air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner that can improve heat exchange efficiency between a heat exchanger and air discharged from a fan.SOLUTION: An air conditioner comprises: a sirocco fan 52 for exhausting air in a radial direction; a scroll casing 56 housing the sirocco fan 52, and comprising an opening part 57 for sucking the air from the direction of a rotating shaft 78 of the sirocco fan 52 by rotation of the sirocco fan 52, a discharge port 58 that is an opening from which the sucked air is discharged, and side surface parts 63 provided on the right and left of the discharge port 58; a heat exchanger 69 for receiving the air discharged from the discharge port 58; and a case 19 comprising a top plate 16, a bottom plate 15, and side plates, and housing the scroll casing 56 and the heat exchanger 69. An inside surface 73 of at least one of the side surface parts 63 is provided with a straightening part linearly extending toward the side of a lower edge 88 from the side of an upper edge 86 of the discharge port 58 as approaching the discharge port 58, the straightening part for straightening the air discharged from the discharge port 58.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that can change the opening area of ​​the sirocco fan's outlet to fit connecting ducts of various lengths and shapes. This air conditioner has a heat exchange chamber that houses a heat exchanger, an air blower chamber that houses a sirocco fan, an outlet on the heat exchanger chamber side, an inlet on the air blower chamber side, and detachable duct connection flanges on the outlet and inlet, respectively. Patent Document 2 discloses an air conditioner that can ensure a constant air speed and provide comfortable air conditioning. This air conditioner is equipped with a sirocco fan that has an impeller that draws air in from the direction of its rotation axis and blows it out radially, and a diffuser that houses the impeller and is provided at an outlet that circulates the air blown from the impeller around the impeller and blows it out to the outside. The diffuser of this air conditioner also has a flow dividing plate that spreads the blowing direction of the air blown out from the diffuser in the horizontal direction, and multiple mounting parts for attaching the flow dividing plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-249287 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-186944 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides an air conditioner that can improve the heat exchange efficiency between a heat exchanger and air blown out from a fan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The air conditioner of the present disclosure comprises a sirocco fan that exhausts air radially, a scroll casing that houses the sirocco fan and has an opening that draws in air from the direction of the rotation axis of the sirocco fan as the sirocco fan rotates, an outlet that is an opening through which the drawn-in air is blown out, and side portions provided on the left and right of the outlet, a heat exchanger that receives the air blown out from the outlet, and a housing that has a top plate, a bottom plate, and side plates and houses the scroll casing and the heat exchanger. An inner surface of at least one of the side surfaces is provided with a straightening portion that extends linearly from an upper edge side to a lower edge side of the air outlet as it approaches the air outlet, and straightens the air blown out from the air outlet. The rectifying portion is formed by recessing the side surface into a groove shape, and is curved in an arc shape so as to fit the circumferential surface of the sirocco fan. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the efficiency of heat exchange between the heat exchanger and the air blown out from the fan. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the rotation axis of a sirocco fan of an indoor unit included in an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Vertical cross section of indoor unit [Figure 3] Vertical cross-sectional view of the housing and the blower fan [Figure 4] Diagram showing the flow rectification groove [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a housing and a blower fan included in an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a housing and a blower fan included in an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors arrived at the idea of ​​this disclosure, there was technology available that allowed the duct connection flange connected to the outlet side of the sirocco fan of an air conditioner that blows air to exchange heat with a heat exchanger to be freely moved, thereby freely changing the opening size of the outlet. This made it possible for this air conditioner to change the opening area of ​​the outlet to suit connecting ducts of various lengths and shapes. In an air conditioner, a diffuser is provided on the sirocco fan, and the diffuser is further provided with a flow diverter plate that spreads the direction of the air being blown out horizontally and multiple mounting parts for attaching the flow diverter plate, so that the flow diverter plate can be attached to a specific mounting part selected from the multiple mounting parts.This makes it possible to switch the flow of the air being blown out from the diffuser provided on the sirocco fan in this air conditioner.

[0009] However, in conventional air conditioners, air blown from a sirocco fan is blown in the radial direction of the sirocco fan and flows unevenly toward the outer periphery of the scroll casing that houses the sirocco fan. As a result, the air blown from the outlets in the scroll casing flows faster on the outer periphery of the scroll casing and slower on the inner periphery of the scroll casing. Consequently, the air blown from the sirocco fan is unevenly directed toward a portion of the heat exchanger. This results in a greater amount of heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant in a portion of the heat exchanger to which more air is blown, compared with a smaller amount of heat exchange with other portions of the heat exchanger to which less air is blown. The inventors discovered a problem with conventional air conditioners, namely, a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger and the air. To solve this problem, the present disclosure constitutes the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0010] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air conditioner that can improve the heat exchange efficiency between the heat exchanger and the air blown out from the fan. Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In each figure, the symbol FR indicates the front of the indoor unit in a flat-hanging state, the symbol UP indicates the top of the indoor unit, and the symbol RH indicates the right of the indoor unit. In the following description, each direction is along the direction of these indoor units. [1-1.Configuration] [1-1-1. Air conditioner configuration] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the rotation axis 78 of the sirocco fan 52 of the indoor unit 10 provided in the air conditioner 1. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cross section passing through the rotation axis 78 of the sirocco fan 52 and along the front-rear and left-right directions of the indoor unit 10.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment includes an indoor unit 10. The air conditioner 1 includes a refrigeration cycle for the air conditioner 1 formed by a heat exchanger 69 housed in the indoor unit 10, a pressure reducing device such as a compressor and an electronic expansion valve housed in the outdoor unit, an outdoor heat exchanger, etc. The air conditioner 1 conditions the specified space to be conditioned by circulating a refrigerant through this refrigeration cycle.

[0013] The indoor unit 10 is an indoor unit of a duct-type air conditioner 1 that is installed in a ceiling space, inside a wall, or under the floor. The indoor unit 10 is formed so that the arrangement direction of the air outlet can be changed so that the air blowing direction can be changed depending on the installation location. For example, when blowing air horizontally, the indoor unit 10 is installed in a so-called flat-hanging state, with the air outlet located to the side. When blowing air upward, the indoor unit 10 is installed in a so-called vertical-hanging state, with the air outlet located above. In the following description, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction when the indoor unit 10 is installed in a flat-hanging state.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 10. Fig. 2 is a cross-section view of the indoor unit 10 taken along the front-to-rear and up-to-down directions, passing through a position avoiding the multiple blower fans 35, as viewed from the left of the indoor unit. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 10 has a housing 19 made up of a front panel 11, a back panel 12, a pair of side panels, a right panel 13 and a left panel 14, a bottom panel 15, and a top panel 16. The front panel 11 is provided with an outlet port 18, which is a rectangular opening, across the entire left-right direction. The back panel 12 is provided with an intake port 59, which is also a rectangular opening.

[0015] The internal space of the housing 19 is divided into an air blowing chamber 22 and a heat exchange chamber 23 by a partition plate 21 . The partition plate 21 is a flat plate member having a predetermined length, and both ends of the partition plate 21 in the longitudinal direction are connected to the approximate centers of the right side plate 13 and the left side plate 14, respectively.

[0016] In the blower chamber 22, an electric motor 54 and a plurality of blower fans 35 are arranged. The electric motor 54 is a so-called motor. Each blower fan 35 includes a sirocco fan 52, a scroll casing 56, and a main plate 71. The sirocco fan 52 is a centrifugal fan and includes a rotating shaft 78. The sirocco fans 52 included in the multiple blower fans 35 are connected to one another by the rotating shaft 78. The scroll casing 56 is a casing that houses the sirocco fan 52. The scroll casing 56 is provided with an opening 57 that takes in air as the sirocco fan 52 rotates, and a duct-like blower section 65 that sends out the air taken in by the sirocco fan 52 in a predetermined direction.

[0017] The electric motor 54 is connected to a rotary shaft 78 of the sirocco fan 52 and drives the sirocco fan 52 to rotate via the rotary shaft 78 . As shown in Fig. 1, in this embodiment, three blower fans 35 are arranged in the blower chamber 22. Note that the configuration in Fig. 1 is an example, and the number of electric motors 54 and blower fans 35 provided in the indoor unit 10 is not limited.

[0018] The partition plate 21 is provided with a plurality of communication openings 25 that communicate with the air blowing chamber 22 and the heat exchange chamber 23, and a blowing section 65 of the blower fan 35 is joined to each of these communication openings 25. In addition, an opening 57 of the blower fan 35 opens into the air blowing chamber 22.

[0019] When the blower fan 35 operates, the blower fan 35 draws air from the blower chamber 22 through the intake port 59, causing outside air to flow into the blower chamber 22. The outside air is then sent by the blower fan 35 to the heat exchange chamber 23 through the communication opening 25 formed in the partition plate 21. That is, the blower chamber 22 is a space on the primary side of the blower fan 35, and the heat exchange chamber 23 is a space on the secondary side.

[0020] A heat exchanger 69 is disposed in the heat exchange chamber 23. The heat exchanger 69 is a user-side heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit, or as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant.

[0021] The heat exchanger 69 of this embodiment is a so-called fin-and-tube type heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger 69 is formed in the shape of a long, flat plate overall, with multiple metal fins joined to copper refrigerant pipes. Refrigerant sent from the outdoor unit flows into one end of this refrigerant pipe, flows through the entire heat exchanger 69 via the refrigerant pipe, and then flows out again to the outdoor unit from the other end of the refrigerant pipe.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 69 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the left-right direction of the heat exchange chamber 23. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger 69 is arranged in the heat exchange chamber 23 at an angle from the front panel 11 toward the partition panel 21 as it moves from the upper edge to the lower edge of the heat exchanger 69. That is, the heat exchanger 69 is disposed so that its up-down direction is oblique to the up-down direction of the partition plate 21 when viewed from the side of the indoor unit 10. As a result, the heat exchanger 69 is disposed with one flat surface facing the partition plate 21 and each blower 65 and the other flat surface facing the discharge port 18 .

[0023] The air sent to the air chamber 22 by the blower fan 35 exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe as it passes through the heat exchanger 69, mainly through the gaps between the fins, and is exhausted from the outlet 18 formed in the front panel 11.

[0024] [1-1-2. Blower fan configuration] Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing 19 and the blower fan 35. Fig. 3 is a cross-section passing through approximately the center in the left-right direction of one blower fan 35 and along the front-rear and up-down directions of the indoor unit 10, as viewed from the left of the indoor unit 10. Next, the configuration of the blower fan 35 will be described in detail. As described above, the blower fan 35 includes the sirocco fan 52 that exhausts air in the radial direction, and the scroll casing 56 that houses the sirocco fan 52. Sirocco fan 52 is a centrifugal fan formed in a drum or cylindrical shape with a large number of blades arranged in the circumferential direction. As shown in Figure 3, sirocco fan 52 is formed in a substantially annular shape when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis.

[0025] The scroll casing 56 is provided with a casing body 84 that houses the sirocco fan 52, and a blower 65 that protrudes from the casing body 84 in one direction. Casing body 84 includes a pair of side plates 72 located in the direction of the rotation axis of sirocco fan 52. As described above, each side plate 72 is provided with openings 57 that open in the direction of the rotation axis of sirocco fan 52. Blower fan 35 draws air through openings 57 as sirocco fan 52 rotates.

[0026] The air blower 65 is formed in a duct shape and includes an upper surface portion 61 that forms the upper surface of the air blower 65, a lower surface portion 62 that forms the lower surface, and side surface portions 63 that form the left and right side surfaces of the air blower 65. Each side surface portion 63 is a flat plate portion that is continuous with each side plate 72. An air outlet 58, which is an opening, is provided at the end of the blower 65 opposite the casing body 84. The air outlet 58 has an open end 66 formed by the edges of the upper surface 61, the lower surface 62, and the side surfaces 63.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow rectifying groove 60. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of flow straightening grooves 60 are provided on at least one of the side surface portions 63. These flow straightening grooves 60 are an example of the flow straightening portion recited in the claims of the present disclosure. More specifically, these flow straightening grooves 60 are flow straightening portions formed by recessing the inner surface 73, which is the flat surface on the interior side of the scroll casing 56, in a groove-like shape. These flow straightening grooves 60 are linear grooves extending from the open end 66 toward the side plate 72, and are arranged in the up-and-down direction of the scroll casing 56 at predetermined intervals so as to be approximately parallel to one another. Each of these flow straightening grooves 60 is formed to be curved in an arc so as to fit along the circumferential surface of the sirocco fan 52. In other words, these linear flow straightening grooves 60 are formed to describe a curve with a predetermined curvature.

[0028] In this embodiment, the ends of these straightening grooves 60 located on the opposite side to the air outlet 58 are positioned farther away from the air outlet 58 than the vertical plane 83 passing through the rotation axis 53 when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis 53. Here, the vertical plane 83 is an imaginary plane that is parallel to the up-down direction of the indoor unit 10 and parallel to the left-right direction of the indoor unit 10. This vertical plane 83 is perpendicular to the top plate 16. The end of each straightening groove 60 located on the opposite side to the air outlet 58 intersects this vertical plane 83 and is located at a position further away from the air outlet 58 side than the vertical plane 83.

[0029] In each straightening groove 60, when an imaginary line L1 is drawn from the upstream end point of the straightening groove 60 to the end point on the open end 66 side, the angle θ1 formed by the imaginary line L1 and the top plate 16 is larger than the angle θ2 of the upper surface portion 61 with respect to the top plate 16. In addition, this angle θ1 is smaller than the angle θ3 formed by the tangent line L2 of the sirocco fan 52 drawn from the most downstream position of the lower surface portion 62 with respect to the top plate 16.

[0030] [1-2. Operation] The operation of the air conditioner 1 configured as above will now be described. In the air conditioner 1, when the sirocco fan 52 is operating, air is drawn in through the intake port 59, flows into the scroll casing 56 in the direction of the rotation axis through the opening 57, and is blown out from the blower section 65 to the heat exchanger 69. The conditioned air that has been heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 69 is then discharged from the discharge port 70. The air exhausted from sirocco fan 52 is blown out in the radial direction of sirocco fan 52 and flows unevenly toward the outer periphery of scroll casing 56. For this reason, the air blown out from blower section 65 of scroll casing 56 flows faster in the upper part of heat exchanger 69 and slower in the lower part. Therefore, the amount of heat exchanged by the refrigerant flowing into the lower part of heat exchanger 69 is smaller than the amount of heat exchanged by the refrigerant flowing into the upper part, which could result in a decrease in heat exchange efficiency.

[0031] In this embodiment, by providing the straightening grooves 60, the airflow that is radially exhausted from the sirocco fan 52 and that is biased toward the outer periphery within the scroll casing 56 is guided toward the straightening grooves 60, and the airflow near the straightening grooves 60 is further attracted by the guided airflow and deflected downward toward the air outlet 58. In this way, the airflow blown out from the scroll casing 56 is deflected downward from the outlet 58, thereby increasing the wind speed of the air flowing into the lower part of the heat exchanger 69, improving the vertical wind speed distribution of the air flowing into the heat exchanger 69 and increasing the heat exchange efficiency.

[0032] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in the present embodiment, air conditioner 1 includes scroll casing 56 having sirocco fan 52 that exhausts air in a radial direction, opening 57 that houses sirocco fan 52 and through which air is drawn in from the direction of rotation axis 53 of sirocco fan 52 as sirocco fan 52 rotates, outlet 58 that is an opening through which the drawn-in air is blown out, and side surface portions 63 provided on the left and right of outlet 58. Air conditioner 1 also includes heat exchanger 69 that receives air blown out from the outlet, and housing 19 that includes top plate 16, bottom plate 15, right side plate 13, and left side plate 14 and houses scroll casing 56 and heat exchanger 69. At least one side surface portion 63 has inner surface 73 provided with rectifying groove 60 that extends linearly from upper edge 86 of outlet 58 toward lower edge 88 of outlet 58 as it approaches outlet 58, rectifying the flow of air blown out from outlet 58.

[0033] As a result, the intake air is deflected downward as the airflow blown out from the scroll casing 56, increasing the wind speed of the air flowing into the lower part of the heat exchanger 69, improving the vertical wind speed distribution of the air flowing into the heat exchanger 69 and increasing the heat exchange efficiency.

[0034] As in the present embodiment, scroll casing 56 has an upper surface portion 61 that is continuous with an upper edge 86 of air outlet 58. An angle θ1 formed between top plate 16 and an imaginary straight line L1 that connects an end of rectifying groove 60 located on the upstream side of the air flowing through the scroll casing and an end of rectifying groove 60 located on the air outlet 58 side may be set to be larger than an angle θ2 formed between top plate 16 and upper surface portion 61, and smaller than an angle θ3 formed between top plate 16 and a tangent line L2 of sirocco fan 52 that passes through a lower edge 88 of the air outlet. As a result, the airflow biased toward the outer periphery inside the scroll casing is guided toward the straightening grooves, and the airflow near the straightening grooves is attracted by the guided airflow and deflected downward, allowing the air drawn in by the rotation of sirocco fan 52 to be guided more smoothly toward underside 62 of air outlet 58.

[0035] (Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing 19 and the blower fan 35 provided in the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0036] [2-1.Configuration] 5, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, when viewed from the direction of the rotation shaft 53, the flow straightening grooves 60 are formed only in an area on the air outlet 58 side of a vertical plane 83 that passes through the rotation shaft 53. The ends of these flow straightening grooves 60 that are located on the opposite side to the air outlet 58 side are positioned at a predetermined distance from the vertical plane 83.

[0037] [2-2. Operation] In the air conditioner 1 configured as described above, the airflow exhausted from the sirocco fan 52 is discharged in a tangential direction, and the airflow exhausted from the outlet 58 side of the vertical plane 83 passing through the rotation axis 53 does not have a vertical velocity vector that would direct it toward the top plate 16, so it flows in and is deflected without colliding with the side of the straightening groove 60. Therefore, the air taken into the scroll casing 56 is gradually deflected, which suppresses the occurrence of pressure loss and makes it possible to maintain the air volume.

[0038] (Embodiment 3) Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing 19 and the blower fan 35 provided in the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] [3-1.Configuration] 5, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, when viewed from the direction of the rotation shaft 53, the flow straightening grooves 60 extend from the vicinity of a vertical plane 83 passing through the rotation shaft 53 toward the air outlet 58. Furthermore, the ends of these flow straightening grooves 60 located on the opposite side from the air outlet 58 side are positioned at positions sufficiently closer to the vertical plane 83 from the air outlet 58 side than the flow straightening grooves 60 shown in the second embodiment.

[0040] [3-2. Operation] As a result, the airflow exhausted from sirocco fan 52 passes through vertical plane 83 that passes through rotation shaft 53 inside scroll casing 56, and the airflow direction becomes approximately horizontal toward air outlet 58, and flows into rectifying groove 60. As a result, the air is gradually deflected within rectifying groove 60, which makes it possible to suppress sudden deflection and improve rectification.

[0041] (Other embodiments) As described above, Embodiments 1 to 3 have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to these and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in Embodiments 1 to 3 above to create new embodiments. Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

[0042] In the above-mentioned embodiments 1, 2 and 3, examples are shown in which the straightening groove 60 is provided from the upstream side to the opening end 66, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the end or partition of the straightening groove 60 on the opening end 66 side may be located between the upstream side and the opening end 66.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, an example is shown in which the cross-sectional shape of the flow straightening grooves 60 is rectangular. This allows the air flowing into the flow straightening grooves 60 to be enclosed and prevented from flowing out of the flow straightening grooves 60. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and various widths, depths, cross-sectional shapes, and end shapes may be adopted as long as they are capable of guiding the airflow.

[0044] Furthermore, various curves, curvatures, and angles may be employed for the flow straightening grooves 60 as long as they can guide the airflow from the upstream side toward the opening end 66. For example, when the flow straightening grooves 60 are formed near the highest point of the sirocco fan 52 on the side surface 63, the flow straightening grooves 60 may be formed so that they start to extend parallel to the horizontal direction and then extend toward the opening end toward the lower surface 62. In this way, the airflow exhausted from the highest point of the sirocco fan 52 is exhausted in the tangential direction of the sirocco fan 52, thereby preventing the airflow from colliding with the inner surface 73 of the flow straightening grooves 60.

[0045] Furthermore, for example, the upstream end surface and the open end 66 end surface of the flow straightening groove 60 may be joined to the side surface portion 63 in various shapes. For example, in the first embodiment described above, the upstream end face of the flow straightening groove 60 is connected to the side face portion 63 in an R-shape. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of pressure loss due to a step in the airflow flowing into the flow straightening groove 60. Similarly, the corner of the end face located on the opening end 66 side, on the underside 62 side of the flow straightening groove 60, is R-shaped. This makes it possible to suppress separation at the corner when the airflow inside the flow straightening groove 60 is blown downward.

[0046] In the above-described first, second, and third embodiments, examples have been shown in which the same shape of the flow straightening grooves 60 is maintained from the upstream side to the open end 66 side, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, in the air conditioner 1, the width, depth, cross-sectional shape, and end shape of the flow straightening grooves 60 may be changed any number of times from the upstream side to the open end 66 side, as long as the air conditioner 1 is capable of guiding the airflow from the upstream side to the open end 66 side.

[0047] In the above-mentioned embodiments 1, 2 and 3, examples are shown in which straightening grooves 60 of the same angle and shape are arranged in a row from the straightening grooves 60 on the upper surface portion 61 side to the straightening grooves 60 on the lower surface portion 62 side, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and different shapes and combinations of angles, curvatures and lengths may be adopted. Furthermore, when arranging the flow regulation grooves 60 on the left and right side surface portions 63, they do not have to be symmetrical, and different shapes, numbers, angles, lengths, and arrangements may be used in combination.

[0048] Furthermore, for example, when arranging the flow straightening grooves 60, it is preferable to provide the flow straightening grooves 60 extending from at least the vicinity of the upper surface portion 61. This makes it possible to deflect most of the airflow that has been biased toward the outer periphery of the scroll casing 56 due to the centrifugal force of the sirocco fan 52 downward.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above-described first, second, and third embodiments, the flow straightening grooves 60 are formed as an example of a flow straightening portion, but this is not limiting, and protrusions protruding from the inner surface 73 may also be used as means for deflecting the airflow downward. Similar to the flow straightening grooves 60, these protrusions are formed in a linear shape extending from the open end 66 toward the side plate 72, and a plurality of protrusions are arranged in the up-down direction of the scroll casing 56 at predetermined intervals so as to be substantially parallel to one another. Each of these protrusions is formed in an arc-like curve so as to fit along the circumferential surface of the sirocco fan 52, and is formed to describe a curve with a predetermined curvature. The airflow discharged from sirocco fan 52 is straightened by the protruding portions and gradually deflected downward, thereby suppressing the occurrence of pressure loss due to abrupt deflection of the airflow.

[0050] Furthermore, any manufacturing method, assembly method, material, or raw material may be used when arranging the rectifying grooves 60. For example, the rectifying grooves 60 are arranged in the air conditioner 1 by attaching detachable attachment-type grooves 60 to the side surface portion 63. This makes it possible to change the shape of the rectifying grooves 60 to an attachment-type groove, and to change the diffusion direction of the blown airflow depending on the specifications of the heat exchanger 69 and the position where the scroll casing 56 is attached to the heat exchanger 69.

[0051] In the above embodiment 1, an example is shown in which a scroll casing 56 containing two connected sirocco fans 52 is arranged around the center in the direction of rotation axis 53, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and sirocco fans 52 and scroll casings 56 of various shapes, numbers, combinations, and arrangements may be used.

[0052] In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, an example is shown in which the I-shaped heat exchanger 69 is positioned so that the distance from the side of the scroll casing 56 where the outlet 58 is located is large, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and heat exchangers 69 of various shapes and positions may be adopted.

[0053] The above-described embodiment is merely an example of one aspect of the present invention, and any modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0054] The present disclosure can deflect the airflow blown from the scroll casing downward, and therefore can be applied to refrigeration cycle devices such as ceiling-mounted duct-type indoor units, ceiling-suspended indoor units, and floor-standing indoor units, as well as to drying devices and air intake and exhaust ventilation devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Air conditioner 10 Indoor unit 15 Bottom plate 16 Top plate 18 Outlet 19. Cabinet 35 Blower fan 52 Sirocco fan 53 Rotation axis 56 Scroll casing 57 Opening 58 Air outlet 59 Intake port 60 Rectification groove (rectification part) 61 Top part 62 Bottom part 63 Side part 65 Blower 66 Open End 69 Heat exchanger 70 outlet 72 Side Panel 73 Inner surface 78 Rotational Axis L1 Virtual line (straight line) L2 tangent θ1, θ2, θ3 angles

Claims

1. a sirocco fan that exhausts air in a radial direction; a scroll casing that houses the sirocco fan and includes an opening that draws air in from the direction of the rotation axis of the sirocco fan as the sirocco fan rotates, an outlet that is an opening through which the drawn air is blown out, and side portions provided on the left and right of the outlet; a heat exchanger that receives the air blown out from the air outlet; a housing including a top plate, a bottom plate, and a side plate, and accommodating the scroll casing and the heat exchanger; An inner surface of at least one of the side surfaces is provided with a rectifying portion that extends linearly from an upper edge side to a lower edge side of the air outlet as it approaches the air outlet, and rectifies the air blown out from the air outlet, The rectifying portion is formed by recessing the side surface into a groove shape, and is curved in an arc shape so as to fit along the circumferential surface of the sirocco fan. An air conditioner characterized by the above.

2. the scroll casing has an upper surface portion continuous with an upper edge of the air outlet, The angle formed by a straight line connecting an end of the rectifying portion located on the upstream side of the air flowing through the scroll casing and an end of the rectifying portion located on the air outlet side, and the top plate is: the angle between the top plate and the upper surface portion is larger than the angle formed by the top plate and the upper surface portion, The angle is smaller than the angle formed by the tangent of the sirocco fan passing through the lower edge of the air outlet and the top plate.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. The airflow rectifying portion is formed in a region on the air outlet side of a vertical plane that passes through the rotation axis and is perpendicular to the top plate, as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The rectifying unit is provided, when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis, over a position that passes through the rotation axis and approaches a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the top plate. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The flow regulating portion is formed by recessing the side surface portion into a groove shape.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are electrically connected to the first and second electrodes.

6. The flow regulating portion is formed to protrude from the side surface portion.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are electrically connected to the first and second electrodes.

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