Indoor unit and air conditioning device

Abstract

The indoor unit is a ceiling-embedded indoor unit, and is provided with: a housing which has a housing suction port and a housing discharge port, and which is embedded into a ceiling; a plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers each having a blower fan comprising a plurality of blades, the blower fan blowing out air sucked into the inside of the housing from the housing suction port to the outside of the housing from the housing discharge port, and a volute housing accommodating the blower fan; a fan motor that drives the blower fan; and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between air sucked into the interior of the housing from the housing suction port by the blower fan and a refrigerant, the volute having: a scroll section that forms an air path that converts the dynamic pressure of the air flow generated by the blower fan into static pressure, and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air sucked into the interior of the housing from the housing suction port by the blower fan; and a blow-out part which forms a blow-out opening from which air which has been blown out from the blower fan and has passed through the scroll part is blown out, and the plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers and the fan motor are disposed on the upstream side of the heat exchanger and in the width direction. The outer end portions of the scroll portions of the volutes of the multi-blade centrifugal blowers on both end sides among the plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers are disposed within a range of + / -5% of the width of the heat exchanger in the width direction from the end portions of the heat exchanger.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a ceiling-embedded indoor unit and an air conditioning apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In a conventional ceiling-embedded indoor unit, in order to miniaturize, there is an indoor unit in which a heat exchanger and a fan located on the upstream side thereof are arranged close to each other. However, in such an indoor unit, the air blown out from the fan does not sufficiently spread and passes through the heat exchanger, so that unevenness of the air passing through the heat exchanger occurs, and the heat exchange efficiency is reduced. Therefore, in order to suppress the unevenness of the air passing through the heat exchanger, a scheme has been proposed in which the blowout port of the volute of the fan is widened in the width direction of the heat exchanger (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-99444 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In Patent Document 1, since the blowout port of the volute of the fan is widened in the width direction of the heat exchanger, there is a problem that in order to house the fan, it is necessary to widen the width direction of the casing according to the widening of the blowout port of the volute.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a ceiling-embedded indoor unit and an air conditioning apparatus that suppress unevenness of air and suppress widening of the width direction of the casing.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The indoor unit of the present disclosure is a ceiling-embedded type indoor unit, which includes: a housing having a housing suction port and a housing blowout port and embedded in the ceiling; a plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers each having a blower fan composed of a plurality of vanes and a volute that houses the blower fan, and blowing the air sucked into the housing from the housing suction port to the outside of the housing through the housing blowout port; a fan motor that drives the blower fan; and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air sucked into the housing from the housing suction port through the blower fan and a refrigerant. Wherein, the volute has: a scroll part that forms an air passage for converting the dynamic pressure of the air flow generated by the blower fan into static pressure; and a blowout part that forms a blowout port, and the air blown out from the blower fan and passing through the scroll part is blown out from the blowout port. The plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers and the fan motor are arranged on the upstream side of the heat exchanger and arranged in the width direction, and the outer ends of the scroll parts of the volute of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers on both ends among the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers are arranged within ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger in the width direction starting from the end of the heat exchanger.

[0011] In addition, the air conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure includes the above-mentioned indoor unit.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the indoor unit and the air conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure, the outer ends of the scroll parts of the volute of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers on both ends among the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers are arranged within ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger in the width direction starting from the end of the heat exchanger. Therefore, it is possible to make the air blown out from each multi-vane centrifugal blower pass through the entire heat exchanger including the end of the heat exchanger, and unevenness of the air can be suppressed. In addition, since the blowout port of the volute of the multi-vane centrifugal blower is not enlarged in the width direction of the heat exchanger, an increase in the width direction of the housing that houses the multi-vane centrifugal blower can be suppressed. Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 It is a perspective schematic view of the indoor unit of Embodiment 1.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a side schematic view for explaining the internal structure of the indoor unit of Embodiment 1.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a top schematic view for explaining the internal structure of the indoor unit of Embodiment 1.

[0017] Figure 4This is an external view schematically showing the structure of the multi-blade centrifugal blower of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1 as observed axially along the rotation axis.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the multi-blade centrifugal blower of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a front schematic view showing the wind speed distribution of the multi-blade centrifugal blower of a conventional indoor unit.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a front schematic view showing the wind speed distribution of the multi-blade centrifugal blower of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a top schematic view illustrating the internal structure of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 2.

[0022] Figure 9 This is a top view of the blower fan of the multi-blade centrifugal blower of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 3.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a side schematic view showing the multi-blade centrifugal blower of a conventional indoor unit.

[0024] Figure 11 This is a side schematic view showing the multi-blade centrifugal blower of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 3.

[0025] Figure 12 This is a perspective schematic view showing the ceiling of the indoor unit according to Embodiment 4.

[0026] Figure 13 This is a diagram showing the structure of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 5. Specific Embodiments

[0027] Hereinafter, the indoor unit according to the embodiment will be described based on the drawings. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. In the following drawings, the size relationship of each component may sometimes be different from the actual one. In the following description, for ease of understanding, terms indicating directions (such as "up", "down", "right", "left", "front", "rear", etc.) are appropriately used, but this is only for explanation, and these terms do not limit the present disclosure. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, these terms indicating directions refer to the directions when the indoor unit is observed from the front. In addition, in each figure, parts with the same reference numerals are the same or corresponding parts, which is common throughout the specification.

[0028] Embodiment 1.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a perspective schematic view of the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1. Additionally,Figure 2 is a side schematic view showing the internal structure of the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1. Figure 3 is a top schematic view showing the internal structure of the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1. In addition, Figure 1 and Figure 2 the hollow arrow IR in indicates the air sucked into the housing suction port 3, and the hollow arrow OR indicates the air blown out from the housing blow-out port 5. In addition, Figure 3 the dashed arrow in indicates the width direction WD and the depth direction DD of the housing 1.

[0030] The indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1 is, for example, a ceiling-embedded type device such as an air-conditioning device, a humidifying device, a dehumidifying device, or a refrigerating device, and is provided on the back surface of the ceiling or the like for heating, cooling, humidifying, dehumidifying, etc. of the target space. Here, it is assumed to be an indoor unit of an air-conditioning device for explanation. Therefore, it is assumed that the gas is air for explanation.

[0031] As Figure 1 shown, the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1 includes a housing 1. The shape of the housing 1 can be any shape. As an example, here, it is assumed that the housing 1 is rectangular. The housing 1 includes an upper surface 1a, a lower surface 1b, a front surface 1c, a back surface 1d, a left side surface 1e, and a right side surface 1f.

[0032] A housing suction port 3 is provided on the back surface 1d side of the lower surface 1b of the housing 1. A filter 4 for removing dust in the air to prevent intrusion of garbage and the like is disposed at the housing suction port 3. The filter 4 is fixedly installed on the decorative panel constituting the lower surface 1b so as to cover the housing suction port 3. A housing blow-out port 5 is provided on the front surface 1c side of the lower surface 1b of the housing 1. An outlet wall portion 5a is provided at the peripheral portion of the housing blow-out port 5. Here, in the indoor unit 100, the surface of the housing 1 provided with the front surface 1c is defined as the front surface (front surface). And, the direction that becomes up and down when viewed from the front side is defined as the height direction or the up-down direction. In addition, the direction that becomes left and right is defined as the width direction or the rotation axis direction, and the direction that becomes front and back is defined as the front-back direction or the depth direction.

[0033] As Figure 1 shown, the shapes of the housing suction port 3 and the housing blow-out port 5 are formed as rectangles. In addition, the shapes of the housing suction port 3 and the housing blow-out port 5 are not limited to rectangles, and for example, they can also be circular, elliptical, etc., and can also be other shapes.

[0034] As Figure 2As shown, the internal space of the housing 1 is divided by a partition plate 2 into a blower chamber 6 that serves as the suction side space of the volute 40 and a heat exchange chamber 7 that serves as the discharge side space of the volute 40. The partition plate 2 divides the internal space of the housing 1 into the blower chamber 6 in which the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 is arranged and the heat exchange chamber 7 in which the heat exchanger 8 is arranged.

[0035] As Figure 3 shown, two multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10, a fan motor 20, a heat exchanger 8, and a power supply box 30 are housed in the housing 1. In addition, the number of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 housed in the housing 1 is not limited to two, and may be three or more. As Figure 2 shown, the heat exchanger 8 is arranged at a position that forms an air flow path from the air outlet side of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 to the housing outlet 5. The heat exchanger 8 adjusts at least one of the temperature and humidity of the air delivered from the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10. Here, it is assumed that the heat exchanger 8 is rectangular to match the shape of the housing outlet 5. The heat exchanger 8 in Embodiment 1 is not a special heat exchanger, and a known heat exchanger is used. For example, in the case of a finned tube type heat exchanger, heat exchange is performed between the air passing through the heat exchanger 8 and the refrigerant passing through a heat transfer tube (not shown) to adjust at least one of the temperature and humidity of the air.

[0036] (Fan motor 20)

[0037] The fan motor 20 is supported by a motor bracket (not shown) fixed to the housing 1. As Figure 3 shown, the fan motor 20 has a motor shaft 21 connected to the blower fan 11 for the blower. The motor shaft 21 is arranged so as to extend in the width direction WD of the housing 1, that is, parallel to the upper surface 1a and the lower surface 1b of the housing 1. The two blower fans 11 of each multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 are mounted side by side on the motor shaft 21. Therefore, the two multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 are arranged in the width direction WD.

[0038] (Power supply box 30)

[0039] The power supply box 30 is a box-shaped component having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. A substrate for driving the fan motor 20 and the like are housed in the power supply box 30. As Figure 3 shown, the power supply box 30 is arranged beside the two multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10, and, as Figure 2 shown, when the housing 1 is viewed from the side, the power supply box 30 is arranged at a position above the bottom of the volute 40. Here, Figure 2 the double-dot chain line Y1 indicates the position of the bottom of the volute 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10, and the double-dot chain line Y2 indicates the position of the bottom of the power supply box 30.

[0040] Figure 4 FIG. Figure 4 is an external view schematically showing the structure of the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 of the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1 as viewed axially along the rotation axis RA. Figure 5 FIG. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 of the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1. In addition, Figure 4 the solid - line arrow indicates the rotation direction R of the blower fan 11, and the dashed - line arrow indicates the circumferential direction CD of the blower fan 11. Further, Figure 5 FIG. Figure 5 is a view for explaining the appearance of the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10, and simplifies the structure inside the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10. Using Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the basic structure of the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 will be described.

[0041] The multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 is a device that blows air using the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the blower fan 11. The multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 is a double - inlet centrifugal blower that sucks air from both sides of the volute 40 in the axial direction of the imaginary rotation axis RA of the blower fan 11. In addition, the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 is not limited to a double - inlet centrifugal blower, and may also be a single - inlet centrifugal blower that sucks air from one side of the volute 40 in the axial direction of the rotation axis RA. As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 has a blower fan 11 that generates an air flow and a volute 40 that houses the blower fan 11 inside.

[0042] (Blower fan 11)

[0043] The blower fan 11 is, for example, a sirocco fan, and is rotationally driven about the rotation axis RA by the drive of the fan motor 20. When the blower fan 11 rotates, the gas outside the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 is sucked through the suction port 45 formed in the volute 40 and the fan suction port 11e of the blower fan 11 into the space surrounded by the main board 11a and the multiple blades 11d. And when the blower fan 11 rotates, the air sucked into the space surrounded by the main board 11a and the multiple blades 11d is sent out radially outward of the blower fan 11 through the space between the adjacent blades 11d.

[0044] (Volute 40)

[0045] The volute 40 rectifies the air blown out from the blower fan 11. As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the side wall 40a includes a first side wall 40a1 and a second side wall 40a2. That is, the volute 40 has at least one side wall 40a with a flared opening 48 that forms an air inlet 45 communicating with the space formed by the main board 11a and the plurality of blades 11d.

[0046] The air inlet 45 provided in the side wall 40a is formed by the flared opening 48. That is, the flared opening 48 forms an air inlet 45 that communicates the space outside the volute 40 with the space formed by the main board 11a and the plurality of blades 11d. The flared opening 48 rectifies the gas sucked by the blower fan 11 and causes it to flow into the fan air inlet 11e of the blower fan 11.

[0047] The flared opening 48 is formed such that the opening diameter gradually decreases from the outside to the inside of the volute 40. The flared opening 48 is formed to extend along the axial direction of the rotation axis RA. The inner peripheral end portion forming the inner edge of the flared opening 48 is located inside the volute 40. The air near the air inlet 45 flows smoothly along the flared opening 48 and efficiently flows into the blower fan 11 from the air inlet 45. In addition, the volute 40 has a scroll portion 41 and a blowing portion 42.

[0048] (Scroll portion 41)

[0049] The scroll portion 41 forms an air passage that converts the dynamic pressure of the air flow generated by the blower fan 11 into static pressure. The air passage inside the scroll portion 41 expands from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the blower fan 11 in the flow direction of the air flow. The scroll portion 41 has: a side wall 41a that covers the blower fan 11 from the axial direction of the rotation axis RA of the boss portion 11b constituting the blower fan 11 and forms an air inlet 45 for taking in air; and a peripheral wall 41c that surrounds the blower fan 11 from the radial direction of the rotation axis RA of the boss portion 11b. A shaft hole 11b1 for inserting the motor shaft 21 is formed in the boss portion 11b. The boss portion 11b is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, but the shape of the boss portion 11b is not limited to a cylindrical shape. The boss portion 11b may be formed in a columnar shape, for example, a prismatic shape. The main board 11a is rotationally driven by the fan motor 20 via the boss portion 11b.

[0050] In addition, the scroll portion 41 has a tongue portion 43 that is located between the blowing portion 42 and forms a curved surface, and guides the air flow generated by the blower fan 11 to the blowout port 42a via the scroll portion 41. In addition, the radial direction of the rotation axis RA refers to the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation axis RA. The internal space of the scroll portion 41 formed by the peripheral wall 41c and the side wall 41a becomes a space where the air blown out from the blower fan 11 flows along the peripheral wall 41c.

[0051] (Blowing portion 42)

[0052] The blowing part 42 forms a blowout port 42a through which the air blown out from the blower fan 11 and having passed through the scroll part 41 is blown out. The blowing part 42 is constituted by a hollow tube, and the cross section of the hollow tube perpendicular to the flow direction of the air flowing along the peripheral wall 41c is rectangular. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the blowing part 42 is not limited to a rectangle. The blowing part 42 forms a flow path for guiding the air sent out from the blower fan 11 and flowing in the gap between the peripheral wall 41c and the blower fan 11 so as to discharge it to the outside of the volute 40.

[0053] (Tongue part 43)

[0054] The volute 40 has a tongue part 43 which forms a curved surface at the winding start part of the peripheral wall 41c close to the rotation axis RA of the blower fan 11, and guides the air flow generated by the blower fan 11 to the blowout port 42a. The end part of the peripheral wall 41c on the blowing part 42 side includes the tongue part 43. The tongue part 43 is formed at the winding start part of the peripheral wall 41c formed in a scroll shape. That is, the tongue part 43 is provided at the position where the winding of the scroll shape starts, and diverts the air flow blown out from the blower fan 11.

[0055] The tongue part 43 is provided at the boundary part in contact with the diffusion plate 42c of the blowing part 42. Here, the diffusion plate 42c is integrally formed with the tongue part 43, is smoothly continuous with the winding end part 41b on the downstream side of the peripheral wall 41c, and faces the extension plate 42b formed integrally with the peripheral wall 41c. The diffusion plate 42c is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the extension plate 42b such that the cross-sectional area of the flow path gradually expands along the flow direction of the air in the blowing part 42, but is not limited to this structure. The tongue part 43 is formed to have a curved surface and is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the axial direction of the rotation axis RA. The tongue part 43 is formed with a predetermined radius of curvature, and the peripheral wall 41c is smoothly connected to the diffusion plate 42c via the tongue part 43. The tongue part 43 has substantially the same shape in the axial direction of the rotation axis RA when viewed from the blowout port 42a, and is a shape along the axial direction of the rotation axis RA.

[0056] The tongue part 43 suppresses the inflow of air from the winding end of the scroll-shaped flow path to the winding start in the volute 40. The tongue part 43 is provided at the upstream part of the ventilation path and has the function of diverting the air flow toward the rotation direction of the blower fan 11 and the air flow in the blowing direction from the downstream part of the ventilation path toward the blowout port 42a. In addition, the static pressure of the air flow flowing into the blowing part 42 rises to become high pressure during the passage through the volute 40. Therefore, the tongue part 43 has the function of separating such a pressure difference. The tongue part 43 has the function of separating the pressure difference and has the function of guiding the air flowing into the blowing part 42 to each flow path through the curved surface.

[0057] Next, the air flow when the blower fan 11 of the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 rotates will be described. When power is supplied from the power supply box 30, the fan motor 20 is driven, and the blower fan 11 rotates. When the blower fan 11 rotates, for example, the air in the room to be air-conditioned is sucked into the housing 1 from the housing suction port 3. The air sucked into the housing 1 passes through the suction port 45 formed in the volute 40 and is guided by the bell mouth 48 and flows into the blower fan 11. Furthermore, the air flowing into the blower fan 11 blows out radially and outward of the blower fan 11. The air blown out from the blower fan 11 passes through the inside of the volute 40 and then blows out from the blowout port 42a formed in the volute 40. The blown air passes through the heat exchanger 8. The air supplied to the heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat and adjusts humidity when passing through the heat exchanger 8. After that, the air blows out of the housing 1 from the housing blowout port 5.

[0058] As Figure 3 shown, two multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10 and fan motors 20 are arranged on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 8 and arranged along the width direction WD. And, the outer ends of the volute portions 41 of the volutes 40 of the multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10 at both ends among the two multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10 are arranged within the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 in the width direction WD from the end of the heat exchanger 8. Here, in Figure 3 the double-dot dash line X1L represents the position of the outer end of the volute portion 41 of the volute 40 of the left multi-blade centrifugal blower 10, and the double-dot dash line X1R represents the position of the outer end of the volute portion 41 of the volute 40 of the right multi-blade centrifugal blower 10. That is, when the left end of the heat exchanger 8 is used as a reference (0%) and the left side is set as + and the center side of the heat exchanger 8 is set as -, the range where X1L should be located in the width direction is the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8. In addition, when the right end of the heat exchanger 8 is used as a reference (0%) and the right side is set as + and the center side of the heat exchanger 8 is set as -, the range where X1R should be located in the width direction is the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8.

[0059] Figure 6 is a front view schematic diagram showing the wind speed distribution of the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 of a conventional indoor unit. Figure 7 is a front view schematic diagram showing the wind speed distribution of the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 of the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1. Here, in Figure 6 and Figure 7In this case, the double-dashed line X1L indicates the position of the outer end of the spiral part 41 of the scroll case 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 on the left side, and the double-dashed line X1R indicates the position of the outer end of the spiral part 41 of the scroll case 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 on the right side. Moreover, the double-dashed line X2L indicates the position of the left end of the heat exchanger 8, and the double-dashed line X2R indicates the position of the right end of the heat exchanger 8.

[0060] In Figure 6 In this case, the outer ends of the spiral parts 41 of the scroll cases 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 on both sides are arranged outside the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 in the width direction WD starting from the ends of the heat exchanger 8. Specifically, the outer end (X1L) of the spiral part 41 of the scroll case 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 on the left side is arranged at a position more than 5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 to the right of the left end (X2L) of the heat exchanger 8. On the other hand, in Figure 7 In this case, the outer ends (X1L, X1R) of the spiral parts 41 of the scroll cases 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 on both sides are arranged within the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 in the width direction WD starting from the ends (X2L, X2R) of the heat exchanger 8. Here, the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 means within the manufacturing error range of the indoor unit 100. In addition, in Figure 7 In this case, the outer ends of the spiral parts 41 of the scroll cases 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 on both sides are located on one side of the end of the heat exchanger 8.

[0061] As Figure 6 shown, in the conventional indoor unit, an air non-passing area is formed between the left end (X2L) of the heat exchanger 8 and the outer end (X1L) of the spiral part 41 of the scroll case 40, and no air passes through the left end side of the heat exchanger 8. On the other hand, as Figure 7 shown, in the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1, the distance between the left end (X2L) of the heat exchanger 8 and the outer end (X1L) of the spiral part 41 of the scroll case 40 is very narrow, and almost no air non-passing area is formed. Therefore, air passes through the left end side of the heat exchanger 8, and air passes through the entire heat exchanger 8 evenly. Therefore, as Figure 7 shown, the outer ends of the spiral parts 41 of the scroll cases 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 on both sides are arranged within the range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 in the width direction WD starting from the ends of the heat exchanger 8, that is, within the manufacturing error range of the indoor unit 100. Thereby, the air blown out from each multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can pass through the entire heat exchanger 8 including the ends of the heat exchanger 8. Therefore, compared with the prior art, uneven air can be suppressed and heat exchange can be performed efficiently, and the required air volume can be reduced.

[0062] In addition, as Figure 2 shown, the heat exchanger 8 is arranged such that the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the lower surface 1b of the housing 1 when viewed from the side. In this way, by arranging the heat exchanger 8 perpendicular to the lower surface 1b of the housing 1, the area where the drainage water accumulates can be minimized, and thus the width of the housing 1 in the depth direction DD can be reduced.

[0063] In addition, as Figure 2 shown, the volute 40 has a tongue portion 43, and the position of the tongue portion 43 is lower than the position of the rotation axis RA (or the motor shaft 21) of the blower fan 11. Thereby, the blowout port 42a of the volute 40 can be enlarged, so that the amount of air blown out from the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be increased, and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

[0064] In addition, as Figure 3 shown, the power supply box 30 is arranged beside the two multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10. Moreover, as Figure 2 shown, the power supply box 30 is arranged at a position above the bottom of the volute 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 when the housing 1 is viewed from the side. In this way, by arranging the power supply box 30 beside the two multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10, the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be enlarged in the depth direction DD, and the amount of air blown out from the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be increased. In addition, by arranging the power supply box 30 at a position above the bottom of the volute 40 when viewed from the side, even if the power supply box 30 is in the area interfering with the housing suction port 3 when viewed from above, the volute 40 is arranged at a position away from the housing suction port 3, so that a decrease in the amount of air sucked into the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be suppressed.

[0065] As described above, the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1 is a ceiling-embedded type indoor unit, which includes: a housing 1 having a housing suction port 3 and a housing blowout port 5 and embedded in the ceiling; a plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 having a blower fan 11 and a volute 40, the blower fan 11 being composed of a plurality of vanes 11d and blowing the air sucked into the interior of the housing 1 from the housing suction port 3 to the outside of the housing 1 through the housing blowout port 5, the volute 40 housing the blower fan 11; a fan motor 20 that drives the blower fan 11; and a heat exchanger 8 that exchanges heat between the air sucked into the interior of the housing 1 from the housing suction port 3 by the blower fan 11 and a refrigerant. In addition, the volute 40 has: a scroll portion 41 that forms an air passage for converting the dynamic pressure of the air flow generated by the blower fan 11 into static pressure; and a blowout portion 42 that forms a blowout port 42a, and the air blown out from the blower fan 11 and passing through the scroll portion 41 is blown out from the blowout port 42a. Moreover, the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 and the fan motor 20 are arranged on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 8 and arranged along the width direction WD, and the outer ends of the scroll portions 41 of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 at both ends among the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 are arranged within a range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 in the width direction WD from the end of the heat exchanger 8.

[0066] In the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1, the outer ends of the scroll portions 41 of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 at both ends among the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 are arranged within a range of ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger 8 in the width direction WD from the end of the heat exchanger 8. Therefore, the air blown out from each multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can pass through the entire heat exchanger 8 including the end of the heat exchanger 8, and air unevenness can be suppressed. In addition, since the blowout port 42a of the volute 40 of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 is not enlarged in the width direction of the heat exchanger 8, an increase in the width of the housing 1 that houses the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be suppressed.

[0067] In addition, in the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1, the heat exchanger 8 is arranged perpendicular to the lower surface 1b of the housing 1.

[0068] In the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1, by arranging the heat exchanger 8 perpendicular to the lower surface 1b of the housing 1, the area where drainage water accumulates can be minimized, and thus the width of the housing 1 in the depth direction DD can be reduced.

[0069] In addition, in the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1, the volute 40 has a tongue portion 43 which is provided at the position where the spiral winding starts, and diverts the air flow blown out from the blower fan 11. Moreover, the position of the tongue portion 43 is lower than the position of the rotation axis RA of the blower fan 11.

[0070] According to the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1, by making the position of the tongue portion 43 lower than the position of the rotation axis RA of the blower fan 11, the blowout port 42a of the volute 40 can be enlarged. As a result, the air volume blown out from the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 can be increased, and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

[0071] In addition, in the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1, there is a power supply box 30 that houses a substrate driving the fan motor 20. And the power supply box 30 is arranged beside a plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10, and in a side view of the housing 1, it is arranged at a position above the bottom of the volute 40 of the plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10.

[0072] According to the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 1, by arranging the power supply box 30 beside a plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10, the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 can be enlarged in the depth direction DD, and the air volume blown out from the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 can be increased. In addition, the power supply box 30 is arranged at a position above the bottom of the volute 40 in a side view. Thus, even if the power supply box 30 is in the area interfering with the housing suction port 3 in a top view, the volute 40 is arranged at a position far from the housing suction port 3, so that a decrease in the air volume sucked into the multi-blade centrifugal blower 10 can be suppressed.

[0073] Embodiment 2.

[0074] Hereinafter, Embodiment 2 will be described, but the description of the parts overlapping with Embodiment 1 will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be given to the parts identical or equivalent to those in Embodiment 1.

[0075] Figure 8 It is a top view schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 2. In addition, Figure 8 the dotted arrows indicate the width direction WD and the depth direction DD of the housing 1. As Figure 8 shown, in Embodiment 2, the power supply box 30 and the fan motor 20 are arranged along the width direction WD with a plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10, and in a top view of the housing 1, the power supply box 30 and the fan motor 20 are arranged on the same side as the plurality of multi-blade centrifugal blowers 10 (in Figure 8The position is on the left side surface 1e). In addition, when looking down at the housing 1, the power supply box 30 and the fan motor 20 can be arranged either on the left side surface 1e side relative to the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 or on the right side surface 1f side relative to the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10. By arranging the power supply box 30 and the fan motor 20 in this way, the space in the width direction WD inside the housing 1 can be ensured. As a result, the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be expanded by an amount corresponding to the ensured space in the width direction WD, and the amount of air blown out from the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be increased.

[0076] As described above, in the indoor unit 100 of the second embodiment, the fan motor 20 and the power supply box 30 are arranged side by side with the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10 in the width direction WD, and when looking down at the housing 1, the fan motor 20 and the power supply box 30 are arranged on the same side surface relative to the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers 10.

[0077] According to the indoor unit 100 of the second embodiment, the space in the width direction WD inside the housing 1 can be ensured. As a result, the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be expanded by an amount corresponding to the ensured space in the width direction WD, and the amount of air blown out from the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 can be increased.

[0078] Embodiment 3.

[0079] Hereinafter, Embodiment 3 will be described, but the description of the parts overlapping with Embodiment 1 and 2 will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be given to the parts identical to or corresponding to those of Embodiment 1 and 2.

[0080] The blower fan 11A of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 in Embodiment 3 is a turbo in sirocco fan.

[0081] Figure 9 is a top view of the blower fan 11A of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 of the indoor unit 100 in Embodiment 3. Figure 10 is a side view schematic diagram of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 of a conventional indoor unit. Figure 11 is a side view schematic diagram of the multi-vane centrifugal blower 10 of the indoor unit 100 in Embodiment 3. In addition, in Figure 9 in order to show the shape of the blade 11d, the blade 11d is shown through the side plate 11c. In addition, Figure 9 the solid line arrow indicates the rotation direction R of the blower fan 11A, and the dashed line arrow indicates the circumferential direction CD of the blower fan 11A. In addition, Figure 10 and Figure 11 the solid line arrow indicates the air blown out from the blowout port 42a of the volute 40, and the length of the solid line arrow indicates the wind speed.

[0082] As shown Figure 9 in FIG. 2, the blade 11d of the fan 11A for a blower is inclined such that the leading edge 24a moves away from the rotation axis RA as it goes from the portion on the main board 11a side to the portion on the side board 11c side. The leading edge 24a of the blade 11d is inclined such that the inner diameter of the blade increases as it goes from the portion on the main board 11a side to the portion on the side board 11c side.

[0083] The blade 11d has: a turbine blade portion 26 that includes the inner peripheral end 24 and is configured as a backward blade; and a silo blade portion 27 that includes the outer peripheral end 25 and is configured as a forward blade. The turbine blade portion 26 is the portion that forms a backward blade on the inner peripheral side of each of the multiple blades 11d in the radial direction of the fan 11A for a blower. The silo blade portion 27 is the portion that forms a forward blade on the outer peripheral side of each of the multiple blades 11d in the radial direction of the fan 11A for a blower.

[0084] The turbine blade portion 26 and the silo blade portion 27 are integrally formed on the blade 11d. The blade 11d is integrally formed with the turbine blade portion 26 and the silo blade portion 27 in sequence continuously from the rotation axis RA toward the outer peripheral side in the radial direction of the fan 11A for a blower. The blade 11d has a turbine-silo composite blade shape with a turbine blade on the inner peripheral side in the radial direction and a silo blade on the outer peripheral side.

[0085] Figure 11 The fan 11A for a blower shown as a turbine-silo composite fan in FIG. 2 Figure 10 has stronger high-pressure loss resistance compared with the conventional silo fan 11B shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, even if the high-pressure loss of the air passage occurs due to the miniaturization of the housing 1, the performance degradation can be suppressed.

[0086] In addition, Figure 10 compared with the conventional silo fan 11B shown in FIG. 3, Figure 11 in the fan 11A for a blower shown as a turbine-silo composite fan in FIG. 2, the wind speed blown out from the blowout port 42a of the volute 40 is small. Therefore, the interference noise with the heat exchanger 8 arranged perpendicular to the lower surface 1b of the housing 1 can be reduced.

[0087] As described above, in the indoor unit 100 of the third embodiment, the fan 11A for a blower is a turbine-silo composite fan.

[0088] According to the indoor unit 100 of the third embodiment, the turbine-silo composite fan has stronger high-pressure loss resistance than the silo fan. Therefore, even if the high-pressure loss of the air passage occurs due to the miniaturization of the housing 1, the performance degradation can be suppressed. In addition, compared with the silo fan, the turbine-silo composite fan has a small wind speed at the blowout port. Therefore, the interference noise with the heat exchanger 8 arranged perpendicular to the lower surface 1b of the housing 1 can be reduced.

[0089] Embodiment 4

[0090] Hereinafter, Embodiment 4 will be described. However, descriptions of parts overlapping with Embodiments 1 to 3 will be omitted, and parts identical to or corresponding to those of Embodiments 1 to 3 will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0091] Figure 12 It is a perspective view showing the ceiling 80 of the indoor unit 100 in which Embodiment 4 is provided. As Figure 12 shown, the ceiling 80 of an office or the like is a grid ceiling covered with a plurality of square panels 70 for good workability. Therefore, in the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 4, the housing 1 is configured to be within the size of one panel 70 of the grid ceiling, that is, width W: 640 mm × depth D: 640 mm. In this way, by making the size of the housing 1 within the size of one panel 70 of the grid ceiling, workability can be improved. In addition, by making the housing 1 square when viewed from above, the loading efficiency during the handling of the indoor unit 100 can be improved.

[0092] As described above, in the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 4, the housing 1 has a size that can be accommodated within a width of 640 mm × a depth of 640 mm.

[0093] According to the indoor unit 100 of Embodiment 4, by making the size of the housing 1 within the size of one panel 70 of the grid ceiling, workability can be improved. In addition, by making the housing 1 square when viewed from above, the loading efficiency during the handling of the indoor unit 100 can be improved.

[0094] Embodiment 5

[0095] Hereinafter, Embodiment 5 will be described. However, descriptions of parts overlapping with Embodiments 1 to 4 will be omitted, and parts identical to or corresponding to those of Embodiments 1 to 4 will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0096] Figure 13 It is a diagram showing the structure of the air conditioner in Embodiment 5. In Embodiment 5, an air conditioner having the indoor unit 100 described in the above Embodiments 1 to 4 will be described. As Figure 13 shown, the air conditioner in Embodiment 4 includes an indoor unit 100 and an outdoor unit 200, which are connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigerant circuit for circulating the refrigerant. In the refrigerant pipe, the pipe through which the gaseous refrigerant (gaseous refrigerant) flows is defined as the gas pipe 300, and the pipe through which the liquid refrigerant (liquid refrigerant, and there may also be a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant) flows is defined as the liquid pipe 400.

[0097] The indoor unit 100 includes a heat exchanger 8 and a multi - blade centrifugal blower 10. The heat exchanger 8 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and air. For example, during heating operation, the heat exchanger 8 functions as a condenser, performing heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing in from the gas pipe 300 and air, condensing the refrigerant to liquefy it (or make it a gas - liquid two - phase state), and flowing it out toward the liquid pipe 400 side. On the other hand, during cooling operation, the heat exchanger 8 functions as an evaporator, for example, performing heat exchange between the refrigerant that has become a low - pressure state through the throttling device 205 and air, causing the refrigerant to absorb the heat of the air and evaporate and gasify, and flowing it out toward the gas pipe 300 side. The multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 is rotationally driven, for example, at a speed determined by the air volume setting of the user.

[0098] On the other hand, the outdoor unit 200 includes a compressor 201, a flow path switching device 202, an outdoor heat exchanger 203, an outdoor blower 204, and a throttling device 205.

[0099] The compressor 201 compresses and discharges the inhaled refrigerant. Here, it is assumed that the compressor 201 is equipped with a frequency conversion device or the like, and by arbitrarily changing the operating frequency, the capacity of the compressor 201 (the amount of refrigerant delivered per unit time) can be finely changed. The flow path switching device 202 is, for example, a four - way valve, and based on an instruction from a control device (not shown), switches the flow of the refrigerant according to cooling operation and heating operation.

[0100] In addition, the outdoor heat exchanger 203 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and air (outdoor air). For example, during heating operation, it functions as an evaporator, performing heat exchange between the low - pressure refrigerant flowing in from the liquid pipe 400 and air, causing the refrigerant to evaporate and gasify. In addition, during cooling operation, it functions as a condenser, performing heat exchange between the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 201 and flowing in from the flow path switching device 202 side and air, condensing the refrigerant to liquefy it. An outdoor blower 204 is provided in the outdoor heat exchanger 203. In addition, the multi - blade centrifugal blower 10 of Embodiments 1 - 4 can also be used for the outdoor blower 204. The throttling device 205 is, for example, an expansion valve, and adjusts the pressure of the refrigerant by changing the opening degree.

[0101] As described above, the air - conditioning device of Embodiment 5 includes the indoor unit 100 described in Embodiments 1 - 4, and thus can achieve the same effects as Embodiments 1 - 4.

[0102] Reference Numeral Explanation

[0103] 1: Housing; 1a: Upper surface; 1b: Lower surface; 1c: Front surface; 1d: Rear surface; 1e: Left side surface; 1f: Right side surface; 2: Partition plate; 3: Housing suction port; 4: Filter; 5: Housing blowout port; 5a: Outlet wall portion; 6: Air supply chamber; 7: Heat exchange chamber; 8: Heat exchanger; 10: Multi-vane centrifugal blower; 11: Blower fan; 11A: Blower fan; 11B: Sirocco fan; 11a: Main board; 11b: Boss portion; 11b1: Shaft hole; 11c: Side plate; 11d: Blade; 11e: Fan suction port; 20: Fan motor; 21: Motor shaft; 24: Inner peripheral end; 24a: Leading edge; 25: Outer peripheral end; 26: Turbine blade portion; 27: Sirocco blade portion; 30: Power supply box; 40: Volute; 40a: Side wall; 40a1: First side wall; 40a2: Second side wall; 41: Vortex portion; 41a: Side wall; 41b: Winding end portion; 41c: Peripheral wall; 42: Discharge portion; 42a: Blowout port; 42b: Extension plate; 42c: Diffuser plate; 43: Tongue portion; 45: Suction port; 48: Bellmouth; 70: Panel; 80: Ceiling; 100: Indoor unit; 200: Outdoor unit; 201: Compressor; 202: Flow path switching device; 203: Outdoor heat exchanger; 204: Outdoor blower; 205: Throttle device; 300: Gas pipe; 400: Liquid pipe.

Claims

1. An indoor unit, which is a ceiling-embedded type indoor unit, and includes: A housing having a housing suction port and a housing blowout port, and embedded in the ceiling; A plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers having a blower fan and a volute. The blower fan is composed of a plurality of vanes, and blows the air sucked into the housing from the housing suction port to the outside of the housing through the housing blowout port. The volute houses the blower fan; A fan motor for driving the blower fan; And A heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air sucked into the housing from the housing suction port by the blower fan and the refrigerant. Among them, The volute has: A scroll portion that forms an air passage for converting the dynamic pressure of the air flow generated by the blower fan into static pressure; and A blowout portion that forms a blowout port, and the air blown out from the blower fan and passing through the scroll portion is blown out from this blowout port, The plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers and the fan motor are arranged on the upstream side of the heat exchanger and arranged in the width direction, The outer ends of the scroll portions of the volutes of the multi-vane centrifugal blowers on both ends of the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers are arranged within ±5% of the width of the heat exchanger in the width direction from the end of the heat exchanger.

2. The indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein The heat exchanger is configured to be perpendicular to the lower surface of the housing.

3. The indoor unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The volute has a tongue portion provided at the position where the scroll shape starts to wind, which diverts the air flow blown out from the blower fan, The position of the tongue portion is lower than the position of the rotation axis of the blower fan.

4. The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The indoor unit includes a power supply box that houses a substrate for driving the fan motor, The power supply box is arranged beside the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers, and is arranged at a position above the bottom of the volutes of the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers when viewing the housing from the side.

5. The indoor unit according to claim 4, wherein The fan motor and the power supply box are arranged in the width direction with the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers, and when viewing the housing from above, the fan motor and the power supply box are arranged at a position on the same side as the plurality of multi-vane centrifugal blowers.

6. The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The blower fan is a Turbo-Sirocco composite fan.

7. The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The housing is sized to be accommodated within a width of 640 mm × a depth of 640 mm.

8. An air conditioning device including the indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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