Refrigeration – With indicator or tester
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2001-03-20
Tanner, Harry B. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
With indicator or tester
C062S298000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202426
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to structures of a front panel with an intake grille, which can be opened and closed, and of display components attached to the front panel with the intake grille.
DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND
FIG. 16
illustrates a structure of attaching display components in a conventional air conditioner disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A-9-4869. Numerical reference
1
designates a body of the air conditioner; numerical reference
20
designates the display components, numerical reference
4
designates a front panel with an intake grille; numerical reference
16
designates a design panel; numerical reference
17
designates a display board; and numerical reference
18
designates a holder of the display board.
In the structure of attaching the display components according to the conventional air conditioner, the display board
17
is fixed to the body
1
of the air conditioner by the holder
18
. The display components
4
is fixed to an inside of the design panel
16
by fusion bond, adhesion and so on or fixed to the inside of the design panel
16
so as to be pushed by the holder
18
toward the inside.
Incidentally,
FIG. 17
is a perspective view illustrating an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A-4-50325.
FIG. 18
is a side view of a panel opening and closing device of the conventional air conditioner partly broken, and
FIG. 19
is an enlarged view of an important portion of the panel opening and closing device of the conventional air conditioner.
In
FIGS. 17 through 19
, numerical reference
1
designates a body of an indoor unit of the air conditioner; numerical reference
2
designates a front casing of the indoor unit; numerical reference
4
designates a front panel covering a front side of the front casing, the front panel can be opened and closed; numerical reference
3
designates a back casing of the indoor unit, wherein the body
1
of the indoor unit is constructed by the back casing
3
, the front casing
2
and the front panel
4
. Numerical reference
27
designates a shaft being an axis of rotation of the front panel
4
; numerical reference
48
designates an engaging portion for engaging a lower portion of the front panel
4
with the front casing when it is closed; numerical reference
49
designates an engaging claw provided in the engaging portions
48
of the front panel
4
; and numerical reference
210
designates an engaging part integrally formed with an arm
210
a.
In the next, an operation will be described. The front panel
4
is connected to the front casing
2
by the shafts
27
so as to be opened and closed by a rotation with center at the shaft
27
. At a time of closing the front panel
4
, the lower portion of the front panel
4
is engaged by the plurality of engaging portions provided on left and right sides or in a center of the front casing
2
. The body
1
of the indoor unit is constructed by the back casing
3
, the front casing
2
and the front panel
4
. The engaging part
210
in the front panel is fixed to the front casing
2
by the engaging claws
49
formed in the front casing
2
. The front panel
4
rotates around the shafts
27
so as to be opened and closed in a forward direction of the front casing
2
. When the front panel
4
is closed, it is engaged such that a tip of the engaging claw
49
in the front panel
4
exceeds tips of the arm
210
a
in the engaging part
210
, the arms
210
a
are elastically deformed to open and close, and the tip of the engaging claw
49
is interposed between the arms
210
a.
However, in the structure of attaching the display components according to the conventional air conditioner illustrated in
FIG. 16
, there are problems that workability in fixing the display components is bad and a cost can not be reduced because the display components are independently fixed, and portions attaching these are limited.
Further, in the structure of opening and closing the panel according to the conventional air conditioner illustrated in
FIGS. 17 through 19
has problems that a gap A is formed as illustrated in
FIG. 19
to deteriorate a look, wherein the gap A is formed in an upper mating surface between the front casing and the front panel by a warp occurred in molding the front panel when a distance between the shaft being a connecting portion and an end surface or between the shafts is long in an upper portion of the front panel because the lower portion of the front panel is engaged at a plurality of positions and the upper portion of the front panel is supported by the shafts at time of closing the front panel.
Further, at the time of opening and closing the front panel, the arms of the engaging part are spreaded and closed, whereby stress caused by spreading and closing is concentrated on the arms.
Further, in case that a positional deviation between the engaging claw of the front panel and the engaging part fixed to the front casing occurs by scattering of a size of various components, scattering caused by a condition of engagement between the various parts, or the like in opening and closing the front panel, the engaging claw is not inserted in a center of the engaging part and a biased load is applied to the arms of the engaging part, whereby there is a problem that the engaging part is broken when the front panel is opened and closed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems inherent in the conventional technique and to provide a structure of attaching display components by which the display components are easily attached to a front panel with an intake grille at a low cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of securely attaching the display components without a positional deviation when the display components are attached to the front panel with the intake grille.
Another object of the present invention is to obtain a device for holding the front panel with the intake grille used when the front panel is closed, the device for holding can prevent deterioration of a look.
Another object of the present invention is to relax concentration of stress on engaging parts and also to minimize an influence by a positional deviation between an engaging claw of the front panel and an engaging part fixed to the front casing.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner comprising a body of the air conditioner, an LED for displaying a running condition and so on of the air conditioner by a light, the LED is provided in an inside of the body, a front casing provided on a front side of the body, a flexible display component having a recess, the flexible display component aesthetically formed diffuses the light from the LED, an opening portion provided in the front casing so as to be opened and closed, to which opening portion both ends of the display component are inserted to engage therewith, and a front panel with an intake grille having a protrusion engaged with the recess of the display component, whereby the both ends of the display component is curved and inserted in the opening portion of the front panel with the intake grille.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the air conditioner, wherein at least one of recesses of the display component and the protrusion of the front panel with the intake grille has a guiding slanted portion.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the air conditioner, wherein the front panel with the intake grille has an engaging protrusion and an engaging opening, and a design cover having an engaging opening engaged with the engaging protrusion of the front panel with the intake grille, an engaging piece engaged with the engaging opening of the front panel with the intake grille and a display opening engaged with the display component, wherein the design cover is attached to
Hotta Toshihiro
Matsunaga Atsushi
Tazawa Hironobu
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Tanner Harry B.
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