JP7489302B2 - Air conditioning equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning device for adjusting the temperature inside a room, etc.

Many homes are equipped with air conditioning units to regulate the temperature inside the rooms. Prior art related to air conditioning units is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The air conditioner shown in Patent Document 1 includes a plate-shaped support plate that is fixed to a wall, a case that is supported by the support plate and houses a fan for blowing air inside, and a heat insulating section that is disposed between the case and the wall and is capable of preventing the heat of the air blown by the fan from being transferred toward the wall.

The heat insulating section is provided along the fan-facing surface of the case that faces the bottom of the fan, and is fastened to the case via fastening members. The fan-facing surface is a section that gradually moves away from the wall from top to bottom along the bottom of the fan.

During cooling operation, cold air passes over the surface of the fan-facing surface, causing the temperature of the fan-facing surface to drop. If no insulation is provided, condensation may form on the back side of the fan-facing surface. If condensation occurs, there is a risk of mold growing on the wall. By providing an insulation section between the fan-facing surface and the support plate, it is possible to prevent condensation from forming on the back side of the fan-facing surface.

Japanese Patent No. 4920618

If there is a gap between the insulation and the fan-facing surface, condensation may form in the gap and cause water to seep out from between the insulation and the fan-facing surface toward the wall. For this reason, it is necessary to fit the insulation tightly against the fan-facing surface.

For example, one possible measure to ensure that the insulation part is tightly attached to the fan-facing surface is to use as many fastening members as possible to fasten the insulation part to the case. However, using many fastening members increases the cost of the fastening members and the cost of assembly work. As a result, the air conditioner becomes expensive.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that is inexpensive yet capable of suppressing the occurrence of condensation.

This disclosure is explained below.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an air conditioner having a plate-shaped support plate portion fixed to a wall, a case supported by the support plate portion and housing a fan for blowing air inside, and a heat insulating portion disposed between the case and the wall and capable of suppressing the transfer of heat of air blown by the fan toward the wall,
The support plate portion includes a support plate side abutment portion abutting the heat insulating portion,
the case has a fan-facing surface that is gradually spaced from the wall from top to bottom along a lower portion of the fan,
An air conditioning device is provided in which the insulation portion is arranged along the fan-facing surface portion, has a fastening member mounting portion formed at the lower portion through which a fastening member for fastening to the case is passed, and has an insulation side abutment portion at the upper portion extending toward the support plate portion and abutting the support plate side abutment portion.

The present invention provides an air conditioner that is inexpensive and can suppress the occurrence of condensation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the air conditioning device shown in FIG. 1 . This is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Figure 2. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Figure 2.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In the description, left and right refer to the left and right based on the state in which the air conditioner is viewed from the front, front refers to the direction away from the wall into the room, and rear refers to the direction from the room toward the wall. In addition, in the drawings, Fr indicates front, Rr indicates rear, Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom. The embodiment shown in the attached drawings is one example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.
<Example>

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows an indoor unit 20 of an air conditioner 10. In general, an air conditioner 10 has an indoor unit 20 that is fixed to a wall Wa when used indoors, an outdoor unit that is placed outdoors and adjusts the refrigerant to an appropriate temperature, and piping that connects the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit and through which the refrigerant flows. In the present invention, the outdoor unit and piping can be well-known, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The air conditioner 10 can switch between a cooling mode to lower the temperature inside the room, a heating mode to raise the temperature inside the room, and a dehumidification mode to lower the humidity inside the room, depending on the temperature and humidity inside the room, for example.

See Figures 2 and 3. The indoor unit 20 has a plate-shaped support plate 30 fixed to the wall Wa (see Figure 1), a case 22 supported by the support plate 30, a plurality of heat exchangers 23 housed inside the case 22 and exchanging heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant flowing inside, a fan 24 rotatably installed below the heat exchangers 23 for blowing air into the room, a louver 25 swingably installed at the front lower part of the case 22 for adjusting the direction of blowing air, a heat insulating part 26 installed between the support plate 30 and the case 22 and capable of suppressing the transfer of heat of the air blown by the fan 24 toward the wall Wa (see Figure 1), and fastening members 27, 27 for fastening the lower part of the heat insulating part 26 to the case 22.

See Figure 2. The support plate portion 30 is made of a single metal plate. The support plate portion 30 has a support plate main body portion 31 that is horizontally elongated and has a generally rectangular shape, and support plate legs 32, 32 that extend downward from two points on the left and right sides of the support plate main body portion 31.

The support plate 30 is also formed with ribs 33 that bulge out toward the case 22 to reinforce the support plate 30, a number of support plate holes 34 that are drilled to reduce the weight of the support plate 30, a horizontally elongated through hole 35 through which the positioning pin 28 passes, and lower abutment portions 36, 36 that are folded back toward the front at the lower end of the support plate main body 31. The front end of the positioning pin 28 is inserted into the case 22.

The left and right upper ends of the support plate main body 31 are bent forward, and the case 22 is inserted into these sections to support the case 22. The lower ends of the support plate legs 32, 32 are also bent forward, and the case 22 is inserted into these sections.

The four portions of the rib 33 that extend from the support plate main body 31 to the tip of the support plate leg 32 have a portion of their front surface abutting the heat insulating section 26. These four portions that extend vertically are called abutting rib portions 33a. The portions that extend horizontally to connect the upper ends of the abutting rib portions 33a are called connecting rib portions 33b. The connecting rib portions 33b may connect portions other than the upper ends of the abutting rib portions 33a.

See Figure 3. The front surface of the lower abutment portion 36 abuts against the insulating portion 26.

The case 22 is made by stacking multiple resin members together to form a space inside. The case 22 has an air intake 22a at the top to take in indoor air, an air outlet 22b to send temperature-adjusted air out into the room, and a fan-facing surface 22c that gradually moves away from the wall Wa (see Figure 1) from top to bottom along the bottom of the fan 24.

The fan-facing surface portion 22c is curved downward toward the front from approximately the same height as the center of the fan 24. The lower end of the fan-facing surface portion 22c is located at the frontmost position of the fan-facing surface portion 22c and faces the air outlet 22b.

See Figure 4. The case 22 also has a boss portion 22d, which is a cylindrical portion that protrudes rearward at the bottom and to which the fastening member 27 is fastened.

See FIG. 5. The heat insulating section 26 is made of, for example, foamed polyethylene, and is provided along the back surface (rear surface) of the fan-facing surface section 22c. At the upper end of the heat insulating section 26, a heat insulating side abutment section 26a is formed, which extends toward the support plate section 30 and abuts against the abutment rib section 33a.

Refer to Figure 4. A fastening member attachment portion 26b is formed at the bottom of the insulating portion 26, penetrating the boss portion 22d so as to surround it. A washer 29 is disposed on the rear surface of the fastening member attachment portion 26b.

See Figure 2. A number of insulation side abutment portions 26a are formed on the upper end of the insulation portion 26 (some are covered by the support plate legs 32).

See also FIG. 3. The insulation side abutment portion 26a is a portion formed to be pushed out of the mold during molding, and each has a cylindrical shape. The front surface of the insulation portion 26 has a complex shape formed in a curved surface along the fan-facing surface portion 22c. When a foamed polyethylene member having a complex shape is pushed out of the mold, a portion with high strength for the ejection pin to abut is required to prevent damage. The insulation side abutment portion 26a is a cylindrical portion with high strength formed to abut the ejection pin. It can be said that the insulation side abutment portion 26a has a cylindrical shape and is a portion with higher strength than other portions. In this way, it can be used as a portion for the ejection pin to abut when molding the insulation portion 26, and as a portion for the support plate portion 30 to abut and to contribute to increasing adhesion with the case 22 after the air conditioner 10 is assembled.

Refer to Figures 3 and 5. The contact rib portion 33a and the lower contact portion 36 contact the insulation side contact portion 26a. These contact rib portion 33a and the lower contact portion 36 can also be called the support plate side contact portions 33a, 36 that contact the insulation portion 26.

The effects of the air conditioning device 10 described above are explained below.

See Figures 4 and 5. The heat insulating part 26 is provided along the fan facing surface part 22c, and has a fastening member attachment part 26b through which a fastening member 27 for fastening to the case 22 is passed at the lower part, and has a heat insulating side abutment part 26a at the upper part that extends toward the support plate part 30 and abuts the support plate side abutment parts 33a, 36 (see Figure 3 for the lower abutment part 36). The heat insulating part 26 has a lower part that is in close contact with the case 22 via the fastening member 27, and an upper part that is pressed against the case 22 by the support plate side abutment parts 33a, 36 and is in close contact. Although the fastening member 27 is used only at the lower part, the entire upper and lower parts can be in close contact with the case 22. The heat insulating part 26 can be in close contact with the case 22 with a small number of fastening members 27. This makes it possible to provide an air conditioner 10 that is inexpensive and can suppress the occurrence of condensation.

Refer to Figures 2 and 5. As is clear from the fact that fastening members 27 are provided in two locations, multiple fastening member attachment portions 26b are formed, and at least one insulation side abutment portion 26a is formed at a position corresponding to between these fastening member attachment portions 26b (between the two fastening members 27 in Figure 2). By forming the fastening member attachment portions 26b so as to sandwich the insulation side abutment portion 26a with respect to the left-right direction, the entire upper and lower portions of the insulation portion 26 can be more closely attached to the case 22. This can further suppress the occurrence of condensation.

A plurality of insulation side abutments 26a are formed, and at least one fastening member attachment portion 26b (see fastening member 27 on the left side of the drawing in Figure 2) is formed at a position corresponding to between these insulation side abutments 26a. By forming the insulation side abutments 26a so as to sandwich the fastening member attachment portion 26b based on the left-right direction, the entire upper and lower portions of the insulation section 26 can be more closely attached to the case 22. This can further suppress the occurrence of condensation.

See Figure 2. The abutment rib portion 33a is formed by a rib 33 that reinforces the support plate portion 30. Since it abuts against a portion with high strength, it is possible to prevent the support plate portion 30 from bending due to the reaction force received from the case 22.

The lower abutment portion 36 is formed by folding back the lower end of the support plate portion 30. By folding back the lower end of the support plate portion 30, which is a plate-shaped member, it is possible to prevent the support plate portion 30 from bending due to the reaction force received from the case 22, and it is also possible to reinforce the support plate portion 30.

The air conditioner according to the present invention has been described as having both a heating function and a dehumidifying function, but the present invention can also be applied to air conditioners with only a cooling function, air conditioners with only a dehumidifying function, and air conditioners with both a cooling function and a dehumidifying function but no heating function. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the examples, so long as the effects and advantages of the present invention are achieved.

The air conditioner of the present invention is suitable for use as a home air conditioner.

10: Air conditioner 22: Case, 22c: Fan facing surface 24: Fan 26: Heat insulating portion, 26a: Heat insulating side abutment portion, 26b: Fastening member attachment portion 27: Fastening member 30: Support plate portion 33: Rib, 33a: Abutment rib portion (support plate side abutment portion)
36...Lower contact portion (support plate side contact portion)
Wa...wall

Claims (4)

An air conditioner having a plate-shaped support plate portion fixed to a wall, a case supported by the support plate portion and housing a fan for blowing air therein, and a heat insulating portion disposed between the case and the wall and capable of suppressing the transfer of heat of air blown by the fan toward the wall,
The support plate portion includes a support plate side abutment portion abutting the heat insulating portion,
the case has a fan-facing surface that is gradually spaced from the wall from top to bottom along a lower portion of the fan,
the heat insulating portion is provided along the fan-facing surface portion, and has a fastening member attachment portion formed at a lower portion through which a fastening member for fastening to the case is passed, and has an heat insulating side abutment portion at an upper portion extending toward the support plate portion and abutting against the support plate side abutment portion ,
An air conditioning device , wherein the support plate side abutment portion is formed by a rib that reinforces the support plate portion . The fastening member attachment portion is formed in plurality,
The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the insulation side abutment portions is formed at a position corresponding to a position between the fastening member attachment portions. The heat insulation side abutment portion is formed in plurality,
3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fastening member attachment portions is formed at a position corresponding to a space between the insulation side contact portions. An air conditioner having a plate-shaped support plate portion fixed to a wall, a case supported by the support plate portion and housing a fan for blowing air therein, and a heat insulating portion disposed between the case and the wall and capable of suppressing the transfer of heat of air blown by the fan toward the wall,
The support plate portion includes a support plate side abutment portion abutting the heat insulating portion,
the case has a fan-facing surface portion that is gradually spaced from the wall from top to bottom along a lower portion of the fan,
the heat insulating portion is provided along the fan-facing surface portion, and has a fastening member attachment portion formed at a lower portion through which a fastening member for fastening to the case is passed, and has an heat insulating side abutment portion at an upper portion extending toward the support plate portion and abutting against the support plate side abutment portion,
The support plate side abutment portion is formed by folding back a lower end of the support plate portion .

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