JP5278525B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of uniformly dispersing an antibacterial agent over an entire drain water in a drain pan, and capable of effectively controlling the propagation of a bacterium in the drain pan. <P>SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes a heat exchanger, a drain pan for reserving condensate as a drain water by receiving the condensate generated in the heat exchanger, a drain pump for discharging the drain water in the drain pan, and an antibacterial agent provided while floating in the drain water in the drain pan. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  In a conventional air conditioner, a blower, a heat exchanger, a drain pan provided below the heat exchanger and receiving condensed water (drain water) generated in the heat exchanger, and drain water stored in the drain pan The thing provided with the drain pump and the drain pipe for discharging | emissioning to the exterior of a machine is known (for example, refer patent document 1-3). Conventionally, as a main material constituting the drain pan, it is common to use an ABS resin (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer synthetic resin) which does not easily leak water.

  By the way, in the drain water stored in the drain pan, dust or bacteria floating in the air may enter and propagate in the drain water, and so-called slime or slime may be generated. Such a viscous substance in the drain water enters the drain pipe and becomes clogged, causing a drainage failure of the drain water.

Therefore, conventionally, in order to suppress the growth of bacteria in drain water, an agent (antibacterial agent) that suppresses the growth of bacteria is kneaded into the material constituting the drain pan (of the water receiving portion) It has been practiced to suppress the growth of bacteria in drain water by applying to the surface.
Moreover, what was attached in the drain pan in the state which immersed the antibacterial agent in drain water is also known conventionally (for example, refer patent document 4).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 04-057123 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 04-078418 JP 09-053837 A Japanese Patent No. 4,639,762

  However, in the conventional air conditioner, when a drug having antibacterial performance is kneaded into the resin material constituting the drain pan, if the weight ratio of the drug to the resin is high, the drain pan strength decreases or the drug elutes. There is a problem that water may leak. Conversely, if the weight ratio of the drug to the resin is kept small, there is a problem that the period (life) in which sufficient antibacterial performance can be exerted is shortened. In addition, when an antibacterial agent is kneaded into the drain pan material, both when the antibacterial agent is applied to the drain pan surface, the antibacterial performance is significantly reduced if dust or the like accumulates on the drain pan surface, and the necessary antibacterial performance is reduced. There is a problem that it cannot be obtained.

  Moreover, in the conventional air conditioning apparatus as shown in Patent Document 4, since the antibacterial component of the installed antibacterial agent is not diffused throughout the drain water in the drain pan, there is a portion where the antibacterial component is insufficient in the drain pan. Therefore, there is a problem that bacterial growth cannot be sufficiently suppressed in this portion. In particular, when the air conditioning operation (cooling operation) of the air conditioner is stopped and the drain pump is stopped, the drain water stays in the drain pan without flowing. For this reason, especially when the flow path of the drain pan is narrow, the diffusion of the antibacterial component becomes small.

  This invention was made in order to solve such a problem, can disperse the antibacterial agent uniformly throughout the drain water in the drain pan, and effectively suppress the growth of bacteria in the drain pan. It is possible to obtain an air conditioner that can prevent a drainage failure due to clogging of a drain pump / drain pipe caused by slime or slime.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, a heat exchanger, a drain pan that receives condensed water generated in the heat exchanger, and stores the condensed water as drain water, and a drain that discharges the drain water in the drain pan. A pump and an antibacterial agent provided in a state of being floated in the drain water in the drain pan. When the air conditioning operation is stopped, the drain pump is stopped between a predetermined stop time and a predetermined operation time. It is set as the structure which implements the intermittent operation | movement which alternately repeats the operation | movement between.

  In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the antibacterial agent can be uniformly diffused throughout the drain water in the drain pan, and the growth of bacteria can be effectively suppressed in the drain pan. It is possible to prevent drainage failure due to clogging of the drain pump and drain pipe caused by the above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a ceiling-embedded air conditioner (indoor unit) actually installed according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention as seen from the room. It is a cross-sectional view of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part (drain pipe vicinity) of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the antibacterial agent with which the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is sectional drawing of the air conditioning apparatus which shows the 1st example of arrangement | positioning of the antibacterial agent which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the air conditioning apparatus which shows the 2nd example of arrangement | positioning of the antibacterial agent which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the time-dependent change of an antibacterial agent density | concentration when not operating the drain pump of the drain water in the drain pan which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the time-dependent change of an antibacterial agent density | concentration at the time of operating the drain pump of the drain water in the drain pan which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention intermittently. It is a figure explaining the water level change of the drain water in the drain pan which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts, and redundant description thereof will be simplified or omitted as appropriate.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIGS. 1 to 7 relate to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a ceiling-embedded air conditioner (indoor unit) actually installed from a viewpoint as viewed from the inside, 2 is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air conditioner, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the air conditioner (near the drain pipe), and FIG. 5 is an air conditioner. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner showing a first arrangement example of the antibacterial agent, and FIG. 7 is a view of the air conditioner showing a second arrangement example of the antibacterial agent. It is sectional drawing.

  Here, a description will be given by taking a ceiling-embedded type air conditioning apparatus as an example (however, the ceiling-embedded air conditioning apparatus described here is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this). . That is, as shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner 2 (indoor unit) is embedded in the ceiling of the room 1. The air conditioner 2 is roughly composed of a main body 3 embedded in the ceiling and a decorative panel 4 attached to the lower surface of the main body 3 and exposed in the room 1 on the ceiling.

  The decorative panel 4 has a substantially quadrangular shape, and a panel suction port 4a made of a substantially quadrangular grill is provided at a substantially central portion thereof. A total of four panel outlets 4b are provided on the inner side of the decorative panel 4 along each side of the substantially square shape and outside the sides of the substantially rectangular shape of the panel suction port 4a. Each panel outlet 4b is provided with a vane 5 for controlling the direction of the blowing air. In the state where the decorative panel 4 is attached to the main body 3, the panel suction port 4a communicates with a main body suction port 3a described later, and the panel outlet 4b communicates with a main body outlet 3b described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the main body 3 having a substantially square cross-sectional shape is formed with a main body outlet 3 b along each side of the substantially square shape. And the air blower 6 which consists of a centrifugal air blower is installed in the approximate center part of the main body 3. FIG. The blower 6 includes a fan 6a formed of a turbo fan whose suction side is directed downward, and a fan motor 6b that rotationally drives the fan 6a. The fan motor 6b is attached to the top surface side of the main body 3, and a bell mouth 9 for introducing air into the fan 6a is attached below the fan 6a. The lower side of the opening of the bell mouth 9 is a main body inlet 3a.

  A heat exchanger 7 is installed in the main body 3 so as to surround the fan 6a. The heat exchanger 7 is arranged in a substantially annular shape (more precisely, in a substantially C shape with one portion cut off). The heat exchanger 7 constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with a compressor or the like included in an outdoor unit (not shown) that compresses refrigerant. In the heat exchanger 7, heat or heat is exchanged between the air in the room 1 sucked from the panel suction port 4a (main body suction port 3a) and the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle by the fan 6a.

  Below the heat exchanger 7, a drain pan 8 for receiving condensed water (drain water) generated by condensation of moisture in the air by cooling the air in the heat exchange process in the heat exchanger 7 is installed. ing.

  The main body outlet 3b is disposed outside the heat exchanger 7 and the drain pan 8, and communicates the secondary side of the heat exchanger 7 and the inside of the room 1. As described above, the main body outlet 3b communicates with the panel outlet 4b, and the panel outlet 4b adjusts the blowing direction of cold air or hot air generated by the heat exchanger 7 (and the blower 6). A vane 5 is attached. The shape of the vane 5 is substantially the same as that of the panel outlet 4b. This is because the design property is taken into consideration so that the panel outlet 4b can be substantially closed with the vane 5 closed. In addition, a substantially rectangular grill is attached to the opening at the substantially center of the decorative panel 4 to form a panel suction port 4a. The grill is engaged with the decorative panel 4 by, for example, nails.

A drain pump 10 for sucking up drain water stored in the drain pan 8 and discharging it to the outside of the main body 3 is installed at one corner of the main body 3 having a substantially rectangular cross section.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the location where the drain pump 10 of the drain pan 8 is installed. In the drain pan 8, the water condensed in the heat exchanger 7 is stored as drain water 11. The main material of the drain pan 8 is styrene foam, and a skin layer 8a made of ABS resin is integrally formed on the inner surface where the drain water 11 is stored. The thickness of the skin layer 8a is about 0.5 mm.

  The reason why the polystyrene foam is used as the main material of the drain pan 8 is as follows. That is, during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 2, for example, the temperature of the heat exchanger 7 above the drain pan 8 is lower than the room air. When the drain pan 8 is also cooled by heat transfer from the heat exchanger 7 or the like, dew condensation occurs on the surface of the drain pan 8 depending on the degree of cooling. Therefore, in order to suppress the dew condensation on the surface of the drain pan 8, it is necessary to improve the heat insulating property of the drain pan 8.

  The skin layer 8a made of ABS resin is integrally formed on the surface of the expanded polystyrene for the following reason. That is, although polystyrene foam is excellent in heat insulation, it cannot be said that watertightness is sufficient, and if it is used as it is, drain water 11 may leak. Therefore, in order to prevent the drain water 11 from leaking from the drain pan 8, a skin layer 8a made of ABS resin is provided on the inner surface of the drain pan 8 that receives the drain water 11.

  A drain socket 12 in which a drain drain port 12 a used when the drain pump 10 fails is provided in a portion of the drain pan 8 that is directly below the drain pump 10 (that is, the deepest portion of the drain pan 8). The drain socket 12 is a separate part from the drain pan 8 made of polyphenylene oxide resin, and is insert-molded in the drain pan 8. Since the drain drain port 12a of the drain socket 12 is not used if the drain pump 10 is normal, it is normally closed with a drain plug 13.

  The reason why the polyphenylene oxide resin is used as the material of the drain socket 12 is as follows. If the drain socket 12 portion is formed of the same ABS resin as the skin layer 8a, the heat resistance of the ABS resin is relatively low, so that the accuracy of the drain drain port 12a cannot be sufficiently obtained. There is a risk that the drain water 11 may leak due to a gap therebetween. Therefore, the material of the drain socket 12 is a polyphenylene oxide resin having higher heat resistance than that of styrene foam. However, if the molding technology of the polystyrene foam which is the main material of the drain pan 8 is improved in the future, the drain socket 12 can also be integrally formed of ABS resin having low heat resistance.

  An antibacterial agent 14 is disposed in the flow path of the drain pan 8. The antibacterial agent 14 is mixed with at least two types of antibacterial agents, ie, a first antibacterial agent having a specific gravity of 1 or more and a second antibacterial agent having a specific gravity of less than 1, and then combined into one by the antibacterial agent bag 14c. It is wrapped. The antibacterial agent 14 thus configured has a specific gravity smaller than 1 on average as a whole, and floats in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8.

  The first antibacterial agent 14a is an inorganic antibacterial agent, and a silicate compound containing at least one of calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and boron has silver, copper, iron and zinc having antibacterial performance. A metal complex containing at least one of the above as a main component is mixed.

  The second antibacterial agent 14b is an organic antibacterial agent and is obtained by kneading PHMG (polyhexamethylguanidine phosphate), which is an antibacterial component, into PE (polyethylene), which is a base material. The weight ratio of PHMG, which is an antibacterial component, to the base material (PE) is suitably 5% to 20%.

  Any one of these first antibacterial agent 14a and second antibacterial agent 14b having sufficiently high water solubility (for example, higher than a predetermined value) is used. And by making these 1st antibacterial agent 14a and 2nd antibacterial agent 14b granular, a surface area can be enlarged and the elution rate of an antibacterial component can be made quick. In addition, it is also preferable to mix different types of antibacterial agents from the viewpoint that growth suppression can be performed for more bacterial species.

  The antibacterial wrapping bag 14c is made of resin fibers having water resistance such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), and nylon. The antibacterial agent bag 14c is a first antibacterial agent bag 14c that does not prevent elution of the antibacterial components of the first antibacterial agent 14a and the second antibacterial agent 14b held inside and prevents the antibacterial agent bag 14c from eluting outside. The antibacterial agent 14a and the second antibacterial agent 14b themselves have an opening ratio that does not drop off.

  Since such an antibacterial agent 14 is irrelevant to the water storage performance of the drain pan 8, the antibacterial component may be eluted and the mechanical strength of the antibacterial agent 14 itself may be lowered. Therefore, the concentration of the antibacterial component contained in the antibacterial agent 14 can be made sufficiently high, and the necessary antibacterial performance can be obtained.

  Then, at least one antibacterial agent 14 configured as described above is disposed on each side of the drain pump 10 in the flow path of the drain pan 8. Here, since the antibacterial agent 14 floats in the drain water 11 by the second antibacterial agent 14 b having a specific gravity smaller than 1, the antibacterial agent 14 can move in the flow path of the drain pan 8.

  For this reason, when a flow is generated in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 according to the operation / stop of the operation state of the drain pump 10, the antibacterial agent 14 moves in the drain pan 8 along this flow. At this time, in order to prevent the antibacterial agent 14 from moving toward the drain pump 10 and blocking the pump suction port 10a of the drain pump 10, the antibacterial agent is prevented from approaching within a predetermined distance from the pump suction port 10a. Antibacterial material movement range regulating means for regulating the movement range of the agent 14 is provided.

  FIG. 6 shows a first example of the arrangement of the antibacterial material movement range regulating means and the antibacterial agent. As shown in FIG. 6, the drain pan 8 is disposed on both sides of the drain pump 10 in the flow path. And one or both wall portions constituting the flow channel of the drain pan 8 are protruded toward the opposing wall portion so that the width of the flow channel of the drain pan 8 is smaller than the width of the antibacterial agent 14. Antibacterial material movement range regulation means is formed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a protruding portion 15 a that protrudes toward the other facing wall portion is formed on one wall portion constituting the flow path of the drain pan 8.

  Further, as another example of the antibacterial material movement range regulating means, as shown in FIG. 7, one end of a strip 15b such as a flexible string is connected to the antibacterial agent 14 (the antibacterial bag 14c), For example, the antibacterial material movement range regulating means may be configured by fixing the other end to the wall surface of the drain pan 8, for example.

  Next, operation | movement of the air conditioning apparatus 2 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. The air conditioner 2 takes in the air in the room 1 through the panel suction port 4a and the main body suction port 3a, cools the taken-in air with the heat exchanger 7, and cools the cooled air to the main body outlet 3b and the panel. It blows out from the blower outlet 4b and returns to the inside of the room 1. At this time, the intake and blowing of air are caused by the air flow generated by the blower 6.

  When the air before cooling passes through the heat exchanger 7 and is cooled, a part of the moisture contained in the air condenses and condensed water is generated in the heat exchanger 7. The generated condensed water is dropped into a drain pan 8 disposed below the heat exchanger 7 and stored as drain water 11.

  The operation state of the drain pump 10 is basically interlocked with the operation state of the blower 6, and when the blower 6 is operated, the drain pump 10 is operated to suck up the drain water 11 stored in the drain pan 8 and is not illustrated. It is drained out of the main body 3 through the drain pipe.

  Here, when the drain pump 10 that is operating is stopped, the water level of the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 rises more than when the drain pump 10 is operating. This is because the water remaining at the rising portion of the drain pipe connected to the drain pump 10 flows back to the drain pan 8 when the drain pump 10 is stopped. Although the specific number depends on the installation status of the air conditioner, when the drain pump 10 is stopped, for example, about 200 cc to about 1000 cc of water flows backward from the drain pipe and returns to the drain pan 8.

  Here, generally, in an environment where cooling is mainly used, the temperature of the ceiling rises to 35 to 40 ° C. after the cooling operation of the air conditioner 2 is stopped. And since the water temperature of the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 approaches ambient temperature, it rises to about 20-30 degreeC. This temperature of 20-30 ° C. is a temperature suitable for bacterial growth. On the other hand, the drain water 11 generated during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 2 has a low water temperature of about 10 ° C., and bacteria hardly propagate.

  Therefore, in particular, when the cooling operation is stopped and the operation of the drain pump 10 is also stopped, the antibacterial operation of the drain water 11 is effective for suppressing the growth of bacteria. Therefore, when the drain pump 10 is stopped and the water level of the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 is rising with respect to the height dimension of the antibacterial agent 14, almost the entire antibacterial agent 14 is drained as shown in FIG. When the drain pump 10 is operated and the water level of the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 is lowered, the upper side of the antibacterial agent 14 is exposed from the drain water 11 and only a part of the lower side of the antibacterial agent 14 is immersed. Is adjusted to be immersed in the drain water 11.

  By adjusting to such a dimension, while the drain pump 10 in which bacteria are likely to propagate is stopped, almost all of the antibacterial agent 14 can be immersed in the drain water 11 to sufficiently elute the antibacterial component, and During the operation of the drain pump 10 in which bacteria are relatively difficult to propagate, the life of the antibacterial agent 14 can be extended by allowing only a part of the antibacterial agent 14 to be immersed in the drain water 11.

  Note that at least the volume of the antibacterial agent 14 immersed in the drain water 11 in a state where the drain pump 10 is stopped and the water level of the drain water 11 is increased, the drain pump 10 is operated and the water level of the drain water 11 is lowered. The antimicrobial agent 14 should just be comprised so that it may become larger than the volume of the antimicrobial agent 14 immersed in the drain water 11 in the state.

  Further, when the operation of the drain pump 10 is stopped, as described above, the water remaining in the drain pipe flows backward, so that a flow away from the drain pump 10 is generated in the flow path of the drain pan 8. To do. Since the antibacterial agent 14 floats movably in the drain water 11, the antibacterial agent 14 rides on this flow and moves to the end of the drain pan 8 on the side opposite to the drain pump 10. In the course of this flow, the antibacterial component is gradually eluted from the antibacterial agent 14, and the antibacterial component can be uniformly diffused throughout the drain pan 8.

  On the other hand, when the operation of the drain pump 10 is resumed, the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 is sucked up by the drain pump 10, so that a flow toward the drain pump 10 is generated. At this time, the antibacterial agent 14 also moves toward the drain pump, but because the movement range of the antibacterial agent 14 is regulated so as not to approach within a predetermined distance from the drain pump 10 by the antibacterial material movement range regulation means, The antibacterial agent 14 does not block the suction port of the drain pump 10. At this time, the movement of the antibacterial agent 14 is stopped, but since the antibacterial agent 14 is floating in the drain water 11, foreign matter such as dust in the drain water 11 is blocked to prevent drainage.

  The antibacterial bag 14c may be one in which long fibers of hard resin are fluffed on at least the lower surface of the antibacterial bag. By fuzzing the outer surface of the antibacterial agent bag, when the antibacterial agent 14 moves in the drain pan 8, the fuzzy long fibers are brought into frictional contact with the bottom circle of the drain pan 8, and dirt and slime accumulated on the bottom surface of the drain pan 8 are collected. Can be peeled off.

  In addition, here, the air conditioner 2 is described as an example of a ceiling-embedded type in which the decorative panel 4 is exposed in the room 1, but for example, the entire body 3 is installed behind the ceiling. It may be a thing, and it does not ask | require distinction, such as a ceiling hanging type and a wall hanging type, as an installation system.

  The air conditioner configured as described above includes a heat exchanger, a drain pan that receives condensed water generated in the heat exchanger, and stores the condensed water as drain water, and a drain pump that discharges the drain water in the drain pan. And an antibacterial agent provided in a state of floating in the drain water in the drain pan.

  For this reason, the antibacterial agent can be diffused uniformly throughout the drain water in the drain pan, and it is possible to effectively suppress the growth of bacteria in the drain pan, and the drain pump that is caused by slime and slime It is possible to prevent drainage failure due to clogging of the drain pipe. Further, by allowing the antibacterial agent to move in a state where it floats in the drain water, it becomes possible to more efficiently diffuse the antibacterial agent uniformly throughout the drain water in the drain pan.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIGS. 8 to 10 relate to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the change over time of the antibacterial agent concentration when the drain pump of the drain water in the drain pan is not operated. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the change in the antibacterial agent concentration with time when the drain pump in the drain water is intermittently operated, and FIG.

  In the second embodiment described here, in the configuration of the first embodiment described above, after the cooling operation is stopped and the drain pump is also stopped once, the drain pump is operated intermittently at predetermined time intervals. Thus, the antibacterial component in the drain pan is further diffused more rapidly, and the average antibacterial component in the drain pan can be increased to a necessary concentration in a shorter time.

  That is, the basic configuration of the air conditioner 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the difference is the operation control of the drain pump 10 during the cooling operation stop. First, referring to FIG. 8, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the elution concentration of the antibacterial component in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 when the operation of the drain pump 10 is also stopped while the cooling operation is stopped. A change with time will be described.

  The elution rate of the antibacterial component is highest at the moment when the antibacterial agent 14 begins to be immersed in the drain water 11, and the elution rate gradually decreases as the concentration of the antibacterial component in the vicinity of the antibacterial agent 14 increases. Then, when about 1 hour has passed since the start of immersion, the rate of increase in the elution concentration is considerably slowed down. Since the antibacterial component eluted from the antibacterial agent 14 diffuses in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8, the antibacterial component in the drain pan 8 is the farthest part from the place where the antibacterial agent 14 is disposed. Concentration increases little by little.

  The antibacterial component concentration eluted in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 through the above process effectively suppresses the growth of bacteria in the drain water 11 after about 8 hours have passed since the start of the immersion of the antibacterial agent 14. To reach the required concentration. Thus, when the operation of the drain pump 10 is continuously stopped, the elution rate of the antibacterial component is considerably reduced as compared with that at the start of immersion after about 1 hour has elapsed since the start of immersion of the antibacterial agent 14, Since the propagation of the antibacterial component to the entire drain pan 8 relies mainly on the diffusion action, it takes a little longer time to finally reach the necessary antibacterial component concentration.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, in a state where the cooling (air conditioning) operation is stopped, the drain pump 10 is set to a predetermined value every time a predetermined pump stop time elapses after the operation of the drain pump 10 is stopped. Operate (operate) only for the pump operation time. An example of the change over time of the elution concentration of the antibacterial component in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 in this case is shown in FIG. As described above, even when the cooling operation is stopped, the drain pump 10 is intermittently operated at regular intervals, so that a flow is generated in the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 and an advection and stirring effect is added to the propagation of the antibacterial component. The propagation of the antibacterial component is promoted, and a uniform antibacterial component concentration is obtained throughout the drain pan 8.

  Further, by alternately repeating the operation / stop of the drain pump 10 at regular intervals, the antibacterial agent 14 floating in the drain water 11 on the flow of the drain water 11 generated in the drain pan 8 is contained in the drain pan 8. Because of the reciprocating movement, antibacterial agent elution is actively performed in a wide range. This also contributes to quickly realizing a uniform antibacterial component concentration distribution in the entire drain pan 8.

  Here, if the pump is stopped for a long time in the intermittent operation of the drain pump 10, the bacteria will grow in the drain pan 8 where the antibacterial component concentration is insufficient. In particular, when the stop time of the drain pump 10 exceeds about 3 hours, the number of bacteria exceeds a certain value due to the growth of the bacteria. Therefore, in order to keep the growth of bacteria within a certain range, it is preferable to operate the drain pump 10 and stir the drain water 11 at least once every 3 hours. Therefore, here, the predetermined pump stop time is set to be 1 hour or longer and shorter than 3 hours.

  Further, the predetermined pump operation time in the intermittent operation of the drain pump 10 is preferably 1 hour or more. This is because by operating the drain pump 10 for at least one hour, the drain water 11 in which the antibacterial component of the antibacterial agent 14 is sufficiently dissolved can be distributed in the drain pipe and the drain pipe can be antibacterial at the same time. is there.

  As described above in the first embodiment, the water level of the drain water 11 in the drain pan 8 varies depending on the operation state of the drain pump 10. When the drain pump 10 is operated intermittently in the second embodiment, the operation state of the drain pump 10 is set so that the water level of the drain water 11 is always above the pump suction port 10a of the drain pump 10. Control. When the drain pump 10 is operated, the water level of the drain water 11 is lowered, but the operation of the drain pump 10 is stopped before the water level of the drain water 11 falls below the pump suction port 10a (FIG. 10).

  If the operation of the drain pump 10 is continued in a state where the water level of the drain water 11 is lower than the pump suction port 10a, the drain pump 10 also sucks the air around the pump suction port 10a together with the drain water 11. Then, the dissolved oxygen concentration in the drain water 11 rises. Dissolved oxygen is not preferable because it assists bacterial growth. Therefore, in order to prevent the drain water 11 and the air from being mixed as much as possible in the operation of the drain pump 10, the drain pump 10 is maintained so that the water level of the drain water 11 is maintained above the pump suction port 10a as described above. Control driving.

In the configuration of the first embodiment, the air conditioner configured as described above performs a stop for a predetermined stop time and an operation for a predetermined operation time for the drain pump while the air conditioning operation is stopped. Intermittent operation that is repeated alternately is performed.
For this reason, in addition to having the same effect as in the first embodiment, the antibacterial agent can be evenly diffused throughout the drain pan even more quickly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Room 2 Air conditioning apparatus 3 Main body 3a Main body inlet 3b Main body outlet 4 Cosmetic panel 4a Panel inlet 4b Panel outlet 5 Vane 6 Blower 6a Fan 6b Fan motor 7 Heat exchanger 8 Drain pan 8a Skin layer 9 Bell mouth 10 Drain Pump 10a Pump suction port 11 Drain water 12 Drain socket 12a Drain drain port 13 Drain plug 14 Antibacterial agent 14a First antibacterial agent 14b Second antibacterial agent 14c Antibacterial agent wrapping bag 15a Projection 15b

Claims (11)

A heat exchanger,
A drain pan that receives the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger and stores the condensed water as drain water;
A drain pump for discharging the drain water in the drain pan;
An antibacterial agent provided in a state of floating in the drain water in the drain pan ,
An air conditioner that performs intermittent operation by alternately repeating a stop for a predetermined stop time and an operation for a predetermined operation time for the drain pump while the air conditioning operation is stopped .   The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial agent includes at least a first antibacterial agent having a specific gravity of 1 or more and a second antibacterial agent having a specific gravity of less than 1. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein in the intermittent operation, the operation of the drain pump is controlled so that the water level of the drain water does not fall below the suction port of the drain pump. Wherein the predetermined stop time, the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is set to less than 3 hours. The predetermined operating time, the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is set to more than 1 hour. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the antibacterial agent is provided in a state of being floated so as to be movable in the drain water in the drain pan. As the antimicrobial agent does not approach within a predetermined distance from the suction port of the drain pump, according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises an antimicrobial material moving range regulating means for regulating the moving range of the antimicrobial agent Air conditioner. The air conditioner according to claim 7 , wherein the antibacterial material movement range regulating means is formed by narrowing a width of a flow path of the drain pan from a width of the antibacterial agent. 8. The air conditioner according to claim 7 , wherein the antibacterial material movement range regulating means comprises a strip having one end connected to the antibacterial agent and the other end fixed to the drain pan. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9 , wherein fibers on at least a lower surface of the antibacterial bag are fluffed. In the antibacterial agent, the volume of the antibacterial agent immersed in the drain water in a state where the drain pump is stopped and the water level of the drain water in the drain pan is raised, the water level is lowered when the drain pump is operated. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the air conditioner is configured so as to be larger than a volume of the antibacterial agent immersed in the drain water.

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