Ventilation – Having forced recirculation – Forced recirculation alone
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-03
2002-09-17
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Having forced recirculation
Forced recirculation alone
C454S313000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06450880
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, and more particularly to a structure relating to a decorative panel to be detachably mounted to the air conditioner main body.
FIGS. 8 and 9
show a decorative panel portion of a conventional ceiling embedded-type air conditioner. In these figures, a reference numeral
100
denotes the main body (hereinafter, may be referred to as air conditioner main body) of the ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, and
110
, a decorative panel. The decorative panel
110
has a square air suction port
111
in the central portion, and rectangular air blow-off ports
112
in the outside of each side of the air suction port
111
respectively.
In the air suction port
111
, there are disposed a suction grille
113
and an air filter element
114
, and a vane
115
is pivotally mounted to the air blow-off port
112
.
The air blow-off port
112
is demarcated substantially over the entire surface by a frame-shaped air guide member
116
made of a foaming resin molded part fitted in and mounted to the decorative panel
110
. The air guide member
116
constitutes the entire contour of the air blow-off port
112
on the air conditioner main body connection side, and serves as a pedestal of sealing material
117
interposed between the air conditioner main body
100
and the air guide member
116
.
The decorative panel
110
is integrally formed with mounting piece portions
119
, each of which has a screw-through hole
118
, at four corners of the air suction port
111
, and is fixed to the air conditioner main body
100
with mounting screws
120
passed through the screw-through holes
118
.
As another conventional example of ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-324769.
FIGS. 10 and 11
show a ceiling embedded-type air conditioner disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-324769. In this respect, in
FIGS. 10 and 11
, the same or equivalent components as those shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
are represented by the same reference numerals as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, and description thereof will be omitted.
In this ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, a triangular opening
121
each is formed at the four corners of the decorative panel
110
in such a manner as to be able to adjust the suspension height of the air conditioner main body
100
by means of the opening
121
while the decorative panel
110
is mounted to the air conditioner main body
100
.
The opening
121
is configured so as to be covered with a decorative lid (corner panel)
122
to be detachably mounted to the decorative panel
110
. This decorative lid
122
is mounted by catching a hook-shaped engaging piece
123
obtained by integrally molding with the decorative lid
122
on an engaging hole
124
engaged with the decorative panel
110
to cause a permanent magnet piece
125
mounted to the decorative lid
122
to be magnetically attracted to a metallic plate
126
mounted to the decorative panel
110
.
In such a conventional ceiling embedded-type air conditioner as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, a member forming the air course (air blow-off port
112
) of the decorative panel is an air guide member
116
consisting of a plastic molded portion of the decorative panel
110
and an air guide member
116
made of a wide range of forming resin material. Therefore, a difference in coefficient of linear expansion of these dissimilar materials causes slippage between the plastic portion (decorative panel
110
) and the foaming resin portion (air guide member
116
), and squeaks are prone to occur.
Since a fixing portion between the decorative panel
110
and the air conditioner main body
100
is located within the air suction port
111
, it is difficult to improve the durability due to crazing destruction on the mounting piece portion
119
particularly in a severe usage environment in which lamp black and the like are sucked in.
In the conventional ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, since the structure is arranged so that the vane, a motor for driving it and the like are mounted from the non-design surface side of the decorative panel, the decorative panel must be removed from the air conditioner main body each time during servicing such as replacement of those components, and is inferior in service workability.
During an emergency operation because of drainage pump trouble, a marketing hose is connected to a natural drainage formed in the drainage pan of the air conditioner main body for cooling operation. Since, however, the position of the natural drainage port is located in the air suction port in the conventional ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, there is no alternative but to operate in a state in which the suction grille is opened during this emergency operation, and the operation is performed in a state in which indoor dust particles and the like are not removed by the filter element in the air suction port. Thus, trouble due to clogging in the heat exchanger of the air conditioner main body is prone to occur.
In the conventional ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, the decorative panel and the drainage pan must be removed from the air conditioner main body in order to sweep the suction port of the drainage pump and the drainage pan, and the air conditioner is inferior in sweeping workability.
In a ceiling embedded-type air conditioner disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-324769, since the decorative lid is mounted by means of the claw engagement and a magnet, the mounting strength of the decorative lid is somewhat improved, and it becomes difficult to cause rattling vibration in the decorative lid. In order to obtain sufficient performance, the magnetic strength of the permanent magnet piece
125
must be made substantially great, or any large permanent magnet piece
125
must be used.
In the conventional ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, when the air conditioner main body is installed at an installation height higher than a recommended height or the ceiling material becomes deformed, a gap occurs between the ceiling material and any corner portion of the decorative panel, and this gap causes dewing on the design surface of the decorative panel because of a temperature difference between within the ceiling and indoors, and the air conditioner also looks worse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above described problems, and its object is to provide a ceiling embedded-type air conditioner without causing any squeaks, excellent in durability in installing the decorative panel and corner panels, in service workability in the vane and motor for driving the vane, and in workability in sweeping the suction port for the drainage pump and drainage pan, capable of performing an emergency operation without adversely affecting the air conditioner main body side, and eliminating any gaps between the ceiling material and any of corners of the decorative panel even if the ceiling material becomes deformed.
In order to achieve the above described object, there is, according to the present invention, provided a ceiling embedded-type air conditioner, in which a decorative panel having an air suction port and air blow-off ports is detachably mounted onto the air conditioner main body, in which three sides of a pedestal portion made of sealing material for sealing the outer circumference of a rectangular air blow-off port are configured by reinforcing ribs obtained by integrally molding with the decorative panel, and only one side of the pedestal portion is configured by an air guide member made of a foaming resin molded part.
A ceiling embedded-type air conditioner according to another aspect of the present invention has double-wall structure in which the reinforcing rib has an insulated space portion.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ceiling embedded-type air conditioner in which a decorative panel having an air suction port and air blow-off ports is detachab
Asahina Manabu
Edayoshi Atsushi
Nakashima Hiroshi
Oya Ryo
Sekiguchi Kazunobu
Joyce Harold
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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