CN106716024A - Air-conditioning-device indoor unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A load detection unit (71) and an air volume adjustment unit (50) are provided. The load detecting unit (71) detects a high-load area where the air-conditioning load is relatively large during heating operation and a low-load area where the air-conditioning load is smaller than that in the surrounding area of the air-conditioning target space (R), and the air volume adjustment unit (50) In horizontal air mode, the air volume is sent to the low load area less than the air volume to the high load area. As a result, during the heating operation, the air-conditioning of the entire room including the surrounding area is efficiently performed, and unevenness in the room temperature is suppressed.

Description

Indoor unit of air conditioning unit

technical field

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly relates to a technique for controlling the airflow during heating operation of the indoor unit installed on the ceiling.

Background technique

Hitherto, among zone air conditioners that divide the air-conditioning target space into a peripheral area and an inner area for air conditioning, air conditioners that change the operation mode according to the air-conditioning load of the peripheral area are known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

What the air conditioner of patent document 1 adopts is floor type indoor unit. If the air-conditioning load in the surrounding area is large when heating the air-conditioning target space, the air-conditioning device will send air from the upper air outlet of the indoor unit, and send air downward after the air-conditioning load in the surrounding area is reduced to warm the footwell.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication JP-A-04-028946

Contents of the invention

－The technical problem to be solved by the invention－

However, although the air conditioner in Patent Document 1 sends air upward after detecting the load in the peripheral area, it also sends conditioned air to the entire peripheral area at this time. Therefore, when there is a deviation in the air conditioning load in the peripheral area, it is difficult to achieve high efficiency. air conditioning.

In general, the indoor unit of the air conditioner installed at the ceiling sends conditioned air downward during heating operation, warms the inner area and supplies the warm air to the surrounding area. However, the above-mentioned air flow control method has the following problem: part of the warm air sent downward by the indoor unit starts to rise before reaching the surrounding area, resulting in a decrease in the warm air supplied to the surrounding area, and thus uneven indoor temperature.

The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above points. Its purpose is to efficiently air-condition the entire air-conditioning target space including the surrounding area during heating operation, and to suppress indoor temperature unevenness.

－Technical solutions to solve technical problems－

The first aspect of the present disclosure is based on the premise of an indoor unit of an air conditioner, which includes a cabinet 20 installed at the ceiling U of the air-conditioning target space R, and the cabinet 20 is provided with air outlets 24, 25. The air outlets 24 and 25 can send air to multiple air supply directions in the horizontal air supply mode.

The first aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that it includes a load detection unit 71 for detecting the high-load area in which the air-conditioning load is relatively large during heating operation and the air-conditioning load lower than the high-load area in the surrounding area of the air-conditioning target space R. The low-load area of the load area is detected; the air volume adjustment unit 50 is used to perform air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air supply mode, and in this air volume adjustment operation, the air volume ratio of the air sent to the low-load area The air volume of the air sent out in the high-load area is small; and the operation control unit 70 includes an air volume control unit 72 that controls the air volume adjustment operation of the air volume adjustment unit 50 . The horizontal air supply mode refers to a mode in which air is sent indoors in a nearly horizontal direction (including the case of sending air in a slightly downward direction), and this mode ensures that the sent air can reach the indoor unit 11 farther away place.

In the first aspect, when the air volume adjustment operation is performed in the horizontal air blowing mode during the heating operation, the air volume sent to the low-load area is smaller than the air volume sent to the high-load area. Conversely, the volume of air flowing to the high-load area will be greater than that of the air flowing to the low-load area. In this way, in the state of sending air in the horizontal air blowing mode, the temperature of the high-load area is lower than that of the low-load area, and the air volume flowing to the high-load area will be relatively large. Therefore, in the present invention, heating is performed first. is supplied to a high-load area in the peripheral area, the temperature of the high-load area rises. As a result, the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area will be smaller.

The second aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. On the basis of the first aspect, it is characterized in that the air volume control unit 72 controls the air volume to the high load area during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode. The air volume of the blown air is larger than the air volume during the operation in which the air is uniformly sent in all directions.

In this second aspect, the air volume sent to the high-load area is larger in the air volume adjustment operation than in the operation in which the air is uniformly sent in all directions, so that the warm air sent from the indoor unit is reliably supplied to the high load area. load area. Thus, the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area can be reliably reduced.

The third aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. On the basis of the first or second aspect, it is characterized in that: the air volume adjustment part 50 is composed of air direction adjustment blades 51 arranged at the air outlets 24 and 25, and the air volume During the air volume adjustment operation, the control unit 72 adjusts the angle of the airflow direction adjustment blade 51 to adjust the gap between the opening edges of the air outlets 24 and 25 that send air to the low-load area and the peripheral edge of the airflow direction adjustment blade 51 . The gap area between them is limited so that the gap area is smaller than the gap area between the opening edges of the air outlets 24 and 25 that send air to the high-load area and the peripheral edge of the airflow direction adjusting blade 51.

In this third aspect, during the air volume control operation, the angle of the airflow direction adjustment vane 51 is adjusted by the air volume control unit 72, whereby the opening edges of the air outlets 24 and 25 that send air to the low-load area are adjusted. If the gap area with the peripheral edge of the wind direction adjusting blade 51 is restricted so that the gap area is smaller than the gap area at the air outlet that sends air to the high-load area, the ventilation resistance increases. This reduces the volume of air sent to low-load areas and increases the volume of air flowing into high-load areas. In addition, the volume of air sent to high-load areas will be greater than that of operation that sends air evenly in all directions. Therefore, the temperature difference between the low-load area and the high-load area is reliably reduced.

The fourth aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. On the basis of any one of the first to third aspects, it is characterized in that: the operation control unit 70 is configured to be able to select from multiple air blowing modes (such as horizontal air blowing mode and Air supply mode) to select the horizontal air supply mode.

In this fourth aspect, the horizontal air blowing mode can be selected from a plurality of air blowing modes, and the air volume adjustment operation can be performed in the horizontal air blowing mode. If the load in the high-load area increases above the specified value, the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air-flow mode can be performed as needed to reduce the temperature difference between the low-load area and the high-load area.

The fifth aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. On the basis of any one of the first to fourth aspects, it is characterized in that it includes an input unit 73 for allowing the user to input whether the air-conditioning target space R has a wall surface W or not. Information, the air volume control unit 72 is used to perform control, that is, during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode, the direction in which the air is blown is limited to the direction in which the wall W is present.

In the fifth aspect, the user can input the information of the presence or absence of the wall surface W into the input unit 73 , so that the air blowing direction can be limited to the direction with the wall surface, and the air volume adjustment operation can be performed. Even if the air is sent in the direction without the wall surface, no circulating air flow will be generated in the air-conditioning target space R, but the circulating air flow will be generated if the air is sent in the direction with the wall surface, and the temperature of the air-conditioning target space R will be uniform.

－Effects of the invention－

According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the load detection unit 71 can distinguish between a high-load area in which the air-conditioning load is relatively large during heating operation and a low-load area in which the air-conditioning load is lower than the high-load area in the surrounding area of the air-conditioning target space R. to test. In addition, in the horizontal air blowing mode, the air volume control unit 72 of the operation control unit 70 controls the air volume adjustment unit 50 to perform an air volume adjustment operation so that the air volume sent to the low-load area is higher than that to the high-load area. The flow rate of air sent out from the load area is small, so the temperature difference between the high load area and the low load area can be reduced. Therefore, the temperature variation in the space to be air-conditioned is reduced, and the heating operation can be performed efficiently.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the volume of air sent to the high-load area during the air volume control operation is larger than the air volume during the operation of uniformly sending air in all directions, so that the low-load area and the high-load area can be reliably narrowed. The temperature difference between them can further reduce the temperature deviation of the air-conditioning target space, and the heating operation can be performed efficiently.

According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the angle of the airflow direction adjusting blade 51 is adjusted, whereby the air volume is sent to the high-load area in the air volume adjustment operation than in the operation in which the air is uniformly sent in all directions, And it is easy to realize the configuration that the air volume is larger in the air volume adjustment operation to send air to the high load area than in the operation in which the air is uniformly sent in all directions. Therefore, it is easy to implement a configuration in which the temperature variation in the space to be air-conditioned is reduced and the heating operation is performed efficiently.

According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the horizontal blowing mode can be selected from a plurality of blowing modes. In addition, when the load in the high-load area in the peripheral area increases to a predetermined value or more in other operation modes, if the horizontal air blowing mode is selected, the air volume adjustment operation can be performed, thereby reducing the gap between the low-load area and the high-load area. Temperature difference. Thereafter, a mode other than the horizontal air blowing mode (the following air blowing mode) can be selected for operation.

According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, since the user inputs the information of the presence or absence of the wall surface W into the input unit 73, the air can be sent only in the direction in which the circulating air flow is generated in the air-conditioning target space during the air volume adjustment operation, thereby reducing the variation in indoor temperature. , and the operating efficiency is also improved.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of the air conditioner in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the indoor unit observed from above after the top plate is removed.

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the indoor unit 11 taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3 .

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the indoor unit.

Fig. 6(A) is a partial cross-sectional view of the indoor unit with the air direction adjusting vane set to the horizontal air supply position; Fig. 6(B) is the indoor unit under the state of setting the air direction adjusting vane to the downward air supply position Fig. 6(C) is a partial sectional view of the indoor unit in the state where the wind direction adjusting vane is set to the position of restricting the air supply.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of the arrangement of indoor units indoors.

Fig. 8(A) is a perspective view showing the state where the indoor unit in Fig. 1 sends air in four directions in the horizontal air supply mode; Fig. 8(B) is a perspective view showing that the indoor unit in Fig. A perspective view of the state where air is blown in two directions.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the warm airflow direction and temperature distribution in the vertical section of the room after the airflow control of the present embodiment is performed.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the direction of warm air flow and temperature distribution in the longitudinal section of a room after downflow is performed using the prior art.

Fig. 11(A) is a diagram showing the temperature distribution in the cross-section of the room after the air flow control of the present embodiment is carried out under the condition of constant air supply temperature; Diagram of the temperature distribution in a cross-section of a room after airflow control using existing technology under varying conditions.

Fig. 12(A) is a diagram showing the temperature distribution in the cross-section of the room after the airflow control of this embodiment is carried out under the condition that the supply capacity is constant; Diagram of the temperature distribution in a cross-section of a room with airflow control using existing technology in the case of .

detailed description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an air conditioner 1 for indoor cooling and heating. As shown in FIG. 1 , an air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 10 installed outdoors and an indoor unit 11 installed indoors. The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 11 are connected to each other by two connecting pipes 2,3. In this manner, the refrigerant circuit C is formed in the air conditioner 1 . In the refrigerant circuit C, the charged refrigerant circulates, whereby a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is performed.

<Configuration of Refrigerant Circuit>

The outdoor unit 10 is provided with a compressor 12 , an outdoor heat exchanger 13 , an outdoor expansion valve 14 , and a four-way reversing valve 15 . The compressor 12 compresses the low-pressure refrigerant and discharges the compressed high-pressure refrigerant. In the compressor, a compression mechanism such as a scroll type or a rotary type is driven by a compressor motor 12a. The compressor motor 12a is configured to be variable in rotation speed (operation frequency) under the control of an inverter.

The outdoor heat exchanger 13 is a finned tube heat exchanger. Next to the outdoor heat exchanger 13, an outdoor fan 16 is provided. In the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the air sent by the outdoor fan 16 exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The outdoor fan 16 is constituted by an axial flow fan driven by an outdoor fan motor 16a. The outdoor fan motor 16a is configured such that its rotation speed is variable under the control of an inverter.

The outdoor expansion valve 14 is composed of an electronic expansion valve with a variable opening. The four-way reversing valve 15 includes first to fourth valve ports. In the four-way reversing valve 15, the first valve port is connected to the discharge side of the compressor 12, the second valve port is connected to the suction side of the compressor 12, and the third valve port is connected to the gas side of the outdoor heat exchanger 13. At the end, the fourth valve port is connected to the normally closed valve 5 on the gas side. The four-way reversing valve 15 is switched between a first state (a state shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 ) and a second state (a state shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1 ). In the four-way reversing valve 15 in the first state, the first valve port is connected to the third valve port, and the second valve port is connected to the fourth valve port. In the four-way reversing valve 15 in the second state, the first valve port is connected to the fourth valve port, and the second valve port is connected to the third valve port.

The two connecting pipes are composed of a liquid connecting pipe 2 and an air connecting pipe 3 . One end of the liquid connection pipe 2 is connected to the liquid side normally closed valve 4 , and the other end is connected to the liquid side end of the indoor heat exchanger 32 . One end of the gas connection pipe 3 is connected to the gas side normally closed valve 5 , and the other end is connected to the gas side end of the indoor heat exchanger 32 .

In the indoor unit 11, an indoor heat exchanger 32 and an indoor expansion valve 39 are provided. The indoor heat exchanger 32 is a finned tube heat exchanger. Next to the indoor heat exchanger 32, an indoor fan 31 is provided. As will be described later, the indoor fan 31 is a centrifugal fan driven by an indoor fan motor 31a. The indoor fan motor 31a is configured such that its rotation speed is variable under the control of an inverter. The indoor expansion valve 39 is connected to the liquid end side of the indoor heat exchanger 32 in the refrigerant circuit C. As shown in FIG. The indoor expansion valve 39 is composed of an electronic expansion valve with a variable opening.

〔Indoor unit〕

2 to 5 show configuration examples of the indoor unit 11 . The outdoor unit 10 is installed outside the indoor space R which is the space to be air-conditioned, and the indoor unit 11 is connected to the outdoor unit 10 through the connecting pipes 2 and 3 , thereby forming the air conditioner 1 together. The air conditioner 1 is used to perform cooling operation and heating operation in the indoor space R. As shown in FIG. In this example, the indoor unit 11 is embedded in the ceiling and includes an indoor unit casing 20 , an indoor fan 31 , an indoor heat exchanger 32 , a water tray 33 and a bell mouth 34 . The indoor cabinet 20 is installed at the ceiling U of the indoor space R, and is composed of a cabinet main body 21 and a decorative panel 22 .

It should be noted that Fig. 2 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the indoor unit 11 viewed obliquely from below, Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the indoor unit 11 observed from above after removing the top plate 21a, and Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram along the direction of Fig. 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 11 taken along line IV-IV, and FIG. 5 is a simplified bottom view of the indoor unit 11 .

〈Case main body〉

An opening is formed in the ceiling U of the indoor space R, and the cabinet main body 21 is provided so as to be inserted into the opening. The casing main body 21 is formed in an approximately rectangular parallelepiped box shape with an open lower surface, and includes a top plate 21a and four side plates 21b. Among them, the top plate 21a has an approximately square plate shape, and the four side plates 21b have an approximately rectangular plate shape extending from the periphery of the top plate 21a to the bottom. The casing main body 21 is equipped with an indoor fan 31 , an indoor heat exchanger 32 , a water tray 33 and a bell mouth 34 . Moreover, a through hole H is formed on one side plate 21b of the four side plates 21b, through which the indoor refrigerant pipe P is inserted, and the indoor refrigerant pipe P is used to connect the indoor heat exchanger 32 and the connecting pipes 2, 3.

〈Indoor fan〉

The indoor fan 31 is arranged at the center of the casing main body 21 and sends the air sucked in from below to the side. In this example, the indoor fan 31 is constituted by a centrifugal fan, and is driven by an indoor fan motor 31 a located at the center of the top plate 21 a of the cabinet main body 21 .

〈Indoor heat exchanger〉

The indoor heat exchanger 32 is provided in such a way that a refrigerant pipe (heat transfer tube) is bent to surround the indoor fan 31, and a heat transfer tube (not shown) is provided inside, and the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube and the The air sucked into the casing main body 21 performs heat exchange. For example, the indoor heat exchanger 32 is constituted by a finned tube heat exchanger. The indoor heat exchanger 32 functions as a refrigerant evaporator to cool air during cooling operation, and functions as a refrigerant condenser (radiator) to heat air during heating operation.

<water tray>

The water receiving pan 33 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thinner vertical direction, and is arranged below the indoor heat exchanger 32 . An air suction passage 33a is formed in the central part of the water receiving tray 33, a water receiving groove 33b is formed on the upper surface of the water receiving tray 33, and four first exhaust passages 33c and four exhaust passages 33c are formed on the outer periphery of the water receiving tray 33. The second exhaust passage 33d. The suction passage 33a penetrates the water receiving pan 33 in the vertical direction. The water receiving groove 33b extends annularly so as to surround the air intake passage 33a in plan view. The four first exhaust passages 33c respectively extend along the four sides of the water receiving pan 33 so as to surround the water receiving tank 33b in plan view, and penetrate through the water receiving pan 33 in the vertical direction. The four second exhaust passages 33d are respectively located at the four corners of the water receiving tray 33 in a plan view, and penetrate through the water receiving tray 33 in the vertical direction.

<horn mouth>

The bell mouth 34 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the opening area increases from the upper end to the lower end. The opening upper end of the bell mouth 34 is inserted into the suction port (opening lower end) of the indoor fan 31 , and the bell mouth 34 is contained in the suction passage 33 a of the water receiving tray 33 . According to this structure, the air sucked in from the opening lower end of the bell mouth 34 is drawn to the air inlet of the indoor fan 31 .

<Decorative plates>

The decorative board 22 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thinner vertical direction. An air return port 23 is formed at the center of the decorative panel 22 , and a plurality of air outlets 24 , 25 are formed at the outer periphery of the decorative panel 22 . The plurality of air outlets 24 , 25 are specifically four first air outlets 24 and four second air outlets 25 . The air outlets 24 and 25 can send air to multiple air supply directions in the horizontal air supply mode.

The horizontal air supply mode refers to a mode in which air is sent indoors at an angle close to the horizontal direction, and this mode ensures that the sent air can reach a place far from the indoor unit 11 . However, the air blowing direction in this air blowing mode is not limited to the horizontal direction, and the air blowing mode also includes a state in which air is blown in a slightly downward direction.

(return air outlet)

The air return port 23 penetrates the decorative panel 22 along the vertical direction and is connected with the inner space of the bell mouth 34 . In this example, the air return port 23 is formed in a substantially square shape in plan view. At the air return port 23, a return air grille 41 and a return air filter 42 are provided. The return air grill 41 is formed in a substantially square shape, and many through holes are formed in the center thereof. The air return grill 41 is installed at the air return opening 23 of the decorative panel 22 and covers the air return opening 23 . Air is sucked in through the return air grille 41, and the return air filter screen 42 absorbs the dust in the air.

(air outlet)

The four first air outlets 24 are air outlets extending straight along the four sides of the decorative panel 22 in a manner surrounding the return air outlet 23 when viewed from above. The first exhaust passage 33c is connected. In this example, the first air outlet 24 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. The four second air outlets 25 are curved air outlets respectively located at the four corners of the decorative panel 22 when viewed from above. connected.

<Air flow in the indoor unit>

Next, referring to FIG. 4 , the air flow in the indoor unit 11 will be described. First, when the indoor fan 31 enters the running state, the indoor air is sucked in from the indoor space R through the following sequence: the return air grille 41, the return air filter 42 and the loudspeaker arranged at the return air outlet 23 of the decorative panel 22 The inner space of mouth 34. The air sucked in by the indoor fan 31 is sent to the side of the indoor fan 31 , and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing in the indoor heat exchanger 32 while passing through the indoor heat exchanger 32 . In this way, when the indoor heat exchanger 32 functions as an evaporator (that is, during cooling operation), the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 32 will be cooled; During hot operation), the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 32 will be heated. Then, the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 32, after being divided into the four first exhaust passages 33c and the four second exhaust passages 33d of the water receiving tray 33, flows through the four first air outlets 24 of the decorative panel 22. and four second air outlets 25 are sent to the indoor space R.

<Wind direction adjustment blade>

Each first air outlet 24 is provided with a wind direction adjusting blade 51 for adjusting the wind direction of the air (sent air) flowing in each first exhaust passage 33c. The wind direction adjusting vane 51 is formed in a flat shape and extends from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first air outlet 24 of the decorative panel 22 . The airflow direction adjusting blade 51 is configured to be rotatable around a central axis 53 extending in the longitudinal direction, and is supported by a support member 52 . The airflow direction adjustment blade 51 is formed in an arc shape, and its cross section (section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) has a shape protruding from the center axis 53 of the swing motion in a direction away from the center axis 53 . At the second air outlet 25, there is no wind direction adjustment vane, but the wind direction adjustment vane may also be provided.

The wind direction regulating blade 51 is a movable blade, and is configured to be able to set the position to the following position: the horizontal air blowing position of FIG. Under the mode, the position is set to this position; the lower air supply position (Fig. 6 (B)), under the downward air supply mode from the first air outlet 24 to send air downwards, the position is set to this position; Fig. The restricted air supply position of 6(C) can restrain the air from being sent out from the first air outlet 24 . It should be noted that, when the wind direction adjusting vane is arranged at the second air outlet 25, as long as the wind direction adjusting blade of the second air outlet 25 adopts the same structure as the wind direction adjusting blade 51 of the first air outlet 24, and can be carried out with The same actions as the wind direction adjusting blades 51 of the first air outlet 24 are sufficient.

In this embodiment, only the first air outlet 24 is used in the horizontal air supply mode, when the second air outlet 25 is also provided with wind direction adjustment vanes, both can be used in the horizontal air supply mode The first air outlet 24 uses the second air outlet 25 again.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , an operation control unit 70 composed of a control board includes an air volume control unit 72 , and the air volume control unit 72 can control the position of the air flow direction adjustment vane 51 to control the air flow rate from a plurality of blower units. Select the horizontal air supply mode in the wind mode. Specifically, the horizontal air blowing mode and the downward air blowing mode can be selected by the operation control unit 70 . Wherein, in the horizontal air blowing mode, the operation control unit 70 sets the air direction adjusting blades 51 to the horizontal air blowing position to send out air; The air supply position is used to send air to the floor F of the air-conditioning target space.

The wind direction adjusting blades 51 are provided at the four first air outlets 24 and can be controlled independently of each other by the air volume control unit 72 of the operation control unit 70 . And, after setting the wind direction regulating vane 51 at at least one of the first air outlets in the four first air outlets 24 to the restricted air supply position, the opening edge of the first air outlet 24 and the peripheral edge of the wind direction regulating blade 51 The gap area between the parts will be limited, and if it is smaller than the gap area at other first air outlets 24, the ventilation resistance will increase. Once the ventilation resistance increases, it will be difficult to send air out from the first air outlet 24 , therefore, the wind speed of the air sent out from other first air outlets 24 will increase, and the air volume will also increase. In addition, the air sent out from the first air outlet 24 where the airflow direction adjustment vane 51 is set to the restricted air supply position has a small air volume and a slow wind speed, and the phenomenon of short-circuit air flow (Short-circuit Air Flow) will occur. It will flow to the indoor space but be directly sucked into the air return port 23. It should be noted that the position for limiting the air supply to a smaller area of the gap between the opening edge of the first air outlet 24 and the peripheral edge of the wind direction adjusting blade 51 is not limited to the position of FIG. 6(C), Alternatively, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6(A), it may be a position satisfying the condition that the ventilation resistance is increased by making the angle of the wind direction adjusting vane 51 closer to the horizontal.

Thus, in this embodiment, the present invention uses the airflow direction adjustment vane 51 as the airflow adjustment part 50 controlled by the airflow control part 72 of the operation control part 70 . In this embodiment, the wind direction adjusting vane 51 is only provided at the first air outlet 24 , but not at the second air outlet 25 , therefore, the air volume adjusting part 50 only needs to be provided at the first air outlet 24 . It should be noted that when the second air outlet 25 is provided with an airflow direction adjusting blade, the second air outlet 24 also needs to be provided with an air volume adjustment part 50 .

As shown in FIG. 7 , the casing 20 of one indoor unit 11 of this embodiment is arranged, for example, at the center of a room where the ceiling U and the floor F are square. As mentioned above, the casing 20 of the indoor unit 11 includes four first air outlets 24, as shown in FIG. As shown in B), in the horizontal air blowing mode, air is blown only in two directions opposite to each other. Although not shown in the figure, air may be sent in any two or three directions other than those shown in FIG. 8(B). It should be noted that the state of the air volume adjustment operation of the present invention shown in FIG. 8(B) is a state in which the air volume of the air flowing to the low load area is less than the air volume of the air flowing to the high load area. stated.

The indoor unit 11 of the present embodiment is provided with a load detection unit (sensor) 71 which detects a high-load area and a high-load area where the air-conditioning load is relatively large during heating operation in the peripheral area around the indoor space R, which is the space to be air-conditioned. The air conditioner load is lower than the low load area of the high load area for detection. As shown in FIG. 2 , the load detection unit 71 is provided at one place on the lower surface of the decorative panel 22 .

In this embodiment, based on the detection result of the load detection unit 71, in the horizontal blowing mode, the air flow control unit 72 of the operation control unit 70 shown in FIG. The air volume adjustment operation is performed so that the air volume sent to the low load area is smaller than the air volume sent to the high load area. In particular, during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode, the air volume control unit 72 of the operation control unit 70 controls so that the air volume ratio of the air sent to the high-load area is equal to the operation in which the air is uniformly sent in all directions. When the air volume is large.

－Operating action－

Next, the operation of the air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The air conditioner 1 switches between a cooling operation and a heating operation.

〈Cooling operation〉

During cooling operation, the four-way reversing valve 15 shown in FIG. 1 is switched to the state shown by the solid line, and the compressor 12, the indoor fan 31, and the outdoor fan 16 are in the running state. In this manner, in the refrigerant circuit C, a refrigeration cycle is performed with the outdoor heat exchanger 13 serving as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 32 serving as an evaporator.

Specifically, the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 12 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to exchange heat with outdoor air. In the outdoor heat exchanger 13 , the high-pressure refrigerant releases heat to the outdoor air and condenses. The refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is sent to the indoor unit 11 . In the indoor unit 11 , the refrigerant is decompressed by the indoor expansion valve 39 and flows into the indoor heat exchanger 32 .

In the indoor unit 11 , the indoor air flows upward from the inner space of the air return port 23 and the bell mouth 34 in sequence, and is sucked in by the indoor fan 31 . Air is sent radially outward from the indoor fan 31 . The air passes through the indoor heat exchanger 32 to exchange heat with the refrigerant. In the indoor heat exchanger (32), the refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air to evaporate, and the air is cooled by the refrigerant.

The air cooled in the indoor heat exchanger 32 is divided into the first and second exhaust passages 33c and 33d to flow downward, and is supplied to the indoor space R through the air outlets 24 and 25 . The refrigerant evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger 32 is sucked into the compressor 12 and compressed again.

<Heating operation>

During the heating operation, the four-way reversing valve 15 shown in FIG. 1 is switched to the state shown by the dotted line, and the compressor 12, the indoor fan 31, and the outdoor fan 16 are in the running state. In this manner, in the refrigerant circuit C, a refrigeration cycle is performed with the indoor heat exchanger 32 serving as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 serving as an evaporator.

Specifically, the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 12 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 32 of the indoor unit 11 . In the indoor unit 11 , the indoor air flows upward from the inner space of the air return port 23 and the bell mouth 34 in sequence, and is sucked in by the indoor fan 31 . Air is sent radially outward from the indoor fan 31 . This air passes through the indoor heat exchanger 32 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. In the indoor heat exchanger (32), the refrigerant radiates heat to the indoor air to condense, and the air is heated by the refrigerant.

The air heated in the indoor heat exchanger 32 is divided into the first and second exhaust passages 33 c and 33 d to flow downward, and is supplied to the indoor space R through the air outlets 24 and 25 . The refrigerant condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 32 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 after being decompressed by the outdoor expansion valve 14 . In the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the outdoor air and evaporates. The refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is sucked into the compressor 12 and compressed again.

<Airflow control during heating operation>

In this embodiment, during the heating operation, the air volume control unit 72 of the operation control unit 70 can be used to perform the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode, so that the air volume ratio of the air sent to the low load area can be adjusted to the desired value. The volume of air sent out in the high load area is small (refer to FIG. 8(B)). Specifically, in FIG. 8(B), the wind direction regulating vane 51 of the first air outlet 24 that sends air to the low-load area is set to a restricted air supply position, so that the air is not sent to the low-load area, or Reduce the air volume in that direction. In this way, heating is first supplied to the high-load areas in the surrounding area.

As shown in Figure 9, in this state, after the air reaches the high-load area in the peripheral area, the air flows from above to below in the high-load area, then flows to the center of the room, and rises from there to be The indoor unit 11 draws in (generates circulating air flow). On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 10, in the conventional general indoor unit, after the warm air is sent downward from the indoor unit 11, although it will flow to the surrounding area, part of the air will start to flow before reaching the surrounding area. Therefore, the air volume reaching the surrounding area is reduced, making it difficult to generate circulating airflow.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11(A), by performing the air flow control in this embodiment without changing the blowing temperature, it is possible to suppress the unevenness of the indoor temperature and efficiently adjust the indoor air. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11(B), compared with the airflow control of this embodiment, the airflow control in the conventional art increases the variation in indoor temperature and reduces the air conditioning efficiency. Specifically, Fig. 11(A) shows the temperature distribution when air is blown in two directions in this embodiment, wherein the return air temperature is 22.6°C, the air supply temperature is 40.0°C, and the supply capacity is 3.53kW. In contrast, Fig. 11(B) shows the temperature distribution when air is blown in four directions, where the return air temperature is 23.3°C, the supply air temperature is 40.0°C, and the supply capacity is 4.49kW. In addition, while the average temperature of the indoor space R in FIG. 11(A) is 21.8°C and the standard deviation is 0.26K, the average temperature of the indoor space R in FIG. 11(B) is 22.5°C and the standard deviation is 0.38K. It should be noted that Fig. 11(A) and Fig. 11(B) both show the temperature distribution at a place 0.6m higher than the ground F.

As shown in FIG. 12(A), if the airflow control in this embodiment is performed without changing the supply capacity, it is also possible to suppress the unevenness of the indoor temperature, thereby allowing the indoor air to be conditioned efficiently. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12(B), compared with the airflow control of the present embodiment, the airflow control in the conventional art increases the indoor temperature deviation and reduces the air conditioning efficiency. Specifically, Fig. 12(A) shows the temperature distribution when air is blown in two directions in this embodiment, wherein the return air temperature is 22.6°C, the air supply temperature is 40.0°C, and the supply capacity is 3.53kW. In contrast, Fig. 12(B) shows the temperature distribution when air is blown in four directions, where the return air temperature is 21.7°C, the supply air temperature is 34.7°C, and the supply capacity is 3.53kW. In addition, while the average temperature of the indoor space R in FIG. 12(A) is 21.8°C and the standard deviation is 0.26K, the average temperature of the indoor space R in FIG. 12(B) is 21.1°C and the standard deviation is 0.31K. Similar to Fig. 11(A) and Fig. 11(B), Fig. 12(A) and Fig. 12(B) show the temperature distribution at a place 0.6m higher than the ground F.

－Effects of Embodiments－

To sum up, according to the present embodiment, among the surrounding areas of the indoor space R, the load detection unit 71 determines the high-load area in which the air-conditioning load is relatively large during heating operation and the low-load area in which the air-conditioning load is lower than the high-load area. After the detection, in the horizontal air blowing mode, the air volume control unit 72 of the operation control unit 70 controls the airflow direction adjustment vane 51, thereby performing an air volume adjustment operation, so that the air volume ratio of the air sent to the low-load area to the desired air volume is controlled. The volume of air delivered to the high load area is small. In particular, by setting the airflow direction adjusting vane 51 to the air supply restriction position during the air volume adjustment operation, the air volume is larger than that in the operation in which the air is uniformly sent out to all directions, so that the air volume can be reliably Minimize the temperature difference between the high load area and the low load area. Therefore, the temperature variation in the indoor space R is reduced, and a more efficient heating operation can be performed than in the prior art.

According to the present embodiment, the operation control unit 70 can select the horizontal blowing mode or the down blowing mode. Therefore, when the operation is normally performed in the down blowing mode, once the load in the high load area in the peripheral area increases to a predetermined value or more, , the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode can be performed to reduce the temperature difference between the low-load area and the high-load area. And, after that, it can return to the down-flow mode for operation.

-Modification of Embodiment-

In the above-described embodiment, the outdoor unit 11 is provided with a load detection unit 71 for detecting the load in the surrounding area. It may also be configured so that the user can input whether there is a wall in the surrounding area while the load detection unit 71 is provided. this information. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 1 , it is sufficient to provide an input unit 73 for allowing the user to input whether or not there is a wall W constituting the peripheral area of the air-conditioning target space during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode. a message. In this case, it is necessary to use a remote control device as an input unit to be connected to the operation control unit 70 .

By allowing the user to input the information of whether or not there is a wall surface W corresponding to the high-load area into the input unit 73 in this way, it is also possible to firstly supply warm air to the high-load area in the peripheral area. In this way, air can be sent only in the direction of the wall surface to form a circulating air flow, so that the indoor space R can be efficiently air-conditioned while suppressing temperature fluctuations in the indoor space R.

(Other implementations)

The embodiment may also take the following configurations.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the indoor unit 11 of the air conditioner 1 is configured to be embedded in the ceiling, and fitted into the opening O of the ceiling U. However, the indoor unit 11 may also be ceiling-suspended and arranged in the indoor space R in such a manner that the cabinet 20 is suspended from the ceiling. The blowing direction of the indoor unit 11 is not limited to four directions or eight directions as long as it corresponds to the high-load area and the low-load area in the peripheral area.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the indoor unit having the horizontal blowing mode and the down blowing mode has been described, but the blowing mode of the indoor unit of the present invention is not limited to the horizontal blowing mode and the down blowing mode. For example, the present invention can be applied to an indoor unit having a mode in which the airflow direction adjustment blades 51 swing to blow air, as long as it also has a horizontal air blowing mode, and the present invention can sometimes be applied to an indoor unit having only a horizontal air blowing mode depending on the situation. .

In the above-described embodiment, the airflow direction adjustment vane 51 is used as the airflow adjustment part 50, but as long as the airflow volume to the high-load area and the air volume to the low-load area can be made different in the horizontal air blowing mode, it is also possible to Members other than the wind direction adjustment blades 51 are used as the air volume adjustment unit 50 .

It should be noted that the above implementations are only preferred examples in nature, and are not intended to limit the present invention, its application objects or uses.

－Industrial Applicability－

As described above, the indoor unit of the air conditioner installed on the ceiling generates an airflow during heating operation, and the present invention is useful as a technology for controlling the airflow.

-Symbol Description-

1 air conditioning unit

11 indoor unit

20 Chassis

24 First air outlet

25 Second air outlet

50 Air volume adjustment unit

51 Wind direction adjustment vane

70 Operation Control Department

71 Load detection unit

72 Air volume control unit

73 Input section

R Indoor space (air conditioner object space)

u-ceiling

W wall

Claims (5)

1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, which comprises a casing (20) located at the ceiling (U) of the air-conditioning object space (R), and an air outlet (24, 25) is provided on the casing (20) , the air outlets (24, 25) can send air to multiple air supply directions in the horizontal air supply mode, and the indoor unit of the air conditioner is characterized in that it includes: A load detection unit (71) configured to detect a high-load area in which the air-conditioning load is relatively large during heating operation and a low-load area in which the air-conditioning load is lower than the high-load area in the surrounding area of the air-conditioning target space (R) ; an air volume adjustment unit (50) for performing an air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air supply mode, and in this air volume adjustment operation, the air volume of the air sent to the low-load area is set to be higher than the air volume sent to the high-load area small amount; and The operation control unit (70) includes an air volume control unit (72) that controls the air volume adjustment operation of the air volume adjustment unit (50). 2. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The air volume control unit (72) performs control to increase the air volume to send air to the high-load area during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode than in the operation to uniformly send air in all directions. . 3. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The air volume adjusting part (50) is composed of air direction adjusting blades (51) arranged at the air outlets (24, 25), The air volume control unit (72) adjusts the angle of the air direction adjusting vane (51) during the air volume adjustment operation to control the opening edges of the air outlets (24, 25) that send air to the low-load area. The gap area between the air outlet (24, 25) that sends air to the high-load area and the peripheral edge of the wind direction adjustment blade (51) are limited to the gap area between the peripheral edge of the wind direction adjustment blade (51). The gap area between parts is small. 4. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The operation control unit (70) is configured to be able to select the horizontal air blowing mode from a plurality of air blowing modes. 5. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes an input unit (73), which is used to allow the user to input the information of whether there is a wall (W) in the air-conditioned object space (R), and the air volume control unit (72) is used to perform the following: Controlling, that is, limiting the direction in which the air is blown out to the direction in which the wall surface (W) is present during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal air blowing mode.