Grille, and indoor machine of air conditioning device

Abstract

To provide a grille that can reduce ventilation resistance, and an outdoor machine of an air conditioning device.SOLUTION: A grille is formed in such a manner that a plurality of vertical bars extending in the vertical direction, and a plurality of horizontal bars extending so as to intersect with the vertical bars are connected in a grid pattern, and covers an air blowing fan from the downstream side of a flow of air sent out by the air blowing fan. In the horizontal bars, cross sections in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal bars are formed in a flattened shape. The longitudinal direction of the cross sections is arranged so as to extend in the direction of the flow of the air sent out by the air blowing fan. The length dimension in the longitudinal direction of the cross sections is 1.4 times or more and 2.2 times or less as long as a distance along the vertical bars between the horizontal bars.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a grill and an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] Cited Document 1 discloses a heat pump heat source machine that is excellent in design and maintainability. Cited Document 2 discloses a front grill for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, in which the cross section in the axial direction of the impeller is shaped like a blade. Cited Document 3 discloses a grill device that aims to improve aesthetics, standardize parts, and reduce costs without specifying the material or color of the grill. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-187051 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-93531 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-10578 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention provides a grille and an outdoor unit for an air conditioner that can reduce ventilation resistance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The grill in the present disclosure is formed by connecting a plurality of vertical bars extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of horizontal bars extending crosswise to the vertical bars in a lattice pattern, and is a grill that covers the blower fan from the downstream side of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan, and the horizontal bars are formed so that their cross sections in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal bars are flat, and the longitudinal direction of the cross section is arranged to extend in the direction of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan, and the length dimension of the longitudinal direction of the cross section is 1.4 to 2.2 times the distance along the vertical bars between the horizontal bars. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce ventilation resistance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Grill front view [Figure 3] III-III cross section of Figure 2 [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the grill shape and pressure loss according to the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Diagram showing wind speed distribution in a conventional grill [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows the wind speed distribution at a grill of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors arrived at the idea of ​​the present disclosure, some heat source units, such as outdoor units for air conditioners, included a housing, a blower fan housed inside the housing, and a grille covering the blower fan from the direction of airflow from the fan. Such a grille is attached, for example, to the side of the housing. Some such grilles are formed by connecting multiple vertical bars extending in the vertical direction and multiple horizontal bars extending intersecting the vertical bars in a grid pattern. This prevents the blower fan and other components of the heat source unit from being visible from the outside, improving the design and ease of maintenance, such as cleaning.

[0009] However, in the above-mentioned grill, for example, when the blower fan is a so-called axial fan, the grill is positioned crosswise to the air blown by the blower fan, and the inventors discovered a problem in that there is a risk that the so-called ventilation resistance, which is the resistance that occurs when the air passes through the grill, may become large.In order to solve this problem, the inventors have come up with the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0010] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a grille and an outdoor unit for an air conditioner that can reduce ventilation resistance. Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The symbol FR shown in each figure indicates the front of the outdoor unit 1 when it is installed on an installation surface and in normal use, the symbol UP indicates the top of the outdoor unit 1, and the symbol LH indicates the left of the outdoor unit 1. In the following description, each direction is along the direction of the outdoor unit 1. [1-1.Configuration] [1-1-1.Outdoor unit configuration] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit 1 of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The air conditioner of this embodiment includes an indoor heat exchanger provided in an indoor unit (not shown), and a refrigeration circuit formed by a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, etc. provided in the outdoor unit 1 shown in Fig. 1. The air conditioner conditions the conditioned space in which the indoor unit is installed by circulating a refrigerant through this refrigeration circuit.

[0012] The outdoor unit 1 of this embodiment is a so-called side-blowing type heat source unit that draws air inside through outdoor heat exchangers arranged along the left side and back, exchanges heat with the refrigerant, and blows the air out from the front.

[0013] The outdoor unit 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10. The housing 10 forms the exterior of the outdoor unit 1. A partition plate, which is a sheet metal member, is provided inside the housing 10. The partition plate divides the internal space S of the housing 10 into an air blowing chamber S1 and a machine chamber S2.

[0014] The housing 10 comprises a bottom panel 12 that forms the bottom surface, a top panel 14 that forms the top surface, a front panel 16 that forms the front surface, a left side panel 18 that forms the left side surface, and a right side panel 20 that forms the right side surface, and is formed so that the back surface is an opening.

[0015] An exhaust port 19 is provided in the front panel 16. This exhaust port 19 is an opening that connects the outside of the housing 10 with the air blower chamber S1. In this embodiment, the exhaust port 19 is covered with a lattice-shaped grill 30.

[0016] The left side panel 18 forms the left side of the housing 10. The left side panel 18 is provided with an air intake port, which is an opening that connects the outside of the housing 10 with the air blower chamber S1.

[0017] The right side panel 20 forms the right side of the housing 10. The right side panel 20 is provided with a service valve and the like to which predetermined external piping can be connected, and is covered by a cover member 22 attached to the right side panel 20.

[0018] An outdoor heat exchanger is provided in the air blower chamber S1. The outdoor heat exchanger in this embodiment is a so-called fin-and-tube type heat exchanger. This outdoor heat exchanger has multiple metal fins joined to copper refrigerant piping. This outdoor heat exchanger is arranged so that its width direction coincides with the height direction of the housing 10 and its length direction faces the back and left side faces of the housing 10. It is folded into a substantially L-shape in a plan view of the housing 10 and is housed in the air blower chamber S1. The outdoor heat exchanger may be a heat exchanger of another type, such as a heat exchanger including flat tubes and a header pipe.

[0019] In the present embodiment, the air blower chamber S1 is provided with a blower fan 7. The blower fan 7 is provided with a motor 8 as a drive source and an impeller 9. The impeller 9 is formed in a propeller shape and is disposed so that the axial flow direction faces the exhaust port 19. In other words, the blower fan 7 is a so-called axial flow fan. For ease of explanation, in FIG. 1 , the direction of the flow of air blown out by driving the blower fan 7 is indicated by an arrow as the air blowing direction W.

[0020] The machine room S2 accommodates various devices that form a refrigeration circuit, such as a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an on-off device, as well as refrigerant piping that connects these devices to one another, various electronic components, and the like.

[0021] [1-1-2. Grill Configuration] FIG. 2 is a front view of the grill 30. 2, the grille 30 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The grille 30 of this embodiment is formed from a resin material. However, the grille 30 is not limited to a resin material and may be formed from various materials having a predetermined strength, such as a metal material.

[0022] The grille 30 is formed by connecting a plurality of vertical bars 32 extending in the up-down direction and a plurality of horizontal bars 34 extending intersecting the vertical bars 32 in a lattice pattern. The longitudinal direction of each of the vertical bars 32 extends along the up-down direction of the outdoor unit 1 and is arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The longitudinal direction of the horizontal bars 34 extends along the left-right direction of the outdoor unit 1 and is arranged side by side in the up-down direction.

[0023] The horizontal beam 34 has a length that extends across the entire left-right direction of the grille 30 when viewed from the front. The vertical bars 32 have a length dimension that allows their upper ends to connect two adjacent horizontal bars 34. The upper ends of the vertical bars 32 are connected to the upper horizontal bar 34 of the adjacent horizontal bars 34, and the lower ends of the vertical bars 32 are connected to the lower horizontal bar 34 of the adjacent horizontal bars 34. In other words, the vertical bars 32 have a dimension that is approximately the same as the vertical distance between two adjacent horizontal bars 34. The vertical bars 32 may have a length that extends over the entire length of the grille 30 in the vertical direction when viewed from the front.

[0024] As described above, when the blower fan 7 is driven, the outdoor unit 1 draws air into the housing 10 through the intake ports provided on the left side and rear surface, and blows it out through the exhaust port 19. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1 , the grill 30 attached to the housing 10 covers the blower fan 7 from the downstream side of the flow of air sent out by the blower fan 7.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the grille 30 taken along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal bars 34 and intersecting with the vertical bars 32, viewed from the right. As shown in FIG. 3, the vertical beam 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The cross section 40 of the horizontal beam 34 has a longitudinal direction extending in the front-rear direction and is formed in a generally flat shape overall. That is, the cross section 40 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction extends along the airflow direction W.

[0026] The rear end 41, which is the end located on the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40, is formed in an airfoil shape. This allows the grill 30 to suppress the ventilation resistance that occurs when the air sent out by the blower fan 7 passes through the grill 30.

[0027] The front end 43, which is the end located on the front side in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40, is formed in a curved shape. Note that the front end 43 may be formed in an airfoil shape, similar to the rear end 41. This enables the grill 30 to suppress the ventilation resistance that occurs when the air sent out by the blower fan 7 passes through the grill 30.

[0028] The upper end 35 or the lower end 37 of the vertical bar 32 is connected to the horizontal bar 34 at the connection position 45, thereby connecting the horizontal bar 34 and the vertical bar 32. The connecting position 45 is provided at a position closer to the rear end 41 than the front end 43 in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40. More specifically, the grille 30 is formed so that the distance between the connecting position 45 and the rear end of the cross section 40 in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40 is equal to or less than half the distance between the connecting position 45 and the front end. This prevents the horizontal bars 34 from increasing in length in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40. Therefore, when the air blown out by the blower fan 7 passes through the grill 30, the frictional resistance generated between the grill 30 and the horizontal bars 34 can be reduced.

[0029] The distance B between adjacent horizontal bars 34 in the direction along the vertical bars 32 is a dimension that provides the grill 30 with enough strength to prevent it from coming into contact with the blower fan 7 even when a user or worker presses on the grill 30. Furthermore, for example, the distance B may be formed to a dimension that prevents the fingers of a user or worker from getting stuck, or a dimension that allows the fingers of a user or worker to be removed even if they get stuck. In this embodiment, the distance B is set to 7 mm or more and 18 mm or less.

[0030] In cross section 40, length dimension A in the longitudinal direction is formed to be a predetermined length with respect to distance B. In this embodiment, length dimension A in the longitudinal direction of cross section 40 of horizontal beam 34 is 1.4 to 2.2 times the distance B. As a result, in the outdoor unit 1, the air sent out by the blower fan 7 hits the rear end 41 of the cross bar 34, and then flows along the cross bar 34 formed with the length dimension A, thereby creating a so-called straightening effect, and the air passes smoothly through the grill 30 while suppressing the generation of so-called vortex currents. As described above, the connecting position 45 is located closer to the rear end 41 in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40 than the front end 43. This prevents the air passing through the grille 30 from separating around the vertical bars 32, and causes the air to separate from the horizontal bars 34 at a predetermined distance from the vertical bars 32. Therefore, in the grille 30 and the outdoor unit 1, the ventilation resistance that occurs when air passes through the grille 30 can be reduced.

[0031] [1-2. Experiment] Next, an experiment conducted by the inventors will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the shape of the grill 30 and pressure loss. In Fig. 4, the horizontal axis X represents the ratio of the length dimension A when the distance B is 1. Hereinafter, this ratio will be referred to as the AB ratio. The vertical axis Y represents the change in pressure loss (Pa) in the grill 30 when air blown by the blower fan 7 passes through it, compared to a grill 130 with a conventional shape. The inventors used the grill 30 to evaluate the relationship between the length dimension A and the distance B and the pressure loss of the air blown out by the blower fan 7 when the grill 30 is attached to the outdoor unit 1. The inventors have found that, as shown in FIG. 4, when the AB ratio is 1.4 or more and 2.2 or less, the pressure loss in the grill 30 is reduced by about 4 Pa ​​compared to the conventional grill 130.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the wind speed distribution of air blown out by blower fan 7 in conventional grill 130. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the wind speed distribution of air blown out by blower fan 7 in grill 30. In Figs. 5 and 6, areas where the wind speed is relatively high are shown as high-speed areas V1, areas where the wind speed is medium are shown as medium-speed areas V2, and areas where the wind speed is low are shown as low-speed areas V3. Next, the inventors evaluated the wind speed distribution when air sent out by the blower fan 7 passed through each of the conventional grill 130 and the grill 30.

[0033] 5, in conventional grill 130, after air blown out by blower fan 7 hits rear end 141 of horizontal bar 134, the length dimension A is short, and the air then separates at a position close to vertical bar 132. As a result, in grill 130, vortexes are generated at front end 143 of horizontal bar 134 and at a position close to vertical bar 132, and pressure loss increases near grill 130.

[0034] In contrast, as shown in Fig. 6, in the grille 30, the length dimension A is long, so that the air blown out by the blower fan 7 hits the rear end 141 of the horizontal bar 134, and then follows the horizontal bar 34, thereby being rectified. The air then separates from the horizontal bar 34 at a position spaced apart from the vertical bar 32. For this reason, the inventors have discovered that the generation of vortexes is suppressed in the grille 30.

[0035] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the grille 30 is formed by connecting a plurality of vertical bars 32 extending in the up-down direction and a plurality of horizontal bars 34 extending intersecting the vertical bars 32 in a lattice pattern, and covers the blower fan 7 from the downstream side of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan 7. The horizontal bars 34 are formed so that the cross section 40 in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal bars 34 has a flattened shape. The longitudinal direction of the cross section 40 is arranged to extend in the direction of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan 7. The length dimension A of the cross section 40 in the longitudinal direction is 1.4 to 2.2 times the distance along the vertical bars 32 between the horizontal bars 34. This allows the grille 30 to have a structure that makes it difficult to see the inside of the outdoor unit 1, while reducing the ventilation resistance when air sent out by the blower fan 7 passes through the grille 30. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1 equipped with the grille 30, the amount of air sent to the heat exchanger can be increased.

[0036] As in this embodiment, the horizontal beam 34 has a rear end 41 formed in an airfoil shape, the rear end 41 being located upstream in the direction of the flow of air sent out by the blower fan 7. The horizontal beam 34 may be connected to the vertical beam 32 at a connecting position 45 that is closer to the rear end 41 in the cross section 40 than the front end 43 that is located downstream in the direction of the flow of air sent out by the blower fan 7. This prevents the horizontal bars 34 from increasing in length in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40. Therefore, when the air blown out by the blower fan 7 passes through the grill 30, the frictional resistance generated between the grill 30 and the horizontal bars 34 can be reduced.

[0037] As in this embodiment, the distance between the connecting position 45 and the rear end 41 in the cross section 40 may be half or less of the distance between the connecting position 45 and the front end 43 . This prevents the horizontal bars 34 from increasing in length in the longitudinal direction of the cross section 40. Therefore, when the air blown out by the blower fan 7 passes through the grill 30, the frictional resistance generated between the grill 30 and the horizontal bars 34 can be reduced.

[0038] As in this embodiment, the distance between the horizontal bars 34 along the vertical bars 32 may be 7 mm or more and 18 mm or less. This allows the grill 30 to have enough strength to prevent it from coming into contact with the blower fan 7 even when a user or worker presses the grill 30.

[0039] As in this embodiment, the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner may be provided with a grill 30. This allows the outdoor unit 1 to increase the amount of air sent to the heat exchanger.

[0040] (Other embodiments) As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in the first embodiment above to create new embodiments.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the outdoor unit 1 is a heat source unit for an air conditioner. However, the outdoor unit 1 is not limited to this and can be applied to various devices equipped with a refrigerant circuit, such as chiller systems, water heaters, heat pump hot water heaters, and air conditioners. For example, the grille 30 may be formed in a circular shape when viewed from the front.

[0042] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0043] (Addendum) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0044] (Technology 1) A grill formed by connecting a plurality of vertical bars extending in the up-down direction and a plurality of horizontal bars extending crosswise to the vertical bars in a lattice pattern, and covering the blower fan from the downstream side of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan, wherein the horizontal bars are formed so that their cross sections in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal bars are flattened, the longitudinal direction of the cross sections is arranged to extend in the direction of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan, and the length dimension of the longitudinal direction of the cross sections is 1.4 to 2.2 times the distance between the horizontal bars along the vertical bars.

[0045] (Technology 2) A grill described in Technology 1, in which the horizontal bars have a rear end located upstream in the direction of the air flow emitted by the blower fan, formed in an airfoil shape, and are connected to the vertical bars at a position in the cross section closer to the rear end than the front end located downstream in the direction of the air flow emitted by the blower fan.

[0046] (Technology 3) A grill according to Technology 2, wherein in the cross section, the distance between the position where the horizontal bar and the vertical bar are connected and the rear end is less than half the distance between the position where the horizontal bar and the vertical bar are connected and the front end.

[0047] (Technology 4) The grille according to any one of Technologies 1 to 3, wherein the distance between the horizontal bars along the vertical bars is 7 mm or more and 18 mm or less.

[0048] (Technical Aspect 5) An outdoor unit for an air conditioner, comprising the grille according to any one of Technical Aspects 1 to 4. [Industrial Applicability]

[0049] The present disclosure is applicable to a heat source unit of a refrigeration cycle device including a refrigeration circuit that uses a flammable refrigerant, and more specifically, to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Outdoor unit 7. Blower fan 8 motors 9 Impeller 10. Cabinet 12 Bottom Panel 14 Top panel 16 Front Panel 18 Left side panel 19 Exhaust port 20 Right side panel 22 Cover member 30 Grill 32 Vertical Bars 34 Horizontal Bar 35 Top 37 Bottom end 40 cross section 41 Rear end 43 Front end 45 Connection position 130 Grill 132 Vertical Bars 134 Horizontal Bar 141 Rear end 143 Front end A Length dimension B distance S interior space S1 ventilation room S2 Machine room V1 Highway V3 Low speed area W Airflow direction

Claims

1. A grille is formed by connecting a plurality of vertical bars extending in the up-down direction and a plurality of horizontal bars extending intersecting the vertical bars in a lattice pattern, and covers the blower fan from the downstream side of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan, The horizontal beam has a cross section formed in a flat shape in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal beam, The longitudinal direction of the cross section is arranged to extend in the direction of the flow of air sent out by the blower fan, The longitudinal length of the cross section is 1.4 to 2.2 times the distance between the horizontal bars along the vertical bars. grill.

2. The horizontal beam has a rear end portion located upstream in the direction of the flow of air blown out by the blower fan, the rear end portion being formed in an airfoil shape, In the cross section, the fan is connected to the vertical beam at a position closer to the rear end than to the front end located downstream in the direction of the flow of air sent out by the blower fan.

10. The grill of claim 1.

3. In the cross section, the distance between the position where the horizontal beam and the vertical beam are connected and the rear end portion is equal to or less than half the distance between the position where the horizontal beam and the vertical beam are connected and the front end portion.

3. The grill of claim 2.

4. The distance between the horizontal bars along the vertical bars is 7 mm or more and 18 mm or less. A grill according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A grill according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided. Outdoor unit of an air conditioning unit.

Images