JP2000320854A - Air conditioner indoor unit - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having functions such as effective deodorization, antifouling, and antibacterial. SOLUTION: The indoor unit of the present invention exchanges indoor air sucked from a suction port 5 into a ventilation passage 3 in a main body 1 by a heat exchanger 7 by driving a blower fan 4 and then sends the indoor air from an air outlet 8 to the room. An ultraviolet lamp 11 is provided in the main body 1. Further, an inlet grille 5a serving as a wall surface of the ventilation passage 3, an upper wall 1a and a front wall 1 of the main body 1.
The photocatalyst 10 is carried by the b, the side wall 1c, and the air guide plate 2 located on the back side of the blower fan 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner having functions such as deodorization, antifouling, and antibacterial by photocatalysis.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an indoor unit of an air conditioner, one having a function of deodorizing, antifouling, antibacterial and the like using a photocatalyst has been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-16018
In the indoor unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1 (1993), a photocatalyst is carried on the surface of a blowing fan. Further, in the indoor unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-51450, a photocatalyst (ceramic fine particles) of an inlet grille, a blower fan, a baffle plate located on the back side of the blower fan, and a blower plate at an outlet is used. It is formed by kneading. In the indoor unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-227469, a filter supporting a photocatalyst is provided near a heat exchanger.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional indoor unit, the photocatalyst is carried on a member such as a blower fan provided in a ventilation passage through which air flows, or on a part of a wall constituting the main body. Only. Therefore, the photocatalyst carrying area is small, and the amount of odor components and the like adsorbed by the photocatalyst is small relative to the amount of air passing through the ventilation passage.

[0004] In particular, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-227469 has means for introducing light from the outside such as sunlight, but does not have a structure provided with an ultraviolet lamp like Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11-51450. Therefore, in both indoor units, the amount of ultraviolet light irradiated to the photocatalyst is insufficient, so that the adsorbed substance is hardly decomposed and the amount of adsorption reaches saturation. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient effect by the photocatalysis in the above-mentioned conventional technology.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner having effective deodorization, antifouling, and antibacterial functions.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention is configured to exchange heat of indoor air sucked from a suction port into a ventilation passage in a main body by driving a blowing fan. In an indoor unit of an air conditioner that sends heat from a blower outlet to the room after exchanging heat with a heat exchanger, an ultraviolet lamp is provided in the main body, an intake grille that becomes a wall of a ventilation path, an inner wall of the main body, and a blower fan A photocatalyst is carried on a baffle plate located on the back side of the device.

The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 2 is
An ultraviolet lamp is installed in the main unit of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, in which the indoor air sucked from the suction port to the ventilation passage in the main unit by the driving of the blower fan exchanges heat with the heat exchanger and then sent out from the outlet to the room. It is characterized in that a photocatalyst carrying a photocatalyst on a base material is mounted on the suction grille that becomes the wall surface of the ventilation path, the inner wall surface of the main body and the air guide plate located on the back side of the blower fan I do.

In each of the indoor units of the first and second aspects, when an airflow flows through the ventilation passage, the odor component in the air is generated by the photocatalyst carried on the suction grille, the inner wall surface of the main body and the baffle plate, Organic substances such as tar and oil, and bacteria causing mold are adsorbed. The photocatalyst is excited by ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet lamp to oxidize and decompose the adsorbate into water and carbon dioxide, so that odor components, organic substances, and bacteria in the air can be continuously adsorbed.

A third aspect of the air conditioner indoor unit according to the second aspect is characterized in that the substrate on which the photocatalyst is supported is a porous body or a nonwoven fabric. Since the surface area of the porous body or the nonwoven fabric is larger than that of a substrate having a smooth surface, the photocatalyst carrying area also increases.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the suction grille, the inner wall surface of the main body, the air guide plate, or the base of the photocatalyst is provided. The material is formed of plastic, flame-retardant paper, or metal. These materials are suitable for supporting a photocatalyst.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the blower fan can reflect ultraviolet light. In other words, the ultraviolet light is reflected by the rotating blower fan, so that the irradiation area of the ultraviolet light is increased.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a photocatalyst is carried on an outer wall surface of the main body. In the indoor unit having the above configuration, odor components, organic substances, bacteria, and the like in the indoor air are adsorbed on the photocatalyst carried on the outer wall surface of the main body. This photocatalyst is excited by room light or ultraviolet rays in sunlight to oxidize and decompose the adsorbate, so that odor components and organic substances in the air,
Bacteria and the like can be continuously adsorbed.

The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 7 is the indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the photocatalyst is titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, and copper oxide. It is characterized in that it is any one of the substances in which metal fine particles are supported on the oxide, or a composite of two or more of them. These substances have good photocatalytic activity.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention, and its cross section is schematically shown. 1 is a main body of the indoor unit. Inside the main body 1 are an upper wall 1a, a front wall 1b, and both side walls (one side wall 1a) of the main body 1.
c) and a baffle plate 2 located at the rear in the body 1
The ventilation path 3 surrounded by is formed.

A blower fan 4 is provided in the ventilation passage 3, and when the blower fan 4 is driven, room air flows into the ventilation passage 3 from a suction port 5 formed in the upper wall 1a and the front wall 1b. It is sucked (arrow A in the figure). After the dust is removed from the airflow through the dustproof filter 6, the heat is exchanged in the heat exchanger 7 and sent to the room through the outlet 8 at the lower part of the main body 1.
(Arrow B in the figure). Reference numeral 9 denotes a wind direction plate.

In this embodiment, a photocatalyst is carried on the inlet grille 5a constituting the wall surface of the ventilation passage 3, the inner surfaces of the upper wall 1a and the front wall 1b of the main body 1, and the inner surface of the air guide plate 2 (FIG. 1). Middle, shaded area P).

As the photocatalytic substance used here, any one of titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, copper oxide and a substance in which metal oxides such as platinum and palladium are supported on these oxides, respectively, or Two or more complexes are preferred.

As the binder for the photocatalytic substance, one containing at least one component of silica, alkoxysilane, colloidal silica, alumina, and zirconia is preferable. In addition, the application method may be a combination of an electrostatic coating method, a dip coating method, and a spray coating method. In the figure, the circle S1 is a schematic diagram of the air guide plate 2, and shows that the photocatalyst 10 is supported on the inner surface of the air guide plate 2.

In the ventilation passage 3, ultraviolet lamps 11 are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the airflow with the heat exchanger 7 interposed therebetween. The blower fan 4 is connected to the ultraviolet lamp 1.
It is made of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel to reflect the ultraviolet light from No. 1. Note that the number and arrangement of the ultraviolet lamps 11 and the configuration for reflecting the ultraviolet light of the blower fan 4 are not limited thereto.

In the indoor unit described above, when the blower fan 4 is driven and room air flows in the ventilation passage 3, odor components in the air flow, organic substances such as tar and oil, and bacteria which cause mold are removed by the photocatalyst 10. Adsorb to. The photocatalyst 10 is excited by ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet lamp 11 to oxidize and decompose the adsorbate into water and carbon dioxide.

Accordingly, the photocatalyst 10 can continuously adsorb odor components, organic substances, bacteria, etc. in the air.
Sends out clean air from which odors and harmful gases have been removed. In addition, generation of dirt and mold can be prevented by decomposing dirt components and bacteria such as tar and oil by the photocatalyst 10.

As described above, in the indoor unit of the present embodiment, since the photocatalyst 10 is formed in a wide range of the wall surface of the ventilation passage 3, the amount of adsorption is large accordingly. In addition, since the rotating fan 4 reflects ultraviolet light, the photocatalyst 10 can be irradiated with ultraviolet light throughout. Therefore, a sufficient photocatalysis can be obtained as compared with the related art.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the method of supporting the photocatalyst, and the other configurations and operations are the same, and thus the duplicated description will be omitted.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross section of the indoor unit of the present embodiment. In this indoor unit, the inlet grille 5a constituting the wall surface of the ventilation passage 3, the inner surfaces of the upper wall 1a and the front wall 1b of the main body 1, and the inner surface of the baffle plate 2 (shaded portion P in the figure), 12 are mounted.

The photocatalyst 12 has a photocatalyst 10 supported on a substrate 13 as shown in a circle S2 in the figure.
The base material 13 is attached to the wall of the ventilation passage 3 by welding or the like. If a substrate having a large surface area such as a porous sheet or a nonwoven fabric is used as the substrate 13, the area of the photocatalyst 10 supported on the surface also increases. Therefore, the amount of adsorption is improved accordingly, so that odor components, organic substances, bacteria and the like can be effectively removed.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross section of the indoor unit of the present embodiment. This indoor unit not only carries the photocatalyst 10 on the wall surface of the ventilation passage 3 but also carries the photocatalyst 10 on the outer wall surface of the main body 1. In the figure, the inside of a circle S3 is a schematic diagram of the main body 1 and shows that the photocatalyst 10 is supported on both the inside and outside of the wall surface.

In the above indoor unit, odor components, organic substances, bacteria and the like in the indoor air are also adsorbed on the photocatalyst 10 carried on the outer wall surface of the main body 1. The photocatalyst 10 is excited by room light or ultraviolet light in sunlight to oxidize and decompose the adsorbed material.
Therefore, since odor components, organic substances, bacteria and the like are continuously adsorbed, odors and harmful gases can be directly removed from room air. In addition, it is possible to prevent dirt and mold from forming on the outer surface of the main body 1.

<First Example> Next, a first example according to the first embodiment and a photocatalytic activity test thereof will be described. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present embodiment. This indoor unit is for an air conditioner manufactured by Sharp (model name AY-F28SE), and the wall of the ventilation path 3 is formed of ABS resin. In the ventilation passage 3, a 20W black light (FL20BL, manufactured by NEC Corporation) is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger 7 in the air flow (ultraviolet lamp 11 in the figure).

In this indoor unit, a photocatalyst is carried in a hatched portion P in the figure as in the first embodiment. The photocatalytic paint is a photocatalytic titanium oxide coating agent (NSC manufactured by Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.)
-200C), and the primer is a titanium oxide coating agent
(NSC-200A manufactured by Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.). The primer is applied to the wall of the ventilation passage 3 of the indoor unit main body 1 by a spray coating method, and dried at 60 ° C. for 20 minutes. Thereafter, a photocatalytic paint is applied by a spray coating method, and dried at 60 ° C. for 20 minutes. The loading amount is about 1 μm for both the primer and the photocatalyst layer.

The indoor unit is tested for photocatalytic activity. First, the indoor unit is installed in a 1000 L box and filled with clean air. After the five cigarettes are burned in the box, the indoor unit is operated. At 30 minutes and 90 minutes after the start of operation, the concentrations of ammonia, acetic acid, and nitric oxide in the box are measured using a gas detection tube. Table 1 below shows the removal ratio of each component. Note that the values in parentheses are the removal rates when no photocatalyst is supported.

[0032]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, the removal rate of ammonia, acetic acid, and nitric oxide was improved by supporting the photocatalyst, and it was recognized that the removal rate was high. When the photocatalyst-supporting portion was observed after an operation time of 90 minutes had elapsed, discoloration due to the adhesion of tar had disappeared. That is, the dirt has been removed by the photocatalyst. Furthermore, even if the above test was repeated five times, the removal rate did not decrease, and the effect of photocatalytic activity was maintained.

<Second Example> Next, a second example according to the third embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, an indoor unit having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is used, and a photocatalyst 10 is carried in a portion indicated by a hatched portion P in FIG. The photocatalyst is also carried on the outer wall surface of the main body 1, and the carrying amount of each part is about 1 μm in thickness for both the primer and the photocatalyst layer.

A test similar to that of the first embodiment is performed for the photocatalytic activity of the indoor unit. Table 2 below shows the removal ratio of each component. Note that the values in parentheses are the removal rates when no photocatalyst is supported.

[0036]

[Table 2]

As described above, the removal rate of ammonia, acetic acid, and nitric oxide is improved by supporting the photocatalyst, and it is recognized that the removal rate is high.

The contact angle of water of the photocatalyst carried in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments was 23 °. on the other hand,
The contact angle of water without carrying the photocatalyst was 73 °.
That is, since the surface is made hydrophilic by supporting the photocatalyst, hydrophobic dirt such as oil does not easily adhere. Also,
Even if it adheres, it is decomposed by photocatalysis as described above.

[0039]

As described above, since the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention carries the photocatalyst over a wide range of the wall surface, the amount of adsorption is correspondingly large. Further, the provision of the ultraviolet lamp allows the photocatalyst to be sufficiently irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, it has functions such as effective deodorization, antifouling, and antibacterial by a sufficient photocatalytic action.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 1a Upper wall 1b Front wall 1c Side wall 2 Baffle plate 3 Ventilation path 4 Blower fan 5 Suction port 5a Suction port grill 7 Heat exchanger 8 Outlet 10 Photocatalyst 11 Ultraviolet lamp 12 Photocatalyst 13 Base material

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, in which indoor air sucked from a suction port to a ventilation path in a main body by a driving of a blower fan is heat-exchanged by a heat exchanger and then sent out from an air outlet to a room. Is provided with an ultraviolet lamp, and a photocatalyst is carried on a suction grille serving as a wall surface of the ventilation path, an inner wall surface of the main body, and a baffle plate located on the back side of the blower fan. The indoor unit of the air conditioner. 2. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, wherein heat of a room air sucked from a suction port to a ventilation passage in the main body by a driving of a blower fan is exchanged by a heat exchanger and then sent from a blower outlet to a room. An ultraviolet lamp is provided, and a photocatalyst body having a base material carrying a photocatalyst on a suction grille serving as a wall surface of the ventilation path, an inner wall surface of the main body, and a baffle plate located on the back side of the blower fan An indoor unit for an air conditioner, wherein the air conditioner is installed. 3. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the substrate on which the photocatalyst is supported is a porous body or a nonwoven fabric. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the suction grille, the inner wall surface of the main body, the air guide plate, or the base material of the photocatalyst is made of plastic, flame-retardant paper, or metal.
An indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 3. 5. The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the blower fan can reflect ultraviolet light. 6. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a photocatalyst is carried on an outer wall surface of the main body. 7. The photocatalyst is one of titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, and copper oxide, and any one of these oxides, each of which carries metal fine particles.
Or a composite of two or more.
An indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 6.