Air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner which increases strength of a support leg arranged below a housing and inclined outward.SOLUTION: A support leg 18 which includes an upper end surface 18a inclined outward and connected to a bottom part 10D and a lower end surface 18b installed on an installation surface G includes reinforcing means at a place where the upper end surface 18a is overlapped with the lower end surface 18b in a plan view. In the support leg 18 which is below a housing 1 and inclined outward, strength is inferior when compared with a support leg formed perpendicularly with respect to the horizontal direction. By providing the reinforcing means at the place where the upper end surface 18a is overlapped with the lower end surface 18b in a plan view, the strength of the support leg 18 increases; thus, breakage of the support leg 18 due to a load of the housing 1 and an impulse applied to the support leg 18 can be prevented beforehand.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner that conditions indoor air. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, this type of device has a housing having a bottom surface located at the bottom, a top surface located at the top, and a side surface connecting the top surface and the bottom surface, and has support legs on the bottom surface of the housing that incline outward (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Jpn. Jpn. Published No. 54-23158 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in this conventional system, the inclined support legs are weaker than support legs formed perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and therefore do not provide sufficient support for the weight of the housing, etc., and there is a high possibility that the support legs will break, leaving room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, in claim 1 of the present invention, there is provided a housing having a bottom surface located below, a top surface located above, and a side surface connecting the top surface and the bottom surface; an intake port disposed in the housing and adapted to draw in air; an air conditioning unit that is housed in the housing and conditions the air sucked in through the air inlet; an air outlet disposed in the housing and configured to blow out air conditioned by the air conditioning unit; A support leg is disposed on the bottom surface, inclined outwardly, and has an upper end surface connected to the bottom surface and a lower end surface to be placed on a placement surface, The support leg has a reinforcing means at a location where the upper end surface and the lower end surface overlap in a plan view.

[0006] In addition, in claim 2, the reinforcing means is formed on the inside of the support leg.

[0007] In addition, in claim 3, the reinforcing means is configured with a cylindrical portion that communicates from the upper end surface to the lower end surface and extends perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0008] In addition, in claim 4, a handle for lifting the housing is disposed on the bottom surface near the support legs.

[0009] In claim 5, the air conditioning unit is a humidifying means that humidifies the air sucked from the air inlet and blows it out from the air outlet, The housing includes: A tray that stores water to be used by the humidifying means; A water supply tank that stores water to be sent to the tray, At least the water supply tank is detachable from the housing. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to this invention, the outwardly inclined support legs have reinforcing means at the points where the upper end surface and the lower end surface overlap when viewed in a plane, thereby increasing the strength of the inclined support legs and enabling them to adequately support the load of the housing, etc., thereby reducing the possibility of the support legs being damaged and improving product quality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the humidifier according to the embodiment with a front panel and a beam portion removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4]13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating insertion of a tray holder into a housing according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tray and the tray holder on which the tray is placed according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views of the water supply tank and the like according to the embodiment, in which FIG. 5A shows a state with a tray and FIG. 5B shows a state without a tray. [Figure 9] 5A and 5B are partial perspective views of the partition plate and the like according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A shows a state with a tray and FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the humidifying unit, the partition structure unit, the tray, and the tray holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the partition structure according to the above embodiment, seen from the bearing side. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the relationship between the water level detection float and a magnetic sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] A cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 13 with the internal mechanism omitted. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the support leg of the humidifier according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a support leg of the humidifier according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in appropriate figures of Figures 1 to 12, the humidifier 100 as an air conditioner comprises a housing 1, a fan 2, a humidifier section 3 which serves as an air conditioning section and humidification means, an ultraviolet irradiator section 4, a tray 5, a tray holder 6, a water tank 7, a partition structure section 8, a control section 9, and a magnetic sensor S.

[0014] In the following description, the directions of the humidifier 100 are defined as up-down, front-back, and left-right directions as shown in Fig. 2. In other figures, directions corresponding to the directions defined in Fig. 2 are shown. Note that while the up-down direction may be defined as the direction of the humidifier 100 during use, the front-back and left-right directions are relative directions to facilitate understanding of the description.

[0015] The housing 1 comprises a front panel 1F, a rear panel 1B, a left panel 1L, a right panel 1R as side surfaces, and an upper panel 1U as a top surface, and a casing 10 surrounded by these panels.

[0016] The left panel 1L connected to the upper panel 1U reaches the bottom 10D as the bottom surface of the casing 10. On the other hand, the right panel 1R connected to the upper panel 1U has a shorter length in the vertical direction than the left panel 1L. As a result, an insertion opening 1a through which the tray holder 6 is inserted is formed between the right panel 1R of the housing 1 and the bottom 10D. As shown in FIG. 4, when the tray holder 6 is inserted from the insertion opening 1a and the tray holder 6 is attached to the housing 1 as shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "holder attached state"), the insertion opening 1a is blocked by the holder panel 6R fixed to the tray holder 6. In the holder attached state, the outer surfaces of the holder panel 6R and the right panel 1R are approximately flush with each other. The outer shape of the housing 1 in the holder attached state is approximately rectangular.

[0017] Support legs 18 are disposed on the bottom 10D of the housing 1. Support legs 18 are formed such that an upper end surface 18a connected to the bottom 10D and a lower end surface 18b placed on the installation surface G are inclined at a predetermined angle toward the outside of the housing 1. Reinforcing means is provided at the location where upper end surface 18a and lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view. Details will be described later.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 10 comprises a holder accommodating section 11 that accommodates the tray holder 6, a side wall section 12 that is erected relative to the holder accommodating section 11 and faces the right panel 1R in the left-right direction, and a fan accommodating section 13 that is located above the holder accommodating section 11 and accommodates the fan 2.

[0019] The holder accommodation section 11 has the bottom section 10D described above. A humidifier accommodation chamber R3 that accommodates the humidifier section 3 is formed above the bottom section 10D inside the housing 1 on the left side of the side wall section 12, and a tank accommodation chamber R7 that accommodates the water supply tank 7 is formed on the right side of the side wall section 12. A communication hole 12a that communicates between the humidifier accommodation chamber R3 and the tank accommodation chamber R7 is formed in the side wall section 12. When the tray holder 6 in which the partition structure section 8 is arranged is in a holder-attached state, the communication hole 12a is blocked by a partition plate 81 described below.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, an openable and closable lid 17 is attached above the tank storage chamber R7 in the upper panel 1U. The lid 17 allows the water supply tank 7 to be stored in the tank storage chamber R7 from above the housing 1. The water supply tank 7 is used in a state in which the partition structure 8 is installed on the tray holder 6 via the tray 5. The casing 10 is, for example, separable in the front-rear direction and is composed of two members that can be combined with each other.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the rear panel 1B is formed with an inlet P1 for drawing in outside air. The fan housing section 13 of the casing 10 is formed with an inlet Q1 through which the fan 2 draws in the humidified air generated in the humidifier section 3, and an exhaust port Q2 through which the fan 2 exhausts the humidified air. The upper panel 1U is formed with an outlet P2 for discharging the humidified air exhausted from the exhaust port Q2 to the outside of the housing 1. When the fan 2 rotates, air passes through a flow path W that proceeds in the order of the inlet P1, the humidifier section 3, the inlet Q1, the exhaust port Q2, and the outlet P2, and the humidified air generated in the humidifier section 3 is blown out from the outlet P2 to the outside of the housing 1. A heater T is provided between the inlet P1 and the humidifier section 3 in the flow path W to send hot air in response to certain conditions.

[0022] The fan 2 is a centrifugal fan, for example a sirocco fan, and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of a fan motor 2a attached to a casing 10.

[0023] The humidifier 3 is located inside the housing 1 and is configured to generate humidified air. As shown in Fig. 2, the humidifier 3 includes a humidifying filter 30 (evaporation filter) and a frame 31 that holds the humidifying filter 30. In other words, the humidifier 100 is of an evaporation type that generates humidified air by the humidifying filter 30.

[0024] The humidifier 3 is provided in the housing 1 so as to be rotatable about an axis AX shown in Fig. 1. The axis AX extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 1 (i.e., extends in the left-right direction of the housing 1). As shown in Fig. 10, a pair of shafts 31R, 31L are provided on the frame 31, and the humidifier 3 has one shaft 31R supported by a partition structure 8 (bearing 8R, described in detail below) and the other shaft 31L supported by a tray holder 6 (bearing 6L, described in detail below). The humidifier 3 is rotatable about the axis AX when the shaft 31L is rotationally driven by a turn motor (not shown) attached to the casing 10.

[0025] The humidifier 3 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the direction of the axis AX, and among the six faces constituting the rectangular parallelepiped, the parts corresponding to the pair of faces having the largest areas function as the first ventilation section 3a and the second ventilation section 3b that allow air to pass through. Note that, of the humidifier 3, the two side faces that are located in the radial direction of the axis AX and connect the first ventilation section 3a and the second ventilation section 3b are formed in curved shapes so as not to impede the rotation of the humidifier 3.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the state in which the first ventilation section 3a and the second ventilation section 3b of the humidifying section 3 face the front-rear direction is a "water-absorbable state" in which the humidifying filter 30 can absorb water in the tray 5. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the air that enters the humidifying filter 30 from the second ventilation section 3b is discharged as humidified air from the first ventilation section 3a (hereinafter, the first state), but a state in which the humidifying section 3 rotates 180 degrees from the first state and the air that enters the humidifying filter 30 from the first ventilation section 3a is discharged as humidified air from the second ventilation section 3b (hereinafter, the second state) is also a water-absorbable state. In other words, there are two states of the humidifying section 3 that realize the water-absorbable state: the first state and the second state. During the operation of the humidifying device 100, under the control of the control section 9, the humidifying section 3 changes from one of the first state and the second state to the other at a predetermined cycle.

[0027] On the other hand, when the control unit 9 receives an instruction to stop the operation of the humidifier 100, it places the humidifier 3 in a state in which the first ventilation section 3a and the second ventilation section 3b are oriented vertically (i.e., the humidifier 3 in the first or second embodiment is rotated 90°). This state is a "separated state" in which the humidifying filter 30 is separated from the water in the tray 5. This separated state prevents the humidifying filter 30 from being constantly immersed in the water in the tray 5, and suppresses the growth of bacteria.

[0028] The ultraviolet irradiating unit 4 irradiates ultraviolet rays to the inside of the housing 1. Specifically, the ultraviolet irradiating unit 4 is composed of an LED module equipped with a deep ultraviolet LED that emits deep ultraviolet rays (UV-C) that have a high disinfecting and sterilizing effect.

[0029] The ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 is attached to a beam 14 fixed to the front side of the casing 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the beam 14 is located between the side wall 12 and a wall 15 facing the side wall 12, and provides the casing 10 with a beam structure extending in the left-right direction. That is, one end (right end) of the beam 14 is fixed to the side wall 12, and the other end (left end) is fixed to the wall 15. The beam 14 thus provided is located behind the front panel 1F and contacts the front panel 1F, as shown in FIG. 1. This makes it possible to suppress distortion of the front panel 1F that occurs during assembly, etc.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the beam 14 is located behind the front panel 1F. A module case 14a that houses the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 4 is formed in the beam 14. The ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 4 housed in the module case 14a is located at a position higher than the axis line AX, and irradiates ultraviolet ray U (deep ultraviolet ray) toward the humidifier 3 (humidifier filter 30). Specifically, the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 4 irradiates ultraviolet ray U toward the axis line AX of the humidifier 3. As described above, during operation of the humidifier 100, the humidifier 3 changes from one of the first state and the second state to the other at a predetermined cycle, so that the ultraviolet ray U can be irradiated evenly toward both the first ventilation portion 3a and the second ventilation portion 3b.

[0031] The tray 5 stores water for generating humidified air. The tray 5 placed on the tray holder 6 is located inside the housing 1 when the tray is attached to the tray holder 6. Hereinafter, the state in which the tray 5 is placed on the tray holder 6 will be referred to as a "tray-present state," and the state in which the tray 5 is removed from the tray holder 6 will be referred to as a "tray-absent state."

[0032] The tray 5 is made of stainless steel, and is prevented from deteriorating even when exposed to ultraviolet rays U. The material of the tray 5 will be described in detail later.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 5, the tray 5 has an edge 50, and a main water tank section 51, a tank facing section 52, and a float water tank section 53, which are located below the edge 50. The main water tank section 51 is located below the humidifying section 3, and is a section where water to be absorbed by the humidifying section 3 is stored. The tank facing section 52 is a flat section that faces the water supply tank 7 in the vertical direction, sandwiching a receiving member 80 described below. The float water tank section 53 is a section that is recessed below the tank facing section 52, and is a section where water on which a water level detection float 83 described below floats is stored. The float water tank section 53 has a flat bottom section 53a that is a flat bottom.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6 , the tray holder 6 includes a tray accommodating section 60 in which the tray 5 is accommodated, a standing wall section 61 standing around the tray accommodating section 60, and an outer peripheral wall section 62 standing around the standing wall section 61.

[0035] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tray 5 and the tray holder 6 on which the tray 5 is placed. The cross-sectional view shows a section of the portion corresponding to the main water tank section 51 along an imaginary plane determined by an axis extending in the front-rear direction and an axis extending in the up-down direction. Note that in Fig. 7 and Figs. 8 and 12 described below, hatching indicating cross sections has been omitted as appropriate for ease of viewing the drawings.

[0036] 7, an edge portion 50 of the tray 5 is supported by a standing wall portion 61 of the tray holder 6. The edge portion 50 has a supported portion 50a that abuts against and is supported by the standing wall portion 61 when the tray 5 is placed on the tray holder 6, and a longitudinal portion 50b that is connected to the supported portion 50a and extends along the outer surface of the standing wall portion 61.

[0037] The tray accommodating portion 60 of the tray holder 6 is provided with two openings 6a and 6b through which a part of the underside of the tray 5 can be seen. The openings 6a and 6b are provided with a gap between them in the front-rear direction (first direction). A user can easily remove the tray 5 from the tray holder 6 by pushing up the underside of the tray 5 through the openings 6a and 6b.

[0038] The tray storage section 60 has a saucer section 601 between the two openings 6a, 6b. The main water tank section 51 of the tray 5 is formed in a curved plate shape that bulges toward the saucer section 601. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the main water tank section 51 is formed in a curved plate shape that bulges downward at the center and follows the arc-shaped path that the outer periphery of the humidifier section 3 describes when the humidifier section 3 rotates around the axis line AX. This shape of the main water tank section 51 makes it possible to minimize the amount of water stored in the tray 5. The main water tank section 51 of this embodiment is formed in a curved plate shape that is symmetrical in the front and rear. The main water tank section 51 has a bottom plate section 51a that faces the saucer section 601 in the up-down direction.

[0039] The tray 601 has bars 601a protruding toward the bottom plate 51a at one end and the other end in the front-rear direction (first direction). As shown in FIG. 6, the bars 601a are provided extending in the left-right direction (second direction). The bars 601a allow water droplets that drip when condensation occurs on the underside of the tray 5 to be collected in the tray 601. As shown in FIG. 7, in the tray-present state in which the tray 5 is placed on the tray holder 6, a gap is generated between the bars 601a and the bottom plate 51a. This gap allows water droplets on the underside of the tray 5 to pass smoothly toward the tray 601.

[0040] 2, the water supply tank 7 is accommodated in a tank accommodation chamber R7 in the housing 1, and stores water to be supplied to the tray 5. As shown in FIGS. 8(a) and (b), the water supply tank 7 includes a tank body 70 and a tank cap 71 attached to the lower end of the tank body 70. The tank cap 71 has a water supply port 71a and a valve mechanism 72 that opens and closes the water supply port 71a.

[0041] 10, the partition structure 8 includes a receiving member 80, a partition plate 81, and a float support portion 82, which are integrally formed. The partition structure 8 is configured separately from the tray 5 and the tray holder 6. The partition structure 8 (i.e., the integral receiving member 80, partition plate 81, and float support portion 82) is detachable from the tray 5.

[0042] 8(a), the receiving member 80 is a tray-shaped member that receives the water supply tank 7. The receiving member 80 receives the tank cap 71 of the water supply tank 7 at its edge, and has a pin-shaped portion 80a that protrudes toward the valve mechanism 72 from a bottom surface that is recessed from the edge.

[0043] When the water supply tank 7 is accommodated in the tank accommodation chamber R7, the tank cap 71 is in a state in which it is received (supported) by the receiving member 80. At this time, the valve mechanism 72 of the water supply tank 7 is pushed up relatively to the pin-shaped portion 80a. As a result, the valve mechanism 72 is opened, the flow path from the water supply port 71a to the receiving member 80 is opened, and water is supplied from the water supply tank 7 through the receiving member 80 to the tray 5. When the water level in the tray 5 reaches the lower end of the water supply port 71a, the outside air cannot enter the tank body 70 from the water supply port 71a, so that the supply of water from the water supply tank 7 to the tray 5 stops. Then, when the water in the tray 5 decreases and the water level becomes lower than the lower end of the water supply port 71a, the outside air enters the tank body 70 from the water supply port 71a and water comes out from the water supply port 71a. This mechanism keeps the water level in the tray 5 constant. The partition plate 81 is formed with water passage holes 81a (see FIGS. 10 and 11) for allowing the water accumulated in the receiving member 80 to pass to the humidifying section 3 side.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the partition plate 81 is a plate-like member that separates the humidifying unit 3 and the water tank 7. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, a notch 61a is formed in the vertical wall portion 61 of the tray holder 6. Although not shown in FIG. 6, a pair of notches 61a are provided facing each other in the front-rear direction. The pair of notches 61a are located below the partition plate 81 across the edge portion 50 of the tray 5 in a state in which the partition structure portion 8 is further placed on the tray 5 placed on the tray holder 6. In addition, the outer peripheral wall portion 62 of the tray holder 6 is provided with a pair of partition plate guides 62a into which the left and right ends of the partition plate 81 are inserted. The partition plate guides 62a are groove-like portions that are recessed toward the outer periphery of the outer peripheral wall portion 62 and extend in the up-down direction.

[0045] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the partition plate 81 has an engageable portion 81b that can engage with the cutout 61a, and an insertion rib 81c that is inserted into the partition plate guide 62a. The insertion rib 81c is located on the outer side of the partition plate 81 than the engageable portion 81b. There are a pair of engageable portions 81b corresponding to the pair of cutouts 61a. There are also a pair of insertion ribs 81c corresponding to the pair of partition plate guides 62a. The partition structure 8 is attached to the tray holder 6 with the partition plate 81 standing upright relative to the tray holder 6 by inserting the insertion rib 81c into the partition plate guide 62a.

[0046] Figures 8(a) and 9(a) show the relationship of each part in the "tray-present state." In the tray-present state, as shown in Figure 9(a), the notch 61a is covered by the edge 50 of the tray 5 and does not fit with the fittable part 81b. As shown in Figure 8(a), the water supply tank 7 is received by the receiving member 80 and the valve mechanism 72 is pressed against the pin-shaped part 80a. This allows water to be supplied from the water supply tank 7 to the tray 5, as described above.

[0047] 8(b) and 9(b) show the relationship of each part in the "tray-less state". In the tray-less state, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the tray 5 and the edge portion 50 are absent, and the engageable portion 81b engages with the notch 61a. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the receiving member 80 and the pin-shaped portion 80a are lower than in the tray-present state (that is, the entire partition structure portion 8 is lower than in the tray-present state), and the pin-shaped portion 80a separates from the valve mechanism 72. Therefore, the valve mechanism 72 is in a closed state, the flow path from the water supply port 71a to the receiving member 80 is blocked, and the water supply from the water supply tank 7 is stopped. This makes it possible to prevent water from flowing out from the water supply tank 7 to the tray holder 6 even if the user forgets to attach the tray 5 to the tray holder 6 and attaches the tray holder 6 with the partition structure portion 8 placed thereon to the housing 1.

[0048] Here, the tank body 70 of the water supply tank 7 has an opposing portion 70a that faces the standing wall portion 61 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 8(a), in the tray-present state, the tank cap 71 of the water supply tank 7 is supported by the receiving member 80, and the opposing portion 70a is supported by the edge portion 50 of the tray 5. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(b), in the tray-less state, the tank cap 71 of the water supply tank 7 is separated from the receiving member 80, and the opposing portion 70a is directly supported by the standing wall portion 61. As a result, in the tray-less state, the water supply tank 7 is slightly lowered by the thickness of the edge portion 50 of the tray 5 than in the tray-present state. On the other hand, as can be seen by comparing FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 8(b), in the tray-less state, the engageable portion 81b (i.e., the entire partition structure portion 8) is lowered by the sum of the thickness of the edge portion 50 and the depth (vertical length) of the notch 61a. Therefore, in the absence of a tray, the pin-shaped portion 80a can be separated from the valve mechanism 72 of the water supply tank 7 by a distance corresponding to the depth of the notch 61a.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the tray holder 6 has a base portion 602 that abuts against a portion of the tray 5 facing the receiving member 80 when the tray is present (the tank facing portion 52 of the tray 5 described above), a low floor portion 603 that is located lower than the base portion 602, and a rib 604 that surrounds the base portion 602. As shown in FIG. 6, the low floor portion 603 is connected to the bottom of the receiving dish portion 601. The base portion 602 rises upward from the low floor portion 603 and is formed in a circular shape in this embodiment. The base portion 602 can stabilize the tray 5 and the partition structure portion 8 located on the tray 5. The rib 604 is formed in a ring shape with a portion that is notched. The notched portion of the rib 604 can ensure ventilation, and water that has accumulated between the rib 604 and the base portion 602 can be easily dried.

[0050] The receiving member 80 has legs 80b that are supported by the tray 5 (specifically, the tank facing portion 52) in the tray-present state shown in FIG. 8(a). The legs 80b correspond to the lower end of the outer periphery of the receiving member 80 that is formed in a roughly disk-like shape, as shown in FIG. 10. As a result, the lower end of the legs 80b is ring-shaped, and in the tray-absent state, it is fitted between the base portion 602 and the rib 604 shown in FIG. 6. That is, in the tray-absent state shown in FIG. 8(b), as described above, the legs 80b of the partition structure 8, which is lower in position than in the tray-present state, are supported by the low floor portion 603. As a result, the partition structure 8 is reliably supported by the tray 5 at the legs 80b in the tray-present state, while in the tray-absent state, it is reliably supported by the low floor portion 603 of the tray holder 6.

[0051] Furthermore, the rib 604 of the tray holder 6 comes into contact with a portion of the tray 5 that does not face the receiving member 80 in the tray-present state shown in Fig. 8(a). In the tray-absent state shown in Fig. 8(b), the legs 80b are supported by the low floor portion 603 between the base portion 602 and the rib 604. Here, in the tray-present state, the tray 5 receives the load of the water supply tank 7 via the legs 80b of the receiving member 80, but the presence of the rib 604 allows the periphery of the portion of the tray 5 that is supported by the base portion 602 to be supported by the rib 604 as well. In other words, the rib 604 can prevent the load of the water supply tank 7 from concentrating locally on the tray 5, and can prevent the tray 5 from being deformed.

[0052] 10 supports a water level detection float 83, which floats on the water stored in the tray 5, so that the float can be displaced in response to the displacement of the water. Specifically, the water level detection float 83 floats on the water in the float water tank portion 53 described above. The float support portion 82 of this embodiment supports the water level detection float 83 so that the float can rotate about an axis BX extending in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the water in the tray 5 is displaced, the water level detection float 83 is displaced in an arc shape about the axis BX.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 12, the water level detection float 83 holds a magnet M at its lower end. A magnetic sensor S for detecting a magnetic field (magnetic flux density) caused by the magnet M is provided on the opposite side of the magnet M across the flat bottom 53a of the float water tank portion 53 in the tray 5. The magnetic sensor S is embedded, for example, inside the bottom portion 10D of the casing 10. The magnetic sensor S is composed of a reed switch, a Hall element, an MR (Magneto Resistive Sensor) element, etc., and detects the magnetic flux of the magnet M that changes when the magnet M approaches the magnetic sensor S due to the displacement of the water level detection float 83. The control unit 9 detects the water level in the tray 5 based on the detection signal output by the magnetic sensor S.

[0054] Here, the tray 5 of this embodiment is formed by cold working SUS304, which is an austenitic stainless steel. The tray 5 may also be made of SUS301, SUS316, or the like.

[0055] The control unit 9 shown in FIG. 2 is composed of a microcomputer that controls the overall operation of the humidifier 100, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The control unit 9 is mounted on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) (not shown). The PCB is provided, for example, between the upper panel 1U and the casing 10. The control unit 9 is electrically connected to various electronic components provided in the humidifier 100. The control unit 9 receives operations performed by a user on an operation panel (not shown) provided on the upper panel 1U, and controls each unit of the humidifier 100 according to the received operation. The control unit 9 controls the operation of the heater T, the fan motor 2a, a turn motor (not shown) that rotates the humidifier unit 3, and the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 4. The control unit 9 also detects the water level in the tray 5 based on the output of the magnetic sensor S.

[0056] Next, the structure of the bottom portion 10D of the housing 1 in this embodiment will be described.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 13 and 14. The bottom 10D of the housing 1 has support legs 18 arranged at the four corners, and handles 10T at the left and right ends for the user to grip when carrying the housing 1. The support leg 18 can be molded as a single unit using a simple mold, and has a cylindrical portion 19 on the inside as a reinforcing means. The cylindrical portion 19 is a hollow cylinder with a lid, and a screw N is inserted into a screw hole 19a in the lid at the upper end, and the support leg 18 is connected to the bottom portion 10D by axially attaching the screw N to the bottom portion 10D. The handles 10T are formed in the vicinity of each of the support legs 18, and have a recessed shape recessed a predetermined distance upward. This allows the user to grip the housing 1 by inserting his or her fingers into the handles 10T.

[0058] Next, the strength and reinforcing means according to the shape of the support leg 18 in this embodiment will be described.

[0059] The support legs 18 located on the bottom 10D of the housing 1 and inclined outward are weaker than support legs formed perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and therefore are more likely to be damaged by the load of the housing 1 or the impact when the support legs 18 are placed on the installation surface G when the housing 1 is moved, compared to support legs formed perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0060] Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing a cylindrical portion 19 as a reinforcing means within the outwardly inclined support leg 18, the strength of the support leg 18 is improved while preventing the reinforcing means from impairing the appearance, and damage due to the load or impact of the housing 1 is prevented in advance.

[0061] See Figures 14, 15, and 16. Cylindrical portion 19 is formed to extend perpendicularly to the horizontal direction from upper end surface 18a to lower end surface 18b at a location where upper end surface 18a and lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view. This improves the strength of support leg 18, making it possible to withstand the load of housing 1 and the load received when support leg 18 collides with a user or installation surface G, and reducing the possibility of support leg 18 being damaged.

[0062] In addition, since the cylindrical portion 19 serving as reinforcing means is formed on the inside of the support leg 18, the user cannot directly see the cylindrical portion 19 serving as reinforcing means when the humidifier 100 is normally used. Therefore, the support leg 18 can be strengthened without impairing the appearance of the housing 1.

[0063] In this embodiment, the lower end surface 18b of the support leg 18 is inclined toward the left-right direction, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the lower end surface 18b may be inclined toward the front-rear direction, or may be inclined toward between the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In other words, as long as the support leg 18 inclined toward the outside of the housing 1 has a reinforcing means at the location where the upper end surface 18a and the lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view, it falls within the scope of the present invention.

[0064] In addition, in the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 19 is formed on the support leg 18 as a reinforcing means, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support leg 18 may be reinforced by embedding a member at the location where the upper end surface 18a and the lower end surface 18b overlap. In other words, as long as the strength of the support leg 18 is improved by embedding a member at the location where the upper end surface 18a and the lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view, the reinforcing means of the present invention is one that is included in the scope of the reinforcing means.

[0065] Next, the effects of the present invention will be described.

[0066] Support leg 18, which has upper end surface 18a that is inclined outward and connects with bottom 10D, and lower end surface 18b that is placed on installation surface G, has reinforcing means at the location where upper end surface 18a and lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view. Support leg 18, which is located at the bottom of housing 1 and inclined outward, is weaker in strength than support legs formed perpendicular to the horizontal direction. By providing reinforcing means at the location where upper end surface 18a and lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view, the strength of support leg 18 is improved, so that the possibility of support leg 18 being damaged by the load of housing 1 or an impact applied to support leg 18 is reduced, improving product quality.

[0067] Moreover, the reinforcing means is formed on the inside of the support leg 18. Since no reinforcing means is added to the outside of the support leg 18, the appearance is not marred, and thus a decrease in product quality can be prevented.

[0068] The reinforcing means is formed of a cylindrical portion 19 that is continuous from the upper end surface 18a to the lower end surface 18b and extends perpendicular to the horizontal direction. Since the strength of the support leg 18 can be improved with a simple structure, a significant increase in costs due to an increase in the reinforcing means can be prevented, and the product quality is improved.

[0069] In addition, a handle 10T for lifting the housing 1 is disposed on the bottom 10D near the support legs 18. When a user grasps the handle 10T to lift it, a load is applied near the handle 10T, and therefore a load is also applied to the support legs 18 disposed near the handle 10T. The formation of the cylindrical portion 19 as a reinforcing means within the support legs 18 increases durability against the load from the handle 10T, reducing the possibility of the support legs 18 being damaged and improving product quality.

[0070] The present invention is also applied to a humidifier 100 having a tray 5 for storing water and a water supply tank 7 for storing water to be sent to the tray 5, and at least the water supply tank 7 is detachable from the housing 1. In the humidifier 100, the weight of the housing 1 changes over time as the amount of water in the water supply tank 7 fluctuates due to humidification operation, so the load of the housing 1 that the support legs 18 receive is highly variable per unit time. When the water supply tank 7 runs out of water, the water supply tank 7 is removed from the housing 1 and water is supplied to the housing 1, and the water supply tank 7 is mounted in a full water state on the housing 1. When the water supply tank 7 is mounted in a full water state on the housing 1, an impact is applied to the bottom 10D of the housing 1, and the support legs 18 receive a large load. In the humidifier 100 that receives a large load from the housing 1 side, the support legs 18 have reinforcing means at the places where the upper end surface 18a and the lower end surface 18b overlap in a plan view, thereby improving the strength of the support legs 18 and reducing the possibility of breakage, thereby improving the product quality.

[0071] Although the present invention has been described based on the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and drawings. Modifications (including the deletion of components) can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0072] For example, the air conditioner according to the present invention can be applied to other air conditioning equipment such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers, dryers, etc. in addition to the humidifier 100.

[0073] Moreover, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 may be any unit that emits light in the ultraviolet region, and is not limited to one that emits deep ultraviolet light (UV-C). Moreover, the humidifier unit 3 is not limited to a configuration that is rotatable with respect to the housing 1. The humidifier unit 3 may be a unit that does not rotate with respect to the housing 1 and is installed above the tray 5. In this case, instead of the bearing 8R provided on the partition plate 81, a support unit of any shape that supports a part of the humidifier unit 3 may be provided. It is preferable that this support unit determines the relative position of the humidifier unit 3 with respect to the tray 5. Moreover, the engageable portion 81b is not limited to an example that is a part of the partition plate 81, and may be a configuration that is formed integrally with at least the receiving member 80. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 100 Humidifier 1 Case P1 Intake port P2 outlet 1F Front Panel 1B Rear panel 1L Left Panel 1R Right Panel 1U Top Panel 10 Casing 10D bottom 10T Handle 18 Support legs 18a Top end surface 18b Lower end surface 19 Cylindrical section 3 Humidification section 5 Tray 7. Water tank

Claims

1. A housing having a bottom surface located below, a top surface located above, and a side surface connecting the top surface and the bottom surface; an intake port disposed in the housing and adapted to draw in air; an air conditioning unit that is housed in the housing and conditions the air sucked in through the air inlet; an air outlet disposed in the housing and configured to blow out air conditioned by the air conditioning unit; A support leg is disposed on the bottom surface, inclined outwardly, and has an upper end surface connected to the bottom surface and a lower end surface to be placed on a placement surface, The air conditioner, wherein the support leg has a reinforcing means at a location where the upper end surface and the lower end surface overlap in a plan view.

2. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing means is formed on the inside of the support leg.

3. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing means is formed of a cylindrical portion that communicates from the upper end surface to the lower end surface and extends perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

4. 4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein a handle for lifting the housing is disposed on the bottom surface near the support legs.

5. The air conditioning unit is a humidification means that humidifies the air sucked from the air inlet and blows the air from the air outlet, The housing includes: A tray that stores water to be used by the humidifying means; A water supply tank that stores water to be sent to the tray, 5. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein at least the water supply tank is detachable from the housing.

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