JP7691327B2 - Filter cleaning device and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a filter cleaning device and an air conditioner.

Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that includes a brush that removes dust that has adhered to an air filter, a dust collection section, and a blade. The air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 can scrape dust that has adhered to the brush by the blade into the dust collection section.

JP 2014-74504 A

In the dust collection section, it is required that the dust be accumulated so as to effectively utilize the storage area for the dust. In the dust collection section disclosed in Patent Document 1, the dust is scraped off to a specific location by a blade, so there is a problem that a large amount of dust accumulates in a specific location and the storage area cannot be fully utilized.

The main objective of this disclosure is to provide a filter cleaning device and an air conditioner that can properly contain dust within a storage container.

A filter cleaning device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a cylindrical rotating body that rotates around a rotating shaft that extends along the width direction of the filter, a removal member having a brush portion that is provided on the peripheral surface of the rotating body and removes dust from the filter, a cleaning plate that extends along the extension direction of the rotating shaft and has an abutment portion that abuts against the brush portion to remove dust remaining in the brush portion, and a storage container that is provided below the brush portion and the abutment portion and that contains the dust removed by the brush portion and the abutment portion, and in a side view, the abutment portion is inclined so that the height of the abutment position with the brush portion differs in the extension direction.

An air conditioner according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a cylindrical rotating body that rotates around a rotating shaft that extends along the width direction of the filter, a removal member having a brush portion that is provided on the peripheral surface of the rotating body and removes dust from the filter, a cleaning plate that extends along the extension direction of the rotating shaft and has an abutment portion that abuts against the brush portion to remove dust remaining in the brush portion, and a storage container that is provided below the brush portion and the abutment portion and that contains the dust removed by the brush portion and the abutment portion, and in a side view, the abutment portion is inclined so that the height of the abutment position with the brush portion differs in the extension direction, and the air conditioner includes a filter cleaning device and a main body in which a ventilation passage is formed in which the filter is arranged.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 taken along line III-III. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a main configuration of an electrical unit included in the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a dust collection filter unit provided in the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of a dust collection container provided in the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 . 7 is a cross-sectional view of the dust-collecting container shown in FIG. 6 along line VII-VII. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the dust-collecting container shown in FIG. 6 taken along line VIII-VIII. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of the dust-collecting container shown in FIG. 6 in an expanded state. 7 is a front view showing an example of a brush roller included in the dust collecting container shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a rear view showing an example of the dust collection container shown in FIG. 6 in an expanded state. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the dust-collecting container 23 shown in FIG. 11 taken along the line XII-XII. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between the brush roller and a contact portion shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a portion α in the dust-collecting container shown in FIG. 7 . FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view of a portion β in the dust collecting container shown in FIG. 8 .

Below, embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, below, identical or corresponding elements are given the same reference symbols throughout all the drawings, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments and modifications described below are merely examples of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and modifications. Even if they are not the embodiments and modifications, various modifications can be made according to the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept of the present disclosure.

[Air conditioner]
The overall configuration of an air conditioner 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of the air conditioner 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner 1 shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the air conditioner 1 shown in Figure 1.

In FIG. 1, the bottom side of the air conditioner 1 is referred to as the bottom, the top side as the top, the side on which the front panel 11 is disposed as the front, and the side opposite the front panel 11, i.e., the side on which the rear panel 13 is disposed as the rear. In addition, when looking from the front to the rear, the left side is referred to as the left, and the right side is referred to as the right.

The air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment adjusts, for example, the temperature and humidity of indoor air. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioning system in a unit form consisting of an outdoor unit (not shown) in which a compressor and a condenser are integrated, and an indoor unit in which an evaporator is built will be described as an example. In particular, the air conditioner 1 will be described as the indoor unit in such a unit form.

However, the air conditioner 1 is not limited to such an indoor unit. The air conditioner 1 may be an air conditioning system in which the compressor, condenser, and evaporator are integrated into one unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The air conditioner 1 is connected to an outdoor unit via a liquid side pipe (not shown) through which liquefied refrigerant flows and a gas side pipe (not shown) through which vaporized refrigerant flows. The air conditioner 1 forms a refrigerant circuit (not shown) between the outdoor unit and the air conditioner 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the air conditioner 1 comprises a housing 10, a dust collection filter unit 20, an air conditioning unit 30, and an electrical unit 40. The dust collection filter unit 20 constitutes, for example, a filter cleaning device provided in the air conditioner 1. The air conditioning unit 30 constitutes, for example, the main body of the air conditioner 1.

[Case]
1, the housing 10 is a resin molded product having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a front panel 11, a main body panel 12, and a rear panel 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 accommodates therein a dust collection filter unit 20, an air conditioning unit 30, and an electrical unit 40.

A top panel 14 having multiple suction ports 16 formed therein is disposed above the main body panel 12. The top panel 14 is configured to cover the upper side of the dust collection filter unit 20. Indoor air flows into the housing 10 through the multiple suction ports 16.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a thin plate-shaped flap 15 extending in the left-right direction of the housing 10 is provided on the lower part of the main panel 12. The flap 15 is attached to the main panel 12 via a flap rotation shaft (not shown) provided on the end of the back side of the flap 15. The flap 15 can swing around this flap rotation shaft.

When the air conditioner 1 is not operating, the flap 15 is positioned to close the air outlet 17. On the other hand, when the air conditioner 1 is operating, as shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the flap 15 moves downward to form the air outlet 17 for blowing air out from inside the housing 10.

The flap rotating shaft is connected to a flap drive motor 33 (see FIG. 4 described below) connected to the electrical unit 40, and can be rotated by the rotational force of the flap drive motor 33. When the air conditioner 1 is in operation, the flap drive motor 33 operates in response to a control signal output from the electrical unit 40 to rotate the flap rotating shaft. This rotation of the flap rotating shaft rotates the flap 15 to a predetermined position. In this way, by rotating the flap 15 to a predetermined position, the blowing angle of the air blown into the room from the air outlet 17 can be specified.

[Air conditioning unit]
As shown in FIG. 3 , the air conditioning unit 30 includes an indoor heat exchanger 31 and a blower 32 .

The indoor unit heat exchanger 31 is composed of multiple heat exchangers. As shown in FIG. 3, the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 is arranged to cover the upper part of the blower 32. Each heat exchanger constituting the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 has a configuration in which a number of heat dissipation fins (not shown) are attached to a heat transfer tube (not shown) that is folded back at the left end. The above-mentioned liquid side piping and gas side piping are connected to the indoor unit heat exchanger 31. This indoor unit heat exchanger 31 functions as an evaporator, for example, during cooling operation of the air conditioner 1.

When the air conditioner 1 is in operation, the blower 32 draws indoor air into the housing 10 through the intake port 16 and supplies it to the indoor unit heat exchanger 31, and blows the air that has been heat exchanged in the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 into the room through the exhaust port 17. An air passage 18, which is an air passage, is provided between the intake port 16 and the exhaust port 17. Dust collection filters 21L and 21R provided in the dust collection filter unit 20 are arranged in this air passage 18.

[Electrical unit]
Next, the configuration of the electrical component unit 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram that shows a schematic example of a configuration of a main part of the electrical component unit 40 provided in the air conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electrical unit 40 includes a communication control unit 41 and a central processing unit 42, and these units are interconnected via a bus. The electrical unit 40 is also communicatively connected to the filter drive motor 25, roller drive motor 26, flap drive motor 33, and blower 32 via the communication line Lc.

The central processing unit 42 is a calculation processing unit that performs various controls on each part of the air conditioner 1. The central processing unit 42 generates control signals for controlling the filter drive motor 25, the roller drive motor 26, the flap drive motor 33, the blower 32, etc., based on an input signal input via an input interface (not shown) such as a remote controller or an operation panel, for example.

The communication control unit 41, for example, establishes a connection with each of the filter drive motor 25, roller drive motor 26, flap drive motor 33, and blower 32, and transmits control signals generated by the central processing unit 42 and receives input signals input via the input interface.

[Dust collection filter unit]
Next, the configuration of the dust collection filter unit 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 in addition to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a main part of the dust collection filter unit 20 provided in the air conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the dust collection filter unit 20 includes two dust collection filters 21L and 21R, a support body 22, two dust containers 23L and 23R, two filter drive rollers 24L and 24R, two filter drive motors 25L and 25R, a roller drive motor 26, and a power relay unit 27. When there is no need to distinguish between the two dust collection filters 21L and 21R, they are simply referred to as dust collection filters 21. When there is no need to distinguish between the two dust containers 23L and 23R, they are simply referred to as dust containers 23. When there is no need to distinguish between the two filter drive rollers 24L and 24R, they are simply referred to as filter drive rollers 24. When there is no need to distinguish between the two filter drive motors 25L and 25R, they are simply referred to as filter drive motors 25.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the dust collection filter unit 20, the two dust collection filters 21L, 21R, the two dust containers 23L, 23R, and the two filter drive rollers 24L, 24R are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction on the support body 22.

The filter drive motor 25L is provided on the left side wall 223 of the support body 22, and the filter drive motor 25R is provided on the right side wall 225 of the support body 22. The roller drive motor 26 is provided on the right side wall 225 of the support body 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the power relay unit 27 is provided on the front side of the support body 22 and in the center in the left-right direction.

(Dust collection filter)
The dust collection filter 21 is a filter that removes dust contained in the air that flows in from the multiple suction ports 16. As shown in Fig. 5, the dust collection filter 21 has a frame body 211 and an air filter, and is detachable from the support body 22. Note that the air filter is disposed in correspondence with an opening portion surrounded by the lattice frame portion 211b of the frame body 211, but is not shown in Fig. 5 for the sake of convenience.

The frame 211 is a support member that supports the air filter, and as shown in FIG. 5, has a substantially rectangular outer frame portion 211a and a lattice frame portion 211b. The lattice frame portion 211b divides the area surrounded by the outer frame portion 211a into a lattice pattern.

As shown in FIG. 3, a rack portion 211c, which is a rod-shaped gear, is formed on the left and right undersides of the outer frame portion 211a. When the dust collection filter 21 is attached to the support body 22, the rack portion 211c of the frame body 211 and the pinion portion 24a provided on the peripheral surface of the filter drive roller 24 are engaged.

In this way, the rack portion 211c of the frame body 211 and the pinion portion 24a of the filter drive roller 24 are engaged, so that when the filter drive roller 24 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the dust collection filter 21 moves forward of the support body 22 and is wound up by the filter drive roller 24. The dust collection filter 21 wound up by the filter drive roller 24 is folded back along the circumferential surface of the filter drive roller 24 and guided to the guide GD.

Conversely, when the filter drive roller 24 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3, the dust collection filter 21 moves toward the rear of the support body 22. In other words, the dust collection filter 21, which is guided by the guide GD and housed in the dust collection filter unit 20, is wound up on the filter drive roller 24. The dust collection filter 21 wound up on the filter drive roller 24 is folded back along the circumferential surface of the filter drive roller 24, moves toward the rear of the support body 22, and returns to the initial position. The initial position is the initial position when the dust collection filter 21 is attached to the support body 22.

(Support body)
As shown in FIG. 5, the support body 22 is a support member that supports the two dust collection filters 21L and 21R, the two dust storage containers 23L and 23R, the two filter drive motors 25L and 25R, the roller drive motor 26, and the power relay unit 27.

The support body 22 is a resin plate-shaped member that curves downward from the rear side to the front side. The support body 22 includes a lattice rib 222, a left side wall portion 223, a central wall portion 224, a right side wall portion 225, and a bottom support portion 226.

The lattice rib 222 is a lattice-shaped reinforcing rib formed on the upper surface of the support body 22 to improve the strength of the support body 22.

The left side wall 223 is a side wall formed on the left edge of the support body 22 as shown in FIG. 5, and a guide GD is formed on the inner surface of the left side wall 223 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. The guide GD is a guide member for guiding the dust collection filter 21 in a specified direction. In addition, a filter drive motor 25L is provided on the outer surface of the left side wall 223.

As shown in FIG. 5, the right side wall 225 is a side wall formed on the right edge of the support body 22. Although not shown in FIG. 5, a guide GD having the same shape as the left side wall 223 is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall 225. In addition, the roller drive motor 26 and the filter drive motor 25R are fixed to the outer surface of the right side wall 225.

As shown in FIG. 5, the central wall 224 is a wall member extending in the front-rear direction at approximately the center of the support body 22 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, guides GD having the same shape as the guides GD of the left side wall 223 and the right side wall 225 are provided on both the left and right sides of the central wall 224. The guide GD provided on the left side of the central wall 224 and the guide GD provided on the left side wall 223 are provided in opposing positions, and can guide the left and right sides of the dust collection filter 21L. In addition, the guide GD provided on the right side of the central wall 224 and the guide GD provided on the right side wall 225 are provided in opposing positions, and can guide the left and right sides of the dust collection filter 21R. Therefore, the two dust collection filters 21L and 21R provided on the left and right sides can be guided in the specified direction.

5, the bottom support portion 226 is a bottom surface member formed at the lowest end portion of the support body 22, and is a support member that supports the bottom of the dust storage container 23. The bottom support portion 226 has a shelf portion (not shown) that abuts against the bottom of the dust storage container 23 to support the dust storage container 23, and a position shift prevention portion (not shown) that prevents the dust storage container 23 attached to the support body 22 from shifting out of position.

(Dust storage container)
The configuration of the dust storage container 23 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 9. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the dust storage container 23 included in the air conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dust storage container 23 as viewed from the rear side. Fig. 7 is a VII-VII cross-sectional view of the dust storage container 23 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a VIII-VIII cross-sectional view of the dust storage container 23 shown in Fig. 6. That is, Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional structure when the dust storage container 23 is cut out at approximately the center in the left-right direction and viewed from the right side to the left side. Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional structure when the dust storage container 23 is cut out at a position that is approximately 1/4 of the dust storage container 23 from the right side in the left-right direction and viewed from the right side to the left side. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the dust storage container 23 shown in Fig. 6 in an expanded state.

The dust container 23 is a container that contains dust removed from the dust collection filter 21. The dust container 23 is detachable in the front-rear direction from the support body 22. The direction of each part of the dust container 23 is determined based on the installation state in the air conditioner 1.

6, 7, and 8, the dust storage container 23 is a box member having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and including a front wall portion 230a, a right wall portion 230b, a left wall portion 230c, a bottom portion 230d, and a rear wall portion 230e. The front wall portion 230a, the right wall portion 230b, the left wall portion 230c, the bottom portion 230d, and the rear wall portion 230e form a storage portion 230, which is an area for storing dust.

The dust container 23 also has an opening 23a above the storage section 230, and dust removed from the dust filter 21 can be guided to the storage section 230 through this opening 23a. That is, a brush roller 235 is placed above the opening 23a, and dust scraped off from the dust filter 21 by the brush roller 235 is guided to the storage section 230 through the opening 23a. The brush roller 235 functions as a removal member that removes dust from the dust filter 21.

At least a portion of the front wall 230a, right wall 230b, left wall 230c, bottom 230d, and rear wall 230e that constitute the storage section 230 may be made of a transparent or semi-transparent resin so that the user can recognize accumulated dust from the outside.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the dust storage container 23 has a mechanism storage section 231 above and in front of the storage section 230. The mechanism storage section 231 is a box member having a rectangular cylindrical shape that stores the attachment/detachment mechanism 234. The front wall that constitutes the mechanism storage section 231 is flush with the front wall section 230a, and the front wall section of the mechanism storage section 231 and the front wall section 230a form the front surface of the dust storage container 23.

The detachment mechanism 234 is a mechanism for making the dust container 23 detachable from the support body 22. The mechanism housing section 231 has pin holes (not shown) formed on the left and right side surfaces, and as shown in FIG. 6, a pair of engagement pins 234a provided on the left and right ends of the detachment mechanism 234 are configured to be able to protrude from these pin holes and retract into the mechanism housing section 231.

On the other hand, the support body 22 is formed with receiving holes (not shown) for receiving the pair of engagement pins 234a. The dust container 23 can be engaged with the support body 22 by inserting each of the pair of engagement pins 234a into each of the receiving holes, and the dust container 23 can be removed from the support body 22 by removing each of the pair of engagement pins 234a from each of the receiving holes.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a cleaning plate 232 is provided on the rear wall of the mechanism housing 231, which protrudes toward the brush roller 235 attached to the dust container 23 and extends in the left-right direction. The end of the cleaning plate 232 protruding toward the brush roller 235 forms an abutment portion 232a that abuts against the brush roller 235. The abutment portion 232a abuts against the brush portion 235b of the brush roller 235 to remove dust residing within the brush portion 235b.

When the end of the cleaning plate 232 opposite the abutment portion 232a is defined as the base end, the base end forms part of the rear wall of the mechanism housing portion 231. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the cross-sectional shape of the base end of the cleaning plate 232 is curved according to the shape of the brush roller 235. By curving the cross-sectional shape of the cleaning plate 232 in this way, the contact between the base end of the cleaning plate 232 and the tips of the bristles of the brush portion 235b of the brush roller 235 can be made gentler. The configuration of the cleaning plate 232 and the positional relationship between the cleaning plate 232 and the brush roller 235 will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 6, the dust container 23 is provided with a filter guide 237 above the opening 23a. The filter guide 237 is a guide member that guides the dust collection filter 21 wound by the filter drive roller 24 so that it is folded back along the peripheral surface of the filter drive roller 24. As shown in FIG. 6, the filter guide 237 has a plurality of thin guide rails 237a that are curved to follow the peripheral surface shape of the filter drive roller 24. The filter guide 237 according to the embodiment has five guide rails 237a and a plate-like member 237b for fixing the five guide rails 237a. The plate-like member 237b extends in the left-right direction and is curved along the shape of the guide rails 237a.

In the filter guide 237, five guide rails 237a are provided on the main surface of the plate-shaped member 237b. Specifically, of the five guide rails 237a, two guide rails 237a are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction of the plate-shaped member 237b. And, three guide rails 237a are arranged at equal intervals between the two guide rails 237a arranged at both ends.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the dust container 23 can be placed in a so-called expanded state in which the rear wall portion 230e, which stands upright in the vertical direction, is tilted backward by removing the filter guide 237 from the dust container 23.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of locking portions 237c protruding forward are provided at both ends of the plate-shaped member 237b in the left-right direction. A protrusion protruding inward is provided at the tip of each of the pair of locking portions 237c. Meanwhile, a pair of ribs 252 protruding outward in the left-right direction are provided on each of the right wall portion 230b and the left wall portion 230c. In the assembled state shown in FIG. 6, each of the pair of locking portions 237c engages with each of the pair of ribs 252, and the rear wall portion 230e can be fixed to the dust storage container 23.

The rear wall 230e is rotatably joined to the rear edge of the bottom 230d via the joining shaft 233. Therefore, by releasing the engagement between each of the pair of locking portions 237c and each of the pair of ribs 252, the rear wall 230e, which stands upright in the vertical direction, can be rotated around the axis of the joining shaft 233 and tilted backward from the assembled state shown in FIG. 6 to the unfolded state. In this way, by putting the dust storage container 23 in the unfolded state, the user can easily access the storage section 230 of the dust storage container 23. This allows the user to easily remove dust accumulated in the storage section 230 of the dust storage container 23.

(Roller with brush)
Next, the brush roller 235 provided above the dust container 23 will be described with reference to Fig. 10 in addition to Figs. 3 and 6. Fig. 10 is a front view showing an example of the brush roller 235 provided in the dust container 23 shown in Fig. 6.

As shown in Figures 3 and 6, a brush roller 235 is placed above the dust container 23 as a removal member that removes dust from the dust collection filter 21. As shown in Figure 6, a first side gear portion 236a is provided at one end of the brush roller 235, and a second side gear portion 236b is provided at the other end.

The brush roller 235 is a removal member for scraping off dust from the dust filter 21 when cleaning the dust filter 21. As shown in FIG. 10, the brush roller 235 has a brush portion 235b attached to the peripheral surface of the roller 235a, and is rotatably supported by the right wall portion 230b and the left wall portion 230c of the dust container 23.

Specifically, the brush roller 235 has a roller 235a, which is a cylindrical rotating body that rotates around a rotation axis A that extends along the width direction of the dust collection filter 21, i.e., the left-right direction, and multiple brush portions 235b that are provided on the peripheral surface of the roller 235a and remove dust from the dust collection filter 21. The brush portions 235b are band-shaped and have small bundles of synthetic resin bristles provided at regular intervals. In the brush roller 235, each of the multiple brush portions 235b is provided in a spiral shape along the peripheral surface of the roller 235a.

When cleaning the dust collection filter 21, the brush roller 235 scrapes off dust from the dust collection filter 21 by the rotation of the roller 235a causing the brush portion 235b attached to the peripheral surface of the roller 235a to rotate and come into contact with the dust collection filter 21. The scraped off dust is then collected in the dust storage container 23. When viewed from the side from the right to the left, the roller 235a rotates counterclockwise around the rotation axis A.

As described above, the dust collection filter 21 can move forward and backward by the rotation of the filter drive roller 24. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, when the dust container 23 is attached to the support body 22, the brush roller 235 is positioned so that the dust collection filter 21 can be sandwiched between the filter drive roller 24 and the brush roller 235. Therefore, when the dust collection filter 21 moves forward by the rotation of the filter drive roller 24, it comes into contact with the brush of the brush roller 235, and dust adhering to the dust collection filter 21 can be scraped off.

As shown in FIG. 6, the brush roller 235 has a first side gear portion 236a at the right end of the roller 235a and a second side gear portion 236b at the left end of the roller 235a.

Of the two dust containers 23L, 23R that are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, in the dust container 23R that is arranged on the right side, the first side gear portion 236a and the second side gear portion 236b provided at both ends of the roller 235a engage with other members as follows.

That is, the first side gear portion 236a provided at the right end of the roller 235a engages with a gear provided at the tip of the shaft of the roller drive motor 26. On the other hand, the second side gear portion 236b provided at the left end of the roller 235a engages with a relay gear (not shown) provided in the power relay portion 27.

In addition, in the dust container 23L located on the left side, the first side gear portion 236a and the second side gear portion 236b provided at both ends of the roller 235a engage with other members as follows.

That is, in the dust container 23L arranged on the left side, the first side gear portion 236a provided at the right end of the roller 235a meshes with the relay gear of the power relay unit 27. On the other hand, the second side gear portion 236b provided at the left end of the roller 235a is free.

As described above, the roller 235a of the brush roller 235 placed on the dust container 23R can engage with the roller 235a of the brush roller 235 placed on the dust container 23L via the relay gear of the power relay unit 27. The power relay unit 27 can then transmit the rotational force transmitted from the roller drive motor 26 to the brush roller 235 of the dust container 23R to the brush roller 235 of the dust container 23L via the relay gear. Therefore, the roller drive motor 26 can simultaneously rotate the brush roller 235 of the dust container 23R and the brush roller 235 of the dust container 23L.

(cleaning board)
As described above, dust can be removed from the dust collection filter 21 by the brush roller 235. However, some of the removed dust may remain in the gaps between the tufts of bristles in the brush portion 235b of the brush roller 235. Therefore, the dust storage container 23 includes a cleaning plate 232, and is configured so that the cleaning plate 232 can flick out the dust remaining in the gaps between the tufts.

The configuration of the cleaning plate 232 will be described below with reference to Figs. 11 and 12 in addition to Fig. 9 mentioned above. Fig. 11 is a rear view showing an example of the unfolded state of the dust container 23 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the dust container 23 shown in Fig. 11 taken along line XII-XII. Fig. 12 shows the cross-sectional structure when the cross-section cut horizontally along line XII-XII is viewed in plan. Note that for ease of explanation, the bottom 230d, rear wall 230e, and filter guide 237 are omitted from Fig. 12.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, four cleaning plates 232 are arranged in the left-right direction, i.e., along the extension direction of the rotation axis A of the brush roller 235. Each cleaning plate 232 is a plate-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, i.e., along the extension direction of the rotation axis A, and when the cleaning plate 232 is viewed from the front to the rear, the abutment portion 232a of the cleaning plate 232 is inclined so that the height differs in the left-right direction, i.e., in the extension direction of the rotation axis A. Specifically, the abutment portion 232a is inclined so that it becomes lower from the right side to the left side.

The length of each cleaning plate 232 in the left-right direction corresponds to the length of one square of the dust collection filter 21 defined by the lattice frame portion 211b. Therefore, the connection position between adjacent cleaning plates 232 in the left-right direction coincides with the position of the lattice frame portion 211b that defines the squares of the dust collection filter 21 adjacent in the left-right direction. Here, dust is less likely to adhere to the position of the lattice frame portion 211b in the dust collection filter 21. Therefore, in the brush roller 235, almost no dust adheres to the portion corresponding to the position of the lattice frame portion 211b that defines the squares of the dust collection filter 21 adjacent in the left-right direction. Therefore, even if there is a gap between adjacent cleaning plates 232 in the left-right direction and there is a range where the cleaning plate 232 is not disposed, the dust removal performance from the brush roller 235 is not affected.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the dust container 23 is viewed in plan, the contact portion 232a of each cleaning plate 232 extends at an angle to the extension direction of the rotation axis A.

(Arrangement of cleaning plate and brush roller)
Next, the positional relationship between the cleaning plate 232 and the brush roller 235 will be described with reference to Figs. 13, 14, and 15. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the brush roller 235 and the abutment portion 232a shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 13 shows the positional relationship between the brush roller 235 and the abutment portion 232a when the dust container 23 is viewed from the front side to the rear side. For convenience of explanation, Fig. 13 shows only the abutment portion 232a of one cleaning plate 232 with a dotted line. Fig. 14 is a partial enlarged view of the α portion in the dust container 23 shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 15 is a partial enlarged view of the β portion in the dust container 23 shown in Fig. 8. In Figs. 14 and 15, the locus D of the position where the brush roller 235 abuts against the abutment portion 232a is shown with a dotted line. The linear distance from the center of rotation of the roller 235a to the contact portion 232a is indicated by an arrow.

As shown in FIG. 13, the brush portion 235b is provided in a spiral shape along the peripheral surface of the roller 235a, and the inclination C of the brush portion 235b on the roller 235a is inclined so as to become lower from the left side to the right side in a side view. In contrast, the contact portion 232a is inclined on the opposite side to the inclination of the brush portion 235b. In other words, the contact portion 232a is inclined so as to become lower from the right side to the left side. It is preferable that the contact portion 232a is inclined in the vertical direction below the rotation axis A and above the lowest part of the brush roller 235.

In this way, the contact portion 232a is inclined in the opposite direction to the inclination C of the brush portion 235b, so the contact area between the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the torque required to rotate the brush roller 235.

In addition, because the contact portion 232a is inclined as described above, when the dust container 23 is viewed from the front to the rear, the height of the contact position with the brush portion 235b differs in the left-right direction. In other words, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, in the cross-sectional structure of the dust container 23 viewed from the right to the left, the contact positions of the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b differ in the circumferential direction of the brush roller 235.

As a result, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the direction of the tangent between the contact portion 232a and the trajectory D differs when the brush roller 235 is at a height position close to the rotation axis A of the brush roller 235 and when the brush roller 235 is at a height position close to the bottom of the brush roller 235.

Here, dust remaining on the brush roller 235 is removed when the tuft of bristles of the brush portion 235b comes into contact with the contact portion 232a and passes over the contact portion 232a, causing the tuft of bristles to be repelled. Therefore, dust remaining on the brush roller 235 is repelled along the direction of the tangent between the contact portion 232a and the trajectory D.

In each dust storage container 23, the height positions of the abutment portion 232a and the brush portion 235b differ in the left-right direction, and therefore the tangent direction between the abutment portion 232a and the trajectory D of the brush portion 235a differs in the left-right direction. This makes it possible to vary the position at which dust removed from the brush portion 235b by abutting against the abutment portion 232a is deposited in the storage portion 230 in the left-right direction. This makes it possible for the dust storage container 23 to prevent dust from concentrating and accumulating in one place in the storage portion 230 and to properly store the dust.

As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, even if the contact positions of the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b are different, the distance from the rotation axis A of the brush roller 235 to the contact portion 232a is equalized by configuring the contact portion 232a to have different protruding amounts in the left-right direction. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the extension direction of the contact portion 232a is inclined with respect to the extension direction of the rotation axis A in a plan view so that the protruding amount of the contact portion 232a increases from right to left in the left-right direction.

With this configuration, even if the contact portion 232a is inclined from top to bottom in the left-right direction and the height position at which it contacts the brush portion 235b changes, the cleaning plate 232 can be configured so that the distance from the rotation axis A of the brush roller 235 to the contact portion 232a is equal.

As described above, since the distance between the contact portion 232a and the rotation axis A is configured to be equal in the left-right direction, even if the height positions at which the contact portion 232a and the brush portion 235b come into contact differ in the left-right direction, the contact portion 232a can apply a uniform force to the brush portion 235b. Therefore, the dust container 23 can remove dust evenly from the brush portion 235b by the cleaning plate 232.

The dust container 23 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to include four cleaning plates 232, but the number of cleaning plates 232 is not limited to this. For example, the number of cleaning plates 232 may be one as long as the contact portion 232a can be appropriately inclined.

In addition, the cleaning plate 232 is configured to be provided on the rear wall of the mechanism housing section 231, but the position at which the cleaning plate 232 is provided is not limited to the rear wall of the mechanism housing section 231. As long as the positional relationship between the contact portion 232a and the brush roller 235 described above is maintained, the location at which the cleaning plate 232 is provided is arbitrary.

In the above embodiment, the air conditioner 1 equipped with the dust container 23 is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be used in any device that is equipped with an air filter and has the function of removing dust adhering to the air filter.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 10 Housing 11 Front panel 12 Main body panel 13 Rear panel 14 Top panel 15 Flap 16 Intake port 17 Outlet port 18 Ventilation passage 20 Dust collection filter unit 21 Dust collection filter 22 Support body 23 Dust storage container 23a Opening 24 Filter drive roller 25 Filter drive motor 26 Roller drive motor 30 Air conditioning unit 31 Indoor unit heat exchanger 32 Blower 211 Frame 211a Outer frame 211b Lattice frame 230 Storage section 230a Front wall 230b Right wall 230c Left wall 230d Bottom 230e Rear wall 231 Mechanism storage section 232 Cleaning plate 232a Contact section 235 Brush roller 235a Roller 235b Brush section A Rotating shaft

Claims (6)

a removing member including a cylindrical rotating body that rotates about a rotation axis extending along the width direction of the filter and a brush portion that is provided on a peripheral surface of the rotating body and removes dust from the filter;
a cleaning plate extending along an extension direction of the rotary shaft and having a contact portion that contacts the brush portion to remove dust remaining within the brush portion;
a container provided below the brush portion and the contact portion, the container containing dust removed by the brush portion and the contact portion,
The filter cleaning device, wherein the abutment portion is inclined with respect to the extension direction so as to become higher or lower from one end to the other end in the extension direction. The brush portion is provided in a spiral shape along the circumferential surface of the rotor,
The filter cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion is inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination of the brush portion in a side view. The filter cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contact portion is provided at a constant distance from the rotation shaft. The filter cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the contact portion is arranged to extend at an angle relative to the rotation axis when the filter cleaning device is viewed in plan. A plurality of the cleaning plates are provided,
The filter cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning plates are arranged side by side along an extending direction of the rotation shaft. A filter cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
and a main body having an air passage in which the filter is disposed.

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