JPH10103749A - Connecting structure for duct - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate connecting work of a duct by a method wherein an end of the duct and a cylindrical duct connection provided to a casing are attached to each other with the aid of an attachment. SOLUTION: A casing 20 comprises a casing main body 21 and a cylindrical duct connection 22 made of sheet metal and formed on a side face of the casing main body 1, and a heat-insulating material 23 such as polystyrene foam is mounted on an inner wall face of the casing 20 from the casing main body 21 to the duct connection 22. Two protrusions 24 are formed on an outer peripheral face of the duct connection 22, and a taper portion 24a and a wall portion 24b are formed on the protrusions 24. An attachment 40 is composed of an inside cylindrical part 41, an annular flange 42 provided at the central portion of the cylindrical part 41 in its axial direction, and an outside cylindrical part 43 disposed concentrically on the flange 42 and inscribed to an outer peripheral portion of the flange 42. The outside cylindrical part 43 has four holes 44 formed in the flange 42, and the protrusions 24 are fitted into the holes 44 to be locked thereto. Then, the attachment 40 is mounted to a top end of a duct 30. At a final step, a connecting portion between the duct 30 and the attachment 40 is fixed together with a sealing material 50.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a duct connection structure for connecting a duct and a housing of an air conditioner using the duct, and more particularly to a structure for facilitating the connection work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a connection operation for connecting a casing of an air conditioner using a duct to a duct is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the end portion 13 of the duct 12 is directly covered on the cylindrical duct connection portion 11 formed on the housing 10 side, and the duct fixing band 14 is wound therefrom and tightened with a screwdriver to tightly adhere. And heat insulating material 1
5 and the adhesive tape 16 were wound thereon to take measures against dew condensation. The above operations were all performed in the actual installation state.

[0003]

The above-mentioned conventional connection work between the housing and the duct has the following problems. That is, since an air conditioner using a duct is usually arranged in a ceiling or the like, the connection work as described above requires a large number of steps and is difficult to work in a narrow ceiling or the like.

[0004] Further, since the work is performed while looking up at the connection between the duct connection part of the housing and the duct from below, it cannot be confirmed whether or not the duct is properly covered over the duct connection part. .

Furthermore, since the difference between the outer diameter of the duct connection and the inner diameter of the duct is reduced in order to increase the degree of adhesion between the duct connection and the duct, there is a problem that the duct is tight when inserted. .

Furthermore, the duct connection portion is made of sheet metal, and there is a problem that dew condensation easily occurs due to leakage of cool air due to incomplete connection. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a duct connection structure that can easily perform a connection operation between a duct connection portion of a housing and a duct.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner having a heat exchanger and a blower in a housing. In a duct connection structure for connecting a duct to a duct, a tubular duct connection portion provided in the housing and an end of the duct are attached via an attachment.

[0008] According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1 of the present invention.
In the invention described in the above, the attachment comprises an inner cylindrical portion and an outer cylindrical portion arranged concentrically,
The outer peripheral portion of the inner cylindrical portion is formed so as to fit into the inner peripheral portion of the duct, and the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion is formed so as to fit the outer peripheral portion of the duct.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the second aspect.
In the invention described in the above, the outer peripheral portion of the duct connection portion is formed so as to fit to the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and a projection is provided, and the wall portion of the outer cylindrical portion is An engagement portion that engages with the projection is provided.

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 4, according to claim 2 of the present invention.
In the invention described in (1), the attachment is made of a soft mold resin. In the invention described in claim 5, in the invention described in claim 2, the outer peripheral portion of the duct connection portion is formed so as to fit with the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and the inner peripheral portion thereof is formed. The portion is provided with a heat insulating material for preventing dew condensation in a cylindrical shape, and an inner peripheral portion of the heat insulating material is formed so as to fit with an outer peripheral portion of the inner cylindrical portion.

[0011] According to the invention described in claim 6, in claim 2 of the present invention.
In the invention described in (1), the axial length of the inner cylindrical portion is longer than the axial length of the outer cylindrical portion. Claim 7
In the invention described in (1), in the invention described in claim 1, in place of the duct connection part of the casing, an end of another duct other than the duct or a duct connection part of another device such as a blowing unit is provided. Have.

As a result of taking the above measures, the following operation occurs. That is, in the invention described in claim 1, the duct connection portion provided on the housing and the end of the duct are attached via the attachment, so that the duct connection portion and the end of the duct are directly connected to each other. No need to connect. For this reason, attachment becomes easy.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the attachment has an inner cylindrical portion formed so that an outer peripheral portion thereof is fitted to an inner peripheral portion of the duct, and an inner peripheral portion thereof is fitted to an outer peripheral portion of the duct. Since the outer cylindrical portion formed concentrically with the outer cylindrical portion is concentrically arranged, the joint with the duct can be made airtight. Therefore, contact with outside air can be cut off,
The occurrence of dew can be prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the outer peripheral portion of the duct connecting portion is formed so as to fit into the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and the outer peripheral portion is provided with a projection, and the outer cylindrical portion is provided. Since the wall is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the protrusion, the duct connection and the attachment can be reliably connected by engaging the protrusion with the engaging portion.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the attachment is formed of a soft mold resin, the attachment can be deformed when the attachment and the duct connection portion are connected and disconnected, and the connection work is easy. Becomes Further, the occurrence of dew condensation can be minimized by the heat insulating effect of the mold resin.

In the invention described in claim 5, the outer peripheral portion of the duct connection portion is formed so as to fit into the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and the inner peripheral portion has a cylindrical shape for preventing dew condensation. Is provided, and the inner peripheral portion of the thermal insulator is formed so as to be fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylindrical portion, so that the joint between the duct connection portion and the attachment can be airtight. Therefore, the contact with the outside air can be cut off, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be prevented. Further, heat transfer from the outside air can be suppressed by the heat insulating material, thereby also preventing the occurrence of dew condensation.

In the invention described in claim 6, since the axial length of the inner cylindrical portion is longer than the axial length of the outer cylindrical portion, the connection between the inner cylindrical portion serving as a flow path and the duct connection portion or the duct is provided. The part is easily visible from the outside. Moreover, since the joint area between the inner cylindrical portion and the duct connection portion or the duct can be increased, the airtightness can be further improved.

In the invention described in claim 7, a duct connection portion of another device such as an end of a duct other than the duct or a blow-out unit is provided in place of the duct connection portion of the housing. For this reason, even if it is used as an attachment to a duct connection part of another device such as a relay member connecting the ducts or an outlet unit, the connection can be easily made.

[0019]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a duct connection structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a main part of FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a housing of the air conditioner;
0 indicates a duct, 40 indicates an attachment, and 50 indicates a seal material. The housing 20, the duct 30, and the attachment 40 constitute a duct connection structure.

The housing 20 includes a housing body 21, a cylindrical duct connecting portion 22 having an outer diameter D and a thickness t made of sheet metal formed on a side surface of the housing body 21, and a housing body 21. A heat insulating material 23 made of, for example, styrene foam is attached to the inner wall surface of the duct connection portion 22.

The heat insulating material 23 in the duct connecting portion 22 has an inner diameter d. In addition, two protrusions 24 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the duct connection portion 22 at a distance α from the right end in FIG. The tapered portion 24 is located on the right side of the protrusion 24 in FIG.
a is formed, and a wall 24b is formed on the left side in the radial direction.

The duct 30 includes a cylindrical duct body 31 having an inner diameter d, and a heat insulating material 32 having an outer diameter D attached around the duct body 31. The attachment 40 includes an inner cylindrical portion 41 having an inner diameter d, and an annular flange portion 42 provided at an axially central portion of the inner cylindrical portion 41.
And an outer cylindrical portion 4 having an inner diameter D which is arranged concentrically with respect to the inner cylindrical portion 41 and inscribed in the outer peripheral portion of the flange portion 42
3 is provided. The attachment 40 is formed of a soft mold resin.

The inner cylindrical portion 41 has a length G in the axial direction. The left end of the inner cylindrical portion 41 in FIG.
1a, the right end is 41b. On the other hand, the outer cylindrical portion 43 is formed to have a length g whose axial direction is shorter than the length G. The left end of the outer cylindrical portion 43 in FIG.
On the other hand, a total of four holes 44 are formed in the outer cylindrical portion 43 at a position of a distance α from the flange 42 side to both sides. The holes 44 are arranged at positions corresponding to the protrusions 24 of the duct connection portion 22, and the protrusions 24 are fitted into the holes 44, and the protrusions 24 are locked by the holes 44. It has become.

In the duct connection structure thus constructed, the connection between the housing 20 and the duct 30 is performed as follows. That is, the duct 30 is cut to a length necessary for burying work. This allows the duct body 31
The left end in FIG. 1 forms a tip 31a.

Next, the attachment 40 is attached to the distal end 31a of the duct 30. That is, the duct body 31
The right end 41b of the inner cylindrical portion 41 is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion 41, and the right end 43b of the outer cylindrical portion 43 is inserted into the outer peripheral portion of the heat insulating material 32. The distal end portion 31a of the duct main body 31 is
Push until it touches. Finally, the connecting portion between the duct 30 and the attachment 40 is fixed with the sealing material 50.

Next, as shown by a two-dot chain line arrow X1 in FIG. 3, a connection operation between the attachment 40 and the duct connection portion 22 is performed. That is, the left end 41a of the inner cylindrical portion 41 is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the duct connection portion 22 (the inner peripheral portion of the heat insulating material 23), and the left end 43a of the outer cylindrical portion 43 is inserted. Since the inner cylindrical portion 41 is longer than the outer cylindrical portion 43, it becomes easy for a worker to insert the inner cylindrical portion 41 into the duct connection portion 22. Next, circumferential positioning of the protrusion 24 and the hole 44 is performed. At this time, the tapered portion 24a of the projection 24 comes into contact with the left end 43a of the outer cylindrical portion 43, but since the attachment 40 is formed of the mold resin, the outer cylindrical portion 43 easily spreads. Therefore, insertion can be performed easily. When the distal end portion 22a of the duct connection portion 22 comes into contact with the flange portion 42, the projection 24 is locked in the hole 44.

Since the wall 24b of the projection 24 engaged with the hole 44 is formed substantially perpendicular to the hole 44, the attachment 40 can easily be connected to the duct connecting portion 22.
Not get out of

On the other hand, when the attachment 40 is to be removed from the duct connecting portion 22, the attachment 40 is rotated in the circumferential direction as shown by the two-dot chain arrow X2 in FIG. Outer cylindrical part 43
Easily spread out. When the projection 24 comes off the hole 44, the attachment 40 can be removed by pulling it out to the right in FIG.

In the duct connection structure thus configured, the joint between the attachment 40 and the duct 30 can be made airtight. Therefore, the contact with the outside air can be cut off, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be prevented. In addition, the attachment 40 itself is made of a molded resin material,
Since the heat insulating material 23 is provided, the heat insulating property can be maintained, and the occurrence of dew condensation due to the contact with the outside air can be prevented.

Further, since the projection 23 of the duct connecting portion 22 and the hole 44 of the attachment 40 can be easily engaged, workability is improved and a reliable connection can be made. Therefore, it can be kept airtight enough,
The occurrence of dew can be prevented.

Further, the attachment 40 and the duct 30
Even if the dimensional relationship with the duct connection portion 22 is made tight to enhance airtightness, the attachment 40 is flexible, so that the attachment work becomes easy. Further, since the attachment work is easy, the attachment can be surely carried out even when the connection portion between the attachment 40 and the duct connection portion 22 is not visible. Therefore, sufficient airtightness can be maintained, and dew condensation does not occur.

Further, since the work of attaching and detaching the attachment 40 and the duct 30 can be performed irrespective of the position of the air conditioner, complicated work such as fixing of the sealing material 50 can be performed on the ground. .

Further, the inner cylindrical portion 41 is connected to the outer cylindrical portion 43.
Since the connection portion between the attachment 40 and the duct connection portion 22 or the duct 30 can be easily visually recognized from the outside, the insertion operation can be performed more reliably. Further, since the contact area between the attachment 40 and the duct connecting portion 22 or the duct 30 can be increased, the airtightness can be further improved.

As described above, according to the duct connection structure according to the first embodiment, the duct connection portion 2
2 and the duct 30 can be easily and reliably connected, and the reliable connection does not cause any trouble such as dew condensation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modification of the first embodiment. The attachment 40A according to this modification differs from the above-described embodiment in that a groove 45 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the outer cylindrical portion 43 instead of the hole 44.

The groove portion 45 extends in the axial direction from the left end 43a side of the outer cylindrical portion 43, and extends along the circumferential direction from the end of the first groove portion 45a on the flange portion 42 side. And a second groove 45b provided.

Attachment 40 thus formed
In A, the connection to the duct connection part 22 is made as follows.
The connection method with the duct 30 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the description is omitted.

That is, as shown by a two-dot chain line arrow Y1 in FIG. 4, after the inner cylindrical portion 41 of the attachment 40A is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the duct connecting portion 22 (the inner peripheral portion of the heat insulating material 23), the outer cylindrical portion The first groove portion 45 a of the portion 43 is inserted into the duct connection portion 22 in accordance with the projection 24. The protruding portion 24 advances in the first groove portion 45a along the extending direction to the end portion on the flange portion 42 side. Here, by rotating the attachment 40A in the circumferential direction by 15 ° to 30 °, the protrusion 24 enters the second groove 45b, and the protrusion 24 is locked in the groove 45.

Since the wall 24b of the projection 24 engaged with the hole 44 is formed substantially perpendicular to the second groove 45b, the attachment 40A does not easily fall out of the duct connecting part 22.

On the other hand, when the attachment 40A is detached from the duct connection part 22, the attachment 40A is operated in the opposite direction to the case of the attachment as shown by the two-dot chain line Y2 in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the ducts 30 are connected to each other. That is, the attachment 40 can be used as a relay member by connecting the ducts 30 to each other. Also in this case, the attachment 4
Since 0 itself is made of a molded resin material, it is possible to maintain the heat insulating property with the outside air and to prevent dew condensation from occurring. Further, even if the dimensional relationship between the attachment 40 and the duct 30 is made tight in order to enhance the airtightness, the attachment 40 has flexibility, so that the attachment work becomes easy. Further, since the mounting work is easy, the mounting can be surely performed, the airtightness can be sufficiently maintained, and dew condensation does not occur.

Similarly, it is needless to say that the attachment 40 can be used when the duct 30 is connected to a duct connecting portion (not shown) of another device such as a blowing unit.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. That is, in the above embodiment,
Although the connection between the duct 30 and the attachment 40 is fixed by the sealing material 50, it may be fixed by a heat insulating material. Further, in the above-described embodiment, two protrusions 24 of the duct connection portion 22 are formed at intervals of 180 degrees, but three protrusions 24 may be formed at intervals of 90 degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees. In the case where three attachments are formed at such intervals, the attachment 40 can be sufficiently deformed when the attachment 40 is rotated for removal, and the attachment 40 can be easily removed. It does not occur. In addition, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0043]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the duct connection portion provided on the housing and the end of the duct are attached via the attachment, the duct connection portion and the end of the duct are attached. There is no need to connect directly to the unit. For this reason, attachment becomes easy.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the attachment has an inner cylindrical portion formed so that an outer peripheral portion thereof is fitted to an inner peripheral portion of the duct, and an inner peripheral portion formed of the inner peripheral portion of the duct. Is arranged concentrically with the outer cylindrical portion formed so as to fit, so that the joint with the duct can be airtight. Therefore, the contact with the outside air can be cut off, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the outer peripheral portion of the duct connecting portion is formed so as to fit into the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and the outer peripheral portion is provided with a projection. Since the wall of the cylindrical portion is provided with an engagement portion that engages with the projection, the engagement of the projection with the engagement portion allows the duct connection portion and the attachment to be reliably connected.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the attachment is formed of a soft mold resin,
The attachment can be deformed when connecting the attachment and the duct connection portion, and the connection work is facilitated. Further, the occurrence of dew condensation can be minimized by the heat insulating effect of the mold resin.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the outer peripheral portion of the duct connection portion is formed so as to fit into the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and the inner peripheral portion has a cylindrical dew condensation. Since the heat insulating material for prevention is provided, and the inner peripheral portion of the heat insulating material is formed so as to fit to the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylindrical portion, the joint portion between the duct connection portion and the attachment can be made airtight. . Therefore, the contact with the outside air can be cut off, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be prevented. Further, heat transfer from the outside air can be suppressed by the heat insulating material, thereby also preventing the occurrence of dew condensation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the axial length of the inner cylindrical portion is longer than the axial length of the outer cylindrical portion, the inner cylindrical portion serving as a flow path and the duct connection portion or the duct are not provided. Is easily visible from the outside. Moreover, since the joint area between the inner cylindrical portion and the duct connection portion or the duct can be increased, the airtightness can be further improved.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a duct connection portion of another device such as an end of a duct other than the duct or a blowing unit is provided instead of the duct connection portion of the housing. For this reason, even if it is used as an attachment to a duct connection part of another device such as a relay member connecting the ducts or an outlet unit, the connection can be easily made.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a duct connection structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a connection structure of the duct.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a connection method using a connection structure of the duct.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a connection method according to a modified example of the connection structure of the duct.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a duct connection structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional duct connection structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Housing 22 ... Connection part 23 ... Heat insulation material 24 ... Projection part 30 ... Duct 31 ... Duct main body 32 ... Heat insulation material 40, 40A ... Attachment 41 ... Inner cylindrical part 43 ... Outer cylindrical part 44 ... Hole 45 ... Groove part

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A duct connection structure for connecting a duct to an inlet or an outlet of an air conditioner having a heat exchanger and a blower in a housing, wherein the duct connection portion is provided in the housing. A duct connection structure, wherein the duct and an end of the duct are attached via an attachment. 2. The attachment has an inner cylindrical portion and an outer cylindrical portion arranged concentrically, and an outer peripheral portion of the inner cylindrical portion is formed so as to fit into an inner peripheral portion of the duct, The duct connection structure according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion is formed so as to fit an outer peripheral portion of the duct. 3. An outer peripheral portion of the duct connecting portion is formed so as to be fitted to an inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and a projection is provided. The projection is provided on a wall of the outer cylindrical portion. 3. The duct connection structure according to claim 2, further comprising an engaging portion that engages with the duct. 4. The duct connection structure according to claim 2, wherein the attachment is formed of a soft mold resin. 5. An outer peripheral portion of the duct connection portion is formed so as to fit into an inner peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical portion, and a heat insulating material for preventing dew condensation is provided on the inner peripheral portion in a cylindrical shape. The duct connection structure according to claim 2, wherein an inner peripheral portion of the heat insulating material is formed so as to fit with an outer peripheral portion of the inner cylindrical portion. 6. An axial length of the inner cylindrical portion is longer than an axial length of the outer cylindrical portion.
Connection structure of the duct described in. 7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a duct connection portion of another device such as an end of a duct other than the duct or a blowing unit is provided in place of the duct connection portion of the housing. Connection structure of the duct described in.