Air conditioning equipment

Abstract

In most air conditioners, the drain pan may be removed at the time of cleaning. Cleaning, maintenance, or inspection may be required, and electrical component assemblies may need to be removed. The entire set is removed to take out the drain pan of the air conditioner (1), including the drain pan (13). First electrical component (21) Second electrical component (22) First support (23) It supports the first electrical component (21) and is fixed to the housing (11) and the support. Two (24) supports for the second electrical component (22) and are fixed to the first support. The drip tray (13) is removed from the housing (11) after moving the second support (24) from The first position (P1) goes to the second position (P2) outside the exit path;

Description

air conditioning equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner equipped with a utilization unit.

[0002] The user unit of an air conditioner includes a heat exchanger inside a housing and a drain pan for collecting drainage water generated by heat exchange in the heat exchanger. Some drain pans are detachable from the housing so that they can be removed and cleaned for cleaning, maintenance, or inspection (Patent Document 1: JP 2012-172856 A).

[0003] In addition to the heat exchanger, the utilization unit also houses electrical components. If electrical components are in the path of the drain pan when it is removed, the electrical components must be removed first.

[0004] An air conditioning apparatus according to a first aspect includes a utilization unit. The utilization unit has a housing, a heat exchanger, a drain pan, a first electrical component, a second electrical component, a first support portion, and a second support portion. The drain pan is disposed within the housing and stores drain water from the heat exchanger. The first support portion supports the first electrical component and is fixed to the housing. The second support portion supports the second electrical component and is fixed to the first support portion. The second support portion is disposed at a first position on a removal path for removing the drain pan from the housing. When removing the drain pan from the housing, the second support portion is moved from the first position to a second position outside the removal path before being removed.

[0005] In the air conditioning apparatus of the first aspect, the electrical components are divided into a first electrical component and a second electrical component, and the drain pan is removed after the second electrical component is moved from the first position to a second position outside the removal path, making it easy to remove the drain pan.

[0006] An air conditioning apparatus according to a second aspect is the air conditioning apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the movement of the second support part from the first position to the second position is by rotation or sliding.

[0007] In the air conditioning apparatus of the second aspect, the movement of the second support part from the first position to the second position is by rotation or sliding, so that the movement of the second support part is carried out smoothly and the drain pan is easy to remove.

[0008] An air conditioning apparatus of a third aspect is the air conditioning apparatus of the first aspect, in which, when removing the drain pan from the housing, the drain pan is removed from the housing in a state in which the second support part is not fixed to the first support part.

[0009] In the air conditioning apparatus of the third aspect, the drain pan is removed from the housing in a state in which the second support part is not fixed to the first support part, and therefore the drain pan can be easily removed.

[0010] The air conditioning apparatus of a fourth aspect is the system of the third aspect, wherein the second support part is removed from the first support part by rotating it through an angle greater than that required to reach from the first position to a second position outside the removal path.

[0011] In the air conditioning apparatus of the fourth aspect, when the second support part is moved to the second position or the detached position, damage to the attachment part of the second support part to the first support part is made less likely to occur.

[0012] An air conditioning apparatus according to a fifth aspect is the air conditioning apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the utilization unit further includes a drain hose and a connection part. The drain hose drains drain water accumulated in a drain pan. The connection part connects the drain hose to the drain pan. When the second support part is in the first position, the second support part overlaps with the connection part, and when the second support part is in the second position, the connection part is exposed.

[0013] In the air conditioning apparatus of the fifth aspect, when the second support part is in the second position, the connection part is exposed, so that the drain hose can be easily removed from the drain pan by operating the connection part, making it easy to remove the drain pan.

[0014] An air conditioning apparatus of a sixth aspect is an air conditioning apparatus of any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the second electrical component includes one or a combination selected from the group consisting of an operation switch, a display unit, an electromagnetic wave receiving unit, and a buzzer.

[0015] An air conditioner according to a seventh aspect is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the utilization unit includes a fan and a fan motor. The fan is for sending air to the heat exchanger. The fan motor is for driving the fan. The first electrical component has a drive circuit for driving the fan motor.

[0016] 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the usage unit 10; a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the usage unit 10; a perspective view of the interior of the usage unit; a diagram showing the relationship between a structural member 111, a drain pan 13, and an electrical component assembly 20; a perspective view of the drain pan 13; a perspective view of the electrical component assembly 20 (first electrical component 21, second electrical component 22, first support portion 23, second support portion 24); a diagram showing the relationship between the structural member 111 (part of the housing 11), the drain pan 13, and the electrical component assembly 20; a diagram showing the state in which the second support portion 24 is in a first position P1; a diagram showing the relationship between the structural member 111, the drain pan 13, and the electrical component assembly 20; a diagram showing the state in which the second support portion 24 is in a second position P2; a diagram showing the state in which the second support portion 24 has been moved to the second position P2, exposing the connection portion 19 of the drain hose 18.

[0017] <First embodiment> (1) Overall configuration An air conditioning apparatus 1 of this embodiment has utilization units 10, a heat source unit, and refrigerant piping connecting the utilization units and the heat source unit, and configures a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

[0018] The air conditioner 1 performs air conditioning operations such as cooling, heating, dehumidifying, and blowing air in the space in which the utilization unit is placed.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the utilization unit 10, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the interior as seen from the right front.

[0020] The user unit 10 of the air conditioning device 1 is a wall-mounted type air conditioning device that is used with its rear surface hung on a wall in a room. In each drawing, arrows indicate the front, rear, top, bottom, right, and left directions when looking toward the user unit 10 when it is hung on a wall.

[0021] The utilization unit 10 has a housing 11, a heat exchanger 12, a fan 14, a drain pan 13, an electrical equipment assembly 20, and a flap 15. The heat exchanger 12, the fan 14, the drain pan 13, and the electrical equipment assembly 20 are disposed inside the housing 11, and the flap 15 is disposed at the air outlet B1 of the housing 11.

[0022] The heat exchanger 12 is disposed inside the housing 11. A refrigerant flows through the refrigerant circuit inside the heat exchanger 12. The refrigerant exchanges heat with the air. As the fan 14 rotates, air is taken into the housing 11 through an air intake B2 at the top of the housing 11, passes through the heat exchanger 12 and the fan 14, and is blown out of the housing 11 from an outlet B1 at the bottom of the housing 11. The direction of the blown air is controlled by the position of the flap 15.

[0023] (2) Detailed Configuration (2-1) Drain Pan 13 A perspective view of the drain pan 13 is shown in FIG.

[0024] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2, water condensed on the heat exchanger 12 falls into the front tray 13a and the rear tray 131. The front tray 13a is part of the drain pan 13. The rear tray 131 is part of a structural member 111 that constitutes part of the housing 11. Drain water that has accumulated in the rear tray 131 moves to the front tray 13a. The drain water that has accumulated in the front tray 13a is discharged via the drain hose 18 to the outside of the utilization unit 10 and then to the outside of the room.

[0025] The drain hose 18 is connected to the drain pan 13 at a connection part 19 so that drain water can flow through the connection part 19. The connection part 19 has a screw 19a.

[0026] (2-2) Electrical Component Assembly 20 As shown in FIG. 5, the electrical component assembly 20 includes a first electrical component 21, a second electrical component 22, a first support portion 23, a second support portion 24, and a room temperature sensor 31.

[0027] 5, the first electrical component 21 includes a printed circuit board and electrical components arranged on the printed circuit board, and includes a drive circuit for driving a fan motor.

[0028] The second electrical components 22 include an operation switch, a display unit, an electromagnetic wave receiving unit, and a buzzer.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the second electrical component 22 is disposed on the right side of the air outlet B1, and a portion of the second electrical component 22 is disposed on the outer surface (lower front surface) of the housing 11.

[0030] The operation switch allows the user to operate the air conditioner on / off. When the operation switch is pressed, the air conditioner 1 starts automatic operation. Automatic operation means that the air conditioner selects cooling or heating operation based on the current indoor temperature, etc. Pressing the operation switch again stops operation. The operation switch is useful when the user cannot find the remote controller or when the remote controller is not working.

[0031] The display uses LEDs, which indicate the operating status of the air conditioner, the status of the timer, the need for filter cleaning, the occurrence of an abnormality, etc., by lighting up or blinking.

[0032] The electromagnetic wave receiving unit receives infrared electromagnetic waves from the remote controller.

[0033] The buzzer is not exposed to the outside of the housing 11, but is part of the second electrical component 22. When the radio wave receiving unit receives a signal from the remote controller, the buzzer emits a sound corresponding to the signal.

[0034] The first electrical component 21 is attached to a first support portion 23. The first support portion 23 is fixed to a structural member 111 of the housing 11.

[0035] The second electrical component 22 is attached to the second support portion 24. As can be seen from FIG. 5 and other figures, the second support portion 24 is attached to the first support portion 23 via a hinge structure. The second support portion 24 can rotate around a support post 24a of the hinge portion from a first position (P1) shown in FIG. 6 to a second position (P2) shown in FIG. 7. The first position (P1) of the second support portion 24 is the position of the second support portion 24 when the air conditioning apparatus 1 is in use. The second position (P2) of the second support portion 24 is the position of the second support portion 24 when the drain pan 13 is removed. When the second support portion 24 is rotated around the support post 24a from the first position to the second position, the stopper 23a of the first support portion 23 prevents further rotation of the second support portion 24. Furthermore, any attempt to rotate the second support portion 24 further will cause the second support portion 24 to move away from the first support portion 23. Even in this case, the second electrical component 22 is connected to the first electrical component 21 by electrical wiring, and the second electrical component 22 and the second support portion 24 will not fall.

[0036] The room temperature sensor 31 is a thermistor. The room temperature sensor 31 is attached to the first support part 23. The room temperature sensor 31 is a temperature sensor that measures the temperature around the sensor. An air flow path is secured around the room temperature sensor 31 so that indoor air can be introduced from outside the housing 11 and exhausted. Therefore, the room temperature can be measured by the room temperature sensor 31.

[0037] (3) Removing the Drain Pan 13 When cleaning, maintaining, or inspecting the air conditioner 1, it is preferable to remove the drain pan 13 from the housing 11. Here, the procedure for removing the drain pan 13 will be described.

[0038] (3-1) The second support portion 24 is moved from the first position (P1) to the second position (P2).

[0039] As explained in (2-2), when the air conditioning apparatus 1 is in use, the second support part 24 is in the first position (P1) ( FIG. 6 ). In this state, the second support part 24 is in the path that is required for removing the drain pan 13, making it difficult to remove the drain pan 13. Therefore, the second support part 24 is rotated around the support post 24a to move to the second position (P2) ( FIG. 7 ). This moves the second support part 24 and the second electrical component 22 out of the path that is required for removing the drain pan.

[0040] In addition, the second support portion 24 does not necessarily have to be in the second position (P2) as long as it is out of the path for removing the drain pan. As described in (2-2), the second support portion 24 may be out of the path for removing the drain pan from the first support portion 23.

[0041] (3-2) Removing the Drain Hose 18 In order to remove the drain pan 13 from the housing 11, it is necessary to remove the drain hose 18 from the drain pan 13. The drain hose 18 is connected to the drain pan 13 by a connecting portion 19. The connecting portion 19 includes a screw 19a.

[0042] When the air conditioning apparatus 1 is in a usable state, the second support portion 24 is in the first position P1, and the second support portion 24 overlaps with the connection portion 19 when viewed from the front (or when viewed from the direction in which a tool, described below, is inserted). Therefore, when the second support portion 24 is in the first position P1, it is difficult to loosen the screw 19a of the connection portion 19 using a tool such as a screwdriver. By moving the second support portion from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the screw 19a of the connection portion 19 is exposed, as shown in FIG. 8 . Exposing the screw 19a makes it easy to insert a tool such as a screwdriver into the screw 19a, allowing it to be easily removed. This allows the drain hose 18 to be removed from the drain pan 13.

[0043] (3-3) Removing the Drain Pan 13 As described in (3-1) and (3-2), the drain pan 13 can be removed by moving the second support part out of the removal path of the drain pan 13 and removing the drain hose 18. The drain pan 13 can be removed from the structural member 111 of the housing 11 by pulling it out in the front-down direction.

[0044] (4) Features (4-1) The air conditioning apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a utilization unit 10 , and the utilization unit 10 includes a housing 11 , a drain pan 13 , and an electrical component assembly 20 .

[0045] The electrical equipment assembly 20 includes a first electrical equipment 21 , a second electrical equipment 22 , a first support portion 23 that supports the first electrical equipment 21 , and a second support portion 24 that supports the second electrical equipment 22 .

[0046] The second support part 24 is movably attached to the first support part 23. When the air conditioning apparatus 1 is in use, the second support part 24 is in the first position P1. When the second support part 24 is in the first position, the second support part 24 is on the path when removing the drain pan 13 from the housing 11. By moving the second support part 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2, it is moved out of the path for removing the drain pan.

[0047] In a conventional case where the support portions of the electrical equipment are integral and the second support portion 24 is fixedly attached to the first support portion, it was necessary to remove the electrical equipment assembly 20 as a whole when removing the drain pan. In the electrical equipment assembly 20 of this embodiment, the second support portion 24 is movably attached to the first support portion 23. Therefore, when removing the drain pan 13, it is not necessary to remove the electrical equipment assembly 20 as a whole, and it is sufficient to simply move the second support portion 24 to the second position P2.

[0048] The first electrical component 21 includes a drive circuit for driving the fan motor. In other words, the first electrical component includes power components through which a relatively large current flows. In contrast, the second electrical component 22 includes one or a combination selected from the group consisting of an operation switch, a display unit, an electromagnetic wave receiver, and a buzzer. The second electrical component 22 consumes relatively little power. The second electrical component 22 also serves as an interface with the user. A portion of the second electrical component is disposed on the outer surface of the housing 11.

[0049] (4-2) The movement of the second support portion 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 is a rotational movement. Because it is a rotational movement, it can be moved without using much extra space.

[0050] (4-3) By moving the second support portion 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2, it is possible to expose the threads 19a of the connection portion 19. When the second support portion 24 is in the first position P1, it overlaps with the threads 19a of the connection portion 19 when viewed from the tool insertion direction, making it difficult to insert a tool.

[0051] Therefore, by moving the second support part 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the screw 19a of the connection part 19 can be easily removed, and the drain pan 13 and the drain hose 18 can be removed.

[0052] (5) Modifications (5-1) Modification 1A In the first embodiment, the movement of the second support portion 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 is rotation. In Modification 1A, the movement of the second support portion 24 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 is sliding.

[0053] In the modified example 1A, the second support portion 24 is configured to be able to slide (translate) rightward from the first position P1 in Fig. 6. In this case, a space is required on the right side of the second support portion 24.

[0054] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it will be understood that various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the claims.

[0055] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air conditioning apparatus 10 Utilization unit 11 Housing 111 Structural member 12 Heat exchanger 13 Drain pan 13a Front tray 131 Rear tray 14 Fan 18 Drain hose 19 Connection part 19a Screw 20 Electrical component assembly 21 First electrical component 22 Second electrical component 23 First support part 24 Second support part P1 First position of second electrical component P2 Second position of second electrical component

[0056] JP 2012-172856 A

Claims

1. An air conditioner (1) which is assembled with a utility unit (10) in which the utility unit is assembled with a housing (11), a heat exchanger (12) which is housed in the housing, a drain pan (13) which is housed in the housing and housed the drain from the heat exchanger, the first electrical component (21), the second electrical component (22), the first support (23) which supports the first electrical component and is fixed to the housing, and the second support (24) which supports the second electrical component and is fixed to the first support. The second support is placed at position one (P1) in the exit path for removal of the drain from the housing and the drain pan, which are removed from the housing after the second support has been moved from position one to position two (P2) outside the exit path.

2. An air conditioner under claim 1 in which the second support has been moved rotationally or slidingly from position one to position two. 3.

1. Any air conditioner under claim 1 in which the drain pan is removed from the housing without the second support being fixed to the first support.

4. Any air conditioner under claim 3 in which the second support is rotated from position one to an angle greater than or equal to the angle to reach position two outside the removal path in order to be removed from the first support.

5. Any air conditioner under claims 1 to 4 in which the utilization unit (10) is further incorporated with a drain pipe (18) for the discharge of wastewater accumulated in the drain pan (13) and a connector (19) that connects the drain pipe to the drain pan and the second support is stacked on top of the connector when the second support is at position one and the connector is exposed when the second support is at position two.

6. Any air conditioner under claims 1 to 5 in which the second electrical component (22) is incorporated with one or more assemblies selected from a group of operating switches, display units, electromagnetic receivers and alarm units. 7.Any air conditioner under any of the claims 1 to 6 in which the utilization unit (10) is further incorporated with a fan (14) for the delivery of air to the heat exchanger and a fan motor for driving the fan and an electrical component (21) is incorporated with a drive circuit for driving the fan motor;