air conditioning unit

Abstract

To extend a transportation distance of air-conditioned air even in the case of a skeleton ceiling.SOLUTION: An air-conditioning device 100 includes: a nozzle 10 for blowing air; an open duct 13 for guiding the air blown out from the nozzle, the open duct extending in a horizontal direction and including a lower part that is open along a duct longitudinal direction; and a partition plate 14 extending in the duct longitudinal direction inside the open duct to partition the interior of the open duct.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to air conditioning systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, air conditioners are known that condition a room by blowing conditioned air from a nozzle. The nozzle is positioned at a height near the ceiling and blows the conditioned air horizontally. The blown conditioned air is transported while adhering to the ceiling surface using the Coanda effect, which enables the air to be transported over an extended distance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-87671 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in recent years, an increasing number of architectural designs have adopted skeleton ceilings to ensure ceiling height while keeping floor heights low. However, because skeleton ceilings do not have a flat ceiling surface, the airflow transport effect of the Coanda effect cannot be expected.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an air conditioning device that can extend the transport distance of conditioned air even in the case of a skeleton ceiling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, A nozzle that blows out air, an open duct that guides the air blown out from the nozzle, the open duct extending in a horizontal direction and having a lower portion that is open along the duct longitudinal direction; a partition plate extending in the longitudinal direction of the open duct and dividing the inside of the open duct; An air conditioning device comprising:

[0007] Preferably, the partition plate divides the flow path in the open duct in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the duct.

[0008] Preferably, the open duct has a semicircular cross section, and a single partition plate is suspended from the top of the open duct when viewed from the front.

[0009] Preferably, the air conditioning device includes a closing member attached to the open duct for closing a flow path within the open duct.

[0010] Preferably, the closure member is removably attached to the open duct. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, the transport distance of conditioned air can be extended even in the case of a skeleton ceiling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the air conditioning device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connection between the nozzle and the open duct. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the open duct and the partition plate. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing the operation of a comparative example. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the present embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing the flow of conditioned air in an open duct. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing the operation when the closing member is attached. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a closing member of a first modified example. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 14. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the closing member of the first modified example alone. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a closing member of a second modified example. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 17. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system according to this embodiment. The air conditioning system 100 is configured to condition the interior of a room R, which is the target of air conditioning. In this embodiment, the room R is used as an office, but its use is arbitrary. For convenience, the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom directions are defined as shown in the figure.

[0015] Room R has a floor 1, walls 2, and a ceiling 3. Of these, the ceiling 3 is a skeleton ceiling, and is composed of a ceiling wall 4 that is the building's framework, and various accessories (not shown) attached to the ceiling wall 4. The accessories are, for example, lighting fixtures, wiring, piping, etc., and are exposed inside the room R. Unlike a normal ceiling, there is no ceiling wall as an interior material that conceals the accessories. Therefore, the ceiling 3 of this embodiment is not flat, but has bumps and does not have a flat ceiling surface that extends across the entire room R like a normal ceiling. Therefore, the airflow transport effect due to the Coanda effect cannot be expected.

[0016] Air conditioner 100 has nozzles 10 that blow temperature-adjusted air, i.e., conditioned air (indicated by arrow A), into room R, and air supply device 11 that supplies conditioned air to nozzle 10. Air supply device 11 is installed outside room R, and supplies conditioned air to nozzle 10 through air supply pipe 12.

[0017] The nozzle 10 is provided on the rear wall 2. The nozzle 10 penetrates the rear wall 2 and protrudes into the room R, and is arranged horizontally at a height position of the ceiling 3, specifically at a height position a predetermined distance below the ceiling wall 4. The nozzle 10 blows out conditioned air from the rear to the front at a position near the wall 2. Note that the nozzle 10 does not have to protrude into the room R, and may be provided flush with the wall 2.

[0018] As also shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 100 is equipped with an open duct (or open air duct) 13 that guides the air blown out from the nozzle 10, i.e., the conditioned air. The open duct 13 extends horizontally from the rear to the front, with its lower portion open along the duct's longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction). The lower portion of the open duct 13 is open over its entire length in the duct's longitudinal direction. The open duct 13 is disposed at the height of the ceiling 3, and is disposed horizontally at the same height as the nozzle 10. The base end, i.e., rear end, of the open duct 13 is connected coaxially to the tip, i.e., front end, of the nozzle 10 in a butt-to-coaxial manner. An imaginary line b in FIG. 2 indicates the boundary between the open duct 13 and the nozzle 10. The open duct 13 and the nozzle 10 extend linearly from the rear to the front.

[0019] The air conditioner 100 also includes a partition plate 14 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the open duct 13 and separates the inside of the open duct 13 .

[0020] Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the open duct 13 and the partition plate 14. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 3.

[0021] 3 and 4, the open duct 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open bottom, specifically, in a semi-cylindrical shape with an open lower half, and has a semicircular cross section. The open duct 13 of this embodiment is made from the same material as the nozzle 10, specifically, the cylindrical nozzle 10 material is split vertically into two equal parts, top and bottom, and the open duct 13 is formed from the upper half of these.

[0022] The open duct 13 comprises a duct body 15 having a semicircular cross section and made of a solid insulating material, specifically glass wool, and a skin material 16 bonded to the outer circumferential surface and lower end surface of the duct body 15. The skin material 16 is formed from a heat-shielding material, specifically glass fiber reinforced aluminum foil. The nozzle 10 comprises a nozzle body having a circular cross section and a skin material bonded to its outer circumferential surface. The materials of the nozzle body and the skin material are the same as those of the duct body 15 and the skin material 16.

[0023] The partition plate 14 is generally formed in a relatively long rectangular shape spanning the entire length of the open duct 13. In the present embodiment, a single partition plate 14 is suspended from the top of the open duct 13 when viewed from the front (FIG. 4). That is, the partition plate 14 is arranged to extend in the front-to-rear and up-down directions, and the upper end of the partition plate 14 is supported on the top of the open duct 13, thereby suspending and supporting the partition plate 14 from the open duct 13. The upper end of the partition plate 14 is in contact with or in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 17 of the duct body 15 of the open duct 13 to minimize air leakage. The partition plate 14 is formed from a metal or resin plate material, and in this embodiment, it is formed from a steel plate.

[0024] 3 and 5, the configuration of the attachment portion of the partition plate 14 to the open duct 13 will be described. A plurality of attachment tabs 18 (only one shown) projecting upward are integrally formed at a predetermined interval along the length of the partition plate 14 at the upper end. The attachment tabs 18 are inserted from below into slits 19 formed at the upper end of the open duct 13 (duct body 15 and skin 16). The upper end (shown by imaginary line c) of the attachment tab 18 projecting upward from the open duct 13 is divided into two pieces by a notch 20. One (front) segment 21A of the upper end is bent at a right angle to one side (right side) in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the duct longitudinal direction (front-rear direction). The other (rear) segment 21B of the upper end is bent at a right angle to the other side (left side) in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the duct longitudinal direction (front-rear direction). These divided pieces 21A, 21B prevent the attachment tab 18 from coming off and suspend and support the partition plate 14. Tape 22, similar to that of the skin material 16, is adhered to the folded divided pieces 21A, 21B and their surroundings, and this tape 22 covers and conceals the divided pieces 21A, 21B.

[0025] It should be noted that other methods are also possible for attaching the partition plate 14. For example, the partition plate 14 may be screwed to the open duct 13, or the partition plate 14 may be formed integrally with the open duct 13.

[0026] When the partition plate 14 is attached in this manner and the inside of the open duct 13 is divided into left and right, the flow path 9 in the open duct 13 is divided into a right flow path 9R and a left flow path 9L.

[0027] In this way, the partition plate 14 divides the flow path 9 in the open duct 13 in a horizontal direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the duct. In this embodiment, the partition plate 14 divides the flow path 9 in the open duct 13 into two equal parts, a right flow path 9R and a left flow path 9L.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the attachment portion of the open duct 13 to the ceiling wall 4 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0029] A clamping member 25 for gripping the open duct 13 is attached to the outer periphery of the open duct 13. The clamping member 25 is formed from a metal or resin plate, and in this embodiment, is formed from a steel plate. The clamping member 25 integrally includes an outer periphery gripping portion 26 having a semicircular cross section that fits along the outer periphery surface 29 of the open duct 13, and lower end support portions 28 that are bent and formed at both ends of the outer periphery gripping portion 26, i.e., the lower left and right ends, and that support a lower end surface 27 of the open duct 13 from below.

[0030] The front and rear ends of the clamping material 25 are adhered to the outer peripheral surface 29 and the lower end surface 27 of the open duct 13 with the same tape 22 as above. In this way, the clamping material 25 is fixed to the open duct 13.

[0031] A bracket 30 with an L-shaped cross section is fixed to the upper end and intermediate portion of the clamping member 25 in the front-to-rear direction with a plurality of screws 31 (tapping screws in this embodiment). The bracket 30 has a seat portion 32 that sits on the clamping member 25 and a protruding piece portion 33 that bends upward at a right angle from the seat portion 32. The screws 31 are inserted from above into holes 34 in the seat portion 32 and fixed to the clamping member 25, thereby fixing the bracket 30 to the clamping member 25.

[0032] The lower end of a connecting member 36 (see FIG. 1) suspended from the ceiling wall 4 is connected with a bolt to the protruding piece 33. A horizontally long hole 35 is provided in the protruding piece 33, and a bolt (not shown) for connecting the connecting member 36 with a bolt is inserted into this long hole 35. In this way, the open duct 13 is supported by being suspended from the ceiling wall 4 at multiple points in the duct longitudinal direction.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the rear end of the open duct 13 is coaxially butt-connected to the front end of the nozzle 10. This connection is preferably an integral connection. In this case, a cylindrical material is split lengthwise halfway and one half is cut away, with one uncut portion serving as the nozzle 10 and the other cut away portion serving as the open duct 13. This improves the rigidity of the connection between the open duct 13 and the nozzle 10 and also provides a pleasing appearance without any steps.

[0034] However, the open duct 13 and the nozzle 10 may be connected as separate members. In this case, for example, they may be directly connected to each other using at least one of an adhesive and the tape 22, or they may be indirectly connected via an intermediate joint member.

[0035] 1, the chamber R has a predetermined length in the front-to-rear direction, and the open duct 13 extends over substantially the entire length of the chamber R. The partition plate 14 also extends over the same length as the open duct 13. The open duct 13 is open not only at its bottom but also at its front end.

[0036] The room R is partitioned into a plurality of spaces from the rear to the front, and in this embodiment, it is partitioned into roughly three spaces S1, S2, and S3. In the illustrated example, a person M is present in each of the spaces S1 to S3, and is performing work or tasks.

[0037] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. Here, it is assumed that the air conditioner 100 is used as a cooling device, and the conditioned air is cooler than the air in the room R. However, the air conditioner 100 is not limited to being used as a cooling device, and can also be used as a heating device or a simple air blower.

[0038] First, a comparative example different from this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In this comparative example, the open duct 13 is not provided, and only the nozzle 10 is provided.

[0039] In this case, the conditioned air (indicated by arrow A) tends to descend relatively rapidly immediately after being blown out of the nozzle 10 due to the difference in density resulting from the temperature difference with the air in room R. In addition, because the ceiling 3 is a skeleton ceiling, it is difficult to transport the conditioned air to the rear by the Coanda effect.

[0040] As a result, the transport distance of the conditioned air is relatively short, and a temperature difference is likely to occur between the rear space and the front space within room R, which can result in a situation where the rear space (e.g., S1) is cool while the front space (e.g., S3) is hot.

[0041] In addition, to compensate for the lack of cooling in the front space, one method is to increase the amount of air blown out from the nozzle 10, but this increases the air conditioning energy and there is also the risk of the rear space becoming overcooled.

[0042] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 8, in the case of this embodiment, the conditioned air blown out from the nozzle 10 is guided by the open duct 13 immediately after being blown out and is transported to the front end of the open duct 13. That is, as shown in Fig. 9, the conditioned air A flows through the right flow path 9R and the left flow path 9L while adhering to the inner circumferential surface 17 of the open duct 13 and the surface of the partition plate 14 due to the Coanda effect. Therefore, the conditioned air can be transported efficiently, and the downward movement of the conditioned air during transport can be suppressed, allowing the conditioned air to be transported farther to the rear. That is, the transport distance of the conditioned air can be extended compared to the comparative example.

[0043] During transport through the open duct 13, part of the conditioned air descends and diffuses due to density differences resulting from temperature differences with the air in room R. This flow of conditioned air tends to continue to the front end of the open duct 13. Therefore, the conditioned air is distributed as evenly as possible throughout room R, suppressing temperature differences between the rear and front spaces in room R and improving the thermal environment.

[0044] In particular, in this embodiment, the partition plate 14 is provided, which increases the adhesion area of ​​the conditioned air and increases the amount of air that is transported. Therefore, the conditioned air can be transported farther than in the absence of the partition plate 14, and the transport energy can be reduced. In other words, there is no need to provide a powerful fan to transport the conditioned air farther.

[0045] As described above, according to this embodiment, even in the case of a skeleton ceiling, the transport distance of conditioned air can be extended.

[0046] Although the present embodiment can transport conditioned air to a farther rearward position, as shown in FIG. 10, if there is no person M in the rear space (e.g., S3), transporting the conditioned air to the rear would result in a waste of transport energy.

[0047] Therefore, the air conditioner 100 of this embodiment is provided with a closing member 40 that closes the flow path 9 in the open duct 13 in order to stop the transport of the conditioned air midway. This will be described below.

[0048] Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the closing member 40 attached to the open duct 13. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 is a front view showing the closing member 40 alone.

[0049] The closing member 40 is a substantially semicircular plate-like member that matches the cross-sectional shape inside the duct body 15 when viewed from the front. Like the duct body 15, the closing member 40 comprises a substantially semicircular member body 41 made of a solid heat insulating material, specifically glass wool, and a member skin material 42 bonded to the entire surface (front surface) and back surface (rear surface) of the member body 41. Like the skin material 16, the member skin material 42 is formed from a heat-shielding material, specifically glass fiber reinforced aluminum foil.

[0050] The closing member 40 also includes a mounting plate 43 attached to the underside of the member body 41 with adhesive or the like. The mounting plate 43 is formed from a metal or resin plate, and in this embodiment is formed from a steel plate. The mounting plate 43 in this embodiment has the same front-to-rear width as the member body 41 and is formed in a strip shape extending in the left-to-right direction.

[0051] The left and right ends of the mounting plate 43 protrude from the member body 41 and are bent upward. That is, protruding portions 45 and bent portions 44 are formed at the left and right ends of the mounting plate 43, and the bent portions 44 and the member body 41 elastically grip the lower end of the duct body 15, so that the closing member 40 can be detachably attached to the duct body 15.

[0052] The left and right bent portions 44 are curved to follow the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the duct body 15. As a result, the left and right bent portions 44 have a shape that narrows upward, which allows the duct body 15 to be firmly gripped and also reliably prevents the closing member 40 from falling off.

[0053] A slit 46 for inserting the partition plate 14 is provided across the entire height at the center of the left and right sides of the member body 41. This allows the closing member 40 to be inserted into the duct body 15 from below without being obstructed by the partition plate 14.

[0054] The closing member 40 can be attached at any position in the longitudinal direction of the open duct 13. The closing member 40 can be easily attached with one touch by simply inserting it into the duct body 15 from below. After attachment, the outer peripheral surface 47 of the member body 41 contacts or is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 17 of the duct body 15, and the inner surface of the slit 46 contacts or is in close contact with the surface of the partition plate 14. This eliminates any gap between the open duct 13 and the closing member 40, preventing conditioned air from leaking through that gap.

[0055] As shown in Figure 10, when there is a person M in spaces S1 and S2 but no person M in space S3, closing member 40 is attached to open duct 13 at a position between spaces S2 and S3. Then, all of the conditioned air transported through flow path R of open duct 13 collides with closing member 40, then bends downward and flows downward. This downward airflow functions like an air curtain, blocking the airflow flowing diagonally downward and rearward from the upstream side. This prevents conditioned air from being transported or supplied unnecessarily to space S3, allowing for efficient use of transport energy.

[0056] Next, a modified example will be described.

[0057] [First Modification] Figures 14 to 16 show a first modified example. Figure 14 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the closing member 40 attached to the open duct 13. Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV in Figure 14, and Figure 16 is a front view showing the closing member 40 alone.

[0058] The closing member 40 of this modified example has ventilation holes 48 that allow conditioned air to pass through. In this modified example, multiple ventilation holes 48 (four in total) are provided symmetrically on the left and right, but the number of ventilation holes 48 is arbitrary and may be one.

[0059] In this modified example, a first ventilation hole 48A is provided along the inner circumferential surface 17 of the duct body 15, and a second ventilation hole 48B is provided along the partition plate 14. These ventilation holes 48A, 48B allow a portion of the conditioned air to pass through, so that the conditioned air can essentially be branched at the position of the closing member 40. In other words, the conditioned air can be branched into an air flow that is blocked by the closing member 40 and bent downward, and an air flow that passes through the ventilation holes 48A, 48B and is transported rearward downstream.

[0060] The first ventilation hole 48A is formed by cutting out the outer peripheral surface 47 of the member body 41, and the second ventilation hole 48B is formed by cutting out the inner surface of the slit 46. As described above, the conditioned air flows while adhering to the inner peripheral surface 17 of the member body 41 and the surface of the partition plate 14, so by providing ventilation holes 48A, 48B at positions along these surfaces, it is possible to allow a portion of the conditioned air to pass through efficiently.

[0061] The configuration of this modified example is advantageous, for example, when it is desired to send only a small amount of conditioned air to the space behind the closing member 40.

[0062] [Second Modification] 17 and 18 show a second modified example. Fig. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the closing member 40 attached to the open duct 13. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in Fig. 17.

[0063] This modified example has lids 49 that selectively close the ventilation holes 48. The lids 49 are detachably attached to the respective ventilation holes 48 from the rear (upstream side) by press-fitting. However, the method of attaching the lids 49 is arbitrary. Two types of lids 49A, 49B are provided corresponding to the two types of ventilation holes 48A, 48B.

[0064] By providing the cover 49 in this manner, it is possible to select, as required, whether to block all of the conditioned air with the closing member 40 or to allow only a portion of the conditioned air to pass rearward. This allows the user to select the preferred flow of conditioned air depending on the situation, thereby improving practicality.

[0065] It is also possible to remove only some of the lids 49. Also, by differentiating the attachment states of the lids 49 in the left and right flow paths R1, R2, it is possible to differentiate the flow and supply methods of the left and right conditioned air.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, various other embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible.

[0067] (1) For example, the cross-sectional shape of the open duct 13 does not necessarily have to be semicircular, but may be any shape, such as a semi-ellipse, a semi-rectangle (U-shape), or a U-shape.

[0068] (2) Multiple partition plates 14 may be provided. Furthermore, the orientation of the partition plates 14 in a front view does not necessarily have to be in the vertical direction. For example, one or more partition plates may protrude radially inward from the inner circumferential surface 17 of the duct body 15.

[0069] (3) The air conditioning device according to the present disclosure can be applied to ceilings other than skeleton ceilings, and can naturally be applied to ordinary ceilings with flat ceiling surfaces.

[0070] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications, applications, and equivalents encompassed within the spirit of the present disclosure as defined by the claims are included in the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited, and can be applied to any other technology that falls within the spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 100 Air conditioner 10 nozzles 13 Open Duct 14 Divider 40 Closing member R, R1, R2 flow path

Claims

1. A nozzle that blows out air, an open duct that guides the air blown out from the nozzle, the open duct extending in a horizontal direction and having a lower portion that is open along the duct longitudinal direction; a partition plate extending in the longitudinal direction of the open duct and dividing the inside of the open duct; Equipped with The open duct is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape with an entire lower end open and has a semi-circular cross section, A single partition plate is suspended from the top of the open duct in a front view, The partition plate extends vertically from the top of the open duct to the height position of the lower end surface of the open duct, and its lower end is a free end, dividing the entire flow path in the open duct in a front view into two in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the duct. An air conditioning device characterized by:

2. a closing member attached to the open duct to close a flow path in the open duct; The air conditioning system according to claim 1 .

3. The closing member is removably attached to the open duct.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2.

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