JP5193317B2 - Drainage pump for air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drainage pump for an air conditioner for draining drain water (condensation water) accumulated in a drain pan of an air conditioner.

  Conventionally, in an air conditioner, in order to control the driving and stopping of a drain pump that drains drain water (condensation water) accumulated in a drain pan, it is necessary to detect the amount of water accumulated in the drain pan. For this reason, what provided the float switch which detects the water level (drain water level) of the drain water (condensation water) in a drain pan is Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2001-12793 (patent document 1), Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2004-85001 (patent) Document 2). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-7906 (Patent Document 3) discloses a drain water level sensor that detects the drain water level in order to operate the sterilizer.

JP 2001-12793 A JP 2004-85001 A JP 2010-7906 A

  The thing of patent document 1 has installed the drain pump (drainage pump) and the float switch in the drain container as separate parts, respectively. In Patent Document 2, a drain pump and a float switch are provided side by side, and are integrated by a support mechanism attached to both. Moreover, the thing of patent document 3 fixes a drain water level sensor to the attachment member of a drain pump.

  Thus, in the prior art, since the float switch or the drain water level sensor is provided outside the drain pump, an extra installation space is required in the air conditioner.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a drain pump for an air conditioner that can reduce the occupied space in the air conditioner while making it possible to detect the drain water level.

  The drainage pump for an air conditioner according to claim 1 is the drainage pump for an air conditioner in which the impeller of the pump unit is rotated by the motor unit, and the pump unit sucks and discharges water. The pump unit includes the motor A pump chamber case that houses the impeller coupled to the drive shaft of the unit, and a support unit that is disposed on the motor unit side of the pump chamber case and supports the motor unit at a position away from the drive shaft. A cylindrical case is disposed around the drive shaft inside the support portion so as to be movable in the axial direction of the drive shaft, and on the pump portion side of the motor portion A sensor that operates when the float approaches is provided.

The drainage pump for an air conditioner according to claim 2 is the drainage pump for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the support portion of the lid case has a cylindrical shape and has a plurality of outer circumferences parallel to the axis. Consisting of a vertical wall formed with ridges and an outer wall outside the vertical wall, the float is formed with a groove through which a central through hole and an outer periphery are connected, and the vertical wall and the outer wall Each of the slits is formed , and the motor unit is supported by end surfaces of the vertical wall and the outer wall on the motor unit side, and from the groove of the float, the inner side of the vertical wall, the slit of the vertical wall, and between the vertical wall and the outer wall The passage leading to the outside through the gap and the slit of the outer wall includes the protruding line to form a labyrinth structure.

The air conditioner drain pump according to claim 3 is the air conditioner drain pump according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ridges are formed on the outer periphery of the float in parallel with the axis, The support portion is a cylindrical outer wall, and a groove is formed in the float so as to communicate with a central through hole and an outer periphery, and a slit is formed in the outer wall. The labyrinth structure is configured by supporting the motor portion at the end face and including a path between the float groove and the gap between the float and the outer wall through the slit of the outer wall and leading to the outside . The drainage pump for an air conditioner according to claim 1.

  The air conditioner drain pump according to claim 4 is the air conditioner drain pump according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the motor unit is formed by integrally molding a stator unit in a resin mold unit. A DC brushless motor having a stator circuit portion, a magnet is provided on the motor portion side of the float, the sensor is a magnetic detector that is operated by the magnet, and the magnetic detector is a resin mold of the motor portion. It is characterized in that it is integrally molded with the resin mold part in the part close to the end face on the pump part side.

  According to the air conditioner drainage pump of claim 1, the motor part is supported by the support part of the lid case on the pump part side, and a float is disposed around the drive shaft of the motor part inside the support part, Since the floating of the float is detected by the sensor of the motor unit, a means for detecting the drain water level is built in the drainage pump, and the occupied space in the air conditioner can be reduced.

  According to the air conditioner drainage pump of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the labyrinth structure of the support portion that supports the motor portion can prevent the pumping sound of the pump from leaking to the outside.

  According to the drainage pump for an air conditioner of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the outer wall that supports the motor portion is used as a support portion, and the water drainage of the pump is performed by a labyrinth structure composed of the support portion and the float. The sound can be prevented from leaking to the outside, and the structure can be simplified because the float also serves as a labyrinth structure.

  According to the air conditioner drainage pump of claim 4, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 1 to 3, a sensor is embedded in a resin mold part integrally molded with the stator unit, and the sensor is mounted. Since it arrange | positions close to the end surface by the side of a pump part, the sensitivity which senses the approach of the float by a sensor increases with the improvement effect of water resistance and corrosion resistance by a resin mold part.

It is a partially broken side view of the air conditioner drain pump of the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the float and lid case in the drainage pump for air conditioners of an embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of the float of the drainage pump for air conditioners of embodiment.

  Next, an embodiment of a drainage pump for an air conditioner of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partially broken side view of an air conditioner drain pump according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a float and a lid case in the air conditioner drain pump. 1 corresponds to the AA cross section of FIG. In the following description, the air conditioner drain pump is also simply referred to as “drain pump”. The drainage pump includes a motor unit 10, a pump unit 20, and a fixed unit (bracket) 30.

  The motor unit 10 includes bearing assemblies 1 and 2, a stator circuit unit 3, and a rotor 4. A through hole 3a is formed in the center of the motor unit 10, bearing assemblies 1 and 2 are disposed in the opening of the through hole 3a, and the rotor 4 is disposed in the through hole 3a. The shaft 41 is axially supported by the bearing assemblies 1 and 2. The stator circuit portion 3 is configured by embedding a stator unit 32, a circuit board 33, a magnetic switch 34 as a “sensor”, and the like in a resin mold portion 31 by integral molding. The magnetic switch 34 is mounted on the circuit board 33.

  The resin mold part 31 is made of BMC (Bulk molding compound) resin. This BMC resin is a molding material in which unsaturated polyester is mixed with glass fiber filler and calcium carbonate (filler) to form a bulk. Then, after the stator unit 32 and the circuit board 33 are set in a mold, the BMC resin is filled in the mold and subjected to pressurization and heat treatment to be integrally formed. The stator unit 31 and the rotor 4 constitute a three-phase DC brushless motor.

  The pump section 20 includes a resin-made thin cylindrical pump chamber case 5 and a resin-made cylindrical lid case 6. The pump chamber case 5 is formed with a suction port 51 disposed in a drain pan (not shown) of the air conditioner and a discharge port 52 to which a discharge pipe (not shown) is connected. In addition, a fitting portion (not shown) is formed at two locations on the outer periphery of the pump chamber case 5, and the pump chamber case 5 and the lid case 6 are attached and fixed by snap-fitting this fitting portion to the lower end portion of the lid case 6. Has been.

  An impeller 7 is disposed in the pump chamber case 5. The impeller 7 has a shaft fitting portion 71 and has four plate-like small blades 72 extending along the direction of the central axis L below the shaft fitting portion 71. Is disposed in the suction port 51. The shaft fitting portion 71 is fixed to the drive shaft 41 of the motor unit 10. Further, a donut-shaped hollow conical plate 73 formed in a substantially inverted conical shape is provided between the shaft fitting portion 71 and the small blades 72, and the impeller 7 is rotated by the motor portion 10, and the suction port When the small blades 72 are rotated in 51, the water of the drain pan rises into the suction port 51, and the water moves to the hollow conical plate 73 side by centrifugal force. Then, the water in the pump chamber case 5 is rotated by the hollow conical plate 73 and the large blades 74 provided on the hollow conical plate 73, and the water is discharged from the discharge port 52 by the centrifugal force.

  At the center of the lid case 6, a draining portion 61 is formed around the drive shaft 41 and the central axis L of the pump portion 20, and the driving shaft 41 passes through the draining portion 61. A cylindrical vertical wall 62 extending toward the motor unit 10 is formed outside the draining unit 61. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical wall 62 has slits 62a formed at positions spaced apart from each other by 180 °, and a plurality of vertical ridges 62b formed on the outer periphery. Furthermore, a cylindrical outer wall 63 extending toward the motor unit 10 is formed on the outer periphery of the vertical wall 62. Mounting bosses 63 a are formed at two locations on the outer periphery of the outer wall 63. In addition, slits 63b are formed in the outer wall 63 at positions separated from the slits 62a of the vertical wall 62 by 90 ° and at positions separated from each other by 180 °.

  The end surfaces of the vertical wall 62 and the outer wall 63 on the motor unit 10 side are located within the plane of the stator circuit unit 3, and the entire circumference of the end surface of the vertical wall 62 is in contact with the resin mold unit 31 of the stator circuit unit 3. The vertical wall 62 supports the motor unit 10. The vertical wall 62 and the outer wall 63 constitute a “support portion”. Then, the fixing portion 30 is fitted to the motor portion 10, the mounting boss portion 30 a of the fixing portion 30 and the mounting boss portion 63 a of the lid case 6 are abutted, and the fixing portion 30 is attached to the lid case 6 by the tapping screw N. Screwed.

  Inside the vertical wall 62, a resin-made cylindrical float 8 is disposed. The float 8 has a through hole 8a in the center, and a draining portion 61 is loosely fitted into the through hole 8a and the drive shaft 41 of the motor unit 10 is passed through. Further, a groove 8b is formed at the bottom of the float 8 so as to be electrically connected to the through hole 8a. Further, a sheet-like magnet 81 is attached to the entire surface of the float 8 on the motor 10 side. As shown in FIG. 1, the height of the float 8 in the axis L direction is lower than the height of the vertical wall 62 by D, and the float 8 is disposed so as to be movable within the vertical wall 62 by a distance D in the axis L direction. Has been.

  With the above configuration, the drain water (condensation water) collected during the operation of the air conditioner is drained by the drain pump. However, if dust is caught in the drain pump, the drain water level rises and the lid case When water penetrates into the interior of 6, the float 8 floats and the float 8 moves to the motor unit 10 side. When the magnetic switch 34 moves to a predetermined position, the magnetic switch 34 of the motor unit 10 reacts to the magnetic field of the magnet 81 above the float 8, and the magnetic switch 34 is turned on and output to the outside as an abnormal signal. The cause of the abnormality may be that the drainage amount of the drainage pump decreases due to the biting of dust in the drain pan, and the speed at which drain water (condensation water) accumulates is higher. The signal of the magnetic switch 34 is taken out from a connector provided with a Vcc line and a GND line for supplying a current for driving the motor.

  As another example of usage, when a float is used instead of a drain pump power switch, if a rise in the water level is detected, the drain pump is turned on without being judged abnormal, and the drain pump motor Driven and drained. Here, in order to prevent chattering (repetition of ON / OFF) in the vicinity of the ON / OFF threshold value for water level detection, it is preferable to provide an appropriate hysteresis for the ON / OFF threshold value.

  By the way, when the water level drops and the drain pump motor is stopped, when the Vcc power supply to the drain pump is stopped, or when the Vcc power supply to the drain pump is stopped unintentionally, the driving force of the pump Therefore, a certain amount of water remaining inside the discharge pipe returns from the discharge port 52 into the pump chamber case 5. The return water also overflows from the draining portion 61 into the lid case 6. At this time, the float 8 may be pushed up by the return water, which may cause a problem that the magnetic switch is turned on.

  However, it is possible to appropriately prevent the water level rise caused by the return water from being detected. For example, (1) When the drain pump power source Vcc and the magnetic switch power source are shared, and the drain pump power source Vcc is OFF, the power of the magnetic switch is also OFF, so that no output from the switch is output. (2) If the drainage pump power supply Vcc and the magnetic switch power supply are separate, a slow response circuit (integration circuit) is installed in the control circuit assuming the time until the return water is discharged from around the float. Provide. In these examples, it can be adjusted by the configuration and program of the drain pump control circuit. A groove 8 b is formed in the float 8, and the return water in the through hole 8 a of the float 8 is discharged to the outside of the float 8, the vertical wall 62, and the outer wall 63.

  Concerning the circuit configuration, in the example of (1) above, the drainage pump power supply Vcc and the magnetic switch power supply are shared. In this way, when the drain pump power source Vcc and the magnetic switch power source are separated into two power sources, the rise of the float can be detected even when the drain pump is not moving, The control of moving the pump becomes possible. This brings about an energy saving effect.

  The vertical wall 62 and the outer wall 63 form a gap between them. In addition, the two slits 62 a of the vertical wall 62 and the two slits 63 b of the outer wall 63 are formed at positions spaced 90 ° from each other around the axis L. And the channel | path which leads outside from the groove | channel 8b of the float 8 inside the vertical wall 62, the slit 62a, the space | gap between the vertical wall 62 and the outer wall 63, and the slit 63b has a labyrinth structure. Therefore, it is possible to reduce leakage of scuffing sound mainly generated in the suction port 51 from the slit 63b. Further, since the vertical wall 62 is formed with a plurality of convex ridges 62b on the gap side between the vertical wall 62 and the outer wall 63, sound irregular reflection and absorption are performed by the convex ridges 62b. Can be prevented from leaking outside.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the float. The float 9 has a through hole 9a like the float 8, and the draining part 61 is loosely fitted into the through hole 9a and the drive shaft 41 of the motor part 10 is passed. Further, a groove 9b is formed to connect the through hole 9a of the float 9 and the outer periphery, and a sheet-like magnet 91 is attached to the entire periphery of the surface on the motor 10 side. The float 9 also has a height in the axis L direction that is lower than the height of the vertical wall 62 by D, and is arranged so as to be movable by a distance D in the direction of the axis L within the outer wall 63 without the vertical wall 62 . The action of the groove 9b and the magnet 91 is the same as that of the float 8.

  The float 9 is disposed in the lid case 6 having a structure in which the vertical wall 62 is eliminated, and the lid case 6 has the same structure as that described above except that the vertical wall 62 is not provided. In this case, the outer wall 63 forms a “support portion”. A plurality of vertical ridges 92 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the float 9. And the channel | path which goes outside from the groove | channel 9b of the float 9 through the space | gap between the float 9 and the outer wall 63 and the slit 63b becomes a labyrinth structure. The float 9 is formed with a plurality of ridges 62b. Therefore, similarly to the above, it is possible to reduce leakage of scuffing sound mainly generated in the suction port 51 from the slit 63b.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet-like magnets 81 and 91 are attached to the entire circumference of the floats 8 and 9. However, even if the floats 8 and 9 rotate, the magnetic switch This is to cause the magnet 34 to react to the magnetic fields of the magnets 81 and 91. However, the magnets 81 and 91 may be provided at one position facing the magnetic switch 34 on the motor unit 10 side of the floats 8 and 9. In this case, a structure that prevents the floats 8 and 9 from rotating is adopted. As a structure for preventing this rotation, for example, the draining portion 61 has a D-cut structure in which a straight section is provided in one place as a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis L, and the through holes 8a and 9a of the floats 8 and 9 are provided. Can have a similar D-cut structure.

  The magnetic switch 34 may be a mechanical switch such as a reed switch, or a magnetic sensor such as a Hall element or a magnetoresistive element.

  In the above embodiment, the motor unit 10 is configured by embedding the stator unit 32, the circuit board 33, and the magnetic switch 34 in the resin mold unit 31, and is excellent in water resistance and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, since the magnetic switch 34 can be provided close to the end surface of the resin mold part 31 on the pump part 20 side, the sensitivity of the magnetic switch 34 can be increased.

  The motor unit may be a type in which a stator unit, a circuit board, a magnetic switch (sensor), a rotor, and the like are accommodated in a motor case.

  In the embodiment, the outer wall (and the vertical wall) is formed on the entire circumference of the lid case of the pump unit, and the motor unit is supported by the outer wall or the vertical wall. Another structure may be used. For example, a structure may be adopted in which a part of the wall is extended to the motor part side at two positions facing the lid case across the axis L, and the motor part is supported by these two positions. Although it is not a labyrinth structure, the lid case structure can be simplified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Bearing assembly 3 Stator circuit part 31 Resin mold part 32 Stator unit 33 Circuit board 34 Magnetic switch (sensor)
4 Rotor 41 Drive shaft 5 Pump chamber case 6 Cover case 61 Drain section 62 Vertical wall (support section)
62a Slit 63 Outer wall (support part)
63b Slit 7 Impeller 71 Shaft fitting part 8, 9 Float 81, 91 Magnet 10 Motor part 20 Pump part 30 Fixed part (bracket)
L axis

Claims (4)

In the air conditioner drainage pump that rotates the impeller of the pump unit by the motor unit and sucks and discharges water in the pump unit.
The pump unit includes a pump chamber case that houses the impeller coupled to a drive shaft of the motor unit, and the motor is disposed on the motor unit side of the pump chamber case and at a position away from the drive shaft. A lid case formed with a support part for supporting the part,
A cylindrical float is disposed around the drive shaft inside the support portion so as to be movable in the axial direction of the drive shaft, and is activated by the approach of the float to the pump portion side of the motor portion. An air conditioner drainage pump characterized by having an air conditioner. The support part of the lid case is formed of a cylindrical wall having a plurality of ridges formed on the outer periphery thereof in parallel with the axis, and an outer wall outside the vertical wall . with grooves to conduct through-hole and the outer periphery is formed, the longitudinal wall and the each of the outer wall slits are formed, while supporting the motor unit at the end face of the vertical wall and the outer wall wherein the motor unit side, the The labyrinth structure is configured by including the protruding line from the groove of the float to the inside of the vertical wall, the slit of the vertical wall, the gap between the vertical wall and the outer wall, and the passage leading to the outside through the slit of the outer wall . The drainage pump for an air conditioner according to claim 1. A plurality of ridges are formed on the outer periphery of the float in parallel with the axis, the support portion of the lid case is a cylindrical outer wall, and the float has a groove through which a central through hole is connected to the outer periphery. In addition, a slit is formed in the outer wall, and the motor portion is supported by an end surface of the outer wall on the motor portion side, and a gap between the float and the outer wall and a slit in the outer wall are formed from the groove of the float. The drainage pump for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a labyrinth structure is constituted by a passage that passes through to the outside including the ridge .   The motor unit is a DC brushless motor having a stator circuit unit in which a stator unit is integrally formed in a resin mold unit, a magnet is provided on the motor unit side of the float, and the sensor is operated by the magnet. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic detector is integrally formed with the resin mold portion in the resin mold portion of the motor portion so as to approach the end surface on the pump portion side. The drainage pump for an air conditioner according to one item.

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