air conditioner

Abstract

This air conditioner comprises: a housing having formed therein at least two housing blowout openings from which air is blown out; at least two blowers that are provided inside the housing and that respectively send air toward the at least two housing blowout openings; and plenum chambers that are connected to the housing blowout openings of the housing, that blow out, to a space to be air-conditioned, air blown out from the housing blowout openings by the blowers, and that have different volumes of plenum spaces corresponding to two adjacent ones of the housing blowout openings. The plenum chamber has an air-rectifying plate that is provided above a housing blowout opening corresponding to, between the plenum spaces corresponding to two adjacent ones of the housing blowout openings, a plenum space having the smaller volume, and that rectifies air blown out from the corresponding housing blowout opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner including a casing in which a casing side air outlet through which air is blown is formed.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an air conditioner including a casing in which a casing side air outlet through which air is blown is formed is known. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner including a casing in which a duct, which is a casing side air outlet through which air is blown, is formed. In Patent Document 1, air is blown outside the casing through the duct by a blower. Here, an air conditioner is also known in which the air blown out from the casing side air outlet is not directly blown out to the outside of the casing, but the rectified air is blown out through a plenum chamber that rectifies the air blown out from the casing side air outlet. In this case, the plenum chamber is connected to the casing side air outlet side of the casing, and the air blown out from the casing side air outlet is blown into the air conditioning target space.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In an air conditioner including a plenum chamber, generally, at least two casing side air outlets are formed. In the plenum chamber, when the volumes of the plenum spaces corresponding to two adjacent casing side air outlets are different, the air blown out from each casing side air outlet merges above the casing side air outlet corresponding to the side with the larger plenum space volume. Thus, the loads of at least two blowers that respectively send air to at least two casing side air outlets become non-uniform, and there is a possibility of inefficient operation.

[0005] This disclosure was made to solve the above-mentioned problems and provides an air conditioner that operates efficiently by ensuring that the load on at least two blowers, each supplying air to at least two housing-side outlets, is uniform. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The air conditioner of this disclosure comprises a housing formed with at least two housing-side outlets from which air is blown out; at least two blowers provided inside the housing and supplying air to at least two housing-side outlets, respectively; and a plenum chamber connected to the housing-side outlets of the housing and blowing the air blown out from the housing-side outlets by the blowers into a space to be air-conditioned, wherein the volumes of the plenum spaces corresponding to two adjacent housing-side outlets are different, and the plenum chamber is provided above the housing-side outlet corresponding to the smaller volume of the two adjacent housing-side outlets and has a straightening plate that straightens the air blown out from each housing-side outlet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the air conditioner of this disclosure, the plenum chamber is provided above the smaller of the two adjacent housing-side air outlets in the plenum space corresponding to each housing-side air outlet, and has a straightening plate that straightens the air blown out from each housing-side air outlet. As a result, the air blown out from each housing-side air outlet is straightened by the straightening plate and merges in the center of the plenum space corresponding to the two adjacent housing-side air outlets. This equalizes the load on the two blowers, enabling efficient operation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a circuit diagram showing an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is an assembled perspective view showing the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view showing the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the indoor unit body according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the indoor unit body according to Embodiment 1 with the front panel removed. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing the secondary side region of the heat exchanger according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view showing a plenum chamber according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] This is an exploded perspective view showing a plenum chamber according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing the airflow in the plenum chamber according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 10] This figure shows the simulation results illustrating the airflow in the plenum chamber according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram showing the airflow in a plenum chamber related to a comparative example. [Figure 12] This figure shows the simulation results illustrating the airflow in a plenum chamber related to a comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of the air conditioner described herein will be explained below with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. Also, the relationships of the sizes of the components in the following drawings, including Figure 1, may differ from those of the actual components. Furthermore, in the following description, terms indicating direction will be used as appropriate to facilitate understanding of this disclosure, but these terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit this disclosure. Examples of terms indicating direction include "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," or "back."

[0010] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a circuit diagram showing an air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1. The air conditioner 1 is a device that adjusts the air in a space to be air-conditioned, and as shown in Figure 1, it comprises an outdoor unit 2 and an indoor unit 3. The outdoor unit 2 is equipped with, for example, a compressor 6, a flow path switching device 7, an outdoor heat exchanger 8, an outdoor blower 9, an expansion unit 10, and a control box 13. The indoor unit 3 is equipped with, for example, a heat exchanger 11 and a blower 12.

[0011] The compressor 6, flow path switching device 7, outdoor heat exchanger 8, expansion unit 10, and heat exchanger 11 are connected by refrigerant piping 5 to form a refrigerant circuit 4. The compressor 6 draws in refrigerant in a low-temperature and low-pressure state, compresses the drawn-in refrigerant to a high-temperature and high-pressure state, and discharges it. The compressor 6 is, for example, a capacity-controllable inverter compressor. The flow path switching device 7 switches the direction in which the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant circuit 4, and is, for example, a four-way valve. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat between, for example, outdoor air and refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 acts as a condenser during cooling operation and as an evaporator during heating operation. The expansion unit 10 is a pressure reducing valve or expansion valve that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and expands it. The expansion unit 10 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve whose opening degree can be adjusted.

[0012] The heat exchanger 11 exchanges heat between, for example, indoor air and a refrigerant. The heat exchanger 11 acts as an evaporator during cooling operation and as a condenser during heating operation. The blower 12 is a device that supplies indoor air to the heat exchanger 11.

[0013] (Operating mode, Cooling operation) Next, the operation modes of the air conditioner 1 will be described. First, the cooling operation will be explained. In the cooling operation, the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 6 is compressed by the compressor 6 and discharged in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 passes through the flow path switching device 7 and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 8 that acts as a condenser. In the outdoor heat exchanger 8, it exchanges heat with the outdoor air sent by the outdoor blower 9 and condenses and liquefies. The condensed liquid refrigerant flows into the expansion part 10, where it expands and depressurizes to become a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state refrigerant. Then, the gas-liquid two-phase state refrigerant flows into the heat exchanger 11 that acts as an evaporator, where it exchanges heat with the indoor air sent by the blower 12 and evaporates and gasifies. At this time, the indoor air is cooled and cooling is performed indoors. The evaporated low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 7 and is sucked into the compressor 6.

[0014] (Operation mode, heating operation) Next, the heating operation will be described. In the heating operation, the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 6 is compressed by the compressor 6 and discharged in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 passes through the flow path switching device 7 and flows into the heat exchanger 11 that acts as a condenser. In the heat exchanger 11, it exchanges heat with the indoor air sent by the blower 12 and condenses and liquefies. At this time, the indoor air is warmed and heating is performed indoors. The condensed liquid refrigerant flows into the expansion part 10, where it expands and depressurizes to become a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state refrigerant. Then, the gas-liquid two-phase state refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 8 that acts as an evaporator, where it exchanges heat with the outdoor air sent by the outdoor blower 9 and evaporates and gasifies. The evaporated low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 7 and is sucked into the compressor 6.

[0015] Note that the air conditioner 1 may not have the flow path switching device 7. In this case, the air conditioner 1 becomes a cooling-only machine or a heating-only machine.

[0016] (Indoor unit 3) FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view showing the indoor unit 3 according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the indoor unit 3 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indoor unit 3 has an indoor unit main body 3a and a plenum chamber 60 provided above the indoor unit main body 3a.

[0017] (Indoor unit main body 3a) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the indoor unit main body 3a according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the front panel 21 is removed from the indoor unit main body 3a according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the indoor unit main body 3a includes a housing 20 that forms an outer shell, a heat exchanger 11, a blower 12, a drain pan 24 that collects condensed water from the heat exchanger 11, and a control box 13 having a control unit that controls the blower 12 and the like. The indoor unit 3 takes in air from an air intake 21a formed in the front panel 21 of the housing 20 (white arrows in FIGS. 4 and 5). The heat exchanger 11 is disposed inside the air intake 21a.

[0018] Inside the housing 20, an air passage is formed from the air intake 21a formed in the front panel 21 to the housing side air outlet 23a formed in the top plate 23. The air taken into the housing 20 passes through the heat exchanger 11 and is conditioned, and then blows out from the housing side air outlet 23a formed in the top plate 23 of the housing 20 (white arrow in FIG. 5). Both side surfaces of the housing 20 are side panels 22, respectively, and the back surface of the housing 20 is a back panel 25. In the following description, the side where the front panel 21 of the housing 20 is disposed is referred to as the front side, and the side opposite to the front panel 21 is referred to as the back side. Also, the left and right sides of the housing 20 correspond to the left and right when the housing 20 is viewed toward the front panel 21. That is, the positive x direction of the x-axis is to the right, and the reverse direction along the x-axis is to the left. Here, the direction parallel to the plane defined by the xz-axis is the horizontal direction, and the y direction is the upward direction.

[0019] The heat exchanger 11 is located behind the intake port 21a when viewed from the side where the front plate 21 of the housing 20 is located. The blower 12 includes two blowers 12 and is located above the heat exchanger 11, between the housing-side outlet 23a and the heat exchanger 11. The blower 12 consists of a fan 12b (see Figure 6) and a motor 12c (see Figure 6), with the motor 12c being inverter-controlled to drive the fan 12b. Air flowing in from the intake port 21a passes through the heat exchanger 11, which is inclined inside the housing 20, and flows upward inside the housing 20. The air that has passed through the heat exchanger 11 flows into the fan casing 12a of the blower 12 and is blown out from the housing-side outlet 23a by the fan 12b. The drain pan 24 is positioned to collect drain water flowing down below the heat exchanger 11, which is inclined inside the housing 20. In Embodiment 1, the fan 12b is configured as a sirocco fan.

[0020] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the secondary region of the heat exchanger 11 according to Embodiment 1. Here, the secondary region of the heat exchanger 11 refers to the region inside the housing 20 where air that has passed through the heat exchanger 11 exists. The primary region of the heat exchanger 11 refers to the region where air exists before passing through the heat exchanger 11. That is, the primary region is the region upstream of the heat exchanger 11 in the air passage inside the housing 20. The secondary region is the region downstream of the heat exchanger 11 in the air passage inside the housing 20.

[0021] In the secondary region of the heat exchanger 11, a motor 12c, a fan 12b directly connected to the motor 12c, and a fan casing 12a covering the fan 12b and fixed to the top plate 23 are installed. In Embodiment 1, two blowers 12 are arranged side by side in the x direction. The control box 13 is arranged side by side with these blowers 12 in the horizontal direction, i.e., along the x axis. Because the control box 13 is located to the side of the blowers 12, when the front plate 21 is removed for maintenance around the blowers 12, it is not necessary to remove the control box 13 from the air conditioner 1, improving the workability of maintenance. In addition, by protecting the wiring outlet (not shown) of the control box 13 and the motor 12c, cleaning around the blowers 12 can be easily performed. In this Embodiment 1, the fan casing 12a is configured to be removable by dividing it in the front-to-back direction of the air conditioner 1, so maintenance such as cleaning the fan 12b inside is possible. Here, the front-to-back direction of the air conditioner 1 is the direction along the z-axis as shown in Figure 4.

[0022] A drain pan 24 is located in the primary side region of the heat exchanger 11. The heat exchanger 11 and the drain pan 24 are prone to the accumulation of dust and debris due to condensed water. Therefore, the primary side region of the heat exchanger 11 requires frequent cleaning. If the control box 13 is installed in the indoor unit 3 above the drain pan 24 in the primary side region of the heat exchanger 11, the control box 13 will obstruct the cleaning of the heat exchanger 11 and the drain pan 24, making the cleaning process complicated. Furthermore, if a large amount of cleaning water is applied to the control box 13 during the cleaning process, water will enter the inside of the control box 13. This can cause the air conditioner 1 to malfunction, so the control box 13 needs to be protected during cleaning. In the first embodiment, the control box 13 is located in the secondary side region rather than the primary side region, which requires frequent cleaning, making maintenance of the air conditioner 1 easier. In addition, by locating the control box 13 in the secondary side region, the cooling efficiency can also be increased.

[0023] (Plenum Chamber 60) Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the plenum chamber 60 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 7, the plenum chamber 60 is a box-shaped structure provided on the upper part of the indoor unit body 3a. The inside of the plenum chamber 60 is hollow, forming a plenum space 60a. Air blown out from the two housing-side air outlets 23a flows into the plenum space 60a inside the plenum chamber 60.

[0024] Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a plenum chamber 60 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 8, the plenum chamber 60 includes a plenum bottom plate 61, a plenum back plate 62, a plenum inner wall 63, a plenum side plate 64, a plenum front top plate 65, a plenum rear top plate 66, a plenum front plate 67, a louver section 68, and an air rectifier plate 70. The plenum bottom plate 61 is a frame-shaped member and is attached to the upper part of the housing 20 of the indoor unit body 3a. The plenum bottom plate 61 has an opening in the part corresponding to the housing-side air outlet 23a. The plenum back plate 62 is a plate-shaped member that extends upward from the back of the plenum bottom plate 61 and closes the back of the plenum chamber 60.

[0025] The pair of plenum inner walls 63 are plate-shaped members that extend upward from both sides of the plenum bottom plate 61. The pair of plenum side plates 64 are plate-shaped members provided on the outside of each of the pair of plenum inner walls 63. The plenum inner walls 63 and plenum side plates 64 close the sides of the plenum chamber 60, forming a double structure. The plenum front top plate 65 is a plate-shaped member that extends in the width direction and connects the upper front ends of the pair of plenum inner walls 63. The plenum rear top plate 66 is a plate-shaped member that extends in the width direction and connects the upper rear ends of the pair of plenum inner walls 63 to the upper ends of the back plate. The plenum front top plate 65 and the plenum rear top plate 66 close the top surface of the plenum chamber 60.

[0026] The pair of plenum front plates 67 are plate-shaped members provided on the front side of the pair of plenum inner walls 63. The louver section 68 is a member fitted between the plenum bottom plate 61, the pair of plenum front plates 67, and the plenum front top plate 65. The louver section 68 has a grid-shaped plenum-side air outlet 69 formed therein, and air from inside the plenum chamber 60 is blown out from the plenum-side air outlet 69.

[0027] (Wind regulating plate 70) The air straightening plate 70 is provided to partition the opening in the plenum bottom plate 61. The air straightening plate 70 is provided above the housing-side air outlet 23a corresponding to the smaller volume of the plenum space 60a that corresponds to the two housing-side air outlets 23a, and straightens the air blown out from each housing-side air outlet 23a.

[0028] (Airflow in the plenum chamber 60) Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the airflow in the plenum chamber 60 according to Embodiment 1. Next, the airflow in the plenum space 60a of the plenum chamber 60 will be described. As shown in Figure 9, in Embodiment 1, the boundary between the two housing-side outlets 23a is shifted from the center of the housing 20 to the other side of the housing 20 (right side of the drawing) because the control box 13 is located on one side of the housing 20 (left side of the drawing). The air straightener 70 is provided above the housing-side outlet 23a on one side. As a result, when the air blown out from the housing-side outlet 23a on one side flows into the plenum space 60a of the plenum chamber 60, it is split into two directions by the air straightener 70. Therefore, the air blown out from the housing-side outlet 23a on one side and split to the other side, and the air blown out from the housing-side outlet 23a on the other side that flows to one side, merge near the center of the plenum space 60a of the plenum chamber 60. In other words, in Figure 9, the width L1 of the space through which air flows from one side of the housing-side air outlet 23a is equal to the width L2 of the space through which air flows from the other side of the housing-side air outlet 23a.

[0029] (Simulation results showing airflow) Figure 10 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the airflow in the plenum chamber 60 according to Embodiment 1. Next, the results of the simulation showing the airflow will be explained. As shown in Figure 10, the air blown out from one side housing-side outlet 23a and branched out to the other side, and the air blown out from the other side housing-side outlet 23a that flows to one side, merge near the center of the plenum space 60a of the plenum chamber 60. That is, the width L1 of the space for the air flowing from one side housing-side outlet 23a and the width L2 of the space for the air flowing from the other side housing-side outlet 23a are equal.

[0030] According to this embodiment 1, the plenum chamber 60 is provided above the housing-side air outlet 23a corresponding to the smaller volume of the plenum space 60a corresponding to two adjacent housing-side air outlets 23a. The plenum chamber 60 has a straightening plate 70 that straightens the air blown out from each housing-side air outlet 23a. As a result, the air blown out from each housing-side air outlet 23a is straightened by the straightening plate 70 and merges in the center of the plenum space 60a corresponding to the two adjacent housing-side air outlets 23a.

[0031] In the plenum chamber 60, the case where the volumes of the plenum spaces 60a corresponding to two adjacent housing-side outlets 23a are different will be described. In this case, the air blown out from each housing-side outlet 23a merges above the housing-side outlet 23a corresponding to the side with the larger volume of the plenum space 60a. In this way, the load on the at least two blowers 12 that supply air to at least two housing-side outlets 23a becomes uneven, which may lead to inefficient operation. In this embodiment 1, as described above, the air blown out from each housing-side outlet 23a is rectified by the air straightening plate 70 and merges in the center of the plenum spaces 60a corresponding to the two adjacent housing-side outlets 23a. Therefore, the load on the two blowers 12 becomes uniform, enabling efficient operation.

[0032] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the airflow in the plenum chamber 60 of the comparative example, and Figure 12 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the airflow in the plenum chamber 60 of the comparative example. Next, the comparative example is described. The plenum chamber 60 of the comparative example does not have a straightening plate 70. In Figures 11 and 12, there is air blown out from one side of the housing-side outlet 23a and flowing to the other side, and air blown out from the other side of the housing-side outlet 23a and flowing to one side. These airs then merge at a position shifted to the other side of the housing 20 from the center of the plenum space 60a of the plenum chamber 60.

[0033] In this case, the amount of air blown out from the other side of the housing-side outlet 23a is small, which may increase the load on the other side's blower 12. Also, the amount of air blown out from one side of the housing-side outlet 23a is large, which may increase the load on the one side's blower 12. Thus, in the comparative example, the air conditioner 1 equipped with a plenum chamber 60 may have an uneven load on at least two blowers 12 that supply air to the two housing-side outlets 23a, potentially leading to inefficient operation.

[0034] In contrast, in the air conditioner 1 equipped with a plenum chamber 60 according to this embodiment 1, the air blown out from each housing-side outlet 23a is straightened by the air straightening plate 70 and merges in the center of the plenum space 60a corresponding to two adjacent housing-side outlets 23a. As a result, the load on the two blowers 12 becomes uniform, enabling efficient operation.

[0035] In this embodiment 1, the case where there are two housing-side air outlets 23a is illustrated, but there may be three or more housing-side air outlets 23a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Air conditioner, 2 Outdoor unit, 3 Indoor unit, 3a Indoor unit body, 4 Refrigerant circuit, 5 Refrigerant piping, 6 Compressor, 7 Flow path switching device, 8 Outdoor heat exchanger, 9 Outdoor blower, 10 Expansion section, 11 Heat exchanger, 12 Blower, 12a Fan casing, 12b Fan, 12c Motor, 13 Control box, 20 Enclosure, 21 Front panel, 21a Intake, 22 Side panel, 23 Top panel, 23a Enclosure side outlet, 24 Drain pan, 25 Rear panel, 60 Plenum chamber, 60a Plenum space, 61 Plenum bottom plate, 62 Plenum back plate, 63 Plenum inner wall, 64 Plenum side plate, 65 Plenum front top plate, 66 Plenum rear top plate, 67 Plenum front plate, 68 Louver section, 69 Plenum side outlet, 70 air conditioning plate.

Claims

1. A housing having at least two housing-side air outlets from which air is blown out, The enclosure is provided with at least two blowers that each send air to at least two of the enclosure-side air outlets, It is connected to the housing-side air outlet of the housing and blows the air blown out from the housing-side air outlet by the blower into the space to be air-conditioned, and comprises a plenum chamber in which the volumes of the plenum space corresponding to two adjacent housing-side air outlets are different, The aforementioned plenum chamber is The plenum space corresponding to the two adjacent housing-side air outlets is provided above the housing-side air outlet corresponding to the smaller volume, and has an air straightening plate that straightens the air blown out from each of the housing-side air outlets. Air conditioner.

2. The blower is provided with a control box located to the side of the blower, which houses a control unit for controlling the blower. The aforementioned control box is In the housing, it is provided in a part different from the part corresponding to the housing-side air outlet. The air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. The air blown out from two adjacent housing-side air outlets merges in the center of the plenum space corresponding to the two adjacent housing-side air outlets. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.

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