Elastic body for closure, air conditioning device, and closure method

An air conditioning device, comprising:

• a housing defining an internal space therein;
• a plate-like body partitioning the internal space of the housing into at least two accommodation chambers, and including a through-hole formed therein that communicates between one accommodation chamber and another adjacent accommodation chamber;
• a refrigeration cycle device including a condenser disposed in the one accommodation chamber, an evaporator disposed in the another accommodation chamber, and a shaft inserted through the through-hole;
• and
• an elastic body for closure including:
• (a) a pressurized insertion receiving portion having formed therein an opening into which the shaft is pressed and inserted, to elastically press and contact liquid-tightly against an external surface of the shaft that is pressed and inserted in the opening;
• (b) a fitting portion to fit liquid-tightly a peripheral edge portion of the through-hole in the plate-like body in a state elastically pressing against an inner circumferential surface of the through-hole;
• and
• (c) a displacement allowance portion to close a gap between the pressurized insertion receiving portion and the fitting portion, and allow a relative displacement of the pressurized insertion receiving portion and the fitting portion in a direction parallel to the plate-like body by elastic deformation,
• wherein the fitting portion includes an external cylinder portion fitted in the through-hole;
• the displacement allowance portion includes an inner cylinder portion that is disposed inward in a radial direction of the external cylinder portion and a base coupled to the inner cylinder portion and the external cylinder portion;
• and
• a thickness of the inner cylinder portion reduces as the inner cylinder portion increases in distance from the base.

A closure method for closing a gap between a plate-like body in which a through-hole is formed and a shaft that is inserted in the through-hole, comprising:

• pressuring and inserting the shaft into an opening of an elastic body for closure, and elastically pressing and contacting a pressurized insertion receiving portion liquid-tightly against an external surface of the shaft, the elastic body for closure including:
• the pressurized insertion receiving portion having formed therein the opening;
• a fitting portion to fit a peripheral edge portion of the through-hole in the plate-like body;
• and
• a displacement allowance portion to close a gap between the pressurized insertion receiving portion and the fitting portion, and allow a relative displacement of the pressurized insertion receiving portion and the fitting portion by elastic deformation;
• and
• pushing the fitting portion into the through-hole, and fitting the fitting portion against the peripheral edge portion of the through-hole in a state elastically pressing against an inner circumferential surface of the through-hole,
• wherein the fitting portion includes an external cylinder portion fitted in the through-hole;
• the displacement allowance portion includes an inner cylinder portion that is disposed inward in a radial direction of the external cylinder portion and a base coupled to the inner cylinder portion and the external cylinder portion;
• and
• a thickness of the inner cylinder portion reduces as the inner cylinder portion increases in distance from the base.