JP3095010B2 - Stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an opening degree limiting stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening of a suction grill or the like in an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a suction grill in an indoor unit of an air conditioner is generally configured so as not to be opened and closed. Therefore, when the air filter is mounted on the back side of the suction grill, the air filter is inserted and removed from a slit-shaped insertion port provided on the front panel at an upper portion of the suction grill.

[0003] In addition, an indoor unit in which the suction grille can be opened and closed has appeared. In this case, the open suction grille is fixed by attaching a stopper to the opened suction grille and the front panel with a separate component such as a screw or a hook.

[0004]

However, the above-described suction grille in the conventional indoor unit has the following problems. That is, in the case of the suction grille that cannot be opened and closed, the air filter is inserted and removed from the insertion port provided in the front panel, so that the air filter is gripped on the design surface of the front panel ( Handle) has come out, there is a problem that it is unsightly.

In the case of the suction grille which can be opened and closed, since the suction grille is fixed by attaching a stopper to the opened suction grille and the front panel with a screw or a hook, the opened suction grille is opened. There is a problem that fixing the grill is troublesome. further,
Screws, hooks, and the like for attaching the stopper to the suction grill and the front panel are separate parts from the stopper, so that the number of parts and man-hours increase, leading to an increase in cost.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the air filter from being picked up or a handle on the design surface of the front panel, and the degree of opening of the suction grille can be easily controlled by the stopper and the part integrally formed with the stopper. The object of the present invention is to provide a stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening, which can be restricted to a limit.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening, which comprises a resilient main body and an opening / closing body which opens and closes the main body. Either one has an engagement claw on one end side to be flexibly engaged so as to be detachable in one operation, and when the opening degree of the opening / closing body reaches a predetermined opening degree, one of the opening / closing body and the main body. An opening degree limiting stopper having an engaging portion which engages with the other side and stops the opening operation of the opening / closing body on the other end side is provided.

According to the above construction, the opening degree of the opening / closing body with respect to the main body is limited by the engagement of the engaging portion provided on the other end side of the opening degree limiting stopper with the opening / closing body or the main body. As a result, mounting of the body to be mounted on the back side of the opening / closing body in the main body can be easily performed by opening the opening / closing body. In this case, the handle of the mounted body is housed in the opening / closing body, and is not exposed on the design surface of the main body. Further, in this case, the engagement of both ends of the opening degree limiting stopper with the main body and the opening / closing body is performed by an engaging claw and an engaging portion provided integrally with the opening degree limiting stopper. Thus, the degree of opening of the opening / closing body is limited by a small number of parts and a small number of steps.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the opening degree limiting stopper mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing body or the main body is provided in the vicinity of an engagement portion with the engagement claw portion, It is characterized in that a baffle plate is provided, which obstructs the bending engagement operation of the engaging claw portion by a finger and makes it impossible.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the disengagement operation of the engagement claw portion by the finger is obstructed by the baffle plate, and thus the operation becomes impossible. As a result, the disengagement is not inadvertently performed and the opening / closing body is not fully opened.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening according to the second aspect of the present invention, the main body or the opening / closing body is provided with a mechanism for releasing the engagement with the engaging portion. An engagement release portion is provided, and the engagement release portion is provided so that the engagement with the engagement portion is released when the engagement claw portion is engaged with the opening / closing body or the main body. It is characterized by having.

According to the above construction, when the engaging claw portion of the opening degree limiting stopper is engaged with the opening / closing body or the main body, the engaging member is provided by the engagement releasing portion provided on the main body or the opening / closing body. The engagement with the joint is not released. In this way, the stopper for limiting the degree of opening does not come off from the main body or the opening / closing body unless the engagement of the engaging claw portion is intentionally released using a tool or the like.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the opening degree limiting stopper mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body is an indoor unit main body of an air conditioner, and the opening / closing body is an air conditioner of the air conditioner. It is a suction grill in an indoor unit.

According to the above configuration, the suction grill is made openable and closable with respect to the indoor unit main body, and its opening is restricted by the opening restriction stopper. The filter is attached and detached by opening the suction grill. As a result, the handle of the filter is stored in the suction grill and is not exposed on the design surface of the indoor unit main body. Further, engagement of both ends of the opening degree limiting stopper with the indoor unit main body and the suction grill is performed by an engaging claw and an engaging portion provided integrally with the opening degree limiting stopper. Thus, the degree of opening of the suction grill is limited by a small number of parts and a small number of steps.

Further, by applying the second and third aspects, the engagement of the engaging claw and the engaging portion of the stopper for limiting the degree of opening is inadvertently released, and the suction grill is fully opened. Thus, a danger state in which the fan accommodated in the indoor unit body is exposed forward can be avoided beforehand.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner to which the opening degree limiting stopper mechanism of the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the suction grille 6 is closed, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the suction grille 6 is opened and the opening degree is restricted by a grill stopper 8. FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 1B.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a front panel mounted on the front of an indoor unit main body 2. The front panel 1 has a suction port 3 at a lower front portion, and a blow port 4 at a lower surface. ing. Further, a cross-flow fan (hereinafter, simply referred to as a fan) 5 is attached to the back of the suction port 3, and by rotation of the fan 5, indoor air is taken in from the suction port 3 and air after heat exchange is taken out. The air is blown into the room from the air outlet 4.

The suction opening 3 is covered with the suction grille 6, and a filter 7 for removing dust in the room air can be installed behind the suction grille 6.
The suction grille 6 can be opened and closed with respect to the front panel 1 around the lower end as a center of rotation.
Withdrawing in the direction (B) and mounting in the opposite direction are easy. By doing so, it is not necessary to put the handle 7a for inserting and removing the filter 7 on the design surface of the front panel 1, and the design surface can be made clear.

By the way, as described above, the fan 5 is installed behind the suction port 3. Therefore, when the suction grille 6 is opened more than necessary and the suction port 3 is exposed to the front, a child or the like can easily insert his / her hand from the suction port 3 to the back. Risk of injury. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 6a of the suction grille 6 and the front panel 1
Of the suction grille 6 with respect to the front panel 1 by restricting the opening degree of the suction grille 6 with respect to the front panel 1.
Is provided. As will be described in detail later, the grill stopper 8 can be engaged with the suction grill 6 and the front panel 1 with one touch by a component integrated with the grill stopper 8 itself. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced as compared with the case where the stopper is attached with a separate component such as a screw or a hook. Hereinafter, the configuration and function of the grill stopper 8 will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the structure of the grill stopper 8. 2 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 2 (b) is a front view, and FIG. 2 (c) is a side view. The main body 11 of the grill stopper 8 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is provided at one end thereof with a columnar body 12 projecting laterally from a side surface. An engaging claw 13 is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical body 12. A slit 14 having an opening at one end is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the main body 11, and the cylindrical body 12 is divided into an upper cylindrical body 12a and a lower cylindrical body 12b by the slit 14. In this case, the slit 14 is formed at the position corresponding to the slit 14 in the main body 11.
Upper upper body 11a and lower lower body 11b
(Or any one of them) is positioned so as to exhibit an appropriate elastic force.

Here, the upper body 11a is bent so that the tip end thereof comes close to the lower body 11b.
Alternatively, the outer peripheral surface of the engaging claw 13 and the lower outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical body 12b are brought into contact with the upper main body 1b by bending the lower main body 11b so that the distal end portion thereof comes close to the upper main body 11a.
It has a circular shape having substantially the same outer diameter as the cylindrical body 12 in the state of the main body 11 before bending the lower body 1a or the lower main body 11b.

A columnar engaging member 15 is attached to the other end of the main body 11 so as to project from both sides to both sides and engage with the concave portion 1a of the front panel 1.
The plate-shaped main body 11 and the engaging member 15 form a T-shape.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the grill stopper 8 having the above structure is attached to the convex portion 6a of the suction grill 6 and the concave portion 1a of the front panel 1.
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. Suction grill 6
Has a substantially planar shape extending in the vertical direction, and is provided with a circular hole 16 penetrating in the horizontal direction at the center. The diameter of the hole 16 is
The outer diameter of the cylindrical body 12 in a state in which 1a is not bent (a circular outer diameter formed by the outer peripheral surface of the engagement claw 13 and the lower outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical body 12b in a state in which the upper body 11a is bent). ) Is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the circle formed by the outer peripheral surface of the engagement claw 13 and the lower outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical body 12b in a state where the upper main body 11a is not bent.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, an external force is applied to the upper main body 11a of the main body 11 so that the upper cylindrical body 12a
The upper body 11a until the position where the
The cylindrical body 12 including the engagement claw 13
The whole can be inserted into the hole 16 on the suction grill 6 side. After the engagement claw 13 passes through the hole 16, the bending of the upper body 11a is released, so that the circular outer diameter formed by the outer peripheral surface of the engagement claw 13 and the lower outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical body 12b is reduced. It is larger than the diameter of the hole 16.
Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the engaging claw 13 is engaged with the hole 16, and the grill stopper 8 is rotatably engaged with the suction grill 6.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the groove 17 (partial back view of the front panel 1). As shown in FIG. 6, a recess 1a of the front panel 1 (which protrudes from the paper surface in FIG. 6) 1a is engaged with the grill stopper 8 by a T
A U-shaped groove 17 is formed. Here, the base 1 of the groove 17
The width of 7a is formed slightly wider than the width of the main body 11 of the grill stopper 8 and narrower than the width of the engaging member 15,
The width b is slightly wider than the width of the engagement member 15. Therefore, the main body 11 of the grill stopper 8 is inserted into the base 17 a of the groove 17 by inserting the engaging member 15 of the grill stopper 8 from the wide portion 17 b of the groove 17. By doing so, the main body 11 of the grill stopper 8 engaged with the suction grill 6 is
The suction grille 6 can be opened by moving in the longitudinal direction inside 7a. When the engaging member 15 of the grill stopper 8 comes into contact with and engages with the base 17a of the groove 17,
As shown in FIG. 1B, the opening degree of the suction grill 6 is limited to 15 °.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
The opening degree of the suction grill 6 is limited to 15 ° by the grill stopper 8. Therefore, even when the filter 7 is not provided, the hand inserted from the suction port 3 does not touch the fan 5 and does not cause any injury. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, by bending the upper body 11a of the grill stopper 8, the grill stopper 8 can be detachably attached to the suction grill 6 with one touch. Therefore, when the suction grill 6 is removed from the grill stopper 8, the suction port 3 is largely exposed, and a dangerous state is created. Therefore,
In order to avoid such a state, the present embodiment is configured as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a baffle plate 18 is provided at a position adjacent to the protruding portion 6a of the suction grille 6 so as to face the protruding portion 6a.
The interval from the position 8 is set smaller than the thickness of the human finger. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the upper body 11a of the grill stopper 8 from being erroneously bent by hand and detaching the grill stopper 8 from the suction grill 6, thereby preventing the suction grill 6 from being fully opened. However, when the grill stopper 8 is mounted on the convex portion 6a of the suction grill 6, the upper body 11a of the grill stopper 8 is bent using a tool that enters a gap between the convex portion 6a and the baffle plate 18. Just do it.

As described above, by inserting the engaging member 15 of the grill stopper 8 from the wide portion 17b of the groove 17 formed in the concave portion 1a of the front panel 1, the grill stopper 8 is connected to the front panel 1. Recess 1a
It is removable. Accordingly, it is assumed that the grille stopper 8 is disengaged from the recess 1a of the front panel 1 and the suction grille 6 is fully opened, even though the suction grille 6 is prevented from coming off the grille stopper 8 without using a tool. . Therefore, the wide portion 17b of the groove 17 formed in the concave portion 1a is formed so that the engaging member 15 of the grill stopper 8 in the state of being engaged with the suction grill 6 cannot pass through at all (in FIG. 3). ,
The engaging member 15 can only pass through the wide portion 17b in the vertical direction). By doing so, the suction grill 6 will not be opened by more than 15 ° unless the engaging claw 13 of the grill stopper 8 is removed from the hole 16 of the projection 6a using a tool. That is, in the present embodiment, the widened portion 17b of the groove 17 constitutes the engagement release portion.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the hole 16 is formed in the convex portion 6a of the suction grill 6 provided to be able to open and close with respect to the front panel 1. Further, a groove 17 having a wide portion 17b is formed in the concave portion 1a of the front panel 1. In the hole 16, the engagement claw 13 of the columnar body 12 provided to bend at one end of the grill stopper 8 is provided.
While the groove 17 is engaged with an engagement member 15 provided at the other end of the grill stopper 8. Therefore, the suction grille 6 can be limited to be opened up to 15 °, and the entire filter 7 can be completely stored in the back side of the suction grille 6 to prevent the handle 7a from coming out of the design surface of the front panel 1 and making it hard to see.

Here, the engaging claw 1 of the grill stopper 8
3 is formed on the upper end of an upper cylindrical body 12a which is formed on both sides of the slit 14 and has one outer diameter which can be inserted into the hole 16 and which forms one cylindrical body 12; The distance from the lower outer peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical body 12b is
6 is set longer than the diameter. The distance is set to be shorter than the diameter of the hole 16 when the upper main body 11a is bent so that the distal end thereof is close to the lower main body 11b. Accordingly, the upper body 11a of the grill stopper 8 is bent so that the engagement claw 13 and the lower cylindrical body 12b are bent.
By letting the upper body 11a be released from the bending after passing through the hole 16 of the convex portion 6a of the suction grill 6, the grill stopper 8 can be engaged with the suction grill 6 with one touch.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, the suction grill 6 and the filter 7 can be easily removed from the front panel 1, and the entire suction grill 6 and the filter 7 can be very easily cleaned.

The engaging member 1 of the grill stopper 8
5 has a width smaller than the wide portion 17b of the groove 17 formed in the concave portion 1a of the front panel 1 and wider than the base 17a. Therefore, by inserting the engagement member 15 of the grill stopper 8 into the groove 17 from the wide portion 17b, the engagement member 15 is engaged with the groove 17 when the opening degree of the suction grill 6 becomes 15 °. The opening can be limited. By doing so, it is possible to prevent inadvertently putting a hand in the suction port 3 and injuring the fan 5 when replacing the filter 7.

That is, as described above, the grill stopper 8 in the present embodiment is provided with the suction grill by the slit 14, the cylindrical body 12, the engaging claw 13, and the engaging member 15 provided in the grill stopper 8 itself. 6 and the front panel 1. Therefore, there is no need for a separate screw, hook, or the like separate from the grill stopper 8 for attaching the grill stopper 8 to the suction grill 6, and the number of parts and man-hours can be reduced to reduce costs.

Further, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 6a is located at a position adjacent to the protrusion 6a of the suction grille 6.
A baffle plate 18 is provided so as to prevent a finger from entering. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the upper body 11a of the grill stopper 8 from being inadvertently pressed and the engaging claw 13 coming out of the hole 16. The wide portion 17b of the groove 17 formed in the concave portion 1a of the front panel 1 is formed so that the engaging member 15 of the grill stopper 8 engaged with the suction grill 6 cannot pass through at all. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the grill stopper 8 from being detached from the front panel 1 while being engaged with the suction grill 6.

In the above embodiment, the projection 6a engaging with the engagement claw 13 of the grill stopper 8 is attached to the suction grill 6, while the recess 1 engaging with the engagement member 15 is provided.
a is attached to the front panel 1 of the indoor unit of the air conditioner so as to limit the opening degree of the suction grille 6. However, the present invention is not limited to the suction grill 6 of the air conditioner.

[0036]

As apparent from the above description, the opening degree limiting stopper mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention has the opening degree limiting stopper, and has one end of one of the main body and the opening / closing body at one end. The other end side is provided with an engaging claw that is flexibly engaged so as to be detachable in one operation, and the other end side is provided with one of the opening and closing body and the main body when the opening degree of the opening and closing body reaches a predetermined opening degree. The opening of the opening / closing body with respect to the main body is adjusted so that the opening of the opening / closing body with respect to the main body can be stopped. Can be limited by: Therefore, a screw or a hook for fixing the opening / closing body to the main body is not required, and the number of parts and man-hours can be reduced to reduce costs. Further, a handle of a body to be mounted to be mounted on the back side of the opening and closing body in the main body can be stored in the opening and closing body. Therefore, the unsightlyness due to the handle being exposed on the design surface of the main body can be eliminated.

Further, in the opening degree limiting stopper mechanism according to the second aspect of the present invention, a finger flexes the engagement claw portion in the vicinity of the engagement portion with the engagement claw portion on the opening / closing body or the main body. Since the baffle plate that disables the operation is provided, it is possible to prevent the engagement claw portion from being inadvertently disengaged by hand and the opening / closing body from being fully opened. Therefore, even if there are dangerous places in the main body,
It is possible to prevent the dangerous part from being unintentionally exposed.

The stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening of the invention according to claim 3 is provided with an engagement release portion for releasing the engagement with the engagement portion, and the engagement mechanism is provided on the opening / closing body or the main body. Since the engagement with the engaging portion is not released when the claw portion is engaged, the engagement of the engaging claw portion of the opening degree limiting stopper with the opening / closing body or the main body is intentionally released. Unless it is performed, the engagement of the engagement portion cannot be released. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inadvertent disengagement of the engaging portion from being performed and the opening / closing body from being fully opened, so that the dangerous portion is unintentionally exposed.

Further, in the opening degree limiting stopper mechanism of the invention according to claim 4, the main body is an indoor unit main body of the air conditioner, and the opening / closing body is a suction grill in the indoor unit of the air conditioner. Engagement of both ends of the opening degree limiting stopper with the indoor unit main body and the suction grille can be performed by an engaging claw and an engaging portion provided integrally with the opening degree limiting stopper. Therefore, there is no need for a separate screw or hook, etc., separate from the opening degree limiting stopper, and the number of parts and man-hours can be reduced to reduce costs. Further, a handle of a filter to be mounted on the rear side of the suction grill in the indoor unit main body can be stored in the suction grill. Therefore, the unsightlyness due to the handle being exposed on the design surface of the indoor unit main body can be eliminated.

Further, by applying the second and third aspects, the engagement of the engaging claw and the engaging portion of the stopper for limiting the degree of opening is inadvertently released, and the suction grill is fully opened. Thus, it is possible to avoid a danger state in which the fan accommodated in the indoor unit main body is exposed forward.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner to which an opening limiting stopper according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a structure of a grill stopper in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state where the grill stopper shown in FIG. 2 is attached to a suction grill and a front panel.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. 3;

5 is an explanatory view of an operation of engaging the grill stopper shown in FIG. 2 with a suction grill.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a groove provided in a concave portion of the front panel in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... front panel, 1a ... recess of front panel,
3 ... inlet, 4 ... outlet,
5 ... Fan, 6 ... Suction grill,
6a: convex portion of suction grille, 7: filter,
7a: Filter handle, 8: Grill stopper, 11: Grill stopper body, 12: Cylindrical body, 12a: Upper cylindrical body, 12b: Lower cylindrical body, 13
... engaging claw, 14 ... slit, 15
... engagement member, 16 ... hole, 1
7: groove, 17a: base of groove, 17b
... the wide part of the groove.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-204524 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F24F 1/00 401 F16C 11/04

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A body (1) having elasticity and said body (1)
In one of the closing member for opening and closing (6) with respect to, Ichido
The engaging claw (11a, 1) which is flexibly engaged so that it can be attached and detached.
2a, 13) at one end, and when the opening degree of the opening / closing body (6) reaches a predetermined opening degree, the opening / closing body
(6) An opening limiting stopper (8) having an engaging portion (15) on the other end side for engaging the other one of the main body (1) and stopping the opening operation of the opening / closing body (6). A stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening, comprising: 2. The stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw portion on the opening / closing body (6) or the main body (1).
A baffle plate (18) which is provided in the vicinity of an engagement portion with the (11a, 12a, 13) and obstructs the bending engagement operation of the engagement claw portion (11a, 12a, 13) with a finger and makes it impossible. A stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening, comprising: 3. The opening degree limiting stopper mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the main body (1) or the opening / closing body (6) is provided with the engaging portion (1).
An engagement release portion (17b) for releasing the engagement with the opening / closing body (6) or the main body (1) is provided. A stopper mechanism for limiting the degree of opening, characterized in that the stopper mechanism is provided so that the engagement with the engaging portion (15) is not released when the portions (11a, 12a, 13) are engaged. 4. The opening degree limiting stopper mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the main body is an indoor unit main body (1) of an air conditioner, and the opening / closing body is a suction unit in the indoor unit of the air conditioner. A stopper mechanism for limiting an opening degree, which is a grill (6).