JP2007107764A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of surely removing dust attached to a filter and storing the removed dust. <P>SOLUTION: A dust box 300 having a cleaning brush 330 is mounted at a surface side of the filter 6, a filter receiving plate 400 for receiving the filter 6, is mounted at a rear surface side of the filter 6 faced to the dust box 300, and the dust box 300 and the filter receiving plate 400 are vertically moved along a guide frame 210 to remove the dust attached to the filter 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner having a cleaning function for automatically cleaning dust attached to a filter attached for dust removal.

  A dustproof filter is attached to the air conditioner (indoor unit) in order to prevent dust from flowing into the unit from the air inlet. Since dust accumulates in the filter over time, it is necessary for the user to remove the filter from the unit and clean it when necessary.

  Normally, air conditioners are installed in high places in the room, so it is not only troublesome to attach and detach the filter, but it is also troublesome to frequently remove dust adhering to the filter. Easy to avoid.

  However, if the filter is left in a state where dust is accumulated, the air flow rate is reduced, so that not only the heat exchange efficiency is lowered, but also dust and the like cause mold, etc., which causes allergic symptoms. There is also a risk of attracting house dust. Therefore, several air conditioners having a cleaning function for automatically removing dust adhering to the filter have been provided recently.

  One example is Patent Document 1. This air conditioner includes a cleaning device that scrapes dust adhering to the filter with the cleaning brush by moving the cleaning brush from one side of the filter to the other while contacting the rod-shaped cleaning brush along the filter. .

  According to this, since the filter with dust can be automatically cleaned periodically, the user can be released to some extent from troublesome removal work and cleaning work.

  However, the conventional air conditioner has the following problems. That is, as a first problem, the cleaning device of Patent Document 1 moves the cleaning brush along the surface of the filter to remove dust on the surface. Generally, the filter is made of a relatively flexible resin or the like. Therefore, when the surface is pressed with a cleaning brush, the filter is bent by the pressing force of the brush, and the brush cannot be pressed against the surface of the filter with an even force, and dust cannot be reliably removed.

  Further, as a second problem, in Patent Document 1, since the cleaning brush is provided only on the surface of the filter, for example, when cleaning work is performed while the blower fan is driven, dust scraped off by the cleaning brush is filtered. Therefore, it is not preferable to perform a cleaning operation during the operation of the air conditioner.

JP 2001-170430 A

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to reliably remove dust attached to the filter and store the removed dust, and also during cooling and heating operation. It is in providing the air conditioner which can perform filter cleaning even if there exists.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention has several features described below. The invention described in claim 1 includes a main body cabinet that includes an air inlet and an air outlet, and at least a blower fan is housed therein. The main body cabinet includes a dust removal filter, and the filter. In an air conditioner provided with a cleaning unit that removes attached dust, and a moving unit that relatively moves the filter and the cleaning unit, the cleaning unit includes a cleaning brush that cleans the filter, A dust box for storing dust and a dust collecting means for collecting the dust trapped by the cleaning brush in the dust box are provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the cleaning brush that is rotatably supported in the dust box about a predetermined rotation axis is brought into contact with the filter when moving in one direction. It is characterized by comprising a cleaning brush rotation restricting means that is in a non-contact state away from the filter when moving in the direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the dust collecting means is provided on a rotation locus of the cleaning brush, and the cleaning brush is in a non-contact state in which the cleaning brush is separated from the filter. It is characterized by including a dust collecting member that comes into contact with the brush.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the dust collecting member is constantly biased in a direction toward the cleaning brush.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect, the dust collecting member includes an inclined brush that makes an acute contact with the return rotation direction of the cleaning brush.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention provides the cleaning brush according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the cleaning brush is kept in a non-contact state separated from the filter by the dust collecting member when moving in the other direction. It is characterized by that.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention provides the cleaning brush according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, wherein the cleaning brush is provided with a locking surface in part, and the cleaning brush rotation restricting means is the engagement member when the unidirectional movement is performed. A lock portion that abuts against the stop surface and keeps the cleaning brush in contact with the filter; a lock portion unlocking means that removes the lock portion from the locking surface at the end position when moving in one direction; and And a lock portion locking means for bringing the lock portion into contact with the locking surface at the end position when moving in the other direction.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the lock portion is rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, and the cleaning brush and the lock portion are both attached to the rotation shaft. A first cam follower for rotating the cleaning brush and the lock portion in a predetermined direction via the cams, and having the cam at a terminal position when moving in the one direction. The lock portion is first rotated and removed from the locking surface, and then the cleaning brush is rotated and separated from the filter.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the method according to the seventh or eighth aspect, wherein the lock portion locking means rotates the cleaning brush in a predetermined direction via a cam attached to a rotation shaft of the cleaning brush. The cleaning brush is returned to a state in which the cleaning brush comes into contact with the filter by the second cam follower at the terminal position when moving in the other direction, and the lock portion comes into contact with the locking surface. Yes.

  Invention of Claim 10 in any one of said Claim 7 thru | or 9 WHEREIN: The said main body cabinet contains the guide frame which has the filter support means which supports the said filter, and the movement path of the said cleaning part, One of the lock part unlocking means and the lock part locking means is provided on the filter side, and the other is provided on the moving path side of the cleaning part of the guide frame.

  An eleventh aspect of the present invention is that in any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, the first cam follower constituting the lock portion unlocking means and the second cam follower constituting the lock portion locking means are both It is characterized by comprising a convex base formed one step higher so that each of the cams rides up.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the dust removed with the cleaning brush can be reliably collected in the dust box, it can be prevented from being scattered outside and contaminating the inside of the main body cabinet.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cleaning brush is a rotary type, and the cleaning brush is brought into contact with the filter when moving in one direction, and the cleaning brush is not contacted when moving in the other direction, so that dust attached to the filter is removed. It can be removed efficiently, and the removed dust can be prevented from adhering to the filter again.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, the filter can be always cleaned with a clean cleaning brush by collecting the dust attached to the cleaning brush with the dust recovery brush every time the cleaning unit makes a round trip on the filter. In addition, since the cleaning ability of the brush does not deteriorate, the cleaning brush can be reduced in size.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the dust collection brush is always biased in the direction toward the cleaning brush, the dust collection brush can always be pressed against the cleaning brush with a certain force, and the dust can be more reliably collected. Can be recovered.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the cleaning brush is introduced into the dust box, the dust collection brush is an inclined brush that makes an acute contact with the return rotation direction of the cleaning brush. Therefore, when the cleaning brush returns to the outside again, the dust can be reliably scraped off by the dust collection brush, so that the dust can be reliably stored in the dust box.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a part of the cleaning brush is maintained in a non-contact state by the dust collection brush, so that the cleaning brush can be held without providing a complicated mechanism. And productivity is good.

  According to the invention described in claims 7 to 10, by providing the cleaning brush rotation control means for restricting the rotation of the cleaning brush, when the cleaning brush moves in a contact state, the cleaning brush is securely attached to the filter. The state in which the cleaning brush is brought into contact can be maintained, and when moved to the end side, the cleaning brush can be forcibly rotated to be in a non-contact state.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since each cam follower is formed as a convex portion, the cleaning brush can be reliably rotated with a simple configuration as the cleaning portion moves. Can be suppressed.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air conditioner.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body cabinet 1 of the air conditioner includes a back plate 110, a base 11, an upper panel 12, a front panel 13, which are installed on a wall surface via mounting screws (not shown), A right side panel 14 and a left side panel 15 are provided, both of which are made of a synthetic resin molded product. In the main body cabinet 1, a cross flow fan 2, a heat exchanger 3, a drain pan 4 and the like as a blower fan are stored.

  The base 11 is attached to the back plate 110 by a pair of left and right side plates (not shown) formed so as to protrude from both sides of the heat exchanger 3 to the wall surface side, and the cross flow fan 2 and the heat exchanger 3 are interposed between the side plates. Is supported. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 3 includes three heat exchange units 3 a to 3 c combined in a substantially Λ shape, and is disposed so as to cover the upper part of the cross flow fan 2.

  The base 11 is formed with a drain pan 111 for catching the dew condensation water generated by the back surface side heat exchange unit 3c, and further, a storage portion 112 for storing various pipes, electric wires and the like is formed at the bottom of the back surface.

  An upper panel 12 is attached to the upper end side of the base 11. The top panel 12 is detachably attached to the base 11 via a locking claw (not shown) protruding from the rear end thereof, and is arched up to the front end of the front panel 13 so that the front end side covers the heat exchanger 3. Has been passed.

  The upper panel 12 is provided with an air inlet 121 over the entire surface. Although not shown in the drawing, a grille is formed in the air suction port 121 in a bar shape. The crosspiece portion may be removable, and the shape thereof can be arbitrarily selected.

  In this example, a passage for moving a dust box 300 to be described later is provided in advance on the inner surface side of the upper panel 12. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper panel 12 is moved when the dust box 300 is moved. A lifting / lowering means 122 for lifting the dust box 300 may be provided to secure the passage of the dust box 300. The elevating means 122 is preferably a pantograph type in which, for example, two arm levers 123 are combined in an X shape.

  A front panel 13 is attached to the lower end side of the base 11. The front panel 13 is locked at the upper end side to the lower end side of the top panel 12, and the rear end side is detachably fixed to the base 11 via a locking claw (not shown).

  The right side plate of the base panel 11 incorporates a drive unit 5 including an electrical component box (not shown) in which a control unit and a power supply unit of the air conditioner are housed, and the right side so as to cover the drive unit 5. A face panel 14 is attached. Similarly, the left side panel 15 is attached to the left side plate of the base panel 11.

  An air outlet 113 that blows out air from the cross flow fan 2 is provided on the lower surface of the base 11. The air outlet 113 has a diffuser 114 that controls the amount and direction of blowing, a left and right wind direction plate 115, and an up and down wind direction. A plate 116 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, between the air inlet 121 of the top panel 12 and the heat exchanger 3, there is a main frame 200 that holds a filter 6 that removes dust contained in the air toward the heat exchanger 3. Is provided.

  In this example, the filter 6 includes two filters, a first filter that covers the right half of the heat exchanger 3 and a second filter that covers the left half. Only one side will be described, and the other side will not be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the filter 6 includes a filter frame 61 formed in a frame shape having a predetermined width, and a filter unit 62 surrounded by the filter frame 61 and regularly formed with a mesh. Yes. Although the filter frame 61 and the filter part 62 can be integrally molded with synthetic resin, they may be molded separately and combined with each other.

  The filter 6 is made of a base resin such as polypropylene, but it is preferable to add an antistatic material such as a conductive resin to the base resin. That is, the filter 6 is easily charged due to friction with a nylon cleaning brush 330 of a dust box 300 described later, and thus prevents dust from being adsorbed by charging. In addition to this, an antifungal material and an antibacterial material may be further added.

  Of the filter frame 61, the filter frames 61a and 61b parallel to the moving direction of the dust box 300 have first guide protrusions 63 and 63 as one guide means for moving the brush of the dust box 300 to a predetermined position. Is provided. The first guide protrusions 63 and 63 are cam followers for rotating the cleaning brush 330 provided in the dust box 300, and are provided with an inclined surface 63a for rotating a cam described later.

  Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the main frame 200 has a guide frame 210 formed in an arc shape along the surface of the heat exchanger 3, and the distance between the upper end and the lower end of each guide frame 210 is horizontal. They are connected by a beam member 201.

  As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 7, each guide frame 210 is provided with a filter support groove 211 that detachably supports the filter 6. The filter support groove 211 is formed on the side surface side of each guide frame 211, and an insertion port 211 a for inserting the filter 6 is provided on one end side.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the guide frame 210. The guide frame 210 has a built-in moving means for driving a dust box 300 described later.

  The moving means includes a driving motor 230 controlled by a driving means (not shown), a driving belt 240 that transmits the rotational driving force of the driving motor 230 to the dust box 300, and a box mounter 250 that is connected to the driving belt 240 and supports the dust box 300. And. In this example, the drive belt 240 is provided at two positions on both sides of the three guide frames 210, and only the box mounter 250 that moves freely along the moving path 212 described later is provided in the central guide frame 210. Is provided.

  The drive motor (geared motor) 230 is provided in any one of the three guide frames 210, in this example (on the right side in FIG. 6), and is stored in a dedicated gear case 231. The drive motor 230 is connected to the gear case 231 of each guide frame 210 via a drive shaft (not shown) protected by the shaft case 232.

  Two take-up reels 234 and 235 connected to the drive gear 233 of the drive motor 230 are accommodated in the gear case 231. In this example, the take-up reels 234 and 235 rotate in the same direction through a predetermined intermediate gear.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a moving path 212 for the drive belt 240 is provided inside the guide frame 210 in addition to the filter support groove 211. The movement path 212 is formed in an annular shape with the partition wall 213 interposed therebetween, and the drive belt 240 is disposed in the movement path 212.

  The end portions of the drive belt 240 are fixed to the take-up reels 234 and 235, respectively. By rotating the take-up reels 234 and 235, for example, from one take-up reel 234 to the other take-up reel 235, respectively. The drive belt 240 is wound around the belt.

  In this example, the driving belt 240 employs a belt driving system in which both ends are fixed to the two take-up reels 234 and 235 in consideration of ease of maintenance and inexpensiveness. It may be driven or may be driven by a rack and pinion, and the driving method can be arbitrarily selected according to the specification.

  According to this, since the main frame 200 constitutes a part of the panel of the main body cabinet 1, each panel member can be individually molded as compared with the conventional integrated panel. Miniaturization is possible, and production costs can be reduced.

  With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 together, the box mounter 250 is formed of a flat plate-like body, and the base end side is integrally fixed to the drive belt 240. One box mounter 250 is provided for each guide frame 210, and in particular, one box mounter 250 (FIG. 9) installed in the central guide frame 210 supports two dust boxes 300. Therefore, the plate thickness is formed thicker than the other box mounters 250.

  A guide groove 251 for guiding bosses 311 formed at both ends of the dust box 300 is provided on the upper end side (reverse heat exchanger 3 side) of the box mounter 250. The guide groove 251 is a notch groove that is notched inward from the upper end of the box mounter 250, and is formed in an inverted L shape so that the boss 311 guided here does not fall out.

  The box mounter 250 is further formed with a locking hole 252 into which locking claws 327 and 327 of locking means provided in the dust box 300 are inserted. The locking hole 252 is a through-hole formed in the side surface of the box mounter 250, and the dust box 300 is fixed by inserting the locking claws 327 and 327 into the through hole.

  Referring also to FIG. 7, a locking portion 253 that locks a filter receiving plate 400 described later is provided on a side surface of the box mounter 250 on the base end side (heat exchanger 3 side). The locking portion 253 includes locking holes 254 and 254 into which two locking claws 430 and 430 provided on the side surface of the filter receiving plate 400 are inserted, and the filter receiving plate 400 is attached thereto so that the filter The receiving plate 400 can move in synchronization with the dust box 300.

  In this example, the left and right dust boxes 300, 300 are supported on the central box mounter 250 shown in FIG. 9, and thus locking portions 253 are provided on the left and right, respectively. The number and shape of the locking holes 254 can be arbitrarily changed according to the specifications.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a second guide projection 260 as the other guide means is provided on the upper end side of each guide frame 210. The second guide convex portion 260, together with the first guide convex portions 63 and 63 formed on the filter 6 described above, constitutes a guide surface for guiding the movement of the dust box 300, and the cleaning brush 330 housed therein is provided with a predetermined cleaning brush 330. Used to move in the direction.

  Next, the configuration of the filter receiving plate 400 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 13. In this example, the filter receiving plate 400 is supported between the guide frames 210 and 210 via the box mounter 250, and two filters 6 are provided for each filter 6 in this example. Therefore, only one of them will be described below, and the description of the other will be omitted.

  The filter receiving plate 400 includes a rectangular base plate 410 that is bridged between the guide frames 210 and 210, and a receiving plate body 420 that is integrally attached to the base plate 410 and receives the back surface of the filter 6. Yes.

  The base plate 410 has a concave surface and is partitioned into three storage portions 410a to 410c extending in the length direction, and a receiving plate body 420 is attached to the central storage portion 410c. The storage portions 410 a and 410 b are provided with locking claws 430 for attaching the filter receiving plate 410 to the box mounter 250.

  In this example, the latching claws 430 are provided in two places on the left and right sides, a total of four places, and a latching projection 431 that is inserted into the latching hole 254 of the box mounter 250 is provided at the tip. On the side surface of the base plate 410, an opening 412 for leading the tip 431 of the locking claw 430 to the side of the base plate 410 is provided.

  The receiving plate body 420 has a receiving surface 421 that contacts the back surface of the filter 6, and clearance grooves 422 for allowing the filter frame 61 to escape are provided between the receiving surfaces 421. As shown in FIG. 13, the receiving surface 421 is disposed so as to face the cleaning brush 330 provided in the dust box 300 and is a smooth surface that receives the filter 6 pressed by the cleaning brush 330.

  In this example, the receiving plate main body 420 is disposed so as to face the cleaning brush 330 with the filter 6 interposed therebetween, but in addition to this, the receiving plate body 420 is disposed so as to press the upstream side and / or the downstream side in the moving direction of the cleaning brush 330. As long as the pressing force of the cleaning brush 330 can be received, the arrangement can be arbitrarily set. Further, a brush may be disposed on the filter receiving plate 420 side to remove dust adhering to the back side of the filter 6.

  Next, the dust box 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 (a), 12 (b) and FIG. One dust box 300 is installed for each of the two filters 6 and 6 installed between the guide frames 210 and 210. Since the dust box 300 has the same configuration, in the following, one of the dust boxes 300 will be described. Only the dust box 300 will be described.

  The dust box 300 includes a box main body 310 whose upper and lower surfaces are open, a top panel 320 that covers the upper surface opening of the box main body 310, and a cleaning brush 330 that is disposed so as to be in contact with the surface of the filter 6. It is formed in a rectangular shape that spans between the guide frames 210 and 210.

  The box body 310 is formed of a cylindrical body having both upper and lower ends opened, and a dust collection brush 340 for scraping dust attached to the cleaning brush 330 is provided on one inner side surface. The dust collection brush 340 includes a brush base 341 that is rotatably supported around a predetermined horizontal rotation shaft 343, and a brush body 342 is integrally provided on the brush base 341.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the brush base 341 is formed in a trapezoidal cross section, and is provided with a brush surface 345 formed on an arc surface along the rotation locus of the cleaning brush 330. The brush body 342 is composed of an inclined brush in which brush bristles (not shown) are planted obliquely, and is provided to face diagonally upward to the right in FIG.

  In this example, a spring member 344 is attached to the horizontal rotation shaft 343 of the brush base 341, and the dust collection brush 340 is urged by a spring so that it always contacts the cleaning brush 330 with an equal force.

  According to this, when the cleaning brush 330 rotates toward the dust collection brush 340, the dust collection brush 340 comes into contact with the cleaning brush 330 from an oblique direction, so that the dust attached to the cleaning brush 330 is collected as dust. The brush 340 can be reliably collected. Further, since the brush base 341 is spring-biased inward, when a certain force is applied, the dust collection brush 340 escapes from the brush base 341 against the spring force, so that the cleaning brush 330 is smooth. It is possible to return to the original position.

  Referring also to FIG. 10, a boss 311 that is guided along a guide groove 251 provided in the box mounter 250 projects from a side surface in the longitudinal direction of the box body 310. In this example, the boss 311 is formed of a cylindrical convex portion.

  The top panel 320 is formed in a rectangular U-shaped section along the upper surface of the box body 310, and is attached to the box body 310 so as to be openable and closable around a horizontal rotation shaft 321 provided on one end side.

  A hook portion 329 for fixing the top panel 320 to the box body 310 is provided on the free end side of the top panel 320. The hook portion 329 is provided with a hook claw 328 that is locked to the box body 310 at one end of the plate body. By locking the hook claw 328 to the box body 310, opening and closing of the top panel 320 is restricted. The

  A communication window 322 communicating with the inside of the box main body 310 is further provided at the center of the top panel 320. The communication window 322 is an opening window provided for collecting the dust accumulated in the box body 310 without opening the top panel 320, and from there, by inserting a suction port such as a vacuum cleaner, Garbage accumulated inside can be easily collected. The top panel 320 is also provided with confirmation windows 323 and 323 for viewing the state of dust inside. Each confirmation window 323 is closed by a transparent lid member 324.

  The top panel 320 is provided with lock portions 325 and 325 for fixing the dust box 300 to the box mounter 250 on the left and right sides, respectively. The lock part 325 is slidably attached to a storage part 326 formed by recessing a part of the top panel 320, and a locking claw 327 at the tip of the lock part 325 is inserted into an insertion hole 260 of the box mounter 250 as shown in FIG. 10. It is supposed to be plugged into.

  Referring also to FIG. 13, a cleaning brush 330 is attached to the top panel 320 to scrape dust adhering to the surface of the filter 6. The cleaning brush 330 includes a brush base 331 that is rotatably supported around a predetermined horizontal rotation shaft 333, and a brush body 332 is provided on the brush surface 334 of the brush base 331.

  The brush base 331 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape rotatably supported by a support base 328 provided on the inner side of the top panel 320, and a surface (brush surface 334) facing the filter 6 is an arc surface. Is formed. On the side surface of the brush base 331 in the longitudinal direction, a locking surface 336 that is locked by a lock portion 350 described later is provided. The horizontal rotation shaft 333 of the brush base 331 is provided with a cam 335 for forcibly rotating the brush base 331.

  In this example, the brush main body 332 is a straight hair brush in which brush hairs (not shown) are planted substantially vertically on a sheet-like base material, and is integrally attached to the brush surface 334 via an adhesive material or the like. Yes.

  Referring also to FIG. 12B, the cleaning brush 330 is provided with a lock portion 350 for restricting the cleaning brush 330 from rotating during the movement of the dust box 300. The lock portion 350 is provided adjacent to the side surface of the brush base 331 and includes a locking projection 351 that is locked along the locking surface 336 of the brush base 331.

  The lock portion 350 is provided so as to be rotatable about a predetermined horizontal rotation shaft 352, and the horizontal rotation shaft 352 is integrally provided with a cam 353 that rotates the lock portion 350 to release the restriction. Yes. Further, a spring 353 for constantly biasing the lock portion 350 in the counterclockwise direction is attached to the horizontal rotation shaft 352.

  Next, a procedure for attaching the dust box 300 and the filter receiving plate 400 will be described. First, the filter receiving plate 400 is disposed between the guide frames 210 and 210, and the locking claws 430 are inserted into the locking holes 254. Next, each locking claw 430 provided on the filter receiving plate 400 is slid and the tip thereof is inserted into the locking hole 254. Thereby, the filter receiving plate 400 is integrally fixed to the box mounter 250.

  Next, the filter 6 is installed in each guide frame 210 and 210. The tip of the filter 6 is inserted from the insertion port 211a of the guide frame 210, and is inserted as it is along the filter support groove 211. Thereby, the filter 6 is bridged between the guide frames 210 and 210, and the front surface of the heat exchanger 3 is covered with the filter 6.

  Next, the dust box 300 is attached. As shown in FIG. 6, the dust box 300 in a pre-assembled state is inserted along the guide grooves 251 of the box mounter 250 with the bosses 311 provided on both sides thereof, and the dust box 300 is temporarily fixed to the box mounter 250. To do.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the locking portion 325 provided on the top panel 320 is slid, and the locking claw 327 is inserted into the insertion hole 252 of the box mounter 250. As a result, both ends of the dust box 300 are fixed in a state of being spanned over the box mounters 250 and 250.

  Next, an example of this filter cleaning procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. First, for example, when a user operates a manual cleaning button provided on an operation panel such as a remote controller, a control unit (not shown) receives the command and initializes the cleaning process.

  When the initialization command is received, first, it is detected whether or not the dust box 300 has moved to the lower end position via sensor means (not shown). If the dust box 300 is not in the initial position, the drive motor 230 is driven and the drive belt 240 is moved. The dust box 300 is moved to the lower end position. As a position detection method of the lower end position, there is a method of detecting the abutting of the drive motor 230 in addition to the objective sensor.

  When the initialization is completed, the drive motor 230 then rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the dust box 300 and the filter receiving plate 400 start to move along the guide frame 210 via the drive belt 240.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 14B, the cleaning brush 330 protruding from the lower surface of the dust box 300 moves while contacting the surface of the filter 6, and scrapes off the dust attached to the filter 6. Further, since the filter receiving plate 400 is disposed on the back surface of the filter 6 so as to face the cleaning brush 330, the filter 6 is suppressed by the cleaning brush 330 and can be prevented from escaping.

  As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, when the dust box 300 moves near the upper end, the cam 353 of the lock portion 350 comes into contact with the second guide convex portion 260 provided at the upper end of the guide frame 210 and remains as it is. By rotating in the unlocking direction, the cleaning brush 330 is in a rotation-free state.

  In the case where a moving path appears between the upper frame 12 and the main frame 200 by lifting the top panel 12 by the lifting / lowering means 122 as shown in FIG. 3, the lifting / lowering means 122 is driven along with the movement of the dust box 300. Then, the top panel 12 is lifted to secure a moving path.

  Next, when the dust box 300 further moves in the unlocked state, the cam 335 provided on the horizontal rotating shaft 334 of the cleaning brush 330 is lifted along the second guide convex portion 260 as shown in FIG. It is done. Along with this, the cleaning brush 330 is forcibly moved toward the dust collection brush 340.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16C, when the dust box 300 moves to the upper end position, the cleaning brush 330 is lifted through the cam 335 while being in contact with the dust collection brush 340. At this time, dust attached to the hair tips of the cleaning brush 330 is scraped off by the dust recovery brush 340.

  When the dust box 300 reaches the upper end of the guide frame 210, the drive motor 230 is then reversed, and the dust box 300 is returned to the initial position (lower end position) along the guide frame 210.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 17B, the cleaning brush 330 in the dust box 300 is lifted up, that is, pulled back out of contact with the filter 6, so that the dust collected by the cleaning brush 330 is not collected. It can be reliably prevented from adhering to the filter 6 again. In the dust box 300, a cam regulating surface (not shown) with which the cam 353 of the lock portion 350 abuts is provided, and is regulated so as not to rotate further counterclockwise than the cam position shown in FIG. ing.

  When the dust box 300 reaches the vicinity of the lower end of the guide frame 210, the cam 335 of the cleaning brush 330 rotates counterclockwise along the first guide convex portion 63 of the filter frame 61 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the cleaning brush 330 rotates counterclockwise, and the brush body 332 moves toward the filter 6.

  When the dust box 300 further moves, the cleaning brush 330 is returned to a position where it comes into contact with the filter 6 substantially vertically as shown in FIG. At the same time, with the rotation of the cleaning brush 330, the lock portion 350 is lifted and is again locked by the locking surface 336 of the cleaning brush 330 by the spring bias, thereby locking the rotation of the cleaning brush 330.

  By continuously performing the above series of operations, dust adhering to the filter 6 is stored in the dust box 300, and the filter cleaning is completed. According to this, since the dust adhering to the cleaning brush 330 is collected by the dust collection brush 340 every time the dust box 300 makes one reciprocation, not only the cleaning brush can always be kept clean but also the cleaning brush can be downsized. Therefore, production costs can be reduced.

  In this example, the filter cleaning is exemplified for the case where the dust box 300 is reciprocated once, but it is needless to say that the filter cleaning may be set to reciprocate twice and three degrees as necessary.

  Further, in this filter cleaning, since the front side of the filter 6 is supported by the dust box 300 and the back side of the filter 6 is supported by the filter holding plate 400, dust is not carried to the heat exchanger 3 side through the filter 6. Therefore, filter cleaning can be carried out even during operation of the air conditioner.

  When collecting the dust accumulated in the dust box 300, the dust collected inside can be safely and cleanly removed by inserting a suction port such as a vacuum cleaner into the communication window 323 provided in the top panel 320. Alternatively, the hook portion 322 of the top panel 320 can be released, the top panel 320 can be opened, and the inside of the dust box 300 can be wiped and cleaned.

  In this embodiment, the main body cabinet 1 has been described using a ceiling wall type air conditioner. For example, the dust box of the present invention may be applied to a normal wall-mounted air conditioner, and the configuration of the main body cabinet Can be appropriately selected according to the specifications.

  The present invention is applicable to dehumidifiers and air purifiers in addition to air conditioner filter cleaning, and is for trapping dust in a ventilation path formed between an air inlet and an air outlet. Any filter provided with a filter is applicable.

The exploded perspective view of the air harmony machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the said air conditioner typically. Sectional drawing which shows an example of the lift structure of an upper surface panel. The perspective view of a filter. The perspective view of the state which removed the front panel and the upper surface panel. The disassembled perspective view of a main frame and a dust box. The perspective view which expanded a part of main frame. Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the guide frame typically. The perspective view which shows the attachment aspect of a box mounter and a filter backing plate. The perspective view which shows the attachment aspect of a box mounter and a dust box. The exploded perspective view of a filter backing plate. (A) The exploded perspective view of a dust box. (B) The reference perspective view which shows the latching state of a brush and a lock | rock part. Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the dust box typically. (A) Explanatory drawing explaining the procedure of filter cleaning. (B) The schematic diagram which shows the motion of the brush at the time of filter cleaning. (A) Explanatory drawing explaining the procedure of filter cleaning. (B) The schematic diagram which shows the motion of the brush at the time of filter cleaning. (A) Explanatory drawing explaining the procedure of filter cleaning. (B), (c) The schematic diagram which shows the motion of the brush at the time of filter cleaning. (A) Explanatory drawing explaining the procedure of filter cleaning. (B)-(d) The schematic diagram which shows the motion of the brush at the time of filter cleaning.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Cross flow fan 3 Heat exchanger 4 Drain pan 5 Drive unit 6 Filter 61 Filter frame 62 Filter part 63 1st guide convex part 11 Base 12 Upper surface panel 13 Front panel 200 Main frame 210 Guide frame 211 Filter support groove 220 Drive Part 230 drive motor 240 drive belt 250 box mounter 260 second guide convex part 300 dust box 310 box body 320 top panel 330 cleaning brush 340 dust collection brush 350 lock part 400 filter backing plate

Claims (11)

A main body cabinet that includes an air suction port and an air outlet, and at least a blower fan is housed therein; a dust removal filter in the main body cabinet; and a cleaning unit that removes dust attached to the filter; In the air conditioner provided with moving means for relatively moving the filter and the cleaning unit,
The cleaning unit includes a cleaning brush for cleaning the filter, a dust box for storing dust, and a dust collecting means for collecting the dust captured by the cleaning brush in the dust box. Machine.   The cleaning brush, which is rotatably supported around a predetermined rotation axis in the dust box, is brought into contact with the filter when moving in one direction and separated from the filter when moving in the other direction, and is brought into a non-contact state. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a movement restricting unit.   The dust collecting means includes a dust collecting member that is provided on a rotation locus of the cleaning brush and contacts the cleaning brush when the cleaning brush is away from the filter in a non-contact state. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the dust collecting member is always biased by a spring in a direction toward the cleaning brush.   5. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the dust collection member includes an inclined brush that makes an acute contact with a return rotation direction of the cleaning brush.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the cleaning brush is kept in a non-contact state away from the filter by the dust collecting member when moving in the other direction.   The cleaning brush includes a locking surface in a part thereof, and the cleaning brush rotation restricting means includes a lock portion that keeps the cleaning brush in contact with the filter by contacting the locking surface when moving in one direction. A locking part unlocking means for removing the locking part from the locking surface at the terminal position when moving in the one direction, and a locking part for bringing the locking part into contact with the locking surface at the terminal position when moving in the other direction The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising locking means.   The lock portion is rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, the cleaning brush and the lock portion both have cams attached to the rotation shafts, and the lock portion unlocking means includes the cams. Via a first cam follower for rotating the cleaning brush and the lock portion in predetermined directions, respectively, and the lock portion is first rotated at the end position when moving in one direction, and is removed from the locking surface. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning brush is then rotated away from the filter.   The lock portion locking means includes a second cam follower for rotating the cleaning brush in a predetermined direction via a cam attached to a rotation shaft of the cleaning brush, and the second locking unit is configured to move the second brush at the end position when moving in the other direction. The air conditioner according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the cleaning brush is returned to a state in contact with the filter by a cam follower, and the lock portion abuts on the locking surface.   The main body cabinet includes a guide frame having a filter support means for supporting the filter and a moving passage of the cleaning portion, and one of the lock portion unlocking means and the lock portion locking means is provided on the filter side. 10. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the other is provided on a moving path side of the cleaning unit of the filter support unit. The first cam follower that constitutes the lock part unlocking means and the second cam follower that constitutes the lock part locking means both comprise a convex base that is formed one step higher so that each cam rides up. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein:

Images