JP6638166B2 - Drain pan and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drain pan and an air conditioner.

  2. Description of the Related Art Air conditioners installed in factories, office buildings, homes, and the like for performing air conditioning in a room are known. The air conditioner includes an outdoor unit having a compressor and the like, and an indoor unit having an indoor fan and the like. The air conditioner supplies air whose temperature and humidity are adjusted from the indoor unit to the room.

  The indoor unit of the air conditioner takes in indoor air, passes the air through the heat exchanger, and then blows the indoor air again. Here, in the heat exchanger, when the indoor air is cooled during the cooling operation, the water vapor contained in the air is condensed to generate drain water. For this reason, a drain pan for storing the drain water and a drain pump for draining the drain water from the drain pan are provided in the indoor unit.

  By continuously operating the air conditioner for a certain period of time, foreign matters such as sludge generated by the collection of dust and the like in the air together with the condensed water accumulate in the drain pan. Therefore, when the drain water collected in the drain pan is continuously sucked and discharged from the suction port by the drain pump, the suction port may be clogged by the foreign matter. Therefore, in the air conditioner, it is necessary to periodically check the suction port of the drain pump, and to clean the suction port if foreign matter is clogged.

  A drain pan having an opening formed at a position corresponding to a suction port of a drain pump to clean the suction port is described in, for example, an indoor unit of Patent Document 1. The indoor unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 discloses a structure having a transparent drain plug for closing a drain outlet formed in a drain socket attached to a drain pan by insert molding. In this drain pan, the drain plug is detachable from the drain socket. In this drain pan, the inside of the suction port of the drain pump is checked via a transparent drain plug, and if the suction port is clogged, the suction port can be cleaned by removing the drain plug from the drain socket.

JP 2013-167410 A

  However, in the drain pan of the indoor unit described in Patent Literature 1, the drain socket is integrally attached to the drain pan itself by insert molding. Therefore, depending on the material of the drain socket, it may be deformed by being exposed to a high-temperature and high-pressure environment during insert molding. When the drain socket as the nozzle is deformed, the sealing property between the drain socket and the drain plug as the cap is not weakened. As a result, even when the cap is closed, drain water may leak from between the nozzle and the cap.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and has a drain pan and an air that can stably prevent drain water from leaking from between a nozzle and a cap in a state where a cap is closed. It aims at providing a harmony machine.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
Drain pan definitive to the first aspect of the present invention is a heat exchanger comprising a drain pan for receiving drain water generated by condensation from the air, a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction of the pump for discharging the drain water A drain pan sheet having an opening formed at a position facing the suction port, and a drain pan body having a sheet projection projecting upward from the drain pan sheet so as to surround the opening, and a separate member from the drain pan body A nozzle body formed and attached to the opening, the nozzle body being formed in a vertically extending cylindrical shape and arranged in the opening, formed integrally with the nozzle body and radially extending from an upper end of the nozzle body. A nozzle mounting portion that spreads out and contacts the upper surface of the drain pan sheet, and a radially inner side of the sheet protrusion and above the nozzle mounting portion A nozzle having a protruding cylindrical nozzle protruding portion, a cap formed of a light transmissive material, which is rotatably fitted to the nozzle and closes the lower end of the nozzle, and the nozzle protruding portion; A fixing portion made of an adhesive that has been poured into and solidified in a space surrounded by the nozzle mounting portion and the sheet projecting portion.

According to such a configuration, the nozzle is formed as a separate member from the drain pan main body and is attached to the drain pan main body, so that the nozzle can be damaged without damaging the nozzle regardless of the structure of the drain pan main body. Can be fixed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from being deformed when attached to the drain pan main body. As a result, the sealing performance between the cap and the nozzle in a state where the cap is closed can be ensured.
Further, the cap can be attached to the nozzle without forming a structure for fixing the cap to the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle. Since the male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle body, even if the cleaning member is inserted into the nozzle body many times and the suction port is cleaned, the male screw for fixing the cap is damaged. It can be prevented that the cap cannot be attached to the nozzle.

  The air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a heat exchanger through which air from a fan passes, and the drain pan that receives drain water generated by condensing from the air in the heat exchanger. Prepare.

  According to such a configuration, the provision of the drain pan makes it easy to check the clogging of the suction port of the pump and clean it. In addition, it is possible to prevent the drain water from leaking from between the nozzle and the cap with high accuracy.

  According to the present invention, by forming the nozzle with a member separate from the drain pan main body, it is possible to stably prevent the drain water from leaking from between the nozzle and the cap with the cap closed.

It is a schematic structure figure showing the air conditioner in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal section showing the composition near the drain pan of the air conditioner in this embodiment. It is a front view showing a cap in this embodiment.

Hereinafter, an air conditioner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 configures an outdoor unit 11 that performs heat exchange between outdoor air A and a refrigerant RF, and a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant RF circulates together with the outdoor unit 11. An indoor unit 10 is provided for exchanging heat between the air A and the refrigerant RF and blowing out the air A after the heat exchange into the room.

  Although not shown in detail, the outdoor unit 11 includes a compressor, a four-way switching valve, a heat exchanger, an outdoor fan, an electronic expansion valve (EEV), an accumulator, a controller, and the like.

  The indoor unit 10 includes an indoor fan (fan) 12 that blows out the air A, a heat exchanger 13 through which the air A blown from the indoor fan 12 passes, and drain water (condensed water) D generated by the heat exchanger 13. , A drain pump (pump) 14 for discharging drain water D, and a housing 15 for accommodating the indoor fan 12, the heat exchanger 13, the drain pan 20, and the drain pump 14.

  The indoor fan 12 takes in the air A from the room and blows out the air A to the heat exchanger 13. The indoor fan 12 is arranged inside the housing 15.

  The heat exchanger 13 cools the refrigerant RF by performing heat exchange between the air A and the refrigerant RF. The heat exchanger 13 exchanges heat between the air A and the refrigerant RF by passing the air A from the indoor fan 12. In the heat exchanger 13, the condensed air A passes through to generate drain water D. The heat exchanger 13 is disposed inside the housing 15 so as to face the air A outlet of the indoor fan 12.

  The drain water D is generated by condensing water vapor in the air A by cooling the air A blown out from the indoor fan 12 by the heat exchanger 13 during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 1.

  The housing 15 is installed, for example, behind the ceiling of a room to be air-conditioned. The housing 15 has a box shape. The housing 15 houses the indoor fan 12, the heat exchanger 13, the drain pan 20, and the drain pump 14 therein. The housing 15 has an open lower end.

  The drain pump 14 sucks up the drain water D stored in the drain pan 20 and sends it out of the housing 15 by pressure. The drain pump 14 is arranged inside the housing 15. The drain pump 14 is provided with a discharge pipe 14b for discharging the drain water D to the outside. The drain pump 14 has a cylindrical suction port 14 a extending toward the drain pan 20. The suction port 14 a is disposed at a position where the tip is immersed in drain water D collected in the drain pan 20. Therefore, the drain pump 14 sucks the drain water D collected in the drain pan 20 from the suction port 14a and discharges the drain water D to the outside of the housing 15 through the discharge pipe 14b.

  The drain pan 20 receives and stores the drain water D generated in the heat exchanger 13. The drain pan 20 is disposed below the heat exchanger 13 inside the housing 15. The drain pan 20 is attached to the housing 15 so as to close part of an opening at the lower end of the housing 15. The drain pan 20 is covered from the outside by a grill (not shown) forming an air suction port. As shown in FIG. 2, the drain pan 20 of the present embodiment has a drain pan body 21 having an opening 21 a at a position facing the suction port 14 a of the drain pump 14, and has a tubular shape and is attached to the opening 21 a. Nozzle 24, a fixing portion 25 for fixing the drain pan main body 21 and the nozzle 24, a cap 26 which is fitted to the nozzle 24 by being rotated and fitted thereto, and seals between the nozzle 24 and the cap 26. And a seal portion 27 that performs the operation.

The drain pan main body 21 is arranged so as to cover the heat exchanger 13 from below in order to receive drain water D generated by condensing from the air A in the heat exchanger 13. The drain pan main body 21 is arranged so as to block a part of the opening at the lower end of the housing 15. The drain pan main body 21 has an opening 21 a formed at a position facing the suction port 14 a of the drain pump 14 housed in the housing 15. The opening 21a is a through-hole having a circular cross section that penetrates the drain pan main body 21 in an extending direction in which a nozzle 24 described later extends.
Here, of the extending directions of the nozzles 24, the inside of the housing 15 is defined as the other side (upper side in the drawing) of the extending direction, and the outside of the housing 15 is defined as one side in the extending direction (the drawing surface of FIG. 2). Lower).

  The drain pan main body 21 of the present embodiment has a dish shape so as to receive the drain water D. The drain pan main body 21 has a drain pan sheet 22 for suppressing leakage of the drain water D, and a foam portion 23 laminated integrally with the drain pan sheet 22.

  The drain pan sheet 22 is exposed to the stored drain water D. The drain pan sheet 22 of the present embodiment is a plate-shaped member made of, for example, an ABS material. The drain pan sheet 22 has a sheet main body 221 and a sheet protrusion 222 protruding from the sheet main body 221 to the other side in the extending direction.

The sheet main body 221 has a flat plate portion 221a that extends in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the extending direction, and a side portion 221b that extends toward the other side in the extending direction at an end of the flat plate portion 221a.
The sheet protrusion 222 is formed so as to surround the opening 21a from the outside in the radial direction. The sheet protruding portion 222 protrudes toward the other side in the extending direction from the flat plate portion 221a in an annular shape, and a part in the circumferential direction is formed integrally with the side portion 221b.

  The foam part 23 is laminated on one side in the extending direction with respect to the drain pan sheet 22. The foam part 23 is provided so as to cover a surface facing the outside of the drain pan sheet 22. The foam part 23 is a member having higher heat insulation than the drain pan sheet 22 made of a foam material. The foamed portion 23 is integrally formed with the formed drain pan sheet 22 at a temperature of about 120 ° C., and is integrally fixed to the shape of the drain pan sheet 22.

  The nozzle 24 is formed in a cylindrical shape by a member different from the drain pan main body 21. That is, the nozzle 24 is attached to the opening 21a after being manufactured separately from the drain pan main body 21. The nozzle 24 of the present embodiment includes a nozzle body 24a extending in the extending direction, a nozzle attachment portion 24b formed integrally with the nozzle body 24a and attached to the drain pan body 21, and the other side in the extension direction from the nozzle attachment portion 24b. And a nozzle protruding portion 24c protruding from the nozzle.

  The nozzle main body 24a has a cylindrical shape extending along the central axis O. The central axis O, which is the radial center position of the nozzle body 24a, is arranged at the same position as the radial center position of the suction port 14a. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle body 24a. The nozzle main body 24a is arranged with a gap between the surface facing inward in the radial direction of the opening 21a and the outer peripheral surface.

  The nozzle mounting portion 24b extends in a flat plate shape from the other end in the extending direction of the nozzle body 24a toward the outside in the radial direction. The nozzle mounting portion 24b of the present embodiment has an annular shape extending radially from the other end in the extending direction of the nozzle body 24a. The nozzle mounting portion 24b is arranged such that a surface facing one side in the extending direction is in contact with a surface facing the other side in the extending direction of the sheet body 221.

  The nozzle protruding portion 24c is formed on a surface facing the other side in the extending direction of the nozzle mounting portion 24b. The nozzle protruding portion 24c has a cylindrical shape and protrudes from the nozzle mounting portion 24b. The nozzle protruding portion 24c protrudes from the nozzle mounting portion 24b at a position radially outside the nozzle main body 24a.

  The fixing part 25 fixes the nozzle 24 and the drain pan main body 21. The fixing portion 25 of the present embodiment is, for example, a liquid adhesive such as an epoxy resin. The fixing portion 25 is poured into a space surrounded by the nozzle mounting portion 24b, the nozzle protrusion 24c, the sheet protrusion 222, and the side portion 221b. The fixing portion 25 fixes the nozzle 24 to the opening 21 a of the drain pan main body 21 by being solidified after being poured.

  The cap 26 is rotatably fitted to and attached to the nozzle 24, thereby closing the opening at one end in the extending direction of the nozzle 24. The cap 26 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. The cap 26 of the present embodiment has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and has an internal thread formed on the inner peripheral surface. The cap 26 is rotatably attached to the nozzle main body 24a, so that a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 26 and a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 24 are fitted. In other words, the bottom of the cap 26 closes the opening at one end in the extending direction of the nozzle body 24a by being screwed into the nozzle 24. The cap 26 is formed of a material having optical transparency. The cap 26 of the present embodiment is formed of, for example, a transparent resin material such as polypropylene.

When the cap 26 is attached to the nozzle 24, the outer surface 26 a facing one side in the extending direction of the bottom portion is on the other side in the extending direction than the outer surface 21 b of the drain pan main body facing one side in the extending direction. Is located in the position. That is, the outer surface 26a of the bottom of the cap 26 that faces one side in the extending direction is located at a position that does not protrude from the outer surface 21b of the drain pan main body that faces the one side of the extending direction of the foaming portion 23.
The outer surface 26a of the cap 26 is not limited to being located at a position that does not protrude from the outer surface 21b of the drain pan main body. For example, the outer surface 26a of the cap 26 may be arranged at a position protruding from the outer surface 21b of the drain pan main body to one side in the extending direction.

  The bottom outer surface 26a is formed with a concave portion 26b that is recessed toward the other side in the extending direction. The recess 26 b is formed at a position radially deviated from the central axis O of the nozzle 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the concave portion 26b of the present embodiment has a fan shape and is recessed from the outer surface 26a when viewed from one side in the extending direction. The concave portion 26b is formed at two places symmetrically with respect to the central axis O. The concave portion 26b is formed, for example, in a size that allows the tip of the radio pliers to enter.

  The seal portion 27 prevents the drain water D from leaking from between the nozzle body 24a and the cap 26. The seal portion 27 of the present embodiment is an annular rubber member. As shown in FIG. 2, the seal portion 27 is attached to a surface facing the other side in the extending direction of the bottom of the cap 26. When the cap 26 is attached to the nozzle 24, the seal portion 27 is formed between the end on one side in the extending direction of the nozzle body 24 a and the inner surface facing the other side in the extending direction of the bottom of the cap 26. It is arranged to be sandwiched between.

  According to the drain pan 20 as described above, the cap 26 for closing the nozzle 24 attached to the opening 21a of the drain pan main body 21 is formed of a transparent resin material, so that the cap 26 is attached to the nozzle 24. Even in this state, the suction port 14a can be visually recognized from the outside. Also, by removing the cap 26 from the nozzle 24, one end in the extending direction of the nozzle 24 is opened. When the nozzle 24 is opened, the suction can be performed by directly touching the suction port 14a of the drain pump 14 from the outside. Therefore, only by removing the cap 26 from the nozzle 24, the suction port 14a of the drain pump 14 can be easily cleaned without removing the drain pan main body 21.

  Further, since the nozzle 24 is formed as a separate member from the drain pan main body 21 and is later attached to the drain pan main body 21 via the fixing portion 25, the nozzle 24 is damaged regardless of the structure of the drain pan main body 21. Without this, the nozzle 24 can be fixed to the drain pan main body 21. Therefore, for example, unlike the case where the nozzle 24 is fixed to the drain pan body 21 at the same time as the drain pan body 21 is formed as in the case of insert molding, it is possible to prevent the nozzle 24 from being exposed to a high-temperature and high-pressure environment. Can be. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the nozzle 24 from being deformed by heat when attached to the drain pan main body 21. As a result, it is possible to ensure a sealing property between the cap 26 and the nozzle 24 when the cap 26 is closed. Thereby, it is possible to stably prevent the drain water D from leaking from between the nozzle 24 and the cap 26 with the cap 26 closed.

  In addition, since the nozzle 24 is an independent component from the drain pan main body 21, the nozzle 24 can be diverted to another air conditioner having a different shape of the drain pan main body 21.

  In addition, the cap 26 is fitted into a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle body 24a by a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface by rotating. Therefore, the cap 26 can be attached to the nozzle 24 without forming a structure for fixing the cap 26 to the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle main body 24a. For example, when cleaning the suction port 14a of the drain pump 14, a cleaning member such as a tool may be inserted into the nozzle body 24a. Therefore, by performing such cleaning, the cleaning member may come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle main body 24a, and the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle main body 24a may be damaged. As a result, when a structure for fixing the cap 26 such as a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle body 24a, the male screw itself for fixing the cap 26 is gradually cleaned. The cap 26 may not be attached to the nozzle body 24a in the end. However, since the structure for fixing the cap 26 to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle main body 24a is formed, even if the cleaning member is inserted into the nozzle main body 24a and the suction port 14a is cleaned many times, The structure itself for fixing the 26 is not damaged, and it is possible to prevent the cap 26 from being unable to be attached to the nozzle 24.

  Further, by forming the concave portion 26b at the bottom of the cap 26, even when the nozzle 24 and the cap 26 are stuck due to dirt such as sludge, the cap 26 is removed from the nozzle 24 using the concave portion 26b. Can be removed. Specifically, for example, the cap 26 can be removed from the nozzle 24 by inserting a tool such as a pliers or a screwdriver into the recess 26b.

  Further, since the concave portion 26b is formed at a position radially deviated from the central axis O of the nozzle 24, the cap 26 is attached to the nozzle 24 without being blocked by the concave portion 26b. The center position can be visually recognized. Therefore, even if the concave portion 26b is formed in the cap 26, it is possible to confirm whether the suction port 14a is clogged.

  Further, the outer surface 26 a at the bottom of the cap 26 is disposed at a position on the other side in the extending direction from the outer surface 21 b of the foaming portion 23 in a state of being screwed to the nozzle 24. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cap 26 from jumping out of the drain pan main body 21 toward one side in the extending direction in a state where the cap 26 is attached to the nozzle 24. Thus, the drain pan 20 can be compactly stacked in the extending direction, and the installation space for storing the drain pan 20 can be reduced. Further, since the cap 26 does not protrude from the drain pan main body 21 toward one side in the extending direction, breakage due to hooking can be prevented.

  Further, since the sealing portion 27 is provided between the nozzle 24 and the cap 26, even if the dimensional accuracy of the female screw formed on the cap 26 or the male screw formed on the nozzle 24 is not high, the sealing portion 27 is formed. It is possible to prevent the drain water D from leaking from between the cap 26.

  Further, the provision of the drain pan 20 makes it possible to easily check the clogging of the suction port 14a of the drain pump 14 and clean it. In addition, it is possible to prevent the drain water D from leaking from between the nozzle 24 and the cap 26 with high accuracy.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, each configuration in each embodiment and a combination thereof are merely examples, and addition and omission of configurations are not deviated from the scope of the present invention. , Substitutions, and other changes are possible. The present invention is not limited by the embodiments, but is limited only by the claims.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the entire cap 26 is formed of a light-transmitting material, but only the bottom may be formed of a light-transmitting material.

  In the present embodiment, the radial center position of the suction port 14a of the drain pump 14 and the radial center position of the nozzle body 24a are formed at the same position, but the arrangement is limited to such. Instead, any position may be used as long as the suction port 14a can be visually recognized from the nozzle 24. For example, the radial center position of the suction port 14a of the drain pump 14 and the radial center position of the nozzle main body 24a may be shifted from each other in the radial direction.

  The fixing portion 25 of the present embodiment is a liquid adhesive, but is not limited to such a configuration, and may be any as long as it can fix the nozzle 24 to the drain pan main body 21. For example, the fixing portion 25 is a sheet-like adhesive disposed between a surface facing the other side in the extending direction of the flat plate portion 221a of the drain pan sheet 22 and a surface facing one side in the extending direction of the nozzle mounting portion 24b. It may be a material. The fixing portion 25 may be formed in a shape like a hook on the nozzle 24 or the drain pan main body 21 instead of using another member such as an adhesive.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air conditioner 11 ... Outdoor unit 10 ... Indoor unit RF ... Refrigerant A ... Air 12 ... Indoor fan 13 ... Heat exchanger D ... Drain water 20 ... Drain pan 21 ... Drain pan main body 21a ... Opening 21b ... Outer surface 22 ... Drain pan sheet 221: Sheet body 221a ... Flat plate part 221b ... Side part 222 ... Sheet protruding part 23 ... Foaming part 24 ... Nozzle O ... Center axis 24a ... Nozzle body 24b ... Nozzle mounting part 24c ... Nozzle protruding part 25 ... Fixed part 26 ... Cap 26a ... Outer surface 26b ... Recess 27 ... Seal part 14 ... Drain pump 14a ... Suction port 14b ... Discharge pipe 15 ... Case

Claims (2)

A drain pan that receives drain water generated by condensation from air in a heat exchanger,
A drain pan sheet having a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction and having an opening formed at a position facing a suction port of the pump for discharging the drain water, and projecting upward from the drain pan sheet so as to surround the opening. A drain pan body having a sheet protrusion,
A nozzle formed by a member separate from the drain pan main body and attached to the opening, the nozzle main body being formed in a vertically extending cylindrical shape and disposed in the opening, and formed integrally with the nozzle main body; A nozzle mounting portion that extends radially from the upper end of the nozzle body and contacts the upper surface of the drain pan sheet, and a cylindrical nozzle protruding portion that protrudes upward from the nozzle mounting portion radially inside the sheet protrusion. A nozzle having
A cap formed of a material having light transmissivity, which is rotatably fitted to the nozzle and closes a lower end of the nozzle,
A fixing portion made of an adhesive poured and solidified into a space surrounded by the nozzle protrusion portion, the nozzle mounting portion and the sheet protrusion portion,
Drain pan equipped with. A heat exchanger through which air from the fan passes;
An air conditioner comprising: the drain pan according to claim 1 , which receives drain water generated by condensing the air in the heat exchanger.

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