Air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner which can efficiently heat blown air without raising a surface temperature of a heater and reduce noise.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: an air blowing path 240 in which an air blower 230 is arranged between an air inlet 121 and an air outlet 131 which are provided in a body 10; an air conditioning section 146 which conditions sucked air; and heating means 220 for heating air. The air blower 230 is constituted of a sirocco fan 142 and a scroll casing 200. The scroll casing 200 has a fan suction port 204, a fan blowout port 206, and a tongue section 207. A suction port plane of the fan suction port 204 is divided into an inside region and an outside region in a radial direction. When a plane of the fan blowout port 206 side which is obtained by dividing the outside region by a virtual plane 208 passing a rotary shat 210 of the sirocco fan 142 and the tongue section 207 is defined as a first plane 205, the heating means 220 is arranged to pass through the first plane 205.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to a configuration for efficiently dissipating heat from a heater mounted in an air conditioner such as a dehumidifier. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, among air conditioners, dehumidifiers have been used to dry clothes in addition to their indoor dehumidifying and drying functions, or to prevent a decrease in dehumidification efficiency due to low room temperatures in winter, and have been equipped with a heater (52) downstream of the blower to heat the dry air in addition to a dehumidifying unit in the air flow path inside the main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, among air conditioners, some humidifiers are equipped with a heater in the air passage downstream of the blower inside the main body and upstream of the humidifier unit in order to increase the amount of humidification by heating the air passing through the vaporization filter (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-126262 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4025169 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in the air conditioner (dehumidifier) ​​of Patent Document 1, a heater is positioned downstream of the blower. However, if the heater output is increased to improve the clothes drying capacity, the surface temperature of the heater rises, and there is a risk that the surrounding plastic parts will be deformed by radiant heat. To solve this problem, the first proposal was to keep the heater output low enough so that the resin in the air flow path would not deform, and the second proposal was to install a metal heat shield in the air flow path to prevent the resin around the heater from deforming.

[0005] However, with the first proposal, there was a concern that reducing the heater output would result in clothes taking longer to dry or the clothes remaining damp, so there was room for improvement. In addition, in the second proposal, the heat shield could create resistance to the airflow, disrupting the airflow in the airflow path and becoming a source of noise, so there was also room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] Furthermore, in the air conditioner (humidifier) ​​of Patent Document 2, a heater is positioned downstream of the blower, but if the heater output is increased to improve humidification capacity, the surface temperature of the heater rises, and there is a risk that the surrounding plastic parts will deform due to radiant heat. To solve this problem, the first and second proposals mentioned above could be considered, but as mentioned above, both of them have room for improvement.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and has an object to provide an air conditioner that can efficiently heat the air to be blown without increasing the surface temperature of the heater, and can reduce noise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention has been made to achieve the above-mentioned object, and claim 1 provides an air conditioner comprising a housing, an air flow path in which a blower is arranged between an intake port and an exhaust port provided in the housing, an air conditioning unit for conditioning the air sucked in from the intake port, and a heating means for heating the air passing through the blower, wherein the blower is composed of a centrifugal fan and a scroll casing, the scroll casing has a circular fan intake port communicating with the intake port, a fan exhaust port communicating with the exhaust port, and a tongue portion, and wherein the intake port plane of the fan intake port is radially divided into an inner region and an outer region, and the plane on the fan exhaust port side obtained by dividing the outer region by a virtual plane passing through the rotation axis of the centrifugal fan and the tongue portion is defined as a first plane, and the heating means is arranged to penetrate the first plane.

[0009] In claim 2, the heating means is arranged in an arc shape on the first plane.

[0010] In claim 3, the heating means is a PTC heater having a PTC element and a heat dissipation portion, and the PTC heater is disposed so that air can flow through the fan inlet.

[0011] In claim 4, the air conditioning section is characterized by comprising a dehumidification unit that dehumidifies the air sucked in through the air inlet.

[0012] In claim 5, the air conditioning section is characterized by comprising a humidification unit that humidifies the air sucked in through the air inlet. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner that can efficiently heat the air to be blown without increasing the surface temperature of the heater and can reduce noise. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] A rear view of the main part of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] A rear view of the main part of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] A rear view of the main part of the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] Reference numeral 1 denotes a dehumidifier having a housing 10 that defines the exterior. The housing 10 has a front frame 111, a rear frame 112, a rear frame decorative plate 113, a top plate 114, and a base 115.

[0017] The front frame 111 and the rear frame 112 are combined with each other to form a housing 10 that faces in the front-rear direction of the dehumidifier 1.

[0018] The rear frame 112 has a suction port 121 and a tank insertion port 122 . Inlet 121 has a plurality of slits 126, and has on its outer surface filter 127 and filter case 128. Filter 127 is made of a resin net or nonwoven fabric, and removes dust, odor components, and the like that get mixed into the intake air. Filter case 128 fixes filter 127 to inlet 121. The tank insertion port 122 is disposed below the suction port 121, and the drain tank 151 is inserted and removed from here.

[0019] The top panel 114 is disposed above the combined front frame 111 and rear frame 112, forming the housing 10 facing upward. The upper panel 114 has an air outlet 131 , an operation unit 132 , and an LED display unit 133 . The air outlet 131 is disposed on the upper panel 114 . The air outlet 131 has a first air outlet 31 arranged on the surface facing upward, a second air outlet 32 ​​arranged on the surface facing upward and horizontally, and a louver unit 135 that can control the blowing direction of dry air from diagonally above to horizontally. The louver unit 135 includes a first louver 21, a second louver 22, a first louver motor 137a that drives the first louver 21, and a second louver motor 137b that drives the second louver 22.

[0020] The operation unit 132 and the LED display unit 133 are disposed on a surface that slopes diagonally downward from the top surface toward the front. The operation unit 132 is, for example, a touch panel that realizes an operation switch, a timer switch, an operation mode selection switch, etc. The LED display unit 133 displays the operation state of the dehumidifier 1, etc., by the lighting state of an LED.

[0021] The base 115 is disposed below the combined front frame 111 and rear frame 112, and serves as a foundation for the dehumidifier 1.

[0022] The dehumidifier 1 has, as its main internal components housed in the housing 10, a fan case body 141, a blower 230 arranged in an air flow path 240 between the inlet 121 and the outlet 131, a blower motor 143 which is the power source of the blower 230, a heating means 220 which heats the air passing through the blower 230, a dehumidification unit 250a which serves as an air conditioning section 250, and a control unit 155. The dehumidifying unit 250 a includes a fin-tube type heat exchanger 146 , a compressor 145 , a drain pan 149 , and a drain tank 151 .

[0023] The fan case body 141 is disposed on the base 115 and mainly supports and positions the blower device 230, the blower motor 143, and the drain tank 151.

[0024] The blower 230 is composed of a sirocco fan 142 and a scroll casing 200 . The scroll casing 200 includes a rear casing 201 located on the rear side, a front casing 202 located on the front side, a casing side 203 connecting the rear casing 201 and the front casing 202 to form a side surface, a circular fan inlet 204 opening into the rear casing 201, a bellmouth 209 formed in the fan inlet 204, a fan outlet 206 opening in the tangential direction of the sirocco fan 142, and a tongue portion 207. The fan inlet 204 communicates with the inlet 121 , and the fan outlet 206 communicates with the outlet 131 .

[0025] Sirocco fan 142 rotates by the rotation of blower motor 143 , draws in air from suction port 121 , and forms a flow of air that is blown out from air outlet 131 . Sirocco fan 142 and blower motor 143 are attached to fan case body 141 so that rotation shaft 210 is aligned in the front-rear direction.

[0026] The compressor 145 is fixed on the base 115, and is connected to the heat exchanger 146 via a pipe 145a and a pressure reducing device 145b.

[0027] The heat exchanger 146 exchanges heat with the air sucked in through the air inlet 121 . The heat exchanger 146 has an evaporator 146a arranged at a position close to the inlet 121 on the upstream side of the airflow path 240, and a condenser 146b arranged on the downstream side of the airflow path 240 from the evaporator 146a. The evaporator 146a and the condenser 146b are fin-tube type heat exchangers 146 in which fins 148 are attached to U-shaped refrigerant tubes 147.

[0028] The compressor 145, the pipe 145a, the pressure reducing device 145b, and the heat exchanger 146 form a refrigeration cycle through which the refrigerant flows. The refrigeration cycle includes, in the order in which the refrigerant flows, a compressor 145, a condenser 146b, a pressure reducing device 145b, and an evaporator 146a. When the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 146a, it absorbs heat from the air passing through the evaporator 146a and evaporates. Additionally, as the refrigerant flows through the condenser 146b, it reheats and condenses the air passing through the condenser 146b. As a result, the air sucked in through the intake port 121 has dust, odorous components, etc. removed by the filter 127, is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 146a, and is then heated by the condenser 146b, and is discharged from the exhaust port 131 as low-humidity air.

[0029] Drain pan 149 supports and fixes heat exchanger 146 from below on the front-to-rear direction opposite to the side of fan case body 141 where sirocco fan 142 is arranged. Drain pan 149 supports heat exchanger 146 in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions by engaging with refrigerant pipes 147 and fins 148 located below heat exchanger 146. Drain pan 149 has a drain outlet that receives drain water that is generated and falls in evaporator 146a and discharges it from this drain outlet.

[0030] Drain tank 151 stores drain water discharged from a drain outlet of drain pan 149. Drain tank 151 is attached to and detached from housing 10 by sliding in the front-rear direction from tank insertion opening 122. Drain tank 151 inserted into housing 10 is disposed in tank chamber 141b formed by fan case body 141.

[0031] The drain tank 151 has a tank lid 154 and a float housing 152. The tank lid 154 allows drain water and the like from the drain outlet of the drain pan 149 to fall into the drain tank 151. The float housing 152 houses a float 153 having, for example, a magnet (not shown) for detecting the water level in the drain tank 151. The magnetic field of the magnet corresponding to the water level is detected by an AMR sensor (anisotropic magnetoresistance sensor) 162 mounted on the control unit 155 or the like, and notifies the user that the drain tank 151 is full.

[0032] The control unit 155 is supported by a case 156 and disposed to the left of the fan case body 141 . The control unit 155 comprehensively controls the operation of the dehumidifier 1 by electrically controlling each part such as the first louver motor 137a, the second louver motor 137b, the blower motor 143, the compressor 145, and the LED display unit 133 based on instructions from the operation unit 132 or a pre-stored program.

[0033] In the present invention, the heating means 220 for heating the air passing through the blower 230 is disposed near the fan inlet 204 of the scroll casing 200 . Specifically, when the suction port plane of fan suction port 204 is divided into inner region 204a and outer region 204b in the radial direction, and the outer region 204b is divided by imaginary plane 208 passing through rotation axis 210 and tongue portion 207 of sirocco fan 142 to form a semi-donut-shaped plane on the fan outlet 206 side, which is defined as first plane 205 (hatched area in FIG. 5), heating means 220 is disposed so as to penetrate first plane 205 from the front side to the rear side as shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, heating means 220 is disposed so that front end surface 220a of heating means 220 is located in front of first plane 205, and rear end surface 220b of heating means 220 is located rear of first plane 205, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] Reference numeral 221 denotes an L-shaped heater fixing metal fitting for disposing the heating means 220 at the above-mentioned position, and is fixed to the rear casing 201 and the heating means 220 with screws.

[0035] Heating means 220 is a heater consuming approximately 400 to 500 W of power, and is used to prevent a decrease in dehumidification efficiency during operation mainly for drying clothes or during winter when the room temperature is low.

[0036] Here, the wind speed of the air passing through first plane 205 is faster than the wind speed of the air passing through other regions, i.e., planes other than first plane 205 of fan inlet 204. This is believed to be because, in the air path from fan inlet 204 to the blades of sirocco fan 142, the pressure is lower on the fan outlet 206 side, causing a local increase in the air volume.

[0037] Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0038] When a user operates an operation start switch (not shown) on the operation unit 132, the compressor 145 and the blower motor 143 are driven at a predetermined rotation speed, the evaporator 146a is cooled, and the condenser 146b is heated. The water vapor in the air condensed on the evaporator 146 a passes through the drain pan 149 and is collected in the drain tank 151 . Compressor 145 and blower motor 143 continue the dehumidifying operation except for the operation of a defroster (not shown) until the operation switch is pressed to stop the operation, and dry air is blown out from air outlet 131. When the user operates the operating unit 132 to switch to an operation mainly for drying clothes, electricity is applied to the heating means 220, which causes heated dry air to be blown from the air outlet 131, providing air suitable for drying clothes.

[0039] With this configuration, it is possible to ensure the volume and speed of air passing over the surface of the heating means 220 without providing a guide structure for collecting airflow in the heating means 220, and to suppress a decrease in the heat transfer efficiency of the heating means 220. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, heating means 220 is arranged from the front to the rear of first plane 205, penetrating first plane 205 from front to rear, thereby making it possible to reduce the wind speed of air passing through first plane 205 and reduce wind noise generated by interference between the air passing at high speed and the blades of sirocco fan 142. Furthermore, while suppressing pressure loss in the airflow path 240 of the dehumidifier 1 to ensure sufficient air volume, even if a high-output heating means 220 is installed, the air circulating in the airflow path 240 can be efficiently heated without increasing the surface temperature of the heating means 220, thereby improving the clothes drying capacity.

[0040] As a second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the heating means 220 may be divided into a plurality of heating means 220 arranged in an arc shape in accordance with the shape of the first plane 205 having a half doughnut shape. As a third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the heating means 220 may be arranged in an arc shape using the heating means 220 shaped in an arc shape to match the shape of the semi-doughnut-shaped first plane 205.

[0041] In addition, the heating means 220 is a PTC heater having a PTC element and a heat dissipation portion, and in particular, the fins of the PTC heater having a finned heat dissipation portion may be oriented so as to allow air to flow through the fan inlet 204.

[0042] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0043] 301 is the main body of the humidifier. The main body 301 has a humidification unit 250 b as the air conditioning section 250 , and the actual substance of the humidification unit 250 b is an evaporation filter 307 . The vaporization filter 307 is made of absorbent polyester fibers folded and overlapped in a mountain shape, and absorbs water in the water tank portion 302 inside the main body 301 and vaporizes it. The vaporization filter 307 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and when it is vertically oriented, its lower portion is immersed in the water in the water tank portion 302 and absorbs water.

[0044] Water tank section 302 has a structure that allows it to be freely inserted and removed by sliding laterally from the side of main body 301, and can be removed from main body 301.

[0045] Reference numeral 304 denotes a water supply section, which is located inside the main body 301 and supplies water to the water tank section 302 . 305 is a tank that is detachable from the main body 301 and holds the water to be replenished. Reference numeral 306 denotes a cap having a valve function for supplying water so that the water level in the water tank portion 302 is constant. The cap 306 and the tank 305 constitute the water supply portion 304 . Reference numeral 230 denotes a blower device composed of a sirocco fan 142 and a scroll casing 200 , which is located inside the main body 301 and blows air to the vaporization filter 307 .

[0046] Reference numeral 131 denotes an air outlet, which is located at the top of the main body 301 and is a portion through which the air from the air blowing device 230 is blown out to the outside.

[0047] A float 314 is located below the water tank portion 302 and moves up and down according to the water level in the water tank portion 302. The float 314 is provided with a magnet inside.

[0048] Reference numeral 316 denotes a float detection switch, which is provided on main body 301 facing the magnet fixed to float 314, and is formed of a reed switch or the like, and detects the position of float 314, i.e., the water level in water tank section 302, in response to the magnetic force of the magnet fixed to float 314. Furthermore, float detection switch 316 is turned on when the water level in water tank section 302 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and is turned off when the water level in water tank section 302 is below the predetermined value. When water tank section 302 is removed from main body 301, the distance between float 314 and float detection switch 316 increases, and the switch is turned off.

[0049] Reference numeral 313 denotes a control section, which is provided on a control board 330 inside the main body 301 , and receives signals from the operation section 132 and the float detection switch 316 to control the on / off of the air blower 230 and the heating means 220 .

[0050] In the present invention, the heating means 220 for heating the air passing through the blower 230 is disposed near the fan inlet 204 of the scroll casing 200 . Specifically, when the inlet plane of fan inlet 204 is radially divided into inner region 204a and outer region 204b, and outer region 204b is divided by imaginary plane 208 passing through rotation shaft 210 and tongue 207 of sirocco fan 142, and a plane shown in a half doughnut shape on the fan outlet 206 side is defined as first plane 205, heating means 220 is arranged so as to penetrate first plane 205 from the front side to the rear side of first plane 205. More specifically, when the inside of scroll casing 200 from fan inlet 204 is defined as the front side of main body 301 of the humidifier, heating means 220 is arranged so that a front end face (not shown) of heating means 220 is located in front of first plane 205, and a rear end face (not shown) of heating means 220 is located behind first plane 205.

[0051] This heating means 220 can heat the air sent from the air blower 230 to the vaporization filter 307 to promote humidification. The heating means 220 is a heater with a power consumption of about 300 to 400W.

[0052] Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0053] When a user operates a switch (not shown) on the operation unit 132 to start operation, the blower motor (not shown) operates at a predetermined rotation speed, promoting the absorption and evaporation of water in the water tank unit 302 by the evaporation filter 307, and blowing out humidified air from the air outlet 131. When the user operates a humidification capacity setting switch (not shown) on the operating unit 132 to set the humidification capacity to a higher capacity, electricity is applied to the heating means 220, the temperature of the air passing through the evaporation filter 307 increases, evaporation from the evaporation filter 307 is promoted, and more humidified air is blown out.

[0054] With this configuration, it is possible to ensure the volume and speed of air passing over the surface of the heating means 220 without providing a guide structure for collecting airflow in the heating means 220, and to suppress a decrease in the heat transfer efficiency of the heating means 220. As a result, by arranging the heating means 220 so as to penetrate the first plane 205 from the front to the rear of the first plane 205 from front to rear, it is possible to reduce the wind speed of the air passing through the first plane 205, and to reduce the wind noise generated by interference between the air passing through at high speed and the blades of the sirocco fan 142. Furthermore, even if a heating means 220 with a large output is installed, the air circulating in the air passage 240 can be heated efficiently without increasing the surface temperature of the heating means 220 while ensuring the air volume by suppressing the pressure loss in the air passage 240, thereby improving the humidification performance.

[0055] The arrangement of the heating means 220 in the fourth embodiment may be the same as the arrangement of the heating means 220 shown in the second and third embodiments.

[0056] The other configurations used in the present embodiment are presented as examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10: Housing 121: Inlet 131:Air outlet 142: Sirocco fan 200:Scroll casing 204: Fan intake 205: 1st plane 206: Fan outlet 207: Tongue 208: Virtual plane 210: Rotation axis 220: Heating means (heater) 230: Blower 240: Air flow path 250: Air Conditioning Department 250a: Dehumidification unit 250b: Humidification unit

Claims

1. A housing and an air blowing path in which an air blowing device is disposed between an intake port and an exhaust port provided in the housing; an air conditioning unit that conditions the air sucked in from the suction port; A heating means for heating air passing through the blower; Equipped with The blower device is composed of a sirocco fan and a scroll casing, The scroll casing comprises: a circular fan inlet communicating with the inlet; A fan outlet communicating with the outlet; A tongue portion and having A suction inlet plane of the fan suction inlet is divided into an inner region and an outer region in a radial direction; When the plane on the fan outlet side obtained by dividing the outer region by an imaginary plane passing through the rotation axis of the sirocco fan and the tongue portion is defined as a first plane, The heating means is disposed so as to penetrate the first plane. An air conditioner characterized by the above.

2. The heating means is disposed in an arc shape on the first plane.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 .

3. The heating means is a PTC heater having a PTC element and a heat dissipation portion, The PTC heater is disposed so that air can flow through the fan inlet.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 .

4. The air conditioning unit includes: It is configured with a dehumidification unit that dehumidifies the air sucked in from the suction port.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are disposed in a first and second positions.

5. The air conditioning unit includes: It is composed of a humidification unit that humidifies the air sucked in from the suction port.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are disposed in a first and second positions.

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