Patent Grant
11371747
This application is a U.S. national stage application of PCT/JP2017/036420 filed on Oct. 6, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus and an air-conditioning apparatus including an opening in a casing and a cover closing the opening.
A conventional opening in a casing includes two hooks, and a conventional cover for closing the opening includes two hook holes to engage with the respective two hooks (e.g., see Patent Literature 1).
In the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the presence of two hooks and two hook holes necessitates that the two hook holes be engaged with the respective two hooks at the same time. This makes attaching the cover a troublesome work.
In particular, the cover, which is provided with the two hook holes, hides the two hooks on the casing from a user's view when he/she is engaging the two hook holes with the two hooks simultaneously. Thus, the user can hardly see the hook part; as such, it is difficult to ensure the user's visibility.
An indoor unit and an air-conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure have been made in view of the above problem and aim to provide an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus and an air-conditioning apparatus allowing the user to easily attach the cover under good visibility conditions.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, the indoor unit including: an opening in a casing; a cover including a cover body configured to close the opening; a heat medium heat exchanger inside the casing, the heat medium heat exchanger being configured to exchange heat between a heat medium and indoor air; and an air processing unit located at a top of a heat medium flow path configured to allow the heat medium to flow through the heat medium heat exchanger, the air processing unit including an air reservoir and an air purge valve configured to discharge air in the air reservoir, wherein the air purge valve is positioned on a rear side in a projection direction of the opening inside the casing, the cover includes, on one side thereof, a single hook protruding from the cover body, and the cover includes, on an other side thereof opposite to the one side, a temporarily fixing tab configured to temporarily fix the cover to the casing with the cover body closing the opening.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an air-conditioning apparatus including the above indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus.
The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus and the air-conditioning apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes, on one side of the cover, the single hook protruding from the cover body of the cover. The cover includes, on its side opposite to the one side, the temporarily fixing tab configured to temporarily fix the cover to the casing with the cover body closing the opening. With this configuration, a user can finish the hooking work just by engaging the single hook provided on the one side of the cover onto the inner periphery of the opening of the casing. This allows for easy attachment of the cover. The cover includes only one hook on its one side, providing visibility so that the user can easily see the hooking part. This allows the user to easily attach the cover under good visibility conditions.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like or corresponding parts. This holds true throughout the specification. The forms of elements given in the specification are by way of example only and not of limitation.
<Configuration of the Air-Conditioning Apparatus>
The outdoor unit 101 and the relay unit 102 constitute a refrigerant circuit 104. The refrigerant circuit 104 includes a compressor 1, a four-way valve 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 3, an expansion valve 4, and a heat-transferring heat exchanger 5.
The relay unit 102 and the indoor unit 103 constitute a water circuit 105 as a heat medium circuit. The heat medium is a non-flammable medium such as water and brine. Here, water is used as the heat medium. The water circuit 105 includes the heat-transferring heat exchanger 5, a pump 6, and an indoor heat exchanger 7 as a heat medium heat exchanger.
The outdoor unit 101 includes the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, and the expansion valve 4. The outdoor unit 101 includes a fan (not shown) for facilitating heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger 3 between outdoor air and refrigerant. The outdoor unit 101 includes a controller (not shown) to control the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the expansion valve 4, the fan and other components.
The compressor 1 compresses suctioned refrigerant and discharges it. The four-way valve 2 switches the flow path of refrigerant in a cooling operation and a heating operation. The outdoor heat exchanger 3 exchanges heat between outdoor air and refrigerant. During a cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 serves as a condenser to condense and liquefy the refrigerant. During a heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 serves as an evaporator to evaporate and gasify the refrigerant. The expansion valve 4 regulates pressure of the refrigerant and expands the refrigerant. The refrigerant circuit 104 of the outdoor unit 101 delivers the refrigerant retaining heat, such as cooling energy and heating energy, to the relay unit 102.
The relay unit 102 includes the heat-transferring heat exchanger 5 and the pump 6. The heat-transferring heat exchanger 5 transfers heat, such as cooling energy and heating energy, of the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit 104 to water flowing in the water circuit 105. During a cooling operation, the heat-transferring heat exchanger 5 serves as an evaporator to evaporate and gasify the refrigerant. During a heating operation, the heat-transferring heat exchanger 5 serves as a condenser to condense and liquefy the refrigerant. The pump 6 regulates the flow rate of water flowing in the water circuit 105. The relay unit 102 includes a controller (not shown) to control the pump 6.
The indoor unit 103 includes the indoor heat exchanger 7 exchanging heat between water and indoor air. The indoor unit 103 includes a fan (not shown) for facilitating heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 7 between water and indoor air. The indoor unit 103 includes a controller (not shown) to control the fan and other components.
All of the controllers of the outdoor unit 101, the relay unit 102, and the indoor unit 103 may be provided in one device or they may be separately provided in individual devices. The controller includes a storage unit storing programs and a central processing unit (CPU) executing processes according to the programs.
The above-described air-conditioning apparatus 100 can run the cooling operation or the heating operation by switching the flow path of the refrigerant with the four-way valve 2 of the outdoor unit 101.
<Indoor Unit 103 of the Air-Conditioning Apparatus 100>
An air reservoir 20 and an air purge valve 21 are provided on an intermediate pipe of the water circuit 105 including the indoor heat exchanger 7. The casing 11 of the indoor unit 103 includes an opening 16 on its front side. Through the opening 16, a user can insert his/her fingers into the inside of the casing 11 to operate the air purge valve 21. The opening 16 has a rectangular shape with its side 16a having a vertically straight inner periphery to receive a hook 31 of a cover 30. The casing 11 includes the cover 30 having a cover body 32 to close the opening 16. The cover 30 is present between the grille 10 and the panel 12. The cover 30 is fixed with a screw. Removing a screw 40 allows the cover 30 to be removed.
<Configuration of the Air Purge Valve 21 and Surrounding Components>
As shown in
The air purge valve 21 discharges air accumulated in the air reservoir 20 during water charge into the water circuit 105. When open, the air purge valve 21 allows for communication between the air reservoir 20 and an air hose 23 and discharges air along with the charged water onto a drain pan (not shown) in the indoor unit 103 through the air hose 23.
As shown in
Inside the casing 11, the air purge valve 21 is located on the rear side of the opening 16 in the projection direction, as shown in
As shown in
The casing 11 includes a recess 19 on the right side of the opening 16. The recess 19 engages with a positioning piece 33 of the cover 30. The recess 19 is formed with a screw hole 19a to receive the insertion of the screw 40 for screw-fixing the cover 30. The casing 11 includes a hole 25 on the right side of the recess 19. The hole 25 receives the insertion of a temporarily fixing tab 34 of the cover 30. To the right of the hole 25, there is an operation recess 26 to allow for operation of a knob 34a of the cover 30.
The opening 16, the recess 19, and the hole 25 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. As viewed when the indoor heat exchanger 7 and the electric box 15 are projected to the front side, the opening 16, the recess 19, and the hole 25 are positioned between the indoor heat exchanger 7 and the electric box 15 inside the casing 11. The opening 16 and the hole 25 are spaced from each other at a distance corresponding to that between the left and right ends of the cover 30 closing the opening 16.
As shown in
<Configuration of the Cover 30>
As shown in
On the left side 16a of the cover 30 as viewed from the front of the cover 30, there is a hook 31 protruding from the cover body 32. The hook 31 of the cover 30 is provided at the left end of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11 as viewed from the front of the cover 30. The hook 31 has a width to span between upper and lower ends of the left side 16a.
The cover 30 includes, on its side opposite to the side 16a, a temporarily fixing tab 34 for temporarily fixing the cover 30 to the casing 11 with the cover body 32 closing the opening 16. The temporarily fixing tab 34 is provided on the right end of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11 as viewed from the front of the cover 30.
The hook 31 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 may be provided on either end of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11 such that the hook 31 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 face each other.
The temporarily fixing tab 34 includes a knob 34a, a deformation part 34b, and a barb 34c.
With the cover body 32 closing the opening 16, the knob 34a is exposed from the casing 11 and held by the user.
The deformation part 34b deforms in response to the user operating the knob 24a, whereby the temporarily fixing tab 34 is released from the casing 11. The deformation part 34b has a U-shaped cross-section. When the user moves the knob 24a to the left, the U-shaped deformation part 34b is compressed, allowing the temporarily fixing tab 34 to be pulled out of the hole 25. The deformation part 34b has the U-shaped cross-section such that the deformation part 34b is elastically resilient to compression. However, the deformation part 34b is not limited to this. The deformation part 34b may be made of rubber or resin such that the deformation part 34b is elastically resilient to compression.
The barb 34c is provided on the outer left side of the U-shaped deformation part 34b. The barb 34c hangs on an inner peripheral edge 25a of the hole 25, preventing the temporarily fixing tab 34 from coming off by itself when the cover 30 is temporarily fixed.
A positioning piece 33 is provided between the cover body 32 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 of the cover 30. The positioning piece 33 fits into the recess 19 on the surface of the casing 11. The positioning piece 33 is smaller than the cover body 32. The positioning piece 33 tightly fits into the recess 19. In contrast, the cover body 32 loosely fits into the opening 16 to allow for easy attachment and removal. The positioning piece 33 includes a screw-fixing part 33a through which the cover 30 is fixed to the casing 11 with the screw 40. The screw-fixing part 33a is a hole positioned collinearly with the screw hole 19a in the recess 19 of the casing 11 to enable screw-fixing. The positioning piece 33 may have any shape that can fit into the recess 19 on the surface of the casing 11, and various shapes can be applied to the positioning piece 33.
The outer peripheral flange 38 is provided on an outer periphery of the cover 30 except along the hook 31. The outer peripheral flange 38 projects outward from the cover 30 with the cover body 32 relatively positioned on the rear side of the casing 11.
As shown by the comparison between
As shown by the comparison between
As shown in
The seal parts 37a, 37b are attached to the cover 30, which allows sealing a gap between the cover 30 and the panel 12 of the casing 11. This prevents air from bypassing the filter of the indoor unit 103 and flowing through the gap. This also prevents dirt around the cover 30 that might be caused by air passing through the gap. The two overlapping portions 37c of the seal parts 37a, 37b are positioned on the rear side of the cover 30 relative to the seal part 37a of the hook 31, and this makes the seal part 37a of the hook 31 hardly come off.
When attaching the seal parts 37a, 37b to the cover 30, a manufacturer first attaches the seal part 37a to the hook 31 to the cover 30. The manufacturer then attaches the seal part 37b to the outer peripheral flange 38 running along the entire periphery of the cover 30 except the hook 31.
As shown in
<Attachment of the Cover 30>
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
<Removal of the Cover 30>
In removing the cover 30, the user first removes the screw 40 fixing the cover 30. The user then inserts his/her fingers into the operation recess 26 of the casing 11 and pushes the knob 24a to the left side, closer to the positioning piece 33, to deform the deformation part 34b and disengage the barb 34c. The user then pulls the knob 34a out of the operation recess 26 and removes the temporarily fixing tab 34 of the cover 30 from the hole 25. Subsequent procedure is reverse to that for attaching the cover 30.
<Effects of Embodiment 1>
According to Embodiment 1, the indoor unit 103 of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 includes the opening 16 in the casing 11. The indoor unit 103 includes the cover 30 including the cover body 32 to close the opening 16. The indoor unit 103 includes the indoor heat exchanger 7 as a heat medium heat exchanger exchanging heat between water as a heat medium and indoor air. The indoor unit 103 includes the air processing unit 22 located at the top of the water circuit 105 for circulation of water in the indoor heat exchanger 7. The air processing unit 22 includes the air reservoir 20 and the air purge valve 21 for discharging air in the air reservoir 20. The air purge valve 21 is located on the rear side in the projection direction of the opening 16 inside the casing 11. The cover 30 includes, on its side 16a, the single hook 31 protruding from the cover body 32. The cover 30 includes, on its side opposite to the side 16a, the temporarily fixing tab 34 for temporarily fixing the cover 30 to the casing 11 with the cover body 32 closing the opening 16.
With this configuration, the user can finish the hooking work just by engaging the single hook 31 provided on the side 16a of the cover 30 onto the inner periphery of the opening 16 of the casing 11. This allows for easy attachment of the cover 30. The cover 30 includes only one hook 31 on its side 16a, providing visibility so that the user can easily see the hooking part. This allows the user to easily attach the cover 30 under good visibility conditions.
The casing 11, in which pipes and wires are connected, has the opening 16, and thus the user can easily access the air purge valve 21 for installation or maintenance work through the opening 16 with the panel 12 attached to the casing 11.
The cover 30 can be temporarily fixed to the panel 12 of the casing 11. This eliminates the need for supporting the cover 30 at all times during installation or maintenance. This, in turn, facilitates attachment or removal of the screw 40, improving work efficiency.
According to Embodiment 1, the hook 31 has a width to span between both ends of the side 16a.
With this configuration, once the single hook 31 at the side 16a of the cover 30 engages on the inner periphery of the opening 16 in the casing 11, the cover 30 does not wobble and becomes stable. This allows for easy attachment of the cover 30, which is to be rotated to be closed prior to the temporary fixing. In Embodiment 1, the overlapping portions 37c of the seal parts 37a, 37b stick out from the upper and lower ends of the hook 31. Accordingly, it is preferable that the hook 31 have the width slightly smaller than that between the ends of the side 16a of the opening 16 to ensure that the overlapping portions 37c of the seal parts 37a, 37b do not interfere with the opening 16.
According to Embodiment 1, the positioning piece 33 for fitting into the recess 19 on the surface of the casing 11 is provided between the cover body 32 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 of the cover 30.
With this configuration, once the single hook 31 engages on the inner periphery of the opening 16 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 temporarily fixes the cover 30 with the cover body 32 closing the opening 16, the positioning piece 33 fits into the recess 19 on the surface of the casing 11. This allows temporarily fixing the cover 30 to the opening 16 as prescribed. This allows for easy attachment of the cover 30 until it is temporarily fixed.
According to Embodiment 1, the positioning piece 33 includes the screw-fixing part 33a through which the cover 30 is fixed to the casing 11 with the screw 40.
With this configuration, once the positioning piece 33 fits into the recess 19 of the casing 11 and the cover 30 is temporarily fixed to the opening 16 as prescribed, the screw-fixing part 33a overlaps the screw hole 19a. This allows the user to fix the cover 30 by putting the screw 40 into the screw-fixing part 33a. This allows for easy attachment of the cover 30 until it is fixed.
According to Embodiment 1, the temporarily fixing tab 34 includes the knob 34a. With the cover body 32 closing the opening 16, the knob 34a is exposed from the casing 11 and held by the user. The temporarily fixing tab 34 also includes the deformation part 34b. In response to the user operating the knob 34a, the deformation part 34b deforms to allow the temporarily fixing tab 34 to be released from the casing 11.
With this configuration, the surface of the casing 11 only needs to be formed with the hole 25 to receive the temporarily fixing tab 34 on its inner periphery for temporary fixing of the temporarily fixing tab 34. This simplifies the manufacturing process.
According to Embodiment 1, the cover 30 includes, on its outer periphery except along the hook 31, the outer peripheral flange 38 protruding from the cover body 32.
With this configuration, once the single hook 31 engages on the inner periphery of the opening 16 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 temporarily fixes the cover 30 with the cover body 32 closing the opening 16, the outer peripheral flange 38 surrounds the opening 16 of the casing 11. This facilitates closure of the opening 16 by the cover 30.
According to Embodiment 1, the hook 31 and the outer peripheral flange 38 of the cover 30 are provided with the seal parts 37a, 37b, respectively, for forming a seal with the inner periphery of the opening 16.
With this configuration, a gap between the cover 30 and the opening 16 is sealed by the seal parts 37a, 37b. This prevents air circulating inside the casing 11 from leaking through the gap between the cover 30 and the opening 16. The seal parts 37a, 37b also prevent dirt around the cover 30.
According to Embodiment 1, the inner periphery of the opening 16 is formed with the inner peripheral flange 18 extending inward from the surface of the casing 11.
This configuration makes the inner periphery of the opening 16 unsharpened, preventing finger injuries when the user inserts his/her fingers into the opening 16.
According to Embodiment 1, the cover 30 includes, on its surface, the operation instruction portion 36 showing user operation.
This configuration makes the operation instruction portion 36 easily noticeable by the user during installation or maintenance, improving user awareness.
According to Embodiment 1, the air reservoir 20 and the air purge valve 21 of the air processing unit 22 are composed of one rigid unit 24.
This configuration allows for easy handling and assembly of the air processing unit 22 as it comes as a single unit. Also, the air purge valve 21 is completely fixed inside the casing 11 with the rigid unit 24 including the air reservoir 20 on the upstream side of the air flow. This prevents the air purge valve 21 from wobbling as the user operates the air purge valve 21, making the air purge valve 21 easy to be operated. This configuration also allows locating the air purge valve 21 at a high position, which leads to efficient air purging.
According to Embodiment 1, the air processing unit 22 is located at the top inside the casing 11. The opening 16 is formed in the upper part of the side of the casing 11 with its upper edge 16b extending along the edge 17 of the top face of the casing 11. The hook 31 of the cover 30 is provided on one of the ends of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11. The temporarily fixing tab 34 of the cover 30 is provided on the other one of the ends of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11. Instead of the side of the casing 11, the opening 16 may be formed in the top face, the bottom face, or the rear face of the casing 11.
The above configuration requires that the hook 31 and the temporarily fixing tab 34 of the cover 30 be arranged to face each other. When the air reservoir 20 is to be located at the top of the water circuit 105, which is a heat medium flow path, inside the casing 11 to purge air from the water circuit 105, any downsizing of the indoor unit 103 inevitably results in the air processing unit 22 being located at the top inside the casing 11. In that case, the opening 16 is formed in the upper part of the side of the casing 11 with its upper edge 16b extending along the edge 17 of the top face of the casing. Then if the hook of the cover is to be positioned at the lower part of the casing and the temporarily fixing tab of the cover is to be positioned at the upper part of the casing, there would be no space for placing the temporarily fixing tab. Also if the hook of the cover is to be positioned at the upper part of the casing and the temporarily fixing tab is to be positioned at the lower part of the casing, the temporarily fixing tab would interfere with other components inside the casing and thus there would be no space for placing the temporarily fixing tab. Hence, the hook 31 of the cover 30 is provided on one of the ends of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11, and the temporarily fixing tab 34 is provided on the other one of the ends of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11. This eliminates waste of placement space inside the indoor unit 103.
When the hook 31 of the cover 30 is provided on either end of the cover 30 in the horizontal direction of the casing 11, the hook 31 preferably engages on a left or right inner periphery of the opening 16. And when the hook 31 has a width to span between both ends of the side 16a, a lower end of the hook 31 of the cover 30 gets held by the lower inner periphery of the opening 16. In the case where the overlapping portion 37c of the seal parts 37a, 37b sticks out as in Embodiment 1, the overlapping portion 37c gets held by the lower inner periphery of the opening 16. This prevents the user from dropping the cover 30 by mistake during work. This allows the user to easily attach the cover 30 under good visibility conditions.
According to Embodiment 1, the air-conditioning apparatus 100 includes the indoor unit 103.
With this configuration, the user can finish the hooking work just by engaging the single hook 31 provided on the side 16a of the cover 30 onto the inner periphery of the opening 16 in the casing 11 of the indoor unit 103 of the air-conditioning apparatus 100. This allows for easy attachment of the cover 30. The cover 30 includes only one hook 31 on its side 16a, providing visibility so that the user can easily see the hooking part. This allows the user to easily attach the cover 30 under good visibility conditions.
<Other Notes>
The above embodiment has described the wall-mounted indoor unit. The present disclosure is, however, not limited to this; the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure may be any other indoor unit such as a floor type indoor unit or a ceiling concealed indoor unit.
1 compressor 2 four-way valve 3 outdoor heat exchanger 4 expansion valve 5 heat-transferring heat exchanger 6 pump 7 indoor heat exchanger 10 grille 11 casing 12 panel 13 box 14 vane 15 electric box 16 opening 16a side 16b upper edge 17 edge 18 inner peripheral flange 19 recess 19a screw hole 20 air reservoir 21 air purge valve 22 air processing unit 23 air hose 24 rigid unit 25 hole 25a inner periphery 26 operation recess 30 cover 31 hook 32 cover body 33 positioning piece 33a screw-fixing part 34 temporarily fixing tab 34a knob 34b deformation part 34c barb 36 operation instruction portion 37a seal part 37b seal part 37c overlapping portion 38 outer peripheral flange 40 screw 100 air-conditioning apparatus 101 outdoor unit 102 relay unit 103 indoor unit 104 refrigerant circuit 105 water circuit
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/036420 | 10/6/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019/069442 | 4/11/2019 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170045259 | Choi | Feb 2017 | A1 |
| 20170370607 | Wang | Dec 2017 | A1 |
| 20190049127 | Shin | Feb 2019 | A1 |
| 20190249883 | Tomomura | Aug 2019 | A1 |
| 20200072489 | Nakamura | Mar 2020 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| H10-103709 | Apr 1998 | JP |
| H10-311554 | Nov 1998 | JP |
| 2018189279 | Nov 2018 | JP |
| 20020033876 | May 2002 | KR |
| 2013129527 | Sep 2013 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report of the International Searching Authority dated Jan. 9, 2018 for the corresponding International application No. PCT/JP2017/036420 (and English translation). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200224923 A1 | Jul 2020 | US |
