JPH08320133A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] The appearance is improved by effectively preventing the occurrence of a gap between the front panel and the rear plate, and the dust from the air conditioner is improved from the joint. Effectively prevents the air flow efficiency and heat exchange efficiency from decreasing due to air intrusion or air suction. In an air conditioner 11 having a rear plate 12 that closes a rear opening end 13a of a front panel forming at least an air intake grill, a rear plate 12 is provided with a front panel 13.
Are attached so as to cover the rear plate 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an indoor unit such as a split type air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of a split type small air conditioner of this type, there is one configured as shown in FIGS. This air conditioner 1 is a rear plate 2 attached to a mounting wall (not shown) (see FIGS. 13 and 14).
The indoor unit main body 4 is configured by attaching the rear opening end of the front panel 3 to one end of the indoor unit so that the indoor unit main body 4 is detachably mounted. Etc. are built in.

The front panel 3 has a suction grill 5 for sucking indoor air into the indoor unit body 4 substantially in the center of the front panel 3, and an air-conditioning air blowing grill 6 at the lower front portion.
Is formed.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional air conditioner 1, as shown in the partially enlarged vertical sectional view of FIG. 15, the locking groove 2a formed in the front end surface of the rear plate 2 is used.
Since the locking projection 3a at the rear opening end of the front panel 3 is fitted inside and the rear opening end of the front panel 3 is connected to the front end surface of the rear plate 2 in a state of being abutted, As shown in the figure, there is a problem in that a gap g is generated in the joint portion between the rear plate 2 and the front panel 3 and the appearance is impaired.

In addition, dust or the like may enter the indoor unit body 4 from the gap g and adhere to the electric parts or the like, which may cause inconvenience.

Further, when the gap g is large, the room air may be sucked into the indoor unit body 4 from the gap g, which may lower both ventilation and heat exchange efficiency.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to effectively prevent a gap from being generated at the joint portion between the front panel and the rear plate, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance, and from the joint portion to the inside of the air conditioner. This is to effectively prevent the inflow of air and the efficiency of heat exchange from being lowered by the intrusion of dust or the inhalation of air.

[0008]

An air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner having a rear plate for closing a rear opening end of a front panel forming at least an air intake grill. The front panel is attached to a plate so as to cover the rear plate.

A second aspect of the invention is the invention according to the first aspect, further comprising a groove formed on the outer surface of the front panel.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein a reinforcing rib is further formed inside the front panel so as to correspond to the groove on the outer surface thereof.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2, further comprising at least one of the notch and the thin portion of the knockout formed by inserting the notch and the thin portion at a predetermined pitch in the front panel. The part is formed so as to overlap a part of the groove.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the invention according to the second or third aspect, further including a groove of the front panel or a reinforcing rib formed corresponding to the groove and an engaging portion of the rear plate. The locking portion of the front panel to be stopped is integrally formed.

The invention of claim 6 is the invention of claim 2, wherein the surface treatment or material of the front panel is changed with the groove as a boundary.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 5, wherein the pair of locking portions which are respectively formed on the front panel and the rear plate and are engaged with and disengageable from each other are provided on the front panel. It is configured to be detachably locked in the direction of external fitting by being pushed into the rear plate, and also to be locked in the direction of restricting outward bulging of the front panel in the locked state.

The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein when the pair of locking portions of the front panel and the rear plate are locked, the locking prevention member prevents the locking from being disengaged. It has a stop.

[0016]

In each of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the front panel is attached to the rear plate so as to cover the rear plate without abutting the front panel on the rear plate. It is possible to prevent a gap from being generated at the joint portion with the panel.

For this reason, the appearance of the air conditioner can be improved, and dust is introduced into the air conditioner or the air is sucked into the air conditioner from the joint between the rear plate and the front panel. It is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in efficiency or heat exchange efficiency.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the groove is formed on the outer surface of the front panel, a visual accent can be added by the groove, and the rear plate is covered as in the invention of the first aspect. Even if an air conditioner having such a front panel is formed to have a long depth, it does not feel like an extension and can be thinned apparently, so that the aesthetic appearance can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the reinforcing rib is formed on the inner surface of the front panel, the mechanical strength of the front panel can be enhanced by the rib even when the width and depth of the front panel are long. You can

Further, since the reinforcing ribs are formed corresponding to the grooves on the outer surface, the thickness of the portion where the reinforcing ribs are formed can be reduced by the amount of the groove, and the sink marks generated at the time of molding a thick wall. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of (recesses).

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, part of the groove is shared with part of the notch line of the knockout, so that the knockout and the groove are easily formed as compared with the case where these are formed separately. is there.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the groove of the front panel or the reinforcing rib formed corresponding to this groove and the engaging portion are integrally formed, the rib and the engaging portion can be formed. This is easier than forming them separately.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the surface treatment or the material is changed at the front panel groove as a boundary to visually attach the accent. The front panel looks thin and the appearance can be improved.

Further, the lower bottom surface of the front panel is a portion which serves as a cover for covering the pipe accommodating portion, and if the material of this portion is weak, the front panel also expands due to the expansion of the pipe. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the lower bottom portion of the front panel from expanding by using a material having high rigidity as the material from the groove to the rear opening end.
However, since a high-rigidity material generally has a heavy weight, it is possible to prevent the weight of the entire front panel from being increased by using a lighter material in the front portion than the groove which does not require high rigidity.

According to the invention of claim 7, since the pair of locking portions of the front panel and the rear plate are locked also in the direction of restricting outward bulging of the front panel, the bulging of the front panel is effectively performed. Can be prevented.

According to the invention of claim 8, when the pair of locking portions of the front panel and the rear plate are locked with each other, the locking portion for preventing disengagement is provided to prevent the locking from being disengaged. So
It is possible to effectively prevent the front panel from coming off the rear plate.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an indoor unit 12 of a split type small air conditioner 11, and FIGS. 2A to 2C are front views of the same. FIG. 2 is a plan view and a bottom view. In these drawings, the air conditioner 11 has a rear opening end 13a of a front panel 13 in the shape of a square cylinder with a cover on an outer peripheral surface 12a of a rear plate 12 fixed to a wall surface (not shown). The indoor unit main body 14 is configured by tightly fitting and mounting.

An indoor fan, an indoor heat exchanger, etc., which are not shown, are built in the indoor unit body 14, and this indoor heat exchanger is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit via a refrigerant pipe (not shown). There is.

The front panel 13 is located substantially in the center of the front surface.
A suction grill 15 for sucking indoor air into the indoor unit main body 14 is opened with a predetermined width, while a blow-out grill 16 for blowing the conditioned air heat-exchanged by an indoor heat exchanger (not shown) into the room at the lower end of the front surface. To form a knockout 17 through which a refrigerant pipe or the like can be inserted. Figure 2
The lower bottom surface 13b of the front panel 13 shown in (C) serves as a cover for a pipe housing such as a refrigerant pipe (not shown), and the lower bottom surface may bulge outward due to expansion of the pipe.

The knockout 17 is formed by inserting the cut lines 17a along a predetermined shape at a predetermined pitch and connecting the closing plates 17b by a plurality of remaining thin portions (not shown) so that the knockouts 17 are always closed. In accordance with the above, the thin portion is cut to separate the closing plate 17b from the front panel 13 so that the opening can be opened easily and quickly.

Then, as shown in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3, the rear plate 12 is bent at its outer peripheral surface 12a inward, for example, at a substantially right angle to form a hook-shaped engaging end 12a. The locking end 12a is engaged with and disengages in the opening of the hook-shaped locking projection 13b on the inner surface of the rear opening end 13a of the front panel 13 so as to be engaged and disengaged. Hook-shaped locking protrusion 13
b is projectingly provided on the inner surface of the rear opening end 13a of the front panel 13 so as to project inward, and its free front end is provided at the rear plate 12.
This hook-shaped locking projection 1
1b of FIG. 1 and the inner surface of the rear opening portion 13a of FIG. 3b, a required gap that opens toward the rear plate 12 is formed. The hook-shaped locking end portion 12a of the rear plate 12 is closely packed in this gap. To secure the front panel 13 to the rear plate 12 and at the same time to the rear plate 12
The outer peripheral surface of the hook-shaped locking end portion 12a, which is the outer peripheral side surface of, is covered.

That is, according to the present embodiment, the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface 12a of the rear plate 12 or at least a part thereof is covered with the rear opening end 13a of the front panel 13 and overlaps the inside and outside. It is possible to effectively prevent a gap from being formed in the joining portion between the front panel 13 and the rear plate 12.

Therefore, the appearance of the indoor unit body 14 can be improved and the front panel 1 can be improved.
3 from the mating portion of the rear plate 12 and dust from the indoor unit body 1
4 invades into the inside of the indoor unit body 14 to cause inconvenience, and air is sucked into the indoor unit main body 14 from such a joint portion to lower the ventilation efficiency of the indoor fan and the heat exchange efficiency of the indoor heat exchanger. It is possible to effectively prevent the decrease.

Further, the hook-shaped locking projection 13 of the front panel 13
Since the outer peripheral surface of the front panel 1 is engaged with and locked by the hook-shaped locking end 12a of the rear plate 12, the front panel 1
3 can be effectively prevented from bulging outward and floating.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the hook-shaped locking projection 13b of the front panel 13 and the hook-shaped locking end portion 1 of the rear plate 12 are provided.
The front panel 13 and the rear plate 12 may be provided with a locking protrusion 13c and a locking step 12b for preventing the engagement from disengaging when the 2a is engaged.

The locking projection 13c is provided on the inner surface of the rear opening end 13a of the front panel 13 so as to project inward slightly to the left of FIG. A substantially right-angled triangle is formed, and its inclined surface 13c1 is directed toward the rear plate 12 side, while its substantially vertical surface 13c2 is arranged on the front surface side of the front panel 31.

On the other hand, the locking step portion 12b is flexibly projected on the inner surface of the rear plate 12 and has a jaw that bends at a substantially right angle. In order to fix the front panel 13 to the rear plate 12, It is pushed toward the rear plate 12 side, and the hook-shaped projection 13b and the hook-shaped hooking end 12
The vertical surface 13 of the locking projection 13c when locking a with
The jaw is locked at c2, and the front panel 13 is restricted from moving to the opposite side of the rear plate 12.

Therefore, the hook-shaped locking projection 13 of the front panel 13 is formed by the locking projection 13c and the locking step portion 12b.
It is possible to prevent disengagement between b and the hook-shaped locking end 12a of the rear plate 12.

Further, as another example of the structure of the engaging portion between the front panel 13 and the rear plate 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner surface of the rear opening end 13 of the front panel 13 is bent in a substantially L shape. While the free locking claw 13d is projected, the locking claw 13d is also provided.
The engaging portion 12c that engages with and disengages from the rear plate 12 may be formed integrally with the outer peripheral end portion of the rear plate 12 in place of the hook-shaped engaging end portion 12a.

The locking claw 13d of the front panel 13 is integrally provided with a locking projection 13e having a substantially triangular cross section at its tip.

On the other hand, the engaging portion 12c of the rear plate 12 is the locking claw 1
While slightly bending 3d slightly downward in FIG. 5, an engaging hole 12d for inserting the locking projection 13e at the tip thereof is formed, and the locking projection 13e is inserted through the engagement hole 12d. After that, the locking claw 13d bends slightly upward in FIG. 5 due to the restoring force and returns to the original position, so that the jaw of the locking projection 13e is caught on the peripheral edge of the engaging hole 12c. ing.

Therefore, also by this, the front panel 1
3 and the rear plate 12 can be prevented from disengaging, and the front panel 13 can be prevented from bulging outward and rising.

6 to 8 are a plan view, a side view and a bottom view of the second embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, the air conditioner 21 of the second embodiment shows the outer surface of the front panel 13. The main feature is that a slit 22 of a groove having a predetermined width and depth is formed so as to make one round so as to be divided into a front portion and a rear portion in the depth direction.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the slit 22 is formed so as to go around the outer peripheral surface of the front panel 13 at a portion d (d ≦ D / 2) within 1/2 of the depth dimension D of the front panel 13, for example. Has been formed. Therefore, this slit 2
Since 2 becomes a visual accent, even if the depth of the front panel 13 becomes long, there is no feeling of extension, and the front panel 31 can be made to appear thin in appearance.

A part of the slit 22 is a cut line 23 of the knockouts 23 and 24 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
a, 24a or a part of the thin portion overlaps. The knockouts 23, 24 are formed on the lower side surfaces and the bottom surface of the front panel 13, and are always formed by inserting the cut lines 23a, 24a around the obstruction plates 23b, 24b at a predetermined pitch leaving a thin portion having a small width (not shown). Are closed, but if necessary, these thin-walled portions are cut to close the blocking plates 23b, 24.
It can be easily opened by removing b,
A pipe or the like can be inserted through the opening.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the slits 2 are formed on the inner surface of the front panel 13, for example, on the side surface and the bottom surface.
The reinforcing ribs 25 and 26 are integrally provided on the inner side of 2 to prevent the front panel 13 from being elongated in the depth D direction and decreasing in strength.
The front panel 1 is provided with slits 22 inside 5, 26.
Since the thickness of 3 is prevented from increasing, sink marks can be prevented from being generated when the plastic front panel 13 is molded, and the appearance can be improved. Further, for example, a hook claw 27 may be integrally formed on the reinforcing rib 25 on the side surface as shown in FIG.

Further, the surface treatment or material of the front panel 13 may be changed before and after the slit 22 as a boundary so that the thickness of the front panel 13 may be visually reduced. However, when the material is changed with the slit 22 as a boundary, the lower bottom portion of the front panel 13 serves as a cover for the pipe housing portion. Therefore, by using a highly rigid material for the cover portion, the expansion of the pipe can be prevented. The expansion of the front panel 13 due to the above can be suppressed. Since a material having high rigidity is generally heavy, a light material is used for the front portion which does not require high rigidity.

[0049]

As described above, the claims 1 to 8 of the present application are described.
In each invention, since the front panel is not attached to the rear plate by abutting, but the front panel is attached to the rear plate so as to cover the rear plate, a gap is formed between the rear plate and the front panel. It can be prevented from occurring.

For this reason, the appearance of the air conditioner can be improved, and dust is introduced into the air conditioner or the air is sucked into the air conditioner from the joint between the rear plate and the front panel. It is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in efficiency or heat exchange efficiency.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the groove is formed on the outer surface of the front panel, it is possible to visually add an accent by the groove, and the depth of the air conditioner is long. , The feeling of being stretched out,
The appearance can be improved because it can be made thinner apparently.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the reinforcing rib is formed on the inner surface of the front panel, the mechanical strength of the front panel can be enhanced by this rib even when the width and depth of the front panel are long. You can

Further, since the reinforcing ribs are formed corresponding to the grooves on the outer surface, the thickness of the portion where the reinforcing ribs are formed can be reduced by the amount of the groove, and the sink marks generated at the time of molding a thick wall. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of (recesses).

According to the invention of claim 4, a part of the groove corresponding to the reinforcing rib is also used as a part of the cutout line of the knockout. Therefore, when these knockout and groove are formed separately from each other. Is easier than.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the groove of the front panel or the reinforcing rib formed corresponding to this groove and the engaging portion are integrally formed, the groove or the groove is correspondingly formed. It is easier to form the ribs and the engaging portions to be formed, compared with the case where they are formed separately, and even if the ribs and the engaging portions are formed thick, sink marks (recesses) do not occur.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the surface treatment or the material is changed at the groove of the front panel as a boundary to visually attach the accent. The front panel looks thin and the appearance can be improved.

Further, the lower bottom surface of the front panel is a portion that serves as a cover for covering the pipe accommodating portion, and if the material of this portion is weak, the front panel also expands due to the expansion of the pipe. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the lower bottom portion of the front panel from expanding by using a material having high rigidity as the material from the groove to the rear opening end.
However, since a high-rigidity material generally has a heavy weight, it is possible to prevent the weight of the entire front panel from being increased by using a lighter material in the front portion than the groove which does not require high rigidity.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the pair of locking portions of the front panel and the rear plate also lock in the direction that restricts outward bulging of the front panel, the bulging of the front panel is effectively performed. Can be prevented.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when the pair of locking portions of the front panel and the rear plate are locked to each other, the locking portion for preventing disengagement is provided to prevent the locking from being disengaged. So
It is possible to effectively prevent the front panel from coming off the rear plate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a first embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

2A is a partially omitted perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.
(B) is a plan view of (A) of the same figure, (C) is a bottom view of (A) of the same figure.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of an engaging portion shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of another modification of the engaging portion shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of still another modified example of the engaging portion shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view of an example of reinforcing ribs according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of another example of the reinforcing rib of the first and second embodiments according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of still another example of the reinforcing rib of the first and second embodiments according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a conventional example.

13 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of an engagement portion of the conventional example shown in FIG.

16 is a side view of the conventional example shown in FIG. 12 and the like.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 21 Air conditioner 12 Rear plate 12a Outer peripheral surface of rear plate (hook-like locking end) 12c Engagement part 12d Engagement hole 13 Front panel 13a Rear opening end 13b Hook-like locking projection 13c Disengagement prevention member Stop projection 13c1 Sloping surface 13c2 Vertical surface 13d Locking claw 14 Indoor unit body 15 Suction grill 16 Blow-out grill 17,23,24 Knockout 22 Slit (groove) 25,26 Reinforcing rib type

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner having a rear plate that closes a rear open end of a front panel forming at least an air intake grill, wherein the rear plate covers the front panel. An air conditioner characterized by being installed. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed on the outer surface of the front panel. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein a reinforcing rib is formed inside the front panel so as to correspond to a groove on the outer surface of the front panel. 4. A front panel, wherein at least a part of the notch and the thin portion of the knockout formed by making the notch and the thin portion at a predetermined pitch are formed so as to overlap a part of the groove. The air conditioner according to claim 2, which is characterized in that. 5. The groove of the front panel or the reinforcing rib formed corresponding to this groove and the engaging portion of the front panel engaged with the engaging portion of the rear plate are integrally formed. The air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that. 6. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the surface treatment or material of the front panel is changed with the groove as a boundary. 7. A pair of locking portions formed respectively on the front panel and the rear plate and releasably locked to each other are removably locked in the pushing direction of the front panel to the rear plate. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein in the locked state, the front panel is also locked in a direction that restricts outward bulging. 8. The air according to claim 7, further comprising a disengagement preventing engagement portion for preventing disengagement of the engagement when the pair of engagement portions of the front panel and the rear plate are engaged. Harmony machine.