JP2004053040A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an air conditioner that prevents dew condensation from occurring on a surface of a protective cover that covers an ion generating surface of an ion generator that is arranged so that an ion generating surface faces a ventilation path.
A protective cover is integrally formed of synthetic resin in a U-shaped cross section from a pair of left and right side walls and a bottom side wall connecting the lower ends thereof, and the left and right side walls are fixed to a drain pan. A space surrounded by the left and right side walls 11a, the bottom side wall 11b, and the drain pan 8 is an air flow passage 12. The air flow passage 12 has an opening 13 on the upstream side in the blowing direction as an inlet 13 and an outlet on the downstream side in the blowing direction. The left and right side walls 11a and the bottom side wall 11b of the protective cover 11 are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the air blowing direction, whereby the air flow passage 12 is set substantially parallel to the air blowing direction.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with an ion generator for removing airborne bacteria in the air and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, airtightness has been increasing in building structures such as condominiums, so that floating bacteria, greetings, harmful substances, or odors present in the air of a living space may harm the human body. Therefore, there is known a recent air conditioner that incorporates an ion generator that emits positive and negative ions to surround floating bacteria and the like and decompose or deodorize. It is also known that negative ions have the effect of regulating the balance between the autonomic nervous system and endocrine function and relaxing the body and mind.Air conditioners equipped with ion generators And the amount of positive ions is adjusted to be released indoors.
[0003]
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner. As shown in the figure, in the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner, indoor air is sucked from the air inlet 2 on the front side, and the air exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 5 of the refrigeration cycle is passed through the cross flow fan 6. An air passage 4 for blowing in a direction determined by the vertical louver 9 and the horizontal louver 10 is formed, and the ion generator 7 is provided on the drain pan 8 on the outlet side of the air passage 4 so that the ion generating surface 7a is desired in the air passage 4. The air is blown into the room and the ions generated by the ion generator 7 are blown into the room to sterilize the room air.
[0004]
In such an air conditioner, a high voltage is excited on the ion generating surface 7a of the ion generator 7, and the ion generator 7 is arranged on the outlet side of the air passage 4, so as to prevent danger. In addition, it is necessary to prevent the finger from directly touching the ion generating surface 7a.
[0005]
In a conventional air conditioner, as shown in FIG. 7, a net-like protective force bar 11 is provided to cover the ion generating surface 7a in order to prevent a finger from directly touching the ion generating surface 7a of the ion generator 7. .
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the conventional protective force bar 11 has a mesh shape, there are many air inlets and outlets, so that the air flow is disturbed around the protective cover 11 and there is a problem that dew condensation occurs on the surface of the protective cover 11 during cooling. Was.
[0007]
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can prevent dew condensation occurring on the surface of the protective cover 11.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an ion generator arranged so that an ion generation surface faces an airflow path, and a protection cover arranged so as to cover the ion generation surface. An air flow passage is formed between the upstream surface and the downstream surface in the blowing direction, and the air flow passage is set substantially parallel to the blowing direction of the blowing passage. The present invention provides an air conditioner that performs the following.
[0009]
According to the above configuration, since the air flow passage is set substantially parallel to the air blowing direction, the resistance of the air flow entering the air flow passage from the entrance of the protection cover is reduced, and the air flow around the protection cover is disturbed. Less likely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring on the surface of the protective cover. Such a protective cover can be realized, for example, by bending both ends of a single plate member to form a U-shaped cross section, or by forming a U-shaped member with a synthetic resin.
[0010]
In addition, in addition to the above configuration, the side wall of the protective cover is arranged substantially parallel to the air blowing direction of the air passage, and its cross-sectional shape is formed such that at least the outlet side end portion is gradually thinned toward the edge. The edge can be formed with a rounded shape. According to this configuration, it is difficult to generate an eddy current of air on the outlet side of the protective cover, so that dew condensation near the outlet is reduced. Of course, it is preferable to adopt the above-described configuration not only at the outlet end but also at the inlet end because the resistance of the air colliding with the side wall at the inlet can be reduced.
[0011]
By the way, the ion generator should be arranged as close as possible to the outlet side of the air duct so that the generated ions reach a wider range in the room to be air-conditioned because the life of the ions is as short as several seconds, Since the protective cover has a larger outlet opening than that of the mesh structure shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary to prevent a finger from entering the protective cover from the outlet.
[0012]
Therefore, it is preferable to set the outlet of the air flow passage of the protective cover to be low enough that a finger cannot enter. For example, when the outlet of the air flow passage is formed in a horizontally long and substantially rectangular shape, its short dimension (height) may be set to a dimension that does not allow a finger to enter. According to this configuration, a finger cannot be inserted from the outlet of the air flow passage of the protective cover, so that even when the ion generator is provided near the outlet of the air passage, it does not come into contact with the ion generation surface, and the safety is improved. Can be enhanced.
[0013]
Further, as described above, when the height of the outlet of the air flow passage is set low enough to prevent a finger from entering, the cross-sectional area of the air flow passage at the outlet becomes smaller than the cross-sectional area of the central portion, and Therefore, it is preferable to set the width of the outlet to be larger than the width of the central portion so that the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the air flow passage is equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the central portion. According to this configuration, the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the air flow passage can be set to be equal to the cross-sectional area of the central portion, so that the air flow in the air flow passage does not receive a large resistance.
[0014]
In addition, it is preferable that the protective cover has a larger cross-sectional area at the entrance of the air flow passage than a cross-sectional area at the central portion, since the air in the air blowing passage can be sufficiently guided to the air flow passage. When the cross-sectional area of the entrance is increased, the height of the entrance may be increased or the width may be increased.
[0015]
Further, a baffle plate may be provided upstream of the protective cover to guide the wind from the airflow path into the airflow path. According to this configuration, the air can be sufficiently guided into the air flow passage by the air guide plate, and the amount of released ions is proportional to the amount of air blown in the air flow passage. More can be released indoors.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner including the ion generator according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a protective cover of the ion generator. As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit is provided with a suction port 2 for taking in room air and a blowout port 3 for discharging heat-exchanged air into the room on the front surface of the cabinet 1. An air passage 4 extending from the inlet 2 to the outlet 3 is formed.
[0018]
In the air passage 4, an indoor heat exchanger 5 arranged near the suction port 2 and a cross flow fan 6 arranged downstream of the indoor heat exchanger 5 are provided. An ion generator 7 is arranged near the outlet 3. The drain pan 8 that receives the condensed water in the indoor heat exchanger 5 forms a part of the road wall of the air passage 4.
[0019]
A vertical louver 9 and a horizontal louver 10 for directing the air blowing direction of the air in the air blowing path 4 are arranged at the outlet 3 of the air blowing path 4. Note that the other configuration is the same as that of the related art, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0020]
The ion generator 7 is disposed in the vicinity of the outlet 3 such that the ion generating surface 7 a faces the air passage 4 from a hole formed in the drain pan 8. Further, a protective cover 11 is fixed to the lower surface of the drain pan 8 so as to cover the ion generating surface 7a.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 2, the protective cover 11 is integrally formed of a pair of left and right side walls 11a and a bottom side wall 11b connecting the lower ends thereof in a U-shaped cross section with a synthetic resin, and the left and right side walls 11a are fixed to the drain pan 8. Thus, a space surrounded by the left and right side walls 11a, the bottom side wall 11b, and the drain pan 8 forms an air flow passage 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the air flow passage 12 has an opening 13 on the upstream side in the blowing direction and an outlet 14 on the downstream side in the blowing direction. The left and right side walls 11a and the bottom side wall 11b of the protective cover 11 are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the air blowing direction, whereby the air flow passage 12 is set substantially parallel to the air blowing direction.
[0022]
The protective cover 11 has a rounded bottom side wall 11b so that the height (the distance between the drain pan 8 and the bottom side wall 11b) is maximized at the central portion 11c, and the air flow passage is formed. 12, the cross-sectional area is set wide.
[0023]
In the above configuration, a part of the air flowing from the cross flow fan 6 in the air passage 4 to the outlet 3 side flows from the inlet 13 of the protective cover 11 to the air flow passage 12, and is generated on the ion generation surface 7 a of the air flow passage 12. The ions containing the ions are blown into the room from the outlet 14 of the protective cover 11.
[0024]
At this time, since the air flow passage 12 of the protective cover 11 is set substantially parallel to the air blowing direction of the air flow passage 4, the resistance of the air flow entering the air flow passage 12 is reduced, and the air flow is less likely to be disturbed. Become. Further, since the left and right side walls 11a and the bottom side wall 11b of the protective cover 11 are parallel to the air blowing direction, the area where the wind in the air blowing path 4 collides with the protective cover 11 is small, and the air flow is hardly disturbed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring on the surface of the protective cover 11.
[0025]
<Second embodiment>
3A is a perspective view of a protective cover according to the second embodiment, FIG. 3B is a sectional view of A in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a sectional view of B in FIG. It is. The cross-sectional shapes of the left and right side walls 11a and the bottom side wall 11b of the protective cover 11 in the air blowing direction are formed such that the outlet-side end 11e of the air flow passage 12 of the protective cover 11 becomes gradually thinner toward the edge. The edge is formed rounded. In addition, not only the outlet end 11e but also the inlet end 11d may be formed in the same manner.
[0026]
According to the above configuration, it is difficult to generate the eddy flow of the air on the outlet 14 side of the protective cover 11, so that the dew condensation near the outlet is reduced. Further, since the resistance of the air colliding with the side wall on the side of the inlet 13 can be reduced, the flow of the air passing therearound is less likely to be disturbed.
[0027]
<Third embodiment>
FIG. 4A is a front view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of a protective cover thereof. In the protective cover 11, the height H of the outlet 14 (the distance between the drain pan 8 and the end 11e on the outlet side) is so small that a finger cannot enter, and the cross-sectional area of the outlet 14 is the same as the cross-sectional area of the central part. Thus, the width of the outlet 14 (the distance between the left and right side walls 11a) is set to be wider than the width of the central portion 11c.
[0028]
As described above, if the height of the outlet 14 is reduced, it is possible to prevent a finger from being erroneously inserted into the air flow passage 12 from the outlet 14 to come into contact with the ion generating surface 7a. Can be. In addition, if the width of the outlet 14 is wider than the width of the central portion 11c, the cross-sectional area of the air flow passage 12 at the outlet 14 can be secured even if the height of the outlet 14 is reduced. The air flow inside does not need to be subjected to great resistance. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0029]
<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 5A is a front view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a bottom view of a protective cover thereof. In the present embodiment, as shown in the third embodiment, the outlet 14 of the protective cover 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and in addition, the cross-sectional area of the inlet 13 is formed larger than the cross-sectional area of the central portion 11c. It was done. In order to increase the cross-sectional area of the entrance 13 of the protective cover 11, the width of the entrance 13 of the protective cover 11 (the distance between the left and right side walls 11a) is set wide. In order to increase the cross-sectional area of the entrance 13 of the protective cover 11, the height of the entrance 13 (the distance between the drain pan 8 and the entrance end 11d) may be increased.
[0030]
With this configuration, the air in the air passage 4 can be sufficiently guided into the air flow passage 12, and the ions generated by the ion generator 7 can be discharged into the room. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
[0031]
<Fifth embodiment>
FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the air guide plate 15. In the present embodiment, a baffle plate 15 that guides the wind of the air passage 4 into the air flow passage 12 of the protective cover 11 is provided upstream of the protective cover 11 in the air blowing direction. The air in the air passage 4 can be sufficiently guided into the air flow passage 12, and the ions generated by the ion generator 7 can be efficiently discharged into the room.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 6B, the air guide plate 15 is made of synthetic resin in a U-shaped cross section from a pair of left and right side walls 15c and a bottom side wall 15d connecting the lower ends thereof, similarly to the protective cover shown in FIG. The left and right side walls 15 c are fixed to the drain pan 8, and an air guide path 16 is formed in a space surrounded by the drain pan 8 and the U-shaped air guide plate 15. The length of the air guide plate 15 in the blowing direction is set shorter than the length of the protective cover 11 in the blowing direction.
[0033]
The airflow path 16 has an opening on the upstream side in the airflow direction as the airflow inlet 15a, an opening on the downstream side in the airflow direction as the airflow outlet 15b, and the airflow direction from the airflow inlet 15a toward the airflow outlet 15b. It is set in parallel. The air guide outlet 15b faces the protective cover 11 inlet 13 on the downstream side thereof, and is set to have substantially the same opening shape and opening area. The cross-sectional area of the opening of the wind guide inlet 15a is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the central portion of the wind guide plate 15, so that a large amount of air in the air passage 4 is guided to the protective cover 11 side.
[0034]
According to the above-described configuration, the air in the air passage 4 is rectified and guided to the air flow passage 12 in a large amount by the baffle plate 15. 11 can be prevented from forming dew on the surface. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
[0035]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is needless to say that modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, the first to fifth embodiments may be appropriately combined and configured.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, since the air flow passage of the protective cover is set substantially parallel to the blowing direction, the resistance of the air flow entering the air flow passage from the inlet of the protective cover is reduced. As a result, the airflow is hardly disturbed around the protective cover. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring on the surface of the protective cover.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a protective cover of the ion generator. FIG. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the protective cover according to the embodiment, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4A, FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 5A is a front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 6 (a) is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a fifth embodiment, and FIG. 6 (b) is a perspective view of the air guide plate. Sectional view of an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner, and (b) is a perspective view of a protective cover thereof.
4 Ventilation path 7 Ion generator 7a Ion generation surface 11 Protective cover 12 Air flow path 13 Inlet 14 Outlet 15 Air guide plate

Claims (6)

An ion generator arranged so that the ion generation surface faces the airflow path, and a protection cover arranged so as to cover the ion generation surface, wherein the protection cover is provided between the ion generation surface and the ion generation surface. An air conditioner, wherein an air flow passage is formed from an upstream inlet to a downstream outlet in a blowing direction, and the air flow passage is set substantially parallel to a blowing direction of the blowing path. The side wall of the protective cover is disposed substantially in parallel with the air blowing direction of the air passage, and its cross-sectional shape is formed such that at least the outlet side end is gradually thinned toward the edge, and the edge is rounded. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is formed in the shape of a circle. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the height of the outlet of the air flow passage of the protective cover is set low enough to prevent a finger from entering. The width of the outlet is set wider than the width of the central portion so that the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the air flow passage of the protective cover is the same as the cross-sectional area of the central portion. Air conditioner. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the protective cover has a cross-sectional area at an inlet of the air flow passage larger than a cross-sectional area at a central portion. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a wind guide plate for guiding wind in the air passage into the air flow passage is provided upstream of the protection cover in the air blowing direction. .

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