Air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of cleaning a guide surface section.SOLUTION: In an air conditioner 10, a case 30 houses a fan 21 and a guide surface section 40 that is formed along a direction in which the axis line of the fan 21 extends to guide air blown by the fan 21 toward an air blow-out port. In the case, a cleaning mechanism 50 is provided to remove dust adhering to the guide surface section 40 by moving along the guide surface section 40. The cleaning mechanism 50 includes a movable body 60 that moves along the guide surface section 40, a support section 70 formed along the guide surface section 40, a driven section 61 that moves the movable body 60 by drive of a motor, and a sheet 84 that wipes off dust adhering to the guide surface section 40. The cleaning mechanism 50 is provided with an elastic section 85 between the sheet 84 and the support section 70, and thereby the guide surface section 40 can be prevented from being excessively pressed and being damaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner equipped with a wiping mechanism for 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 conventional technique related to air conditioners.

[0003] The air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a sheet that wipes away dust inside the case. With this air conditioner, the sheet is moved from one end of the case to the other while in contact with the guide surface, thereby removing dust adhering to the guide surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-001985 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Repeated cleaning of the guide surface using a sheet, as in the prior art, could result in the sheet, made of nonwoven fabric or felt, becoming crushed, reducing cleaning performance, or the crushed sheet could scratch the guide surface.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that maintains cleaning performance for a long period of time and does not damage the guide surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, claim 1 of the present invention provides an air conditioning device comprising: a case having an air intake port that can take in air from outside and an air outlet port that can blow the taken-in air to the outside; and a fan that is rotatably supported on the case and rotates to blow air, the case having a guide surface portion that guides the air blown by the fan toward the air outlet port, formed along the direction in which the axis of the fan extends; and a cleaning mechanism that moves along the guide surface portion to clean dust adhering to the guide surface portion, the cleaning mechanism having a moving body that moves along the guide surface portion, a support portion formed along the guide surface, a driven portion that moves the moving body by driving a motor, and a wiping portion that wipes off dust adhering to the guide surface portion, the cleaning mechanism having elasticity between the sheet and the support portion.

[0008] The elastic portion covers the entire surface of the sheet.

[0009] The sheet is made of felt or nonwoven fabric, and the elastic portion is made of urethane gel or urethane foam. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] This prevents excessive pressure on the guide surface portion, preventing scratches on the guide surface portion, and the elastic portion prevents the sheet from being crushed, allowing cleaning performance to be maintained for a long period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of the air conditioner shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the case of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2 and the fan housed in the case. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a drive mechanism of the wiping mechanism. [Figure 5]4 is a cross-sectional view of the wiping mechanism as seen in a direction along the axial direction of the fan. FIG. [Figure 6] Fig. 6A is a perspective view of a movable body to which a brush and a sheet are attached, and Fig. 6B is a diagram illustrating attachment and detachment of the brush and the sheet to and from the movable body. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the wiping mechanism. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating the moving body in the storage position and a cross-sectional view of the moving body in the storage position, respectively. [Figure 9] Fig. 9A is a diagram illustrating a cross section of a moving body according to the present invention, and Fig. 9B is a diagram of the moving body according to the present invention as seen from behind. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fr indicates front, Rr indicates rear, Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom.

[0013] First Embodiment 1 shows an air conditioner 10 according to a first embodiment. The air conditioner 10 has a cooling function for cooling the indoor space In and a heating function for heating the indoor space In.

[0014] 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. Unless otherwise specified below, the direction in which the refrigerant circulates is based on the direction during cooling operation.

[0015] 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 that compresses the refrigerant that has passed through the four-way switching valve 12, 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 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 14, an outdoor fan motor 17 that is journaled to the outdoor fan 15 and drives the outdoor fan 15 at a predetermined rotation speed, and an expansion valve 16 that decompresses the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 14.

[0016] 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, which extends in the left-right direction, houses a fan 21 that takes in air from the room In into the case 30 and blows it out into the room In, an internal fan motor 25 that is a DC motor supported by the fan 21 and capable of feedback control for driving the fan 21 to a preset rotation speed, and an indoor heat exchanger 27 that exchanges heat with the air taken in by the fan 21.

[0017] During cooling operation, which is a type of normal operation, the refrigerant that has been heated to a high temperature and pressure by the compressor 13 exchanges heat with outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and releases heat. At this time, the outdoor fan 15 operates to force the outside air to flow around the periphery of the outdoor heat exchanger 14, promoting heat exchange. After passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and releasing heat, the refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve 16 and its temperature drops. The cooled refrigerant is sent to the indoor unit 20.

[0018] Air is introduced into the case 30 of the indoor unit 20 by operating the fan 21. The introduced air passes around the periphery of the indoor heat exchanger 27 and is sent to the indoor room In. A refrigerant cooled in the outdoor unit 11 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 27. The air passing around the periphery of the indoor heat exchanger 27 exchanges heat with the refrigerant and is cooled. The cooled air is sent to the indoor room In.

[0019] During heating operation, which is a type of normal operation, the four-way selector valve 12 switches the refrigerant flow path, circulating the refrigerant in the opposite direction to that during cooling operation. This sends high-temperature refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger 27, and the fan 21 is driven to blow high-temperature air indoors (In).

[0020] 1 and 2, an air intake port 31 is opened on the top surface of the case 30, which can take in air from the outside (indoors In). An air outlet 32 ​​is opened in the lower front part of the case 30, which can blow air out to the outside (indoors In). The air outlet 32 ​​is provided with up-and-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.

[0021] See Figure 3. Behind the up-down louvers 28 (see Figure 2), left-right louvers 29 are provided that can adjust the direction in which air is blown out in the left-right direction.

[0022] [Case storage section, guide surface, side] Case 30 has a fan storage section 33 that stores fan 21. Fan storage section 33 has guide surface section 40 that surrounds part of the outer periphery of fan 21 and serves as a predetermined surface that guides the air blown by fan 21 toward air outlet 32, and two side surfaces 34, 35 located next to end surfaces 22, 23 on both sides of fan 21.

[0023] Guide surface portion 40 is formed along the longitudinal direction of case 30, along the direction in which axis C of fan 21 extends. A space defined by guide surface portion 40 of case 30, two side surfaces 34, 35, and fan 21, and through which blown air can flow, is defined as air passage 36 (see FIG. 5).

[0024] [Cleaning mechanism] Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. The case 30 is provided with a cleaning mechanism 50 that can wipe away dust adhering to the inside of the case 30 (the fan 21 and the guide surface portion 40).

[0025] [Drive unit] The drive unit 51 of the cleaning mechanism 50 has a cleaning motor 52 which is the drive source for the moving body 60 described later and is composed of a stepping motor which operates when electricity is applied, a gear unit 53 which is capable of transmitting the drive force of the cleaning motor 52 and is composed of a plurality of gears, and a drive force transmission unit 54 which is connected to the cleaning motor 52 and transmits the drive force of the cleaning motor 52 to the moving body 60.

[0026] [Driving force transmission section] The driving force transmission section 54 includes a driving pulley 55 having a spur gear formed on a part thereof and driven to rotate by the gear section 53, a driven pulley (not shown) provided on the opposite side of the driving pulley 55 (based on the axial direction of the fan 21), and a toothed rope 56 (synchro mesh rope) looped around the driving pulley 55 and the driven pulley.

[0027] [Transmission unit storage section] 4 and 5, the guide surface 40 is formed with a transmission unit housing 41 that is recessed so as to open toward the fan 21 and houses the drive force transmission unit 54. The transmission unit housing 41 is provided along the direction of the axis C of the fan 21, from the right end (the housing side described below) of the guide surface 40 to the left end (the opposite side to the housing side). With the air flow direction of the air passage 36 as the reference, the surface of the guide surface 40 that is upstream of the transmission unit housing 41 is referred to as an upstream guide surface 43, and the surface that is downstream of the transmission unit housing 41 is referred to as a downstream guide surface 44.

[0028] The transmission unit storage section 41 is covered by a cover 42. A surface 42a of the cover 42 smoothly connects the upstream guide surface 43 and the downstream guide surface 44 (they are continuous without protruding or recessing from the guide surface section 40). In other words, the surface 42a of the cover 42, together with the upstream guide surface 43 and the downstream guide surface 44, constitutes part of the guide surface section 40. A back surface 42b of the cover 42 has ribs 42c that protrude toward the transmission unit storage section 41 and reinforce the cover 42.

[0029] A gap G is defined between the upstream guide surface 43 and the surface 42a of the cover 42. The gap G is formed in the direction of the axis C of the fan 21 with a substantially uniform width.

[0030] [Moving object] 5, 6A, and 6B. The cleaning mechanism 50 includes a movable body 60 that is movable in the air passage 36 (between the fan 21 and the guide surface portion 40) along the axis C of the fan 21. The movable body 60 is integrally configured with a driven part 61 that is connected to the toothed rope 56 and that is driven in the direction of the axis C of the fan 21 when the drive part 51 is operated, a pair of arms 62, 62 that extend from the driven part 61 through the gap G to the air passage 36, and a support part 70 that is supported by the pair of arms 62, 62 and is formed along the guide surface portion 40.

[0031] In other words, of the moving body 60, the driven part 61 is a part stored in the transmission part storage part 41, the support part 70 is a part located in the air passage 36, and the pair of arms 62, 62 are parts that connect the driven part 61 and the support part 70. Note that the pair of arms 62, 62 may be eliminated, and the support part 70 and the driven part 61 may be connected by a magnet with the guide surface part 40 sandwiched therebetween.

[0032] When the rib 42c is formed at a position where it can come into contact with the second guide roller 63, the rib 42c for reinforcing the cover 42 can guide the second guide roller 63.

[0033] [Driver part] The driven part 61 includes a first guide roller 64 that can roll on the upper or lower surface of the transmission part housing part 41 , and a second guide roller 63 that can roll on the rib 42 c or the transmission part housing part 41 .

[0034] [Support part] 6B, the support portion 70 has a rectangular frame shape with its longitudinal direction coinciding with the air flow direction of the air passage 36. The support portion 70 is integrally formed of a pair of vertical frame portions 71, 71 supported by a pair of arms 62, 62, an upper frame portion 73 connecting the upper ends of the pair of vertical frame portions 71, 71, and a lower frame portion 74 connecting the lower ends of the pair of vertical frame portions 71, 71.

[0035] [Wiping section] The wiping unit 80 is attached to the support unit 70. The wiping unit 80 has a rectangular plate-shaped main body 81 that can close the frame of the support unit 70. The main body 81 has an insertion portion 82 that can be inserted into the upper frame portion 73 and a locking portion 83 that can be locked to the lower frame portion 74. The pair of vertical frame portions 71, 71 have support edges 72, 72 that can support the main body 81.

[0036] Sheet The main body 81 is provided with a sheet 84 that comes into contact with the guide surface 40 and can wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface 40. The sheet 84 can be made of nonwoven fabric, felt, or the like.

[0037] Brush The main body 81 is provided with a brush 76 that can come into contact with the outer peripheral edge 24 (see FIG. 5) of the fan 21 and wipe away dust adhering to the outer peripheral edge 24. The brush 76 is provided so as to be able to swing relative to the main body 81. The center line of the swing is a direction along the axis C of the fan 21. The brush 76 has a base 78 on which resin bristles 77 that wipe away dust from the fan 21 are attached.

[0038] [Spring] The brush 76 is provided with a tension spring 79. One end of the tension spring 79 is fixed to the base 78 of the brush 76, and the other end of the tension spring 79 is fixed to the main body 81. The tension spring 79 applies force to the brush 76 so that the brush 76 swings in a direction approaching the fan 21.

[0039] 6B, the main body 81 includes the brush 76 and the sheet 84. The main body 81 is detachable from the support part 70 of the moving body 60. This allows the sheet 84 and the brush 76 to be detachable from the moving body 60.

[0040] [Wiping mechanism operation] 4 and 7, the air conditioner 10 starts the cleaning operation by the cleaning mechanism 50 after receiving an operation stop signal from the remote control 110, or when receiving a cleaning operation instruction signal by operating a switch on the remote control 110.

[0041] When the cleaning motor 52 is operated, the gear portion 53 and the drive pulley 55 rotate. When the drive pulley 55 rotates, the moving body 60 connected to the toothed rope 56 moves in the left-right direction.

[0042] A sheet 84 is in contact with the guide surface portion 40, and a brush 76 is in contact with the fan 21. In this state, as the movable body 60 moves along the gap G, dust adhering to the guide surface portion 40 is wiped away by the sheet 84, and dust adhering to the fan 21 is also wiped away by the brush 76. At this time, by rotating the fan 21 (counterclockwise in FIG. 5), the entire outer periphery 24 of the fan 21 can be cleaned. Note that the bottom surface (not shown) of the base 78 of the brush 76 is in contact with the main body portion 81 during cleaning.

[0043] The moving body 60 has both the sheet 84 and the brush 76. Therefore, the brush 76 drops dust from the fan 21 onto the guide surface portion 40, and the sheet 84 can wipe it away.

[0044] Since the left and right louvers 29 (see Figure 3) are installed downstream of the cleaning mechanism 50 in the air flow, it is difficult to reach into the air passage 36 between the fan 21 and the guide surface portion 40 to clean it. Therefore, by providing a cleaning mechanism 50 that can move along the guide surface portion 40, dust adhering to the guide surface portion 40 can be easily removed.

[0045] [Storage position of the moving object] 3 and 8A. When cleaning by the cleaning mechanism 50 is completed, the moving body 60 is stored. The position where the moving body 60 is stored while the cleaning mechanism 50 is stopped is referred to as the storage position. The storage position of the moving body 60 is set at the end 36a of the air duct 36 with reference to the direction of the axis C of the fan 21. A microswitch 38 is provided at the end 36a, and when the moving body 60 is stored in the storage position, the microswitch 38 is pressed, and when the moving body 60 leaves the storage position, the microswitch 38 is opened. By outputting a signal indicating the open / closed state of the microswitch 38 and sending it to the indoor side control unit 100a, the indoor side control unit 100a can determine whether the moving body 60 is stored in the storage position.

[0046] Hereinafter, the side where the movable body 60 is stored will be referred to as the storage side (right side) with reference to the direction of the axis C of the fan 21. Note that the storage position may be the end 36b (see FIG. 3) on the opposite side (left side) of the storage side.

[0047] [Motor position] The cleaning motor 52 (see FIG. 4) is located at the end 36a on the storage side of the air passage 36, but may be located at the end 36b on the opposite side of the air passage 36. In other words, the storage position of the movable body 60 and the position of the cleaning motor 52 may be opposite each other.

[0048] [Platform storage location] The case 30 has a board storage section 37 that stores an indoor control section 100a that is made up of a control board that can control the cleaning motor 52. The board storage section 37 is formed on the storage side (right side) of the fan storage section 33.

[0049] [Motor case] See Figure 8A. The cleaning motor 52 (see Figure 4), gear unit 53, and drive pulley 55 are covered by a motor case 57. The motor case 57 is formed to fit along the guide surface 40 and is integrally formed with an upper wall 57a that covers the top of the cleaning motor 52 and a side wall 57b that extends from the left edge of the upper wall 57a toward the guide surface 40 and covers the left side of the cleaning motor 52. The right edge of the upper wall 57a is in contact with the side surface 34 on the storage side of the fan housing section 33. It can also be said that the side surface 34 covers the right side of the cleaning motor 52.

[0050] [Storage method for moving objects] A slide portion 58 is formed on the edge of the upper wall portion 57a ​​of the motor case 57, along which the base portion 78 of the brush 76 slides when the movable body 60 moves toward the storage position (right side). The slide portion 58 can guide the brush 76 so that the brush 76 swings until the brush 76, which is in contact with the fan 21, separates from the fan 21. In other words, the cleaning motor 52 and the slide portion 58 function as a switching means that can switch between a state in which the brush 76 is in contact with the fan 21 and a state in which the brush 76 is separated from the fan 21.

[0051] For example, the slide portion 58 extends in a straight line obliquely to the direction of the axis C of the fan 21, but may also be curved. Note that the slide portion 58 may be supported by the fan housing portion 33 and may be part of a member separate from the motor case 57.

[0052] Brush position in stowed position 8B, when the movable body 60 is in the storage position, the side surface 78a of the base 78 of the brush 76 is in contact with the movable body 60 (the vertical frame portions 71, 71 of the support portion 70). In other words, the brush 76 is completely reclined.

[0053] Next, the characteristic structure of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of the moving body 60. The moving body 60 is provided with an elastic part 85 having elasticity between the support part 70 and the sheet 84.

[0054] The elastic portion 85 is made of a material having elasticity to prevent the sheet 84 from being crushed when the sheet 84 is pressed against the guide surface portion 40. Preferably, the elastic portion 85 is made of a urethane gel or urethane foam having a urethane group that does not contain a plasticizer, which has excellent shock absorption properties and little effect on other materials.

[0055] The support part 70, the elastic part 85, and the sheet 84, which are made of different materials, are attached using adhesive or double-sided tape.

[0056] In this way, by providing the elastic portion 85 having elasticity between the support portion 70 and the sheet 84, the elastic force of the elastic portion 85 prevents excessive pressure on the guide surface portion 40, thereby preventing damage to the guide surface portion 40.

[0057] The area of ​​elastic portion 85 is at least equal to or greater than the area of ​​sheet 84, and is configured to cover the entire surface of sheet 84. Preferably, the area of ​​elastic portion 85 is larger than the area of ​​sheet 84, and is configured so that elastic portion 85 appears to protrude from sheet 84 when viewed from the back as shown in Figure 9B.

[0058] In this way, by making the area of ​​the elastic portion 85 larger than or equal to the area of ​​the sheet 84, when the sheet 84 is pressed against the guide surface portion 40, the sheet 84 does not protrude from the elastic portion 85, and crushing of the entire sheet 84 can be suppressed.

[0059] The elastic force of the elastic portion 85 is set to be smaller than the force that would crush the sheet 84, so that the elastic portion 85 is easily crushed when the sheet 84 is pressed against the guide surface portion 40.

[0060] In this way, by making the elastic force of the elastic portion 85 smaller than the force that crushes the sheet 84, the force applied when the sheet 84 is pressed against the guide surface portion 40 is transmitted to the elastic portion 85, and the elastic portion 85 crushes first, suppressing the crushing of the sheet 84.

[0061] Furthermore, the elastic portion 85, which has elastic force, presses the sheet 84 against the guide surface portion 40, thereby increasing the adhesion between the guide surface portion 40 and the sheet 84 and improving wiping performance. At the same time, by making the elastic force weaker than the force that crushes the sheet 84, the repulsive force is also suppressed, preventing excessive pressing against the guide surface portion 40 and preventing damage to the guide surface portion 40.

[0062] In this way, by forming the sheet 84 from nonwoven fabric, felt, etc., and the elastic part 85 from a urethane base material different from that of the sheet 84, a two-layer structure is achieved, making it possible to take advantage of the effects of each material and prevent deterioration in cleaning performance even when the cleaning operation is repeated.

[0063] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the examples provided that the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 10...Air conditioner 21...Fan 30…cases 31...Air intake 32...Air outlet 36...Ventilation duct 40...Guide surface 50...wiping mechanism 52...Motor 60...Mobile 61...Driver part 70...Support part 84…seat 85...Elastic part

Claims

1. The air conditioner is provided with a case having an air intake port for taking in air from the outside and an air outlet port for blowing the taken-in air to the outside, and a fan that is rotatably supported by the case and rotates to blow air, a guide surface portion that guides the air blown by the fan toward the air outlet is formed on the case along a direction in which an axis of the fan extends; a cleaning mechanism that can move along the guide surface portion to clean dust adhering to the guide surface portion, In an air conditioning device, the cleaning mechanism includes a moving body that moves along the guide surface, a support portion formed along the guide surface, a driven portion that moves the moving body by driving a motor, and a sheet that wipes off dust adhering to the guide surface, The air conditioning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning mechanism includes an elastic portion provided between the seat and the support portion.

2. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion covers the entire surface of the seat.

3. the sheet is made of felt or nonwoven fabric; 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is made of urethane gel or urethane foam.

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