Air conditioner holder

Abstract

To improve conveyance efficiency of an air conditioner, to hold the air conditioner in a stable posture, and to carry out conveyance work safely and easily.SOLUTION: An air conditioner holder 1 holds a plurality of air conditioners 100a, 100b and 100c in a state where they are vertically stacked in a horizontal posture. This holder 1 comprises: support members 2 fixed by being bonded to the upper surfaces of the air conditioners 100a, 100b and 100c to support the air conditioners 100a, 100b and 100c; and support pillar members 4 that are arranged in the vertical direction of the air conditioners 100a, 100b and 100c and that connects the support members 2 bonded and fixed to the upper surfaces of the air conditioners 100a, 100b and 100c and support the air conditioners 100a, 100b and 100c in a stacked manner by providing a gap 152, 153 between the upper and lower air conditioners.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding device for an air conditioner that can be used when transporting or storing an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a transport device has been proposed that can be suitably used when transporting a completed air conditioner to an installation site after the process of assembling a chamber in the front-to-rear direction of the air conditioner body is performed in a factory (for example, Patent Document 1). This transport device includes support members that support both the left and right sides of the air conditioner, and a carriage that can move while holding the air conditioner by engaging with the support members. A holding section provided on the carriage rotatably holds the support members, and is configured to be able to change the position of the air conditioner between a horizontal position and an upright position.

[0003] The above-mentioned conventional cart can be transported to a construction site by loading the cart holding the air conditioner from the factory onto a transport vehicle, and when transporting the air conditioner to the installation location at the construction site, if it needs to pass through a narrow space such as a temporary elevator, the air conditioner can be changed from a horizontal position to an upright position, allowing it to pass through the narrow space without being removed from the cart.

[0004] Furthermore, the conventional carts described above can also be used to store multiple air conditioners stacked on top of each other after they have been delivered to the construction site until installation work for the air conditioners begins, which has the advantage of reducing storage space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7146199 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, if there are no narrow areas at the construction site, the posture change function of conventional carts is not necessary, and there is a problem of poor work efficiency when loading the air conditioner onto the cart at the factory and when unloading the air conditioner from the cart at the installation site.

[0007] On the other hand, it is not advisable to transport or store air conditioners in a flat stack, with the bottom of another air conditioner directly on top of the other. For example, if one air conditioner is transported with its bottom on top of another, skidding during transport could damage the top or bottom of the air conditioner, potentially resulting in the air conditioner being destroyed. To avoid this, each air conditioner must be loaded onto a transport vehicle and transported from the factory to the installation site, significantly reducing transportation efficiency.

[0008] Furthermore, conventional carts transport air conditioners to construction sites, then retrieve them and transport them back to the factory. The large volume of the base and the pair of support columns erected from the base creates a problem of time-consuming retrieval work. Furthermore, because the number of carts that can be loaded onto a transport vehicle is limited, it may be necessary to use multiple vehicles to return the carts to the factory. In particular, given the recent difficulty in securing workers at construction sites, there is a need for a holding device that can hold an air conditioner in a stable position without damaging the chamber or other components attached to the air conditioner, allowing for safe and easy transport, installation, and retrieval work.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide an air conditioner holding device that improves the efficiency of transporting air conditioners, holds the air conditioner in a stable position, and allows for safe and easy transport operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect adopted by the present invention as a solution is an air conditioner holding device that holds multiple air conditioners in a horizontal position and stacked vertically, characterized in that it comprises support members that are fixed in close contact with the top surface of each of the multiple air conditioners and support each of the multiple air conditioners, and support members that are arranged in the vertical direction along both the left and right side surfaces of the multiple air conditioners and connect the support members that are fixed in close contact with the top surface of each of the multiple air conditioners, and support the multiple air conditioners in a stacked state with a gap between the air conditioner on the upper level and the air conditioner on the lower level.

[0011] The second aspect is a configuration in which, in the air conditioner holding device having the first aspect, the support member has a first beam member that crosses the upper surface of each of the multiple air conditioners in the left-right direction and has both ends protruding outward from both left and right side surfaces of each of the multiple air conditioners, and the support member is connected to both ends of the first beam member that protrudes outward from both left and right side surfaces of each of the multiple air conditioners, and supports the multiple air conditioners in a stacked state.

[0012] A third aspect is a configuration in which, in an air conditioner holding device having the first aspect, the support member has a first beam member that crosses the upper surface of each of the multiple air conditioners in the left-right direction and has both ends protruding outward from both left and right side surfaces of each of the multiple air conditioners, and a second beam member that is arranged on the upper surface side of each of the multiple air conditioners and outside both left and right side surfaces of each of the multiple air conditioners so as to be perpendicular to the first beam member, and the support member is connected to the second beam member outside both left and right side surfaces of each of the multiple air conditioners, and supports the multiple air conditioners in a stacked state.

[0013] The fourth aspect is a configuration in which, in an air conditioner holding device having any of the first to third aspects, the lower end of the support member is fixed to a base having wheels attached to the bottom surface.

[0014] A fifth aspect is a configuration in which, in an air conditioner holding device having any of the first to third aspects, the support member has a hanging portion for attaching each of the multiple air conditioners to a ceiling structure, the hanging portion is foldable toward the upper surface of each of the multiple air conditioners, and the support member supports the multiple air conditioners in a stacked state by making the height dimension of the gap between the upper air conditioner and the lower air conditioner larger than the height dimension of the support member when the hanging portion is folded. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of transporting a plurality of air conditioners, and also to hold the air conditioners in a stable position, allowing for safe and easy transport work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a holding device for an air conditioner. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a holding device for an air conditioner. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an air conditioner. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing how the support member is assembled to the air conditioner. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing how the support member is assembled to the air conditioner. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of how the support member and the first beam member are fixed to each other. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of how the air conditioner in the middle stage is assembled to the air conditioner holding device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the base is configured as a dolly. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a holding device for an air conditioner according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11]10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of connection using connecting fittings. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a support member attached to the upper surface side of the air conditioner in the third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a support member is attached to the air conditioner. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of folding a hanging part including a hanging bolt. [Figure 15] 10 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner holding device that holds a plurality of air conditioners to which support members with hanging bolts folded are attached. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings referred to below, common members are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0018] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner holding device 1 in a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the air conditioner holding device 1. The XYZ three-dimensional coordinate system shown in these drawings is a coordinate system in which the XY plane is the horizontal plane and the Z direction is the vertical direction, and is a common coordinate system. The same applies to the three-dimensional coordinate systems shown in the other drawings.

[0019] The air conditioner support device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "support device") is a device that supports multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c stacked vertically in a horizontal position. The air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c are concealed air conditioners that are installed in a concealed state in the ceiling space between a ceiling structure such as a ceiling slab or deck plate and a ceiling panel. These multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c have a common configuration. Note that, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c, they will be collectively referred to as "air conditioner 100."

[0020] First, the air conditioner 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner 100 includes an air conditioner main body 110, an outlet chamber 120, and an intake chamber 130, which are integrally assembled in series along the front-to-rear direction (Y direction) to form a box-shaped unit that is generally rectangular in plan view. In this embodiment, the left-to-right direction of the air conditioner 100 corresponds to the X direction in an XYZ three-dimensional coordinate system, and the front-to-rear direction corresponds to the Y direction in the same coordinate system. The air conditioner main body 110 is the main part of the air conditioner 100, and mechanical structures such as a heat exchanger and a fan are installed inside. In contrast, the outlet chamber 120 and the intake chamber 130 are lightweight chambers with hollow interiors. For example, the outlet chamber 120 is attached to the front side (front side) of the air conditioner main body 110, and the intake chamber 130 is attached to the rear side (rear side) of the air conditioner main body 110.

[0021] The air conditioner 100 is composed of a large proportion of the air conditioner main body 110 by weight, and the center of gravity of the entire air conditioner 100 is located in the air conditioner main body 110. The center of gravity of the air conditioner main body 110 is also located at a relatively low position. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner main body 110 is provided with mounting pieces 111, 111 at the bottom of both left and right side surfaces 110a, 110b for connecting bolt members such as suspension bolts. These mounting pieces 111, 111 have the strength to support the weight of the air conditioner main body 110. For example, mounting pieces 111, 111 are provided at two positions spaced a predetermined distance apart in the front-to-rear direction at the bottom of the left side surface 110a, and mounting pieces 111, 111 are also provided at the bottom of the right side surface 110b in the same positions as on the left side surface 110a. The air conditioner body 110 has a total of four mounting pieces 111 provided on both left and right side surfaces 110a, 110b, to which bolt members such as suspension bolts are connected, and the air conditioner body 110 is supported by these bolt members.

[0022] The air conditioner main body 110 is equipped with a filter unit 112 on the rear side. An air intake port is provided in the center of the rear end face 110d of the filter unit 112. The air conditioner main body 110 also has an air outlet in the center of the front end face 110c. The air conditioner main body 110 takes in air from the rear air intake port, removes dust and other particles using the filter unit 112, adjusts the temperature using an internal heat exchanger, and blows out the temperature-adjusted air from the front air outlet.

[0023] The air conditioner main body 110 has a sleeve-shaped connecting part 113 that protrudes forward from the periphery of the front air outlet. This connecting part 113 is for connecting the air outlet chamber 120 to the front side of the air conditioner main body 110. The air conditioner main body 110 also has a sleeve-shaped connecting part 115 that protrudes rearward from the periphery of the rear air intake. This connecting part 115 is for connecting the air intake chamber 130 to the rear side of the air conditioner main body 110. These connecting parts 113, 115 are slightly smaller in size than the end faces 110c, 110d in the front-to-rear direction.

[0024] The blowout chamber 120 has an opening in the center of the surface 120a facing the air conditioner main body 110, and air blown out from the air outlet of the air conditioner main body 110 can flow into the chamber through this opening. The blowout chamber 120 has a sleeve-shaped connecting part 122 that protrudes toward the air conditioner main body 110 around the periphery of the opening. This connecting part 122 can be fitted inside or outside of a connecting part 113 formed on the front side of the air conditioner main body 110. For example, the blowout chamber 120 can be attached integrally to the front side of the air conditioner main body 110 by fitting the connecting part 122 of the blowout chamber 120 into the connecting part 113 of the air conditioner main body 110 and driving a screw or the like from the outside with the connecting parts 122, 113 overlapping each other.

[0025] The intake chamber 130 has an opening in the center of the surface 130a facing the air conditioner main body 110, and air within the chamber can be sent into the air conditioner main body 110 through this opening. The intake chamber 130 has a sleeve-shaped connecting part 132 that protrudes toward the air conditioner main body 110 around the periphery of the opening. This connecting part 132 can be fitted inside or outside of connecting part 115 formed on the rear side of the air conditioner main body 110. For example, the intake chamber 130 can be attached integrally to the rear side of the air conditioner main body 110 by fitting the connecting part 132 of the intake chamber 130 into the connecting part 115 of the air conditioner main body 110 and driving a screw or the like from the outside with the connecting parts 132 and 115 overlapping each other.

[0026] The intake chamber 130 has a duct connection portion (not shown), to which a duct for taking in outside air is connected. Furthermore, the blow-out chamber 120 has at least one duct connection portion 121 on its peripheral side surface, as shown in FIG. 2. A blower duct for directing temperature-adjusted air to an indoor space is connected to this duct connection portion 121. Therefore, the air conditioner 100 can take in outside air into the air conditioner main body 110 via the intake chamber 130, and supply temperature-adjusted air to at least one indoor space via the blow-out chamber 120.

[0027] The holding device 1 of this embodiment is configured to hold three air conditioners 100, each having the outlet chamber 120 and the intake chamber 130 assembled in the front-to-rear direction of the air conditioner main body 110 as described above, stacked vertically. That is, the holding device 1 holds air conditioner 100a in the lower position, air conditioner 100b in the middle position, and air conditioner 100c in the upper position. The holding device 1 also holds multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c with a gap formed between the top surface of air conditioner 100a and the bottom surface of air conditioner 100b, and with a gap also formed between the top surface of air conditioner 100b and the bottom surface of air conditioner 100c. The number of air conditioners 100 held by the holding device 1 is not limited to three, and may be two, four, or more. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the holding device 1 holds multiple air conditioners 100 stacked vertically on a base 190 such as a pallet, allowing the multiple air conditioners 100 to be transported or stored in a vertically stacked state.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the holding device 1 includes a support member 2 that is attached in close contact with the upper surface of each of the multiple air conditioners 100, and a support member 4 that connects the multiple air conditioners 100 arranged in the vertical direction to each other.

[0029] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing how the support member 2 is attached to the air conditioner 100. The support member 2 is fixed in close contact with the top surface of each of the multiple air conditioners 100, supporting each air conditioner 100. The support member 2 has a pair of first beam members 11, 11 that cross the top surface of the air conditioner 100 in the left-right direction and whose ends 11a, 11b extend outward beyond the left and right sides of the air conditioner 100. The first beam members 11, 11 are formed, for example, from metal fittings with an L-shaped cross section, and have a horizontal plate portion 13 that is in close contact with the top surface of the air conditioner 100 and a vertical plate portion 14 that stands upright from the end of the horizontal plate portion 13. The horizontal plate portion 13 is formed, for example, from a single plate, and bolt insertion holes 13a, 13a are formed at predetermined positions on both ends 11a, 11b to align with the positions of mounting pieces 111, 111 provided on both the left and right sides of the air conditioner 100. The vertical plate portion 14 is made up of two plates, and a space is formed inside the two plates. The outer plate of the vertical plate portion 14 has a slit 15 formed along the longitudinal direction of the vertical plate portion 14, and the slit 15 communicates with the internal space between the two plates.

[0030] The first beam members 11, 11 have bolt insertion holes 13a, 13a provided on both ends 11a, 11b positioned above the mounting pieces 111, 111, and are fixed to the upper surface of the air conditioner 100 by bolt members 19. That is, the lower end of the bolt member 19 is fixed to the mounting piece 111 by two nuts 17a, 17b, and the upper end is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 13a formed in the horizontal plate portion 13 of the first beam member 11, and a nut 18 is attached to the portion protruding upward from the horizontal plate portion 13. When the nut 18 is tightened, the bolt member 19 tightly fixes the first beam member 11 to the upper surface of the air conditioner 100 with the bottom surface of the horizontal plate portion 13 of the first beam member 11 pressed against the upper surface of the air conditioner 100. That is, by attaching bolt members 19 to both ends 11a, 11b of the first beam material 11 and tightening nuts 18, the first beam material 11 is fixed to a position above the mounting pieces 111, 111 provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the air conditioner 100, as shown in Figure 5, and is integrated with the air conditioner 100.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a support member 4. The support member 4 is formed, for example, from an angle steel member with an L-shaped cross section. The support member 4 is provided with bolt insertion holes 4a at multiple locations along its longitudinal direction. In the example of FIG. 6, the bolt insertion holes 4a are formed at three locations along the longitudinal direction of the support member 4. For example, the first bolt insertion hole 4a is formed at a distance D1 from the bottom end of the support member 4, the second bolt insertion hole 4a is formed at a distance D2 from the first bolt insertion hole 4a, and the third bolt insertion hole 4a is formed at a distance D3 from the second bolt insertion hole 4a. These distances D1, D2, and D3 are greater than the height dimension H of each air conditioner 100 as shown in FIG. 2. Note that the distances D1, D2, and D3 may be equal or different from each other. The support member 4 is disposed vertically on the base 190 and is connected and fixed to the first beam member 11 of each air conditioner 100.

[0032] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the support member 4 and the first beam member 11 are fixed to each other. As shown in FIG. 7, a fixing bolt 45 is attached to the vertical plate portion 14 of the first beam member 11. The fixing bolt 45 has a rectangular, thin-walled head portion 46 and a bolt portion 47 extending from the center of the head portion 46. The head portion 46 can be inserted from the end of the vertical plate portion 14 of the first beam member 11 into the space between the two plates. When the head portion 46 is inserted inside the vertical plate portion 14, the bolt portion 47 protrudes from the slit 15 in the vertical plate portion 14 toward the outside of the first beam member 11. The support member 4 is fixed to the first beam member 11 by inserting the bolt portion 47 into the bolt insertion hole 4a, attaching a nut 48 to the tip of the bolt portion 47, and tightening the nut 48.

[0033] For example, the lower air conditioner 100a is placed on the base 190, and the first beam member 11 is fixed to the first bolt insertion hole 4a from the bottom end of the support member 4. At this time, a worker can easily connect the first beam member 11 to the support member 4 by slightly lifting the air conditioner 100a. By attaching support members 4 to both ends of a pair of first beam members 11, 11 protruding from both the left and right sides of the air conditioner 100a, the air conditioner 100a is installed on the base 190 while being supported by the four support members 4. At this time, the bottom surface of the air conditioner 100a is raised above the top surface of the base 190. In other words, a gap 151 shown in FIG. 2 is created between the bottom surface of the air conditioner 100a and the top surface of the base 190. The support device 1 supports the air conditioner 100a with a gap 151 formed between the air conditioner 100a and the base 190, thereby preventing damage to the underside of the air conditioner 100a.

[0034] After the lower-tier air conditioner 100a has been assembled to the holding device 1 in the manner described above, the middle-tier air conditioner 100b and the upper-tier air conditioner 100c are assembled in sequence to the holding device 1. For example, the middle-tier air conditioner 100b and the upper-tier air conditioner 100c are assembled to the holding device 1 using a lifting support device 200 such as a forklift.

[0035] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of assembling the air conditioner 100b on the middle row to the holding device 1. As shown in Fig. 8, the air conditioner 100b on the middle row is supported by the lifting support device 200 and transported to a position above the air conditioner 100a held by the holding device 1. When the pair of first beam members 11, 11 attached to the air conditioner 100b are transported above the pair of support members 4, 4, the lifting support device 200 lowers the air conditioner 100b. At this time, the lifting support device 200 lowers the air conditioner 100b while inserting the pair of first beam members 11, 11 between the pair of support members 4, 4. When a pair of first beam members 11, 11 protruding from both the left and right sides of the air conditioner 100b descend from the lower end of the support member 4 to the second bolt insertion hole 4a, the lifting support device 200 stops the descent of the air conditioner 100b and holds the air conditioner 100b at that height position.

[0036] When the height position of the air conditioner 100b is held by the lifting support device 200, the worker connects and fixes the pair of first beam members 11, 11 attached to the air conditioner 100b to the support members 4, 4. By fixing both ends of the pair of first beam members 11, 11 to the support members 4, the support device 1 holds the air conditioner 100b in a central position on the support members 4. When the air conditioner 100b is installed in the support device 1, the underside of the air conditioner 100b is raised above the upper surface of the air conditioner 100a. In other words, a gap 152 shown in FIG. 2 is created between the upper surface of the air conditioner 100a and the lower surface of the air conditioner 100b. By supporting the air conditioners 100a, 100b with the gap 152 formed between the air conditioners 100a and 100b, the support device 1 prevents damage to the lower surface of the air conditioner 100b and the upper surface of the air conditioner 100a.

[0037] The air conditioner 100c on the upper level is assembled to the holding device 1 using the lifting support device 200, similar to the air conditioner 100b on the middle level. The lifting support device 200 holds the air conditioner 100c on the upper level in a state where it is raised above the air conditioner 100b on the middle level. With the air conditioner 100c held at a predetermined height by the lifting support device 200, the worker connects and fixes the pair of first beam members 11, 11 attached to the air conditioner 100c to the support members 4, 4. With both ends of the pair of first beam members 11, 11 fixed to the support members 4, the holding device 1 holds the air conditioner 100c in the upper level position of the support members 4. When the air conditioner 100c is installed on the holding device 1, the lower surface of the air conditioner 100c is raised above the upper surface of the air conditioner 100b. That is, a gap 153 shown in Figure 2 is formed between the upper surface of air conditioner 100b and the lower surface of air conditioner 100c. By supporting air conditioners 100b and 100c with gap 153 formed between air conditioner 100b and air conditioner 100c, the holding device 1 prevents damage to the lower surface of air conditioner 100c and the upper surface of air conditioner 100b.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the holding device 1 has four support members 4. Two of the four support members 4 are attached to each of the left and right sides of the multiple air conditioners 100. This allows the holding device 1 to prevent the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c stacked vertically from moving relative to each other in the XY plane, thereby properly holding the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c. The holding device 1 also holds the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c in a vertically spaced-apart state so that they do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, even if vibrations act on the base 190, the holding device 1 can hold the air conditioners 100 without damaging the upper and lower surfaces.

[0039] When transporting multiple air conditioners 100 held by the holding device 1 to an installation site, the base 190 with the holding device 1 placed on it can be lifted using a lifting support device 200 such as a forklift and loaded onto a transport vehicle. Multiple air conditioners 100 can be loaded onto a transport vehicle such as a truck in a stacked state using the holding device 1. This improves the efficiency of transporting the air conditioners 100. Furthermore, even if vibrations or the like occur during transport, the holding device 1 suppresses relative movement of the multiple air conditioners 100, preventing the load from collapsing. In addition, the holding device 1 can also prevent damage to each air conditioner 100 due to vibrations during transport.

[0040] The holding device 1 can also be used when storing multiple air conditioners 100. That is, the holding device 1 holds multiple air conditioners 100 in a stacked state, which has the advantage of saving storage space. Furthermore, even if an earthquake or other disaster occurs during storage, the holding device 1 will maintain an appropriate holding state without causing the multiple air conditioners 100 to collapse.

[0041] In this embodiment, the support member 2 (first beam member 11) attached to the upper surface of the air conditioner 100 may be a member that is removed from the air conditioner 100 when the air conditioner 100 is installed in the ceiling space at the installation site. However, this is not limited to this, and the support member 2 may be a member that is not removed from the air conditioner 100 when the air conditioner 100 is installed in the ceiling space, but is installed in the ceiling space while still attached to the air conditioner 100. For example, the support member 2 (first beam member 11) can be connected to the lower end of a bolt member such as a suspension bolt that hangs down into the ceiling space, and can be used as a member that supports the air conditioner 100 in a suspended state in the ceiling space.

[0042] In the above description, an example has been described in which the base 190 is configured as a pallet or the like. However, the base 190 is not limited to a pallet or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the base 190 may be a dolly with wheels 195 attached to its underside. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9 , the lower ends of the support members 4 are preferably fixed to the side surfaces of the base 190 using fastening members 196 such as bolts and nuts. By fixing the lower ends of the support members 4 to the side surfaces of the base 190 using the fastening members 196, the base 190 becomes an integral component with multiple air conditioners 100. Therefore, the base 190 configured as a dolly can be formed from two members separated in the left-right direction (X direction), thereby reducing the volume of the base 190. This has the advantage of allowing for efficient recovery of the support device 1 after the air conditioner 100 has been installed in the ceiling space.

[0043] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a holding device 1 in the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, this holding device 1, like the first embodiment, includes support members 2 that are attached in close contact with the upper surfaces of multiple air conditioners 100, and support members 4 that interconnect multiple air conditioners 100 arranged in the vertical direction.

[0044] The support member 2 comprises a first beam member 11 that is arranged so as to cross the upper surface of each of the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, 100c in the left-right direction and has both ends protruding outward from the left and right side surfaces of each of the air conditioners 100a, 100b, 100c, and a second beam member 12 that is arranged on the upper surface of each of the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, 100c and is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the first beam member 11. The first beam member 11 is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

[0045] The second beam member 12 has the same configuration as the first beam member 11. That is, the second beam member 12 is formed, for example, from a metal fitting with an L-shaped cross section, and has a horizontal plate portion 13 and a vertical plate portion 14. The horizontal plate portion 13 is formed, for example, from a single plate. The vertical plate portion 14 is formed, for example, from two plates, with a space formed inside the two plates. The outer plate of the vertical plate portion 14 has a slit 15 formed along the longitudinal direction of the vertical plate portion 14, and the slit 15 communicates with the space inside the two plates.

[0046] The support member 2 includes a pair of second beam members 12, 12 arranged on the upper surface side of each air conditioner 100. This pair of second beam members 12, 12 traverses the upper surface side of the air conditioner 100 in the front-to-rear direction (Y direction). The pair of second beam members 12, 12 are also arranged in the front-to-rear direction outside both the left and right side surfaces of the air conditioner main body 110. Therefore, the pair of second beam members 12, 12 are perpendicular to the first beam members 11, 11 near both ends of the first beam members 11, 11.

[0047] A connecting fitting 16 is disposed at the position where the first beam material 11 and the second beam material 12 intersect. The connecting fitting 16 is a fitting that connects the first beam material 11 and the second beam material 12 to each other while they are perpendicular to each other.

[0048] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of connection using a connecting fitting 16. The connecting fitting 16 has an L-shaped fitting 40 and a fixing bolt 45. The fitting 40 has a first plate portion 41 and a second plate portion 42 that form a right angle with each other. As shown in Fig. 11, the first plate portion 41 is arranged along the vertical plate portion 14 of the first beam member 11, and has a hole 43 in the center through which a bolt portion 47 is inserted. The second plate portion 42 is arranged horizontally, and has a bolt 44 standing upright in the center.

[0049] As described in the first embodiment, the fixing bolt 45 has a rectangular, thin-walled head 46 and a bolt portion 47 extending from the center of the head 46. As shown in FIG. 11 , the fixing bolt 45 can accommodate the head 46 from the end of the first beam member 11 into the inner space of the vertical plate portion 14. When the head 46 is accommodated in the inner space of the vertical plate portion 14, the bolt portion 47 protrudes outside the vertical plate portion 14 through the slit 15 in the vertical plate portion 14. The bolt portion 47 is inserted into a hole 43 formed in the first plate portion 41 of the metal fitting 40, and a nut 48 is attached to the tip of the bolt portion 47. In addition, the bolt 44 of the metal fitting 40 is inserted into a bolt insertion hole 12a formed at a predetermined position in the second beam member 12, and a nut 49 is attached to the tip of the bolt portion 47. When the nut 49 is tightened, the metal fitting 40 is fixed to the underside of the second beam member 12.

[0050] When the nut 48 is not tightened tightly, the metal fitting 40 can move along the slit 15 formed in the first beam member 11. Therefore, the second beam member 12 fixed to the upper surface of the metal fitting 40 can move along the longitudinal direction of the first beam member 11, and the position where the second beam member 12 intersects with the first beam member 11 can be adjusted in the left-right direction of the air conditioner 100. Once the intersecting position of the second beam member 12 with the first beam member 11 has been determined, the connecting metal fitting 16 is fixed to the first beam member 11 by tightening the nut 48. As a result, the second beam member 12 is connected and fixed to the first beam member 11.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 10 , the holding device 1 of this embodiment connects the support members 4 to the second beam members 12 of the support member 2 and holds multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c in a stacked state. In other words, the support members 4 are connected to the second beam members 12 outside both the left and right side surfaces of each of the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c. Therefore, in this holding device 1, the position at which the support members 4 are attached in the front-to-rear direction (Y direction) of the air conditioner 100 is not limited to the position of the first beam member 11. In other words, this holding device 1 is capable of adjusting the position of the support members 4 along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the second beam member 12. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the distance W between a pair of support members 4, 4 attached to one side of the air conditioner 100, and the holding device 1 can widen the distance W between the pair of support members 4, 4 to stably hold multiple air conditioners 100.

[0052] Furthermore, if there are components (such as pipes or electrical boxes) that protrude outward from the side of the air conditioner 100, the holding device 1 can set the fixing position of the support member 4 to a position that avoids such protruding components.

[0053] Therefore, the holding device 1 of this embodiment employs support members 4 that connect multiple second beam members 12 in the vertical direction outside both the left and right side surfaces of multiple air conditioners 100, thereby improving work efficiency and enabling stable holding of air conditioners 100 stacked vertically regardless of the side structure of the air conditioners 100.

[0054] Note that the configuration of this embodiment other than the above points is the same as that described in Embodiment 1. For example, the base 190 shown in Fig. 10 may be configured to include wheels 195 as shown in Fig. 9.

[0055] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which, when the air conditioner 100 is installed in the ceiling space at the installation site, the support member 2 described in the second embodiment is used as a member for supporting the air conditioner 100 in a suspended state in the ceiling space.

[0056] Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the support member 2 attached to the upper surface side of the air conditioner 100 in this embodiment. Fig. 13 is a side view showing the state in which the support member 2 is attached to the air conditioner 100.

[0057] 12, for example, the support member 2 includes a support portion 2a and a hanging portion 2b. The support portion 2a is configured to support the air conditioner 100. Specifically, the support portion 2a is arranged on the upper surface of the air conditioner 100, and supports mounting pieces 111 provided on both the left and right sides of the air conditioner main body 110, as well as supporting end surfaces 120b, 130b of the outlet chamber 120 and the intake chamber 130. The hanging portion 2b is provided on the upper portion of the support portion 2a, and its upper end is attached to a ceiling structure such as a ceiling slab or deck plate, thereby suspending the air conditioner 100 supported by the support portion 2a in the ceiling space.

[0058] The support portion 2 a includes a first beam member 11 , a second beam member 12 , a connecting fitting 16 , a connecting fitting 20 , a bolt member 19 , and a chamber support 27 .

[0059] As in the first and second embodiments, the first beam member 11 is arranged so that it crosses the top surface of the air conditioner 100, more specifically the top surface of the air conditioner main body 110 in the left-right direction, and both ends protrude outward beyond the left and right side surfaces of the air conditioner main body 110. A pair of first beam members 11, 11 are arranged on the top surface of the air conditioner main body 110, spaced a predetermined distance apart in the front-to-rear direction of the air conditioner 100. This pair of first beam members 11, 11 is attached so as to be in close contact with the top surface of the air conditioner main body 110.

[0060] The second beam member 12 is the same as that described in the second embodiment. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the second beam member 12 is arranged so that it crosses the top surface of the air conditioner 100, more specifically the top surface of the air conditioner main body 110, in the front-to-rear direction, and both ends thereof protrude outward beyond the end surface 120b of the outlet chamber 120 and the end surface 130b of the intake chamber 130 of the air conditioner 100. A pair of second beam members 12, 12 are arranged on the top surface of the air conditioner 100, spaced a predetermined distance apart in the left-to-right direction of the air conditioner 100.

[0061] The first beam members 11, 11 and the second beam members 12, 12 are arranged perpendicular to each other on the upper surface of the air conditioner body 110, and connecting fittings 16 are placed at their intersections. The connecting fittings 16 connect the first beam members 11 and the second beam members 12 so that they are perpendicular to each other. By connecting the pair of first beam members 11, 11 and the pair of second beam members 12, 12 so that they are perpendicular to each other with the connecting fittings 16, the first beam members 11, 11 and the second beam members 12, 12 form a frame body that supports the air conditioner 100. The connecting fittings 16 are the same as those described in the second embodiment.

[0062] As in the first embodiment, bolt members 19, 19 are attached to both ends of the first beam member 11. The bolt members 19, 19 are inserted into bolt insertion holes 13a, 13a formed in the horizontal plate portion 13 of the first beam member 11, and when nuts 18 attached to the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 13 are tightened, axial force (tensile force) is applied to both ends of the first beam member 11 by the bolt members 19, 19, and the first beam member 11 is fixed in a state in which the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 13 is in close contact with the upper surface of the air conditioner main body 110.

[0063] The second beam member 12 is provided with connecting fittings 20 at predetermined positions in the longitudinal direction (Y direction). The connecting fittings 20 are used to connect the hanging portion 2b, which is connected to a ceiling structure such as a ceiling slab or deck plate. That is, the lower ends of the hanging bolts 22 included in the hanging portion 2b are connected to the connecting fittings 20. This allows the hanging portion 2b to be attached in a state where it supports the support portion 2a. The connecting fittings 20 are attached to the slits 15 of the second beam member 12. Therefore, the attachment position of the connecting fittings 20 to the second beam member 12 can be adjusted along the front-to-rear direction (Y direction) of the air conditioner 100.

[0064] The connecting fitting 20 has a vibration-isolating member 21 made of an elastic body such as a coil spring. The connecting fitting 20 is connected to the lower end of the hanging bolt 22 via the vibration-isolating member 21. In other words, the hanging bolt 22 supports the support part 2a via the vibration-isolating member 21. As a result, vibrations generated while the air conditioner 100 is in operation are absorbed by the vibration-isolating member 21, and transmission of the vibrations to the hanging bolt 22 can be suppressed.

[0065] Furthermore, the connecting fitting 20 is configured such that a fitting (first fitting) that holds the vibration-damping member 21 and a fitting (second fitting) that is attached to the second beam member 12 are formed as separate fittings, and these two fittings are interconnected by fastening members consisting of bolts and nuts. Therefore, when the fastening members are loosened, the second fitting becomes rotatable relative to the first fitting. Furthermore, when the fastening members are tightened, the second fitting is fixed to the first fitting.

[0066] 13, both longitudinal ends of the second beam member 12 are configured as chamber support portions 26 that extend outward beyond the end faces 120b, 130b of the blow-out chamber 120 and the intake chamber 130. A chamber support 27 that supports the end face 120b of the blow-out chamber 120 and the end face 130b of the intake chamber 130 is attached to this chamber support portion 26. The chamber support 27 hangs down from the end of the second beam member 12 and is joined to the end face 120b of the blow-out chamber 120 and the end face 130b of the intake chamber 130. By driving screws or the like into these joints, the chamber support 27 supports the end face 120b of the blow-out chamber 120 and the end face 130b of the intake chamber 130.

[0067] Next, the suspender 2b will be described. The suspender 2b includes a suspension bolt 22, a ceiling mounting bracket 23, a brace connecting bracket 24, and a brace bolt 25, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, for example.

[0068] For example, the hanging portion 2b includes four hanging bolts 22 arranged on the upper portion of the support portion 2a. Ceiling mounting brackets 23 are attached to the upper ends of the four hanging bolts 22. The ceiling mounting brackets 23 are used to connect the hanging bolts 22 to bolt members previously attached to the ceiling structure. For example, the ceiling mounting bracket 23 is similar to the "ceiling installation bracket" described in JP 2020-12344 A. That is, the ceiling mounting bracket 23 has mounting holes through which bolt members to be attached to the ceiling structure can be inserted. By rotating the ceiling mounting bracket 23 around the axis of the hanging bolts 22, the mounting holes can be aligned with the positions of the bolt members, allowing the bolt members to be inserted into the mounting holes. By attaching the ceiling mounting brackets 23 to the upper ends of the hanging bolts 22, the support member 2 can be pre-assembled to the air conditioner 100 at a factory. Furthermore, the ceiling mounting bracket 23 is not limited to the same as the "ceiling installation bracket" described in JP 2020-12344 A, and a bracket with a different structure may be used.

[0069] The brace connecting fittings 24 are attached near the upper and lower ends of each of the four suspension bolts 22. A brace bolt 25 is disposed diagonally between two adjacent suspension bolts 22, 22, and both ends of the brace bolt 25 are connected and fixed to different suspension bolts 22 by the brace connecting fittings 24. For example, the four suspension bolts 22 are disposed at the four vertices of a rectangle in a plan view at the top of the support portion 2a, and the brace bolts 25 are disposed at positions corresponding to each side of the rectangle. That is, the brace bolts 25 are disposed on two faces parallel to the XZ plane and two faces parallel to the YZ plane. Furthermore, two brace bolts 25 are disposed so as to intersect between two suspension bolts 22, 22. As a result, the four suspension bolts 22 are reinforced by being interconnected by a total of eight brace bolts 25, increasing seismic strength. It is more preferable to attach a cross-connecting metal fitting (not shown) to the intersection where the two brace bolts 25 intersect, and to fix the intersection of the two brace bolts 25 to each other.

[0070] For example, as shown in Figure 12, by interconnecting four suspension bolts 22 using a plurality of brace bolts 25, it is possible to suppress vibration of the support part 2a and the air conditioner 100 in the event of an earthquake. Therefore, if the length of the suspension bolts 22 is equal to or greater than a predetermined length, it is preferable to configure a support member 2 in which the suspension bolts 22 are reinforced by attaching a brace bolt 25 between a pair of adjacent suspension bolts 22, 22, as shown in Figure 12. Note that if the length of the suspension bolts 22 is less than the predetermined length, the swing amplitude of the suspension bolts 22 in the event of an earthquake is relatively small, so a configuration in which no brace bolt 25 is disposed between the pair of suspension bolts 22, 22 may be adopted.

[0071] The support member 2 as described above becomes one of the components of the holding device 1 when transporting or storing a plurality of air conditioners 100 in a vertically stacked state.

[0072] As described above, in the support member 2 of this embodiment, the connecting fitting 20 to which the lower end of the hanging bolt 22 is connected can change its position between a position in which the hanging bolt 22 is erected (first position) and a position in which the hanging bolt 22 is tilted (second position). Therefore, when stacking multiple air conditioners 100 vertically using the holding device 1, the hanging portion 2b including the hanging bolt 22 can be folded onto the upper surface side of the air conditioner 100, which has the advantages of improving transportation efficiency and saving storage space.

[0073] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of folding the hanging portion 2b including the hanging bolt 22. To fold the hanging bolt 22, as shown in FIG. 14(a), the brace bolt 25 attached in the YZ plane from the support member 2 is removed, and the fastening member 53 of the connecting fitting 20 is loosened. This allows the first fitting of the connecting fitting 20 to rotate as described above, so the hanging bolt 22 can be folded onto the upper surface of the air conditioner main body 110 as shown in FIG. 14(b). At this time, there is no need to remove the brace bolt 25 attached in the XZ plane of the support member 2. When the hanging bolt 22 is folded as shown in FIG. 14(b), the height dimension of the support member 2 attached to the upper surface of the air conditioner 100 becomes h1, and the space (volume) occupied by the support member 2 on the upper surface of the air conditioner 100 can be reduced.

[0074] Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a holding device 1 that holds multiple air conditioners 100 to which support members 2 are attached with the suspension bolts 22 folded. As shown in Fig. 15, the holding device 1 of this embodiment holds multiple air conditioners 100, each stacked vertically, to which support members 2 are attached with the suspension bolts 22 folded. In this holding device 1, the height dimension of a gap 152 between the upper surface of air conditioner 100a and the lower surface of air conditioner 100b, and a gap 153 between the upper surface of air conditioner 100b and the lower surface of air conditioner 100c, are larger than the height dimension h1 (see Fig. 14(b)) of the support members 2 with the suspension bolts 22 folded. Therefore, the holding device 1 holds the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c in a state where the support member 2 folded onto the top surface of the lower air conditioner 100a does not interfere with the bottom surface of the middle air conditioner 100b, and the support member 2 folded onto the top surface of the middle air conditioner 100b does not interfere with the bottom surface of the upper air conditioner 100c. This allows the holding device 1 to hold the multiple air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c without damaging the top and bottom surfaces of the air conditioners 100a, 100b, and 100c.

[0075] Except for the points mentioned above, the holding device 1 in this embodiment is the same as that described in the first and second embodiments. Therefore, the holding device 1 can prevent the multiple air conditioners 100 stacked one above the other from moving relative to each other within the XY plane, and continues to hold the multiple air conditioners 100 in an appropriate manner.

[0076] In particular, the support device 1 of this embodiment allows the suspension bolts 22 to be pre-assembled to the support members 2. By folding the suspension bolts 22 toward the top of the air conditioners 100 during transportation or storage, the support device 1 can hold multiple air conditioners 100 stacked vertically, thereby saving space during transportation and storage. When suspending the air conditioner 100 in a ceiling space at the installation site, the folded support members 2 can be repositioned and the brace bolts 25 can be connected, easily creating a structure that can be suspended in the ceiling space. After creating a structure that can be suspended in the ceiling space, the air conditioner 100 can be easily installed in the ceiling space by lifting it into the ceiling space using an elevator or the like and connecting the ceiling mounting brackets 23, which are pre-attached to the upper ends of the suspension bolts 22, to the bolt members attached to the ceiling structure. This also improves work efficiency when installing the air conditioner 100 in a suspended state in the ceiling space at the installation site.

[0077] In this embodiment, a configuration example in which the support member 4 is connected to the first beam member 11 has been shown, but a configuration example in which the support member 4 is connected to the second beam member 12 as described in the second embodiment may also be adopted. Also in this embodiment, a configuration in which wheels 195 are attached to the underside of the base 190 may also be adopted. Other configurations in this embodiment other than those described above may be the same as those described in the first or second embodiment.

[0078] (Variation) Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those described in the above embodiments. In other words, the present invention includes various modifications of the above embodiments.

[0079] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was given of the air conditioner 100 configured such that the outlet chamber 120 and the intake chamber 130 are attached to the air conditioner main body 110. However, the air conditioner 100 to which the above-described holding device 1 can be applied may be an air conditioner in which either or both of the outlet chamber 120 and the intake chamber 130 are not attached to the air conditioner main body 110. Furthermore, the air conditioner 100 is not necessarily limited to concealed air conditioners, and can also be applied to air conditioners that are arranged such that a portion of the air conditioner is exposed to the indoor side through an opening in a ceiling panel, such as a package air conditioner.

[0080] In the above embodiment, for example, an example configuration was described in which the vertical plate portions 14 of the first beam member 11 and the second beam member 12 are composed of two plates, and a space is formed inside the two plates so that the heads 46 of the fixing bolts 45 can be accommodated in the internal space. However, the first beam member 11 and the second beam member 12 do not have to be configured in this way. For example, the first beam member 11 and the second beam member 12 may be made of ordinary angle members with an L-shaped cross section. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1...holding device, 2...support member, 4...support member, 11...first beam member, 12...second beam member, 190...base, 195...wheel.

Claims

1. An air conditioner holding device that holds multiple air conditioners in a horizontal position and stacked vertically, a support member that is fixed in close contact with an upper surface of each of the plurality of air conditioners and supports each of the plurality of air conditioners; support members that are arranged in the vertical direction along both the left and right side surfaces of the plurality of air conditioners, connect the support members that are tightly fixed to the top surfaces of the plurality of air conditioners, and support the plurality of air conditioners in a stacked state with a gap between the air conditioner on the upper level and the air conditioner on the lower level; A holding device for an air conditioner, comprising:

2. The support member has a first beam member that crosses the upper surface of each of the plurality of air conditioners in the left-right direction and has both ends that protrude outward from both left and right side surfaces of each of the plurality of air conditioners, The support member is connected to both ends of the first beam member that protrudes outward from both left and right sides of each of the plurality of air conditioners, and supports the plurality of air conditioners in a stacked state.

3. The support member is a first beam member that crosses the upper surface of each of the plurality of air conditioners in the left-right direction and has both ends that protrude outward from both left and right side surfaces of each of the plurality of air conditioners; Second beam members are arranged on the upper surface side of each of the plurality of air conditioners and on the outer side of both left and right sides of each of the plurality of air conditioners so as to be perpendicular to the first beam members; and The air conditioner holding device described in claim 1, characterized in that the support member is connected to the second beam member outside both the left and right sides of each of the multiple air conditioners, and supports the multiple air conditioners in a stacked state.

4. 4. The air conditioner holder according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the support member is fixed to a base having wheels attached to the bottom surface thereof.

5. the support member has a hanging portion for attaching each of the plurality of air conditioners to a ceiling structure, The hanging portion is foldable toward the upper surface of each of the plurality of air conditioners, The air conditioner holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support member supports the multiple air conditioners in a stacked state by making the height dimension of the gap between the air conditioner on the upper level and the air conditioner on the lower level greater than the height dimension of the support member when the hanging portion is folded.

Images