AIR CONDITIONER

Abstract: An indoor unit (1) included in an air conditioner has an indoor heat exchanger (11a), a filter frame (5) disposed adjacent to the front surface of the indoor heat exchanger (11a), and a filter case (7) detachably attached to the front surface of the filter frame (5). A handle (34) is formed on a lower part of the filter case (7) and defines an opening (34a) opening toward the heat exchanger (11a). A barrier (50) is formed on the filter frame (5) so as to lie between the handle (34) of the filter case (7) as attached to the filter frame (5), and the heat exchanger (11a). The barrier (50) of the filter frame (5) prevents finger tips from touching the heat exchanger (11a) when attaching the filter case (7) to and removing the same from the filter frame (5) and facilitates grasping the handle (34).

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to air conditioner and, more particularly, to an air conditioner having an indoor heat exchanger, a filter frame disposed in front of the indoor heat exchanger, and a filter case disposed on and detachably attached to the front surface of the filter frame and provided with a handle by which the filter case is gripped when removing the filter case from and attaching the same to the filter frame. BACKGROUND ART Referring to Fig. 12, an indoor unit included in a conventional air conditioner has an indoor heat exchanger 110, and a filter case 107 disposed in front of the indoor heat exchanger 110 and detachably attached to a frame. The filter case 107 is internally provided with an air cleaner of an electrostatic precipitation type having a discharge unit 170 and a dust connecting unit 172. Room air sucked through a suction grille 102 flows through a prefilter 130 and then flows through the filter case 107. Dust contained in the room air is collected by electrostatic precipitation while the room air flows through the filter case 107. In such an air conditioner, the whole filter case 107 must be removed from the indoor unit and washed once every proper period. Therefore, the filter case 107 is formed so as to be fixedly held on a filter frame, not shown, and to be removed from the filter frame for washing. As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the filter case 107 is provided, at a lower part thereof, with a handle 134. The handle 134 is gripped by the hand when handling the filter case 107. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the handle 134 has a handle body 135 having the shape of a frame, and barriers 136 and 137 formed on the side of the heat exchanger 110 with respect to the handle body 135. The barriers 136 and 137 has a plurality of bars to protect fingertips from being injured by the fins of the heat exchanger 110 when gripping the handle body 135 by the hand. The outer barrier 136 lies outside the handle body 135, and the inner barrier 137 lies inside the handle body 135. The following problems reside in the foregoing conventional air conditioner. As shown in Fig. 14, the depth of a part which can be gripped by the hand of the handle body of the handle 134 smaller then the overall depth H of the handle 134 by a dimension corresponding to the thickness h of the barriers 136 and 137. Therefore, it is difficult to grip the handle body 135 by the hand when removing the filter case 107 from the indoor unit. The handle body 135 cannot firmly be grasped by wrapping the hand around the handle body 135 because the inner barrier 137 lies inside the handle body 135. Accordingly, it is difficult to carry the filter case 107 after removing the same from the indoor unit and to dip and shake the filter case 107 in water to clean the whole filter case 107. Such an air conditioner is disclose in JP-A-01134137. The present invention has been made in view of those problems and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner having a filter case provided with a handle which can easily be gripped by the hand without making fingertips touch a heat exchangers. JP 03059327 describes an air conditioner having an indoor heat exchanger and a filter. The present invention provides an air conditioner comprising an indoor heat exchangerhaving a front surface; a filter frame disposed in front of the front surface of the heat exchanger and having a front surface; and a filter case housing a dust-collecting filter, and detachably attached to the front surface of the filter frame, wherein the filter case is provided with, on each side thereof, a guiding projection and a supporting projections, and at a lower part thereof, a handle defining an open space having front and back open ends, the back open and facing the front surface of the heat exchanger when the filter case is attached to the filter frame, and the filter frame includes a pair of filter-holding brackets each having a guiding part for guiding the guiding projection of the filter case and a holding part for holding the supporting projection of the filter case, the holding part retaining the supporting projection pressed toward the front surface of the heat exchanger and releasing the supporting projection pulled away from the front surface of the heat exchanger; and a barrier having a shape substantially resembling a flat plate and interposed between the handle of the filter case and the front surfaces of the heat exchanger when the filter case is attached to the filter frame, the barrier being formed with the openings each having a size small enough to prevent finger tips from reaching the heat exchanger therethrough. According to the present invention, the open space is formed inside the handle of the filter case and hence the handle can firmly be grasped by wrapping the hand around it. Since the barrier is interposed between the handle of the filter case and the heat exchanger when the filter case is attached to the front surface of the filter frame, the barrier prevents the fingertips from touching the heat exchanger when removing the filter case from and attaching the same to the filter frame. Since the barrier is formed on the filter frame instead of on the handle, the handle can be formed in a sufficient depth and hence the fingers can be inserted deep in the open space defined by the handle. Accordingly, the handle of the filter case can easily be grasped without making fingertips touch the heat exchanger to handle the filter case, and hence work for removing the filter case from and attaching the same to the filter frame is facilitated. Since the handle of the filter case can firmly be grasped by the hand, the filter case can easily be carried and can easily be dipped and shook in water to wash the whole filter case. According to the present invention, the barrier is formed in a shape substantially resembling a flat plate. According to the present invention, the barrier may be a lattice having a plurality of openings or a grille having a plurality of bars. Such a barrier is advantageous in securing an air conditioning ability because the barrier allows room air to flow therethrough toward the heat exchanger. According to the present invention, when the barrier is a lattice having a plurality of openings or a grille having a plurality of bars, the size of the openings of the lattice or the size of openings between the bars of the grille is small enough to prevent fingertips from reaching the heat exchanger through the openings or the spaces. When the openings of the lattice or the grille are formed in such a size, room air is able to flow through the lattice or the grille toward the heat exchanger and fingertips are prevented from touching the heat exchanger. According to the present invention, the barrier may be formed integrally with the filter frame. According to the present invention, the filter contained in the filter case may be a dust collector included in an electrostatic precipitation air cleaner, and the filter case may internally be provided with a discharger included in the electrostatic precipitation air cleaner. According to the present invention, it is preferable that the handle of the filter case has a wavy inside surface to enable an operator to grasp the handle firmly with the fingers in close contact with the wavy inside surface of the handle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a plan view of an indoor unit included in an air conditioner in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, showing a filter case included in the indoor unit in a state where a suction grille is opened and a prefilter is removed; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the filter case of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, shown in Fig. 1, showing a state where the filter case is removed; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the indoor unit in the state shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, shown in Fig. 1, showing a state where the suction grill is closed; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, shown in Fig. 1, showing a state where the suction grill is opened; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, shown in Fig. 1 of assistance in explaining a method of removing an air cleaning filter after opening an indoor panel; Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken across a filter holding plate included in a filter frame included in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, shown in Fig. 1 showing the positional relation between the filter case, the filter frame, a front panel and an indoor heat exchanger; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing a procedure for removing the filter case from the filter frame; Figs. 10a and 10b are plan views of modifications of the filter frame included in the air conditioner shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 11 is a perspective view of assistance in explaining a method of washing a filter case ; Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a part including an air cleaning filter of a conventional air conditioner; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a filter case included in the air conditioner shown in Fig. 12; and Fig. 14 is an enlarged sectional view of a handle included in the filter case shown in Fig. 12. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figs. 1 to 11 illustrate an air conditioner in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. Fig. 7 shows an indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner in a state where a suction grille 2 on the front side 1a of the indoor unit 1 is opened, a prefilter 3 is removed, and a filter case 7 and a deodorizing filter 9 are removed from a filter frame attached to the body of the indoor unit 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner. Fig. 5 shows the indoor unit 1 in a state where the suction grille is closed, and Fig. 6 shows the indoor unit 1 in a state where the suction grille 2 is opened. Referring to Fig. 5, a dust filtering unit 10 is disposed in a front upper part of the interior of the indoor unit 1, and indoor heat exchangers 11a, 11b and 11c are disposed behind the dust filtering unit 10, and a fan 12 is disposed in a central part of the interior of the indoor unit 1. Drain pans 13 and 13a are placed below the indoor heat exchangers 11a and 11b. An outlet opening 14 is formed below the drain pan 13 and the outlet opening 14 is covered with a movable louver. The indoor unit 1 is covered entirely with a front panel 30, and an upper grille 2a is placed on an upper surface of the front panel 30. When the fan 12 operates, air is sucked from the room through the suction grille 2 and the upper grille 2a into the indoor unit 1. Prefilter 3 separates large dust and the like from the air, the dust filter unit 10 separates dust from the air, the deodorizing filter 9 deodorizes the air; and the indoor heat exchangers 11a, 11b and 11c exchange heat with the air. A refrigerant is supplied into refrigerant tubes included in the indoor heat exchangers 11a,11b and 11c by an outdoor unit, not shown. The refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant tubes in directions specified respectively for a cooling mode and a heating mode. The air exchanged heat with the heat exchangers 11a, 11b and 11c is returned through the outlet opening 14 into the room. Water produced by condensing moisture contained in the air on the indoor heat exchangers 11a, 11b and 11c flows to the drain pan 13 and 13a and is discharged outside the room. The dust filtering unit 10 will be described below. The dust filtering unit 10 has a filter frame 5 having the shape of a panel and attached to the body of the indoor unit 1, and a filter case 7 detachably attached to the filter frame 5. As shown in Figs. 1 or 7, the deodorizing filter 5 is detachably attached in a part of the filter frame 5 on the left-hand side of the filter case 7. As shown in Fig. 2, the filter case 7 has a sideways long rectangular shape. A handle 34 is formed on a lower part of the filter case 7. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the handle 34 defines an open space 34a extending from the front to the back of the handle 34 and opening toward the heat exchanger 11a in a state where the filter case 7 is attached to the filter frame 5. As shown in Fig. 2, the handle 34 has a wavy inside surface 36 which facilitates positioning fingers when the hand is put on the handle 34. As shown in Fig. 5, the filter case 7 contains a discharge unit 70 and a filter 72 included in an electrostatic precipitation air cleaner to collect electrically dust and the like passed through the prefilter. As shown in Fig. 3, the filter frame 5 is provided at one end thereof with a mounting lug 15. The mounting lug 15 is fastened to the front end plate of the indoor heat exchanger 11a placed in the body of the indoor unit 1 with a screw. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a peripheral frame member 5a of the filter frame 5 is covered from the front side of the indoor unit 1 by a grille 30a of the front panel 30 and is pressed backward (shaded part in Fig. 3). Thus, the filter frame 5 is fixedly held on the body of the indoor unit 1 by the mounting lug 15, and the peripheral frame member 5a is covered with and pressed by the grille 30a to restrain the peripheral frame member 5a from floating and vibrating during operation. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, a barrier 50 of a synthetic resin is formed by molding integrally with the filter frame 5 so as to protrude from a lower part of the filter frame 5. As shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 8, the barrier 50 is interposed between the handle 34 of the filter case 7 and the heat exchanger 11a when the filter case 7 is attached to the front surface of the filter frame 5. A recess is formed on the front panel 30 at a position corresponding to the barrier 50 formed integrally with the filter frame 5. As best shown in Fig. 8, it is desirable that the barrier 50 has a thickness approximately equal to that of the peripheral frame member 5a of the filter frame 5. The barrier 50 having such a thickness enables the effective use of a space having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the filter frame 5 and formed between the filter case 7 and the heat exchanger 11a, and does not affect the thickness of parts lying at a position corresponding to the handle 34 of the filter case 7 (Fig. 5). The front panel 30 may be extended to a position corresponding to the barrier 50 instead of forming the barrier 50 integrally with the filter frame 5. However, the front panel 30, unlike the filter frame 5, must be spaced a sufficient distance apart from the heat exchanger 11a because the front panel 30 extends down near to the outlet opening 14 and it is necessary to prevent the flow of condensed water produced by the cooling effect of the heat exchange 11a along the front panel 30 to the outlet opening 14. Therefore, the foregoing space cannot effectively be used and the depth of a space into which fingers can be inserted through the open space 34a of the handle 34 is reduced if the front panel 30 spaced from the heat exchanger 11a is extended to a position corresponding to the barrier 50. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the barrier 50 has a plurality of bars 52 and openings 54 formed between the adjacent bars 52 to enable room air to flow through the barrier 50 toward the heat exchanger 11a. A barrier 50A provided with a plurality of openings 56 as shown in Fig. 10a may be employed instead of the barrier 50. The openings 54 of the barrier 50 or the opening 56 of the barrier 50A are formed in a size which prevents fingertips from touching the heat exchanger 11a through the openings 54 or 56. A barrier 50B having a shape substantially resembling a flat plate as shown in Fig. 10b may be used. However, it is preferable to use the barrier 50 or 50A having the openings allowing room air to flow therethrough to the heat exchanger in view of securing the air conditioning ability of the air conditioner. An attaching structure for attaching the filter case 7 to the filter frame 5 will be described below. As shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, filter holding brackets 20 protrude from the opposite side ends of the filter frame 5 on which the filter case 7 is mounted. As shown in Fig. 2, the filter case 7 is provided on each of its opposite side walls with a supporting projection 31 and a guiding projection 32 spaced upward a predetermined distance from the supporting projection 31. As shown in Fig. 8 or 9, the supporting projection 31 has a cylindrical shape, and the guiding projection 32 has a cylindrical upper part 32a (back part) and a flat lower part 32b having the shape of a plate and extending toward the front. As shown in Fig. 4, the filter holding bracket 20 has a holding part 22 and a guiding part 24. The holding part 22 is provided with a holding groove 22b extending from an opening 22a from the front side 1a toward the back side of the indoor unit 1. A hook 22c is formed in an upper region of the holding groove 22b, and a holding projection 22d is formed in a lower region of the holding groove 22b. The filter holding brackets 20 and the filter frame 5 are formed of a synthetic resin in an integral member. The hook 22c is elastic and can vertically and slightly be bent by applying a force thereto. The holding projection 22d is strong and scarcely subject to deformation. As shown in Fig. 8, the supporting projections 31 of the filter case 7 are inserted from the openings 22a in the holding grooves 22b and each supporting projection 31 is held in place between the hook 22c and the holding projection 22d. When the suction grille 2 is opened, the openings 22a of the holding parts 22 are exposed on the front surface of the body of the indoor unit 1 and can easily be recognized. Each guiding part 24 has an opening 24a contiguous with the opening 22a and opening obliquely downward toward the front side 1a of the body of the indoor unit 1, and a groove 24b extending obliquely upward toward the back from the opening 24a. The bottom surface 24c of the groove 24b is formed in a semicircular shape so that an end part of the cylindrical upper part 32a of the guiding projection 32 may come into close contact with the bottom surface 24c as shown in Fig. 8. A procedure for holding the supporting projection 31 on and removing the same from the holding part 22, and holding the guiding projection 32 on and removing the same from the guiding part 24 will be described below with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Referring to Fig. 8 showing the filter case 7 attached to the filter frame 5, the cylindrical upper part 32a of the guiding projection 32 is inserted through the opening 24a into the groove 24b as deep as the cylindrical upper part 32a comes into contact with the bottom surface 24c. The free edge of the flat lower part 32b of the guiding projection 32 slides along the upper surface of the groove 24b toward the depth f the groove 24b. After the cylindrical upper part 32a has come into contact with the bottom surface 24c, the filter case 7 is pushed backward. Consequently, the cylindrical supporting projection 31 forces the hook 22c to bend upward so that the entrance of the groove 22b is expanded. As the filter case 7 is further pushed backward, the supporting projection 31 rides over the hook 22c and drops into the groove 22b. The supporting projection 31 is held fixedly between a base part of the hook 22c and the holding projection 22d in the groove 22b. Thus, the supporting projection 31 is fitted in the holding part 22 and, at the same time, the free edge of the flat upper part 32b is separated from the upper surface of the groove 24b and the flat upper part 32b extends in parallel to the groove 24b. A procedure for removing the filter case 7 from the filter frame 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The filter case 7 is held on the filter frame 5 in a state shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 9, the hand is put on the wavy inside surface 36a of the handle 34 and the handle 34 is pulled in the direction of the arrow C, i.e., toward the front side 1a of the body of the indoor unit 1. Consequently, the cylindrical upper part 32a of the guiding projection 32 turns on the bottom surface 24c and the flat lower part 32b of the guiding projection 32 comes into contact with the upper surface of the groove 24b. At the same time, the cylindrical supporting projection 31 forces the hook 22c to bend upward so that the entrance of the groove 22b is expanded, rides over the hook 22c to come out of the groove 22b, and moves toward the front side 1a until the flat upper part 32b comes into contact with the upper surface of the groove 24b. Then, the handle 34 is pulled in the direction of the arrow D, i.e., downward or obliquely downward toward the front relative to the body of the indoor unit 1. Consequently, the cylindrical upper part 32a of the guiding projection 32 is separated from the bottom surface 24c of the groove 24b, the flat lower part 32b of the guiding projection 32 slides downward along the upper surface of the groove 24b, the cylindrical upper part 32a of the guiding projection 32 comes out of the opening 24a, and the guiding projection 32 is taken out from the guiding part 24. The effects of this embodiment thus constructed will be described below. In this embodiment, the handle 34 of the filter case 7 defines an opening 34a having front and back open ends. Therefore the handle 34 can firmly be gasped by the hand. The barrier 50 is interposed between the handle 34 of the filter case 7 and the heat exchanger 11a when the filter case 7 is attached to the front surface of the filter frame 5, the fingertips are prevented from touching the heat exchanger by the barrier 50 when attaching the filter case 7 to and removing the same from the filter frame 5. Since the barrier 50 is formed on the filter frame 5 and not on the handle 34 of the filter case 7, the handle 34 can be formed in a great thickness. As compared with a construction in which the front panel 30 is extended to a position corresponding to the barrier 50, this construction enables the deeper insertion of the fingers into the opening 34a of the handle 34 of the filter case 7. Therefore, the handle 34 of the filter case 7 can easily be grasped without touching the heat exchanger 11a by fingertips when attaching the filter case 7 to and removing the same from the filter frame 5, so that the filter case 7 can easily be attached to and removed from the filter frame 5. Since the handle 34 of the filter case can firmly be grasped by the hand, work for carrying the filter case 7 and operations for dipping the filter case 7 and shaking the same in water for washing are facilitated. Since the handle 34 of the filter case 7 has the wavy inside surface 36, the operator is able to grasp the handle firmly with the fingers of the hand in close contact with the wavy inside surface 36. The supporting projections 31 of the filter case 7 are retained by the holding parts 22 of the filter frame 5 when the supporting projections 31 are pressed in a direction from the front side 1a toward the back side of the indoor unit 1, and the supporting projections 31 are released from the holding part 22 by pulling the supporting projections 31 in a direction from the back side toward the front side 1a of the indoor unit 1. Therefore, the filter case 7 can safely, surely and easily be attached to and removed from the filter frame 5. The filter case 7 is provided with the guiding projections 32, the filter frame 5 is provided with the guiding parts 24, and the guiding projections 32 are guided by the guiding parts 24 for movement with the supporting projections 31 separated from the holding parts 22. Therefore, the filter case 7 can more safely, surely and easily be attached to and removed from the filter frame 5. The guiding part 24 has the groove 24b, and the lower end of the guiding projection 32 is guided by the upper surface of the groove 24b. Therefore, the guiding projection 32 can be guided for unidirectional movement in the groove 24b, so that the filter case 7 can safely surely and easily attached to and removed from the filter frame 5. When the suction grille 2 is opened, the openings 22a of the holding parts 22 are exposed on the front surface of the body of the indoor unit 1 and can easily be recognized. Therefore, the filter case 7 can surely be attached to and removed from the filter frame 5 without groping for the openings 22a of the holding parts 22. The supporting projections 31 are located at positions from which the same can be pushed into the corresponding openings 22a of the holding parts 22 when the cylindrical upper parts 32a of the guiding projections 32 are in contact with the bottom surfaces 24c of the corresponding grooves 24b. Therefore, the supporting projections 31 can easily be fitted in the holding parts 22 after the cylindrical upper parts 32a have come into contact with the corresponding bottom surfaces 24c. The peripheral frame member 5a of the filter frame 5 is covered with and pressed in a direction from the front side 1a toward the back side of the body of the indoor unit 1 by the grille 30a of the front panel 30a disposed in front of the dust filtering unit 10. The vibration and such of the filter frame 5 during operation can effectively prevented simply by fastening the mounting lug 15 with the screw. Although the holding part 22 having the opening 24a is formed in a concave shape so as to mate with the supporting projection 31 in the foregoing embodiment described above, a convex holding part and a concave supporting part may be used in combination instead of the holding part 22 and the supporting projection 31.

Claims: An air conditioner comprising: an indoor heat exchanger (11a) having a front surface; a filter frame (5) disposed in front of the front surface of the heat exchanger and having a front surface; and a filter case (7) housing a dust-collecting filter (10), and detachably attached to the front surface of the filter frame (5), wherein the filter case (7) is provided with, on each side thereof, a guiding projection (32) and a supporting projection (31), and at a lower part thereof, a handle (34) defining an open space (34a) having front and back open ends, the back open end facing the front surface of the heat exchanger (11a) when the filter case (7) is attached to the filter frame (5), and the filter frame (5) includes: a pair of filter-holding brackets (20) each having a guiding part (24) for guiding the guiding projection (32) of the filter case (7) and a holding part (22) for holding the supporting projection (31) of the filter case (7), the holding part (22) retaining the supporting projection (31) pressed toward the front surface of the heat exchanger (11a) and releasing the supporting projection (31) pulled away from the front surface of the heat exchanger (11a); and a barrier (50) having a shape substantially resembling a flat plate and interposed between the handle (34) of the filter case (7) and the front surface of the heat exchanger (11a) when the filter case (7) is attached to the filter frame (5), the barrier (50) being formed with the openings (52, 54, 56) each having a size small enough to prevent finger tips from reaching the heat exchanger (11a) therethrough. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the barrier (50) is a lattice having a plurality of openings (56). The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the barrier (50) is a grille having a plurality of bars (52). An air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the barrier (50) is formed integrally with the filter frame (5). The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the filter (10) contained in the filter case (7) is a dust collector included in an electrostatic precipitation air cleaner. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the filter case (7) is internally provided with a discharger included in an electrostatic precipitation air cleaner. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the handle (34) of the filter case has a wavy inside surface (36).

Inventors: SATO TAKEHIKO, SATO, TAKEHIKO
Applicants: TOSHIBA KK, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Application year: 1998
Main classification: F24F1
IPC codes: B01D46, F24F1, F24F13