Air filter cleaning device and air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air filter cleaning device which has an excellent dust removal function, and to provide an air conditioner including the air filter cleaning device.SOLUTION: An air filter cleaning device 1 includes: an air filter 2 which collects dust in air; a dust box 5 in which dust is stored; first cleaning means 40 which removes dust adhering to the air filter 2; and second cleaning means 41 which transports dust removed by the first cleaning means 40 to the dust box 5. Providing two kinds of the cleaning means used for different purposes allows dust removal and transport to be performed efficiently and thus improves dust removal performance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air filter cleaning device that cleans dust trapped on an air filter, and to an air conditioner equipped with an air filter cleaning device. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, air conditioners such as heaters and air purifiers are provided with an air filter at the air intake to prevent dust in the air from flowing into the main body. This allows dust in the air to be collected by the air filter, but if the air conditioner is continued to be used without removing the dust attached to the air filter, the amount of air flowing into the main body may decrease, causing a decrease in air conditioning performance, or the inside of the main body may become too hot, causing errors or breakdowns. For this reason, an air conditioner equipped with an air filter cleaning device that automatically removes attached dust has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The basic structure of an air filter cleaning device includes a brush as a cleaning means for scraping off dust, and a dust box for storing the scraped off dust. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the brush and dust box are arranged to sandwich both sides of the air filter, and the pressure of the brush is evenly applied to both sides of the air filter to prevent the air filter from bending, thereby improving the dust removal efficiency. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-138527 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above-mentioned configuration, the rotating brush removes dust adhering to the air filter and sequentially pushes the removed dust into the dust box. However, there is room for further improvement in the brush structure in order to more efficiently remove dust and transport it to the dust box.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an air filter cleaning device with excellent dust removal performance, and an air conditioner equipped with this air filter cleaning device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention includes an air filter that collects dust in the air, A dust box for collecting dust; a first cleaning means for removing dust adhering to the air filter; and a second cleaning means for transporting the dust removed by the first cleaning means to the dust box. Effect of the Invention

[0008] With the above-mentioned configuration, dust adhering to the air filter can be efficiently removed and transported to the dust box, thereby improving dust removal performance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a rear view showing an example of an air conditioner equipped with the air filter cleaning device of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the air filter cleaning device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the dust box of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 5 is a configuration diagram of a drive mechanism for a second cleaning means in the present embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of an air filter cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the shape of a rib. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below, showing the operation of the present invention.

[0011] The present invention comprises an air filter that collects dust in the air, a dust box that stores the dust, a first cleaning means that removes dust adhering to the air filter, and a second cleaning means that transports the dust removed by the first cleaning means to the dust box. By providing two types of cleaning means with different purposes in this way, dust can be removed and transported efficiently, thereby improving dust removal performance.

[0012] In addition, the first cleaning means does not rotate during the cleaning operation, and the second cleaning means rotates during the cleaning operation. By not rotating the first cleaning means, the structure can be simplified, while by rotating the second cleaning means, the removed dust can be reliably transported to the dust box, thereby achieving both low cost and removal performance.

[0013] In addition, the first cleaning means is made of pile fabric, which is highly effective at removing dust, making it possible to easily remove dust from the air filter without having to rotate the first cleaning means.

[0014] In addition, the first cleaning means is in the form of a sheet. By making the cleaning means in the form of a sheet and bringing it into contact with the air filter, dust adhering to the air filter is removed. This allows the structure to be simplified without reducing the dust removal efficiency.

[0015] The second cleaning means includes a rotating shaft and a rotating cleaning body arranged around the rotating shaft, and the tip of the rotating cleaning body comes into contact with the first cleaning means. As a result, dust adhering to the air filter is removed by the first cleaning means and then reliably transported to the dust box by the action of the rotating cleaning body. In addition, since only the tip of the rotating cleaning body comes into contact with the first cleaning means, resistance during filter cleaning is reduced, resulting in excellent operability.

[0016] In addition, the rotating cleaning body does not come into contact with the air filter, which prevents dust collected by the air filter from being scraped off by the second cleaning means.

[0017] The device also includes a filter guide that houses and slidably holds the air filter, and the first cleaning means is made of inclined pile material that stands up when the air filter is pulled out of the filter guide. In other words, the first cleaning means removes dust that has adhered to the air filter as the air filter housed in the filter guide is pulled out.

[0018] The filter guide also has a rib that contacts the first cleaning means with the air filter sandwiched between the first cleaning means and the rib, so that the air filter and the first cleaning means are in close contact with each other, and dust adhering to the air filter can be efficiently removed.

[0019] The rib has a flat surface that contacts the first cleaning means, and the first cleaning means and the flat surface are provided in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the air filter. By bringing the first cleaning means into contact with the rib, it is possible to prevent dust adhering to the air filter from passing through to the back side of the air filter. By providing the first cleaning means and the flat surface in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the air filter, dust is prevented from passing through the entire surface of the air filter, so that dust adhering to the air filter can be reliably removed and transported to the dust box.

[0020] In addition, the aforementioned air filter cleaning device is attached to the intake port that takes air into the main body of the air conditioner. This makes it possible to easily remove dust trapped by the air filter, preventing a decrease in air conditioning performance and allowing the air conditioner to be used safely and comfortably. EXAMPLES

[0021] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] 1 is a rear view showing an example of an air conditioner equipped with the air filter cleaning device of this embodiment. Here, a heating device will be used as an example of an air conditioner, but the type of air conditioner is not particularly important. The air filter cleaning device 1 can also be applied to an air purifier or a humidifier as long as it has a structure that takes in indoor air.

[0023] The heating device takes in indoor air from an air intake 12 provided on the back side into the main body 11, heats the taken-in air with a heater, burner, or the like to make it hot air, and discharges it from an outlet (not shown) provided on the front side of the main body 11. An air filter cleaning device 1 for cleaning the air filter 2 is attached to the air intake 12, and dust attached to the air filter 2 is removed by performing a cleaning operation in which a cleaning means 4 (see FIG. 2) is moved relative to the air filter 2. The position of the air intake 12 is not limited to the back side of the main body 11, and may be provided on the front side or top side. In this embodiment, the air filter 2 is configured to slide up and down, but the cleaning means 4 may also be configured to slide. Furthermore, the sliding direction is not limited to up and down, and may be left and right.

[0024] 1 shows an example in which the air filter cleaning device 1 is attached to the outside of the main body 11, but the air filter cleaning device 1 may be attached inside the main body 11. In that case, a part of the exterior panel of the main body 11 is made detachable, and the air filter cleaning device 1 can be accessed by removing this panel.

[0025] 2 is an exploded view of the air filter cleaning device of this embodiment. The air filter cleaning device 1 includes an air filter 2, a filter guide 3 that slidably holds the air filter 2, a cleaning means 4 that collects dust captured by the air filter 2, and a dust box 5 that stores the dust.

[0026] 1, while the heating device is in operation, the air filter 2 is housed in the filter guide 3 (basic position). When cleaning the air filter 2, the operation of the heating device is stopped and then the air filter 2 is slid up and down along the filter guide 3. The means for sliding the air filter 2 may be either manual or automatic, but when done manually, it is preferable that the air filter cleaning device 1 is provided with a locking mechanism for preventing the air filter 2 from coming off the filter guide 3.

[0027] The air filter 2 has a mesh-like collection member 20 that collects dust in the air, and a frame 21 to which the collection member 20 is attached. The collection member 20 can be fixed to the frame 21 by, for example, welding, bonding, insert molding, etc., but in this embodiment, the outer periphery of the collection member 20 is welded to the frame 21 using a welding plate 22. The frame 21 also has a reinforcing portion 23 made of a plurality of rod-shaped members extending vertically on the rear side of the collection member 20, which prevents the collection member 20 from bending due to the pressing force from the cleaning means 4. In addition, since the air filter cleaning device 1 of this embodiment is structured to perform the cleaning operation manually, a handle portion 24 is formed on the upper side of the frame 21 to be held by hand.

[0028] The cleaning means 4 includes two types of cleaning means with different purposes. One is the first cleaning means 40, which has a role of removing dust adhering to the air filter 2. The other is the second cleaning means 41, which has a role of transporting the dust removed by the first cleaning means 40 to the dust box 5. In this way, by giving different roles to the first cleaning means 40 and the second cleaning means 41, it is possible to efficiently remove dust adhering to the air filter 2 and transport it to the dust box 5, thereby improving the removal performance compared to the conventional case in which dust removal and transport are performed with one brush.

[0029] The first cleaning means 40 is a laterally elongated sheet-like member extending in the width direction of the air filter 2, and is provided so as to abut over the entire width of the air filter 2. Dust adhering to the air filter 2 comes into contact with the first cleaning means 40 as the air filter 2 is cleaned, and is removed from the air filter 2.

[0030] Pile fabric can be used as the material of the first cleaning means 40. The pile fabric is configured with an inclined pile material that is inclined and raised, and the inclined pile moves relative to the air filter 2 in a direction in which it stands up, thereby scraping off dust attached to the air filter 2. In this embodiment, the inclined pile material is inclined downward so that the inclined pile material stands up when the air filter 2 is lifted. By simply lifting the air filter 2 once, most of the dust attached to the air filter 2 is removed and accumulates below the first cleaning means 40. In this way, the pile fabric is highly effective for the purpose of removing dust, so that it is possible to remove dust efficiently. In addition, since the first cleaning means 40 itself does not need to move during the cleaning operation of the air filter 2, the first cleaning means 40 can be used in a fixed state. In this embodiment, the first cleaning means 40 is fixed to the dust box 5.

[0031] The second cleaning means 41 includes a rotating shaft 42 and a brush portion 43 provided in a spiral shape around the rotating shaft 42, and is configured to rotate with the cleaning operation of the air filter 2. The dust removed from the air filter 2 by the first cleaning means 40 adheres to the brush portion 43 and is transported to the dust box 5 by the rotating operation of the second cleaning means 41. With this configuration, most of the dust can be removed and transported by lifting up the air filter 2 and returning it to its original position about once or twice, depending on the amount of dust attached. Note that the second cleaning means 41 only needs to be able to attach and transport dust, so the density of the brush portion 43 does not need to be very high. In fact, the brush portion 43 of this embodiment is configured by attaching two brush members in a spiral shape to the rotating shaft 42, but even a brush portion 43 of this size can sufficiently fulfill the role of transporting dust. Details of the drive mechanism that rotates the second cleaning means 41 will be described later.

[0032] Next, the structure of the dust box 5 will be described. Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the dust box of this embodiment. The dust box 5 is composed of a dust box body 50 and a dust case 51 that is detachable from the dust box body 50. The first cleaning means 40 and the second cleaning means 41 are attached to the dust box body 50.

[0033] The dust case 51 has a bottom surface 511, and left and right side walls 512 and a rear wall 513 (rear side wall) standing up from the bottom surface 511. A comb portion 52 having a plurality of thin plate-like comb pieces standing up is provided at a position facing the rear wall 513 with respect to the bottom surface 511, and the comb portion 52 forms part of the side wall standing up from the bottom surface 511. The comb portion 52 may be formed integrally with the dust case 51, or may be formed separately and attached to the dust case 51. Dust adhering to the brush portion 43 and transported is separated from the brush portion 43 as it passes through the comb portion 52 and accumulates in the dust case 51. In other words, the space surrounded by the bottom surface 511, the left and right side walls 512, the rear wall 513, and the comb portion 52 constitutes a storage space 54 in which dust transported by the second cleaning means 41 is stored, and the dust collected by the air filter 2 passes through the first cleaning means 40 and the second cleaning means 41 and is finally stored in the dust case 51.

[0034] The dust box body 50 has a fitting structure for fixing to the filter guide 3. The dust box body 50 is fixed to the filter guide 3 by fitting the fitting convex parts 55 provided at both left and right ends of the dust box body 50 into the fitting concave parts 30 (see FIG. 6) of the filter guide 3, so that the dust box body 50 is not easily removed. However, the dust box body 50 can be removed by releasing the fitting state at two places on the left and right. On the other hand, the dust case 51 has a locking part 53 for detachably connecting to the dust box body 50, and can be easily engaged and released from the dust box body 50 by, for example, lightly pushing the locking part 53. Therefore, the dust case 51 can be removed while the dust box body 50 is fixed to the filter guide 3, so that the dust case 51 alone can be removed to discard the accumulated dust.

[0035] If the cleaning means 4 is not installed correctly, the dust removal performance cannot be fully demonstrated. If the cleaning means 4 must be removed every time dust is thrown away, it is easy to imagine that the cleaning means 4 will be installed incorrectly, and the installation work is also troublesome. In this embodiment, the first cleaning means 40 and the second cleaning means 41 are installed on the dust box body 50, and there is no need to remove the cleaning means 4 when throwing away dust, so the work of throwing away garbage can be reduced. Furthermore, since the dust is stored in the storage space 54 surrounded by side walls on four sides, the dust does not fall when the dust case 51 is removed, making it very easy to use.

[0036] Incidentally, since it would be inconvenient to use if the air filter 2 were to come off the filter guide 3 during the cleaning operation, the air filter cleaning device 1 can be provided with a locking mechanism to prevent removal of the air filter 2. Specifically, a locking mechanism is provided in the dust box 5, and when the air filter 2 is pulled up to a predetermined position, the locking mechanism gets caught on the frame 21 of the air filter 2, preventing the air filter 2 from being pulled out beyond the predetermined position.

[0037] The reason why a locking mechanism is provided in the dust box 5 is that the dust box 5 itself is structured to be detachable from the filter guide 3, and the air filter 2 can be removed by removing the dust box 5. Since inability to remove the air filter 2 can cause inconvenience in terms of maintenance, it is desirable that the air filter 2 cannot be removed during cleaning operation, but can be removed as necessary.

[0038] In this embodiment, the first cleaning means 40 also serves as a locking mechanism. The first cleaning means 40 is attached to the dust box body 50. The dust box body 50 is fixed to the filter guide 3 and is not easily removed, but it can be removed by releasing the engagement with the filter guide 3. Removing the dust box body 50 allows maintenance such as removing dust entangled in the cleaning means 4. In other words, the air filter 2 can be pulled out for maintenance only when the dust box body 50 is removed.

[0039] Also, the first cleaning means 40 may be attached to the dust case 51. In this case, the air filter 2 can be pulled out only when the dust case 51 is removed in order to discard accumulated dust.

[0040] In this way, if the locking mechanism is provided somewhere in the dust box 5, the air filter 2 will not come off during cleaning operation, but can be removed as necessary. Therefore, the specific location where the locking mechanism is provided is not limited to the above example. Also, since the first cleaning means 40 is merely one example of a locking mechanism, the second cleaning means 41 may be made to function as the locking mechanism, or a protrusion or the like that locks with the air filter 2 may be formed separately on the dust box 5 to serve as the locking mechanism.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of the drive mechanism of the second cleaning means 41. Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram of the drive mechanism of the second cleaning means. Although the second cleaning means 41 is attached to the dust box 5, the dust box 5 is omitted here for the sake of explanation.

[0042] A rack 25 is formed from the upper end to the lower end on one side of the frame 21 that constitutes the air filter 2. A rotating gear 44 that rotates in mesh with the rack 25 is connected to one end of a rotating shaft 42 of the second cleaning means 41. The rack 25 and the rotating gear 44 form a drive mechanism, and when the air filter 2 is slid up and down to move the rack 25, the rotating gear 44 that meshes with the rack 25 rotates, and the rotational force is transmitted to the rotating shaft 42 of the second cleaning means 41, causing the second cleaning means 41 to rotate.

[0043] The rotating gear 44 is configured to transmit driving force to the rotating shaft 42 only when rotating in one direction. If the rotation direction of the rotating gear 44 when the air filter 2 is pulled up is R1 and the rotation direction of the rotating gear 44 when it is pushed down is R2, the rotating gear 44 transmits driving force when rotating in the R1 direction, but does not transmit driving force when rotating in the R2 direction because the connection with the rotating shaft 42 spins freely.

[0044] The second cleaning means 41 rotates in the direction R1 when the air filter 2 is pulled up, thereby transporting dust to the dust box 5. If the second cleaning means 41 were also designed to rotate in the direction R2 opposite to R1, the dust transported to the dust box 5 would be returned to the air filter 2 when the air filter 2 was pushed down. Therefore, by transmitting driving force to the rotating shaft 42 only when the rotating gear 44 rotates in the direction R1, and limiting the rotation direction of the second cleaning means 41 to R1 only, dust is prevented from returning to the air filter 2 even when the reciprocating sliding action is performed.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the air filter cleaning device of this embodiment. Both the first cleaning means 40 and the second cleaning means 41 are disposed adjacent to the air filter 2. The tip of the second cleaning means 41, i.e., the tip of the brush part 43, is in contact with the first cleaning means 40. When the air filter 2 is lifted up, the dust attached to the air filter is removed by the first cleaning means 40, and the second cleaning means 41 transports the removed dust to the dust box 5. Since the dust removed by the first cleaning means 40 is mostly accumulated at the lower end of the first cleaning means 40, by bringing the tip part of the brush part 43 into contact with the first cleaning means 40, the dust accumulated at the lower end of the first cleaning means 40 can be efficiently scraped off. In addition, by bringing only the tip part into contact, the resistance during the cleaning operation is also suppressed, and the operability of the cleaning operation is also excellent.

[0046] The first cleaning means 40 is in contact with the air filter 2, but the second cleaning means 41 is disposed at a position where it does not come into contact with the air filter 2. As described above, the first cleaning means 40 removes dust adhering to the air filter 2 by the operation of lifting the air filter 2. If the second cleaning means 41 comes into contact with the air filter 2, the second cleaning means 41 will come into contact with the dust before the first cleaning means 40 does, and there is a risk that the dust will be scattered by the rotational operation. Therefore, by disposing the second cleaning means 41 at a position where it does not come into contact with the air filter, the scattering of dust is prevented and the removal of dust by the first cleaning means 40 is not hindered. However, if there is a gap between the tip of the brush portion 43 and the air filter 2, there is a risk that dust will fall from this gap, so it is preferable that the brush portion 43 does not come into contact with the air filter 2 but is disposed as close as possible to the air filter 2 so as to minimize the gap.

[0047] A rib 31 that protrudes toward the air filter 2 is formed on the upper part of the filter guide 3. This rib 31 is provided at a position facing the first cleaning means 40, and abuts against the first cleaning means 40 with the air filter 2 sandwiched between them. In other words, the air filter 2 is sandwiched between the first cleaning means 40 and the rib 31, which brings the air filter 2 and the first cleaning means 40 into close contact with each other, making it possible to efficiently remove dust adhering to the air filter 2.

[0048] 6 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the rib. A rib 31 is formed across the width of the upper portion of the filter guide 3. The rib 31 is not one but is divided into multiple pieces, and the spaces between the ribs 31 provide passages for the reinforcing portion 23 of the air filter 2 to pass through. The reinforcing portion 23 is made of a member extending in the sliding direction of the air filter 2, and therefore can pass smoothly between the ribs 31.

[0049] The rib 31 has a flat portion 32, and the flat portion 32 and the first cleaning means 40 come into surface contact. Providing the flat portion 32 on the rib 31 not only increases the contact area with the first cleaning means 40, but also prevents dust adhering to the front surface (the surface facing the first cleaning means 40) of the air filter 2 from passing through the mesh of the trapping member 20 to the back surface, thereby ensuring that the dust trapped by the air filter 2 is collected by the cleaning means 4. Both the rib 31 and the first cleaning means 40 extend horizontally, so that dust penetration is prevented in the entire width direction of the air filter 2.

[0050] As described above, the air filter cleaning device 1 of this embodiment includes the first cleaning means 40 for removing dust adhering to the air filter 2 and the second cleaning means 41 for transporting the dust removed by the first cleaning means 40 to the dust box 5. This allows the dust collected by the air filter 2 to be easily and reliably collected simply by moving the first cleaning means 40 and the second cleaning means 41 relative to the air filter 2, for example by sliding the air filter 2 up and down. In an air conditioner, such as the heating device shown in FIG. 1, if the dust collected by the air filter 2 is continuously used without being removed, the amount of air flowing into the main body 11 may decrease, causing a decrease in air conditioning performance, or the inside of the main body 11 may become too hot, causing errors or malfunctions. For this reason, the air filter 2 needs to be cleaned periodically, but by attaching the air filter cleaning device 1 to the air intake 12 of the air conditioner, the dust can be easily collected without bothering the user, making it possible to use the air conditioner safely and comfortably. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Air filter cleaning device 2. Air Filter 3 Filter Guide 5 Dustbin 11 Main unit 12 Air Intake 31 Ribs 32 Plane part 40 First cleaning means 41 Second cleaning means 42 Rotation axis 43 Brush part (rotating cleaning body)

Claims

1. An air filter that collects dust in the air; A dust box for collecting dust; a first cleaning means for removing dust adhering to the air filter; and a second cleaning means for transporting the dust removed by the first cleaning means to the dust box.

2. 2. The air filter cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein said first cleaning means does not rotate during a cleaning operation, and said second cleaning means rotates during a cleaning operation.

3. 3. An air filter cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein said first cleaning means is made of pile fabric.

4. 4. An air filter cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein said first cleaning means is in the form of a sheet.

5. The second cleaning means includes a rotating shaft and a rotating cleaning body provided around the rotating shaft, 5. An air filter cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein a tip portion of said rotary cleaning body contacts said first cleaning means.

6. 6. The air filter cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein said rotating cleaning body does not come into contact with said air filter.

7. a filter guide that accommodates and slidably holds the air filter; 7. The air filter cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein said first cleaning means is made of a pile material that is inclined so as to stand up when said air filter is pulled out from said filter guide.

8. 8. The air filter cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the filter guide has a rib that comes into contact with the first cleaning means with the air filter sandwiched therebetween.

9. The rib has a flat surface portion that comes into surface contact with the first cleaning means, 9. The air filter cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein the first cleaning means and the flat surface are provided in a direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the air filter.

10. An air conditioner comprising an air filter cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 attached to an air intake port through which air is taken into a main body.

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