JP2021036196A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of performing an attaching/detaching operation of a dust accumulation part for filter cleaning more easily.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: an indoor unit having an indoor side heat exchanger; a filter in which air taken in from the outside passes; and a dust accumulation part (for example, a dust box 22) for accumulating dust attached on the filter. The dust accumulation part has a lock mechanism 60 for being fixed to the indoor unit. The lock mechanism 60 includes: an operation part (for example, an operation plate 53); and a locking part (for example, lock members 61R, 61L). The lock part slides and moves vertically. The locking part switches between a fixed state in which the dust accumulation part is fixed with respect to the indoor unit, and a release state in which the fixed state is released by the vertical slide movement of the operation part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a dust collecting portion for collecting dust adhering to the filter.

The air conditioner is provided with a filter at the air suction port of the indoor unit for removing dust contained in the sucked air. In the conventional air conditioner, the dust adhering to the filter is manually cleaned. That is, it was necessary to manually remove the filter from the indoor unit and manually clean the filter.

However, it is difficult to remove the filter depending on the installation location of the indoor unit, and especially when the indoor unit is installed at a high place, cleaning the filter is a very time-consuming work. Therefore, some air conditioners these days have a function of automatically cleaning the filter inside the device without removing the filter.

In such an air conditioner having an automatic filter cleaning function, the dust scraped from the filter is housed in a dust box (dust collecting portion). Therefore, after a certain period of time has passed using the air conditioner, the dust scraped from the filter collects in the dust box. At this time, the user temporarily removes the dust box from the air conditioner (specifically, the indoor unit), discards the dust accumulated inside, and reattaches the dust box to the air conditioner.

Patent Document 1 discloses an indoor unit of an air conditioner proposed for the purpose of simplifying the operation of attaching and detaching the dust box at this time. The dust box provided in the indoor unit is provided at the upper part of the dust box and projects from the left and right side portions in the left-right direction, and has a shaft portion that can be detachably fitted into the engaging portion of the air filter support frame, and the dust box. A handle portion provided on the left and right side portions of the above and below the shaft portion, a band-shaped fixing member provided in the central portion of the dust box in the vertical direction and attached so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and a strip-shaped fixing member provided on the fixing member. It can be inserted into the hole provided in the air filter support frame, and when the fixing member is located on one side in the moving direction, it engages with the peripheral portion of the hole and is locked. A hook fixing portion for releasing the locked state when the fixing member is located on the other side in the moving direction, and a shaft portion provided on the fixing member on the front side of the dust box and in the vertical direction. It has a wavy lock operation portion provided between the grip portion and the grip portion. Then, when the lock operation portion is pushed with the shaft portion fitted in the engaging portion, the lower end portion of the dust box is rotated and pushed with the shaft portion as a fulcrum to clean the dust box. It has a configuration in which it engages with a predetermined part of the unit body.

Japanese Patent No. 5911310

However, in the indoor unit described in Patent Document 1, when the dust boxes are attached, after the dust boxes on both the left and right sides are attached at predetermined positions, the lock operation unit is moved to the right or left for each dust box. There is a need. That is, it is necessary to perform a two-step operation of mounting operation and locking operation for each dust box. As described above, there is room for further improvement in the operation of attaching and detaching the dust box to and from the air conditioner main body in order to improve the operability.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of more easily attaching and detaching a dust collecting portion for cleaning a filter.

The air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger, a filter through which air taken in from the outside passes, and a dust collecting portion that collects dust adhering to the filter. It has. The dust collecting portion has a lock mechanism for fixing to the indoor unit. The lock mechanism has an operation unit that slides in the vertical direction, a fixed state in which the dust collecting unit is fixed to the indoor unit by the vertical slide movement of the operation unit, and a fixed state. Has a locking portion that switches between the released state and the released state. Here, "the dust collecting portion is fixed to the indoor unit" means that the dust collecting portion is directly fixed to the indoor unit itself or is fixedly arranged in the indoor unit. This includes the case where the dust collecting portion is indirectly fixed to the indoor unit via a member (for example, a filter support).

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, the locking portion moves in the horizontal direction, and the locking mechanism changes the vertical sliding movement of the operating portion to the horizontal movement of the locking portion. An additional motion transmission mechanism may be provided for this purpose.

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, the lock mechanism may further include a guide portion for guiding the vertical movement of the operation portion.

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, the motion transmission mechanism may rotate along the slide surface of the operation unit.

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, protrusions may be provided on the surface of the motion transmission mechanism along the rotation direction.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the dust collecting portion is provided with a brush for scraping off dust adhering to the filter, and the mesh diameter of the filter is 150 μm or more and 300 μm or less. The wire diameter of the brush bristles constituting the brush may be 50 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, an auxiliary brush is further provided at a position facing the brush with the filter in between, and the number of twists of the brush bristles constituting the brush is larger than that of the number of twists of the brush bristles. The number of twists of the brush bristles constituting the auxiliary brush may be larger.

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, the filter is configured to be movable with respect to the dust collecting portion, and the frame portion extending in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the filter is notched at both ends. May be provided.

In the above-mentioned air conditioner according to the present invention, the filter is configured to be movable with respect to the dust collecting portion, and the frame portion extending in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the filter is in the longitudinal direction of the frame portion. A thin wall portion may be formed along the above.

The air conditioner according to another aspect of the present invention includes an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger, a filter through which air taken in from the outside passes, and a dust collecting portion that collects dust adhering to the filter. It has. The dust collecting portion has a lock mechanism for fixing to the indoor unit. The lock mechanism has a rotating operation unit, a fixed state in which the dust collecting unit is fixed to the indoor unit by the rotating operation of the operation unit, and a released state in which the fixed state is released. It has a locking portion that switches between. Further, the operating portion has an inclined end portion inclined with respect to the rotation direction, and the locking portion is connected to the operating portion at the inclined end portion. Then, in this air conditioner, the locking portion is connected to the operating portion at the inclined end portion, and by changing the position with respect to the inclined end portion, the fixed state and the released state are switched. You may. Here, "the dust collecting portion is fixed to the indoor unit" means that the dust collecting portion is directly fixed to the indoor unit itself or is fixedly arranged in the indoor unit. This includes the case where the dust collecting portion is indirectly fixed to the indoor unit via a member (for example, a filter support).

As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention makes it possible to more easily attach / detach the dust collecting portion for cleaning the filter.

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the indoor unit shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the filter and the filter cleaning device provided in the indoor unit shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which one of the dust boxes is removed in the filter cleaning device shown in FIG. (A) and (b) are perspective views which show the internal structure of the filter cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) shows the case where the lock mechanism is in the ON state (fixed state). (B) shows the case where the lock mechanism is in the OFF state (release state). (A) is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the broken line frame of FIG. 5 (a). (B) is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the broken line frame of FIG. 5 (b). It is a perspective view which looked at the front cover provided in the dust box which concerns on 1st Embodiment from the back side. It is a perspective view which looked at the main body part of the dust box provided in the filter cleaning device which concerns on 1st Embodiment from the front side. (A) is a perspective view of the operation plate provided in the filter cleaning device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side. (B) is a perspective view of the operation plate provided in the filter cleaning device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear side. (A) is a perspective view which shows the left rotating plate provided in the filter cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (B) is a perspective view showing a rotating plate on the right side provided in the filter cleaning device according to the first embodiment. (A) is a perspective view showing a lock member on the right side provided in the dust box according to the first embodiment. (B) is a perspective view showing a lock member on the left side provided in the filter cleaning device according to the first embodiment. (A) to (c) are perspective views showing a state in which the operation plate is attached to the front cover. (A) to (c) show a series of operations of the operation plate when the lock mechanism is switched from the ON state (fixed state) to the OFF state (release state). (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a front brush and a back brush provided in the filter cleaning device according to the first embodiment. (B) is a schematic diagram showing the mesh diameter of the filter provided in the filter cleaning device. (C) is a schematic diagram for explaining the wire diameter of the brush bristles constituting the brush. FIG. 1A is a plan view showing the configuration of one end of the filter provided in the filter cleaning device according to the first embodiment on the moving direction side. (B) to (d) are plan views showing the configuration of one end portion on the moving direction side of the filter according to the modified example. (E) is a schematic view showing the cross-sectional structure of the AA line portion of the filter shown in (d). It is a perspective view which shows the filter and the filter cleaning device provided in the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 15 shows a state in which one of the dust boxes is removed. (A) and (b) are perspective views which show the internal structure of the filter cleaning apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) shows the case where the lock mechanism is in the ON state (fixed state). (B) shows the case where the lock mechanism is in the OFF state (release state). (A) is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the broken line frame of FIG. 16 (a). (B) is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the broken line frame of FIG. 16 (b). (A) is a perspective view showing an operation lever and a lock member on the left side provided in the filter cleaning device according to the second embodiment. (B) is a perspective view showing an operation lever. (C) is a perspective view showing a lock member. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the lock mechanism of the filter cleaning device provided in the air conditioner which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation of the lock mechanism of the filter cleaning device shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, the detailed description of them will not be repeated.
[First Embodiment]

In the first embodiment, an air conditioner having a built-in filter cleaning function (also referred to as a filter cleaning device) for automatically cleaning the filter will be described as an example. FIG. 1 shows the external configuration of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the indoor unit 1.

<Overall configuration of air conditioner>
First, the overall configuration of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described. The air conditioner according to the present embodiment is a separate type air conditioner, and is mainly composed of an indoor unit 1 and an outdoor unit (not shown).

The outdoor unit is equipped with a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, an outdoor fan, and the like. A refrigeration cycle is formed by these and the indoor heat exchanger 31 provided on the indoor unit 1 side.

Next, the configuration of the indoor unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is usually used by being hung on the upper part of the wall of the room. As described above, the indoor unit 1 is provided with the indoor heat exchanger 31. The indoor heat exchanger 31 is connected to a compressor or the like on the outdoor unit side via a refrigerant pipe (not shown). As a result, the indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit form a refrigeration cycle, and as a result, function as an air conditioner. A control unit for controlling the refrigeration cycle is provided in the electrical component unit in the indoor unit 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 1 mainly includes a housing 10, a filter cleaning device 20, a filter 21, an air conditioning unit 30, and an electrical component unit (not shown). Hereinafter, each of these constituent members will be described in detail.

The housing 10 is a resin molded product having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 is mainly composed of a front panel 11, a main body panel 12, and a back panel 13. A filter cleaning device 20, a filter 21, an air conditioning unit 30, an electrical component unit, and the like are housed inside the housing 10.

For convenience of explanation, the side on which the front panel 11 is arranged is the front side of the indoor unit 1, and the side on which the back panel 13 is arranged is the back side of the indoor unit 1. The direction from the front side to the back side of the indoor unit 1 or from the back side to the front side is referred to as a front-rear direction. Further, in the normal installation state of the indoor unit 1, the direction from the upper side to the lower side or the direction from the lower side to the upper side is referred to as a vertical direction or a vertical direction. Further, the direction intersecting or orthogonal to the vertical direction is referred to as a horizontal direction or a horizontal direction.

A suction port 14 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 10. From the suction port 14, the air in the room where the indoor unit 1 is installed is taken into the indoor unit 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, a filter 21 is arranged directly below the suction port 14.

Further, at the lower part of the main body panel 12, an air outlet for sending out air sucked from the suction port is provided, and a flap 15 is provided at the air outlet so as to be openable and closable. A drive motor (not shown) is connected to the flap 15. The drive motor is communicatively connected to the electrical component unit via a signal line, and adjusts the rotation angle of the flap 15 according to a control signal from the control unit in the electrical component unit during operation of the air conditioner.

For example, during the cooling operation, the control unit in the electrical component unit opens the flap 15 and adjusts the rotation angle of the flap 15 so that the flap 15 guides the cold air diagonally upward and the cold air blows out along the ceiling. During the heating operation, the control unit in the electrical component unit opens the flap 15, suppresses the warm air blown forward by the flap 15, and adjusts the rotation angle of the flap 15 so as to guide the warm air toward the floor surface. Adjust. At the initial stage of the cooling operation, the rotation angle of the flap 15 may be adjusted so that the cold air is blown toward the floor surface, and rapid cooling may be performed. Further, the flap 15 is closed when the operation is stopped, and the outlet is closed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning unit 30 mainly includes an indoor heat exchanger 31 and a cross flow fan 32.

The indoor heat exchanger 31 is a combination of a plurality of heat exchangers like a roof covering the cross flow fan 32. Each heat exchanger has a large number of heat radiation fins (not shown) attached to heat transfer tubes (not shown) that are folded back at both the left and right ends, and functions as an evaporator during cooling operation. , Functions as a condenser during heating operation.

The cross-flow fan 32 is connected to a drive motor (not shown). Then, while the air conditioner is operating, the cross flow fan 32 is rotationally driven by its drive motor, sucks indoor air into the housing 10 and supplies it to the indoor heat exchanger 31, and the indoor heat exchanger 31. The air exchanged with the air is sent indoors. The drive motor is communicatively connected to the electrical component unit via a signal line, and operates according to a control signal transmitted from a control unit in the electrical component unit.

The electrical component unit is arranged, for example, at the right end portion in the housing 10. The electrical component unit is composed of a central processing calculation unit (control unit), a signal transmission / reception unit, and the like. The electrical component unit is connected to each component of the refrigeration cycle via a signal line. Then, the control unit in the electrical unit controls the refrigeration cycle based on the user's instruction and the detection signals of various sensors such as the temperature sensor that detects the room temperature and the outside air temperature, and performs the cooling operation and the heating operation. ..

Further, the electrical component unit is also connected to the drive motor of the cross flow fan 32, the drive motor of the flap 15, the drive motor of the filter cleaning device 20, the power supply unit of each member in the filter cleaning device 20, and the like via the signal line. ing.

The filter 21 is provided between the suction port 14 and the indoor heat exchanger 31. For convenience of explanation, the surface of the filter 21 facing the suction port 14 is used as the front surface, and the surface of the filter 21 facing the indoor heat exchanger 31 is used as the back surface of the filter. As shown in FIG. 2, the filter 21 is arranged so as to follow the shape of the suction port 14 provided in the housing 10. The filter 21 captures dust and dirt contained in the air taken into the interior of the indoor unit 1 from the suction port 14. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of dust and dirt in the air taken into the indoor unit 1.

In the indoor unit 1 according to the present embodiment, two filters 21 are arranged side by side (see FIG. 3). When the right side filter and the left side filter are described separately, the left side filter is 21L and the right side filter is 21R. The number and arrangement of filters in the air conditioner of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, it may be composed of one filter that covers the entire area of the suction port 14.

The filter cleaning device 20 is a device that removes dust and dirt adhering to the filter 21. A filter 21 having a rectangular plate shape is attached to the filter cleaning device 20 so as to follow the shape of the filter cleaning device 20. The filter cleaning device 20 is provided with a dust box 22 (dust collecting portion) for accommodating dust, dust, dust, etc. adhering to the filter 21. The dust box 22 is provided for each filter 21. That is, the indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment is provided with one dust box 22 for each of the filter 21R on the right side and the filter 21L on the left side. When the left and right dust boxes are distinguished from each other, the right dust box is referred to as 22R and the left dust box is referred to as 22L (see FIG. 3).

<About filter cleaning device>
Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the filter 21 and the filter cleaning device 20 provided in the indoor unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the filter cleaning device 20 is mainly arranged on the front side of the filter 21. In a state where the air conditioner is performing air conditioning operation, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the filter 21 is arranged in a positional relationship so that only the front end portion thereof overlaps with the filter cleaning device 20. There is. Then, when the filter 21 is cleaned by the filter cleaning device 20, the filter 21 is driven by the drive motor 24M to move, and the entire surface of the filter 21 passes over the front brush 23 of the filter cleaning device 20. It is configured in.

The filter 21 is composed of a mesh portion 41 and a frame body (frame portion) 42 surrounding the mesh portion 41. The frame body 42 includes a vertical frame which is a frame portion in the vertical direction (direction parallel to the moving direction) and a horizontal frame which is a frame portion in the horizontal direction (direction intersecting the moving direction). The filter 21 is detachably supported by a filter support 25 described later.

The mesh portion 41 is formed of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate in a mesh shape, and the frame body 42 is formed of, for example, a constituent resin such as polypropylene resin. Alternatively, the mesh portion 41 and the frame body 42 may be integrally molded with a synthetic resin such as polypropylene resin.

Further, the frame body 42 has a plurality of ribs 43. Each rib 43 extends vertically or horizontally at substantially equal intervals inside the frame body 42, whereby the surface of the mesh portion 41 is partitioned in a grid pattern. With this configuration, the strength of the filter 21 is increased.

The rib 43 is preferably arranged on the back surface side of the filter 21. As a result, the surface of the mesh portion 41 can be made substantially flush with each other. Since the surface of the filter 21 is substantially flush with each other, dust and dirt adhering to the surface of the filter 21 can be more easily removed by the filter cleaning device 20.

Further, in one example, even if a plurality of racks 42a (see FIG. 14A and the like) are formed on the back surface side of the frame portion (vertical frame) in the vertical direction (direction parallel to the moving direction) of the frame body 42. Good. Such a rack 42a meshes with a pinion gear provided at the end of the back brush 24 that drives the movement of the filter 21. Then, when the pinion gear is rotationally driven by the drive motor 24M, the filter 21 moves along the guide 25a (see FIG. 2) of the filter support 25 in conjunction with this. That is, when the rear brush 24 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 24M, the filter 21 moves in the indoor unit 1 in the front-rear direction along the guide 25a of the filter support 25, and in the indoor unit 1 in the vertical direction. Moving.

The filter cleaning device 20 includes a dust box 22, a front brush (brush) 23, a back brush (auxiliary brush) 24, and a filter support 25 as main components. In the present embodiment, the filter cleaning device 20 is arranged so as to extend from one end to the other end of the filter 21 along the left-right direction (horizontal direction) of the filter 21 (see FIG. 3).

The dust box 22 includes a main body 51, a front cover 52, a lock mechanism 60 (including an operation plate 53), and the like as main constituent members. The dust box 22 collects dust, dust, dust, etc. wiped from the surface of the filter 21 by the front brush 23 inside the dust box 22.

The main body 51 is generally a member having a rectangular parallelepiped box shape. The main body 51 is made of, for example, a rigid synthetic resin (plastic). On the back side of the main body 51, the front brush 23 is arranged along the opening of the box-shaped portion of the main body 51. As a result, dust and the like on the surface of the filter 21 scraped off by the front brush 23 is dropped into the box-shaped portion of the main body 51 (see FIG. 13A).

The front cover 52 is attached to the upper portion on the front side of the dust box 22. A lock mechanism 60 is arranged on the back side of the front cover 52.

The lock mechanism 60 is a mechanism for fixing the dust box 22 to the indoor unit 1. In this embodiment, the locking mechanism 60 fixes the dust box 22 to the filter support 25. The filter support 25 is installed in the indoor unit 1 in a fixed state. However, in another aspect of the present invention, the lock mechanism 60 may directly fix the dust box 22 to the indoor unit 1. The operation plate (operation unit) 53 is a member constituting the lock mechanism 60. A more specific configuration of the lock mechanism 60 will be described later.

The front brush 23 has an elongated cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape). The front brush 23 is arranged so as to extend from one end to the other end of each dust box 22 (22R and 22L) along the left-right direction (horizontal direction) of the dust box 22.

The front surface brush 23 is arranged so that its tip (or surface) is in contact with the surface of the filter 21 and scrapes off the dust D adhering to the filter 21 (see FIG. 13A). The front brush 23 is, for example, a brush bristles 23a (see FIG. 13C) obtained by bundling a plurality of fibers having appropriate rigidity (for example, synthetic fibers such as nylon and natural fibers such as animal hair), pile-shaped. It can be formed of brushed fibers (for example, synthetic fibers such as nylon, natural fibers such as animal hair) and the like.

Further, the front brush 23 has a roller that rotates inside. This roller is driven by a drive motor 23M. The drive motor 23M is a motor capable of only forward rotation, and keeps rotating the front brush 23 during the cleaning operation.

The back brush 24 is arranged at a position facing the front brush 23 with the filter 21 in between (see FIG. 13A). Like the front brush 23, the back brush 24 also has an elongated cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape). The back brush 24 is arranged so as to extend from one end to the other end of the filter 21 along the left-right direction (horizontal direction) of the filter 21.

Further, the back brush 24 has a roller that rotates inside. This roller is driven by a drive motor 24M. The back brush 24 functions as a filter drive roller that drives the moving operation of the filter 21 when cleaning the filter. The back brush 24 has pinion gears at both ends in the longitudinal direction. This pinion gear meshes with the rack 42a provided on the frame body 42 of the filter 21. When the back brush 24 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 24M, the rack 42a is fed in the vertical and front-rear directions in accordance with the rotation of the pinion gear, and the filter 21 moves up and down and back and forth.

In the present embodiment, the surface of the back brush 24 is embedded with brush bristles obtained by bundling a plurality of fibers having appropriate rigidity (for example, synthetic fibers such as nylon and natural fibers such as animal hair) (for example, synthetic fibers such as nylon and natural fibers such as animal hair). See FIG. 13 (a)). The brush bristles on the front surface of the back brush 24 are arranged so as to be in contact with the back surface of the filter 21. Then, the rear brush 24 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 24M during the cleaning operation. As a result, in the filter 21 arranged between the two brushes 23 and 24, dust and dirt adhering to the front surface are pushed out to the front side by the action of the back surface brush 24 on the back surface side. Therefore, the rotation operation on the surface of the filter 21 by the front brush 23 can scrape off the dust adhering to the filter 21 to some extent.

In this embodiment, the back surface brush 24 is used as the rotating roller arranged on the back surface side of the filter 21 as described above. However, in one aspect of the present invention, the brush may not be provided on the surface of the rotating roller arranged on the back surface side of the filter 21.

The drive motor 24M is a motor capable of switching between forward rotation and reverse rotation, and as described above, the filter 21 is moved along the guide 25a of the filter support 25 by rotating the back brush 24. Specifically, when the drive motor 24M is rotated in the normal direction, the filter 21 moves forward and downward along the guide 25a. As a result, the dust accumulated on the filter 21 is scraped off into the main body 51 of the dust box 22 by the front brush 23 in order from the bottom. On the other hand, when the drive motor 24M is reversed, the filter 21 moves backward and upward along the guide 25a. As a result, the cleaned filter 21 is returned to the specified position.

The filter support 25 supports the filter 21. The filter support 25 is provided with a guide 25a that guides the movement of the filter 21 when the filter is cleaned. The guide 25a is formed to move the filter 21 along a predetermined direction when the filter 21 is moved by the drive motor 24M.

Further, the filter support 25 has a right side wall portion 26, a central wall portion 27, and a left side wall portion 28.

The right side wall portion 26 is a side wall extending in the front-rear direction at the right edge portion of the filter support 25. A guide 25a is arranged on the left side, that is, inside of the right side wall portion 26. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a drive motor 23M, a drive motor 24M for driving the movement of the filter 21R on the right side, and a drive unit 50 equipped with other members for driving the filter cleaning device are mounted on the right wall portion 26. It is provided. Further, the right wall portion 26 is formed with a hole (not shown) capable of receiving the lock member (locking portion) 61R (more specifically, the lock pin 62) of the lock mechanism 60 of the dust box 22R. ..

The left side wall portion 28 is a side wall extending in the front-rear direction at the left side edge portion of the filter support 25. A guide 25a is arranged on the right side, that is, inside of the left side wall portion 28. Although not shown, the left wall portion 28 is provided with a drive motor 24M for driving the movement of the filter 21L on the left side, and a drive unit equipped with other filter driving members. The rotational drive of the front brush 23 arranged in the dust box 22L on the left side is driven by the drive motor 23M in the drive unit 50 provided on the right wall portion 26. In this case, the rotational force of the drive motor 23M is transmitted from the front brush 23 arranged in the dust box 22R on the right side to the front brush 23 arranged in the dust box 22L on the left side via the drive gear. Further, the left wall portion 28 is formed with a hole (not shown) capable of receiving a lock member (locking portion) 61L (more specifically, a lock pin 62) of the lock mechanism 60 of the dust box 22L. ..

The central wall portion 27 is a wall portion extending in the front-rear direction at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the filter support 25. Guides 25a are arranged on both sides of the central wall portion 27. These guides 25a have the same shape as the guide 25a of the left side wall portion 28 and the guide 25a of the right side wall portion 26. The left guide 25a faces the guide 25a of the left wall 28, and the right guide 25a faces the guide 25a of the right wall 26. That is, one (21L) of the two filters 21R / 21L is guided by the guide 25a on the left side of the central wall portion 27 and the guide 25a on the left side wall portion 28, and the other (21R) is the guide on the right side of the central wall portion 27. It will be guided by the guide 25a of the right side wall portion 26 and the guide 25a. Further, on the left and right side surfaces of the central wall portion 27, the lock members (locking portions) 61L and 61R (more specifically, the lock pin 62) of the lock mechanism 60 of the dust box 22R and the dust box 22L can be accepted, respectively. A hole (not shown) is formed.

Further, the filter support 25 is provided with a dust box accommodating portion 29 for mounting the dust box 22 in the lower portion on the front surface side thereof. The dust box accommodating portion 29 is provided between the right side wall portion 26 and the central wall portion 27, and between the left side wall portion 28 and the central wall portion 27, respectively. A dust box 22R is placed in the dust box accommodating portion 29 between the right side wall portion 26 and the central wall portion 27, and a dust box 22L is placed in the dust box accommodating portion 29 between the left side wall portion 28 and the central wall portion 27. It will be placed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the dust box accommodating portion 29 has a bottom plate 54. The bottom plate 54 is formed with a notch 54a and a plurality of claw portions 54b. The bottom plate 54 supports the bottom of the dust box 22.

The notch 54a is formed at a position corresponding to the central portion in the left-right direction of each dust box 22R / 22L when the dust boxes 22R / 22L are placed. By forming such a notch 54a, when the dust box 22 is attached to the dust box accommodating portion 29, a part of the bottom surface of the dust box 22 can be exposed when viewed from below.

The claw portion 54b is a rectangular protrusion portion that slightly protrudes upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 54. The claw portion 54b is arranged on both sides of each notch 54a. Since the claw portion 54b is provided, the dust box 22 can be held and the dust box 22 can be suppressed from falling.

<Structure of dust box and lock mechanism>
Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the dust box 22 and a configuration of the lock mechanism 60 for fixing the dust box 22 to the filter support 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 12.

As described above, the dust box 22 includes a main body 51, a front cover 52, a lock mechanism 60, and the like as main constituent members. FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the back surface side of the front cover 52. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the main body 51.

As shown in FIG. 7, on the back surface side of the front cover 52, an operation plate support portion 71, a convex portion (guide portion) 72R / 72L, and rotation assisting protrusions (projections) 73R / 73L and 74R / 74L are provided. It is formed. The operation plate support portion 71 is located at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the front cover 52. The operation plate 53 of the lock mechanism 60 is inserted into the operation plate support portion 71. The convex portions 72R and 72L are formed in accordance with the arrangement position of the operation plate 53 (more specifically, the guide hole 53b of the operation plate 53). The two convex portions 72R and 72L are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The rotation auxiliary protrusions (projections) 73R / 73L follow the rotation locus of the rotation plate 64R / 64L (more specifically, the rotation locus of the rotation plate 64R / 64L on the second end 65b side). Each is arranged. The rotation auxiliary protrusions (projections) 74R / 74L are along the rotation locus of the rotation plate 64R / 64L (more specifically, the rotation locus of the rotation plate 64R / 64L on the first end portion 65a side). Each is arranged.

As shown in FIG. 8, a space 51P for accommodating the lock mechanism 60 is formed on the surface of the main body 51 facing the front cover 52. Further, a recess 51a is formed at substantially the center of the lower end portion of the main body portion 51 in the left-right direction. The recess 51a is formed at a position corresponding to the notch 54a formed in the bottom plate 54 of the dust box accommodating portion 29. The recess 51a functions as a grip when the user removes the dust box 22 from the filter support 25.

Further, through holes 76a through which the lock pin 62 penetrates and a front brush support portion 79 on which the front brush 23 is installed are formed on the left and right side walls of the main body 51. Further, a plurality of shaft guide members 76b, 76c, 76d, rotating plate guide members 77a, 77b, rotating shaft 78, and the like are provided on the surface of the space 51P facing the front cover 52. The shaft guide members 76b, 76c, and 76d guide the movement of the lock members 61R and 61L that move in the horizontal direction. The rotating plate guide members 77a and 77b assist the rotating operation of the rotating plates 64R and 64L. The rotation center 64P of the rotation plates 64R and 64L is attached to the rotation shaft 78. The shaft guide members 76b / 76c / 76d, the rotating plate guide members 77a / 77b, and the rotating shaft 78 correspond to the lock members 61R / 61L and the rotating plates 64R / 64L provided on the left and right sides of the operation plate 53. , It is provided symmetrically on both the left and right sides.

The lock mechanism 60 is an upper portion of the main body portion 51 constituting the dust box 22, and is arranged on the back side of the front cover 52. 5 (a) and 5 (b) show the configuration of the main body 51 with the front cover 52 removed. FIG. 5A shows a locking mechanism 60 when the dust box 22 is fixed to the filter support 25 in a fixed state. Further, FIG. 5B shows a lock mechanism 60 in the released state in which the fixed state is released (that is, the state when the dust box 22 is removed from the filter support 25).

As shown in FIG. 5A and the like, the lock mechanism 60 has an operation plate 53, a lock member (locking portion) 61R / 61L, a rotating plate (motion transmission mechanism) 64R / 64L, and It is equipped with a coil spring 63 and the like. 9 (a) and 9 (b) show the operation plate 53. FIG. 10 (a) shows the rotating plate 64L on the left side, and FIG. 10 (b) shows the rotating plate 64R on the right side. FIG. 11A shows the lock member 61R on the right side, and FIG. 11B shows the lock member 61L on the left side.

The operation plate 53 slides in the vertical direction (for example, the arrow S1 direction shown in FIG. 6A). FIG. 9A shows a state in which the operation plate 53 is viewed from the front cover 52 side. FIG. 9B shows a state in which the operation plate 53 is viewed from the main body 51 side. The operation plate 53 has a pressing portion 53a, a guide hole (guide portion) 53b, a grip portion 53c, and the like.

The pressing portion 53a has a cylindrical convex portion protruding from the back surface side of the operation plate 53 so as to be located above the first end portions 65a of the rotating plates 64R and 64L arranged on both the left and right sides. It is formed. Then, when the operation plate 53 moves downward, each pressing portion 53a pushes down the first end portion 65a of the rotating plates 64R / 64L from above to below (see FIGS. 6A and 6B).

The guide hole 53b is a hole formed so as to extend in the vertical direction near the left and right end portions of the operation plate 53. The convex portions 72R and 72L of the front cover 52 are fitted into the guide holes 53b, respectively. As a result, the vertical movement of the operation plate 53 is guided along the shape of the guide hole 53b. 12 (a) to 12 (c) show how the operation plate 53 slides from above to below in the operation plate support portion 71 of the front cover 52. As shown in the figure, since the operation plate 53 is formed with the two guide holes 53b, it is possible to reduce the deviation of the sliding operation of the operation plate 53 in the vertical direction.

In the present embodiment, the guide holes 53b and the convex portions 72R / 72L are formed by two, but in one aspect of the present invention, the number of the guide holes 53b and the convex portions 72R / 72L is 1 each. The number may be three or more. Further, in one aspect of the present invention, a guide hole may be formed in the front cover and a convex portion may be formed in the operation plate.

The grip portion 53c is a portion that serves as a handle when the user attaches or detaches the dust box 22.

The lock members (locking portions) 61R and 61L move in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the vertical slide movement of the operation plate 53. By moving the lock members 61R and 61L in the horizontal direction, the fixed state in which the dust box 22 is supported and fixed to the indoor unit 1 (more specifically, the filter support 25) and the fixed state are released. It switches from the released state. Here, the fixed state is referred to as an ON state of the lock mechanism 60, and the unlocked state is referred to as an OFF state of the lock mechanism 60.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the lock members 61R and 61L have a lock pin 62, a main body shaft 66, a rotating plate holding portion 67, a spring accommodating portion 68, and the like. The lock pin 62 is located at the left and right ends of the lock mechanism 60. In a state where the dust box 22 is supported and fixed to the filter support 25, the lock pin 62 is inserted into any of the holes 26, 27, and 28 of the wall portions 26, 27, and 28 of the filter support 25. The rotating plate holding portion 67 is located at the end of the lock mechanism 60 on the central side (operation plate 53 side). The rotating plate holding portion 67 holds the second end portion 65b of the rotating plates 64R / 64L. The main body shaft 66 and the spring accommodating portion 68 are located between the rotating plate holding portion 67 and the lock pin 62 in this order from the rotating plate holding portion 67 side. However, the arrangement of the main body shaft 66 and the spring accommodating portion 68 may be interchanged. A coil spring 63 is accommodated in the spring accommodating portion 68 (see FIG. 5A and the like).

The coil spring 63 urges the lock members 61R and 61L toward the outside. Therefore, when the user does not move the operation plate 53 downward, the coil spring 63 urges the lock members 61R and 61L outward, and the lock pin 62 at the tip protrudes to both the left and right sides (FIG. 5 (a)). )reference).

The rotating plates 64R and 64L rotate around the rotation center 64P. More specifically, the rotating plates 64R and 64L are arranged so that their rotating surfaces (surfaces along the rotating direction) are substantially parallel to the plate surface of the operating plate 53. Then, the rotating plates 64R and 64L rotate along the sliding surface of the operation plate 53 that slides in the vertical direction. That is, the sliding surface of the operation plate 53 and the rotating surface of the rotating plates 64R and 64L are substantially parallel to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the rotating plates 64R and 64L have a first end portion 65a, a second end portion 65b, a convex portion (projection) 65c, and a hole (rotation center 64P). ) Etc. The first end portion 65a is arranged below the pressing portion 53a of the operation plate 53. The second end portion 65b is held by the rotating plate holding portion 67 of the lock members 61R and 61L.

The first end portion 65a and the second end portion 65b have an angle of 90 to 180 degrees and project in different directions from the rotation center 64P as a starting point. In the present embodiment, the distance from the rotation center 64P to the first end portion 65a is longer than the distance from the rotation center 64P to the second end portion 65b. Therefore, the rotating plates 64R and 64L have a substantially "L" shape in a plan view. However, in the present invention, the shapes of the rotating plates 64R and 64L are not limited to this.

A hole is formed in the rotation center 64P. The rotation shaft 78 of the main body 51 is inserted into this hole. As a result, the rotating plates 64R and 64L rotate in the direction of arrow R1 starting from the rotating shaft 78 (see FIG. 6B).

As described above, the rotating plates 64R / 64L are provided between the operation plate 53 and the lock members 61R / 61L. Then, it plays a role of transmitting the sliding operation of the operation plate 53 to the lock members 61R and 61L. As a result, the vertical slide movement of the operation plate 53 (arrow S1) can be changed to the horizontal movement (S2) of the lock members 61R and 61L (see FIG. 6B).

Further, a plurality of convex portions (projections) 65c are formed on the surfaces of both sides of the rotating plates 64R and 64L. These convex portions 65c are formed at positions corresponding to the rotation assisting projections (projections) 73R / 73L and 74R / 74L of the front cover 52 or the rotating plate guide members 77a / 77b of the main body portion 51. The rotation auxiliary protrusions (projections) 73R / 73L and the rotation plate guide member 77a follow the rotation locus on the second end portion 65b side of the rotation plate 64R / 64L (specifically, the second end). It is provided (at a position corresponding to the rotation locus of the convex portion 65c provided on the portion 65b side). Further, the rotation auxiliary protrusions (projections) 74R / 74L and the rotation plate guide member 77b follow the rotation locus on the first end portion 65a side of the rotation plate 64R / 64L (specifically, the first end). It is provided (at a position corresponding to the rotation locus of the convex portion 65c provided on the portion 65a side). By forming such a convex portion 65c, the rotating operation of the rotating plates 64R and 64L can be performed more smoothly.

<Operation of lock mechanism>
Subsequently, the operation of the lock mechanism 60 when attaching and detaching the dust box 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 6A, which is an enlarged view of the inside of the broken line frame of FIG. 5A, show a case where the lock mechanism 60 is in the ON state. As shown in the figure, in the ON state, the operation plate 53 is located higher, and the lock pins 62 on both the left and right sides protrude from the side walls on both the left and right sides of the main body 51. Each lock pin 62 is fitted into a hole formed in the right side wall portion 26 and the central wall portion 27 (or the central wall portion 27 and the left side wall portion 28) of the filter support 25. As a result, the dust box 22 is supported and fixed to the filter support 25.

FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 6 (b), which is an enlarged view of the inside of the broken line frame of FIG. 5 (b), show a case where the lock mechanism 60 is in the OFF state. As shown in the figure, in the OFF state, the operation plate 53 is located further down, and the lock pins 62 on both the left and right sides are inserted inside the side walls on both the left and right sides of the main body 51. As a result, the dust box 22 is disengaged from the filter support 25. Therefore, the user can remove the dust box 22 from the indoor unit 1 by turning off the lock mechanism 60.

That is, in the state where the dust box 22 is attached to the filter support 25, the lock mechanism 60 is in the ON state as shown in FIG. 5A. Then, for example, when the user removes the dust box 22 in order to dispose of the dust in the dust box 22, the user sandwiches the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the central portion in the left-right direction of the dust box 22 by hand. At this time, for example, the thumb of the user grips the recess 51a of the main body 51, and the index finger and the middle finger of the user grip the grip 53c of the operation plate 53. Then, a downward force is applied to the operation plate 53 from the index finger and the middle finger of the user, and the operation plate 53 slides downward S1 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B).

When the operation plate 53 slides downward S1, the pressing portion 53a pushes the first end portion 65a of the rotating plates 64R / 64L downward. As a result, the rotating plates 64R and 64L rotate in the direction of arrow R1 starting from the rotation center 64P (see FIG. 6B).

When the rotating plates 64R and 64L rotate in the direction of arrow R1, the second end portion 65b moves in the direction approaching the operation plate 53. In conjunction with this movement, the rotating plate holding portions 67 of the lock members 61R and 61L holding the second end portion 65b are attracted to the operation plate 53 side. As a result, the lock members 61R and 61L move in the direction approaching the operation plate 53 (arrow S2 direction) (see FIG. 6B).

Since the force in the direction of the arrow S2 is larger than the urging force of the coil spring 63 acting outward, the lock pin 62 enters the inside of the side wall of the main body 51 as shown in FIG. 5 (b). As a result, the engagement of the lock members 61R and 61L with the filter support 25 is released, and the lock mechanism 60 is turned off. Therefore, the user can remove the dust box 22.

Further, when the removed dust box 22 is reattached to the filter support 25, the user sandwiches the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the central portion of the dust box 22 in the left-right direction by hand. At this time, as in the case of removal, a downward force is applied to the operation plate 53 from the index finger and the middle finger of the user, and the operation plate 53 slides downward to S1, so that the lock mechanism 60 is turned off. (See FIG. 6 (b)). In this state, the user places the dust box 22 so as to be fitted in a predetermined position in the dust box accommodating portion 29 of the filter support 25. At this time, the user unintentionally makes the recess (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the main body 51 of the dust box 22 match the claw portion 54b provided on the bottom plate 54 of the dust box accommodating portion 29. , The dust box 22 can be attached.

Then, when the user releases his / her hand from the dust box 22, the lock pin 62 of the lock members 61R / 61L protrudes to the outside by the urging force of the coil spring 63 acting outward. As a result, the lock pin 62 is inserted into the holes of the wall portions 26, 27, and 28 of the filter support 25, and the lock mechanism 60 is turned on. At this time, the lock members 61R and 61L themselves also move outward (in the direction opposite to the arrow S2). Therefore, the operation plate 53 slides upward (in the direction opposite to the arrow S1) due to the reverse action of the removal. In this flow, the dust box 22 is attached to the filter support 25.

As described above, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment is provided with the lock mechanism 60 having the above configuration, so that the dust box 22 can be gripped once by gripping the grip portion 53c of the operation plate 53. Can be attached and detached. Therefore, when the dust box is attached and detached, the dust box can be attached and detached more easily as compared with the conventional configuration in which the attachment operation and the lock operation have to be performed in two steps.

Further, by using the rotating plates 64R / 64L as the motion transmitting mechanism, the vertical sliding motion of the operating plate 53 can be transmitted to the horizontal moving motion of the lock member 61R / 61L without waste. Therefore, for example, even when dust or fine dust is caught in the connection portion between the rotating plate 64R / 64L and the operation plate 53 or the lock member 61R / 61L, the operation can be smoothly transmitted. ..

As described above, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment has an operation panel 53 (operation unit) that slides in the vertical direction and a lock member that switches between a fixed state and an unlocked state by the vertical slide movement of the operation plate 53. It is provided with a lock mechanism 60 having 61R and 61L (locking portions). According to this configuration, the dust box 22 (dust collecting portion) can be attached and detached more easily.

<Relationship between brush wire diameter and mesh diameter>
Next, FIG. 13 (a) describes the relationship between the wire diameters of the brush bristles of the front brush 23 and the back brush (auxiliary brush) 24 and the mesh size (mesh diameter) of the filter 21 in the filter cleaning device 20 of the present embodiment. ) To (c) will be described. FIG. 13A shows a state in which the filter 21 is cleaned by using the filter cleaning device 20. Specifically, the front brush 23 and the back brush 24 provided in the filter cleaning device 20 are used to scrape off the dust and dirt D adhering to the surface of the filter 21 into the dust box 22.

As described above, during the operation of the filter cleaning device 20, the filter 21 is driven by the drive motor 24M and moves in the direction of arrow M (see FIG. 13A). At this time, the front brush 23 is driven by the drive motor 23M and rotates in the direction of arrow R1. Further, the back brush 24 arranged so as to face the front brush 23 with the filter 21 in between is also driven by the drive motor 24M and rotates in the direction of arrow R2. In the filter 21 arranged between the two brushes 23 and 24, dust and dirt adhering to the front surface are pushed out to the front side by the action of the back surface brush 24 on the back surface side. Therefore, the rotation operation on the surface of the filter 21 by the front brush 23 can scrape off the dust adhering to the filter 21 to some extent.

By the way, in order to scrape off more dust D and the like on the surface of the filter 21, it has been proposed that the front brush 23 is composed of a plurality of types of brush bristles having different wire diameters. However, if the front brush is manufactured using a plurality of types of brush bristles, there is a drawback that the manufacturing cost increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a method for scraping off more dust D on the filter 21 is examined even when the front brush 23 is configured by using one type of brush bristles.

As a result, it was confirmed that it is desirable to set the relationship between the mesh size (mesh diameter) of the filter 21 and the wire diameter of the brush bristles 23a of the front brush 23 as follows.
Mesh diameters d1 and d2 of the filter 21 (see FIG. 13B): 150 μm or more and 300 μm or less (where d1 is the inner diameter in one direction of the rectangular mesh hole, and d2 is the rectangular mesh hole. The inner diameter in the other direction of. D1 and d2 may be the same or different.)
Wire diameter d3 of the brush bristles 23a of the front brush 23 (see FIG. 13C): 50 μm or more and 100 μm or less

According to the above configuration, when the front brush 23 is rotated on the surface of the filter 21, about 9 brush bristles 23a of the front brush 23 can be accommodated in one mesh hole 21a. As a result, the dust D accumulated in the mesh hole 21a can be scraped out. Further, by setting the wire diameter d3 of the brush bristles 23a to 50 μm or more, it is possible to prevent dust from getting entangled with the brush bristles. Further, by setting the wire diameter d3 of the brush bristles 23a to 50 μm or more, the brush bristles can have a certain degree of elasticity. Therefore, the dust D scraped out from the mesh hole 21a can be efficiently knocked down into the dust box 22.

As the material of the brush bristles 23a, for example, nylon, polypropylene (PP) or the like can be used. Further, as the type of the brush bristles 23a, for example, a straight thread, a crimping thread, or the like can be adopted.

Further, in the filter cleaning device 20 of the present embodiment, it is preferable that the number of twists of the brush bristles constituting the back brush 24 is larger than the number of twists of the brush bristles 23a constituting the front brush 23. Here, the number of twists of brush bristles means the number of bristles included in a bundle. A bundle is a unit of brush bristles that are planted on the substrate (rotating roller) of the front brush 23. That is, the brush bristles 23a are embedded on the substrate in bundles (number of twists). At this time, it is preferable that the front brush 23 and the back brush 24 are made of brush bristles having the same wire diameter.

For example, the number of twists of the brush bristles 23a of the front brush 23 can be 10 or more and 30 or less. In this case, the number of twists of the brush bristles of the back brush 24 is preferably 15 or more and 40 or less.

By setting the number of twists as described above, even when the brush bristles 23a of the front brush 23 are difficult to enter the mesh of the filter 21, the back brush 24 having the brush bristles having a large number of twists pushes dust D toward the surface side. be able to. Therefore, the dust D on the surface of the filter 21 can be more easily scraped off by the front brush 23.

<About the shape of the end of the filter>
Subsequently, a more specific shape of the frame body (frame portion) 42 of the filter 21 in the filter cleaning device 20 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 (a) to 14 (e). FIG. 14A shows an end portion 42T portion of the frame body 42 of the filter 21. Here, the end portions 42T are ends located on both sides of the moving direction (traveling direction) M of the filter 21 during the operation of the filter cleaning device 20. In other words, the end portion 42T is a part (horizontal frame) of the frame body 42 (having a longitudinal direction) extending in a direction intersecting the moving direction M of the filter 21.

As shown in FIG. 14A, notches 45 are formed at both ends of the frame body 42 of the filter 21 in the left-right direction orthogonal to the moving direction M. When cleaning the filter 21, when the filter 21 advances along the arrow M shown in FIG. 13 (a), the filter 21 changes the traveling direction at the installation position of the back brush 24. That is, the filter 21 is curved at the contact surface with the back brush 24. At this time, the end portion 42T of the filter 21 is thicker than the mesh portion 41, so that it is difficult to bend. Therefore, the progress of the filter 21 may be hindered, or friction may occur between the end portion 42T of the frame body 42 of the filter 21 and the guide component provided at the end portion of the back brush 24, and an abnormal noise may be generated. There is.

However, since the notch 45 is formed at the end portion 42T of the filter 21, both ends of the end portion 42T of the filter 21 in the left-right direction are easily bent. Therefore, the progress of the filter 21 can be smoothed.

In addition, in order to obtain the same effect as the notch 45, a slit 146 can be formed at the end portion 42T of the filter 121 as shown in FIG. 14B. The slit 146 is formed over substantially the entire area in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction of the end portion 42T) of the end portion 42T of the filter 121.

Further, FIG. 14 (c) shows a modified example of the filter 121 shown in FIG. 14 (b). The filter 221 shown in FIG. 14 (c) has a plurality of slits 246 formed at its end 42T. A plurality of slits 246 are formed so as to match the arrangement of the mesh portion 41. By forming such a slit 246, it is possible to easily bend the end portion 42T of the filter 21 as the filter 21 advances.

Further, FIG. 14D shows the configuration of the end portion 42T of the filter 321 according to the further modification. A thin portion 347 is formed at the end portion 42T of the filter 321 in order to obtain the same effect as that of the notch 45. The thin-walled portion 347 can be formed, for example, by scooping the back surface of the end portion 42T of the filter 321. FIG. 14 (e) shows the cross-sectional configuration of the A-A line portion of the filter 321 shown in FIG. 14 (d). As shown in FIG. 14 (e), the thin-walled portion 347 has a smaller thickness than the other portion of the end portion 42T of the filter 321. As a result, the end portion 42T of the filter 21 can be easily bent as the filter 21 advances.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the dust box locking mechanism provided in the filter cleaning device 20 in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is different from that in the first embodiment. For other configurations, the same configurations as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the lock mechanism 160 of the filter cleaning device 20 according to the second embodiment will be mainly described. The components to which the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied are designated by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 15 shows the configuration of the filter 21 and the filter cleaning device 20 provided in the indoor unit 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the filter cleaning device 20 is mainly arranged on the front side of the filter 21. As for the configuration of the filter 21, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied.

<About filter cleaning device>
The filter cleaning device 20 includes a dust box 122 (dust collecting portion), a front brush (brush) 23, a back brush (auxiliary brush) 24, and a filter support 25 as main components. The same configuration as in the first embodiment can be applied to the constituent members other than the dust box 122.

The dust box 122 includes a main body 51, a front cover 52, a lock mechanism 160 (including an operation lever 153), and the like as main constituent members. The dust box 122 collects dust, dust, dust, etc. wiped from the surface of the filter 21 by the front brush 23 inside the dust box 122. The indoor unit 1 of the present embodiment is provided with one dust box 122 for each of the filter 21R on the right side and the filter 21L on the left side. When the left and right dust boxes are distinguished from each other, the right dust box is referred to as 122R and the left dust box is referred to as 122L (see FIG. 15). The same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied to the main body 51 and the front cover 52.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the lock mechanism 160 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18. 16 (a) and 16 (b) show the configuration of the main body 51 with the front cover 52 removed. FIG. 16A shows a locking mechanism 160 in a fixed state in which the dust box 122 is fixed to the filter support 25. Further, FIG. 16B shows the lock mechanism 160 in the released state in which the fixed state is released (that is, the state when the dust box 122 is removed from the filter support 25). As shown in FIG. 16A, the lock mechanism 160 is an upper portion of the main body 51 constituting the dust box 22, and is arranged on the back side of the front cover 52.

The lock mechanism 160 includes an operation lever (operation unit) 153, a lock member (locking unit) 161R / 161L, a coil spring 166, and the like as main constituent members. FIG. 18A shows a state in which the operation lever 153 and the lock member 161L on the left side are connected. FIG. 18B shows only the operating lever 153. FIG. 18C shows only the lock member 161L on the left side.

The operating lever 153 rotates, for example, in the direction of arrow R1 (see FIG. 16A). As shown in FIG. 18B, the operating lever 153 has a grip portion 153a, a rotating shaft 153b, a right connecting portion 171R, and a left connecting portion 171L. The grip portion 153a is a portion to which a user's hand is attached when the dust box 122 is removed and attached. The grip portion 153a rotates about the rotation shaft 153b.

The rotation shaft 153b is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, and is rotatably attached to the main body 51. A connecting portion 171R is formed at the right end of the rotating shaft 153b, and a connecting portion 171L is formed at the left end of the rotating shaft 153b. The connecting portion 171R is connected to the lock member 161R on the right side. The connecting portion 171L is connected to the lock member 161L on the left side. Each connecting portion 171R / 171L is formed with an inclined end portion 172 that is spirally inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the operating lever 153. Further, slide holes 173 are formed in each of the connecting portions 171R and 171L along the inclination of the inclined end portion 172.

The lock members 161R and 161L move in the horizontal direction (for example, in the arrow S1 direction) in conjunction with the rotational operation of the operating lever 153. By moving the lock members 161R and 161L in the horizontal direction, the fixed state in which the dust box 122 is supported and fixed to the indoor unit 1 (more specifically, the filter support 25) and the fixed state are released. It switches from the released state. Here, the fixed state is referred to as an ON state of the lock mechanism 160, and the unlocked state is referred to as an OFF state of the lock mechanism 160.

As shown in FIG. 18C, the lock member 161L has a lock pin 162, a main body shaft 163, a spring accommodating portion 164, a connecting portion 165, and the like. The lock member 161R has a symmetrical structure with the lock member 161L.

The lock pin 162 is located at the left and right ends of the lock mechanism 160. In a state where the dust box 122 is supported and fixed to the filter support 25, the lock pin 162 is inserted into any of the holes 26, 27, and 28 of the wall portions 26, 27, and 28 of the filter support 25.

The connecting portion 165 is located at the end of the lock mechanism 160 on the central side (operating lever 153 side). The connecting portion 165 of the lock member 161R constitutes a connecting portion of the operating lever 153 with the connecting portion 171R. The connecting portion 165 of the lock member 161L constitutes a connecting portion of the operating lever 153 with the connecting portion 171L. A protrusion 165a is formed on the connecting portion 165. The protrusion 165a is fitted into a slide hole 173 formed in the connecting portions 171R and 171L of the operating lever 153 (see FIG. 18A).

The main body shaft 163 and the spring accommodating portion 164 are located between the connecting portion 165 and the lock pin 162 in this order from the connecting portion 165 side. However, the arrangement of the main body shaft 163 and the spring accommodating portion 164 may be interchanged. A coil spring 166 is accommodated in the spring accommodating portion 164 (see FIG. 16A and the like).

The coil spring 166 urges the lock members 161R and 161L toward the outside. Therefore, when the user does not rotate the operation lever 153 downward, the coil spring 166 urges the lock members 161R and 161L outward, and the lock pin 162 at the tip protrudes to both the left and right sides (FIG. 16 (FIG. 16). a) See).

<Operation of lock mechanism>
Subsequently, the operation of the lock mechanism 160 when attaching and detaching the dust box 122 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

16 (a) and 17 (a), which is an enlarged view of the inside of the broken line frame of FIG. 16 (a), show a case where the lock mechanism 160 is in the ON state. As shown in the figure, in the ON state, the grip portion 153a of the operating lever 153 is located diagonally upward with respect to the rotation shaft 153b, and the lock pins 162 on both the left and right sides are the side walls on both the left and right sides of the main body 51. Each protrudes from. Each lock pin 162 is fitted into a hole formed in the right side wall portion 26 and the central wall portion 27 (or the central wall portion 27 and the left side wall portion 28) of the filter support 25. As a result, the dust box 122 is supported and fixed to the filter support 25.

16 (b) and 17 (b), which is an enlarged view of the inside of the broken line frame of FIG. 16 (b), show a case where the lock mechanism 160 is in the OFF state. As shown in the figure, in the OFF state, the operating lever 153 is located at the same height as the rotating shaft 153b (protruding forward), and the lock pins 162 on both the left and right sides are on the left and right sides of the main body 51. It goes inside the side wall of the. As a result, the dust box 122 is disengaged from the filter support 25. Therefore, the user can remove the dust box 22 from the indoor unit 1 by turning off the lock mechanism 160.

That is, in the state where the dust box 122 is attached to the filter support 25, the lock mechanism 160 is in the ON state as shown in FIG. 16A. Then, for example, when the user removes the dust box 122 in order to dispose of the dust in the dust box 122, the user sandwiches the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the central portion in the left-right direction of the dust box 122 by hand. At this time, for example, the thumb of the user grips the recess 51a of the main body 51, and the index finger and the middle finger of the user grip the grip portion 153a of the operation lever 153. Then, a downward force is applied to the grip portion 153a from the index finger and the middle finger of the user, and the operation lever 153 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 starting from the rotation shaft 153b (FIGS. 16A and 16B). )reference).

When the operating lever 153 rotates in the direction of arrow R1, the inclined end portions 172 formed on the connecting portions 171R and 171L at both left and right ends also rotate in accordance with the rotation of the rotation shaft 153b. As a result, the protrusions 165a of the lock members 161R and 161L fitted in the slide hole 173 slide in the slide hole 173 while sliding on the inclined end portion 172 that is spirally inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the operation lever 153. It moves horizontally in the direction of the arrow S1 (see FIGS. 16A, 17B, etc.). That is, the lock members 161R and 161L change their relative positions with the operating lever 153 according to the shape of the inclined end portion 172. As a result, the lock members 161R and 161L move in the direction approaching the operating lever 153 (arrow S2 direction). Then, as shown in FIG. 17B, finally, the connecting portion 171L (or 171R) of the operating lever 153 is housed in the connecting portion 165 of the lock members 161R and 161L.

As a result, the engagement of the lock members 161R and 161L with the filter support 25 is released, and the lock mechanism 160 is turned off. Therefore, the user can remove the dust box 122.

Further, when the removed dust box 22 is attached to the filter support 25 again, the user sandwiches the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the central portion of the dust box 122 in the left-right direction by hand. At this time, as in the case of removal, a downward force is applied to the grip portion 153a of the operation lever 153 from the index finger and the middle finger of the user, and the operation lever 153 rotates in the direction of arrow R1, so that the lock mechanism 160 Is in the OFF state (see FIG. 16B). In this state, the user places the dust box 122 so as to be fitted in a predetermined position in the dust box accommodating portion 29 of the filter support 25. At this time, the user unintentionally makes the recess (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the main body 51 of the dust box 122 match the claw portion 54b provided on the bottom plate 54 of the dust box accommodating portion 29. , The dust box 22 can be attached.

Then, when the user releases his / her hand from the dust box 122, the lock pin 162 of the lock member 161R / 161L protrudes to the outside by the urging force of the coil spring 166 acting outward. As a result, the lock pin 162 is inserted into the holes of the wall portions 26, 27, and 28 of the filter support 25, and the lock mechanism 160 is turned on. At this time, the lock members 161R and 161L themselves also move outward (in the direction opposite to the arrow S1). Therefore, the operating lever 153 rotates upward (in the direction opposite to the arrow R1) due to the reverse action of the removal. In this way, the dust box 122 is attached to the filter support 25.

As described above, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment is provided with the lock mechanism 160 having the above configuration, so that the dust box 122 can be gripped once by gripping the grip portion 153a of the operating lever 153. Can be attached and detached. Therefore, when the dust box is attached and detached, the dust box can be attached and detached more easily as compared with the conventional configuration in which the attachment operation and the lock operation have to be performed in two steps.

Further, in the lock mechanism 160 according to the present embodiment, inclined end portions 172 are formed on both the left and right sides of the operating lever 153, and by rotating the inclined end portion 172, the lock members 161R and 161L on the inclined end portion 172 are formed. The position of the protrusion 165a is changed. As a result, the force due to the rotational movement of the operating lever 153 can be more efficiently transmitted to the horizontal movement movement of the lock members 161R and 161L.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 19 and 20. In the third embodiment, the configuration of the dust box locking mechanism provided in the filter cleaning device 20 in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is different from that of the first embodiment. For other configurations, the same configurations as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the lock mechanism 260 of the filter cleaning device 20 according to the third embodiment will be mainly described. The components to which the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied are designated by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the filter 21 and the filter cleaning device 20 provided in the indoor unit 1 according to the third embodiment. The filter cleaning device 20 includes a dust box 22, a front brush (brush) 23, a back brush (auxiliary brush) 24, and a filter support 25 as main components. Since the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied to the schematic configuration of the filter 21 and the filter cleaning device 20, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<Structure of dust box and lock mechanism>
Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the dust box 22 and a configuration of the lock mechanism 260 for fixing the dust box 22 to the filter support 25 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the dust box 22 includes a main body 51, a front cover 252, a lock mechanism 260 (including an operation plate 253), and the like as main constituent members. The dust box 22 collects dust, dust, dust, etc. wiped from the surface of the filter 21 by the front brush 23 inside the dust box 22. Since the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied to the main body 51, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 19 shows the configuration of the back surface side of the front cover 252. The front cover 52 is attached to the upper portion on the front side of the dust box 22. A lock mechanism 260 is arranged on the back side of the front cover 52.

The lock mechanism 260 is a mechanism for fixing the dust box 22 to the indoor unit 1. In the present embodiment, the lock mechanism 260 fixes the dust box 22 to the filter support 25 installed in the indoor unit 1 in a fixed state.

On the back surface side of the front cover 52, an operation plate support portion, a convex portion (guide portion) 272R / 272L, a rotation assisting protrusion (projection), a spring support portion 275R / 275L, and the like are formed. Since the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied to the operation plate support portion and the rotation assisting protrusion, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The convex portions 272R and 272L are formed in accordance with the arrangement position of the operation plate 253 (more specifically, the guide hole 253b of the operation plate 253). The two convex portions 272R and 272L are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The spring support portions 275R and 275L are arranged below the arrangement position of the operating plate 253 that slides and moves. In the lock mechanism 260 according to the third embodiment, the right coil spring 263R is held by the spring support portion 275R and the convex portion 272R, and the left coil spring 263L is held by the spring support portion 275L and the convex portion 272L. Will be done.

The lock mechanism 260 is an upper portion of the main body portion 51 constituting the dust box 22, and is arranged on the back side of the front cover 252. FIG. 19 shows a locking mechanism 260 when the dust box 22 is fixed to the filter support 25 in a fixed state. Further, FIG. 20 shows a locking mechanism 260 when the fixed state is released (that is, a state when the dust box 22 is removed from the filter support 25).

The lock mechanism 260 includes an operation plate 253, a lock member (locking portion) 261R / 261L, a rotating plate (motion transmission mechanism) 264R / 264L, a coil spring 263R / 263L, and the like as main constituent members.

The operation plate 253 slides in the vertical direction (for example, in the direction of arrow S1 shown in FIG. 20). The operation plate 53 has a connecting portion 253a with the rotating plates 264R and 264L, a guide hole (guide portion) 253b, a grip portion 253c, and the like.

Each connecting portion 253a is connected to the rotating plates 264R and 264L. Each connecting portion 253a is formed so as to be fitted into a guide hole 264a formed at one end of the rotating plates 264R and 264L arranged on both the left and right sides. Then, when the operation plate 253 moves downward, each connecting portion 253a rotates the rotating plates 264R and 264L in the direction of arrow R1 while moving in the guide hole 264a (see FIG. 20).

The guide hole 253b is a hole formed so as to extend in the vertical direction near the left and right end portions of the operation plate 253. The convex portions 272R and 272L of the front cover 252 are fitted into the guide holes 253b, respectively. As a result, the vertical movement of the operation plate 253 is guided along the shape of the guide hole 253b. Since the operation plate 253 is formed with the two guide holes 253b, it is possible to reduce the deviation of the sliding operation of the operation plate 253 in the vertical direction.

The grip portion 253c is a portion that serves as a handle when the user attaches or detaches the dust box 22.

The lock members (locking portions) 261R and 261L move in the horizontal direction (for example, the arrow S2 direction in FIG. 20) in conjunction with the vertical slide movement of the operation plate 253. By moving the lock members 261R and 261L in the horizontal direction, the fixed state in which the dust box 22 is supported and fixed to the indoor unit 1 (more specifically, the filter support 25) and the fixed state are released. It switches from the released state. Here, the fixed state is referred to as an ON state of the lock mechanism 260, and the unlocked state is referred to as an OFF state of the lock mechanism 260.

The lock members 261R and 261L are rod-shaped members, and have lock pins 262 and connecting portions 267 at both ends of the main body shaft. The lock pin 262 is located at the left and right ends of the lock mechanism 260. In a state where the dust box 22 is supported and fixed to the filter support 25, the lock pin 262 is inserted into any of the holes 26, 27, and 28 of the wall portions 26, 27, and 28 of the filter support 25. The connecting portion 267 is located at an end portion inside the lock mechanism 260 (that is, on the operation plate 253 side). The connecting portion 267 is connected to the rotating plates 264R and 264L. More specifically, the connecting portion 267 is connected to an end portion (the other end portion) different from the end portion in which the guide hole 264a of the rotating plates 264R and 264L is formed. The connecting portion 267 is connected to the rotating plate 264R / 264L so that the rotating plate 264R / 264L can rotate from the end of the lock member 261R / 261L.

The rotating plates 264R and 264L have rotating surfaces that are substantially parallel to the plate surface of the operation plate 53 and rotate. That is, the rotating plates 64R and 64L rotate along the sliding surface of the operating plate 253 that slides in the vertical direction.

The rotating plates 264R and 264L have a substantially "L" shape in a plan view. Then, one end of the "L" shape is connected to the connecting portion 253a of the operation plate 253, and the other end of the "L" shape is connected to the connecting portion 267 of the lock members 261R and 261L. .. A guide hole 264a is formed at one end of the above.

As described above, the rotating plate 264R / 264L is provided between the operation plate 253 and the lock member 261R / 261L. Then, it plays a role of transmitting the force generated by the sliding operation of the operation plate 253 to the lock members 261R and 261L. As a result, the vertical slide movement of the operation plate 253 (arrow S1) can be changed to the horizontal movement (S2) of the lock members 261R and 261L (see FIG. 20).

The upper end of the coil springs 263R and 263L is connected to the convex portions 272R and 272L, and the lower end is connected to the spring support portions 275R and 275R. The coil springs 263R and 263L urge the operation plate 253 upward. Therefore, in a state where the user does not push down the operation plate 253, the coil springs 263R / 263L urge the operation plate 253 upward (in the direction opposite to the arrow S1) and the rotating plate 264R / 264L is indicated by an arrow. Bounce in the opposite direction of R1. As a result, a force acts on the lock members 261R and 261L toward the outside (in the direction opposite to the arrow S2), and the lock pin 262 at the tip protrudes to both the left and right sides.

<Operation of lock mechanism>
Subsequently, the operation of the lock mechanism 260 when attaching and detaching the dust box 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.

FIG. 19 shows a case where the lock mechanism 260 is in the ON state. When the lock mechanism 260 is in the ON state, the operation plate 253 is located higher, and the lock pins 262 on the left and right sides project from the side walls on the left and right sides of the main body 51, respectively. As a result, the dust box 22 is supported and fixed to the filter support 25.

FIG. 20 shows a case where the lock mechanism 60 is in the OFF state. When the lock mechanism 260 is in the OFF state, the operation plate 253 is located further down, and the lock pins 262 on both the left and right sides are inserted inside the side walls on both the left and right sides of the main body 51. As a result, the dust box 22 is disengaged from the filter support 25. Therefore, the user can remove the dust box 22 from the indoor unit 1 by turning off the lock mechanism 260.

When the dust box 22 is attached to the indoor unit 1, the lock mechanism 260 is in the ON state. Then, for example, when the user removes the dust box 22 in order to dispose of the dust in the dust box 22, the user sandwiches the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the central portion in the left-right direction of the dust box 22 by hand. At this time, for example, the thumb of the user grips the recess 51a of the main body 51, and the index finger and the middle finger of the user grip the grip portion 253c of the operation plate 253. Then, a downward force is applied to the operation plate 253 from the index finger and the middle finger of the user, and the operation plate 253 slides downward S1 (see FIG. 20).

When the operation plate 253 slides downward S1, the rotating plates 264R and 264L rotate in the direction of arrow R1 starting from the rotation center 264P (see FIG. 20). When the rotating plates 264R and 264L rotate in the direction of arrow R1, the lock members 261R and 261L move in the direction approaching the operation plate 253 (in the direction of arrow S2) (see FIG. 20).

Since the force in the direction of the arrow S2 is larger than the urging force of the coil springs 263R and 263L acting outward, the lock pin 62 enters the inside of the side wall of the main body 51. As a result, the engagement of the lock members 261R and 261L with the filter support 25 is released, and the lock mechanism 260 is turned off. Therefore, the user can remove the dust box 22.

Further, when the removed dust box 22 is reattached to the filter support 25, the user fits the removed dust box 22 into a predetermined position in the dust box accommodating portion 29 of the filter support 25 while holding the dust box 22 (that is, in the OFF state). The dust box 22 is placed as described above. At this time, the user unintentionally makes the recess (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the main body 51 of the dust box 122 match the claw portion 54b provided on the bottom plate 54 of the dust box accommodating portion 29. , The dust box 22 can be attached. Then, when the user releases the dust box 22, the lock pin 262 is pushed outward by the urging force of the coil springs 263R and 263L, and the lock mechanism 260 is turned on.

As described above, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment is provided with the lock mechanism 60 having the above configuration, so that the dust box 22 can be attached and detached by one operation of gripping the operation plate 253. It can be performed.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims. In addition, a configuration obtained by combining the configurations of different embodiments described in the present specification with each other is also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Indoor unit (of air conditioner) 20: Filter cleaning device 21: Filter 22: Dust box (dust accumulation part)
23: Front brush (brush)
24: Back brush (auxiliary brush)
42: Frame (frame part) (of filter)
45: Notch 53: Operation plate (operation unit)
53b: Guide hole (guide part)
60: Lock mechanism 61R: Lock member (locking part) (on the right side)
61L: Lock member (locking part) (on the left side)
64R: Rotating plate (on the right) (motion transmission mechanism)
64L: Rotating plate (on the left) (motion transmission mechanism)
65c: Convex part (protrusion)
72R: Convex part (guide member)
72L: Convex part (guide member)
122: Dust box (dust accumulation part)
153: Operation lever (operation unit)
161R: Lock member (locking part) (on the right side)
161L: Lock member (locking part) (on the left side)
172: Inclined end 160: Lock mechanism 253: Operation plate (operation unit)
260: Lock mechanism 261R: Lock member (locking part) (on the right side)
261L: Lock member (locking part) (on the left side)
347: Thin wall part d1: Mesh diameter (inner diameter in one direction)
d2: Mesh diameter (inner diameter in the other direction)
d3: Wire diameter (of brush bristles)

Claims (11)

An indoor unit with an indoor heat exchanger and
A filter through which air taken in from the outside passes,
An air conditioner including a dust collecting portion for collecting dust adhering to the filter.
The dust collecting portion has a lock mechanism for fixing to the indoor unit.
The lock mechanism is
An operation unit that slides up and down,
The operation unit has a locking portion that switches between a fixed state in which the dust collecting portion is fixed to the indoor unit and a released state in which the fixed state is released by sliding movement in the vertical direction. ,
The operation unit is arranged at the upper end of the main body of the dust accumulation unit.
The dust is formed by pressing the operation portion downward while sandwiching the region corresponding to the operation portion and the operation portion by hand, which is a region located at the lower end portion of the main body portion facing the upper end portion. Air conditioning that enables the dust collecting portion to be removed from the indoor unit by switching to the released state while grasping the collecting portion and then moving the dust collecting portion in the front-rear direction while hanging a finger on the operating portion. Machine. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the operating portion has a plate shape whose upper end is thin in the front-rear direction. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operating unit has a recess at the upper end. The locking portion moves in the horizontal direction and
The locking mechanism further comprises an operation transmission mechanism for changing the vertical sliding movement of the operating portion to the horizontal movement of the locking portion, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The described air conditioner. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lock mechanism further includes a guide portion for guiding the vertical movement of the operation portion. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the motion transmission mechanism rotates along a sliding surface of the operation unit. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein a protrusion is provided on the surface of the motion transmission mechanism along the rotation direction. The dust collecting portion is provided with a brush for scraping off dust adhering to the filter.
The mesh diameter of the filter is 150 μm or more and 300 μm or less, and
The wire diameter of the brush bristles constituting the brush is 50 μm or more and 100 μm or less.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7. An auxiliary brush is further provided at a position facing the brush with the filter in between.
The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the number of twists of the brush bristles constituting the auxiliary brush is larger than the number of twists of the brush bristles constituting the brush. The filter is configured to be movable with respect to the dust collecting portion.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the frame portion extending in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the filter is provided with notches at both ends. The filter is configured to be movable with respect to the dust collecting portion.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a thin-walled portion is formed in a frame portion extending in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the filter along the longitudinal direction of the frame portion.

Images