Patent Application
20150276261
The present invention relates to a packing material for packing an air conditioner.
Conventionally, a suspended air conditioner (e.g., a four-way cassette-type indoor unit) which is installed indoors (in an air-conditioned space) has a unit main body (casing) to be suspended on a beam etc. and a decorative panel with a dust collecting filter etc. which is mounted on the unit main body and exposed to the indoor space. Here, when an air conditioner is installed in a ceiling during construction of a building etc., there is often a time lapse between suspension of the unit main body and mounting of the decorative panel. For example, before ceiling installation, the unit main body is installed on a beam etc. and piping work and electric work are performed. Then, the ceiling is installed. After ceiling installation, the decorative panel is mounted on the unit main body (see, e.g., Patent Literature 1).
It is a common practice to cover the opening part of the unit main body by fixing a curing sheet over it with a tape etc. in order to keep dust etc. out of the suspended unit main body during the period up to mounting of the decorative panel. Once the decorative panel is mounted, however, the curing sheet, the tape, etc. are to be unnecessary and cause an increase in waste.
The present invention has been devised in order to solve the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a packing material for an air conditioner which can substitute for a curing sheet etc.
A packing material for an air conditioner according to the present invention packs at least a unit main body of an air conditioner to be installed in a ceiling, the packing material including: a cover part for covering an opening part through which components inside the unit main body are exposed; and a cut and bent up part which has a slit part for inserting a protruding portion of the unit main body and fixes the cover part on the unit main body.
According to the present invention, it is possible to utilize a packing material, which is used when transporting the air conditioner, for keeping dust etc. out of the unit main body, for example, during the period from installation of the unit main body to mounting of the decorative panel, by inserting a metal fitting of the unit to fix the packing material and covering the opening part of the unit main body. Since the need for a curing sheet and a tape for fixing the curing sheet is eliminated, waste generated during construction can be reduced.
In the following, an air conditioner according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings to be described below, components denoted by the same reference signs are the same or equivalent, and the reference signs are common throughout the entire text of the embodiments to be described below. The forms of components represented in the entire text of the specification are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention to those forms described herein. In particular, combinations of components are not intended to limit the present invention to those combinations described in the embodiments, but components described in one embodiment can be applied to another embodiment. The upside and the downside in the drawings shall be defined as the upper side and the lower side, respectively, for description. In some of the drawings, the dimensional relation of the components may be different from the actual dimensional relation.
As shown in
The unit main body 2 houses an indoor blower fan (not shown), an indoor unit heat exchanger which exchanges the heat of indoor air, etc. A decorative panel 3 having a substantially quadrangular shape in planar view, which serves as a design surface (exterior surface) of the indoor unit 1, is mounted on the lower side of the indoor unit 1 and faces the indoor space. Near the center of the decorative panel 3, a suction grille, which serves as a suction port of air into the indoor unit 1, is provided along with a dust removal filter. On each side of the decorative panel 3, an air outlet is formed along each side of the decorative panel 3. Each air outlet is provided with an airflow directing vane 4.
The upper cover 11 can be fixed on the unit main body 2 and the opening part of the unit main body 2 can be covered with the cover part 11c by inserting the hanging clamps 5 into the slit parts 11b. Here, a member having the slit part 11b for inserting the hanging clamp 5 (an insert member corresponding to the cut and bent up part 11a) may be formed previously so as to be nearly at a right angle to the upper cover 11. However, this can be inconvenient, for example, in that the packing materials cannot be stacked up for transport. While the upper cover 11 may come with an incision, slit, etc. made in it to serve as the cut and bent up part 11a and the slit part 11b, dust etc. can enter inside the unit main body during transport. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cut and bent up part 11a and the slit part 11b are only printed, and an incision etc. is made to cut and bend up the cut and bent up part 11 before use.
As has been described, in the packing material for an air conditioner of Embodiment 1, since the upper cover 11 is utilized as a protective sheet for covering the opening part of the unit main body 2, it is not necessary to use a curing sheet to keep dust etc. out of the unit main body 2, for example, during the period after installation of the unit main body 2 up to mounting of the decorative panel 3. Since the packing material is fixed by inserting the hanging clamp 5 of the unit main body 2 into the slit part 11b of the cut and bent up part 11a of the upper cover 11, engaging with bolts or fixing with tape is not required. Thus, the trouble is saved and waste reduction can be realized. In addition, the upper cover 11 can be used as a paper pattern for positioning the air conditioner in the ceiling. Moreover, deposition of dust etc. can be more efficiently prevented if an antistatic ink (paint) is used for printing on the upper cover 11.
In Embodiment 1 described above, the hanging clamps 5 of the unit main body 2 are inserted into the slit parts 11b. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and other metal fittings, etc. protruding from the unit main body 2 may be inserted into the slit parts 11b. As long as the unit main body 2 can be fixed with its opening part covered, any form of fixation may be adopted, for example, engaging the slit part 11b with a decorative panel fixing bracket for fixing the decorative panel 3 on the unit main body 2. Alternatively, an engaging member for fixing the packing material may be newly provided.
In Embodiment 1 described above, the upper cover 11 is mounted so that the upper surface side of the upper cover 11 and the opening part of the unit main body 2 face each other. However, the upper cover 11 may be mounted so that the lower surface side of the upper cover 11 and the opening part of the unit main body 2 face each other.
In Embodiment 1 described above, the upper cover 11 is used as a protective sheet, but the body part cover 12 etc. may be used instead as a protective sheet.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-072203 | Mar 2014 | JP | national |
