Handle tightening device for air conditioner inspection door

Abstract

To prevent air from being leaked from a gap in an inspection door of a casing of an air conditioner.SOLUTION: A handle fastening device 1 mounted to an inspection door 8 of a casing 2 of an air conditioner comprises: a handle shaft 11 which is mounted to the inspection door 8, rotated around an axis and moved in an axial direction while turning the axial direction to a direction which is orthogonal with a face of the inspection door 8; a handle 12 which is mounted in one end of the handle shaft 11 in the axial direction, rotated integrally with the handle shaft 11 and rotated around the handle shaft 11, thereby performing opening / closing operation of the inspection door 8; and a stop metal fitting 13 which is mounted in the other end of the handle shaft 11 in the axial direction, rotated integrally with the handle shaft 11, moved in the axial direction integrally with the handle shaft 11 and held on a machine inside face of the casing 2. The stop metal fitting 13 includes a stopping part 132 and a pressing part 133. When the handle 12 is rotated around the handle shaft 11 in a state where the inspection door 8 is closed, the stopping part 132 is pushed onto the machine inside face of the casing 2, and the pressing part 133 is pushed onto a machine inside face of the inspection door 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a handle fastening device for an inspection door of an air conditioner, and more particularly to a handle fastening device for an inspection door that maintains sealing performance regardless of the pressure state inside the casing of the air conditioner and prevents air from leaking through gaps in the inspection door. [Background technology]

[0002] The casing of the air conditioner has installed therein equipment such as coils (heating coil, cooling coil) that act as heat exchangers, a blower, and filters. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the casing 2 of the air conditioner has an intake port 3 on one side that is connected to a return air duct or the like to draw in air, and an outlet port 4 on the other side that is connected to an air supply duct to blow out air. In this way, the air conditioner conditions the air sucked in through the intake port 3 by exchanging heat in the heat exchanger while removing dust with a filter installed inside the unit, and then blows out this conditioned air from the outlet port 4.

[0003] The casing 2 of the air conditioner divides the interior of the air conditioner into three compartments, a first compartment 5, a second compartment 6, and a third compartment 7, by partition plates 9. The first compartment 5 is located on the side where the air inlet 3 is provided, and multiple filters (not shown) and the like are installed inside the air conditioner. The second compartment 6 is located in the center of the casing 2, and a coil (heating coil, cooling coil) (not shown) that is a heat exchanger is installed inside the air conditioner. The third compartment 7 is located on the side where the air outlet 4 is provided, and a blower (not shown) and the like are installed inside the air conditioner. That is, the first compartment 5, the second compartment 6, and the third compartment 7 are provided in that order from the upstream side to the downstream side inside the casing 2. Here, the upstream side and the downstream side refer to the inflow direction of the air along the air flow as the upstream side, and the outflow direction as the downstream side.

[0004] The air conditioner casing 2 is provided with inspection doors 8 for the first chamber 5, second chamber 6, and third chamber 7 to enable maintenance such as inspection, repair, and replacement of each piece of equipment installed inside the machine (heat exchanger, blower, filters, etc.).

[0005] In such an air conditioner casing 2, when the blower installed in the third chamber 7 is operated, air is sucked in through the inlet 3 of the first chamber 5, which is upstream of the third chamber 7, flows into the second chamber 6, and is finally expelled from the outlet 4 of the third chamber 7. Therefore, the inside sides of the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6, where the air is sucked into the third chamber 7, are in a negative pressure state (negative pressure state) where the pressure on the inside side is lower than the pressure on the outside side. Also, in the third chamber 7, a force is applied from the blower to push the air out, so the inside side is in a positive pressure state (positive pressure state).

[0006] Thus, in the air conditioner casing 2, the inside sides of the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 are under negative pressure, and the inside side of the third chamber 7 is under positive pressure. Therefore, in each of the inspection doors 8, a pressure difference occurs between the inside and outside of the machine, so each inspection door 8 needs to have a sealing performance.

[0007] 7 shows the currently used inspection doors 8 for the first chamber 5, the second chamber 6, and the third chamber 7. As shown in the figure, the inside of the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 are in a negative pressure state, so by adopting an outward-opening type inspection door 8 for the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6, the inspection door 8 is pressed from the outside to the inside of the machine to maintain airtightness, so that a handle tightening device having a lift-up handle mechanism that generally makes it easy to open and close the inspection door 8 with one hand and also easy to maintain is attached, and the inspection door 8 is further tightened to the opening frame of the casing 2.

[0008] In contrast, since the inside of the third chamber 7 is under positive pressure, the inspection door 8 for the third chamber 7 is an externally attached inspection door 8 with a screw, in which the door panel is abutted against the outside of the casing 2 to cover the third chamber 7 and sealed by tightening the screws 81 from the outside, or an inward-opening inspection door 8 that is pressed against the outside from the inside of the machine to maintain its airtightness. The reason why the inspection door 8 for the third chamber 7 has a different mounting structure from the inspection doors 8 for the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 is that in the third chamber 7, the air pressure inside the aircraft generates a force that tries to push the inspection door 8 to the outside of the aircraft, and the handle tightening device with the lift-up handle mechanism used for the inspection doors 8 for the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 does not provide sufficient sealing performance, so cannot be used for the inspection door 8 for the third chamber 7.

[0009] Incidentally, the external screw-fastened inspection door 8 used in the third chamber 7 not only cannot be opened or closed with one hand like the operating handle described above, but also requires, when closing the door, the inspection door 8 to be pressed against the casing 2 by hand while tightening the screw 81, and when opening the door, it is necessary to consider where to store the inspection door 8 removed from the casing 2 together with the screw 81, which are all complicated and inconvenient. Furthermore, if an inward-opening inspection door 8 is employed for the third chamber 7, a handle tightening device similar to that for the inspection doors 8 for the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 can be used, and such problems are eliminated, but in order to prevent the inward-opening inspection door 8 from colliding with the equipment installed inside the machine, a space for opening and closing the inspection door 8 must be provided inside the third chamber 7, which creates a problem of increasing the size of the air conditioner casing 2. In addition, there is also the problem that when performing maintenance on the equipment inside the machine, the inspection door 8 gets in the way because it is located on the inside of the machine, making maintenance difficult.

[0010] Therefore, in the present invention, the handle fastening device having the above-mentioned lift-up handle mechanism has been improved so that it can be used to seal the inspection door 8 of the third chamber 7. Here, we will first explain the conventional handle fastening device having a lift-up handle mechanism that is the premise of the present invention.

[0011] As shown in Figure 8, the conventional handle tightening device has a handle shaft 11 that is attached to the inspection door 8 with its axial direction (indicated by X in Figure 8) facing perpendicular to the surface of the inspection door 8, a handle 12 that is attached to one axial end of the handle shaft 11 (the part located on the outside of the machine) so as to rotate integrally with the handle shaft 11 and operates to open and close the inspection door 8, and a fastener 13 that is attached to the other axial end of the handle shaft 11 (the part located on the inside of the machine) and is pressed against the inside side of the casing 2 when the inspection door 8 is closed.

[0012] The handle shaft 11 is in the shape of a round bar and is attached to the inspection door 8 so as to be rotatable and axially movable integrally with the inspection door 8 via a cylindrical socket 15 fitted into a hole 14 provided in the inspection door 8 from the inside of the aircraft, and a hole 161 in a mounting plate 16 fixed to the outside of the inspection door 8.

[0013] The handle shaft 11 has a threaded portion 111 at one axial end on the inside of the casing 2, and a ring-shaped member 112 at the middle in the axial direction. A compression spring 17 is arranged on the outer periphery of the handle shaft 11, between the ring-shaped member 112 and the mounting plate 16, and this compression spring 17 urges the handle shaft 11 toward the inside of the casing 2, pressing the handle 12 attached to the end of the handle shaft against the door to hold it in position. In order to prevent air from leaking from around the handle shaft 11, a rubber packing 18 is provided between the inspection door 8 and the socket 15 on the inside of the inspection door 8, and a rubber packing 19 is provided between the inspection door 8 and the mounting plate 16 on the outside of the inspection door 8.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 9, the handle 12 is pivotally attached to the handle shaft 11 by a pin 21 provided in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (indicated by X in Fig. 9). This allows the handle 12 to rotate integrally with the handle shaft 11 and also relative to the handle shaft 11. The handle 12 is provided with a grip portion 121 for opening and closing the inspection door 8 and a cam portion 122 on the outside of the grip portion 121, the cam portion 122 being a cam surface with a shape that gradually changes distance from the center of the pin 21, i.e., an elliptical or parabolic contour, and a plate-shaped support member 162 serving as a support portion for the cam portion 122 is attached to the side of the handle 12 that comes into contact with the cam portion 122 (the mounting plate 16 side).

[0015] A stopper 13 is attached to the part of the handle shaft 11 located on the inside of the machine. As shown in Fig. 10, the stopper 13 is formed by bending a thin rectangular plate material into a crank shape, and includes a mounting part 131 attached to the handle shaft 11, a stopper part 132 that is in close contact with the surface of the inside of the machine of the casing 2 to prevent the inspection door 8 from moving to the outside of the machine due to the pressure of the inside of the casing 2, and a connecting part 135 that connects the two. The mounting part 131 is provided with a square hole 134 into which the handle shaft 11 is inserted. The stopper 13 is attached to the threaded part 111 of the handle shaft 12 with the handle shaft 12 inserted into the square hole 134 and clamped by two nuts 22, and the stopper 13 rotates together with the handle shaft 11 when the handle is operated and moves in the axial direction together with the handle shaft 11.

[0016] When the handle is operated, the handle 12 is rotated to rotate the stopper portion 132 of the stopper fitting 13 to an abutting position facing the inner surface of the casing 2. Next, as shown in Fig. 9, when the handle 12 is rotated around the pin 21, the cam surface of the cam portion 122 moves while sliding against the support member 162, and the handle shaft 11 moves in the axial direction against the compressive force of the compression spring 17. In other words, when the handle 12 is rotated downward around the pin 21, the handle 12 moves from the inner side of the inspection door 8 to the outer side thereof following the cam surface, and the handle shaft 11 also moves in the outer side of the inspection door 8. At the same time, the stopper portion 132 at the abutting position is pressed against the inner surface of the casing 2, stopping the inspection door 8 that is about to move in the opening direction due to the pressure on the inner side, thereby maintaining the door in an airtight closed state. 9, the movement of the pin 21, handle shaft 11, and fastening metal 13 when the handle 12 is rotated upward in the reverse direction is indicated by arrow S, and the state after the movement of the pin 21, handle shaft 11, and fastening metal 13 is indicated by dashed lines. In this case, the retaining portion 132 of the fastening metal 13 rotates and moves away from the surface of the casing 2 on the machine interior side, in the opposite direction to the above.

[0017] However, when the handle fastening device having the lift-up handle mechanism for the conventional inspection door described above is adopted for inspection door 8 provided in third chamber 7, the following problems arise. In the third chamber 7, when the blower installed inside the machine is operated, the pressure inside the machine becomes higher than the pressure outside the machine, resulting in a positive pressure state (plus pressure state), and as the rotation speed of the blower increases, the difference (pressure difference) between the pressure inside the machine and the pressure outside the machine increases. Therefore, the force that tries to push the inspection door 8 to the outside of the machine also increases. In other words, as the force that the inspection door 8 receives increases, the moment around the hinge of the inspection door 8 acting on the fastener 13 increases. In that case, in the conventional fastener 13, only the fastener portion 132 abuts against the surface on the inside of the casing 2, that is, the crank-shaped fastener 13 is only supported on the handle shaft 11 in a cantilevered manner, so that the fastener 13 may tilt. In other words, the mounting portion 131 of the fastener 13 is parallel to the interior surfaces of the inspection door 8 and the casing 2, but when a force is applied to push the inspection door 8 toward the outside, the mounting portion 131 becomes diagonally shifted away from being parallel to the interior surfaces of the inspection door 8 and the casing 2, causing the fastener 13 to tilt.

[0018] When the fastener 13 tilts, the handle shaft 11 to which the fastener 13 is attached tilts from a position perpendicular to the inspection door 8 (normal position) as shown in FIG. 11. When the handle shaft 11 tilts, a gap is formed between the handle shaft 11 and the socket 15, and air may leak from this gap. Furthermore, when the handle shaft 11 tilts further, the inspection door 8 shifts toward the outside of the machine, and a gap is formed between the periphery of the inspection door 8 and the casing 2, and air also leaks from this gap. Thus, in the inspection door 8 provided in the third chamber 7, a problem occurs in that air leaks from the gap in the inspection door 8. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0019] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to prevent the handle shaft from tilting by using a simple configuration of fastening metal in a handle tightening device, and to prevent air from leaking through the gap in the inspection door installed in the casing of the air conditioner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] The present invention is a handle fastening device for an inspection door of an air conditioner casing, the handle fastening device comprising: a handle shaft that is attached to the inspection door with its axial direction facing perpendicular to the face of the inspection door and rotates about its axis and moves in the axial direction; a handle that is attached to one axial end of the handle shaft and rotates integrally with the handle shaft and rotates around the handle shaft to open and close the inspection door; and a fastener that is attached to the other axial end of the handle shaft and rotates integrally with the handle shaft and moves axially integrally with the handle shaft to hold the inspection door on the interior side of the casing when the inspection door is closed, the fastener having a stop portion and a pressing portion, and the fastener moves axially integrally with the handle shaft when the handle is rotated around the handle shaft with the inspection door closed, so that the stopper moves axially integrally with the handle shaft to press the stop portion against the interior side of the casing and press the pressing portion against the interior side of the inspection door. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, in a handle fastening device attached to an inspection door of an air conditioner casing, a simple configuration using fasteners can prevent the handle shaft from tilting, thereby preventing air from leaking through the gap in the inspection door provided in the air conditioner casing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a casing of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a handle tightening device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fastener of the handle fastening device. [Figure 4] 1 is a top view of the handle tightening device with an inspection door closed; FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a perspective view of the handle fastening device when the inspection door is closed, as viewed from the inside of the machine. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a force is applied to the inspection door to which the above-mentioned handle fastening device is attached, the force pushing the inspection door toward the outside of the aircraft. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casing of a conventional air conditioner. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional handle fastening device. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a conventional handle tightening device. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a fastener of a conventional handle fastening device. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which air leaks through a gap in an inspection door of a third chamber to which a conventional handle tightening device is attached. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a handle fastening device for an inspection door of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The handle fastening device for an inspection door of an air conditioner of the present invention is attached to the inspection door of the casing of an air conditioner, and can maintain the airtightness of the inspection door and prevent air from leaking through gaps regardless of the pressure state on the inside of the casing (a negative pressure state (negative pressure state) in which the pressure on the inside is lower than the pressure on the outside of the casing, or a positive pressure state (positive pressure state) in which the pressure on the inside is higher than the pressure on the outside of the casing).

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the inside of the air conditioner casing is divided into three compartments, a first compartment 5, a second compartment 6, and a third compartment 7, by partition plates 9, and each device (heat exchanger, blower, filter, etc.) is installed in each compartment. Up to this point, it is the same as that described in the conventional art. However, it differs from the conventional one in the following respects: The inspection doors 8 for the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 are made the same size as the side portions of the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 in the casing 2 as in the conventional case, and are attached so as to cover the entire side portions, but the inspection door 8 for the third chamber 7 is attached so that the inspection door 8 fits into the central opening in the side portion of the third chamber 7 in the casing 2, with a frame portion 10 provided around the opening. As a result, the inspection door 8 for the third chamber 7 only needs to be fitted into the central opening, and adjustments can be easily made when attaching the inspection door 8.

[0025] Next, a handle fastening device according to an embodiment of the present invention that is attached to the inspection door 8 of the casing of the air conditioner will be described. The handle fastening device is similar in configuration and operation to the conventional one (handle fastening device having a lift-up handle mechanism) already described, except for the fastener 13. Therefore, the description will be omitted here and the fastener 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is different, will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are used in the embodiments of the present invention for parts that are common to the conventional one.

[0026] As with the conventional type, the fastening fitting 13 is attached by being clamped between two nuts 22 at a threaded portion 111 provided at the other axial end (inside the machine) of the handle shaft 11, as shown in Figure 2, and is rotatable around its axis together with the handle shaft 11, holding the inspection door 8 in the closed position.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the fastening fitting 13 comprises an attachment portion 131 which is attached to the handle shaft 11, a fastening portion 132 which is in close contact with the inner surface of the casing 2 to prevent the inspection door 8 from moving to the outside due to pressure from the inside of the aircraft, a connecting portion 135 which connects the attachment portion 131 and the fastening portion 132, and a pressing portion 133 which is in close contact with the inner surface of the inspection door 8, and is formed by bending a long, narrow rectangular plate material into a crank shape. The fastening fitting 13 is attached to the handle shaft 11 by providing a square hole 134 in its mounting portion 131, into which the handle shaft 11 is inserted. One side of the mounting portion 131 is bent at a right angle to form a connecting portion 135, and the tip of the connecting portion 135 is bent in the opposite direction to form a fastening portion 132, which abuts against the surface of the casing 2 on the interior side. The other side of the mounting portion 131 is bent at a right angle to form a pressing portion 133, the tip of which abuts against the surface of the inspection door 8 on the interior side.

[0028] In the fastening fitting 13, the handle 12 rotates about the axis of the handle shaft 11 so that the fastening portion 132 engages with the interior surface of the casing 2, closing the inspection door 8. Next, with the inspection door 8 closed, the handle 12 is rotated downward. As a result, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the fastening fitting 13 moves axially together with the handle shaft 11 (here, in the direction toward the exterior of the inspection door 8), and the fastening portion 132 is pressed firmly against the interior surface of the casing 2. At the same time, the pressing portion 133 is pressed firmly against the interior surface of the inspection door 8. This brings the inspection door 8 into close contact with the casing 2, and the airtightness of the inspection door 8 can be maintained.

[0029] In this fastening fitting 13, when the stopper portion 132 and the pressing portion 133 are pressed against the interior surface of the casing 2 and the interior surface of the inspection door 8, respectively, the stopper portion 132 and the pressing portion 133 are pressed against the interior surface of the casing 2 and the interior surface of the inspection door 8 with a strong pressing force by the cam surface of the cam portion 122 of the handle 12 at positions symmetrical about the handle shaft 11. In other words, the handle shaft 11 is supported from both sides by the stopper portion 132 and the pressing portion 133 with a strong pressing force.

[0030] As a result, for example, in the third chamber 7 of the casing 2 of the air conditioner, as shown in Fig. 6, when the pressure inside the casing 2 becomes higher than the pressure outside the casing 2, a positive pressure state (plus pressure state) occurs, and a moment acts on the inspection door 8 in a direction pushing the inspection door 8 toward the outside of the casing 2 around its hinge due to the pressure difference, and this moment acts on the stop metal 13, but the stop portion 132 of the stop metal 13 abuts against the inside surface of the casing 2 and the pressing portion 133 abuts against the inside surface of the inspection door 8. Therefore, even if the stop metal 13 tries to tilt due to the moment pushing the inspection door 8 toward the outside of the casing 2 around its hinge, the pressing portion 133 of the stop metal 13 abuts against the inside surface of the inspection door 8, and this pressing portion 133 prevents the stop metal 13 from tilting. In other words, the fastening metal fitting 13 is supported on both sides of the handle shaft 11 with the stopper portion 132 and the pressing portion 133 on either side of the handle shaft 11. This prevents the fastening metal fitting 13 from tilting, and allows the handle shaft 11 to which the fastening metal fitting 13 is attached to be maintained perpendicular to the inspection door 8 (normal position).

[0031] Therefore, by preventing tilting of the stopper 13 and the handle shaft 11 in the handle fastening device 1, the inspection door 8 will not shift towards the outside of the machine, thereby preventing the gap between the handle shaft 11 and the socket 15 from becoming larger and preventing air from leaking from this gap. In other words, the simple configuration of the stopper 13 in the handle fastening device 1 prevents the handle shaft 11 from tilting, maintains the sealing performance of the inspection door 8 provided in the casing 2 of the air conditioner, and prevents air from leaking from the gap.

[0032] Furthermore, as described above, the handle tightening device 1 can prevent air from leaking through the gaps in the inspection door 8 regardless of the pressure state inside the casing (negative pressure state (negative pressure state) in which the pressure inside the casing is lower than the pressure outside the casing, or positive pressure state (positive pressure state) in which the pressure inside the casing is higher than the pressure outside the casing), and therefore can be attached to all inspection doors 8 of the casing 2 of the air conditioner.

[0033] That is, in the casing 2 of the air conditioner, conventionally, the inspection door 8 in the location (third chamber 7) where the pressure inside the machine is in a positive pressure state where it is higher than the pressure outside the machine is at risk of air leaking from the gap in the inspection door 8, so an externally attached inspection door 8 that is attached by tightening a screw 81 from the outside of the machine is used, and the opening and closing operation is different from the inspection doors 8 in other locations (first chamber 5 and second chamber 6). However, since this handle fastening device 1 can prevent air from leaking even when the pressure inside the casing 2 is in a positive pressure state where it is higher than the pressure outside the machine, by attaching it to all the inspection doors 8 of the casing 2 of the air conditioner, the opening and closing operations can be unified.

[0034] In other words, by attaching the same handle fastening device 1 to all of the inspection doors 8 of the air conditioner casing 2, workers can open and close all of the inspection doors 8 in the same way when performing maintenance such as inspecting, repairing, or replacing each piece of equipment installed inside the air conditioner casing 2. Moreover, the inspection doors 8 can be opened and closed simply by operating the handle 12, making the operation simple and improving workability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1...tightening handle device, 2...casing, 3...suction port, 4...blowout port, 5...first chamber, 6...second chamber, 7...third chamber, 8...inspection door, 81...screw, 9...partition plate, 10...frame portion, 11...handle shaft, 111...screw portion, 112...projection portion, 12...handle, 121...grip portion, 122...cam portion, 13...fastening metal fitting, 131...mounting portion, 132...fastening portion, 133...holding portion, 134...square hole, 135...connecting portion, 14...hole, 15...socket, 151...disconnecting portion, 16...mounting plate, 161...hole, 162...receiving member, 17...compression spring, 18...rubber packing, 19...rubber packing, 21...pin, 22...nut.

Claims

[Claim 1] A handle tightening device to be attached to an inspection door of an air conditioner casing, a handle shaft that is attached to the inspection door with its axial direction oriented in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the inspection door and that rotates around its axis and moves in the axial direction; a handle attached to one end of the handle shaft in the axial direction and rotating integrally with the handle shaft and also rotating about the handle shaft to open and close the inspection door; a fastener attached to the other axial end of the handle shaft, rotating integrally with the handle shaft and moving axially integrally with the handle shaft, and holding the access door on the inner surface of the casing (2) when the access door is closed; This handle tightening device for an inspection door of an air conditioner is characterized in that the stopper has a stop portion and a pressing portion, and when the handle is rotated around the handle shaft with the inspection door closed, the stopper moves axially together with the handle shaft, pressing the stop portion against the interior surface of the casing and pressing the pressing portion against the interior surface of the inspection door.

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