Air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of stably moving a wiping-off member for wiping dust inside a case.SOLUTION: An air conditioner 10 comprises: an outer peripheral wall 40 surrounding one part of an outer periphery of a fan 21; a movement member 60 movable in an axial direction of the fan 21; wipe-off members 76, 77 mounted to the movement member 60 and wiping dust adhered in a case 30; an annular bridge member 53 bridged on a pulley 52 and fixed to the movement member 60; a guider roller 68 capable of guiding movement of the movement member 60; and a support face 86 opposed to an end face 69 of the guide roller 68 and capable of supporting the guide roller 68 by contacting the guide roller 68 when the movement member 60 is inclined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a function of wiping off dust inside a case. [Background technology]

[0002] Air conditioners are widely used to adjust the temperature inside a house, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to air conditioners.

[0003] The air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a fan that rotates to blow air into a room, and a case that houses the fan. The air conditioner also includes a wiping mechanism that wipes away dust from inside the case that houses the fan.

[0004] Specifically, the wiping mechanism has a brush that is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the fan for cleaning the fan. By rotating the fan with the brush in contact with the fan, dust adhering to the fan can be removed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-143961 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In addition to the prior art, a wiping mechanism for wiping off dust from inside the case may also be considered that includes, for example, a movable member that can move in the axial direction of the fan, and a wiping member (brush or sheet) that is attached to the movable member and wipes off dust from inside the case.

[0007] A pulley mechanism is an example of a mechanism for moving a moving member. Specifically, two pulleys are provided at both ends of the fan in the axial direction, and a circular rope (bridge member) is stretched across the two pulleys. When a brush or sheet, which is a wiping member, is fixed to the rope and the pulley is rotated, the brush or sheet can be moved along the axial direction of the fan.

[0008] However, the ropes and other components that are hung between the pulleys are made of materials that are easily deformed. Moving components that are attached to the easily deformed ropes may wobble when they move. If the moving components wobble, the wiping components (brushes and sheets) attached to the moving components will also wobble, impairing the wiping function, so there is room for improvement.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can stably move a wiping member that sweeps away dust inside the case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In the present invention, a case is provided with an air intake port capable of taking in air from the outside and an air outlet port capable of blowing the taken-in air out to the outside; A fan that is housed in the case and rotates to blow air; an outer circumferential wall surface formed on the case so as to surround a part of an outer circumferential surface of the fan and capable of guiding air to be sent to the fan; a movable member located between the outer peripheral wall surface and the fan and movable in an axial direction of the fan; a wiping member attached to the moving member for wiping off dust adhering to the inside of the case; A pulley rotatably provided in the case; an annular bridge member that is bridged across the pulley and to which the moving member is fixed; a guide roller rotatably attached to the moving member and capable of guiding the movement of the moving member; The air conditioner includes a support surface that faces an end face of the guide roller and that is capable of supporting the guide roller by being brought into contact with the guide roller when the moving member is tilted. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The present invention can provide an air conditioner that can stably move a wiping member that sweeps away dust inside the case. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of the air conditioner shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the case of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2 and a fan housed in the case. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view of a moving member to which the wiping member is attached, a pulley mechanism for moving the moving member, and a drive source of the pulley mechanism; FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wiping mechanism as viewed in a direction along the axial direction of the fan. FIG. [Figure 6] Fig. 6A is a perspective view of a fixed portion of a moving member, and Fig. 6B is a perspective view of a main body of the moving member and a detachable member that is detachable from the main body. [Figure 7] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a fixed portion stored in a bridging member storage portion, a guide roller provided on the fixed portion, and a lid covering the bridging member storage portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals are used for members and parts that perform the same function, and duplicated explanations will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. In the drawings, Fr indicates front, Rr indicates rear, Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom. Furthermore, Us indicates upstream, and Ds indicates downstream.

[0014] In the following description, when the air conditioner 10 is viewed from the front, the side away from the air conditioner 10 is referred to as the front, and the side approaching the air conditioner 10 is referred to as the rear. Left, right, top, and bottom refer to the left, right, top, and bottom, respectively, when the air conditioner 10 is viewed from the front. Additionally, the upstream side and downstream side refer to the flow direction of air flowing along the outer peripheral wall surface 40, which will be described later.

[0015] <Example> An air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. The air conditioner 10 has a cooling function for cooling the indoor space In and a heating function for heating the indoor space In.

[0016] The air conditioner 10 includes an outdoor unit 11 provided outdoors Ou and an indoor unit 20 provided indoors In. The outdoor unit 11 and the indoor unit 20 are connected to each other so that a refrigerant can circulate. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the direction in which the refrigerant circulates is based on the cooling operation.

[0017] The outdoor unit 11 is equipped with a four-way switching valve 12 that switches the direction in which the refrigerant circulates during cooling operation and heating operation, a compressor 13 through which the refrigerant that has passed through this four-way switching valve 12 flows and compresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 14 through which the refrigerant that has been compressed in the compressor 13 and has become high temperature and high pressure flows, an outdoor fan 15 that blows air towards the outdoor heat exchanger 14, and an expansion valve 16 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 14.

[0018] The indoor unit 20 is used by hanging it on a wall Wa inside the room In. A case 30 of the indoor unit 20 is fixed to the wall Wa via a support plate. The case 30, whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction, houses a fan 21 that takes in air from the room In into the case 30 and blows it out to the room In, and a heat exchanger 27 that exchanges heat with the air taken in by the fan 21.

[0019] During cooling operation, the refrigerant that has been made high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 13 exchanges heat with outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 14, releasing heat. At this time, the outdoor fan 15 operates to forcibly flow outside air around the outdoor heat exchanger 14, promoting heat exchange. The refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and released heat is reduced in pressure by the expansion valve 16, and its temperature drops. The cooled refrigerant is sent to the indoor unit 20.

[0020] Air is introduced into the case 30 of the indoor unit 20 by operating the fan 21. The introduced air passes around the outer periphery of the heat exchanger 27 and is sent to the indoor space In. The heat exchanger 27 is supplied with refrigerant that has been cooled in the outdoor unit 11. The air passing around the outer periphery of the heat exchanger 27 exchanges heat with the refrigerant and is cooled. The cooled air is sent to the indoor space In.

[0021] During heating operation, the four-way switching valve 12 switches the flow path of the refrigerant, circulating the refrigerant in the opposite direction to that during cooling operation.

[0022] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. An air intake port 31 capable of taking in air from the outside (indoors In) is opened on the top surface of the case 30. An air outlet 32 ​​capable of blowing air out to the outside (indoors In) is opened on the front lower part of the case 30. The air outlet 32 ​​is provided with up-down louvers 28 that can open and close the air outlet 32 ​​and adjust the direction in which the air is blown out in the vertical direction (height direction of the air conditioner 10).

[0023] Please refer to Fig. 3. Behind the up-down louvers 28 (see Fig. 2), left-right louvers 29 are provided which are capable of adjusting the direction in which air is blown out left-right (the width direction of the air conditioner 10).

[0024] (Outer wall surface 40) The case 30 has a fan storage section 33 that stores the fan 21. The fan storage section 33 has an outer peripheral wall surface 40 that can surround a part of the outer periphery of the fan 21 so as to guide the air blown by the fan 21 toward the air outlet 32, and two side surfaces 34, 35 located adjacent to the end surfaces 22, 23 on both sides in the direction of the axis C of the fan 21.

[0025] (Ventilation duct 36) The outer peripheral wall surface 40 is formed along the direction in which the axis C of the fan 21 extends. The space between the outer peripheral wall surface 40 of the case 30 and the fan 21 is an air passage 36 (see FIG. 5) through which air blown by the fan flows.

[0026] (wiping mechanism 50) Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. The case 30 is equipped with a wiping mechanism 50 capable of wiping off dust adhering to the inside of the case 30 (the fan 21 and the outer peripheral wall surface 40). The wiping mechanism 50 is equipped with a moving member 60 that is movable inside the case 30, a reciprocating mechanism 51 that is capable of reciprocating the moving member 60 along the direction of the axis C of the fan 21, and a drive unit 54 that is capable of driving the reciprocating mechanism 51.

[0027] (Reciprocating mechanism 51) The reciprocating mechanism 51 includes, for example, a drive pulley 52 rotatably supported in the fan housing section 33, a driven pulley (not shown) located on the opposite side (with respect to the direction of the axis C of the fan 21) to the drive pulley 52 and rotatably supported in the fan housing section 33, and a bridging member 53 that is looped around the drive pulley 52 and the driven pulley and has a moving member 60 fixed thereto. The bridging member 53 is, for example, a toothed rope 53 (a synchromesh rope, hereinafter referred to as the "rope 53"), or may be a belt having a predetermined width.

[0028] (Drive unit 54) The drive unit 54 is located at a corner 36a of the air passage 36 (the right end of the air passage 36, immediately adjacent to the right wall surface 34). The drive unit 54 includes an electric motor 55 serving as a drive source, and a gear 56 rotated by the electric motor 55. The gear 56 is capable of meshing with a gear portion 52a formed on the outer circumferential surface on the front side of the drive pulley 52.

[0029] (Cover 70) The electric motor 55 , the gear 56 , and the drive pulley 52 are located at the right corner 36 a of the air passage 36 , and are covered by a cover 59 .

[0030] (moving member 60) 5, 6A, and 6B, the moving member 60 includes a fixed portion 61 fixed to the rope 53, and a base portion 70 supported by the fixed portion 61.

[0031] (Fixing of rope 53 to fixed part 61) At each end of the rope 53, a fixing member 57 is provided for fixing the fixing part 61 and the rope 53 with a screw 58. Each fixing member 57 is crimped to the end of the rope 53, and has a hole through which the screw 58 can pass. Each fixing member 57 is overlapped with each other and fastened together with the screw 58 to be fixed to the fixing part 61.

[0032] (Guide rollers 64, 65) The fixed portion 61 includes a first guide roller 66 whose axial direction is in the front-rear direction and capable of guiding the movable member 60, and a second guide roller 68 whose axial direction is in the up-down direction and capable of guiding the movable member 60.

[0033] (Fixed part 61) 6A and 7. The fixing portion 61 has a female threaded portion 62 on which the fixing member 57 is overlapped and on which a female thread 62a capable of being fastened by a screw 58 is formed, first shaft support portions 63 located at both ends of the female threaded portion 62 with respect to the axis C direction as a reference and having a shaft hole 63a formed therein capable of supporting a shaft portion 66a of a first guide roller 66, arm portions 64 extending rearward from each of the first shaft support portions 63 and capable of supporting a base portion 70, and a second shaft support portion 65 located below the female threaded portion 62 and having a shaft hole 65a formed therein capable of supporting a shaft portion 68a of a second guide roller 68. The first guide roller 66 is located behind the first shaft support portion 63. The second guide roller 68 is located below the second shaft support portion 65.

[0034] (base 70) 6B, the base 70 includes, for example, a rectangular frame-shaped main body 71 whose longitudinal direction coincides with the air flow direction of the air passage 36, and a rectangular plate-shaped detachable member 75 that is detachable from the main body 71.

[0035] The main body portion 71 has a vertical frame portion 72 formed integrally with each arm portion 64 along the outer peripheral wall surface 40, an upper frame portion 73 connecting the upstream ends of each vertical frame portion 72, and a lower frame portion 74 connecting the downstream ends of a pair of vertical frame portions 72, 72.

[0036] (Detachable member 75) The detachable member 75 is formed to fit into the frame-shaped main body portion 71, and has an insertion portion 75a that can be inserted into the upper frame portion 73 and a locking portion 75b that can be locked to the lower frame portion 74. Each vertical frame portion 72 has a support edge 72a that can support an edge of the main body portion 71 in the longitudinal direction.

[0037] (Sheet) The back surface of the detachable member 75 is provided with a sheet 76 (wiping member, wiping member for the outer peripheral wall surface) that can contact the outer peripheral wall surface 40 and wipe away dust adhering to the outer peripheral surface 40. The sheet 76 can be made of nonwoven fabric, sponge, or the like.

[0038] (Brush) The surface of the detachable member 75 is provided with a brush 77 (wiping member) that can come into contact with the outer periphery 24 (see FIG. 5) of the fan 21 and wipe off dust adhering to the outer periphery 24.

[0039] (Rope storage compartment 80) Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. A rope storage section 80 is formed in the outer peripheral wall surface 40, which is recessed so as to open toward the fan 21 and stores the rope 53. The rope storage section 80 is formed in the outer peripheral wall surface 40 over the entire direction of the axis C of the fan 21 (from the right end to the left end).

[0040] The rope storage section 80 stores the fixed part 61 fixed to the rope 53, and the first guide roller 66 and the second guide roller 68 provided on the fixed part 61. The rope storage section 80 is formed to fit the outer shapes of the fixed part 61, the first guide roller 66, and the second guide roller 68.

[0041] With the air flow direction of the air passage 36 as a reference, the surface of the outer peripheral wall 40 that is upstream of the rope storage section 80 (Us (see Figure 4)) is referred to as the upstream outer peripheral wall surface 41, and the surface that is downstream of the rope storage section 80 (Ds (see Figure 4)) is referred to as the downstream outer peripheral wall surface 42.

[0042] (Support surface 81,86) Please refer to Fig. 7. The rope storage section 80 has a first support surface 81 that faces the rear end surface 67 of the first guide roller 66 and that can support the first guide roller 66 by contacting ends 67a, 67b of the rear end surface 67 of the first guide roller 66 when the moving member 60 is tilted, and a first upper rolling surface 82 that extends forward from the upper end of the first support surface 81 and on which the first guide roller 66 can roll.

[0043] The rope storage section 80 has a first lower rolling surface 84 extending forward from the lower end of the first support surface 81 and on which the first guide roller 66 can roll, and a second rear rolling surface 83 extending downward from the front end of the first lower rolling surface 84 and on which the second guide roller 68 can roll.

[0044] Furthermore, the rope storage section 80 has a protruding portion 85 that protrudes from the inner side (rear) of the rope storage section 80 toward the lid side (front). An upper surface 86 of the protruding portion 85 extends forward from the lower end of the second rear rolling surface 83 and faces the lower end surface 69 of the second guide roller 68. The upper surface 86 is also a second support surface that can support the second guide roller 68 by contacting the ends 69a, 69b of the lower end surface 69 of the second guide roller 68 when the moving member 60 is tilted.

[0045] (lid) Please refer to Figures 3 and 7. The rope storage section 80 formed in a recessed shape is closed by a lid 90. A surface 90a of the lid 90 faces diagonally upward and smoothly connects the upstream outer peripheral wall surface 41 and the downstream outer peripheral wall surface 42 (the surface 90a is continuous with the outer peripheral wall surface 40 without protruding or recessing). In other words, the surface 90a of the lid 90 constitutes a part of the outer peripheral wall surface 40 together with the upstream outer peripheral wall surface 41 and the downstream outer peripheral wall surface 42.

[0046] The lid 90 has a first lateral protrusion 91 protruding from a lower end 90b toward the rope storage section 80, and a second lateral protrusion 92 protruding from a position above the lower end 90b toward the rope storage section 80. The first lateral protrusion 91 and the second lateral protrusion 92 are formed across the entire width of the lid 90 (the direction of the axis C of the fan 21, the lateral direction).

[0047] The lid 90 has a vertical protrusion 93 that protrudes from the entire height direction (up-down direction) of the lid 90 toward the rope storage section 80. The vertical protrusion 93 has a predetermined thickness along the direction of the axis C of the fan 21, and a plurality of the vertical protrusions 93 are provided intermittently along the width direction (direction of the axis C) of the lid 90 (one protrusion may be provided). The protrusions 92, 93 can also be called ribs.

[0048] A tip 91a of the first lateral protrusion 91, a tip 92a of the second lateral protrusion 92, and a tip 93a of the vertical protrusion 93 are located on the same plane. The tip 92a of the second lateral protrusion 92 is located in front of the second guide roller 68, and also forms a second front rolling surface on which the second guide roller 68 can roll.

[0049] A gap G is provided between the upstream outer peripheral wall surface 41 and the upper end 90c of the lid 90. It can be said that the arm portion 64 of the moving member 60 connects the fixed portion 61 located in the rope storage portion 80 and the vertical frame portion 71 located in the air passage 36 through this gap G.

[0050] A tip 87 of the protrusion 85 contacts a tip 93a of the vertical protrusion 93 of the lid 90 (an end 86a of the second support surface 86 on the lid 90 side contacts the lid 90). The rope storage section 80 has a lid support surface 89 that supports a lower surface 91b of the first lateral protrusion 91. The lid support surface 89 allows the lid 90 to slide when the lid 90 is assembled to the rope storage section 80.

[0051] (First effect) 1 to 4. First, air conditioner 10 includes case 30 having air intake 31 capable of taking in air from the outside and air outlet 32 ​​capable of blowing the taken-in air to the outside, fan 21 housed in case 30 and rotating to blow air, outer circumferential wall surface 40 formed in case 30 so as to surround part of the outer periphery of fan 21 and capable of guiding air sent to fan 21, movable member 60 located between outer circumferential wall surface 40 and fan 21 and capable of moving in the direction of axis C of fan 21, and wiping member (sheet 76, brush 77 (at least one of them)) attached to movable member 60 to brush off dust adhering to the inside of case 30.

[0052] 6B and 7. The air conditioner 10 further includes a pulley 52 rotatably provided on the case 30, a bridging member (rope 53) that is stretched across the pulley 52 and has the moving member 60 fixed thereto, guide rollers 66, 68 (at least one of them) that are rotatably attached to the moving member 60 and can guide the movement of the moving member 60, and support surfaces 81, 86 that face end faces 67, 69 of the guide rollers 66, 68 and that can support the guide rollers 66, 68 by contacting the guide rollers 66, 68 when the moving member 60 is tilted. Therefore, it is possible to provide the air conditioner 10 that can stably move the wiping member (sheet 76, brush 77) that sweeps away dust inside the case 30.

[0053] (Second effect) 7. Secondly, in the first air conditioner 10, the air conditioner 10 is provided with a rope storage section 80 (hanging member storage section) that is formed in a recessed shape in the outer peripheral wall surface 40 and that stores a rope 53 (hanging member), and a lid 90 that closes the opening of the rope storage section 80 and constitutes a part of the outer peripheral wall surface 40. The rope storage section 80 (rope storage section 80) has a second support surface 86.

[0054] If the second support surface 86 were provided as part of the lid 90, a portion including the second support surface 86 would protrude from the back side of the lid 90. This protruding portion would be invisible when assembling the lid 90, making it difficult to assemble the lid 90 to the rope storage section 80. On the other hand, if the rope storage section 80 has the second support surface 86 (whether the second support surface 86 is separate from or integrated with the rope storage section 80), it would be easier to assemble it to the rope storage section 80.

[0055] (Third Effect) Thirdly, in the second air conditioner 10, an end 86a of the second support surface 86 on the lid 90 side is in contact with the lid 90 (a tip 87 of the protruding portion 85 is in contact with a tip 93a of the vertical protruding portion 93 of the lid 90). In other words, the portion including the second support surface 86 (protruding portion 85) is a portion in which the second support surface 86, which is its upper surface, can support the second guide roller 68, and the tip 87 can regulate the position of the lid 90, so that the single portion has two functions.

[0056] (Fourth Effect) Fourth, in the first to third air conditioners 10, the movable member 60 has a fixed part 61 fixed to the rope 53, and a base 70 supported by the fixed part 61 and to which a sheet 76 (wiping member for the outer peripheral wall surface) can be attached.

[0057] 6B and 7. The base 70 has an upstream base 70a (a portion of the main body 71 and the detachable member 75 that is upstream of the fixed portion 61 (arm portion 64)) extending from the fixed portion 61 to the upstream side of the air flowing along the outer peripheral wall surface 40, and a downstream base 70b (a portion of the main body 71 and the detachable member 75 that is downstream of the fixed portion 61 (arm portion 64)) extending from the fixed portion 61 to the downstream side of the air flowing along the outer peripheral wall surface 40.

[0058] When the sheet 76 (external wall surface wiping member) is used as the wiping member, the base 70 to which the sheet 76 is attached has a shape having a predetermined length along the outer peripheral wall surface 40. Furthermore, when the moving member 60 has the above-mentioned configuration, when the moving member 60 moves, the base 70 tends to swing around the fixed portion 61 in a direction away from the outer peripheral wall surface 40 or in a direction toward the outer peripheral wall surface 40 as shown by the arrow (1), and the sheet 76 is less likely to come into close contact with the outer peripheral wall surface 40. In the case of the moving member 60 having such a configuration, by adopting the configurations of the first to third air conditioners 10, it is possible to suppress the wobble of the moving member 60 to which the sheet 76 is attached, so that the sheet 76 is more likely to come into close contact with the outer peripheral wall surface 40, and the sheet 76 is more likely to wipe off dust adhering to the outer peripheral wall surface 40.

[0059] As long as the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved, the present invention is not limited to the examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10...Air conditioner 21...Fan 30…Case 31...Air intake 32…Air outlet 40…Outer wall surface 52...Drive pulley 53...Toothed rope (bridge member) 60...Moving member 61...Fixed part 66…First guide roller 67…Rear end surface of first guide roller 68...Second guide roller 69…Lower end surface of second guide roller 70...base, 70a...upstream base, 70b...downstream base 76...Sheet (wiping member, wiping member for outer peripheral wall surface) 77...Brush (wiping member) 80...Rope storage section (bridge member storage section) 81...1st support surface 86...Top surface of protrusion (second support surface) 86a... Lid side end of second support surface 90…Lid

Claims

1. A case having an air intake port capable of taking in air from the outside and an air outlet port capable of blowing the taken-in air to the outside; A fan that is housed in the case and rotates to blow air; an outer circumferential wall surface formed on the case so as to surround a part of an outer circumferential surface of the fan and capable of guiding air to be sent to the fan; a movable member located between the outer peripheral wall surface and the fan and movable in an axial direction of the fan; a wiping member attached to the moving member for wiping off dust adhering to the inside of the case; A pulley rotatably provided in the case; an annular bridge member that is bridged across the pulley and to which the moving member is fixed; a guide roller rotatably attached to the moving member and capable of guiding the movement of the moving member; a support surface facing an end surface of the guide roller, the support surface being capable of supporting the guide roller by being contacted by the guide roller when the moving member is tilted.

2. A bridge member storage section formed in a recessed shape on the outer peripheral wall surface and storing the bridge member; A cover that closes the opening of the bridge member storage section and constitutes a part of the outer peripheral wall surface, The bridge member storage section has the support surface.

2. An air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. The end of the support surface on the lid side is in contact with the lid.

3. An air conditioner according to claim 2.

4. The wiping member is an outer peripheral wall surface wiping member that wipes off dust adhering to the outer peripheral wall surface, The moving member has a fixed portion fixed to the bridge member, and a base portion supported by the fixed portion and to which the outer peripheral wall surface wiping member can be attached, The base portion is an upstream base portion extending from the fixed portion to an upstream side of the air flowing along the outer peripheral wall surface; and a downstream base portion extending from the fixed portion to a downstream side of the air flowing along the outer peripheral wall surface. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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