Indoor unit

Abstract

To provide an indoor unit that hardly interferes with a flow of air and realizes both highly efficient air conditioning and a sterilizing function because a sterilizing unit can be arranged in a large space located in a corner part of a suction port provided in a drain pan.SOLUTION: An indoor unit comprises an indoor unit body 10. The indoor unit body 10 comprises a drain pan comprising a suction port at a center in a planar view, and a sterilizing unit 60. The sterilizing unit 60 is arranged in a corner part 21y of the drain pan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an indoor unit.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a ceiling-embedded indoor unit that includes a sterilization unit and performs a purification operation of driving the sterilization unit during an internal cleaning operation to prevent the generation of mold, viruses, etc. inside.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] To provide an air conditioner that achieves both highly efficient air conditioning and a sterilization function.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The indoor unit in the present disclosure includes an indoor unit main body, and the indoor unit main body has a suction port at the center in plan view and having air outlets on four surrounding sides and includes a drain pan and a sterilization unit, and the sterilization unit is disposed at a corner of the drain pan among them, on the side closer to the suction port than the heat exchanger and is characterized in that , the sterilization unit is arranged at a corner different from the refrigerant pipe connection part and the drain pump among the corners, and the sterilization unit is provided with a nozzle for discharging the generated sterilizing substance to the air outlet, and the nozzle extends toward the air outlet on the side closer to the air outlet adjacent to the corner where the sterilization unit is arranged and where the refrigerant pipe connection part and the drain pump are not arranged it is arranged.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] In the indoor unit in the present disclosure, the sterilization unit can be arranged in a wide space at the corner of the suction port provided in the drain pan. Therefore, it is difficult to obstruct the air flow, and both highly efficient air conditioning and a sterilization function can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] (Knowledge, etc. on which the present disclosure is based) When the inventors arrived at the idea of the present disclosure, the technology of indoor units sometimes had a sterilization function. Therefore, in the industry, product designs were sometimes made to equip indoor units with sterilization devices. Under such circumstances, the inventors discovered the problem that there was little installable space and the air flow was obstructed when incorporating a sterilization device into a small four-way cassette-type indoor unit, and thus arrived at the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an indoor unit that achieves both highly efficient air conditioning and a sterilization function in a four-way cassette-type indoor unit.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, overly detailed descriptions may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or duplicate descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

[0011] [1-1. Configuration] FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the indoor unit main body 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a view of the II-II cross section of FIG. 1 seen in the direction of the arrow. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the indoor unit main body 10 with the drain pan 20 and the resin cover 68 removed. The indoor unit main body 10 is a device that stores each device of the indoor unit in a box-shaped housing 10a, is connected to a decorative panel (not shown) at the bottom, and is embedded in the ceiling of the conditioned space as an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

[0012] FIG. 1 shows a four-way cassette type indoor unit. The indoor unit main body 10 includes a drain pan 20 provided to cover the lower surface of the indoor unit main body 10, a blower 30, a refrigerant pipe connection part 40, and an electric box 50, and is fixed to the ceiling via suspension fittings 13 at the four corners. Also, a decorative panel (not shown) is fixed in a state of being engaged with two claw parts 15 provided diagonally on the bottom surface of the indoor unit main body 10. The refrigerant pipe connection part 40 is provided at the main body corner part 10w of the indoor unit main body 10. The refrigerant pipe connection part 40 includes a liquid pipe connection part 41 and a gas pipe connection part 43 that extend to the outside of the indoor unit main body 10, and circulates refrigerant between the heat exchanger 45 shown in FIG. 2 and an external refrigerant pipe (not shown). The drain pan 20 formed in a substantially square shape shown in FIG. 1 is provided below the heat exchanger 45 shown in FIG. 2 to receive drain water. In the drain pan 20, a suction port 21 which is a substantially square opening is formed at the central part, and air outlet openings 23w to 23z which are substantially rectangular openings are formed on the four surrounding sides. Also, the drain pan 20 has a drain pump 25 at the main body corner part 10x. The drain pump 25 discharges drain water from a drain hose (not shown).

[0013] The blower 30 is provided at the central part of the indoor unit main body 10 in a plan view, and includes a centrifugal fan 31, a bellmouth 33, and a shroud 37. The blower 30 sucks in the air in the space to be conditioned through a decorative panel side suction port provided in a decorative panel (not shown) and the suction port 21 by rotating the centrifugal fan 31. The sucked air is rectified by the bellmouth 33 and the shroud 37, exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 45, and then blows out through the air outlets 23w to 23z and an air outlet provided in a decorative panel (not shown). The electrical component box 50 is provided outside the housing 10a. From the electrical component box 50, a wiring 51 for sensors and a wiring 53 for the sterilization unit are drawn into the suction port 21. The wiring 51 for sensors connects the electrical component box 50 and a suction temperature sensor 57 provided at the center of the bellmouth 33. The wiring 53 for the sterilization unit connects the electrical component box 50 and a sterilization unit 60 described later. Further, the wiring 51 for sensors and the wiring 53 for the sterilization unit are bundled by a hook 55 and arranged along the outer edge of the suction port 21.

[0014] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit main body 10 includes a resin cover 68 at a suction port corner portion (corner portion) 21y that is inside the suction port 21 in a plan view and diagonally opposite to the main body corner portion 10w where the refrigerant pipe connection portion 40 is provided. The resin cover 68 has a shape curved along the bellmouth 33 and is provided at a position that does not block the flow of air sucked from the opening 33a of the bellmouth 33 by the blower 30.

[0015] Inside the resin cover 68, as shown in FIG. 3, a sterilization unit 60 is stored. The sterilization unit 60 includes an electrostatic atomization device (sterilization device) 61 and a base 63 for the electrostatic atomization device. The electrostatic atomization device 61 includes a nozzle 65. The electrostatic atomization device 61 is a device that generates a mist containing charged fine particle water for sterilization and discharges the mist from the nozzle tip portion 65a through the nozzle 65. The base 63 is provided adjacent to the electrostatic atomization device 61 as a separate body and drives the electrostatic atomization device 61. Further, the base 63 is connected to the electrical component box 50 via the wiring 53 for the sterilization unit. Note that the separate electrostatic atomization device 61 and the base 63 are electrically connected by a connection wiring 67, and the connection wiring 67 has a high voltage. Here, the electrostatic atomization device 61 and the base 63 are provided in a bent state along the suction port 21 and the bellows 33. The base 63 is arranged at the suction port corner 21y with a large space, and the electrostatic atomization device 61 is along the air outlet 23y (see FIG. 1) adjacent to the suction port corner 21y and is provided so as not to block the air flow sucked from the opening 33a of the bellows 33. In the present invention, the electrostatic atomization device 61 and the base 63 only need to be adjacent to each other, and do not necessarily need to be along the air outlet 23y.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the electrostatic atomization device 61 and the base 63 for the electrostatic atomization device are arranged in a recess 20A provided on the bottom lower surface of the drain pan 20. A spray port 27 is formed on the side surface of the bottom of the drain pan 20, and the nozzle 65 of the electrostatic atomization device 61 is connected to the spray port 27. The spray port 27 communicates with the air outlet 23y as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the mist containing the charged fine particle water generated by the electrostatic atomization device 61 flows into the room via the nozzle 65, the nozzle tip 65a, the spray port 27, the air outlet 23y, and the discharge port provided on the decorative panel (not shown).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, at the main body corner 10w, a liquid pipe connection part 41 of the refrigerant pipe connection part 40, and a heat exchanger connection part 47 connecting the gas pipe connection part 43 and the heat exchanger 45 are provided. Also, at the main body corner 10x, the drain pump 25 is provided as described above. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, regarding the suction port corners 21w and 21x, the space is narrower than that of the suction port corners 21y and 21z. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, claw parts 15 that engage with a decorative panel (not shown) are provided at the suction port corners 21x and 21z. Therefore, none of the refrigerant pipe connection part 40, the drain pump 25, and the claw part 15 are arranged at the suction port corner 21y, and the largest space is secured. Thus, the sterilization unit 60 including the large-sized base 63 is arranged at the suction port corner 21y. Furthermore, when comparing the suction port corners 21x and 21z, since the drain pump 25 is not arranged at the suction port corner 21x, the suction port corner 21z has a larger space. Therefore, the electrostatic atomization device 61 is provided adjacent to the suction port corners 21y and 21z and along the air outlet 23y which has the largest area among the air outlets 23w to 23z. In other words, due to the drain pump 25 installed at the main body corner 10x, the space on the air outlet 23x side at the corner 21y becomes narrower than the space on the air outlet 23y side at the corner 21y. Therefore, the electrostatic atomization device 61 is provided on the air outlet 23y side of the suction port corner 21y with a large space. Also, by providing the electrostatic atomization device 61 on the air outlet 23y side of the suction port corner 21y, it becomes easy to route the wiring 53 for the sterilization unit to the air outlet 23x side of the suction port corner 21y. As a result, the wiring can be bundled on the side where the drain pump 25 is arranged.

[0018] [1-2. Operation] The operation of the indoor unit including the indoor unit main body 10 configured as described above will be described below.

[0019] During the air conditioning operation of the indoor unit, at the refrigerant pipe connection part 40 of the indoor unit main body 10, refrigerant is exchanged with an external refrigerant pipe (not shown). When the indoor unit performs heating operation, the gas refrigerant flows into the indoor unit main body 10 from the gas pipe connection part 43, and during the cooling operation, the liquid refrigerant flows in from the liquid pipe connection part 41. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor unit main body 10 flows into the heat exchanger 45 via the heat exchanger connection part 47.

[0020] Also, during the air conditioning operation of the indoor unit, the blower 30 is operating, and the centrifugal fan 31 sucks the air in the conditioned space into the indoor unit main body 10 through the decorative panel side suction port and the suction port 21. The sucked air is rectified by the bellmouth 33 and the shroud 37 and is pushed outward in the indoor unit main body 10 by the centrifugal fan 31. The pushed air passes through the heat exchanger 45 arranged to surround the periphery of the blower 30.

[0021] At this time, heat exchange occurs between the air and the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 45. During the heating operation, the gas refrigerant gives heat to the air to heat it, and the gas refrigerant becomes a liquid refrigerant and flows out from the liquid pipe connection part 41. During the cooling operation, the liquid refrigerant takes heat from the air to cool it, and the liquid refrigerant becomes a gas refrigerant and flows out from the gas pipe connection part 43. The air after heat exchange with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 45 flows into the conditioned space from the air outlets 23w to 23z and the outlets of the decorative panel (not shown), and thus the conditioned space is air-conditioned.

[0022] At this time, the sterilization unit 60 can also be in an operating state. In this case, the mist containing charged particulate water generated by the electrostatic atomization device 61 passes through the nozzle 65, the nozzle tip 65a, and the spray port 27 formed in the drain pan 20, and flows into the air outlet 23y. Therefore, when the air pushed out by the centrifugal fan 31 passes through the air outlet 23y, it mixes with the mist containing charged particulate water and is sent into the conditioned space. Thereby, the mist is diffused over a wide range of the conditioned space to sterilize the conditioned space.

[0023] Also, in the present embodiment, the sterilization unit 60 and the resin cover 68 are arranged at the suction port corner 21y of the suction port 21 that sucks in the air of the conditioned space so as not to block the flow of the air sucked into the opening 33a of the bellows 33. Therefore, when the indoor unit is air-conditioning, the air flow by the blower 30 becomes smooth.

[0024] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, since the sterilization unit 60 is arranged at the suction port corner 21y having a wide space, it is possible to suppress the sterilization unit 60 from blocking the flow of air sucked from the suction port 21. Further, since the sterilization unit 60 is arranged in the recess 20A provided on the bottom lower surface of the drain pan 20, it is possible to suppress the sterilization unit 60 from blocking the flow of air sucked from the suction port 21. Therefore, even in a small indoor unit, it is possible to achieve both sterilization by the sterilization unit 60 and efficient air conditioning. Since the sterilization unit 60 is arranged in the recess 20A provided on the bottom lower surface of the drain pan 20, as shown in FIG. 1, when the resin cover 68 is removed with the decorative panel (not shown) removed, it is exposed to the indoor side, facilitating maintenance of the sterilization unit 60.

[0025] Further, in this embodiment, the sterilization unit 60 has an electrostatic atomization device 61 and a base 63 for the electrostatic atomization device, and is arranged to be bent along the suction port 21. Therefore, even at the suction port corner 21y where there is no wide rectangular space, the sterilization unit 60 can be arranged so as not to block the flow of air sucked from the suction port 21. Therefore, even in a small indoor unit, it is possible to achieve both sterilization by the sterilization unit 60 and efficient air conditioning.

[0026] Further, in this embodiment, since the base 63, which is more likely to be larger than the electrostatic atomization device 61, is arranged at the suction port corner 21y having a wide space, even in a small indoor unit, it is possible to achieve both sterilization by the sterilization unit 60 and efficient air conditioning.

[0027] Further, in this embodiment, the base 63, which is more likely to be larger than the electrostatic atomization device 61, is arranged at the suction port corner 21y having the widest space among the suction port corners 21w to 21z. Further, the electrostatic atomization device 61 is arranged in a direction adjacent to the suction port corner 21y and having few obstacles such as the drain pump 25 at the suction port corner 21z. Therefore, even in a small indoor unit, it is possible to achieve both sterilization by the sterilization unit 60 and efficient air conditioning. Furthermore, by arranging the electrostatic atomization device 61 at a position adjacent to the base 63, the portion that becomes a high voltage connecting the electrostatic atomization device 61 and the base 63 is reduced, improving safety.

[0028] In this embodiment, the sterilization unit 60 was composed of the electrostatic atomization device 61 provided separately and the base 63. However, the sterilization unit 60 only needs to be provided so as not to obstruct the flow of air sucked from the suction port 21. Therefore, for example, the electrostatic atomization device 61 and the base 63 constituting the sterilization unit 60 may be integrally stored in a case shaped to curve along the suction port corner 21y and the opening 33a of the bell mouth 33. However, by configuring the sterilization unit 60 with the electrostatic atomization device 61 provided separately and the base 63 as in this embodiment, a common sterilization unit 60 can be used among models of indoor units of different sizes and shapes.

[0029] Also, in this embodiment, the sterilization unit 60 was configured to generate mist containing charged fine particle water by the electrostatic atomization device 61 and perform sterilization with the mist. However, the sterilization unit 60 is not limited to one that generates mist containing charged fine particle water by the electrostatic atomization device 61 as long as it can perform sterilization. In this embodiment, a four-way cassette type indoor unit has been described, but it is not limited to this, and it can be applied to, for example, a two-way cassette type.

[0030] Note that the above-described embodiment is for exemplifying the technology in the present disclosure, and various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

Industrial Applicability

[0031] The present disclosure is applicable to indoor units such as four-way cassette types.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0032] 10 Indoor unit main body 10a Housing 10w Main body corner 10x Main body corner 10y Main body corner 10z Main body corner 13 Hanging fitting 15 Claw part 20 Drain pan 20A Recess 21 Suction port 21w Suction port corner 21x Suction port corner 21y Suction port corner (corner) 21z Suction port corner 23w Air outlet 23x Air outlet 23y Air outlet 23z Air outlet 25 Drain pump 27 Spray port 30 Blower 31 Centrifugal fan 33 Bell mouth 33a Opening 37 Shroud 40 Refrigerant pipe connection part 41 Liquid pipe connection part 43 Gas pipe connection part 45 Heat exchanger 47 Heat exchanger connection part 50 Electric control box 51 Sensor wiring 53 Wiring for sterilization unit 55 Hook 57 Suction temperature sensor 60 Sterilization unit 61 Electrostatic atomization device (sterilization device) 63 Base 65 Nozzle 65a Nozzle tip 67 Connection wiring 68 Resin cover

Claims

1. comprising an indoor unit main body, the indoor unit main body includes a drain pan having a suction port at the center in plan view and air outlets on four surrounding sides, and a sterilization unit, the sterilization unit is arranged at a corner of the drain pan closer to the suction port than the heat exchanger among the corners, the sterilization unit is arranged at a corner different from the refrigerant pipe connection part and the drain pump among the corners, the sterilization unit is provided with a nozzle for discharging the generated sterilizing substance to the air outlet, the nozzle extends toward the air outlet on the side of the corner adjacent to the corner where the sterilization unit is arranged and where neither the refrigerant pipe connection part nor the drain pump is arranged, An indoor unit characterized by the above.

2. the sterilization unit is arranged in a recess provided on the bottom lower surface of the drain pan The indoor unit according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. the sterilization unit is arranged at a corner diagonally opposite to the refrigerant pipe connection part among the corners The indoor unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. the sterilization unit has a sterilization device and a base for the sterilization device provided separately from the sterilization device, the sterilization device and the base are respectively arranged along the suction port The indoor unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

5. the base is provided at the corner, and the sterilization device is provided adjacent to the base at a position along the suction port The indoor unit according to claim 4, characterized by the above.

6. The base is disposed at a corner among the corners, which is diagonally located with respect to the refrigerant pipe connection part. The sterilization device is disposed at a position adjacent to the base, and is provided at a position in a direction of a corner among the corners adjacent to the corner where the base is disposed, which is far from the drain pump. The indoor unit according to claim 5, characterized by the above.

7. Claw portions engaging with the decorative panel are disposed at a corner different from the corner where the sterilization unit is disposed. The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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