JP2000065420A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] Interest in indoor air contamination has been increasing year by year.
The need for removing airborne particles from air conditioners has also increased. However, unlike a dedicated air purifier, a blower fan of an air conditioner cannot take static pressure. For this reason, if a filter having a fine mesh is used as it is, the amount of air to be blown is reduced, and the performance during the essential heating, cooling, and dehumidifying operations is reduced. A current cabinet has a suction port not only on the front surface but also on the upper surface in order to secure a sufficient air flow.
Therefore, an air purifying filter that captures fine particles is arranged on the cabinet over the entire suction port on the upper surface.
As a result, the dust removal performance was improved by increasing the filter area, and the performance during heating, cooling, and dehumidifying operations was ensured by utilizing the suction port on the front surface. Further, the operability of the air cleaning filter was improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner having an air purifying function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 shows a basic configuration of a conventional air conditioner. Reference numeral 1 denotes a cabinet, in which a front intake port 4, a top intake port 6, and a discharge port 10 for conditioned air are open. 2 is a heat exchanger for heating or cooling conditioned air, 3 is a blower fan for conditioned air, 5 is a front intake grill, 7 is an upper intake grill, 8 is a flow of intake air at the front intake, and 9 is an upper surface. A suction air flow at the suction port, 11 is a discharge grill,
12 is a flow of conditioned air, and 13 is a filter.

In such a configuration, when the air conditioner is operating, room air is sucked in by the blower fan 3 from the suction ports 8 and 9, heated or cooled by the heat exchanger 2, passes through the blower fan 3, and flows out of the discharge port 10 into the room. Is discharged.

Various dusts are floating in the indoor air, and the heat exchanger 2 having a structure in which heat exchange fins made of thin aluminum plates are stacked at minute intervals causes clogging of the ventilation passage due to the dust, and A filter 13 is installed immediately before the heat exchanger 2 to capture dust so that the resistance does not increase and the heat exchange performance does not deteriorate. In this case, the filter 13 uses a net with a coarse mesh so that the amount of air blown by the increase of the ventilation resistance by the filter 13 does not decrease and the heat exchange performance does not decrease.

FIG. 11 shows the appearance of the filter 13. 2
0 is a net part, generally about 25% of polypropylene wire.
It is woven vertically and horizontally to the extent of a mesh. Reference numeral 21 denotes a frame of the net 20, which also serves to reinforce the net and forms the filter 13. The frame 21 is generally made of polypropylene of the same material as the net 20, and is formed integrally with the net.

By arranging the filter 13 immediately before the heat exchanger 2, large-sized dust such as cotton dust is prevented from adhering to the heat exchanger 2, and the original object can be achieved.

[0007] However, today, houses are becoming more airtight, and the number of houses, in which the amount of air exchange cannot be sufficiently secured by natural ventilation alone, has increased. The problem of not being discharged has been highlighted. Furthermore, owing to an increase in hay fever and the like, interest in indoor air has increased, and a demand for enhancement of an air purifying function for removing small-sized dust has increased. Therefore, in addition to the dust filter 13, a filter for removing small-sized dust is used in a part of the ventilation path.

Hereinafter, for convenience, a filter for removing large-sized dust such as cotton dust will be referred to as a pre-filter, and a filter for removing small-sized dust will be referred to as an air-cleaning filter.

FIG. 12 shows a basic configuration of an air conditioner provided with an air cleaning filter. Prefilter 13 and heat exchanger 2
An air purifying filter 14 is arranged between the pre-filters 13 to remove small-sized particles that have passed through the pre-filter 13.

FIG. 13 shows a typical size of suspended matter in room air. Smoke of tobacco and spores of bacteria and mold are very fine, less than 1 micron. In order to remove such fine particles, it is necessary to devise not only the mesh size but also the trapping method. That is, the primary functions of the air conditioner are the heating operation, the cooling operation, and the dehumidification operation function, and the use of a filter with a fine mesh increases the pressure loss by the filter, reduces the amount of ventilation, and, consequently, the original functions of heating, cooling, and dehumidification. This results in reduced performance. Therefore, performance reduction is prevented by devising such measures as reducing the filter area and reducing the ventilation resistance.

FIG. 14 shows the appearance of an air cleaning filter 14 which is currently widely used. Reference numeral 22 denotes a filter material portion made of a nonwoven fabric that captures fine dust. The filter material portion uses a band-shaped filter material in a vertical direction, and meanders to secure a ventilation path. Reference numeral 23 denotes a ventilation path of the space formed by meandering, and reference numeral 24 denotes a direction of passing air. Reference numeral 25 denotes paper for partitioning.
Since the ventilation passage 23 is provided so as to meander so that the ventilation resistance does not increase, the increase in the ventilation resistance is suppressed, but since the air directly passing through the filter material portion 22 is small,
Unfortunately, the air cleaning performance is not very high.

[0012] As a prior art of an air conditioner provided with this kind of air purifier, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-106632 is disclosed.
There is an official gazette. However, this prior art does not consider the attachment and detachment of the air cleaning device.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Air conditioners for ordinary houses are:
Since it is used without maintenance for a long period of time, safety such as a structure that does not become a source of ignition is first required. In general, an electric dust collection method can be considered as a method of trapping fine dust having a size of cigarette smoke. However, since a high-voltage part for discharging is required, the potential of an accident may be increased. For example, there is a problem that dust adheres to the suction portion, and the accumulation of the dust may cause ignition in some cases.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can achieve the following objects.

[0015] In order to capture even smoke-sized particles of tobacco, the mesh of the air purifying filter must be sufficiently fine, which leads to an increase in ventilation resistance. Therefore, heating,
It is necessary to improve air cleaning performance while balancing cooling and dehumidification performance.

Excellent operability so that the filter can be easily cleaned or replaced.

It can be provided at low cost.

The installation space is small.

And the like.

[0020]

An object of the present invention is to provide at least a cabinet having an inlet and an outlet, a heat exchanger, a blower fan, and a filter. It has two indoor air inlets and an air outlet also provided at the lower front or lower surface of the cabinet, and the air flows through the air passages in the cabinet through the air inlets and the heat. In an air conditioner that flows in the order of an exchanger, a blower fan, and an air outlet, the air conditioner is achieved by disposing a filter at a position covering an upper surface opening of an upper surface suction port of the cabinet.

[0021]

FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of the present invention.
In a cabinet structure having two suction ports, a front suction port 4 and a top suction port 6, of the cabinet 1, an air purifying filter 30 is installed on the upstream side of the upper suction port 6, that is, on the cabinet 1. With this configuration, a large area that covers the entire upper surface suction port 6 can be secured, and the air cleaning function can be improved. In addition, since no filter is provided in the front intake port 4, a decrease in the air volume from the upper intake port 6 is covered, and the performance is not reduced during the heating / cooling / dehumidifying operation which is the original function.

Further, since the position of the air purifying filter 30 is located above the upper opening of the cabinet 1, that is, above the upper suction port, there is no need to take out the filter from the inside of the cabinet 1 and the air purifying filter 30 is removed. Exchange becomes easy. Further, since the upper surface suction port 6 is covered with the air cleaning filter 30, even if dust falls when the air conditioner is not used, such as during the off-season, accumulation due to intrusion into the cabinet 1 from the upper opening can be prevented. There are advantages. As a result, the growth of mold and the occurrence of odor due to the presence of dust are suppressed.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, in a cabinet structure having two inlets, the front inlet 4 and the upper inlet 6, of the cabinet 1, an air purifying filter 30 is installed upstream of the upper inlet 6, that is, on the cabinet 1. is there. Other device configurations including the pre-filter 13 are the same as the conventional ones. With this configuration, the air cleaning filter 30 covering the entire surface of the upper surface suction port 6 captures fine dusts, and the pre-filter 13 captures large size dust sucked from the front surface suction port 4 as in the conventional case. Therefore, clogging of the heat exchanger 2 is prevented and a clean air environment free of dust is provided.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, in a cabinet structure having two suction ports, a front suction port 4 and a top suction port 6, of the cabinet 1, an air purification filter 30 is installed on the upstream side of the upper suction port 6, that is, on the cabinet 1. It is. The cabinet 1 is provided with a pre-filter 13 and an air purifying filter 14, and the other components are the same as those in the related art. By using such an air purifying filter at two locations, it is possible to catch both large-size dust and small-size dust sucked from the front suction port 4, and further improve dust removal performance. .

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In a cabinet structure having two suction ports, a front suction port 4 and a top suction port 6, of the cabinet 1, an air purifying filter 30 is installed upstream of the upper suction port 6, that is, on the cabinet 1, and the front suction port is provided. An opening / closing device 15 for opening or closing the opening is disposed in the mouth 4. heating,
During the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the opening / closing device 15 is moved to the upper position 16 of the front suction port 4 to open the front suction port 4 to provide a ventilation passage for the necessary suction air 8. When the operation is stopped, the opening / closing device 15 is moved to the lower position 17 indicated by the wavy line, and the front suction port 4 is closed. By combining with the opening / closing device 15, the front suction port 4 is operated when the operation is stopped.
5, and the upper surface suction port 6 is provided with an air purifying filter 30.
, It is possible to prevent dust floating in the air from entering the cabinet 1. As a result, there is a feature that dust accumulation and mold propagation in the cabinet 1 can be prevented.

FIG. 5 shows an application example of the present invention. An air purification filter 30 is installed at a position covering the opening of the upper surface suction port 6 of the cabinet 1. The air cleaning filter 30 has a configuration in which a non-woven fabric in which static electricity is permanently charged is cut, and a band-shaped non-woven fabric is used in a lateral direction. In this drawing, a configuration is shown in which the entire area of the upper surface suction port 6 is covered with two filters. However, the size may be divided into appropriate sizes, and the individual dimensions do not matter. An example of a typical nonwoven fabric that can be used is Eritron NA Model No. NA-20 of Toyobo Co., Ltd.

The air purifying filter 30 is used for the cabinet 1
, It is easy to install and remove. In this case, if the position of the cabinet 1 is set as a guide of the installation position, the handleability is further improved.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the air cleaning filter 30. Just cutting the nonwoven fabric 36, which is a filter material, has the disadvantage that it is too soft and difficult to handle. Therefore, the frame portion 31 is attached around the nonwoven fabric portion 36 or at an arbitrary position,
It is easy to handle. The frame portion 31 can be used for reinforcement, and a fixing means 32 for fixing to the cabinet 1 can be formed.

FIG. 7 shows an application example in which the air purifying filter 30 is combined with a pre-filter section 35 in order to prevent the air purifying filter 30 from catching and adhering coarse dust, causing clogging and shortening the replacement time. That is, the pre-filter unit 35 including a coarse net and a frame for catching coarse dust is disposed on the upstream side of the upper surface suction airflow 9 of the air cleaning filter 30,
This is a configuration that catches coarse dust. Pre-filter unit 35
Is integrally formed of plastic, the captured coarse dust can be easily removed with a vacuum cleaner, and the pre-filter portion 35 can be used repeatedly. With such a configuration, it is possible to extend the use period of the air cleaning filter 30.

FIG. 8 shows a pre-filter section 35 for improving the handling of the air cleaning filter 30 when replacing it.
An application example is shown in which the and the fixing frame portion 33 are prepared as separate components, and the air purification filter 30 is interposed therebetween to integrate them.

With such a configuration, the service period of the air cleaning filter 30 is extended by the function of the pre-filter section 35. When it becomes dirty, only the air cleaning filter 30 needs to be replaced, and no waste such as frame material is produced. The production of the air cleaning filter 30 is performed only by a cutting process of the filter material, and can be provided at a low cost. There is a feature that the fixing to the main body is facilitated by using the fixing means 32 of the fixing frame portion 36.

FIG. 9 shows that the fixed frame portion 33 and the pre-filter portion 35 are formed by integral molding of plastic, the joint portion 34 of the two is formed into a hinge structure, and is assembled by bending at the joint portion 34. This is an application example in which the air purification filter 30 is sandwiched between the filter sections 35 and integrated. With such a configuration, in addition to FIG. 8, the number of parts can be further reduced and the cost can be reduced.

[0033]

(1) By covering the entire surface of the suction port on the upper surface of the cabinet with a high performance non-woven fabric filter having strong electrostatic force, it is possible to suppress deterioration in performance during heating, cooling, and dehumidifying operations, thereby improving air cleaning performance ( Figure 1 shows an example of air purification performance
5). The attenuation characteristics of the fine particles measured with the cigarette smoke. The measurement condition is the value of the tobacco smoke particles in the center of the room when one cigarette is burned in a 6-tatami Japanese-style room. The trapping by the air cleaning filter shows a tendency to decrease with time, and it can be seen that the performance of the present invention is greatly improved as compared with the related art.

(2) Since the filter is installed in the upper part of the cabinet, the filter can be easily replaced.
In addition, since it is visible from the outside, it is easy to grasp the dirt condition, and it is easy to understand the replacement time.

In addition, by increasing the volume of the filter section, the holding power of various floating substances in the filter is increased, and there is also an effect of extending the replacement interval due to saturation.
Therefore, the trouble of replacing the filter by the customer is reduced. In addition, to install at the top of the cabinet,
Dust can be prevented from falling into the cabinet, and dirt inside the cabinet can be reduced. This is effective in preventing mold propagation and mold odor.

(3) Since the filter system does not require a high voltage, a safe device can be provided to the customer. Since the filter is installed at the top of the cabinet, the manufacturing accuracy of the filter section is less strict, and the filter can be easily manufactured and the price can be reduced.
In addition, the use of special filters that are strong in deodorizing functions and the use of special filters that are strong in antibacterial functions make it possible to develop special filters for various purposes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of an air purification filter of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of an air purification filter of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a structural diagram of an air purification filter of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a structural diagram of an air purification filter of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a conventional air conditioner.

FIG. 11 is a structural diagram of a conventional pre-filter.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a conventional air conditioner.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a suspended particle size.

FIG. 14 is a structural diagram of a conventional air cleaning filter.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing tobacco smoke attenuation characteristics.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 cabinet, 2 heat exchanger, 3 blower fan, 4
... Front suction port, 5 ... Front grill, 6 ... Top suction port, 7 ...
Top grill, 8: Front suction air flow, 9: Top suction air flow, 1
0 ... Discharge port, 11 ... Discharge port grill, 12 ... Discharge air flow, 1
3 ... Pre-filter, 14 ... Air cleaning filter, 1
Reference numeral 5: opening / closing device, 16: front suction port closed position, 20: filter net, 21: filter frame, 22: non-woven fabric, 23
... ventilation path, 24 ... airflow direction, 25 ... partition paper,
30 ... air purifying filter, 31 ... frame, 32 ... fixing means, 33 ... fixed frame, 34 ...
Joint, 35: Pre-filter, 36: Non-woven fabric.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Kuniyuki Yamada 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the multimedia system development headquarters of Hitachi, Ltd. 800 Tomita F-term (Ref.) 3L051 BA02

Claims (1)

[Claims] A cabinet having an inlet and a discharge opening, a heat exchanger, a blower fan, and a filter;
It has indoor air inlets provided at two places, a front part and an upper part, of the cabinet, and an air outlet provided at the lower part or the lower part of the cabinet. An air conditioner, wherein a filter is disposed at a position covering an upper surface opening of an upper surface suction port of the cabinet in an air conditioner flowing through a ventilation path in the order of a suction port, a heat exchanger, a blower fan, and an air outlet.