JP2005098606A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of inhibiting the propagation of bacteria in drain water in a drain pan, and preventing the clogging of a drain pump and drainage path. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner comprises an indoor-side heat exchanger for conditioning the indoor air, the drain pan mounted on a bottom part of the indoor-side heat exchanger and receiving the drain water from the heat exchanger, a drain pump mounted on a specific position from the bottom part of the drain pan for pumping out the drain water, and a sterilizing device mounted at a height approximately same as a height of a suction port of the drain pump for sterilizing the bacteria in the drain water by metallic ion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner for sterilizing metal ions of drainage bacteria generated when air is conditioned in room air.

Conventional air conditioners have not been equipped with a sterilizer.
However, an electrode such as silver, copper, or a silver alloy is provided in a water supply tank or a water tank, current is passed through the electrode, the electrode metal is ionized, and germs that propagate in water are sterilized by sterilizing action such as silver ions. There was something to do (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, a metal elution device is installed in the water supply pipe connecting the nozzle and the water tank, and metal ions are eluted into the water flowing in the pipe to remove various germs in the water to be supplied to the nozzle. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-87227 (see page 1-5, Fig. 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-1679751 (see page 2-5, FIG. 3).

  In the conventional air conditioner, the drain pan that receives the drain water dripped from the indoor heat exchanger that air-conditions the indoor air is not equipped with a sterilizer that sterilizes the drain water germs with metal ions, and the drain pump Even during operation, the drain water is stored below the suction port of the drain pump, and when the drain pump is stopped, the drain water in the drain pump returns to the drain pan, so it accumulates more. It was easy for bacteria to propagate, which caused the drainage water to become sludge or jelly, clogging the drain pump, or clogging the drainage drainage path, causing poor discharge. .

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. The first object is to suppress the proliferation of drain water in the drain pan, so that the drain water becomes sludge-like or jelly-like. The purpose is to obtain an air conditioner that prevents the drain pump and its drainage passage from being clogged.

  In the air conditioner according to the present invention, an indoor heat exchanger that air-conditions indoor air, a drain pan that is provided at the bottom of the indoor heat exchanger, receives drain water from the heat exchanger, and the drain pan A drain pump that is provided at a predetermined position from the bottom and drains the drain water, and a sterilization device that is disposed substantially at the height of the suction port of the drain pump and sterilizes the drain water with bacteria by metal ions. Is.

  Further, the sterilizer comprises a silver electrode as an anode and a metal electrode as a cathode at a predetermined interval, and applies a predetermined potential between the electrodes to sterilize germs between the drain water electrodes. is there.

  Further, the silver electrode and the metal electrode have a shape in which one corner is surrounded by three wall surfaces.

  In addition, a spacer made of a non-electrically conductive material such as plastic is provided between the electrodes, and maintains the predetermined interval.

  Further, when any one of the three surfaces is installed on the bottom surface of the drain pan so as not to be submerged in the drain water of the drain pan, the spacer is disposed on the top of the wall surface other than the surface installed on the bottom surface. is there.

  The metal electrode is made of a water-resistant alloy such as a metal or stainless steel whose surface is subjected to a water-resistant treatment.

  Further, the drain pan is made of a non-electrically conductive material such as a plastic material, and is configured so as not to generate a potential with the electrode.

  Moreover, a control means drives the said sterilizer based on the operation signal of the said drain pump.

  The said control means drives the said sterilizer based on the operation start signal of the said drain pump.

  Further, the control means drives the sterilizer based on a drive stop signal of the drain pump.

  Moreover, the said control means drives the said sterilizer for the predetermined time according to the amount of drain water in the said drain pan so that the silver ion concentration of the said drain water may maintain 3PPM or more.

  The air conditioner of the present invention includes an indoor heat exchanger that air-conditions indoor air, a drain pan that is provided at the bottom of the indoor heat exchanger and receives drain water from the heat exchanger, and a bottom of the drain pan. Since the drain pump is provided at a predetermined position and drains the drain water, and is disposed substantially at the height of the suction port of the drain pump, and a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing the drain water bacteria with metal ions, A highly reliable air conditioner is obtained in order to prevent the drain water from becoming sludge and jelly by suppressing the proliferation of drain water in the drain pan, and to prevent the drain pump and its drainage passage from becoming clogged. It is done.

  Further, the sterilization apparatus comprises a silver electrode as an anode and a metal electrode as a cathode at a predetermined interval, and applies a predetermined potential between the electrodes to sterilize bacteria between the drain water electrodes. An air conditioner having a high sterilization effect can be obtained in order to efficiently suppress germs of the drain water between the electrodes.

  Further, since the silver electrode and the metal electrode have a shape in which one corner is surrounded by three wall surfaces, the strength of the electrode plate is improved, so that a highly reliable air conditioner is obtained.

  In addition, since a spacer made of a non-electrically conductive material such as plastic is provided between the electrodes and maintains the predetermined interval, metal ions for sterilizing germs are efficiently and stably released from the electrodes. An efficient air conditioner can be obtained.

  In addition, when any one of the three surfaces is installed on the bottom surface of the drain pan so that the spacer is not immersed in the drain water of the drain pan, the spacer is disposed on the top of the wall surface other than the surface installed on the bottom surface. Since the metal ions for sterilizing various bacteria adhere to the spacer to prevent the short circuit between the electrodes, an air conditioner with few troubles can be obtained.

  In addition, since the metal electrode is made of a metal or a water-resistant alloy such as stainless steel whose surface is subjected to water resistance treatment, corrosion of the metal electrode is suppressed, so that an air conditioner having a long life can be obtained.

  In addition, since the drain pan is made of a non-electrically conductive material such as a plastic material and is configured so as not to generate a potential between the electrode and the electrode, there is no leakage through the drain pan. can get.

  In addition, since the control means drives the sterilization device based on the operation signal of the drain pump, sterilization of germs is performed according to the drain water level of the drain pan. Therefore, the air conditioner effectively sterilizes the drain water. A machine is obtained.

  Since the control means drives the sterilizer based on the operation start signal of the drain pump, sterilization is performed when the drain water flows, so that an air conditioner that effectively sterilizes the drain water is obtained.

  In addition, since the control means drives the sterilization device based on the drive stop signal of the drain pump, the sterilization device is sterilized when stagnation of drain water in which miscellaneous bacteria are likely to propagate. can get.

  In addition, since the control means drives the sterilization apparatus for a predetermined time according to the amount of drain water in the drain pan so that the silver ion concentration of the drain water is maintained at 3 PPM or more, economical air conditioning for efficient sterilization A machine is obtained.

Embodiment 1
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sterilization apparatus according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. It is a block diagram of the sterilization apparatus enclosed with. In the figure, 1 is provided in an indoor unit of an air conditioner, an indoor heat exchanger that air-conditions indoor air, 2 is drain water dripped from the indoor heat exchanger 1, and 3 is provided in a lower portion of the indoor heat exchanger 1. Drain pan 4 for storing drain water, 4 is provided at a predetermined position from the bottom of drain pan 3, drain pump for draining drain water 1, 4a Suction port for sucking drain water 2 of this drain pump 4, 5 for drain This is a drainage path for draining drain water 2 from the pump 4 to the outside of the air conditioner unit.

  6 is a sterilization device provided in the drain pan 3 below the suction port of the drain pump 4 and sterilizes the bacteria of the drain water 2 with metal ions. 6a is an anode plate for eluting silver or nickel of the sterilization device 6. , 6b is a cathode plate disposed opposite to the anode plate 6a at a predetermined interval, 7 is a spacer provided between the cathode plate 6b and the anode plate 6a, and maintains a distance between the electrodes, and 8 is a cathode plate and the anode plate 6a. A power source 9 applies a predetermined voltage to the plate 6 b, and 9 is a control device that controls on / off of the power source 8 according to the operation of the drain pump 4.

Next, the operation thus configured will be described.
First, when the indoor unit of the air conditioner is operated and the indoor heat exchanger 1 that functions as a cooler cools the indoor air, moisture in the air becomes drain water 2 and is condensed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 1. Eventually, it falls from the indoor heat exchanger 1 to the drain pan 3 disposed below it.

  As a result, the drain water 2 gradually accumulates in the drain pan 3, and when it accumulates from the suction port 4a of the drain pump 4 to a predetermined water level, this is detected by a water level sensor (not shown), so that the drain pump 4 operates. Since the drain water of the drain pan 3 is discharged from the drainage path 5 to the outside, the water level of the drain water 2 is substantially lowered to the suction port 4a of the drain pump 4.

  Next, when the drain water level is lower than the drain pump suction port 4a due to the operation of the drain pump 4, the water level sensor detects this and stops the drain pump 4. Therefore, the drain water that is about to be drained from the drainage path 5 Since 2 returns to the drain pan 3, the drain water level rises as shown in FIG. 1, and the drain water from the indoor heat exchanger 1 drops and accumulates in the drain pan 3 as long as the air-conditioning operation is performed. When the predetermined drain water level is reached again, the drain pump 4 is driven again, and the above operation is repeated.

  When there is no water level sensor, the drain pump 4 moves based on the cooling operation signal or the dehumidification operation signal of the air conditioner and is stopped based on the cooling stop signal or the dehumidification stop signal. According to the operation of No. 4, the water level changes almost as described above.

On the other hand, in such a fluctuation of the drain water level, in other words, in the fluctuation level of the water level due to the operation / stop of the drain pump 4, the number of germs in the drain water 2 increases. Therefore, the control device 9 drives the sterilization device 6 on the basis of a preset operation schedule as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 to suppress the propagation of various germs. Make it easier.
That is, the control device 9 applies a predetermined voltage between the anode 6a and the cathode 6b of the sterilization device 6 and causes a current to flow between the bipolar plates via the drain water 2 functioning as a conductor, and the anode 6a. The metal ions such as silver ions that kill germs are eluted from the drainage water so that the drainage water 2 can be smoothly drained from the drainage passage 5 while suppressing a decrease in flow due to the propagation of germs in the drainwater 2.

  The distance between the electrodes of the anode 6a and the cathode 6b at this time is calculated in advance from the electrode material, surface area, elution amount of metal ions necessary for sterilization, and the obtained distance between the electrodes. If the electrodes are facing each other in a state that is maintained, a predetermined current flows and suppresses the propagation of germs, so there is no problem, but if the distance between the two poles is different, the sterilization effect decreases If the electrodes are in contact with each other, various troubles are caused, so that it is necessary to reliably maintain the distance between the electrodes.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the structure of each of the anode 6a and the cathode 6b is formed so that one corner is surrounded by three surfaces, and a spacer 7 made of a non-electrically conductive material such as plastic is inserted between the electrodes. If the structure is such that the predetermined interval can be reliably maintained while improving the strength of each electrode, an optimal electrode structure that stably elutes metal ions that suppress the propagation of germs from the anode 6a can be obtained. .

At this time, if the spacer 7 is immersed in the drain water 2, the eluted metal ions such as silver ions adhere to short-circuit the anode 6 a and the cathode 6 b, so that the spacer 7 is drained as shown in FIG. 4. 2 so as not to be submerged.
That is, for example, in the structure in which one corner is surrounded by three surfaces, when any one of the three surfaces is installed on the bottom surface of the drain pan 3, the spacer 7 is disposed on the top of the wall surface other than the installed surface. Like that. In other words, the spacer 7 is arranged at the top between the electrodes so as not to be immersed in the drain water 2.

When the spacer 7 is fixed between the electrodes, it may be fixed with an adhesive. However, if the metal screw is used to fix the spacer 7 to the electrode as shown in FIGS. Since the wiring terminals can be connected, an economical structure can be obtained in which the power source can be connected while maintaining the distance between the electrodes.
However, it is necessary to provide a notch in the electrode plate as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that the electrodes are not connected by the fixing screw.

  In these structures, the drain pan 3 must be made of a non-conductive material such as plastic so that no current flows between the drain pan 3 and the electrodes 6a and 6b.

  In addition, when a metal having a water-resistant treatment on its surface or a metal having high water resistance such as stainless steel or aluminum is used as the cathode metal electrode, it is possible to prevent problems caused by clogging of the drain pump 4 due to rusting or short-circuiting of the electrode. it can.

  Next, the operation of the control device 9 will be described in detail. First, when the concentration of metal ions such as silver ions that suppress the proliferation of bacteria in the drain water is above a certain concentration N (3 ppm) as shown in FIG. 6, the sterilization effect becomes almost constant, and the concentration is higher than that metal ion concentration. Although the sterilization voltage application time differs depending on the amount of drain water 2 in the drain pan 3 as shown in FIG. 7, if the drain water amount at the drain water level in the drain pan 3 is determined, the voltage application time, that is, the driving time of the sterilizer 6 is Since it can be obtained from FIG. 7, from the start of the operation of the drain pump 4 based on the obtained drive time, the sterilizer 6 is operated for that time, and the stop time and Decide the driving time.

Further, the propagation of germs in the drain water is because the indoor heat exchanger 1 does not act as a cooler when the drain water is stopped, that is, when the drain pump 4 is stopped. Since the drain water temperature and the temperature in the vicinity of the drain pan 3 are high and stagnant, the reproductive power of various bacteria increases from about 100 times to about 1000 times, and the eluted silver ions are drained by the sterilizer 6 by the drain water. When the sterilizer 6 is operated only for the time determined from FIG. 7 based on the stop signal of the drain pump 4 instead of the operation signal of the drain pump 4, it is possible to shorten the driving time. It can be sterilized effectively.
That is, at first glance, the drain pump 4 is operated and the drain water is moving, so that the amount passing through the sterilizer 6 increases. However, the diffusivity of sterilized ions into the drain water is high. Since it is very large, there is not much difference in sterilization regarding whether or not drain water flows.

  In the above description, the sterilizer 6 is driven for a predetermined time based on the operation start or drive stop signal so that the metal ion concentration becomes 3 ppm or more. However, in order to simplify the control, Even if the sterilizer 6 is driven only during operation or the sterilizer 6 is driven only when the drain pump 4 is stopped, the operation / stop time of the drain pump 4 as shown in FIGS. Since the sterilization apparatus 6 can be sufficiently sterilized even if the driving time of the sterilizer 6 is shorter than that, there is no problem.

It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the sterilization apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the sterilizer which surrounds one corner in Embodiment 1 of this invention with three surfaces. It is the figure which showed the positional relationship of each component of the sterilizer in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the water level of drain water. It is a control block diagram of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the silver ion concentration and the sterilization effect in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the voltage application time made more than the sterilization silver ion density | concentration in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the amount of drain water. It is a control diagram of the sterilizer in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is the other control figure of the sterilizer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the other control figure of the sterilizer in Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 indoor heat exchanger, 2 drain water, 3 drain pan, 4 drain pump, 5 drainage channel, 6 sterilizer, 6a anode, 6b cathode,
7 Spacer, 8 Power supply, 9 Control device.

Claims (11)

A room-side heat exchanger that air-conditions the room air, a drain pan that is provided at the bottom of the room-side heat exchanger, receives drain water from the heat exchanger, and is provided at a predetermined position from the bottom of the drain pan, An air conditioner comprising: a drain pump that drains drain water; and a sterilization device that is disposed substantially at the height of a suction port of the drain pump and sterilizes metal ions in the drain water. The sterilization apparatus comprises a silver electrode as an anode and a metal electrode as a cathode at a predetermined interval, and applies a predetermined potential between the electrodes to sterilize the germs between the drain water electrodes. The air conditioner according to claim 1. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the silver electrode and the metal electrode have a shape in which one corner is surrounded by three wall surfaces. The air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a spacer made of a non-electrically conductive material such as plastic is provided between the electrodes to maintain the predetermined distance. When any one of the three surfaces is installed on the bottom surface of the drain pan so that the spacer is not immersed in the drain water of the drain pan, the spacer is disposed on the top of the wall surface other than the surface installed on the bottom surface. The air conditioner according to claim 4. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the metal electrode is made of a metal having a water-resistant treatment applied to a surface thereof or a water-resistant alloy such as stainless steel. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the drain pan is made of a non-electrically conductive material such as a plastic material, and is configured not to generate a potential between the drain pan and the electrode. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control means drives the sterilizer based on an operation signal of the drain pump. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the control means drives the sterilizer based on an operation start signal of the drain pump. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the control means drives the sterilizer based on a drive stop signal of the drain pump. The said control means drives the said sterilizer for a predetermined time according to the amount of drain water in the said drain pan so that the silver ion concentration of the said drain water may maintain 3PPM or more, Either of Claim 9 or 10 characterized by the above-mentioned. Air conditioner as described in.

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