CN114427706A - Air conditioner, control method thereof, and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Air conditioner, control method thereof, and computer-readable recording medium Download PDF

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Publication number
CN114427706A
CN114427706A CN202111199652.9A CN202111199652A CN114427706A CN 114427706 A CN114427706 A CN 114427706A CN 202111199652 A CN202111199652 A CN 202111199652A CN 114427706 A CN114427706 A CN 114427706A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
air
conditioned space
cleaning operation
control device
airflow
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
CN202111199652.9A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Inventor
森洸登
杨迪
桥本隆弘
三代一寿
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sharp Corp
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Sharp Corp
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Publication date
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Publication of CN114427706A publication Critical patent/CN114427706A/en
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0011—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by air outlets
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0018—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by fans
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0071—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units with means for purifying supplied air
    • F24F1/0073—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units with means for purifying supplied air characterised by the mounting or arrangement of filters
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0071—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units with means for purifying supplied air
    • F24F1/0076—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units with means for purifying supplied air by electric means, e.g. ionisers or electrostatic separators
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
    • F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
    • F24F1/0083—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units with dehumidification means
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/50—Control or safety arrangements characterised by user interfaces or communication
    • F24F11/56—Remote control
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/62—Control or safety arrangements characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
    • F24F11/63—Electronic processing
    • F24F11/64—Electronic processing using pre-stored data
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
    • F24F11/72—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the supply of treated air, e.g. its pressure
    • F24F11/79—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the supply of treated air, e.g. its pressure for controlling the direction of the supplied air
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/89—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
    • F24F13/08—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates
    • F24F13/10—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers
    • F24F13/14—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre
    • F24F13/15—Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates movable, e.g. dampers built up of tilting members, e.g. louvre with parallel simultaneously tiltable lamellae
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/10—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering
    • F24F8/108—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering using dry filter elements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/10—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering
    • F24F8/15—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering by chemical means
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/10—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering
    • F24F8/15—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering by chemical means
    • F24F8/167—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by separation, e.g. by filtering by chemical means using catalytic reactions
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/20—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by sterilisation
    • F24F8/22—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by sterilisation using UV light

Abstract

The air conditioner includes: a louver provided at an air outlet of the indoor unit; a fan motor that rotates a blower fan to blow out air sucked from a suction port of the indoor unit from a blow-out port; and a control device for controlling the operation of the air conditioner. The control device is capable of performing an air cleaning operation for collecting impurities in air in the air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space. The control device includes an operation control unit that controls at least one of the louver and the fan motor during an air cleaning operation to generate a recovery airflow in the air-conditioned space, the recovery airflow being a recovery airflow that moves air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a recovery port that recovers the impurities, without causing airflow collision.

Description

Air conditioner, control method thereof, and computer-readable recording medium
Technical Field
The invention relates to an air conditioner, a control method of the air conditioner, and a computer-readable recording medium.
Background
In recent years, a function of removing impurities in air in an air-conditioned space has been strongly demanded. The same function is required not only for an air cleaner but also for air-conditioning-related equipment such as an air conditioner and a ventilator.
For example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-004102 discloses a ventilation device that recovers impurities in air into the device, traps impurities and the like in the device, and discharges air cleaner than air intake.
Disclosure of Invention
Technical problem to be solved by the invention
However, the impurities contain pathogens such as viruses, which cause sneezing of organisms that are sources of pathogens. When pathogens are emitted from pathogen emitting sources present in the conditioned space, it becomes problematic for the pathogens to be emitted into the conditioned space and inhaled by other occupants.
Therefore, in air-conditioning-related equipment, such as an air conditioner, it is required to control the air flow so that the impurities emitted into the air-conditioned space are efficiently directed toward the recovery port for recovering the impurities without scattering as much as possible.
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of efficiently directing air containing impurities to a recovery port without scattering the impurities.
Technical solution for solving technical problem
In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention relates to an air conditioner including: a louver provided at an air outlet of the indoor unit; a fan motor that rotates a blower fan so as to blow out air sucked from a suction port of the indoor unit from the blow-out port; and a control device that controls an operation of the air conditioner, the control device being capable of performing an air cleaning operation for collecting impurities in air in an air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space, the control device including an operation control unit that controls at least one of the louver and the fan motor during the air cleaning operation to generate a collected airflow in the air-conditioned space without collision of an airflow, the collected airflow being a collected airflow that moves air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a collection port that collects the impurities.
In order to solve the above problem, a control method according to an aspect of the present invention is a control method of controlling an air conditioner including: a louver provided at an air outlet of the indoor unit; a fan motor that rotates a blower fan to blow out air sucked from the suction port of the indoor unit from the air outlet; and a control device that controls an operation of the air conditioner, the control method including: the control device may perform an air cleaning operation for collecting impurities in air in an air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space, and in the air cleaning operation, the control device may control at least one of the louver and the fan motor to generate a collected airflow in the air-conditioned space, the collected airflow being a collected airflow for moving air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a collection port for collecting the impurities, without collision of the airflow.
Advantageous effects
According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an air conditioner in which air containing impurities is efficiently directed to a recovery port without scattering the impurities.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an indoor unit according to an aspect of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing another appearance of the indoor unit.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a louver unit provided in the indoor unit.
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the indoor unit in a state where upper and lower louvers are closed.
Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a main part configuration of the indoor unit.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an outline of an air-conditioned space in which indoor units are installed.
Fig. 7 is a YZ plan view of the air-conditioned space as viewed from the indoor unit and viewed from the right side.
Fig. 8 is a YZ plan view of the indoor unit when the air-conditioned space is captured from the right side, and is a view showing the collected airflow.
Fig. 9 is a YZ plan view of the indoor unit when the air-conditioned space is captured from the right side, and is a view showing the collected airflow.
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the operation table stored in the storage unit.
Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the control unit of the indoor unit.
Detailed Description
[ embodiment 1]
< appearance of indoor Unit >
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In this embodiment and other embodiments, a separate type air conditioner including a wall-mounted indoor unit and an outdoor unit will be described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the wall-mounted indoor unit of the air conditioner.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an indoor unit 1 of an air-conditioning apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing another appearance of the indoor unit 1.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 1 includes a casing 2 as an outer casing. Further, the indoor unit 1 includes, as an assembly member detachably assembled to the casing 2, a louver unit 40 including a plurality of right and left louvers 14 (louvers) and upper and lower louvers 13 (louvers). Detachable here means that the user can easily detach and attach the device.
The housing 2 is formed like a rectangular parallelepiped. Specifically, the width in the vertical direction of the front surface of the housing 2 is formed narrower than the width in the vertical direction of the rear surface of the housing 2. Therefore, the upper surface of the case 2 is formed to be gently inclined downward from the back surface toward the front surface. In addition, the lower surface of the housing 2 is formed to gently rise and incline from the back surface toward the front surface.
An intake port 2a for taking in air from the outside is formed in the upper surface of the casing 2. A grid is incorporated into the suction port 2 a. A filter, not shown, is provided in the suction port 2 a. The filter traps dust and the like sucked into the casing 2 together with air.
An air outlet 2b is formed in the lower surface of the casing 2, and the air outlet 2b blows out air that has been sucked in from the air inlet 2a and passed through the inside of the casing 2. The air outlet 2b is formed in a long and narrow rectangular shape. The upper and lower louvers 13 (louvers) are rotatably attached to the air outlet 2 b.
The upper and lower louvers 13 are plate-like members that open and close the air outlet 2b and determine the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet 2b in the vertical direction. The upper and lower louvers 13 are formed to have substantially the same size and shape as the air outlet 2b so as to be able to close the air outlet 2 b.
The inner surfaces 3a of the upper and lower louvers 13 are provided with a rotation support piece 3b and a drive support piece 3 c. The inner surface 3a is a surface located on the inner side of the casing 2 in a state where the outlet port 2b is closed. The pivot support pieces 3b are provided at both ends of the upper and lower louvers 13 in the longitudinal direction. The rotation support piece 3b is formed to stand vertically with respect to the inner surface 3 a.
The pivot support pieces 3b are provided with support shafts (not shown) on outer side surfaces opposite to inner side surfaces facing the two pivot support pieces 3 b. The support shaft is formed to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower louver blades 13. The support shaft is fitted into a hole (not shown) formed in a wall surface of the casing 2 forming the outlet port 2 b. Thereby, the upper and lower louvers 13 are rotatably supported by the casing 2.
The drive support piece 3c is provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower louvers 13. A drive shaft 3e is provided on a surface of the drive support piece 3c facing the one rotation support piece 3 b. The drive shaft 3e is provided to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower louvers 13.
As shown in fig. 2, the drive shaft 3e is driven by the up-down drive unit 31 to rotate about the support shaft. Thereby, the upper and lower louvers 13 rotate so as to move in the vertical direction between the closed position closing the air outlet 2b and the open position opening the air outlet 2 b.
The up-down driving unit 31 has a lever 31a and a motor 31 b. The lever 31a transmits the rotational driving force of the motor 31b to the drive shaft 3 e. The drive shaft 3e is lifted and pressed down in accordance with the rotation of the lever 31 a.
Instead of being driven by the drive shaft 3e, the upper and lower louvers 13 may be rotated by directly applying a driving force to the support shaft.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the louver unit 40 provided in the indoor unit 1.
As shown in fig. 3, the louver unit 40 includes a plurality of left and right louvers 14, left and right driving units 41, and a connecting rod 42. In fig. 3, the louver unit 40 is drawn to be directly provided on the housing 7, but is provided as an assembly member that is detachably provided with respect to the housing 7. Further, only the left and right louvers 14 and the connecting rod 42 may be provided as an assembly member that is detachable from the housing 7.
The left and right louvers 14 determine the direction of the air blown out in the air outlet 2b in the left-right direction. The left and right louvers 14 are arranged in a plate-like portion of the housing 7 in the longitudinal direction of the casing 2 with a predetermined interval therebetween. The right and left louvers 14 include wing portions 4a, notch portions 4b, and rotation support portions 4 c.
The wing portion 4a is a plate-shaped portion that defines an air flow in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the housing 2. As shown in fig. 4, the cutout portion 4b is formed to have a narrow width to the extent that the connecting strip 42 passes from the front end toward the air outlet 2b toward the rear end. The rotation support portion 4c is rotatably supported by the housing 7.
The connecting rod 42 is disposed so as to pass through the notches 4b of the left and right louvers 14, respectively. The connecting rod 42 engages with the notches 4b of the left and right louvers 14. A driven portion 42a is provided at one end of the connecting rod 42. The driven portion 42a has a long hole 42b formed parallel to the surface of the housing 7 and long in the Y1 direction and the Y2 direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the case 2.
The left-right drive unit 41 has an operation lever 41a, a motor 41b, and a pin 41 c. The left and right driving units 41 convert the rotational motion into the reciprocating motion by interlocking with the connecting rod 42.
The operating lever 41a is arranged to extend from a downstream side with respect to the air flow of the driven portion 42a to the driven portion 42a, and is provided with a pin 41c at a front end. The pin 41c is fitted into the elongated hole 42b of the driven portion 42a so as to be movable in the elongated hole 42 b. In the louver unit 40, when only the left and right louvers 14 and the connecting rod 42 are provided to be attachable to and detachable from the housing 7, the pin 41c is provided to be attachable to and detachable from the driven portion 42 a. The motor 41b has a drive shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the housing 7, and rotates the operating lever 41a in the C1 direction and the C2 direction opposite to the C1 direction.
When the motor 41b rotates the lever 41a in the C1 direction, the pin 41C moves in the Y1 direction in the elongated hole 42b and pulls the driven portion 42a in the X1 direction, which is one of the longitudinal directions of the housing 2. Thereby, the link rod 42 moves in the X1 direction (right direction). The left and right louvers 14 rotate in the X1 direction in conjunction with the movement of the connecting rod 42.
On the other hand, when the motor 41b rotates the operating lever 41a in the direction of C2, the pin 41C moves in the Y2 direction in the elongated hole 42b and pushes the driven portion 42a into the X2 direction (left direction), which is the other longitudinal direction of the housing 2. Thereby, the link rod 42 moves in the X2 direction. The left and right louvers 14 rotate in the X2 direction in conjunction with the movement of the connecting rod 42.
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the indoor unit 1 in a state where the upper and lower louvers 13 are closed. As shown in fig. 4, the indoor unit 1 includes a heat exchanger 5, a blower fan 16, and a casing 7. The indoor unit 1 may include a light source casing 8, a light source 9, and a photocatalytic sheet 32 as necessary. These function as an inactivation unit for inactivating pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and parasites.
The heat exchanger 5 has a first heat exchange portion 5a and a second heat exchange portion 5 b. The first heat exchange portion 5a is arranged to be inclined from immediately below the suction port 2a to the vicinity of the front surface of the casing. The second heat exchange portion 5b is disposed so as to be inclined from directly below the suction port 2a to the vicinity of the rear surface of the casing.
The heat exchanger 5 exchanges heat with the air sucked from the suction port 2 a. Specifically, the heat exchanger 5 functions as an evaporator that vaporizes the refrigerant during the cooling operation, and takes heat from the air. On the other hand, the heat exchanger 5 functions as a condenser for liquefying the refrigerant during the heating operation, and supplies heat to the air.
The blower fan 16 is disposed at a position facing the lower surfaces of the first heat exchange portion 5a and the second heat exchange portion 5b, respectively. The blower fan 16 is rotated by the driving force of a fan motor 15 (motor) about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the casing 2. The blowing fan 16 is, for example, a cross-flow fan, but may be another fan. The blower fan 16 rotates to generate an airflow in which the air in the room is sucked from the suction port 2a and blown out from the blow-out port 2b into the room.
The casing 7 is a plate-like member that guides air into the air outlet 2 b. The casing 7 is provided on the back side of the casing 2 from which air is sent out by the blower fan 16, and is located in a range from between the blower fan 16 and the second heat exchange unit 5b to the lower surface of the casing 2 in the vicinity of the outlet port 2 b. The casing 7 is curved in an intermediate portion so as to bulge toward the back side of the casing 2, and is formed in a flat plate shape from the intermediate portion to the vicinity of the outlet port 2 b. In addition, the housing 7 is formed to have a width of both side walls of the case 2. The outer case 7 is attached to the housing 2, and has a function of reinforcing the housing 2, thereby constituting a part of the housing 2.
< construction of indoor Unit >
Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a main part configuration of the air conditioner 100, particularly, the indoor unit 1. The air conditioner 100 of the present embodiment includes an indoor unit 1, an outdoor unit, not shown, including a refrigerant circuit such as a compressor 3, and an operation unit 4. The operation unit 4 is, for example, a so-called remote controller for operating the indoor unit 1 indoors.
The air conditioner 100 performs an air conditioning operation for adjusting the temperature, humidity, and the like of the air-conditioned space or adjusting the wind direction or the air volume without performing temperature adjustment. The air conditioner 100 of the present embodiment can execute the air cleaning operation of the present invention simultaneously with the air conditioning operation or by switching from the air conditioning operation. The air cleaning operation is an operation of adjusting at least one of the wind direction and the wind volume to generate a recovery airflow suitable for recovering impurities. The recovery airflow is an airflow that moves air in the air-conditioned space to the recovery port where the impurities are recovered from the air outlet of the indoor unit 1, and is an airflow that does not collide with the air-conditioned space. The collected airflow may be an airflow that does not have collision of the airflow itself on the path from the blow-out port to the collection port.
The air cleaning operation may be accompanied or not accompanied by driving of the refrigerant circuit. The air conditioner 100 may start the air cleaning operation when the air conditioning operation is not in operation, and generate the recovery airflow by adjusting at least one of the airflow direction and the airflow rate without driving the refrigerant circuit. When the air cleaning operation is started during the operation of the air conditioning operation, the air conditioner 100 may generate the recovery airflow by adjusting at least one of the airflow direction and the airflow rate while maintaining the driving content of the refrigerant circuit during the air conditioning operation. Alternatively, when the air-conditioning operation starts during the operation of the air-conditioning operation, the air-conditioning apparatus 100 may relax the driving of the refrigerant circuit during the air-conditioning operation, adjust at least one of the wind direction and the air volume, and generate the recovery airflow. Alternatively, when switching from the air-conditioning operation to the air-cleaning operation, the air-conditioning apparatus 100 may stop the driving of the refrigerant circuit during the air-conditioning operation, adjust at least one of the wind direction and the air volume, and generate the recovery airflow.
The indoor unit 1 includes a control unit 10 (control device), a storage unit 11, an indoor environment sensor 12, upper and lower louvers 13 (louvers), left and right louvers 14 (louvers), a fan motor 15, and a blower fan 16. In addition to the components shown in fig. 5, the indoor unit 1 may include the components shown in fig. 1
Figure BDA0003304445680000081
The components shown in fig. 4 and components not shown generally provided in an indoor unit of an air conditioner 100 (so-called air conditioner). For example, the air conditioner 100 may include an outdoor unit communication unit that communicates with a control unit on the outdoor unit side of the air conditioner through an electric wiring. The air conditioner 100 may include an ion generating device, a network communication unit for communicating with an external network device, an infrared transmitting/receiving unit for communicating with the operation unit 4, and the like.
The indoor environment sensor 12 is a sensor that detects all the states of the air-conditioned space. The indoor environment sensor 12 may be a variety of sensors depending on the detection object. For example, the indoor environment sensor 12 may be a thermometer that measures the temperature of the conditioned space or a hygrometer that measures the humidity. The indoor environment sensor 12 may be a human detection sensor for detecting the presence of a human, a temperature sensor, a sound sensor, a brightness sensor, or an infrared sensor. A camera for photographing the air-conditioned space is also included in the indoor environment sensor 12. The indoor environment sensor 12 may be a sensor that measures the concentration of impurities in the air in the conditioned space. For example, a dust sensor as the indoor environment sensor 12 may be provided near the suction port on the upper surface of the indoor unit 1 to measure the concentration of dust in the air sucked into the indoor unit 1.
Detection signals output from the various indoor environment sensors 12 are transmitted to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 can grasp the current state of the air-conditioned space based on the detection signals received from the various sensors.
The control unit 10 comprehensively controls the operations of the above-described respective units of the indoor unit 1, and includes, as functional blocks, an operation mode determination unit 21, an operation condition determination unit 22, and an operation control unit 23. The control unit 10 may have a function not shown in the drawings, which is generally provided in an indoor unit of an air conditioner, in addition to the function shown in fig. 5.
The storage unit 11 stores various data used in the control unit 10, including a ROM (read only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 11 stores condition information, setting information, and an operation table, as an example. In addition, the storage unit 11 may store various programs, not shown, that the control unit 10 executes.
The condition information stored in the storage unit 11 is information defining a condition for starting the air cleaning operation. The condition information defines a state of the air-conditioned space in which the air cleaning operation should be started. Specifically, the condition information may specify a measurement value acquired by the indoor environment sensor 12, a threshold value of the measurement value, a change amount of the measurement value, a range of the measurement value, and the like. The condition information may define a detection result obtained by the indoor environment sensor 12 or a determination result based on the detection result. The condition information may include information defining a condition for ending the air cleaning operation.
The setting information indicates information set in the apparatus regarding the air conditioning operation. The setting information includes, for example, a set temperature, a set humidity, a set air volume, a set wind direction, and a set operation mode. These pieces of setting information may be values input to the air-conditioning apparatus 100 by the user operating the operation unit 4, or may be values automatically set by the air-conditioning apparatus 100. The set operation mode indicates any one of operation modes for the purpose of air conditioning. For example, any one of the "cooling operation", the "heating operation", the "dehumidifying operation", and the "blowing operation" is set as the set operation mode.
The operation table is a reference table showing the correspondence relationship between the operation mode determined by the operation mode determining unit 21 and the operation condition for realizing the operation mode. The operating condition determining unit 22 refers to the operating table to determine the operating conditions.
The operation mode determination unit 21 of the control unit 10 determines the operation mode when the air conditioner 100 is operated. For example, the operation mode determination unit 21 determines any one of the operation modes of the "cooling operation", the "heating operation", the "dehumidifying operation", and the "blowing operation" when the air-conditioning operation is performed by the air-conditioning apparatus 100.
The operation mode determination unit 21 may select the operation mode indicated by the set operation mode stored in the storage unit 11 when receiving a signal instructing the start of operation from the operation unit 4. The operation mode determination unit 21 may select the specified operation mode and operation method when receiving a signal for specifying the specified operation mode from the operation unit 4.
In the present embodiment, the operation mode determination unit 21 determines whether or not the air cleaning operation needs to be executed based on the detection signal obtained from the indoor environment sensor 12. Specifically, the operation mode determination unit 21 determines to execute the air cleaning operation when it is determined that the detection signal satisfies the condition defined in the condition information stored in the storage unit 11. The air conditioner 100 may or may not perform the air conditioning operation until the execution of the air cleaning operation is determined.
The operating condition determining unit 22 determines the operating conditions for realizing the operating mode determined by the operating mode determining unit 21. The operation condition is the content of the operation performed by each component of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 which is the control target to be operated under the control of the operation control unit 23.
When the control target is the up-down louver 13 and the left-right louver 14 for adjusting the wind direction, the operating conditions for these components may be information for specifying the orientation of the louvers, for example, or information for specifying the movement of the louvers, for example, whether the louvers are moving in a manner of swinging up and down or left and right, or are stationary.
In the case where the control target is a fan motor for driving the blower fan 16 for adjusting the air volume, the operation condition for the component may be, for example, information for specifying the rotation speed of the blower fan 16.
In the case where the control target is the compressor 3 driven in the refrigerant circuit for adjusting the temperature or humidity, the operation condition of the component may be information for specifying the rotation speed of the compressor 3, for example.
In the present embodiment, the operation condition determination unit 22 can refer to the operation table stored in the storage unit 11 and determine the operation condition corresponding to the operation mode determined by the operation mode determination unit 21 for each control target.
The operation control unit 23 controls each component to be controlled so as to match the operation condition determined by the operation condition determination unit 22. In the present embodiment, the operation control unit 23 controls the direction of the upper and lower louvers 13, controls the operation of the left and right louvers 14, controls the rotation of the blower fan 16 via the fan motor 15, and controls the rotation of the compressor 3. The operation control unit 23 may be electrically connected to the compressor 3 to directly control the compressor 3, or may be in communication with a control unit of the outdoor unit, not shown, to instruct the control unit of the outdoor unit to drive the compressor 3 at a predetermined rotational speed.
< wind Direction adjustment function >
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an outline of an air-conditioned space in which the indoor unit 1 is installed. In the following description, an XYZ coordinate system is defined for the space to be air-conditioned, and the XYZ coordinate system is based on the leftmost position, the lowermost position, and the farthest front position as the origin, as viewed from the position where the indoor unit 1 is installed. In the XYZ coordinate system, the left-right direction of the indoor unit 1 is defined as an X axis, the up-down direction is defined as a Y axis, and the depth direction is defined as a Z axis. The uppermost part of the conditioned space is a ceiling surface, and the lowermost part is a floor surface. Fig. 7 is a YZ plan view of the indoor unit 1 when the air-conditioned space is viewed from the right side.
The operation control unit 23 can adjust the vertical direction of the air blown out from the air outlet 2b by adjusting the angle of the vertical louver 13. In the present embodiment, the operation control unit 23 can adjust the angle of the up-down louver 13 in 6 steps, for example. Specifically, as shown in fig. 7, the operation controller 23 can blow wind in 6 vertical directions (wind directions wd1 to wd6) by adjusting the angle of the vertical louver blades 13. The wind direction wd1 is the uppermost direction wd1 of the wind direction that can be adjusted by the up-down louvers 13, i.e., the front row of the ceiling surface (ア row of hiragana, japanese). That is, the indoor unit 1 can blow air to the near side of the indoor unit 1 on the ceiling surface. The wind direction wd6 is directed toward the lowermost direction wd6 that is the most downward direction of the wind direction that can be adjusted by the up-and-down louvers 13, i.e., toward the front heel (ア row) of the ground. That is, the indoor unit 1 can blow air to the near side of the indoor unit 1 on the ground.
The operation control unit 23 can adjust the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet 2b in the left-right direction by adjusting the angle of the left and right louvers 14. In the present embodiment, for example, the operation control unit 23 can swing the angle of the left and right exhaust plates 14 to the left and right, and can continuously change the direction of the blown wind in order from one of the leftmost wind direction toward the leftmost wind and the rightmost wind direction toward the rightmost wind. This causes the air in the conditioned space to be agitated, and the temperature or humidity in the conditioned space can be made nearly uniform.
(operation for air purification)
Fig. 8 is a YZ plan view when the indoor unit 1 is viewed from the right side and captures the air-conditioned space, and is a view showing the collected airflow.
During the air cleaning operation, the operation control unit 23 controls at least one of the upper and lower louvers 13 and the fan motor 15 to generate a recovery airflow for moving the air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet 2b to the recovery port for recovering the impurities. The recovered airflow is an airflow that does not have a collision of airflows on a path from the blowout port 2b to the recovery port, and therefore is an airflow that does not have a collision of airflows in the conditioned space.
The recovery port is, for example, a suction port 2a provided in the indoor unit 1. The operation control unit 23 may control the upper and lower louvers 13 to blow out the air from the air outlet 2b in a direction away from the air inlet 2a in the horizontal direction during the air cleaning operation. For example, the operation control unit 23 may control the upper and lower louvers 13 so that the air is blown out from the air outlet 2b in a direction away from the air inlet 2a during the air cleaning operation.
For example, when the suction port 2a is provided on the ceiling surface side of the air-conditioned space with respect to the air outlet 2b, the operation control unit 23 may control the upper and lower louvers 13 so that the air is blown out from the air outlet 2b in the direction of the floor surface of the air-conditioned space during the air cleaning operation. The operation control unit 23 may control the upper and lower louvers 13 to maintain the angle after moving the upper and lower louvers 13 in the direction toward the ground while the air cleaning operation is being performed.
Specifically, as shown in fig. 8, the operation control unit 23 may set the angle of the upper and lower louvers 13 to the lowermost direction wd6 in which air is blown toward the floor surface. As described above, the positional relationship between the inlet port 2a and the outlet port 2b of the operation control unit 23 is preferably such that the upper and lower louvers 13 are oriented in the lowermost direction wd6 during the air cleaning operation when the operating state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 immediately before the air cleaning operation is the heating operation, the air-blowing operation, or the non-operation. Further, the operation control unit 23 maintains the upper and lower louvers 13 in the lowermost direction wd6 when the upper and lower louvers 13 are oriented in the lowermost direction wd6 immediately before the air cleaning operation is performed.
According to the above configuration, the operation control unit 23 is a collected airflow that can generate an airflow moving from the blowout port 2b to the suction port 2a as a recovery port, and does not collide with the airflow itself, that is, does not generate collision of the airflow in the conditioned space. In the example shown in fig. 8, air is blown out from the air outlet 2b in a direction farthest from the air inlet 2a when viewed from the air outlet 2b, that is, in the lowermost direction wd 6. Thus, the blown air does not collide with the air returning to the suction port 2a, but first moves toward the line ア in front of the floor. Then, the air returns to the suction port 2a through the wall surfaces of the air-conditioned space, specifically, the floor surface, the side wall surface on the far side of the indoor unit 1, and then the ceiling surface, by the blowing potential energy and the coanda effect. In this way, in the recovery airflow, a path from the blowout port 2b to the recovery port is formed so as to pass in one direction like a wheel along each wall surface. That is, the recovery air stream itself has no collision of the air stream. Therefore, the recovery airflow can be generated in the conditioned space without collision of the airflow. As a result, it is possible to realize an air conditioner capable of efficiently directing air containing impurities to the recovery port without scattering the impurities.
When the suction port 2a is provided on the ceiling surface side of the air-conditioned space with respect to the discharge port 2b, the operation control unit 23 switches from the heating operation to the air cleaning operation, and sets the angle of the upper and lower louvers 13 to the lowermost direction wd6, thereby generating a recovery airflow suitable for recovering the impurities.
According to the above configuration, the warm air blown out from the air outlet 2b in the lowermost direction wd6 is blown out toward the floor ア row, and then circulates from the floor, the indoor unit 1 to the side wall surface on the far side, and the ceiling surface by promoting the coanda effect. The warm air flowing on the ceiling surface can also assist the natural convection of the warm air pushed upward from the floor surface toward the ceiling surface of the conditioned space, and can be returned to the suction port 2a without collision. That is, the flow of the warm air that is going to return to the suction port 2a on the upper surface along the ceiling surface from the sidewall surface on the far side is supported by the pushed-up warm air, and does not sink and return to the suction port 2a as indicated by the broken-line arrow. Therefore, the hot air returning along the ceiling surface and the hot air blown out from the air outlet 2b do not collide with each other as shown in fig. 8. As described above, the recovery airflow can be generated without collision of the airflow in the conditioned space, and as a result, the air containing the impurities can be efficiently directed toward the suction port 2a as the recovery port without scattering the impurities.
In another example, the indoor unit 1 in which the suction port 2a is provided on the floor surface side of the conditioned space with respect to the discharge port 2b is assumed. In this case, the operation control unit 23 may control the upper and lower louvers 13 so that air is blown out from the air outlet 2b in the direction of the ceiling surface of the air-conditioned space during the air cleaning operation.
Fig. 9 is a YZ plan view when the indoor unit 1 is viewed from the right side and captures the air-conditioned space, and is a view showing the collected airflow. In the indoor unit 1 shown in the figure, the suction port 2a is provided on the floor side of the conditioned space with respect to the discharge port 2 b.
In the other example described above, specifically, the operation control unit 23 may set the angle of the upper and lower louvers 13 to the uppermost direction wd1 in which air is blown in the ceiling surface direction. As described above, the positional relationship between the suction port 2a and the discharge port 2b is preferably such that the operation control unit 23 directs the upper and lower louvers 13 in the uppermost direction wd1 during the air cleaning operation when the operating condition of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 immediately before the air cleaning operation is the cooling operation, the blowing operation, or the non-operation. Further, the operation control unit 23 maintains the upper and lower louvers 13 in the uppermost direction wd1 when the upper and lower louvers 13 are oriented in the uppermost direction wd1 immediately before the air cleaning operation is performed.
When the suction port 2a is provided on the floor side of the air-conditioned space with respect to the discharge port 2b, the operation control unit 23 can generate a recovery airflow suitable for recovering the impurities by switching from the cooling operation to the air cleaning operation and setting the angle of the upper and lower louvers 13 to the uppermost direction wd 1.
With the above configuration, the cool air blown out from the air outlet 2b in the uppermost direction wd1 is blown out toward the ceiling surface ア row, and then circulates from the ceiling surface, the side wall surface on the far side of the indoor unit 1, and the floor surface by promoting the coanda effect. The cool air flowing on the floor also contributes to natural convection of the cool air drooping from the ceiling surface of the air-conditioned space toward the floor, and can be returned to the suction port 2a without collision. That is, the flow of the cool air flowing along the floor surface from the sidewall surface on the far side passes through the hanging cool air, and returns to the lower side of the suction port 2a without floating up as indicated by the broken line arrow. Therefore, collision as shown in fig. 9 does not occur between the cool air that is to return along the floor surface and the cool air that is blown out from the air outlet 2b along the ceiling surface while maintaining the potential energy. As described above, the recovery airflow can be generated without collision of the airflow in the conditioned space, and as a result, the air containing the impurities can be efficiently directed toward the suction port 2a as the recovery port without scattering the impurities.
During the air cleaning operation, the operation control unit 23 may stop the operation of the left and right louvers 14. The left and right louvers 14 may continue to operate while swinging in the left and right directions so as to agitate the air in the air-conditioned space, in order to make the air in the air-conditioned space uniform during the air-conditioning operation. According to the above configuration, the operation of swinging the right and left louvers 14 in the right and left directions is stopped during the air cleaning operation. This makes it possible to produce a recovery airflow that does not cause airflow collision in the conditioned space, and to efficiently direct the air containing impurities toward the recovery port without scattering the impurities.
< operating table >
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the operation table stored in the storage unit 11. In the operation table, for the operation modes that can be executed by the air-conditioning system 100, the operation conditions necessary for realizing the operation modes are defined for each control target. The illustrated operation table shows, as an example, an operation table generated so that the suction port 2a is suitable for the indoor unit 1 provided on the ceiling surface side of the air-conditioned space with respect to the discharge port 2 b.
The operation table defines, for example: the operation conditions for each control target in the cooling operation, the operation conditions for each control target in the heating operation, and the operation conditions for each control target in the air cleaning operation. In the illustrated operation table, the operation conditions for the four components of the upper and lower louvers 13, the left and right louvers 14, the compressor 3, and the fan motor 15 are defined as objects to be controlled. In addition to the illustration, the operation table may include columns defining the operation conditions in the dehumidification operation and the operation conditions in the blowing operation.
For example, when the operation mode determination unit 21 determines that the air cleaning operation is to be performed, the operation condition determination unit 22 reads the operation table from the storage unit 11. The operating condition determining unit 22 refers to the column of the air cleaning operation in the operation table, and determines the operating conditions for the four components, i.e., the upper and lower louvers 13, the left and right louvers 14, the compressor 3, and the fan motor 15.
The operating condition determining unit 22 may determine the direction of the upper and lower louvers 13 according to the operating state of the air conditioner 100 immediately before the air cleaning operation. For example, the operation condition determining unit 22 determines the direction of the upper and lower louvers 13 in the air cleaning operation as the lowermost direction when the previous operation mode is the heating operation, the air blowing operation, or the non-operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the operation table. When the previous operation mode is the cooling operation, the operation condition determination unit 22 may determine the current direction of the upper and lower louvers 13 when the cooling operation is maintained.
The operating condition determining unit 22 may determine to stop the operation of the left and right louvers 14 during the air cleaning operation according to the operation table. The operating condition determining unit 22 may determine the rotation speed of the compressor 3 before the air cleaning operation is maintained in the air cleaning operation, according to the operation table.
The operating condition determining unit 22 may determine the rotation speed of the fan motor 15 based on the operation or non-operation of the air conditioner 100 immediately before the air cleaning operation. For example, the operation condition determination unit 22 may determine the rotation speed of the fan motor 15 when the operation of the air conditioner 100 is performed immediately before the air cleaning operation, in accordance with the operation table. Further, when the air-conditioning system 100 does not operate until the air-cleaning operation, the fan motor 15 may be driven at a predetermined rotational speed suitable for generating the recovered air flow.
By referring to such an operation table, the operation condition determination unit 22 can appropriately determine the operation condition for generating the recovered air flow in accordance with the operation state of the air-conditioning system 100 prior to the air-cleaning operation.
< Process flow >
Fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing executed by the control unit 10 of the indoor unit 1. In the present embodiment, the indoor environment sensor 12 monitors or measures various states relating to the air-conditioned space, for example, regardless of whether the air conditioner 100 is operating or not, and outputs a detection signal thereof to the control unit 10. However, in another example, the indoor environment sensor 12 may not be provided, and the operation mode determination unit 21 may execute the air cleaning operation under a predetermined condition (for example, a determined time or a determined time interval) regardless of the detection signal output from the indoor environment sensor 12.
In step S101, the operation mode determination section 21 acquires a detection signal from the indoor environment sensor 12. The operation mode determination unit 21 analyzes one or more detection signals obtained from one or more indoor environment sensors 12, and determines the state of the air-conditioned space. For example, the operation pattern determination unit 21 may compare the detection signal with the condition information stored in the storage unit 11, if necessary.
In step S102, the operation mode determination unit 21 determines whether or not a condition for starting the air cleaning operation is satisfied based on the result of the analysis or the comparison of the detection signals. For example, the operation pattern determination unit 21 determines whether or not a pathogen emitting operation is performed in the conditioned space.
The "pathogen-producing action" refers to an action that is performed by a "pathogen-producing source" such as an animal or a human being and is capable of producing a pathogen. The action of the pathogen is, for example, sneezing, violent exercise, shouting, or the like. In another example, the operation mode determination unit 21 may determine that the condition for starting the air cleaning operation is satisfied based on the fact that the "pathogen emission source" enters the air-conditioned space. The condition may be defined in advance in the condition information of the storage unit 11.
If it is determined that the pathogen emitting operation is not performed in the air-conditioned space, the operation mode determination unit 21 advances the process from "no" in S102 to S103. On the other hand, when it is determined that the pathogen emitting operation has been performed in the conditioned space, the operation mode determination unit 21 advances the process from "yes" in S102 to S104.
For example, in the case where the indoor environment sensor 12 is an imaging device that images an air-conditioned space, the operation mode determination unit 21 may determine that the condition for starting the air cleaning operation is satisfied based on a detection signal obtained by the imaging device, that is, a case where an operation for emitting a pathogen is captured in a video. The indoor environment sensor 12 is a sound input device that acquires sound generated in the air-conditioned space. In this case, the operation mode determination unit 21 may determine that the condition for starting the air cleaning operation is satisfied based on a detection signal acquired by the sound input device, that is, a case where the sound includes a sound (sneezing sound, coughing sound, or the like) indicating the operation of the pathogen.
In step S103, the operation mode determination unit 21 does not change the operation mode, and therefore, maintains the current operation state.
In step S104, the operation mode determination unit 21 determines to execute the air cleaning operation. As described above, the operation mode determination unit 21 may determine to start the air cleaning operation by detecting that the pathogen emission source that emits the pathogen is present in the air-conditioned space or that the pathogen emission source performs the pathogen emission operation in the air-conditioned space, based on at least one of the video acquired from the imaging device and the sound acquired from the sound input device.
In step S105, the operating condition determining unit 22 determines to stop the left and right louvers 14 according to the operating table. The operation control unit 23 stops the right and left louvers 14. When the left and right louvers 14 are not operated before the air cleaning operation is started in S104, the operation control unit 23 maintains the stopped state of the left and right louvers 14.
In step S106, the operation condition determination unit 22 determines whether or not the cooling operation is performed before the air cleaning operation in S104. When the cooling operation is executed, the operation condition determination unit 22 advances the process from "yes" at S106 to S107. When the operation condition is other than the cooling operation, including the operation not in operation, the operation condition determination unit 22 proceeds from no in S106 to S108.
In step S107, the operating condition determining unit 22 determines not to change the operating conditions for the components to be controlled other than the left and right louvers 14, in accordance with the operating table. That is, during the air cleaning operation, the operating conditions in the cooling operation before the air cleaning operation are maintained in addition to the stoppage of the left and right louvers 14. Accordingly, the air conditioner 100 stops the operation of the left and right louvers 14, and can suppress collision of the air flow and generation of foreign substances as much as possible, compared to the air conditioning operation before the air cleaning operation is started.
In step S108, the operating condition determining unit 22 determines that the vertical louver 13 is oriented in the lowermost direction according to the operating table. The operation control unit 23 sets the direction of the upper and lower louvers 13 to the lowermost direction based on the determination. The operation control unit 23 may maintain the orientation of the upper and lower louvers 13 in the lowermost direction until the air cleaning operation is completed.
In step S109, the operating condition determining unit 22 determines whether or not the air conditioner 100 is not operating before the air cleaning operation in S104. When the vehicle is not in operation, the operation condition determination unit 22 advances the process from "yes" at S109 to S110. When the air conditioning operation other than the cooling operation is performed, the operation condition determination unit 22 proceeds from no in S109 to S111.
In step S110, the operating condition determining unit 22 determines to drive the fan motor 15 at a predetermined rotation speed according to the operation table. The operation control unit 23 drives the fan motor 15 at the determined predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the air-conditioning system 100 is switched from the non-operating state to the operating state of the air-cleaning operation. Specifically, the collected airflow can be generated in the air-conditioned space by blowing a predetermined amount of air in the direction determined in S108. By generating the recovery airflow by the air cleaning operation, the impurities can be recovered more efficiently than before the air cleaning operation.
In step S111, the operating condition determining unit 22 determines not to change the operating conditions for the components to be controlled other than the louvers, in accordance with the operating table. That is, in order to generate the recovery airflow, the left and right louvers 14 are stopped, and the wind direction of the upper and lower louvers 13 is adjusted, but the operating conditions of the heating operation or the blowing operation before the air cleaning operation are maintained with respect to the temperature and the air volume. This makes it possible to generate a recovery airflow in the conditioned space without losing comfort in the air conditioning operation immediately before the air cleaning operation and without being hindered by the existing airflow generated in the air conditioning operation. By generating the recovery airflow by the air cleaning operation, the impurities can be recovered more efficiently than before the air cleaning operation.
< Effect >
According to the above configuration and method, the control unit 10 of the indoor unit 1 can perform the air cleaning operation, which is an operation for efficiently collecting impurities in the air. The air cleaning operation may be performed as appropriate as needed, whether the air conditioning operation is being performed or not. For example, the air cleaning operation may be performed when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space. The predetermined condition is not limited, and for example, "virus emitting action" by a "virus emitting source" such as sneezing, violent movement, or shouting, or the like may be defined as the "virus emitting action" when the "virus emitting source" such as an animal or a human enters the room.
In the air cleaning operation, the operation control unit 23 of the control unit 10 controls at least one of the upper and lower louvers 13, the left and right louvers 14, and the fan motor 15, thereby generating a collected air flow which does not collide with the air itself, that is, does not collide with the air in the air-conditioned space. By performing such an air cleaning operation, the air containing the impurities can be efficiently directed toward the recovery port without scattering the impurities by collision of the air flow.
[ modified examples ]
(air quantity control under air cleaning operation)
The operation condition determination unit 22 may determine to change the air volume during the air cleaning operation when the air conditioning operation is performed immediately before the start of the air cleaning operation. Specifically, the operating condition determining unit 22 may determine the rotation speed of the fan motor 15 to be lower than the rotation speed in the air conditioning operation immediately before the air cleaning operation. Thus, when switching from the air conditioning operation to the air cleaning operation, the air volume is reduced from that before the switching. Therefore, during the air cleaning operation, the direction of the wind can be changed without giving uncomfortable feeling or uncomfortable feeling to the place where the wind hits the indoor person.
(wind direction control in air cleaning operation)
When the air cleaning operation is started, the operation control unit 23 may change the direction of the upper and lower louvers 13 at a higher speed than that at the time of the change in the air conditioning operation. This can shorten the time for changing the orientation of the upper and lower louvers 13, and allow the wind direction to quickly move in the uppermost direction wd1 or the lowermost direction wd 6. Therefore, in many cases, the time for the air to directly blow on the occupants in the middle of the conditioned space can be shortened, and discomfort or discomfort is not given to the occupants.
(notification of start of air cleaning operation)
The indoor unit 1 may include a communication unit that communicates information with the audio output unit, the display unit, or a communication terminal device carried by a person in the room. The control unit 10 of the indoor unit 1 may have a notification unit. The notification unit outputs a start notification for notifying the start of the air cleaning operation when the operation control unit 23 starts the air cleaning operation. The notification section may output a start notification as the sound data from the sound output section. The notification unit may output a start notification as text data or image data to the display unit. The notification unit may transmit a start notification in an arbitrary data format to the communication terminal device of the person in the house.
(air cleaning operation assuming absence of a person in the room-1)
The recovery airflow generated by the air cleaning operation helps to suppress the emission and recover the pathogens to the indoor unit 1 quickly so that the pathogens generated by the activities of the occupants in the conditioned space are not inhaled by other occupants. Therefore, it is advantageous that an indoor person performs an air cleaning operation during a conditioned space.
However, when the air-conditioned space is a space that is used alternately by various users (a conference room, a study room, a karaoke room, a restaurant room, etc.), it is also advantageous to perform the air cleaning operation intensively while the room user is not present.
In the present modification, the condition information stored in the storage unit 11 may be defined as "when the exit of the person in the room is detected" as the start condition. Alternatively, the condition information may be stored with threshold values of various sensors capable of determining exit of a person in a room as start conditions. The operation mode determination unit 21 determines to start the air cleaning operation when the exit of the person in the room is detected based on the detection signal supplied from the indoor environment sensor 12.
In the air cleaning operation during the period when the occupant is not present, the recovery efficiency and energy saving can be prioritized over the comfort of the occupant. Therefore, in the present modification, the operation conditions of the air cleaning operation when the person is not present may be defined in the operation table, and the operation control unit 23 may execute the air cleaning operation when the person is not present according to the operation table. For example, in the air cleaning operation when a person is not present, the operation control unit 23 may generate the recovery airflow at the maximum airflow rate by maximizing the rotation speed of the fan motor 15. For example, the operation control unit 23 may reduce or stop the rotation speed of the compressor 3 during the air cleaning operation when a person is not present, and generate the collected airflow by controlling the wind direction and the air volume without adjusting the temperature or humidity.
(air cleaning operation assuming absence of a person in the room-2)
The indoor unit 1 may include a communication unit that communicates with a communication terminal device carried by a user using the air-conditioned space. The operation mode determination unit 21 may determine to start the air cleaning operation when the position of the user, which is based on the position information acquired by the communication unit from the communication terminal device, approaches the position of the conditioned space by less than a predetermined distance.
In this way, the air cleaning operation can be performed immediately before the user uses the air-conditioned space, and the air in the air-conditioned space can be kept clean while the user uses the air-conditioned space.
(inactivation section)
The suction port 2a of the indoor unit 1, which is a recovery port, may be provided with a high-performance air cleaning filter as an inactivation unit capable of capturing an inactivation target of a pathogen such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and parasites. For example, a High Efficiency Air Filter (HEPA Filter) may be provided on the entire surface of the inlet 2 a.
In another example, as shown in fig. 2, as the deactivation portion, the photocatalyst sheet 32 may be attached to the inner surface 3a (planar portion) of the upper and lower louvers 13 formed in a planar shape. The photocatalyst sheet 32 supports a photocatalyst in such a manner that a photocatalytic reaction is generated by irradiating light (particularly, ultraviolet light).
Although not shown, the photocatalyst sheet 32 has a base layer as a base, a photocatalyst layer for supporting a photocatalyst, and a bonded adhesive layer. The photocatalyst layer is formed by coating a substance (for example, titanium dioxide) serving as a photocatalyst on the surface side of the base material layer or the like. The adhesive layer is provided on the back surface side of the base material layer and is formed of an adhesive or the like.
When light such as ultraviolet light having high energy is irradiated onto the photocatalyst layer of the photocatalyst sheet 32, active oxygen such as OH radicals is generated from oxygen and moisture in the air by a catalytic reaction of the photocatalyst layer. The OH radicals have strong oxidizing power, and inactivate inactivation targets such as viruses and bacteria by the oxidizing power.
(dehumidification operation)
The air conditioner 100 may perform, as the air conditioning operation, a dehumidification operation (weak cooling dehumidification) in which cool air having a temperature lower than the room temperature is supplied to the air-conditioned space, in the same manner as the cooling operation. In this case, the operation condition determination unit 22 may perform the dehumidification operation of the weak cooling dehumidification method and the cooling operation in the same manner. For example, in step S106 shown in fig. 11, when the dehumidification operation is performed before the air purification operation, the operation condition determination unit 22 may advance the process from "yes" in S106 to S107.
The air conditioner 100 may perform a dehumidification operation (reheating dehumidification) without involving discharge of cool air as the air conditioning operation. In this case, the operation condition determination unit 22 may perform the reheating dehumidification type dehumidification operation as well as the air blowing operation. For example, in step S106 shown in fig. 11, when the dehumidification operation is performed before the air purification operation, the operation condition determination unit 22 may advance the process from "no" in S106 to S108, and then advance the process from "no" in S109 to S111.
[ implementation by software ]
The control modules (particularly, the operation mode determination unit 21, the operation condition determination unit 22, and the operation control unit 23) of the control device 100 may be implemented by logic circuits (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be implemented by software.
In the latter case, the air conditioner 00 includes a computer for executing instructions of software for realizing each function, that is, a program. The computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable storage medium for storing the program. Also, in the computer, the object of one aspect of the present invention is achieved by the processor reading and executing the program from the recording medium. The processor can be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). As the storage medium, a "non-transitory tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like, or a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a card, a semiconductor Memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like for expanding the program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (a communication network, a broadcast wave, or the like) that can transmit the program. An aspect of the present invention can also be implemented in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, the program being embodied by electronic transmission.
[ conclusion ]
Aspect 1 of the present invention an air conditioner 100 includes: louvers (upper and lower louvers 13, left and right louvers 14) provided in the outlet 2b of the indoor unit 1; a fan motor 15 that rotates the blower fan 15 so as to blow out the air sucked from the suction port 2a of the indoor unit from the air outlet; and a control device (control unit 10) that controls an operation of the air conditioner, the control device being capable of executing an air cleaning operation for collecting impurities in air in an air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space, the control device including an operation control unit 23 that controls at least one of the louver and the fan motor during the air cleaning operation to generate a collected airflow in the air-conditioned space that does not collide with an airflow, the collected airflow being a collected airflow that moves air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a collection port that collects the impurities.
The control device may further include an operation mode determination unit 21 configured to determine to execute the air cleaning operation when a predetermined condition is satisfied in an air-conditioned space; an operation condition determination unit 22 that determines an operation condition indicating a content of an operation to be performed by a control target including at least one of the louver and the fan motor in order to realize the air cleaning operation; and an operation control unit 23 for controlling at least one of the louver and the fan motor so as to operate under the determined operation condition.
According to the above configuration, the control device performs the air cleaning operation if a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space. The predetermined condition is not limited, and may be, for example, "a virus-emitting source such as an animal or a human enters a room", or "a virus-emitting action performed by a virus-emitting source such as sneezing, violent movement, or shouting".
In the air cleaning operation, the control device controls at least one of the louver blades and the fan motor, thereby generating a recovery airflow in the air-conditioned space without collision of the airflow. By performing such an air cleaning operation, the air containing the impurities can be efficiently directed toward the recovery port without scattering the impurities by collision of the air flow.
In the air conditioner according to aspect 2 of the present invention according to aspect 1, the recovery port is the suction port provided in the indoor unit, and the control device may control the louver so that the air from the air outlet is blown out in a direction farther from the suction port than a horizontal direction during the air cleaning operation. For example, the control device may control the louver so that the wind is blown out from the air outlet in a direction farthest from the air inlet.
With the above configuration, the control device can produce the recovered airflow in which the flow of the air blown out from the air outlet does not collide with the airflow returning to the air inlet. For example, the recovered airflow is an airflow that is blown out from the air outlet, promotes the coanda effect, and returns to the air inlet via each wall surface of the conditioned space (for example, the floor surface, the sidewall surface on the far side of the indoor unit, and the ceiling surface).
In the air conditioner according to aspect 3 of the present invention according to aspect 2, the suction port is provided on a ceiling surface side of the air-conditioned space with respect to the discharge port, the louver includes upper and lower louvers 13, the upper and lower louvers 13 are capable of adjusting an air direction in an up-down direction of the air blown out from the discharge port, and the control device may control the upper and lower louvers during the air cleaning operation so that the air is blown out from the discharge port in a floor direction (an air direction wd6) of the air-conditioned space.
In the air conditioner according to aspect 4 of the present invention according to aspect 3, when the heating operation is performed before the start of the air cleaning operation, the controller sets the angle of the upper and lower louvers in the heating operation to the lowermost direction wd6 in which air is blown in the floor surface direction during the air cleaning operation.
In the air conditioner according to aspect 5 of the present invention according to aspect 2, the suction port is provided on a floor side of the air-conditioned space with respect to the discharge port, the louver includes upper and lower louvers 13, the upper and lower louvers 13 are capable of adjusting a vertical direction of air blown out from the discharge port, and the control device controls the louvers during the air cleaning operation to blow air from the discharge port in a ceiling surface direction (air direction wd1) of the air-conditioned space.
In the air conditioner according to aspect 6 of the present invention according to aspect 5, in the case where a cooling operation is performed immediately before the air cleaning operation is started, the control device sets the angle of the upper and lower louvers in the cooling operation to an uppermost direction wd1 in which air is blown out in the ceiling direction during the air cleaning operation.
In the air conditioner according to aspect 7 of the present invention according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, the louver includes left and right louvers 14, the left and right louvers 14 are capable of adjusting a direction of air blown out from the air outlet in a left-right direction, and the control device stops the operation of the left and right louvers during the air cleaning operation.
An air conditioner according to aspect 8 of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein at least one of an imaging device that images the air-conditioned space and a sound input device that acquires sound generated in the air-conditioned space is provided so as to be capable of communicating with the control device, and the control device determines to start the air cleaning operation by detecting that a pathogen emission source that generates a pathogen is present in the air-conditioned space or detecting that a pathogen emission operation is performed by the pathogen emission source in the air-conditioned space, based on at least one of an image acquired from the imaging device and sound acquired from the sound input device.
A control method according to aspect 9 of the present invention is a control method of controlling an air conditioner including: a louver provided at an air outlet of the indoor unit; a fan motor that rotates a blower fan to blow out air sucked from the suction port of the indoor unit from the air outlet; and a control device that controls an operation of the air conditioner, the control method including: the control device is configured to be able to execute steps (S104 to S111) of an air cleaning operation for collecting impurities in air in an air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space, and in the step of executing the air cleaning operation, the control device controls at least one of the louver and the fan motor to generate a collected airflow in the air-conditioned space without collision of an airflow, the collected airflow being a collected airflow for moving the air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a collection port for collecting the impurities.
The air-conditioning apparatus 100 according to the aspects of the present invention may be realized by a computer, and in this case, a control program for realizing the air-conditioning apparatus 100 by a computer by operating a computer as each unit (software element) provided in the air-conditioning apparatus 100, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program are also included in the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Further, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical methods disclosed in the respective embodiments.

Claims (10)

1. An air conditioner characterized by comprising:
a louver provided at an air outlet of the indoor unit;
a fan motor that rotates a blower fan so as to blow out air sucked from a suction port of the indoor unit from the blow-out port; and
a control device for controlling the operation of the air conditioner,
the control device is capable of performing an air cleaning operation for recovering impurities in air in an air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space,
the control device includes an operation control unit that controls at least one of the louver and the fan motor during the air cleaning operation to generate a recovery airflow in the air-conditioned space, the recovery airflow being a recovery airflow that moves air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a recovery port that recovers the impurities, without collision of the airflow.
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
the recovery port is arranged at the suction inlet of the indoor unit,
the control device controls the louver blades so that the air from the air outlet is blown out in a direction farther from the air inlet than the horizontal direction during the air cleaning operation.
3. The air conditioner according to claim 2,
the suction port is provided at a position closer to the ceiling surface side of the air-conditioned space than the discharge port,
the louver blades include upper and lower louver blades that can adjust the vertical direction of the air blown out from the air outlet,
the control device controls the upper and lower louvers to blow air from the air outlet toward the floor surface of the conditioned space during an air cleaning operation.
4. The air conditioner according to claim 3,
when the air-cooling operation is performed immediately before the start of the air-cooling operation, the control device sets the angle of the upper and lower louvers in the air-cooling operation to the lowermost direction in which air is blown out in the direction of the floor surface during the air-cooling operation.
5. The air conditioner according to claim 2,
the suction port is provided on the ground side of the conditioned space with respect to the discharge port,
the louver blades include upper and lower louver blades that can adjust the vertical direction of the air blown out from the air outlet,
the control device controls the louver blades to blow out air from the air outlet in a direction of a ceiling surface of the air-conditioned space during an air cleaning operation.
6. The air conditioner according to claim 5,
when the cooling operation is performed immediately before the start of the air cleaning operation, the control device sets the angle of the upper and lower louvers in the cooling operation to the uppermost direction in which air is blown in the ceiling surface direction during the air cleaning operation.
7. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
the louver blades include left and right louver blades that can adjust the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet in the left-right direction,
the control device stops the operation of the left and right louvers during the air cleaning operation.
8. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
at least one of a photographing device that photographs the air-conditioned space and a sound input device that acquires sound generated in the air-conditioned space is provided to be able to communicate with the control device,
the control device determines to start the air cleaning operation by detecting that a pathogen emission source generating a pathogen is present in the air-conditioned space or detecting that a pathogen emission operation is performed by the pathogen emission source in the air-conditioned space, based on at least one of the image acquired from the imaging device and the sound acquired from the sound input device.
9. A control method for controlling an air conditioner,
the air conditioner includes:
a louver provided at an air outlet of the indoor unit;
a fan motor that rotates a blower fan to blow out air sucked from the suction port of the indoor unit from the air outlet; and
a control device for controlling the operation of the air conditioner,
the control method comprises the following steps:
the control device is capable of executing a step of an air cleaning operation for recovering impurities in air in the air-conditioned space when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the air-conditioned space,
in the step of performing the air cleaning operation, the control device controls at least one of the louver and the fan motor to generate a recovery airflow in the air-conditioned space, the recovery airflow being a recovery airflow that moves air in the air-conditioned space from the air outlet to a recovery port that recovers the impurities, without collision of the airflow.
10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for causing a computer to function as the control device according to claim 1,
a control program for causing a computer to function as the operation control unit is stored.
CN202111199652.9A 2020-10-29 2021-10-14 Air conditioner, control method thereof, and computer-readable recording medium Pending CN114427706A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2020181546A JP2022072217A (en) 2020-10-29 2020-10-29 Air conditioner, controlling method of air conditioner, and control program
JP2020-181546 2020-10-29

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN114427706A true CN114427706A (en) 2022-05-03

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
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