air distribution provided around the inner peripheral surface of the heat exchanger 1. , Is evenly sprayed onto the entire surface of the heat exchanger 1. Then, the conditioned air that has passed through the heat exchanger 1 is blown out into the room from the air outlet 32b. On the other hand, the condensed water that has condensed on the surface of the heat exchanger 1 drops onto the upper surface of the gantry 2 having a water receiving function. A drain pump A is attached to the gantry 2 in order to discharge the condensed water out of the machine. The structure of the drain pump A and the drain pan which has been conventionally assembled are omitted, which is a structural feature of the indoor unit 30.

The structure of the drain pump A will be described below. First, the pedestal 2 on which the heat exchanger 1 is placed corresponds to the heat exchanger 1 having a rectangular tubular shape, and its plane shape is formed into a substantially square shape as shown in FIG. It is used as a vent hole. A water collecting groove 2a is circulated in a square shape on the upper surface of the gantry 2 having a flat rectangular shape, and a step portion for fitting the bottom portion of the heat exchanger 1 is provided at the rim portion of the water collecting groove 2a. A condensed water reservoir 5 is provided in a concave shape at one location on the bottom surface of the water collecting groove 2a. In this case, the material of the gantry 2 is styrofoam, and in order to increase the surface hardness and mechanical strength of the gantry 2, a coating material layer 6 such as a metal plate or synthetic resin is provided on the surface.

At the center of the bottom surface of the condensed water reservoir 5, a recess having a substantially inverted conical shape is provided, and this recess serves as the pump casing 7 of the drain pump A. A pump impeller 8 having a substantially inverted triangular plate shape is housed in the pump casing 7. A drain port 9 for discharging the condensed water to the outside of the machine is provided on the upper part of the peripheral wall of the pump casing 7. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the drainage port 9 has a shape in which a part of the bottom surface of the condensed water reservoir 5 is recessed into a groove shape. Further, a water drain hole 10 is formed at the bottom of the pump casing 7 so as to penetrate to the back side of the gantry 2 and is normally closed by a plug 11.

The open top surface 7 a of the pump casing 7 is closed by a cover plate 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the lid plate 12 is shaped so that the open top surface of the drainage port 9 having a groove shape can be simultaneously closed. The lid plate 12 is provided with a boss hole 12a through which the boss 8a of the pump impeller 8 is inserted. The rim of the boss hole 12a is recessed downward in a funnel shape. In addition, a hose joint 14 for connecting the drain hose 13 is provided upright in a position facing the drainage port 9. On the outer peripheral surface of the boss 8a, a dust removing claw 15 is projectingly provided at a portion facing the inner peripheral surface of the boss hole 12a so as to remove dust that tends to be clogged in the gap between the boss hole 12a and the boss 8a. (See Figures 1 and 5). Further, the bottom surface of the condensed water reservoir 5 is provided with a fitting recess 5a into which the lid plate 12 is dropped. Reference numeral 16 is an annular packing placed on the peripheral portion of the fitting recess 5a.

Reference numeral 17 denotes an electric motor for driving the pump impeller 8. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a set of mounting plates 19 and 19 is attached to the upper part of the electric motor using four setscrews 18. There is. The mounting plate 19 is fixed to a support member 33 provided on the casing 31. Further, the electric motor 17 is provided with four rod-shaped support legs 20 protruding downward by using set screws 18. The lengths of the support legs 20 are set so that the lower ends of the support legs 20 can be pressed against the upper surface of the cover plate 12 with the electric motor 17 fixed as described above. In this mounted state, the drive shaft 17a of the electric motor 17 is fitted into the shaft hole of the boss 8a of the pump impeller 8.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the operation of the air conditioner is started, the electric motor 17 is simultaneously driven and the pump impeller 8 starts to rotate at high speed. The condensed water condensed on the surface of the heat exchanger 1 cooled by the refrigerant drops on the water collecting groove 2a of the lower pedestal 2 and then flows toward the condensed water reservoir 5. The open top surface 7a of the pump casing 7 recessed in the bottom surface of the condensed water reservoir 5 is closed by the cover plate 12, but there is a gap between the boss hole 12a provided in the cover plate 12 and the boss 8a. Therefore, the condensed water that has flowed into the condensed water reservoir 5 flows into the pump casing 7 through this gap, and immediately after that, the condensed water is touched by the pump impeller 8 that is rotating at high speed, and is splashed off. It is pushed to the drain port 9 that opens at the upper part of the peripheral wall, and is discharged to the outside of the air conditioner through the drain hose 13. When the amount of condensed water generated is small, it will be discharged to the outside of the machine as soon as it accumulates in the pump casing 7 as described above. However, even if the amount of generated condensed water is large in the pump casing 7, the pump impeller 8 It is rapidly discharged from the drain port 9 by the strong centrifugal action force of.

As described above, the condensed water dropped from the surface of the heat exchanger 1 immediately flows into the pump casing 7 and is quickly discharged without being temporarily stored in the drain pan as in the conventional case. Becomes unnecessary. Therefore, as in the past, foreign substances such as dust and oily substances that are considerably contained in the air to be conditioned are gradually deposited on the drain pan having a large surface area, and the condensate contaminated by the foreign substances is sucked up by the drain pump, and at the beginning. The problem of occurrence of the obstacles mentioned above is almost completely eliminated. However, if dust is about to be clogged in the gap between the boss holes 12a, especially when operating in a place where dust is likely to be generated, the dust removing claws 15 protruding from the rotating boss 8a remove this dust. Will surely eliminate it.

In the above embodiment, the object of the present invention can be achieved even if the design of the detailed structure is appropriately changed. For example, the gantry 2 may be made by injection molding a hard synthetic resin or by pressing a metal plate. Further, the pump casing 7 may be formed in a hemispherical shape or any other shape. Alternatively, another type of pump could be incorporated. Further, the shapes of the drainage groove 2a and the drainage port 9 may be changed as needed.

[0015]

[Effect of device]

 As is clear from the above description, the air conditioner according to the present invention has various practical excellent effects as listed below. (A) The air conditioner as a whole can be downsized because the conventional drain pan is unnecessary. (B) Further, the air conditioner can be downsized by forming the pump casing of the drain pump integrally with the frame. (C) Since the structure is simplified by adopting the configuration described in the item (b), the drain pump can be manufactured at low cost. (D) Unlike the conventional technology in which the drain pump sucks up the condensed water in the drain pan where dust is collected and contaminated, the condensed water flows into the drain pump immediately after dripping from the heat exchanger, so it becomes dirty with dust. Almost no trouble is caused by sucking up condensed water. (E) Therefore, it is possible to make an air conditioner installed in the ceiling, which is difficult to repair and inspect, maintenance-free. (F) Even if the boss hole is likely to be clogged with dust, such as when it is used in a place where much dust is generated, the dust removing claw reliably removes it. (G) If the gantry is made of foamed synthetic resin with a coating layer, the air conditioner can be made lighter and the waste heat of the cold heat of the heat exchanger can be prevented. (H) When the electric motor is installed, the supporting legs can be fixed at the same time without using the fixing member by simply arranging the supporting legs on the upper surface of the lid plate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of the indoor unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the indoor unit of the above.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an attachment state of the drain pump of the above.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lid plate of the above.

FIG. 6 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing an installation state of a drain pump according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A drain pump 1 heat exchanger 2 mount 2a water collection groove 3 blower 4 air chamber 5 condensed water reservoir 5a fitting recess 6 coating material layer 7 pump casing 7a open top surface 8 pump impeller 8a boss 9 drainage port 10 drain hole 11 plug body 12 Cover Plate 12a Boss Hole 13 Drain Hose 14 Hose Joint 15 Dust Removal Claw 16 Packing 17 Electric Motor 17a Drive Shaft 18 Set Screw 19 Mounting Plate 20 Support Leg 30 Indoor Unit 31 Casing 32 Air Outlet Panel 32a Suction Port 32b Air Outlet 33 Supporting Member 40 Ceiling board 40a mounting hole

Claims (4)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A water collecting groove 2a for collecting condensed water dripping from the heat exchanger 1 is provided on an upper surface of a pedestal 2 of the heat exchanger 1, and a condensed water reservoir 5 is formed in a part of the water collecting groove 2a. Then, the bottom surface of the condensed water reservoir 5 is provided with a recessed portion which becomes the pump casing 7 of the drain pump A, and the drain port 9 is provided on the upper portion of the peripheral wall of the pump casing 7, and the release top surface of the pump casing 7 is , The boss 8a of the pump impeller 8 is closed by a cover plate 12 provided with a boss hole 12a for projecting upward, and the condensed water collected in the condensed water reservoir 5 is
The air conditioner is configured to flow down into the pump casing 7 through the gap and be discharged to the outside of the machine from the drain port 9 by the pump impeller 8. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the boss 8a is provided with a dust removing claw 15 for removing dust or the like that tends to be clogged in the gap of the boss hole 12a. . 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the gantry 2 is made of foamed synthetic resin, and a coating material layer 6 made of metal, synthetic resin, or the like is provided on the surface thereof. . 4. The electric motor 17 for driving the pump impeller 8 is provided with a plurality of support legs 20 projecting downward, and the lower ends of the support legs 20 are pressed against the upper surface of the cover plate 12. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.