JPH11304201A - Humidifying unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable highly facilitating of maintenance work for draining parts by pulling out at feast two draining parts in package. SOLUTION: A suction port 7 and a blowoff port 8 are arranged on the rear 6 of a casing 5 and an opening 21 for maintenance is provided on the front 20 thereof. A humidifying element 13 and a solenoid valve 15 are fixed on a drain pan 12 and a water tank 14 is held. Draining parts 13-15 are pulled out in package forward as direction X for pulling out together with the drain pan 12 through the opening 21 for maintenance. This highly facilitates maintenance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidifying unit connected to an air conditioner via a duct.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general,
The humidifying unit has a humidifying element disposed in an air passage through which a ventilation flow generated by a blower fan flows.

[0003] In addition to the humidifying element, a water supply tank for supplying water to the humidifying element, and a plumbing component such as a solenoid valve for controlling water supply to the water supply tank are accommodated in the humidifying element. . For this reason, a drain pan that can receive and store water in the event of water leakage is provided below the humidification unit.

[0004] In some cases, maintenance is required for the above-mentioned plumbing components, but conventionally, it is necessary to individually remove the plumbing components, which has been troublesome.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifying unit that can easily perform maintenance on a water component.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems As means for solving the problems to achieve the above object, the aspect of the invention described in claim 1 is as follows.
In a humidifying unit having an inlet and an outlet connected to an indoor unit of an air conditioner via a duct,
A humidifying element for humidifying an air flow flowing through the air path, and a water supply tank for supplying water to the humidifying element, in a casing that internally defines an air path from the suction port to the air outlet.
An electromagnetic valve that controls water supply to the water supply tank, and a drain pan that receives water at least below the humidifying element are housed therein, and a maintenance opening that allows the drain pan to be pulled out when necessary on one side of the casing is provided. At least one of the humidifying element, the water supply tank and the solenoid valve is held by the drain pan so that it can be pulled out together with the drain pan.

[0007] In this aspect, at least one of the humidifying element, the water supply tank and the solenoid valve can be pulled out together with the drain pan through the maintenance opening. That is, since at least two plumbing components can be collectively pulled out, maintenance work on the plumbing components can be performed very easily.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the suction port and the air outlet are provided on a side surface opposite to the one side surface on which a maintenance opening is formed. Is what you do.

In this aspect, the suction port and the air outlet are collectively arranged on the opposed side faces, so that a large maintenance opening can be formed on the one side face.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the air path is formed by connecting a first air path connected to a suction port and a second air path connected to an air outlet in a folded manner. Is U
It is characterized by having a character shape.

[0011] In this aspect, by forming a U-shaped air path, the suction port and the air outlet are converged on the side face opposite to the one face provided with the maintenance opening. The layout to be arranged becomes substantially possible.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the drain pan is disposed in the first air path, and the blowing means for generating a ventilation flow in the air path is provided in the second air path. It is characterized by being arranged.

According to this aspect, the water supply components are collectively arranged in the first air path of the U-shaped air path, which is suitable for collectively removing the water supply components from the maintenance opening. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, a guide portion for guiding the drain pan is provided. In this aspect, the drain pan can be smoothly pulled out. The guide section may guide a side surface of the drain pan, for example, or may guide a stay provided on the drain pan.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the drain pan is formed on a side surface adjacent to the one side surface of the casing so as to protrude in a direction intersecting the drawing direction. And a drain pipe led out from the outlet groove, and the outlet groove is formed by a cutout groove which opens in a direction in which the drain pan is drawn out.

In this embodiment, since the lead-out groove for leading the drain pipe is formed by a cutout groove which opens in the direction in which the drain pan is drawn out, even if the drain pan is provided integrally with the drain pipe, the drain pan is kept open from the maintenance opening. Can be withdrawn.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a humidifying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 1, the present humidifying unit 1 is of a cassette type connected to a so-called ceiling-mounted indoor unit 2 of an air conditioner via a suction duct 3 and a blowing duct 4.

The above-mentioned intake duct 3 and outlet duct 4
Are connected to a suction port 7 and an air outlet 8 formed on a rear surface 6 as an opposite side surface of the casing 5 of the humidifying unit 1. Inside the casing 5, a first air passage 9 connected to the suction port 7 and a second air passage 10 connected to the outlet 8 are provided.
Is connected in a folded shape to form a substantially U-shaped air path 1
1 is formed.

In the first air passage 9, a pair of humidifying elements 13, a water supply tank 14 for supplying water to the humidification elements 13, and a water supply to the water supply tank 14 are provided on the drain pan 12. An electromagnetic valve 15 to be controlled is provided.

The second air path 10 has an air path 11,
A blower fan 16 for generating a ventilation flow from the inlet 7 to the outlet 8 is arranged. A motor 17 drives the blower fan 16. 18 is the first air path 9 and the second air path 1
0 and a communication member 19 formed with a communication opening 19 connecting the two air passages 9 and 10.

In the humidifying unit 1, the air flow introduced from the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner via the suction duct 3 is humidified by the humidifying element 13, and then returned to the indoor unit 2 via the blowing duct 4. I have.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are exploded perspective views of the humidifying unit 1 showing a maintenance operation of the plumbing parts. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, casing 5 has a maintenance opening 21 formed on a front surface 20 as one side surface opposite to rear surface 6 on which suction port 7 and air outlet 8 are formed. ing. This maintenance opening 2
1, a humidifying element 13 and a solenoid valve 15 fixed to a drain pan 12, and a water supply tank 14 connected to the drain pan 12 by a pipe, as shown in FIG.
This is for taking in and out together with the drain pan 12 along the pull-out direction X and the insertion direction Y, and is normally closed by an L-shaped maintenance lid 23 having a flange 22. The maintenance lid 23 is
It is detachably fixed by using a plurality of screw holes 24 and screws 25 provided along the periphery of the maintenance opening 21.

As will be described later in detail, most of the upper surface of the drain pan 12 is covered by a blow-in suppressing plate 37 for suppressing the blow of air into the drain pan 12, and the humidifying elements 13, 13 and the solenoid valve 15 are controlled to blow in. The water tank 14 is fixed to the plate 37 and the water tank 14 is
Are held by the blow-in suppressing plate 37 via piping connected to the blow-in device. For this reason, by pulling out the drain pan 12, the humidifying elements 13, 13, the water supply tank 14, and the solenoid valve 15 are drawn out at once.

From the side surface of the drain pan 12, a drain pipe 26 and a water supply pipe connection port 27 protrude in a direction Z perpendicular to the drawing direction X. With the drain pan 12 housed in the casing 5, these drain pipes 26
The water supply pipe connection port 27 is led out of the casing 5 through lead-out grooves 29 and 30 formed in a right side face 28 as an adjacent side face of the casing 5. These lead-out grooves 29 and 30 are formed of cutout grooves that open in the lead-out direction X to allow the drain pipe 26 and the water supply pipe connection port 27 to be drawn out. The flange 22 of the maintenance lid 23 has semicircular cutout recesses 35 and 36 for introducing the drain pipe 26 and the water supply pipe connection port 27 when the maintenance 23 is attached.

A screw 31 fixes a stay at one end of the front surface 12a, which is an end surface on the drawer side of the drain pan 12, and a screw 3
Numeral 2 fixes the right side surface 12b of the drain pan 12 near the drain opening 26 to the right side surface 28 of the casing 5. A pair of screws 33 connects the water supply tank 14 to the casing 5.
For fixing to the upper surface 34 of Drain pan 1
When taking out the plumbing parts including 2 collectively, these screws 31 to 33 are removed.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 38 denotes the communication opening 19 described above.
Is a guide member that constitutes a part of the partition member 18 below the guide member, and guides the taking in and out of the drain pan 12.

Next, the drain pan 12 and components fixed or held therein will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The drain pan 12 is a box-shaped container that opens upward, and its bottom surface 39 is inclined so as to become lower toward the right side surface 12b on the side where the drain pipe 26 is provided, and the depth gradually increases. I have.

The drain pan 12 has a blowing suppression plate 37.
Three stays 39, 40, 41 to screw
Has been fixed. Each of the stays 39 to 41 is fixed to the outer surface of the drain pan 12 by welding. The reason why welding is performed on the outer surface is that rust and the like hardly occur even when the coating after welding of the stays 39 to 41 is not perfect. Each of the stays 39 to 41 receives the blow-in suppressing plate 37 inside the drain pan 12 while being fixed to the outer surface of the drain pan 12 as described above. I have.

More specifically, the first stay 39 includes a first portion 42 fixed along the front end of the left side surface 12 c of the drain pan 12 by welding, and one end of the upper end of the first portion 42. An L-shape is formed by the second portion 43 extending from the portion via a bent portion that straddles the upper edge of the left side surface 12c of the drain pan 12. The second portion 43 includes the blowing suppression plate 3.
7, and has a screw hole 45 into which a screw 44 for fixing the blowing suppression plate 37 is screwed.
At the front end of the first portion 42, a third portion 46 that is flush with the front surface 12a of the drain pan 12 extends.
The third portion 46 has a screw hole 47 through which the fixing screw 31 is inserted. Further, a fourth portion 48 protruding in a direction opposite to the second portion 43 extends from a lower edge portion on the rear end side of the first portion 42.

The second stay 40 includes a first portion 49 that is fixed along the right side surface 12b of the drain pan 12 by welding, and a drain pan 1 from the upper end of the first portion 49.
The second portion 50 extending through a bent portion straddling the upper edge of the right side surface 12b of the second 2 has an L-shape. A screw hole 51 through which the fixing screw 32 is inserted is formed in a lower portion of the first portion 49, and the second portion 50 receives the lower surface of the blowing suppression plate 38 and the blowing suppression plate 37. Has a screw hole 53 into which a screw 52 for fixing the screw is screwed.

The third stay 41 is provided with a first portion 55 fixed along the rear surface 12d of the drain pan 12 by welding and a portion of the upper end of the first portion 55 from above the rear surface 12d of the drain pan 12. An L-shape is formed by the second portion 55 extending through the bent portion extending over the edge. The second portion 55 receives the lower surface of the blowing suppression plate 38 and
A screw hole 57 for screwing a screw 56 for fixing the blow-in suppressing plate 37 is provided.

The blowing suppression plate 37 is provided with the humidifying element 1.
A lower region 58 for mounting the third and third regions 13 and a pair of higher regions 59 sandwiching the lower region 58 forward and backward are provided. Each humidifying element 13 is fixed by fixing a pair of legs of the channel-shaped mounting member 60 over the humidifying element 13 to the left and right edges of the lower region 58 with screws 61, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 5, the humidifying element 13 includes a rectangular parallelepiped shell 62 and the shell 6.
And a humidifying pipe 63 made of a moisture-permeable membrane and bundled and housed in the casing 2. Both ends of the humidifying pipe 63 penetrate through opposing wall surfaces 65, 65 of the shell 62, and a space in the humidifying pipe 63 passes through both ends of the shell 62.
And a communication passage 64 is formed. Also,
A communication passage 64 inside the humidification pipe 63 and a water storage space V outside the humidification pipe 63 are partitioned by the peripheral wall of the humidification pipe 63 inside the shell 62. The humidifying element 13 is a spontaneous evaporation type using a moisture permeable membrane, and the humidifying capacity can be adjusted by adjusting the air volume.

Referring again to FIG.
A screw hole 67 for screwing a screw 66 for fixing the electromagnetic valve 15 is formed in a high region 59 on the front side of
Screw insertion holes 68 for inserting screws 44 and 52, respectively
69 is formed, and further, an opening 71 through which a drain pipe 70 for flowing water overflowing from the water supply tank 14 into the drain pan 12 is formed. Also,
A screw insertion hole 72 through which the screw 56 is inserted is formed in the high region 59 on the rear side of the blow-in suppressing plate 37.

Reference numeral 73 denotes a water supply tank 14 through a solenoid valve 15 in which water supplied from a water supply pipe connection port 27 is interposed.
And 74 is a water supply pipe for supplying water from the water supply tank 14 to the humidifying element 13. Although not shown, the water storage spaces of the humidifying elements 13 and 13 are also connected to each other via a water supply pipe.

The humidifying elements 13 and 13 are positioned along a step formed between the lower region 58 and the higher region 59 of the blowing suppression plate 37. The front edge 82 of the blow-in suppressing plate 37 is bent downward like a flange so that there is no unnecessary protrusion in the drawing direction X (toward the maintenance side).

The blow-in suppressing plate 37 has a similar shape slightly smaller than the inner dimension of the drain pan 12, and as shown in FIG. Between them, an annular groove 77 for dropping the water received by the blowing suppression plate 37 into the drain pan 12 is formed. This groove 7
The width A of 7 is smaller than the diameter B of the head of each screw 44, 52, 56 (only the screw 44 is shown in FIG. 6) for fixing the blowing suppression plate 37 (A <B ) Is set.

The drain pan 12 which enters and exits the casing 5 is guided in and out while being supported by the stays 39 to 41. For example, when the fourth portion 48 of the first stay 39 is received by the receiving surface 78 formed of the upper surface of the guide member 38, the first stay 39 is positioned in the height direction. In addition, the first stay 39 located on the front side of the fourth portion 48 of the first stay 39.
Is positioned along the side surface 79 of the guide member 38 so that the first stay 39 can be positioned in the left-right direction. The front surface 8 of the guide member 38
Reference numeral 0 denotes a mounting surface that is fastened to the third portion 46 of the first stay 39 by the screw 31, and has a screw hole 81 into which the screw 31 is screwed.

The above-described embodiment has the following advantages. That is, the humidifying element 13, the water supply tank 14, and the solenoid valve 15 can be pulled out together with the drain pan 12 through the maintenance opening 21. Since the plumbing components can be pulled out at a time, maintenance work on the plumbing components can be performed very easily. The drain pan 12 may hold at least one of the humidifying elements 13, the water supply tank 14, and the solenoid valve 15, and can be drawn out at a time.

Further, since the suction port 7 and the air outlet 8 are collectively arranged on the rear surface 6 of the casing 5, it is possible to form a large maintenance opening 21 on the front face 20 of the casing 5. In particular, by forming the air passage 11 in the casing 5 as a U-shaped air passage having the first and second air passages 9 and 10, the inlet 7 and the outlet 8 are concentrated on the rear surface 6 as described above. A layout that is arranged in a practical manner becomes possible.

Further, by arranging the drain pan 12 in the first air passage 9, the water supply parts 12 to 15 including the drain pan 12 are collectively arranged in the first air passage 9. As a result, it is possible to realize that the water components 12 to 15 are collectively removed from the maintenance opening 21.

The guide member 3 provided in the casing 5
The pull-out and insertion of the drain pan 12 are guided by 8, so that the drain pan 12 is pulled out smoothly,
It can also be inserted.

Further, a direction Z that intersects the drawing direction X
The outlet groove 29 for leading out the drain pipe 26 projecting from the drain pan 12 is formed by a cutout groove opened in the drawing direction X of the drain pan 12, so that even if the drain pan 12 integrally provided with the drain pipe 16 Can be withdrawn from.

Further, there are the following advantages. That is, since the blow-in suppressing plate 37 can suppress the ventilation flow generated by the blower fan 16 from being blown into the drain pan 12, the water accumulated in the drain pan 12 and the dust floating in the water can flow. There is no possibility of being wound up by the air current and flying out of the drain pan 12.

Further, since the groove 77 is formed between the peripheral edge 77 of the drain pan 12 and the peripheral edge 75 of the blow-in suppressing plate 37, water received by the blow-in suppressing plate 37 is formed by the groove 77.
Through the drain pan 12. In particular, since the ventilation flow serves to carry the moisture on the blowing suppression plate 37 to the periphery, the moisture can be more smoothly dropped into the drain pan 12.

Further, since the width A of the groove 77 is smaller than the diameter B of the head of the screws 44, 52, 56 for fixing the blow-in suppressing plate 37, the fixing screws are not required at the installation site. It can be reliably prevented from dropping into the drain pan 12 through the groove 77.

Since the drain pan 12 and the fixing stays 39 to 41 are separately provided, the stays 39 to 41 are temporarily provided.
Even if rust is generated in the first screw holes 45, 53, 57, the rust hardly spreads to the inside of the drain pan 12. In addition, each stay 39-4
When the coating is performed after the welding of No. 1, each stay 39 to 41
There is a possibility that no coating is applied between the first portions 42, 49, and 54 and the outer surface of the drain pan 12, but there is no particular problem because the outer surface of the drain pan 12 is used.

Further, since the blow-in suppressing plate 37 also serves as a fixing plate for the humidifying element 13 and the electromagnetic valve 15, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with a case where these are separately provided.

Further, since the blow-in suppressing plate 37 is provided with a relatively low region 58 below the humidifying element 13, even if water leaks from the humidifying element 13, the water leakage will be low. It travels smoothly along the area 58 to the periphery of the blowing suppression plate 37, and falls into the drain pan 12. In addition, the step between the lower region 58 and the higher region 59 can be used for positioning the humidifying element 13, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a separate positioning member is provided.

Further, the first air path 9 of the U-shaped air path 11
By disposing a drain pan 12 in the first air path 11, the water supply parts 12 and 1 including the drain pan 12
3, 14, 15 etc. are arranged collectively, and as a result, space can be used effectively and downsizing can be achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the humidifying element is not limited to a moisture-permeable membrane type, but may be another known type of natural evaporation type. it can. In addition, various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0053]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the humidifying element, the water supply tank, and the solenoid valve is provided.
It can be pulled out together with the drain pan through the maintenance opening. That is, since at least two plumbing components can be collectively pulled out, maintenance work on the plumbing components can be performed very easily.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the suction port and the air outlet are collectively arranged on the surface opposite to the surface on which the maintenance opening is formed, a large maintenance opening can be formed. It becomes possible.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the layout in which the inlet and the outlet are collectively arranged on one side as in the second aspect is substantially possible by forming a U-shaped air path. Becomes

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plumbing parts are collectively arranged in the first air path of the U-shaped air path,
It is suitable for removing the plumbing parts from the maintenance opening at once.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drain pan can be pulled out smoothly. The guide portion may guide, for example, the side surface of the drain pan,
The stay provided on the drain pan may be guided.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the lead-out groove for leading out the drain pipe is formed by the cutout groove which opens in the direction of drawing out the drain pan, even if the drain pan is integrally provided with the drain pipe, maintenance is performed as it is. Can be pulled out from the opening.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of a humidifying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the humidifying unit in a state where a maintenance lid is removed.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the humidifying unit showing a state in which a water supply part including a drain pan is drawn out from a maintenance opening.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a water component including a drain pan.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken schematic perspective view of a humidifying element.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part of a blowing suppression plate and a drain pan.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a drain pan and a main part of the guide member, showing a state in which a stay fixed to the drain pan is guided by a guide member in a casing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Humidifying unit 2 Indoor unit 3 Suction duct 4 Blow-out duct 5 Casing 6 Rear surface (facing side surface) 7 Suction port 8 Blow-out 9 First air path 10 Second air path 11 Air path 12 Drain pan 13 Humidifying element 14 Water supply tank Reference Signs List 15 solenoid valve 16 blower fan (blower means) 20 front (one side) 21 maintenance opening 23 maintenance lid 26 drain pipe 28 right side (adjacent side) 29 guide groove 38 guide member 39 first stay

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A duct for an indoor unit (2) of an air conditioner.
(3) Inlet (7) and outlet connected via (4)
In the humidifying unit (1) having (8), the airflow (11) flows through the casing (5) that partitions the airflow (11) from the suction port (7) to the air outlet (8). Humidifying element (13) for humidifying the ventilation flow
A water supply tank (14) for supplying water to the humidification element (13); a solenoid valve (15) for controlling water supply to the water supply tank (14); and a drain pan for receiving water at least below the humidification element (13). (12) and a drain pan (1) on one side (20) of the casing (5) when required.
2) A maintenance opening (21) through which the humidifying element (13), water supply tank (14) and solenoid valve can be pulled out
A humidification unit characterized in that at least one of (15) is held by the drain pan (12) so that it can be pulled out together with the drain pan (12). 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction port (7) and the air outlet (8) are provided on a side face (6) opposed to the one side face (20) in which a maintenance opening (21) is formed. The humidification unit according to claim 1, wherein 3. The air path (11) connects a first air path (9) connected to the suction port (7) and a second air path (10) connected to the air outlet (8) in a folded manner. The humidifying unit according to claim 2, wherein the whole is U-shaped. 4. The drain pan (12) is disposed in a first air path (9), and a blowing means (16) for generating a ventilation flow in the air path (11) is provided in a second air path (10). 4. The humidifying unit according to claim 3, wherein 5. A guide unit (38) for guiding the drain pan (12) to be drawn out.
A humidification unit according to any one of the above. 6. The drain pan (12) is pulled out in a drawing direction (X).
(29) formed in a side surface (28) of the casing (5) protruding in a direction (Z) intersecting with the one side surface (20) of the casing (5).
A drain pipe (26) led out of the drain pan (12) in the drawing direction (X).
The humidifying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the humidifying unit comprises a cutout groove that opens to the outside.