INDOOR UNIT
In an indoor unit in which a front surface of a casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost, a filter cannot be easily taken out. An indoor unit of the present invention includes a casing, a front panel provided forward of the casing, and a filter arranged to be attachable to a mounting position to cover an opening formed on a front surface of the casing. On the front surface of the casing, a protruding wall surface is provided around a lower end portion of the opening to protrude forward, a front end of the protruding wall being curved so that a central part of the front end protrudes forward. The front panel is rotatable relative to the casing so that the lower end portion thereof moves forward, and the protruding wall surface is inclined forward in a downward direction.
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The present invention relates to an indoor unit used in, for example, an air conditioner.
BACKGROUND ARTA known indoor unit includes a casing and a front panel provided forward of the casing. This indoor unit includes a heat exchanger and a cross flow fan which are provided in the casing. The air sucked through an inlet port of a top plate portion of the casing is supplied to the cross flow fan, and then the air from the cross flow fan is blown out through an outlet port. In this indoor unit, a filter for removing dust included in the air sucked through the inlet port is provided at a position forward of the heat exchanger. This filter is attached or detached in a state that the front panel is open with respect to the casing as the lower end of the front panel has been moved forward.
CITATION LIST Patent Literatures [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-149620 SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical ProblemThe cross flow fan provided in the indoor unit is characterized in that the wind quantity is the largest at its central part in the longitudinal direction. In this regard, in a known indoor unit, because the width of the inlet port is constant in the longitudinal direction, the air sucked through the inlet port is not sufficiently supplied to the central part in the longitudinal direction of the cross flow fan. For example, if the top plate portion of the casing is enlarged in the known indoor unit, the inlet port is enlarged and hence the air amount supplied to the central part in the longitudinal direction of the cross flow fan is increased, but the casing is enlarged and hence the appearance of the indoor unit is significantly deteriorated.
Instead of enlarging the entire casing, the inventors of the present invention considered the possibility of the indoor unit in which a front surface of the casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost, and found that, in such an indoor unit, the deterioration of the appearance of the indoor unit is restrained while an inlet port of a top plate portion is enlarged. In this regard, an effect that air volume supplied to a central part in the longitudinal direction of a cross flow fan is increased as compared to known indoor units is achieved.
However, in the indoor unit in which the front surface of the casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost, on the front surface of the casing, a protruding wall surface protruding forward is formed at around the lower end portion of a filter provided inside the casing. This protruding wall surface has, in a manner similar to the top plate portion, a front end curved so that its central part protrudes forward, and hence the lower end portion of the filter is at a position away from the front end of the protruding wall surface toward the back surface side. On this account, when the filter is attached or detached in a state that the front panel is open with respect to the casing, the user cannot hold the lower end portion of the filter and therefore cannot easily detach the filter.
An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit in which a front surface of a casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost and a filter is easily detached.
Solution to ProblemAccording to the first aspect of the invention, an indoor unit including: a casing; a front panel provided at a position forward of the casing; and a filter arranged to be attachable to a mounting position to cover an opening formed on a front surface of the casing, wherein, on the front surface of the casing, a protruding wall surface is provided around a lower end portion the opening to protrude forward, a front end of the protruding wall being curved so that a central part of the front end protrudes forward, the front panel is rotatable relative to the casing so that a lower end portion of the front panel moves forward, and the protruding wall surface is inclined forward in a downward direction.
In this indoor unit, because the protruding wall surface provided at around the lower end portion of the opening of the casing is inclined forward in the downward direction, when the front panel is open with respect to the casing, the user is able to easily take out the filter by stretching his/her hand along the protruding wall surface inclined forward in the downward direction. It is therefore possible to easily take out the filter from in which the front surface of the casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of the first aspect further includes a heat exchanger provided in the casing, a front end portion and its surroundings of the filter being in parallel to a front surface of the heat exchanger in a state that the filter is attached to the mounting position.
In this indoor unit, the front end portion and its surroundings of the filter are in parallel to the front surface of the heat exchanger at the attaching position. The gap between the front panel and the filter is therefore not narrow as in the cases where the front end portion of the filter and its surroundings are not in parallel to the front surface of the heat exchanger at the attaching position, and hence the air is easily sucked through the opening.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of the first or second aspect is arranged such that, at the lower end portion of the opening of the casing, restriction means is provided to restrict forward movement of the front end portion of the filter attached to the mounting position.
While in this indoor unit it is necessary to cancel the movement restriction of the front end portion of the filter when the filter is taken out, the user is able to easily cancel the movement restriction of the front end portion of the filter.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of any one of the first to third aspects is arranged such that, at the front end portion of the filter, a handle portion is provided for taking out the filter.
In this indoor unit, because the handle portion is provided at the front end portion of the filter for taking out the filter, the user is able to easily take out the filter by gripping the front end portion of the filter.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the indoor unit of any one of the first to fourth aspects is arranged such that, in a state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface.
In this indoor unit, because the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface in the state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the user is able to easily take out the filter by gripping the front end portion of the filter in the state that the front panel is open with respect to the casing.
Advantageous Effects of InventionAs described hereinabove, the present invention brings about the following effects.
According to the first aspect of the invention, because the protruding wall surface provided at around the lower end portion of the opening of the casing is inclined forward in the downward direction, when the front panel is open with respect to the casing, the user is able to easily take out the filter by stretching his/her hand along the protruding wall surface inclined forward in the downward direction. It is therefore possible to easily take out the filter from the indoor unit in which the front surface of the casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the gap between the front panel and the filter is therefore not narrow as in the cases where the front end portion of the filter and its surroundings are not in parallel to the front surface of the heat exchanger at the attaching position, and hence the air is easily sucked through the opening.
According to the third aspect of the invention, while it is necessary to cancel the movement restriction of the front end portion of the filter when the filter is taken out, the user is able to easily cancel the movement restriction of the front end portion of the filter.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, because the handle portion is provided at the front end portion of the filter for taking out the filter, the user is able to easily take out the filter by gripping the front end portion of the filter.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, because the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface in the state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the user is able to easily take out the filter by gripping the front end portion of the filter in the state that the front panel is open with respect to the casing.
The following will describe an indoor unit of an air conditioner of an embodiment of the present invention.
[Overall Structure of Air Conditioner]The air conditioner of the embodiment of the present invention is formed of an indoor unit 1 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The bottom frame 42 is made of a resin material and is shaped to cover the bottom, back, and the sides of the fan 21. This bottom frame 42 includes: an unillustrated main casing which fixes the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the fan 21 and constitutes a back surface 1b of the indoor unit 1; and decorative plates 47 (see
The front grill 6 is attached to the bottom frame 42 from the front side, and covers the front, sides, top, and bottom of the main body 4. The front grill 6 is formed by molding a resin material, is thin and rectangular parallelepiped in shape, and is entirely open at the back. As shown in
As shown in
The substantially entirety of the top plate portion 30 functions as a first inlet port 23 (inlet port) for sucking air inside the room. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the indoor unit 1, the filters 36 are provided, one of which covers the left opening 34 and the other which covers the right opening 34. Each of the filters 36 is arranged to be attachable to the mounting position to cover the corresponding opening 34, and filter mounting portions 34a are provided at the lower end portion of the opening 34. Each filter mounting portion 34a has a fitting groove in which the front end portion of the filter 36 is fitted. When each filter 36 is attached to the mounting position to cover the corresponding opening 34, the front end portion of the filter 36 is fitted in the fitting grooves. On this account, the forward movement of the front end portion of the filter 36 attached to the mounting position is restricted, and hence the detachment of the filter 36 from the front surface 31 (i.e., the front surface of the casing) is prevented. At the front end portion of each filter 36, a handle portion 36a is provided for detaching the filter 36. With this arrangement, when detaching the filter 36, the user holds the handle portion 36a of the filter 36 and detaches the filter 36 so that the front end portion of the filter 36 is disengaged from the fitting grooves.
As shown in
In the indoor unit 1, the front panel 7 is arranged to be rotatable with respect to the front grill 6 (the casing 5). During operation stop, as shown in
As understood from figures such as
As shown in
Below the front surface 31 and in front of the bottom surface 32, an opening is formed to form the outlet port 27 together with the bottom frame 42. The front surface of this outlet port 27 is closed by the outlet panel 8 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1. The bottom surface of this outlet port 27 is, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the meanwhile, as shown in
As shown in
The front panel 7 is formed by molding a resin material, and covers an upper part of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6. The front panel 7 is supported at around the left and right ends by a later-described opening mechanism 61 to be movable in the front-back direction. The second inlet port 26 is opened as the front panel 7 moves away from the front surface 31 of the front grill 6, and the second inlet port 26 is closed as the front panel 7 moves toward the front surface 31 of the front grill 6.
The outlet panel 8 is formed by molding a resin material and covers a lower part of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6. The outlet panel 8 is supported at around the left and right ends by the later-described opening mechanism 61 to be movable in the up-down direction. The outlet port 27 is opened as the outlet panel 8 moves to the gap between the front panel 7 and the front grill 6 (i.e., moves upward) in a state that the front panel 7 has moved forward, and the outlet port 27 is closed as the outlet panel 8 moves downward.
(Panel Shape)Each of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 is a three-dimensional panel having a three-dimensional shape. In other words, each of these panels is curved in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) and in the up-down direction. The thickness of the front panel 7 and the thickness of the outlet panel 8 are substantially constant in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction, and are substantially identical with each other. From the substantially entire outer circumferences of the back surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, reinforcing ribs 7a and 8a protrude backward (see
As shown in
As shown in
In this front panel 7, a part opposing the front end 30F of the top plate portion 30 of the front grill 6 is curved along the front end 30F. Furthermore, in the front panel 7, parts opposing the vicinity surfaces 33 of the front grill 6 are curved along the vicinity surfaces 33 in the longitudinal direction and in the up-down direction. On this account, gaps are scarcely formed between the front panel 7 and the front end 30F and the vicinity surfaces 33 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
As shown in
As shown in
In this outlet panel 8, parts opposing the vicinity surfaces 33 of the front grill 6 and a part opposing the outlet port peripheral portion 35 of the front grill 6 are curved along the vicinity surfaces 33 and the outlet port peripheral portion 35 in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction. On this account, gaps are scarcely formed between the outlet panel 8 and the vicinity surfaces 33 and the outlet port peripheral portion 35 during operation stop of the indoor unit 1.
(Extension Parts)As shown in
As shown in
Now, referring to
The recitation “the extension parts 71 extend toward the back surface 1b side from the ends 31L and 31R of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6” indicates that, as shown in
During operation stop of the indoor unit 1, the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 below the front panel 7 are provided forward of the front grill 6 (casing 5). From the substantially entire outer circumferences of the back surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, reinforcing ribs 7a and 8a shown in
The drive mechanism. 9 is a mechanism for moving the front panel 7 away from the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 in a substantially horizontal direction and moving the outlet panel 8 to the gap between the front panel 7 and the front grill 6 in a state that the front panel 7 has moved forward in the substantially horizontal direction. As shown in
As shown in
The opening mechanism 61 is a mechanism for opening and closing the second inlet port 26 and the outlet port 27 by moving the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 by means of the driving force of the driver 41. The opening mechanism 61 is formed of components including gears, and functions as a speed reducer for transmitting the driving force of the driver 41 to the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8. The opening mechanism 61 functions as a conversion mechanism of converting the rotational movement transmitted from the driver 41 to the opening/closing movement of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8. As shown in
The first opening mechanism 62 is attached to the back surfaces of the left side surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, to support the left ends and their surroundings of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8. The first opening mechanism 62 transfers the driving force of the driver 41 to the left end and its surroundings of the front panel 7 and to the left end and its surroundings of the outlet panel 8, so as to move the left parts of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, when the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 are opened or closed.
The second opening mechanism 63 is attached to the back surfaces of the right side surfaces of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, to support the right ends and their surroundings of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8. The second opening mechanism 63 transfers the driving force of the driver 41 to the right end and its surroundings of the front panel 7 and to the right end and its surroundings of the outlet panel 8, so as to move the right parts of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8, when the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 are opened or closed.
The unillustrated power transmission shaft is a member which distributes and transfers the driving power of the driver 41 to the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63, and is attached to the back surface of the front surface 31 of the front grill 6 to be rotatable about an axis which is in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 1. The ends of the power transmission shaft are connected with the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63, respectively, and unillustrated power transmission gears are provided therebetween. The power transmission gear is disposed to be engaged with the driver gears of the driver 41. As such, the opening mechanism 61 is configured to distribute, by the power transmission shaft, the driving force from the driver 41 to the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63.
The following will briefly describe the arrangement of the first opening mechanism 62. The description of the second opening mechanism 63 is omitted because it is symmetrical in structure with the first opening mechanism 62 in the left-right direction. The first opening mechanism 62 includes, as shown in
The front panel opening gear 64 transmits, to the front panel supporting member 66, the driving force supplied from the driver 41 via the power transmission shaft. This front panel supporting member 66 is provided to be movable in the front-back direction (substantially horizontal direction), and is able to substantially horizontally move the front panel 7 in the front-back direction.
The transmission gear 68 transmits, to the outlet panel opening gear 65, the driving force supplied from the driver 41 via the power transmission shaft, and the outlet panel opening gear 65 transmits the driving force to the outlet panel supporting member 67. This outlet panel supporting member 67 is provided to be movable in the up-down direction, and is able to linearly move the outlet panel 8 in the up-down direction. The transmission gear 68 has a part where no tooth is formed. With this, until the driver 41 is driven and the forward movement of the front panel supporting member 66 is completed, the rotation of the transmission gear 68 is not transmitted to the outlet panel opening gear 65. After the completion of the forward movement of the front panel supporting member 66, the transmission gear 68 is engaged with the outlet panel opening gear 65, and hence the upward movement of the outlet panel supporting member 67 becomes possible.
[Movement of Front Panel and Outlet Panel at Driving Start]Now, the movement of the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 at the start of the driving will be described with reference to
As shown in
As the indoor unit 1 starts the operation, the drive motor 43 of the driver 41 is controlled and starts the rotation. The driving force of the driver 41 is transmitted to the unillustrated power transmission shaft of the opening mechanism 61, and the driving force is distributed to the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63 of the opening mechanism 61. Thereafter, by the first opening mechanism 62 and the second opening mechanism 63, the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 are moved, with the result that the second inlet port 26 and the outlet port 27 are opened.
To be more specific, by the opening mechanism 61, the driving force of the driver 41 is transmitted to the front panel supporting member 66 via the front panel opening gears 64. As a result, the front panel supporting member 66 linearly moves forward in the substantially horizontal direction. With this, as shown in
As shown in
As the fan 21 is driven, the room air is sucked into the indoor unit 1 through the first inlet port 23 and the second inlet port 26 and is subjected to heat exchange at the indoor heat exchanger 20, and the air after the heat exchange is blown out from the outlet port 27.
During operation stop of the indoor unit 1, the drive motor 43 of the driver 41 is controlled to drive backward, and the outlet panel supporting member 67 and the front panel supporting member 66 move in this order in the direction opposite to the above. As a result, the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 move inversely as compared to the above, and the front panel 7 and the outlet panel 8 return to the state at the stop of the indoor unit 1.
<Characteristics of Indoor Unit of Present Embodiment>In the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, because the protruding wall surface 37 provided at around the lower end portion of the opening 34 of the casing 5 is inclined forward in the downward direction, when the front panel 7 is open with respect to the casing 5, the user is able to easily take out the filters 36 by stretching his/her hand along the protruding wall surface 37 inclined forward in the downward direction. It is therefore easy to take out the filters 36 in the indoor unit 1 in which the front surface 31 of the casing 5 is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost.
In addition to the above, in the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment, the front end portion and its surroundings of each filter 36 are in parallel to the front surface of the indoor heat exchanger 20, at its attaching position. The gap between the front panel 7 and the filter 36 is therefore not narrow as in the cases where the front end portion of the filter and its surroundings are not in parallel to the front surface of the heat exchanger at the attaching position, and hence the air is easily sucked through the openings.
In addition to the above, while in the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment it is necessary to cancel the movement restriction of the front end portion of each filter 36 when the filter 36 is taken out, the user is able to easily cancel the movement restriction of the front end portion of the filter 36.
In addition to the above, because in the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment the handle portion 36a is provided at the front end portion of each filter 36 for taking out the filter, the user is able to easily take out the filter 36 by gripping the front end portion of the filter 36.
In addition to the above, because in the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment the lower end portion of the front panel 5 is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface 37 in the state that the front panel 7 is closed with respect to the casing 5, the user is able to easily take out each filter 36 by gripping the front end portion of the filter 36 in the state that the front panel 7 is open with respect to the casing 5.
Thus, the embodiment of the present invention is described hereinabove. However, the specific structure of the present invention shall not be interpreted as to be limited to the above described embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above embodiment but by claims set forth below, and shall encompass the equivalents in the meaning of the claims and every modification within the scope of the claims.
While the embodiment above describes a case where the front end portion and its surroundings of each filter 36 are in parallel to the front surface of the indoor heat exchanger 20 in the state that the filter 38 is attached to the mounting position, the front end portion and its surroundings of each filter 36 may not be in parallel to the front surface of the indoor heat exchanger 20.
While in the embodiment above the filter mounting portions 34a (restriction means) are provided at the lower end portion of each opening 34 of the casing 5 to restrict the forward movement of the front end portion of the corresponding filter 36 attached to the mounting position, the restriction means for restricting the forward movement of the front end portion of the filter 36 attached to the mounting position may be differently structured.
While in the embodiment above the filter mounting portion 36a for taking out the filter is provided at the front end portion of each filter 36, such a handle portion 36a for taking out the filter may not be provided at the front end portion of the filter 36.
While in the embodiment above the lower end portion of the front panel 7 is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface 37 in the state that the front panel 7 is closed with respect to the casing 5, the lower end portion of the front panel 7 may be different in height from the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface 37.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYThe present invention makes it possible to easily take out a filter from an indoor unit in which a front surface of a casing is curved to bulge so that its central part is at the foremost.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
- 1 INDOOR UNIT
- 5 CASING
- 6 FRONT GRILL
- 7 FRONT PANEL
- 20 INDOOR HEAT EXCHANGER (HEAT EXCHANGER)
- 21 CROSS FLOW FAN
- 23 FIRST INLET PORT (INLET PORT)
- 30 TOP PLATE PORTION
- 34 OPENING
- 34a FILTER MOUNTING PORTION (RESTRICTION MEANS)
- 36 FILTER
- 36a HANDLE PORTION
- 37 PROTRUDING WALL SURFACE
Claims
1.-5. (canceled)
6. An indoor unit comprising:
- a casing;
- a front panel provided at a position forward of the casing; and
- a filter arranged to be attachable to a mounting position to cover an opening formed on a front surface of the casing,
- wherein, on the front surface of the casing, a protruding wall surface is provided around a lower end portion of the opening to protrude forward, a front end of the protruding wall being curved so that a central part of the front end protrudes forward,
- the front panel is rotatable relative to the casing so that a lower end portion of the front panel moves forward,
- the protruding wall surface is inclined forward in a downward direction, and
- when the filter is attached to the mounting portion, a lower end portion of the filter being on the back surface side of the front end of the protruding wall.
7. The indoor unit according to claim 6, further comprising a heat exchanger provided in the casing,
- a front end portion and its surroundings of the filter being in parallel to a front surface of the heat exchanger in a state that the filter is attached to the mounting position.
8. The indoor unit according to claim 6, wherein, at the lower end portion of the opening of the casing, restriction means is provided to restrict forward movement of the front end portion of the filter attached to the mounting position.
9. The indoor unit according to claim 7, wherein, at the lower end portion of the opening of the casing, restriction means is provided to restrict forward movement of the front end portion of the filter attached to the mounting position.
10. The indoor unit according to claim 6, wherein, at the front end portion of the filter, a handle portion is provided for taking out the filter.
11. The indoor unit according to claim 7, wherein, at the front end portion of the filter, a handle portion is provided for taking out the filter.
12. The indoor unit according to claim 8, wherein, at the front end portion of the filter, a handle portion is provided for taking out the filter.
13. The indoor unit according to claim 9, wherein, at the front end portion of the filter, a handle portion is provided for taking out the filter.
14. The indoor unit according to claim 6, wherein, in a state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface.
15. The indoor unit according to claim 7, wherein, in a state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface.
16. The indoor unit according to claim 8, wherein, in a state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface.
17. The indoor unit according to claim 9, wherein, in a state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface.
18. The indoor unit according to claim 10, wherein, in a state that the front panel is closed with respect to the casing, the lower end portion of the front panel is identical in height with the central part of the front end of the protruding wall surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 26, 2014
Publication Date: Dec 15, 2016
Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD. (Osaka-Shi, Osaka)
Inventors: Naoko OKAMOTO (Kusatsu-shi, Shiga), Junichi NAKANISHI (Kusatsu-shi, Shiga), Toshiaki YAMADA (Kusatsu-shi, Shiga), Katsuhiro WAKIHARA (Kusatsu-shi, Shiga), Tetsuji INOUE (Kusatsu-shi, Shiga)
Application Number: 15/039,542