Filter cleaning device and air conditioner

Abstract

To provide a filter cleaning device capable of properly storing dust in a storage container.SOLUTION: A filter cleaning device includes: a roller with brush having a cylindrical roller rotating around a rotation shaft extending along a width direction of a dust collection filter and a brush portion disposed on a peripheral surface of the roller and removing dust from the dust collection filter; a cleaning plate extending along an extending direction of the rotation shaft and having a contact portion kept into contact with the brush portion to remove the dust remaining in the brush portion; and a dust storage container disposed at a lower part of the brush portion and the contact portion to store the dust removed by the brush portion and the contact portion. In a side view, the contact portion is inclined so that a height of a contact position with the brush portion is different in the extending direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a filter cleaning device and an air conditioner.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner including a brush for removing dust attached to an air filter, a dust collection unit, and a blade. The air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 can scrape off the dust attached to the brush by the blade and drop it into the dust collection unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the dust collection unit, it is required to deposit dust so as to effectively utilize the accommodation area for accommodating dust. In the dust collection unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the dust is scraped off to a specific location by the blade, there is a problem that a large amount of dust accumulates in a specific location and the accommodation area cannot be fully and effectively utilized.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to provide a filter cleaning device and an air conditioner that can appropriately accommodate dust in a storage container.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A filter cleaning device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a cylindrical rotating body that rotates about a rotating shaft extending along the width direction of the filter, and a brush portion provided on the circumferential surface of the rotating body for removing dust from the filter. The cleaning device further includes a cleaning plate that extends along the extending direction of the rotating shaft and has a contact portion that contacts the brush portion to remove dust remaining in the brush portion, and a storage container provided below the brush portion and the contact portion for storing dust removed by the brush portion and the contact portion. In a side view, the contact portion is inclined such that the height of the contact position with the brush portion in the extending direction is different.

[0007] An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a filter cleaning device including a cylindrical rotating body that rotates about a rotating shaft extending along the width direction of the filter, and a brush portion provided on the circumferential surface of the rotating body for removing dust from the filter. The cleaning device further includes a cleaning plate that extends along the extending direction of the rotating shaft and has a contact portion that contacts the brush portion to remove dust remaining in the brush portion, and a storage container provided below the brush portion and the contact portion for storing dust removed by the brush portion and the contact portion. In a side view, the contact portion is inclined such that the height of the contact position with the brush portion in the extending direction is different, and a main body in which a ventilation passage in which the filter is disposed is formed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments and modified examples of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout all the drawings, and the overlapping descriptions thereof are omitted. Further, the embodiments and modified examples described below are merely examples of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and modified examples. Even outside of these embodiments and modified examples, various changes can be made according to the design and the like without departing from the technical idea of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Air conditioner] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the overall configuration of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the main part configuration of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0011] In FIG. 1, the bottom side of the air conditioner 1 is defined as down, the upper side is defined as up, the side where the front panel 11 is arranged is defined as front, and the side opposite to the front panel 11, that is, the side where the rear panel 13 is arranged is defined as rear. Also, when looking from the front side to the rear side, the left side is defined as left and the right side is defined as right.

[0012] The air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment adjusts, for example, the temperature and humidity of the indoor air. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioning facility in a unit form including an outdoor unit (not shown) in which a compressor and a condenser are integrated and an indoor unit incorporating an evaporator will be described as an example. In particular, the air conditioner 1 will be described as an indoor unit in such a unit form.

[0013] However, the air conditioner 1 is not limited to such an indoor unit. The air conditioner 1 may be an air conditioning facility in an integrated unit form in which a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator are integrated.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The air conditioner 1 is connected to the outdoor unit via a liquid side pipe (not shown) through which liquefied refrigerant flows and a gas side pipe (not shown) through which vaporized refrigerant flows. And the air conditioner 1 constitutes a refrigerant circuit (not shown) with the outdoor unit.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air conditioner 1 includes a housing 10, a dust collection filter unit 20, an air conditioning unit 30, and an electrical unit 40. The dust collection filter unit 20 constitutes, for example, a filter cleaning device provided in the air conditioner 1. Also, the air conditioning unit 30 constitutes, for example, the main body of the air conditioner 1.

[0016] [Housing] As shown in Fig. 1, the housing 10 is a resin molded product with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a front panel 11, a main body panel 12, and a rear panel 13. As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 10 houses a dust collection filter unit 20, an air conditioning unit 30, and an electrical equipment unit 40 inside thereof.

[0017] Above the main body panel 12, an upper surface panel 14 having a plurality of suction ports 16 formed therein is disposed. The upper surface panel 14 is configured to cover the upper surface side of the dust collection filter unit 20. Indoor air flows into the housing 10 through the plurality of suction ports 16.

[0018] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a thin plate-shaped flap 15 extending in the left-right direction of the housing 10 is provided at the lower part of the main body panel 12. The flap 15 is attached to the main body panel 12 via a flap rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the end on the back side of the flap 15. And it is swingable about this flap rotation shaft.

[0019] When the air conditioner 1 is stopped, the flap 15 is disposed at a position where the air outlet 17 is closed. On the other hand, when the air conditioner 1 is operating, as shown in Fig. 3, the end on the front side of the flap 15 moves downward to form an air outlet 17 for blowing air out of the housing 10.

[0020] The flap rotation shaft is connected to a flap drive motor 33 (see Fig. 4 described later) connected to the electrical equipment unit 40 and is rotatable by the rotational force of the flap drive motor 33. And when the air conditioner 1 is operating, the flap drive motor 33 operates according to a control signal output from the electrical equipment unit 40 to rotate the flap rotation shaft. By the rotation of this flap rotation shaft, the flap 15 rotates to a predetermined position. In this way, by rotating the flap 15 to a predetermined position, the blowing angle of the air blown out into the room from the air outlet 17 can be defined.

[0021] [Air Conditioning Unit] As shown in Fig. 3, the air conditioner unit 30 includes an indoor unit heat exchanger 31 and a blower 32.

[0022] The indoor unit heat exchanger 31 is composed of a plurality of heat exchangers. As shown in Fig. 3, the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 is arranged so as to cover the upper part of the blower 32. Each heat exchanger constituting the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 has a structure in which a large number of heat radiation fins (not shown) are attached to a heat transfer pipe (not shown) folded at the left end. The above-described liquid side pipe and gas side pipe are connected to the indoor unit heat exchanger 31. This indoor unit heat exchanger 31 functions as an evaporator, for example, during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 1.

[0023] During the operation of the air conditioner 1, the blower 32 causes indoor air to flow into the housing 10 through the suction port 16 and supply it to the indoor unit heat exchanger 31, and blows out the air heat-exchanged by the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 into the room through the blowout port 17. A ventilation path 18, which is a passage for air, is provided between the suction port 16 and the blowout port 17. The dust collection filters 21L and 21R provided in the dust collection filter unit 20 are arranged in this ventilation path 18.

[0024] [Electrical equipment unit] Next, with reference to Fig. 4, the configuration of the electrical equipment unit 40 will be described. Fig. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the main part configuration of the electrical equipment unit 40 provided in the air conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, the electrical equipment unit 40 includes a communication control unit 41 and a central processing and arithmetic unit 42, and these units are mutually connected by a bus. Also, the electrical equipment unit 40 is communicably connected to the filter drive motor 25, the roller drive motor 26, the flap drive motor 33, and the blower 32 through the communication line Lc.

[0026] The central processing unit 42 is an arithmetic processing unit that performs various controls on each part of the air conditioner 1. The central processing unit 42 generates control signals for controlling, for example, the filter drive motor 25, the roller drive motor 26, the flap drive motor 33, and the blower 32 based on input signals input via an input interface (not shown) such as a remote controller or an operation panel.

[0027] The communication control unit 41 establishes connections with, for example, the filter drive motor 25, the roller drive motor 26, the flap drive motor 33, and the blower 32 respectively, transmits the control signals generated by the central processing unit 42, and receives input signals input via the input interface.

[0028] [Dust collection filter unit] Next, in addition to FIG. 3 described above, the configuration of the dust collection filter unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the main part configuration of the dust collection filter unit 20 provided in the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, the dust collection filter unit 20 includes two dust collection filters 21L, 21R, support bodies 22, two dust storage containers 23L, 23R, two filter drive rollers 24L, 24R, two filter drive motors 25L, 25R, a roller drive motor 26, and a power relay unit 27. When there is no need to particularly distinguish between the two dust collection filters 21L, 21R, they are simply referred to as the dust collection filter 21. Also, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the two dust storage containers 23L, 23R, they are simply referred to as the dust storage container 23. Also, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the two filter drive rollers 24L, 24R, they are simply referred to as the filter drive roller 24. Also, when there is no need to distinguish between the two filter drive motors 25L, 25R, they are simply referred to as the filter drive motor 25.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, in the dust collection filter unit 20, two dust collection filters 21L and 21R, two dust storage containers 23L and 23R, and two filter drive rollers 24L and 24R are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction on the support body 22.

[0031] Further, the filter drive motor 25L is provided on the left side wall portion 223 of the support body 22, and the filter drive motor 25R is provided on the right side wall portion 225 of the support body 22. The roller drive motor 26 is provided on the right side wall portion 225 of the support body 22.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the power relay portion 27 is provided at the front side of the support body 22 and at the central portion in the left-right direction.

[0033] (Dust collection filter) The dust collection filter 21 is a filter that removes dust contained in the air flowing in from the plurality of suction ports 16. The dust collection filter 21 has a frame body 211 and an air filter as shown in FIG. 5, and is detachable from the support body 22. The air filter is disposed corresponding to the opening portion surrounded by the lattice frame portion 211b of the frame body 211, but is not shown in FIG. 5 for convenience of explanation.

[0034] The frame body 211 is a support member that supports the air filter, and has a substantially rectangular outer frame portion 211a and a lattice frame portion 211b as shown in FIG. 5. The lattice frame portion 211b divides the region surrounded by the outer frame portion 211a into a lattice shape.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, rack portions 211c, which are bar-shaped gears, are formed on the left and right lower surfaces of the outer frame portion 211a. When the dust collection filter 21 is attached to the support body 22, the rack portion 211c of the frame body 211 is fitted with a pinion portion 24a provided on the peripheral surface of the filter drive roller 24.

[0036] Since the rack portion 211c of the frame body 211 and the pinion portion 24a of the filter drive roller 24 are fitted in this way, when the filter drive roller 24 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the dust collecting filter 21 moves forward of the support body 22 and is wound around the filter drive roller 24. The dust collecting filter 21 wound around the filter drive roller 24 is folded back along the circumferential surface of the filter drive roller 24 and guided by the guide GD.

[0037] Conversely, when the filter drive roller 24 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3, the dust collecting filter 21 moves backward of the support body 22. That is, the dust collecting filter 21 guided by the guide GD and accommodated in the dust collecting filter unit 20 is wound around the filter drive roller 24. The dust collecting filter 21 wound around the filter drive roller 24 is folded back along the circumferential surface of the filter drive roller 24, moves backward of the support body 22, and returns to the initial position. Note that the initial position is the first position when the dust collecting filter 21 is attached to the support body 22.

[0038] (Support body) As shown in FIG. 5, the support body 22 is a support member that supports two dust collecting filters 21L and 21R, two dust storage containers 23L and 23R, two filter drive motors 25L and 25R, a roller drive motor 26, and a power relay portion 27.

[0039] The support body 22 is a resin plate-like member that curves downward from the rear side toward the front side. The support body 22 includes a lattice rib 222, a left side wall portion 223, a central wall portion 224, a right side wall portion 225, and a bottom support portion 226.

[0040] The lattice rib 222 is a lattice-shaped reinforcing rib for improving the strength of the support body 22, and is formed on the upper surface of the support body 22.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, the left side wall portion 223 is a side wall formed at the left edge portion of the support body 22. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a guide GD is formed on the inner surface of the left side wall portion 223. This guide GD is a guide member for guiding the dust collection filter 21 in a specified direction. Further, a filter drive motor 25L is provided on the outer surface of the left side wall portion 223.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, the right side wall portion 225 is a side wall formed at the right edge portion of the support body 22. Although not shown in FIG. 5, a guide GD having the same shape as that of the left side wall portion 223 is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall portion 225. Further, a roller drive motor 26 and a filter drive motor 25R are fixed to the outer surface of the right side wall portion 225.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the central wall portion 224 is a wall member extending in the front-rear direction at a substantially central portion of the support body 22 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, guides GD having the same shape as the guide GD of the left side wall portion 223 and the guide GD of the right side wall portion 225 are provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the central wall portion 224. The guide GD provided on the left side surface of the central wall portion 224 and the guide GD provided on the left side wall portion 223 are provided at opposing positions and can guide the left and right side portions of the dust collection filter 21L. Also, the guide GD provided on the right side surface of the central wall portion 224 and the guide GD provided on the right side wall portion 225 are provided at opposing positions and can guide the left and right side portions of the dust collection filter 21R. Therefore, the two dust collection filters 21L and 21R provided on the left and right respectively can be guided in a specified direction.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom support portion 226 is a lower surface member formed at the lowermost end portion of the support body 22 and is a support member for supporting the bottom of the dust collection container 23. The bottom support portion 226 has a shelf plate portion (not shown) that abuts against the bottom of the dust collection container 23 to support the dust collection container 23, and a displacement prevention portion (not shown) that prevents displacement of the dust collection container 23 attached to the support body 22.

[0045] (Dust storage container) The configuration of the dust storage container 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part configuration of the dust storage container 23 provided in the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1. Note that FIG. 6 is a perspective view when the dust storage container 23 is viewed from the back side. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 6. That is, FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional structure when cut out near the approximate center in the left-right direction of the dust storage container 23 and viewed from the right side toward the left side. FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional structure when cut out at a position approximately 1 / 4 of the dust storage container 23 from the right side in the left-right direction of the dust storage container 23 and viewed from the right side toward the left side. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the unfolded state of the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 6.

[0046] The dust storage container 23 is a container that stores the dust removed from the dust collection filter 21. The dust storage container 23 is detachable in the front-rear direction with respect to the support body 22. Note that the directions of the respective parts included in the dust storage container 23 are defined based on the attachment state in the air conditioner 1.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, the dust storage container 23 is a box member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a front wall portion 230a, a right wall portion 230b, a left wall portion 230c, a bottom portion 230d, and a rear wall portion 230e. A storage portion 230, which is an area for storing dust, is formed by the front wall portion 230a, the right wall portion 230b, the left wall portion 230c, the bottom portion 230d, and the rear wall portion 230e.

[0048] Further, the dust storage container 23 has an opening 23a above the storage portion 230, and the dust removed from the dust collection filter 21 can be guided to the storage portion 230 through this opening 23a. That is, a roller with brush 235 is placed above the opening 23a, and the dust scraped out from the dust collection filter 21 by the roller with brush 235 is guided to the storage portion 230 through the opening 23a. Note that the roller with brush 235 functions as a removing member for removing dust from the dust collection filter 21.

[0049] At least a part of the front wall portion 230a, the right wall portion 230b, the left wall portion 230c, the bottom portion 230d, and the rear wall portion 230e that constitute the housing portion 230 may be formed of a transparent or translucent resin so that the user can recognize the accumulated dust from the outside.

[0050] Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a mechanism housing portion 231 is provided above and in front of the housing portion 230 of the dust housing container 23. The mechanism housing portion 231 is a box member having a rectangular tube shape that houses the attachment / detachment mechanism 234. The front wall portion that constitutes the mechanism housing portion 231 is flush with the front wall portion 230a, and the front side surface of the dust housing container 23 is formed by the front wall portion of the mechanism housing portion 231 and the front wall portion 230a.

[0051] The attachment / detachment mechanism 234 is a mechanism for making the dust housing container 23 detachable from the support body 22. The mechanism housing portion 231 has pin holes (not shown) formed in its left and right side surfaces, and as shown in FIG. 6, a pair of engagement pins 234a provided at the left and right ends of the attachment / detachment mechanism 234 can project from or retract into the mechanism housing portion 231 through these pin holes.

[0052] On the other hand, the support body 22 is formed with receiving holes (not shown) for receiving the pair of engagement pins 234a. Then, by inserting each of the pair of engagement pins 234a into the respective receiving holes, the dust housing container 23 can be locked to the support body 22, or by removing each of the pair of engagement pins 234a from the respective receiving holes, the dust housing container 23 can be removed from the support body 22.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a cleaning plate 232 is provided on the rear wall portion of the mechanism housing portion 231, which protrudes toward the roller 235 with a brush attached to the dust collection container 23 and extends in the left-right direction. Further, the end portion of the cleaning plate 232 that protrudes toward the roller 235 with a brush is a contact portion 232a that contacts the roller 235 with a brush. The contact portion 232a can contact the brush portion 235b of the roller 235 with a brush and remove the dust remaining in the brush portion 235b.

[0054] When the end portion of the cleaning plate 232 on the side opposite to the contact portion 232a is taken as the base end portion, the base end portion forms a part of the rear wall portion of the mechanism housing portion 231. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cross-sectional shape of the base end portion of the cleaning plate 232 is curved according to the shape of the roller 235 with a brush. By curving the cross-sectional shape of the cleaning plate 232 in this way, the contact between the base end portion of the cleaning plate 232 and the tips of the bristles of the brush portion 235b of the roller 235 with a brush can be made gentle. Details of the configuration of the cleaning plate 232 and the arrangement relationship between the cleaning plate 232 and the roller 235 with a brush will be described later.

[0055] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, a filter guide 237 is provided above the opening 23a of the dust collection container 23. The filter guide 237 is a guide member that guides the dust collection filter 21 wound by the filter drive roller 24 so as to be folded back along the circumferential surface of the filter drive roller 24. As shown in FIG. 6, the filter guide 237 has a plurality of guide rails 237a in the form of thin plates curved along the circumferential surface shape of the filter drive roller 24. In the filter guide 237 according to the embodiment, there are five guide rails 237a and a plate-like member 237b for fixing these five guide rails 237a. The plate-like member 237b extends in the left-right direction and is curved along the shape of the guide rail 237a.

[0056] In the filter guide 237, five guide rails 237a are provided on the main surface of the plate-shaped member 237b. Specifically, among the five guide rails 237a, two guide rails 237a are respectively arranged at both ends in the left-right direction of the plate-shaped member 237b. And three guide rails 237a are arranged at equal intervals between the two guide rails 237a arranged at both ends.

[0057] Also, in the dust collection container 23, as shown in FIG. 9, by removing the filter guide 237 from the dust collection container 23, it can be set in a so-called unfolded state in which the rear wall portion 230e erected in the vertical direction is tilted backward.

[0058] That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of locking portions 237c protruding forward are provided at both ends in the left-right direction of the plate-shaped member 237b. Protruding portions protruding inward are provided at the tips of each of the pair of locking portions 237c. On the other hand, a pair of ribs 252 protruding outward in the left-right direction are provided on each of the right wall portion 230b and the left wall portion 230c. In the assembled state shown in FIG. 6, each of the pair of locking portions 237c engages with each of the pair of ribs 252, and the rear wall portion 230e can be fixed in the dust collection container 23.

[0059] Also, the rear wall portion 230e is rotatably joined to the rear edge of the bottom portion 230d via the joining shaft 233. Therefore, by releasing the engagement between each of the pair of locking portions 237c and each of the pair of ribs 252, the rear wall portion 230e erected in the vertical direction can be rotated around the axis of the joining shaft 233 and tilted backward from the assembled state shown in FIG. 6 to be in the unfolded state. In this way, by setting the dust collection container 23 in the unfolded state, the user can easily access the storage portion 230 of the dust collection container 23. Thereby, the user can easily remove the dust deposited in the storage portion 230 of the dust collection container 23.

[0060] (Brush roller) Next, regarding the brush roller 235 provided above the dust storage container 23, an explanation will be given with reference to FIG. 10 in addition to FIGS. 3 and 6 described above. FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of the brush roller 235 provided in the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 6.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, above the dust storage container 23, a brush roller 235 is placed as a removal member for removing dust from the dust collection filter 21. As shown in FIG. 6, a first side gear portion 236a is provided at one end of the brush roller 235, and a second side gear portion 236b is provided at the other end.

[0062] The brush roller 235 is a removal member for scraping dust from the dust collection filter 21 when performing the cleaning operation of the dust collection filter 21. As shown in FIG. 10, the brush roller 235 has a brush portion 235b attached to the circumferential surface of the roller 235a, and is rotatably supported by the right wall portion 230b and the left wall portion 230c of the dust storage container 23, respectively.

[0063] Specifically, the brush roller 235 includes a roller 235a which is a cylindrical rotating body that rotates about a rotation axis A extending along the width direction of the dust collection filter 21, that is, the left - right direction, and a plurality of brush portions 235b provided on the circumferential surface of the roller 235a for removing dust from the dust collection filter 21. The brush portion 235b has a strip shape, and small tufts of synthetic resin are provided at regular intervals. In the brush roller 235, the plurality of brush portions 235b are each provided spirally along the circumferential surface of the roller 235a.

[0064] In the cleaning operation of the dust collection filter 21, the brush roller 235 scrapes dust from the dust collection filter 21 by the brush portion 235b attached to the circumferential surface of the roller 235a rotating while contacting the dust collection filter 21 due to the rotation of the roller 235a. Then, the scraped dust is collected into the dust storage container 23. Note that the roller 235a rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis A when viewed in side view from the right side to the left side.

[0065] As described above, the dust collecting filter 21 is movable in the front-rear direction by the rotation of the filter driving roller 24. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the dust storage container 23 is attached to the support body 22, the brush roller 235 is arranged so as to be able to sandwich the dust collecting filter 21 between the brush roller 235 and the filter driving roller 24. Therefore, when the dust collecting filter 21 moves forward by the rotation of the filter driving roller 24, the dust collecting filter 21 comes into contact with the brush of the brush roller 235, and the dust adhering to the dust collecting filter 21 can be scraped off.

[0066] Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the brush roller 235, a first side gear portion 236a is provided at the right end portion of the roller 235a, and a second side gear portion 236b is provided at the left end portion of the roller 235a.

[0067] Of the two dust storage containers 23L and 23R arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, in the dust storage container 23R arranged on the right side, the first side gear portion 236a and the second side gear portion 236b provided at both end portions of the roller 235a engage with other members as follows.

[0068] That is, the first side gear portion 236a provided at the right end portion of the roller 235a engages with a gear provided at the tip of the shaft of the roller drive motor 26. On the other hand, the second side gear portion 236b provided at the left end portion of the roller 235a engages with a relay gear (not shown) provided in the power relay portion 27.

[0069] In the dust storage container 23L arranged on the left side, the first side gear portion 236a and the second side gear portion 236b provided at both end portions of the roller 235a engage with other members as follows.

[0070] That is, in the dust storage container 23L arranged on the left side, the first side gear portion 236a provided at the right end portion of the roller 235a meshes with the relay gear of the power relay portion 27. On the other hand, the second side gear portion 236b provided at the left end portion of the roller 235a is free.

[0071] As described above, the roller 235a of the brush roller 235 placed on the dust storage container 23R can engage with the roller 235a of the brush roller 235 placed on the dust storage container 23L via the relay gear of the power relay unit 27. And the power relay unit 27 can transmit the rotational force transmitted from the roller drive motor 26 to the brush roller 235 of the dust storage container 23R to the brush roller 235 of the dust storage container 23L via the relay gear. For this reason, by the roller drive motor 26, the brush roller 235 of the dust storage container 23R and the brush roller 235 of the dust storage container 23L can be rotated simultaneously.

[0072] (Cleaning plate) As described above, dust can be removed from the dust collection filter 21 by the brush roller 235. By the way, a part of the removed dust may remain in the gaps between the tufts of hair in the brush part 235b of the brush roller 235. Therefore, the dust storage container 23 is provided with a cleaning plate 232 and is configured to be able to expel the dust remaining in the gaps between the tufts of hair by this cleaning plate 232.

[0073] Hereinafter, in addition to FIG. 9 described above, the configuration of the cleaning plate 232 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing an example of the unfolded state of the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 shows the cross-sectional structure when the cross-section cut out horizontally along XII-XII is viewed in plan. In FIG. 12, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the bottom part 230d, the rear wall part 230e, and the filter guide 237 are not shown.

[0074] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, four cleaning plates 232 are arranged along the left - right direction, that is, the extending direction of the rotation axis A of the roller 235 with brushes. Each cleaning plate 232 is a plate - like member extending along the left - right direction, that is, the extending direction of the rotation axis A. When the cleaning plate 232 is viewed from the side from the front side to the rear side, the contact portion 232a of the cleaning plate 232 is inclined so that the heights are different in the left - right direction, that is, the extending direction of the rotation axis A. Specifically, the contact portion 232a is inclined so as to become lower from the right side to the left side.

[0075] Also, the length of each cleaning plate 232 in the left - right direction corresponds to the length of one grid of the dust - collecting filter 21 partitioned by the grid frame portion 211b. For this reason, the connection positions of the cleaning plates 232 adjacent to each other in the left - right direction coincide with the positions of the grid frame portions 211b that partition the grids of the dust - collecting filter 21 adjacent to each other in the left - right direction. Here, in the dust - collecting filter 21, dust hardly adheres to the position where the grid frame portion 211b is arranged. Therefore, in the roller 235 with brushes, almost no dust adheres to the portion corresponding to the position of the grid frame portion 211b that partitions the grids of the dust - collecting filter 21 adjacent to each other in the left - right direction. Therefore, even if there is a gap between the cleaning plates 232 adjacent to each other in the left - right direction and a range where the cleaning plates 232 are not arranged is generated, it does not affect the dust removal performance from the roller 235 with brushes.

[0076] Also, as shown in FIG. 12, when the dust - containing container 23 is viewed in plan, the contact portion 232a of each cleaning plate 232 extends so as to be inclined with respect to the extending direction of the rotation axis A.

[0077] (Arrangement relationship between the cleaning plate and the roller with brushes) Next, the positional relationship between the cleaning plate 232 and the roller 235 with a brush will be described with reference to FIGS. 13, 14, and 15. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the positional relationship between the roller 235 with a brush and the contact portion 232a shown in FIG. 10. In FIG. 13, the positional relationship between the roller 235 with a brush and the contact portion 232a is shown when the dust storage container 23 is viewed from the front side toward the rear side. In FIG. 13, for convenience of explanation, only the contact portion 232a of one cleaning plate 232 is shown by a dotted line. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of the α portion in the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 15 is a partially enlarged view of the β portion in the dust storage container 23 shown in FIG. 8. In FIGS. 14 and 15, the locus D of the position where the contact portion 232a contacts the roller 235 with a brush is shown by a dotted line. Also, the straight-line distance from the rotation center of the roller 235a to the contact portion 232a is shown by an arrow.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 13, the brush portion 235b is provided spirally along the circumferential surface of the roller 235a, and the inclination C of the brush portion 235b in the roller 235a is inclined so as to be lower from the left side to the right side in a side view. In contrast, the contact portion 232a is inclined to the opposite side with respect to the inclination of the brush portion 235b. That is, the contact portion 232a is inclined so as to be lower from the right side to the left side. Note that it is preferable that the contact portion 232a is inclined in the vertical direction below the rotation axis A and above the lowermost portion of the roller 235 with a brush.

[0079] Since the contact portion 232a is inclined to the opposite side with respect to the inclination C of the brush portion 235b in this way, the contact area between the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b can be reduced. Therefore, the torque required to rotate the roller 235 with a brush can be suppressed.

[0080] Further, since the contact portion 232a is inclined as described above, when the dust container 23 is viewed from the front side to the rear side in a side view, the height of the contact position with the brush portion 235b is different in the left-right direction. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, in the cross-sectional structure of the dust container 23 viewed from the right side to the left side, the contact positions of the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b are different in the circumferential direction of the brush roller 235.

[0081] Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when at a height position close to the rotation axis A of the brush roller 235 and when at a height position close to the lowermost part of the brush roller 235, the directions of the tangents formed by the contact portion 232a and the locus D are different.

[0082] Here, the dust remaining on the brush roller 235 is removed when the tuft of hair of the brush portion 235b contacts the contact portion 232a and the tuft of hair is repelled when it crosses over the contact portion 232a. For this reason, the dust remaining on the brush roller 235 is repelled along the direction of the tangent formed by the contact portion 232a and the locus D.

[0083] In each dust container 23, since the height positions of the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b are different in the left-right direction for each cleaning plate 232, the tangent directions of the contact portion 232a and the locus D of the brush portion 235a are different in the left-right direction. For this reason, it is possible to vary the positions where the dust removed from the brush portion 235b by contacting the contact portion 232a accumulates in the accommodating portion 230 in the left-right direction. For this reason, the dust container 23 can prevent the dust from accumulating in one place in the accommodating portion 230 and can appropriately accommodate the dust.

[0084] Also, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, even when the contact positions of the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b are different, the cleaning plate 232 is configured such that the protruding amounts of the contact portion 232a in the left - right direction are different, so that the distance from the rotation axis A of the roller 235 with brush to the contact portion 232a is equal. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, in the left - right direction, the extending direction of the contact portion 232a in plan view is inclined with respect to the extending direction of the rotation axis A so that the protruding amount of the contact portion 232a increases from right to left.

[0085] With this configuration, even if the contact portion 232a is inclined from top to bottom in the left - right direction and the height position where it contacts the brush portion 235b changes, the cleaning plate 232 can be configured such that the distance from the rotation axis A of the roller 235 with brush to the contact portion 232a is equal.

[0086] As described above, since the distance between the contact portion 232a and the rotation axis A is equal in the left - right direction, even if the height positions where the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b contact in the left - right direction are different, a uniform force can be exerted on the brush portion 235b from the contact portion 232a. For this reason, the dust - containing container 23 can have the dust removed from the brush portion 235b evenly by the cleaning plate 232.

[0087] The dust - containing container 23 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has a configuration including four cleaning plates 232, but the number of cleaning plates 232 provided is not limited to this. For example, if the contact portion 232a can be appropriately inclined, the cleaning plate 232 may be one.

[0088] Also, the cleaning plate 232 is configured to be provided on the rear - side wall portion of the mechanism housing portion 231, but the position where the cleaning plate 232 is provided is not limited to the rear - side wall portion of the mechanism housing portion 231. As long as the above - described arrangement relationship between the contact portion 232a and the roller 235 with brush is maintained, the place where the cleaning plate 232 is provided is arbitrary.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the air conditioner 1 including the dust storage container 23 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can be applied to any device that includes an air filter and has a function of removing dust adhering to the air filter.

Explanation of Signs

[0090] 1 Air conditioner 10 Housing 11 Front panel 12 Main body panel 13 Rear panel 14 Top panel 15 Flap 16 Suction port 17 Air outlet 18 Ventilation path 20 Dust collection filter unit 21 Dust collection filter 22 Support body 23 Dust storage container 23a Opening 24 Filter drive roller 25 Filter drive motor 26 Roller drive motor 30 Air conditioning unit 31 Heat exchanger for indoor unit 32 Blower 211 Frame body 211a Outer frame part 211b Lattice frame part 230 Storage part 230a Front wall part 230b Right wall part 230c Left wall part 230d Bottom part 230e Rear wall part 231 Mechanism storage part 232 Cleaning plate 232a Contact part 235 Roller with brush 235a Roller 235b Brush part A Rotation axis

Claims

1. A cylindrical rotating body that rotates about a rotating shaft extending along the width direction of the filter, and a brush portion provided on the circumferential surface of the rotating body for removing dust from the filter, and a removing member having the same; A cleaning plate that extends along the extending direction of the rotating shaft and has a contact portion that contacts the brush portion to remove dust remaining in the brush portion; A storage container provided below the brush portion and the contact portion for storing the dust removed by the brush portion and the contact portion; and The contact portion is inclined with respect to the extending direction so as to become higher or lower from one end to the other end in the extending direction, a filter cleaning device.

2. The brush portion is provided in a spiral shape along the circumferential surface of the rotating body, In a side view, the contact portion is inclined to the opposite side of the inclination of the brush portion, the filter cleaning device according to claim 1.

3. The contact portion is provided so that the distance from the rotating shaft is constant, the filter cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the filter cleaning device is viewed in plan, the contact portion is provided so as to extend inclined with respect to the rotating shaft, the filter cleaning device according to claim 3.

5. A plurality of the cleaning plates are provided, Each of the plurality of cleaning plates is arranged side by side along the extending direction of the rotating shaft, the filter cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A filter cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and A main body in which a ventilation path in which the filter is arranged is formed, an air conditioner.

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