JPH10220797A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely keep a stop state of a front surface panel by a locking member without deteriorating workability of a maintenance work and the like of demounting the front surface panel. SOLUTION: A front panel includes a shaft part. A body casing 1 includes a recessed part 6. The recessed part 6 is accomodated to mount the front panel on the body casing 1. A locking member 4 is slidably provided between a stop position A where the shaft part accomodated in the recessed part 6 is stopped and a release position. A substinatially semi-sphere abutment protrusion 10 is protruded on a slide surface 7. The abutment protrusion 10 is brought into contact with a lower end surface 21 of the locking member 4 staying at the stop position A.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner configured to detachably mount a front panel to a main body casing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent air conditioners, a front panel is detachably provided on a main body casing so that the detached front panel can be washed independently with water. FIG. 7 is a partially broken enlarged perspective view showing an indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention. The conventional air conditioner will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a main body casing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, and 2 is a front grill which constitutes a front side of the main body casing 1. 3 is a front panel attached so as to cover the front of the front grill 3. At the center of the upper part of the back surface of the front panel 3, a support plate 8 protruding to the rear side and a columnar shaft 5 protruding from the support plate 8 are formed integrally with the front panel 3. I have.

On the other hand, a recess 6 is formed in the center of the front grill 2 so as to receive the shaft 5 from the front. Below the recess 6, a sliding surface for sliding the lock member 4 is provided. Slopes 7 and 15 are formed. The lock member 4 is provided on the slopes 7 and 15 by an operator operating the knob 9 with a finger.
By sliding the upper part, the upper end part 20 is positioned so as to cover the opening side of the concave part 6, and the shaft part 5 housed in the concave part 6 is
1 and a release position B (see FIG. 3) for releasing the lock. Then, the lock member 4 is moved by an arrow F shown in FIG.
And the front panel 3 can be removed from the main body casing 1 by releasing the locking of the shaft 5 and the shaft 5 is housed in the recess 6. The lock member 4 is moved in the direction of the arrow L shown in the figure to be positioned at the locking position A, the shaft portion 5 is locked, and the front panel 3 is attached to the main body casing 1.

[0004]

However, in the conventional lock member 4, the engaging projection 11 (see FIG. 1) provided on the back surface of the upper end 20 is engaged with the lower surface 6a of the recess 6. Only from the locking position A to the release position B
Movement toward was regulated. Therefore, when the mounting of the lock member 4 is rattled due to an error in component dimensions or the like, and a slight movement toward the opposite concave side is generated at the upper end side of the lock member 4 located at the locking position A, the engagement protrusion is formed. Part 11
The engagement between the lock member 4 and the recess lower surface 6a is released, and the lock member 4 located at the locking position A easily slides to the release position B due to gravity or the like. However, even if such a situation occurs, at the time of normal use of the air conditioner in which the front panel 3 is closed in the direction of arrow T shown in FIG. As a result, the front panel 3 is securely fixed, so that the front panel 3 does not accidentally fall into the room. However, when a maintenance worker or the like who believes that the lock member 4 is at the lock position A tries to open the front panel 3 in the direction of arrow H shown in FIG. Therefore, there is a problem that the front panel 3 may suddenly fall off.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages, and has as its object to reduce the workability of the front panel by removing the front panel without reducing the workability of the front panel by the lock member. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can reliably maintain a locked state.

[0006]

Therefore, the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a front panel 3 provided with a shaft 5 and a main body casing 1 provided with a concave portion 6 for accommodating the shaft 5. The front panel 3 is detachably attached to the main body casing 1 by housing the shaft portion 5 in the recess 6, and the shaft portion 5 housed in the recess 6 is located on the opening side of the recess 6. The lock member 4 that moves between a lock position A for locking the lock and a release position B where the lock is released,
In an air conditioner provided to slide on sliding surfaces 7, 15 formed on the main body casing 1, the sliding surface 7
In addition, a contact projection 10 is provided which comes into contact with the lock member 4 located at the lock position A and restricts the lock member 4 from moving in the release position B direction.

In the air conditioner of the first aspect, the sliding surface 7
Since the contact protrusion 10 is provided on the upper side, it is possible to reliably restrict the movement of the lock member 4 located at the locking position A in the release position B direction.

In the air conditioner according to the second aspect, the contact projection 10 has its contact side with the lock member 4 in the locking position A.
The lock member 4 has a smooth shape along the sliding direction of the lock member 4 from the to the release position B.

In the air conditioner according to the second aspect, the lock member 4 that goes from the locking position A to the release position B can smoothly ride on the contact projection 10.

Further, in the air conditioner according to the third aspect, the lock member 4 abuts on the abutting projection 10 at one end 21 thereof, while the locking member 4 is provided with a locking position on the sliding surface 7 side of the other end 20. A
An engagement projection 11 is formed to engage with the recess 6 to restrict the lock member 4 from moving in the direction of the release position B. , 1
5 is characterized in that it is sandwiched in a direction intersecting therewith.

In the air conditioner of the third aspect, when one end of the lock member 4 moves in a direction away from the sliding surface 7,
The other end moves in a direction approaching the sliding surface 7. Therefore, the movement of the lock member 4 located at the locking position A in the direction of the release position B can be reliably restricted by one of the contact protrusion 10 and the engagement protrusion 11.

[0012]

Next, specific embodiments of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a partially broken enlarged perspective view showing a central portion of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body casing of the indoor unit, and reference numeral 2 denotes a front grill constituting a front side of the main body casing 1. 3 is a front panel attached so as to cover the front of the front grill 3. A support plate 8 protruding rearward is formed integrally at the center of the upper part of the back surface of the front panel 3. Further, at the tip of the support plate 8, a columnar shaft portion 5 serving as a center of opening and closing of the front panel 3 is formed. The shaft portion 5 is provided perpendicular to the plate surface of the support plate 8 and is disposed along the upper edge of the front panel 3.

On the other hand, a concave portion 6 is formed along the upper edge of the front grille 2 at the center thereof so as to accommodate the shaft portion 5 from the front. The recess 6 is formed integrally with a lattice 16 provided to reinforce the front grill 2. On the surface of the lattice 16 connected to the concave portion 6, slopes 7 and 15 are formed as sliding surfaces that are inclined obliquely downward and forward from the concave portion 16. A lock member 4 is provided between these slopes 7 and 15.
Is formed at a locking position (position shown in FIG. 1) A.

The lock member 4 is provided with an upper slope 15.
And the lower part 1 sliding on the lower slope 7
9 and a knob 9 projecting obliquely upward and forward from the lower portion 19.
And is slidably disposed between the locking position A and the release position (the position shown in FIG. 3) B along the slopes 7 and 15. FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing the lock member 4 at the locking position A. As shown in the drawing, the lock member 4 at the locking position A is positioned so that the upper end 20 covers the opening side of the concave portion 6, whereby the concave portion 6 is closed.
The shaft part 5 housed in is locked. On the back side of the upper end portion 20 of the lock member 4, an engagement projection 11 is provided so as to project therefrom. In the engagement position A shown in FIG.
a, the lock member 4 moves downward to release position B
It is regulated to go to. Further on the lower slope 7,
As shown in the figure, a contact projection 10 is provided in a protruding manner. As shown in an enlarged sectional view of FIG.
It is formed in a substantially hemispherical shape. And the lock member 4
Is in the locking position A shown in FIG.
Abuts on the lower end surface 21 of the lock member 4 to restrict the lock member 4 from sliding downward to the release position B. Further, the lock member 4 has a T
Form members 13, 13 are formed. The T-shaped member 13 is provided with a T-shaped groove 1 formed in a lattice 16 along a slope 15 as shown in FIG.
2 is fitted. In other words, this means that the lock member 4 is slidably held at its intermediate portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the slopes 7 and 15.

FIG. 3 shows the lock member 4 in the release position B. In this state, as shown in the figure, the opening side of the concave portion 6 is opened, and the locking by the upper end portion 20 of the lock member 4 with respect to the shaft portion 5 housed in the concave portion 6 is released. In order to bring the lock member 4 from the locked state A shown in FIG. 1 to the release position B, a force is applied to the knob 9 of the lock member 4 in the direction of arrow F shown in FIG.
The engagement between the engagement projection 11 protruding from the bottom surface 6a and the lower side surface 6a of the recess 6 is released, and the lower portion 19 of the lock member 4 rides on the contact projection 10 protruding from the slope 7. Then, the lock member 4 may be moved in the direction of the arrow F.

To attach the front panel 3 to the front grill 2 of the main body casing 1 in the indoor unit of the air conditioner configured as described above, the following operation is performed. First, the lock member 4 is set to the release position B shown in FIG. 3, and the opening side of the concave portion 6 is opened. Then, the shaft 5 provided on the front panel 3 is accommodated in the recess 6 and the lock member 4 is moved in the direction of arrow L shown in FIG. Locking position A shown in
Position. Then, the front panel 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow T shown in FIG. 7 around the shaft 5 so that the front panel 3 covers the front of the front grill 2. Further, the front panel 3 is securely fixed to the front grill 2 using a fixing mechanism (not shown). On the other hand, to remove the front panel 3 from the front grill 2 of the main body casing 1, the following operation is performed. First, after releasing the fixing mechanism (not shown), the front panel 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow H shown in FIG. 7 so that the operator can operate the lock member 4 from outside. Then, as described above, the lock member 4 is moved in the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. The shaft 5 provided on the front panel 3 is connected to the grid 1
The front panel 3 is detached from the main body casing 1 by being detached from the concave portion 6 formed in the main body 6.

In the indoor unit of the air conditioner, the contact protrusion 10 is formed on the lower slope 7 which functions as a sliding surface of the lock member 4.
And is brought into contact with the lower end face 21 of the lock member 4 located at the locking position A. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the lock member 4 located at the locking position A from moving toward the release position B, and to avoid a problem that when the operator rotates the front panel 3, the front panel 3 suddenly comes off. Moreover, in the indoor unit described above, the lower end surface 21 of the lock member 4 at the locking position A is brought into contact with the abutment projection 10 projecting from the slope 7 and the engagement projection projecting from the rear surface of the upper end 20. The part 11 is engaged with the lower surface 6 a of the recess 6. And T
By fitting the shaped member 13 and the T-shaped groove 12, the intermediate portion of the lock member 4 is sandwiched in a direction substantially orthogonal to the slopes 7 and 15. Therefore, even when the mounting of the lock member 4 is unsteady due to an error in component dimensions or the like, the lock member 4 is slightly moved so as to rotate around the holding portion. Therefore, when the upper end portion 20 of the lock member 4 is slightly moved in the direction away from the inclined surface 15 and the engagement between the engagement convex portion 11 and the lower surface 6a of the concave portion 6 tends to be released, the lock member 4 The lower portion 19 slightly moves in the direction pressed against the slope 7, so that the contact between the contact protrusion 10 and the lower end surface 21 of the lock member 4 is further ensured. On the other hand, the lower portion 19 of the lock member 4 slightly moves in the direction away from the slope 7, and the contact protrusion 10 and the lower end surface 2 of the lock member 4 are moved.
When the abutment with the lock member 1 is released, the upper end portion 20 of the lock member 4 slightly moves in a direction in which the lock member 4 is pressed against the slope 15, and the engagement between the engagement protrusion 11 and the lower side surface 6 a of the recess 6 is stopped. It will be even more reliable. Therefore, even if the lock member 4 has rattling or the like, it is possible to always reliably restrict the lock member 4 located at the locking position A from moving toward the release position B.

The contact projection 10 is formed in a substantially hemispherical shape. The lock member 4 is moved from the locking position A to the release position B
It is necessary to ride the lower part 19 on the contact projection 10 in order to move the contact projection. However, since the contact projection 10 is substantially hemispherical as described above, the riding can be performed smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the workability of removing the front panel 3 from being impaired. In addition, by forming the contact convex portion 10 into a substantially hemispherical shape, molding is facilitated.

Although the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the present invention. In the above description, the contact protruding portion 10 has a substantially hemispherical shape. However, the contact protruding portion 10 may have a square cross section in which a round portion is provided as shown in FIG. 4 or a corner portion as shown in FIG. A trapezoidal cross section may be used. When the contact projection 10 is shaped as shown in FIG. 5, more external force is required to cause the lower portion 19 of the lock member 4 to ride on the contact projection 10, so that the workability of removing the front panel 3 is somewhat improved. It is thought that the locking position A
The movement of the lock member 4 located at the position (1) is more reliably controlled. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, with respect to the regulation of the movement with respect to the lock member 4 and the workability of removing the front panel 3, intermediate properties between the contact protrusion 10 shown in FIG. 2 and the contact protrusion 10 shown in FIG. Is obtained. That is, since the regulation of the movement with respect to the lock member 4 and the operability of removing the front panel 3 also have a relationship, the shape of the contact projection 10 can be appropriately selected from FIGS. That is, an air conditioner that meets the requirements at that time can be configured. Further, the contact protrusion 10 shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4 may have a smooth shape only on the side (upper side in the drawing) that contacts the lower end surface 21 of the lock member 4.
Further, the air conditioner includes the front panel 3 which is attached and detached by being rotated, but the present invention may be applied to an air conditioner having a front panel having a structure other than this. Further, in the above description, the present invention is applied to the separation type air conditioner, but the present invention can also be applied to an integrated type air conditioner.

[0021]

According to the air conditioner of the first aspect, since the lock member located at the locking position can be reliably restricted from moving toward the release position, the locked state of the front panel can be reliably determined. It can be maintained.

Further, in the air conditioner of the present invention, the lock member which goes from the locking position to the releasing position can smoothly ride on the contact convex portion, so that maintenance work for removing the front panel and the like can be performed. It is possible to avoid a decrease in workability.

Further, in the air conditioner according to the third aspect, the movement of the lock member located at the locking position toward the release position is always reliably restricted by one of the contact projection and the engagement projection. It is possible to do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of an indoor unit showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a contact projection provided in the indoor unit.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the indoor unit.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a modification of the contact protrusion.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a modification of the contact protrusion.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view showing a mechanism for slidably holding a lock member.

FIG. 7 is a partially broken enlarged perspective view of the indoor unit.

[Description of Signs] 1 Main body casing 3 Front panel 4 Lock member 5 Shaft 6 Concave 7 Slope 10 Contact protrusion 13 T-shaped member 15 Slope 20 Upper end 21 Lower end A Locking position B Release position

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A front panel (3) having a shaft (5) protruding therefrom, and a main body casing (1) provided with a recess (6) for accommodating the shaft (5), wherein the shaft is provided. Department (5)
The front panel (3) is removably attached to the main body casing (1) by accommodating the front panel (3) in the recess (6), and the recess (6) is located on the opening side of the recess (6).
Locking position (A) for locking the shaft portion (5) housed in the
The lock member (4) moving between the release position (B) where the lock is released and the lock member (4) is slid on sliding surfaces (7) and (15) formed on the main body casing (1). In the air conditioner provided, the sliding member (7) comes into contact with the locking member (4) located at the locking position (A), and the locking member (4) moves toward the release position (B). An air conditioner comprising a contact projection (10) for restricting the air conditioner. 2. The contact protrusion (10) slides on the contact side of the lock member (4) from the locking position (A) to the release position (B). 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner has a smooth shape along the moving direction. 3. The lock member (4) is in contact with the contact protrusion (10) on one end side (21), and is engaged with the slide surface (7) on the other end side (20). An engagement projection (11) is provided to engage with the recess (6) when in the stop position (A) and restrict the lock member (4) from moving toward the release position (B). , And its intermediate part (13)
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air conditioner is sandwiched in a direction intersecting the sliding surfaces (7) and (15).