JP7554966B2 - Cyclone Separator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cyclone separator that uses centrifugal force to separate foreign matter contained in the air.

Conventionally, this type of cyclone separator has been attached to the air intake vent on the exterior wall of a house to separate insects and dust (hereafter referred to as foreign matter) that are sucked in along with the outside air when it is taken into the room.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a cyclone separator is installed at the air intake port that takes in outdoor air in a house equipped with a ventilation system that supplies and exhausts air. This separates foreign matter contained in the air using the cyclone separator, and stores the separated foreign matter in a separation chamber installed inside, preventing the foreign matter from entering the ventilation system.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, a cyclone separation device is provided at the air intake port that takes in outdoor air in a house equipped with a ventilation system that also supplies and exhausts air. A separation chamber is also provided to store separated foreign matter. The separation chamber has a structure in which a lid opens using wind power, and when the lid is opened by wind generated in the natural world (hereinafter referred to as natural wind), the separated foreign matter is discharged outdoors.

Its configuration involves a wind plate that receives the force of wind pressure, with a fulcrum at the top so that it moves like a pendulum when a strong wind blows, and the two lids on the separation chamber open alternately as the wind plate moves like a pendulum.

JP 2007-98208 A JP 2008-36579 A

In such conventional cyclone separation devices, if foreign matter accumulates in the separation chamber as in Patent Document 1, periodic maintenance is required to remove the accumulated matter. Furthermore, if a wind-receiving plate is provided so that it moves like a pendulum when a certain amount of strong wind is applied as in Patent Document 2, the device becomes large and has moving parts, requiring periodic maintenance.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a cyclone separation device that does not require regular maintenance, has a discharge structure that can efficiently discharge foreign matter separated by a cyclone using natural wind, and has a structure that can suppress a decrease in the separation performance of the cyclone even if the direction of the natural wind changes.

In order to achieve this object, the cyclone separation device of the present invention comprises an inlet for allowing air to flow into the housing, a swirling flow generating means for generating a swirling airflow within the housing, an inner cylindrical tube provided on the rear side of the housing and communicating with an outlet port for discharging the air flowing in from the inlet to the outside of the housing, a space dividing plate provided on the front side of the housing and dividing the housing into a swirling chamber communicating with the inlet and a separation chamber located more outer than the swirling chamber, a through hole provided in the space dividing plate and communicating the swirling chamber with the separation chamber, a discharge port provided below the direction of gravity in the separation chamber with the central axis of the housing positioned horizontally, and communicating the separation chamber with the outside of the housing via a discharge promotion surface inclined downwards, and an inflow airflow control plate for preventing foreign matter separated in the separation chamber by the swirling airflow from re-entering the swirling chamber through the through hole, thereby achieving the desired object.

According to the present invention, foreign matter can be efficiently discharged outside the housing without compromising separation performance, regardless of the direction of natural wind.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cyclone separator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from a diagonally lower front side; Side cross-sectional view Front cross-sectional view FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing a main part of the discharge part ((a) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the discharge part, (b) is a view showing the return plate).

The cyclone separation device according to the present invention is a cyclone separation device equipped with an inlet for introducing air into a housing, a swirling flow generating means for generating a swirling air current, an outlet provided on the rear surface of the housing for discharging air to the outside of the housing, a separation chamber and a swirling chamber each formed by a space dividing plate that divides the inside of the housing into an outer circumferential side close to the side of the housing and an inner circumferential side including the center of the housing, a through hole provided in the space dividing plate that connects the separation chamber and the swirling chamber, and an exhaust port that connects the inside of the separation chamber to the outside of the housing, in which the exhaust port is overlapped with the separation chamber It can be positioned below the force direction and is equipped with a discharge promotion surface that is inclined toward the discharge port, and inside the separation chamber, from the through hole in the direction of the swirling air current, a lower shielding plate, a return plate, and an inflow air current control plate are provided, the inflow air current control plate is positioned above the discharge promotion surface and forms a plate body with the through hole side inclined downward when viewed from the front side of the housing, the return plate is a plate body with an end protruding from the discharge promotion surface into the separation chamber, and the lower shielding plate is positioned so that it is on a line tangent drawn from the end to the discharge promotion surface in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the swirling chamber.

This allows the air flowing in from the exhaust port to flow in the opposite direction to the through-hole by the inflow airflow control plate. Also, when viewed from the front of the housing, if natural wind blows from the outside of the exhaust port from the side without the through-hole to the side with the through-hole, the airflow flowing in from the exhaust port changes direction to a direction that follows the slope of the exhaust promotion surface, which is downstream of the natural wind. The airflow that follows the slope of the exhaust promotion surface flows toward the through-hole side, but this flow is blocked by the lower shielding plate.

In other words, inside the separation chamber, the air flowing in from the exhaust port can be made to flow more easily in the direction opposite the through-hole, preventing foreign matter in the separation chamber from being re-scattered and allowing dust in the separation chamber to be discharged in a timely manner.

In addition, the cyclone separation device of the present invention has a gap between the inflow airflow control plate and the space dividing plate so that air in the separation chamber can pass through the upper part of the inflow airflow control plate.

As a result, when the airflow flowing in from the exhaust port collides with the lower shielding plate and reverses direction, it can pass through the gap between the inflow airflow control plate and the space dividing plate and be directed away from the through-hole, thereby suppressing the re-entrainment phenomenon.

The cyclone separation device according to the present invention also has an upper shielding plate installed in the upper space of the separation chamber.

The airflow that flows in from the exhaust port first flows through the separation chamber space in a direction away from the through-hole, but eventually reaches the through-hole. By providing an upper shielding plate, the momentum of the airflow is lost, preventing foreign objects from rising to the top of the separation chamber, and only the air reaches the through-hole beyond the upper shielding plate, further suppressing the re-entrainment phenomenon.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment, the cyclone separator is applied as a ventilation hood as an example, and the following description will be given.

The ventilation hood 1 shown in Figure 1 is attached to an air intake port provided on the exterior wall of a house. It is attached to an air intake port provided on the exterior wall of a house that takes in outdoor air into the house.

The device (not shown) that takes in outdoor air into the house includes a blower (not shown) installed inside the house and a ventilation duct (not shown), which connects the blower to the ventilation hood 1. This allows air that has passed through the ventilation hood 1 to be introduced into the room.

The ventilation hood 1 is connected to the ventilation duct using the outlet pipe 2 and is installed protruding from the exterior wall of the house.

Next, the external configuration of the housing 5 of the ventilation hood 1 will be described.

The housing 5 of the ventilation hood 1 is composed of a cover 3 on the front side and a base plate 4 on the rear side as shown in Figure 1. The cover 3, which is the main part of the ventilation hood 1, is in the shape of a square box, closing the front side, and the four side surfaces are open on the rear side as inlets 7. The shape of the cover 3 is not limited to a square box shape, and it may be a rotating body shape created by rotating around a central axis 6, and a cylindrical shape with the front side closed. Also, while the shape of the front surface in Figure 1 is flat, it may also be a dome shape with the center protruding toward the front side.

The sides of the cover 3 are connected to the base plate 4, forming the appearance of a ventilation hood 1.

Downstream of the inlet 7, multiple fixed blades 8 are arranged at an angle toward the central axis 6 as a swirling flow generating means for swirling the incoming air. The fixed blades 8 are arranged at equal intervals and rotationally symmetrical with respect to the central axis 6. In addition, netting may be provided on the outer periphery of the inlet 7 and fixed blades 8 to prevent large insects and birds from entering the device.

The base plate 4 has a circular opening in the center, to which the outlet pipe 2 is connected. The air inside the cover 3 flows out from the outlet port 9 at one end of the outlet pipe 2.

When the central axis 6 is positioned approximately horizontally, the lower part of the cover 3 is provided with a discharge section 11 that protrudes from the side. The discharge section 11 has a discharge promotion surface 10 that is inclined on the inside and outside.

The discharge promotion surface 10 is made up of two surfaces arranged symmetrically, and is connected to two other surfaces to form a discharge port 12 at the bottom. The discharge promotion surface 10, the other two surfaces, and the discharge port 12 constitute the discharge section 11. The discharge section 11 is located at the bottom of the cover 3.

The exhaust section 11 has the exhaust promotion surface 10 inclined in a direction in which the cross-sectional area becomes smaller toward the bottom, and is provided with an exhaust port 12 that opens at the tip of the exhaust section 11 so as to communicate the inside and outside of the ventilation hood 1. The exhaust section 11 includes the exhaust promotion surface 10 and the exhaust port 12. Note that in this embodiment, the cover 3 is in a rectangular box shape, and the exhaust section 11 protrudes from the side surface of the cover 3, but if the cover 3 is in a diamond shape pointed downward and has an inclined lower side surface, for example, the side surface of the cover 3 can be used as the exhaust promotion surface 10 as it is.

Next, the internal configuration of this device will be explained using Figure 2.

When the discharge section 11 is positioned at the bottom of the cover 3, as shown in FIG. 2, the internal space of the cover 3 is provided with an inner tube 19 inside the base plate 4 so as to be connected to the outlet 9 across the base plate 4, and is provided with a space dividing plate 13 which divides the space between the fixed blade 8 and the front side of the cover 3.

The space dividing plate 13 is inclined so that its cross-sectional area increases toward the base plate 4 side within the cover 3, and has a truncated cone shape. However, it may also be cylindrical in shape, with a constant cross-sectional area.

The inner circumference side including the center of the cover 3 (inside the space dividing plate 13) is the swirl chamber 14, and the outer circumference side inside the cover 3 close to the side of the housing 5 (the space surrounded by the space dividing plate 13 and the cover 3) is the separation chamber 15. A through hole 16 is provided in the space dividing plate 13, and the swirl chamber 14 and the separation chamber 15 are connected via the through hole 16.

The through hole 16 is located on the space dividing plate 13 on the bottom surface 17 side of the swirl chamber, above the central axis 6, on the side where the swirling direction of the airflow in the swirl chamber 14 faces downward. As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2, the opening of the through hole 16 is provided at a distance from the tip of the inner tube 19.

The space dividing plate 13 forms the surface of the swirl chamber bottom surface 17 on the front side of the ventilation hood 1 inside the cover 3, and the space dividing plate 13 and the swirl chamber bottom surface 17 are configured continuously. The space dividing plate 13 may be extended to the inner surface of the cover 3, and the inner surface of the cover 3 may be used as the swirl chamber bottom surface 17.

The space outside the space dividing plate 13 and surrounded by the cover 3 is the separation chamber 15, and since the bottom surface 17 of the swirl chamber is almost in close contact with the cover 3, the separation chamber 15 is an annular space with a cylindrical space going around it. Note that the space dividing plate must always be in the shape of a rotating body, regardless of the shape of the cover 3.

The separation chamber 15 also has a surface formed on the front side of the cover 3 shown in FIG. 1, which serves as the separation chamber bottom surface 18. Note that the degree of intimacy between the swirl chamber bottom surface 17 and the separation chamber bottom surface 18 is designed so that there is a slight gap between the swirl chamber bottom surface 17 and the inner surface of the front side of the cover 3, due to assembly accuracy.

In this way, the separation chamber bottom surface 18 and the swirl chamber bottom surface 17 can be formed on approximately the same plane, so the thickness of this cyclone separation device, i.e., the ventilation hood 1, in the direction of the central axis 6 can be minimized.

The inner tube 19 protrudes from the center of the base plate 4 into the inside of the cover 3, i.e., toward the front side of the ventilation hood 1, and is arranged coaxially with the outlet 9. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the inner tube 19 is different from the inner diameter of the outlet pipe 2 in the base plate 4 area, and the inner diameter of the inner tube 19 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outlet pipe 2, but they may be the same size. Since a sudden expansion occurs on the outlet pipe 2 side in the base plate 4 area, if airflow turbulence is expected, the shape may be such that it gradually widens.

Next, the internal structure of the separation chamber 15 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In this embodiment, the separation chamber 15 is equipped with four components: an inflow airflow control plate 20, a return plate 21, a lower shielding plate 22, and an upper shielding plate 23. Starting from the through hole 16, the lower shielding plate 22, the return plate 21, the inflow airflow control plate 20, and the upper shielding plate 23 are arranged in this order in the direction of the swirling airflow in the swirling chamber.

The upper part of the exhaust port 12 is provided with an inflow airflow control plate 20. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the inflow airflow control plate 20 is a plate body that is inclined across a perpendicular line 24 drawn directly upward from the center of the exhaust port 12, and is further pushed out from the bottom surface of the separation chamber toward the central axis 6 until it collides with the surface that constitutes the separation chamber 15.

The inflow airflow control plate 20 has two ends. The two ends can be distinguished as an upper end 25 and a lower end 26 by the inclination of the inflow airflow control plate 20. The side closer to the central axis 6 is located on the upper side, and the side farther from it is located on the lower side, and the upper side is located in a direction farther away from the through hole 16 in the circumferential direction than the lower side. The upper end is the upper end 25, and the lower end is the lower end 26. Furthermore, there is a gap between the upper end 25 of the inflow airflow control plate and the space dividing plate 13.

Figure 4 (b) is a diagram showing the return plate 21. The return plate 21 is a plate body whose tip protrudes from the discharge promotion surface 10 (or from a surface adjacent to the discharge promotion surface 10) toward the perpendicular line 24. The protruding tip of the return plate 21 is referred to as the tip end portion 27.

The lower shielding plate 22 is a plate extending on a radius drawn from the central axis 6. The lower shielding plate 22 is in contact with the space dividing plate 13 on the inner circumference side, and is configured so that there is a gap on the outer circumference side.

There is a relationship between the discharge promotion surface 10, the tip end 27 of the return plate 21, and the lower shielding plate 22, and the lower shielding plate 22 is configured to exist on the reverse extension of the tangent line drawn from the tip end 27 to the discharge promotion surface 10 (the dotted line in Figure 4 (a)).

When the discharge section 11 is positioned at the bottom of the cover 3, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper shielding plate 23 is positioned directly above the central axis 6, and the inner periphery of the upper shielding plate 23 is in contact with the space dividing plate 13, with a gap on the outer periphery. The position of the upper shielding plate 23 may be anywhere above the separation chamber 15 and above the through hole 16 (in the upper space).

The airflow and separation mechanism for the above configuration will be explained.

First, outdoor air containing foreign matter flows into the ventilation hood 1 through the inlet 7 shown in Figure 1, where it becomes a swirling air current due to the fixed blades 8, and swirls in the swirling chamber 14 while heading toward the front side of the ventilation hood 1. Here, the foreign matter moves toward the space dividing plate 13 due to centrifugal force, and moves into the separation chamber 15 as it passes near the through hole 16. The air from which the foreign matter has been separated flows into the inner tube 19, passes through the outlet tube 2, and flows out of the device from the outlet 9.

The foreign matter that has moved to the separation chamber 15 is temporarily stored in the separation chamber 15. Because the air blower creates a negative pressure inside the ventilation hood 1, air also flows into the separation chamber 15 from the exhaust port 12. The air that has flowed in passes through the through hole 16 shown in FIG. 2 and flows into the swirling chamber 14, where it merges with the swirling air current inside the swirling chamber 14.

Next, we will explain the mechanism for discharging foreign matter from the separation chamber 15.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ventilation hood 1 as seen from the front side. The white arrows in Fig. 3 indicate the flow of air currents. As shown in Fig. 3, the air inside the separation chamber 15 is generally a swirling air current in the same direction as the air inside the swirling chamber 14 due to the influence of the swirling air current inside the swirling chamber 14 (although not all air currents are necessarily in the same direction). Therefore, foreign matter inside the separation chamber 15 also moves due to the influence of this current.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper part of the discharge section 11 is wider in the left-right direction than the lower part.

Foreign matter carried by the swirling air current is more likely to flow into the discharge section 11. Also, by providing width in the direction of the central axis 6, the swirling air current flowing through the separation chamber 15 crosses the discharge section 11, so that when foreign matter moves in, it is more likely to flow into the discharge section 11. The length in the direction of the central axis 6 may be increased to the same length as the separation chamber 15 in the direction of the central axis 6.

The outlet 12 is located at the bottom of the outlet section 11 and has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the direction of the central axis 6.

The reason for the long and narrow shape is to increase the surface area so that larger insects and birds can easily escape without getting in. Furthermore, the outlet 12 is long in the direction of the central axis 6 to increase the effect of expulsion by natural wind.

Since there is a negative pressure inside the cover 3, airflow also flows in through the exhaust port 12. Even if a foreign object attempts to fall out of the exhaust port 12 due to its weight, it is pushed back by the inflowing airflow, so normally the foreign object rarely escapes from the exhaust port 12 to the outside of the housing 5.

However, when natural wind (cross wind) blows near the exhaust section 11 outside the housing 5, the natural wind becomes a downward air current due to the inclination of the exhaust promotion surface 10. Any foreign matter present near the exhaust port 12 inside the housing 5 is attracted by this air current and pulled out of the housing 5. In this way, foreign matter temporarily stored in the separation chamber 15 is automatically discharged outside the housing 5 every time natural wind blows, so even though the ventilation hood 1 is capable of separating foreign matter, maintenance of the separated foreign matter is not required.

The cyclone separation device of this embodiment is installed on the exterior wall of a house as a ventilation hood 1, so there is a wall surface on the rear side of the device. Therefore, natural wind is less likely to flow in the direction of the central axis 6, and more likely to flow along the exterior wall of the house. In other words, it often flows in a surface direction perpendicular to the central axis.

There are two discharge promotion surfaces 10 on either side of the discharge outlet 12, and they have a symmetrical structure. This is to obtain the same discharge promotion effect regardless of whether the natural wind is blowing from the left or right. Although the discharge promotion surfaces 10 need to have an incline on both the left and right sides, they do not have to be strictly symmetrical, and it is acceptable for the angles to be slightly different.

In this embodiment, the discharge promotion surface 10 has a smooth surface that gradually becomes steeper, like an inverted Mt. Fuji, so that the natural wind that hits it can smoothly change direction.

Next, we will explain in detail the airflow inside the separation chamber 15.

As mentioned above, part of the swirling air current flows into the separation chamber 15 from the through hole 16 provided in the space dividing plate 13. As a result, a swirling air current is generated in the separation chamber 15 in the same direction as in the swirling chamber 14. However, because negative pressure is created inside the ventilation hood 1 by the downstream blower, air also flows into the separation chamber 15 from the exhaust port 12 at the same time. The direction of this air current is perpendicular to the line 24. The air current flows through the through hole 16 into the swirling chamber 14.

The airflow flowing in from the exhaust port 12 stirs up the foreign matter temporarily stored in the separation chamber 15,
A re-entrainment phenomenon may occur in which the foreign matter passes through the through holes 16 and is scattered downstream from the outlet 9. By providing the inflow airflow control plate 20, this re-entrainment phenomenon can be prevented. By providing the inflow airflow control plate 20 so as to cover the upper part of the outlet 12, the airflow flowing in from the outlet 12 collides with the inflow airflow control plate 20, and in the vicinity of the discharge promotion surface 10, the airflow can be directed in a direction away from the through holes 16. Therefore, the foreign matter is lifted up on the side where the through holes 16 do not exist to the right of the perpendicular line 24 in FIG. 4(a), so that the foreign matter does not re-enter the through holes 16, and the re-entrainment phenomenon can be prevented, and therefore the deterioration of the separation performance can be suppressed.

At this time, the particles that fly up on the side of the perpendicular line 24 where there are no through-holes 16 may travel further up the annular separation chamber 15 and head toward the through-holes 16. In this case, by providing an upper shielding plate 23, the force of the swirling air current (shown by the white arrow in Figure 3) in the separation chamber 15 can be weakened, further suppressing the re-entrainment phenomenon.

Next, when natural wind blows outside the housing 5, the direction of the airflow flowing in from the exhaust port 12 is influenced by the natural wind and tilts in the same direction as the natural wind. In FIG. 3, when natural wind is flowing from left to right, the airflow flowing in from the exhaust port 12 tilts to the right in line with the inclination of the exhaust promotion surface 10. In this case, the air does not collide with the inflow airflow control plate 20, but moves toward the side where the through-hole 16 does not exist, so there is no particular problem.

3, when natural wind flows from the right to the left, the airflow is inclined to the left along the discharge promotion surface 10. In this case, it does not collide with the inflow airflow control plate 20. Therefore, by providing a return plate 21 and providing a lower shielding plate 22 on the line connecting the tangent of the discharge promotion surface 10 and the tip end 27, even if the airflow flowing in from the discharge port 12 is inclined toward the through hole 16 and faces the direction of the dotted line in FIG. 4(a), it will collide with the lower shielding plate 22. Therefore, even if a foreign object is blown up, it will collide with the lower shielding plate 22 and lose momentum, and will not directly head toward the through hole 16, so that the re-scattering phenomenon can be suppressed. In this embodiment, a gap is further provided on the upper end 25 side of the inflow airflow control plate 20, so that a part of the airflow that collided with the lower shielding plate 22 can pass through and escape to the side where the through hole 16 does not exist. In other words, the airflow from the lower shielding plate 22 toward the through hole 16 can be further reduced, and the re-scattering phenomenon can be further suppressed.

The ventilation hood 1 is installed on the wall of the house, and in FIG. 3, the wall is at the back, so no airflow from the back of the page to the front does not occur. Conversely, airflow from the front of the page to the back may occur. In this case, the airflow flowing in from the exhaust port 12 will flow to the back of the page, but since the inflow airflow control plate 20 is present inside the separation chamber 15 lying in the direction of the central axis 6, it will collide with the inflow airflow control plate 20, preventing re-entrainment. In other words, re-entrainment can be suppressed regardless of the direction from which natural wind blows.

As described above, the present invention can constantly control the airflow flowing in from the exhaust port 12 and suppress the re-entrainment phenomenon, regardless of the direction of the natural wind, and therefore can provide a ventilation hood 1 that can efficiently exhaust foreign matter using natural wind while suppressing a decrease in separation performance.

The cyclone separator of the present invention can automatically discharge separated foreign matter using natural wind, prevent re-scattering regardless of the direction of the natural wind, and suppress deterioration of separation performance, so it is useful as a ventilation hood used for the air intake part of the exterior wall of a house that takes in outdoor air for ventilation inside the house.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Ventilation hood 2 Outlet pipe 3 Cover 4 Base plate 5 Housing 6 Central axis 7 Inlet 8 Fixed blade 9 Outlet 10 Discharge promotion surface 11 Discharge section 12 Discharge port 13 Space dividing plate 14 Swirling chamber 15 Separation chamber 16 Through hole 17 Swirling chamber bottom surface 18 Separation chamber bottom surface 19 Inner tube 20 Inflow airflow control plate 21 Return plate 22 Lower shielding plate 23 Upper shielding plate 24 Vertical line 25 Upper end portion 26 Lower end portion 27 Tip end portion

Claims (5)

An inlet for introducing air into the housing;
A swirling flow generating means for generating a swirling airflow within the housing;
an inner tube provided on a rear side of the housing and communicating with an outlet through which the air flowing in from the inlet flows out to the outside of the housing;
A space dividing plate that divides the housing at a front side into a swirling chamber communicating with the inlet and a separation chamber located on the outer circumferential side of the swirling chamber;
a through hole provided in the space dividing plate, the through hole communicating the swirl chamber and the separation chamber;
a discharge port that is provided at a lower position in the separation chamber in a direction of gravity when the central axis of the housing is horizontally disposed, and that communicates the separation chamber with the outside of the housing via the discharge promotion surface that is inclined downward;
an inflow airflow control plate that prevents the foreign matter separated in the separation chamber by the swirling airflow from re-entering the swirling chamber through the through hole;
A cyclone separating device comprising: 2. The cyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein a gap is provided between the inlet airflow control plate and the space dividing plate above the inlet airflow control plate so that air in the separation chamber can pass through. The cyclone separation device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a return plate, the end of which protrudes from the discharge promotion surface into the separation chamber, on a surface of the discharge promotion surface facing the separation chamber. The air conditioner further includes a lower shielding plate provided on the upstream side of the inflow airflow control plate between the through hole and the inflow airflow control plate in the direction of the swirling airflow,
The cyclone separation device according to claim 3, characterized in that the lower shielding plate is a plate extending on a radius drawn from the central axis of the housing, and is arranged in the lower space of the separation chamber on an extension of a tangent drawn from the end of the return plate to the discharge promotion surface in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the housing. The air conditioner further includes an upper shielding plate provided on the downstream side of the inflow airflow control plate between the inflow airflow control plate and the through hole in the direction of the swirling airflow,
The cyclone separating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the upper shielding plate is disposed in an upper space of the separation chamber above the central axis of the housing.