CN116300719A

CN116300719A - Indoor unit of air conditioner

Info

Publication number: CN116300719A
Application number: CN202310059180.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 和田宏二
Original assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corp
Priority date: 2017-02-24
Filing date: 2018-02-22
Publication date: 2023-06-23
Also published as: JP6932009B2; JP2018138840A; CN108507016A; JP2021139620A

Abstract

The invention provides an indoor unit of an air conditioner, which can make the temperature distribution of the air in the indoor space uniform and realize the improvement of comfort and energy saving. An indoor unit (2) of an air conditioner is provided with: a heat exchanger (7) disposed inside the housing (4); a first ventilation opening (5) which is opened in the housing (4) in a first direction and corresponds to one side of the heat exchanger (7); a second ventilation opening (6) which is opened in the housing (4) in a second direction different from the first direction, corresponding to the other side of the heat exchanger (7); and air blowing units (8, 9) capable of switching between a first air blowing from the first air blowing opening (5) to the second air blowing opening (6) and a second air blowing from the second air blowing opening (6) to the first air blowing opening (5), wherein air is sucked from the first air blowing opening (5) and air is blown from the second air blowing opening (6) during the first air blowing, and wherein air is sucked from the second air blowing opening (6) and air is blown from the first air blowing opening (5) during the second air blowing.

Description

Indoor unit of air conditioner

The present invention is a divisional application of an invention patent application of the applicant's patent application number 201810153910.1, entitled "indoor unit of air conditioner", filed on 22 th 2018, 02.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Background

In an indoor unit of a conventional air conditioner, air taken in from a suction port is passed through a heat exchanger to be adjusted to an appropriate temperature, and the air is blown out from a blowout port.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 5-280760

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner, the direction of the sucked air is always the same direction, and the direction of the blown air is always the same direction, so that the temperature distribution of the air in the indoor space is uneven, and a comfortable temperature distribution may not be formed. Further, there is a problem in that comfort is required to operate the air conditioner excessively, resulting in high power consumption.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner capable of making uniform the temperature distribution of air in an indoor space and improving comfort and energy saving.

Technical proposal adopted for solving the technical problems

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a housing; a heat exchanger disposed inside the housing; a first vent corresponding to one side of the heat exchanger, the first vent opening in the housing in a first direction; a second air vent corresponding to the other side of the heat exchanger, the second air vent being open to the housing in a second direction different from the first direction; and a blower that is capable of switching between a first blower that blows air from the first vent hole disposed in the casing to the second vent hole, and a second blower that blows air from the second vent hole to the first vent hole, wherein air is sucked from the first vent hole and air is blown from the second vent hole when the first blower is performed, and wherein air is sucked from the second vent hole and air is blown from the first vent hole when the second blower is performed.

Thus, the indoor unit of the air conditioner can be provided, which can make the temperature distribution of the air in the indoor space uniform and improve the comfort and the energy saving performance.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the indoor air flow during the cooling operation of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the indoor air flow during the heating operation of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an air conditioner according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation switching process according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the indoor air flow at the time of the first operation of the second embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the indoor air flow at the time of the second operation of the second embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing operation switching processing according to the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

(first embodiment)

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 6. Next, the left side of the drawing sheet of fig. 2 to 4 is referred to as the front side (front side), and the right side of the drawing sheet is referred to as the back side (rear side). Reference numeral 1 in fig. 1 denotes an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature of air in a room. The air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 2 provided in an indoor ceiling T and an outdoor unit 3 provided outdoors (see fig. 3).

In the present embodiment, the ceiling-hung indoor unit 2 hanging from the ceiling T is illustrated. The indoor unit 2 may be of a ceiling-embedded type embedded in the ceiling T, a wall-mounted type installed at a high place in a room, or a floor-mounted type installed on a floor.

As shown in fig. 1, the indoor unit 2 is disposed at a corner where a ceiling T and a wall K of the room meet. The indoor unit 2 includes a case 4 formed in a laterally long box shape. Further, a first vent 5 that opens downward (first direction) is provided on the lower surface side of the housing 4. Further, a second ventilation opening 6 is provided on the front side of the housing 4 so as to be opened in the horizontal direction (second direction; front side). That is, the first vent 5 is provided at a position below the second vent 6, and the second vent 6 is opened in a direction different from the opening direction of the first vent 5.

The indoor unit 2 of the present embodiment performs first air blowing (cooling air blowing) in which the air C is sucked from the first ventilation opening 5 and the air C is blown out from the second ventilation opening 6 during the cooling operation. The indoor unit 2 performs second air blowing (heating air blowing) in which air H is sucked from the second air opening 6 and air H is blown out from the first air opening 5 during heating operation.

Thus, the following two blowing methods can be performed: that is, the first ventilation opening 5 sucks air from below and the second ventilation opening 6 blows out the first air (cooling air) of the air C in the horizontal direction (see fig. 3), and the second ventilation opening 6 sucks air from the horizontal direction and the first ventilation opening 5 blows out the second air (heating air) of the air H in the downward direction (see fig. 4), so that the temperature distribution of the air in the indoor space N can be made uniform both during the cooling operation and the heating operation. That is, the air flow C suitable for the cooling operation or the air flow H suitable for the heating operation can be generated in the indoor space N.

As shown in fig. 3, in the first air blowing mode, the air C blown out from the second air opening 6 flows along the ceiling T and descends along the wall K opposite to the indoor unit 2. The air C flows along the floor surface U, rises along the wall K provided with the indoor unit 2, and is sucked from the first ventilation opening 5.

As shown in fig. 4, in the second air blowing mode, the air H blown out from the first air vent 5 descends along the wall K and flows along the floor surface U. The air H rises along the wall K opposite to the indoor unit 2, flows along the ceiling T, and is sucked from the second ventilation port 6.

As shown in fig. 2, the indoor unit 2 includes: a heat exchanger 7 disposed in the casing 4, a first fan 8 (first blower) provided on one side (rear side) of the heat exchanger 7, and a second fan 9 (second blower) provided on the other side (front side) of the heat exchanger 7. That is, the heat exchanger 7 is disposed between the two

fans

8 and 9.

The heat exchanger 7 of the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected via a connection pipe 10 for circulating the refrigerant. The refrigerant circulates between the heat exchanger 7 and the outdoor unit 3 to constitute a refrigeration cycle.

The heat exchanger 7 includes a refrigerant tube 11 through which a refrigerant passes, and a plurality of fins 12 connected to the refrigerant tube 11. The heat exchanger 7 circulates the refrigerant between the refrigerant pipe 11 and the outdoor unit 3, and exchanges heat between the passing air and the refrigerant. The heat exchanger 7 functions as an evaporator during the cooling operation, and reduces the temperature of the surrounding air. The heat exchanger 7 functions as a condenser during heating operation, and increases the temperature of the surrounding air.

The heat exchanger 7 can flow the air H from the front to the rear during the heating operation. The air C can be made to flow from the rear to the front during the cooling operation. The housing 4 covering the heat exchanger 7 is ventilated between the first ventilation opening 5 and the second ventilation opening 6.

The first ventilation opening 5 is opened in the housing 4 corresponding to one side of the heat exchanger 7. The second ventilation opening 6 is opened in the housing 4 corresponding to the other side of the heat exchanger 7. That is, it is possible to switch between the first air blowing from the first air vent 5 to the second air vent 6 and the second air blowing from the second air vent 6 to the first air vent 5.

The first fan 8 and the second fan 9 disposed in the casing 4 with the heat exchanger 7 interposed therebetween are each constituted by a cross-flow fan (cross-flow fan). The cross flow fan is a fan in which a plurality of blades (wings) 13 and 14 are arranged in a cylindrical shape. Thus, air can pass between the plurality of

blades

13 and 14 constituting the cross flow fan, and air can pass through both the first air blowing and the second air blowing. Further, guide

portions

15, 16, 17 for guiding the flow of air are provided near the first fan 8 and the second fan 9.

The indoor unit 2 is provided with a first fan driving unit 18 (motor) for rotating the first fan 8, and a second fan driving unit 19 (motor) for rotating the second fan 9. In fig. 2, the first fan 8 rotates clockwise. On the other hand, the second fan 9 rotates counterclockwise.

The rotational speeds of the first fan driving unit 18 and the second fan driving unit 19 can be made different. That is, the rotation speeds of the first fan 8 and the second fan 9 can be made different from each other. Further, either one of the first fan driving unit 18 and the second fan driving unit 19 can be driven and the other can be stopped.

When the first air blowing (cooling air blowing) is performed, the second fan 9 is rotated at a high speed and the first fan 8 is rotated at a low speed. When the second air blowing (heating air blowing) is performed, the first fan 8 is rotated at a high speed and the second fan 9 is rotated at a low speed. That is, the rotation speeds of the first fan 8 and the second fan 9 are respectively different, whereby the first air blowing and the second air blowing can be switched. That is, the flow of air passing through the internal passage 20 of the heat exchanger 7 can be reversed.

Thus, the two

fans

8 and 9 can form an air blowing unit capable of switching between the first air blowing and the second air blowing. The method of varying the rotation speed of the first fan 8 and the second fan 9 includes a method of stopping the rotation of either the first fan 8 or the second fan 9.

The shape of the first ventilation opening 5 and the second ventilation opening 6 forms a rectangle which is long in the lateral direction. The opening areas of the first ventilation opening 5 and the second ventilation opening 6 are substantially the same opening area. The opening width D1 of the first ventilation opening 5 and the opening width D2 of the second ventilation opening 6 are substantially the same. The gap width L between the first ventilation opening 5 and the second ventilation opening 6 is 3.5 times or more the opening width D1 of the first ventilation opening 5 or the opening width D2 of the second ventilation opening 6. The interval width L may be at least twice as long as the opening width D1 of the first ventilation opening 5 or the opening width D2 of the second ventilation opening 6. By performing such a size setting, it is possible to prevent short circuit (short circuit) of the air blown from one of the

vents

5, 6 from being directly sucked into the

other vent

5, 6.

The first ventilation opening 5 is provided with a first temperature sensor 21 for measuring the temperature of the air sucked from the first ventilation opening 5 when the first ventilation is performed. The second air outlet 6 is provided with a second temperature sensor 22 for measuring the temperature of the air sucked from the second air outlet 6 when the second air supply is performed.

When the first air blowing is performed, the output of the air blowing may be reduced at the time when the temperature of the air detected by the first temperature sensor 21 is reduced to the target temperature. When the second air blowing is performed, the output of the air blowing may be reduced at the time when the temperature of the air detected by the second temperature sensor 22 increases to the target temperature.

When the temperature of the air detected by the first temperature sensor 21 decreases to the target temperature, the output may be decreased while maintaining the cooling mode of the heat exchanger 7, and the first air supply may be switched to the second air supply. When the temperature of the air detected by the second temperature sensor 22 increases to the target temperature, the output may be reduced while maintaining the heating mode of the heat exchanger 7, and the second air supply may be switched to the first air supply. This makes it possible to further stir the air in the indoor space N after the temperature distribution of the air in the indoor space N is uniform.

The first ventilation opening 5 is provided with a first wind direction plate 23 and a first wind direction adjusting portion 24 (motor) for adjusting the angle of the first wind direction plate 23. The second ventilation port 6 is provided with a second wind direction plate 25 and a second wind direction adjusting portion 26 (motor) for adjusting the angle of the second wind direction plate 25. Thus, the air outlet is either the first ventilation opening 5 or the second ventilation opening 6, and the wind direction can be adjusted.

The first louver 23 and the second louver 25 are substantially the same plate members as the openings of the first ventilation opening 5 and the second ventilation opening 6. The first wind direction plate 23 and the second wind direction plate 25 swing around the axis. When the air conditioner 1 is not in use (when the operation is stopped), the angles of the first louver 23 and the second louver 25 are adjusted to be angles that block the first ventilation opening 5 and the second ventilation opening 6. During cooling operation, the first wind direction plate 23 and the second wind direction plate 25 are adjusted to the cooling angle. During the heating operation, the first wind direction plate 23 and the second wind direction plate 25 are adjusted to the heating angle.

A drain pan 27 (drain pan) for receiving water droplets separated from air in the heat exchanger 7 is provided at a lower position of the heat exchanger 7. A filter member 28 is provided below the drain pan 27. In this filter member 28, a first air filter 29 is provided on the rear side, and a second air filter 30 is provided on the front side. That is, the first air filter 29 and the second air filter 30 form an integral member. The filter member 28 is flexible.

A first arrangement portion 31 provided between the first ventilation opening 5 and the heat exchanger 7 and corresponding to one side of the heat exchanger 7, in which the first air filter 29 can be arranged. A second arrangement portion 32, which is provided corresponding to the other side of the heat exchanger 7 and in which the second air filter 30 can be arranged, is provided between the second air vent 6 and the heat exchanger 7.

The indoor unit 2 includes a filter driving portion 33 (motor) that slidingly moves the filter member 28 in the front-rear direction. By driving the filter driving unit 33, the filter member 28 can be moved in the front-rear direction between a position where the first air filter 29 is disposed at the rear of the first disposition unit 31 and a position where the second air filter 30 is disposed at the front of the second disposition unit 32. This allows the

air filters

29 and 30 to be arranged according to the switching of the air blowing.

In the present embodiment, the first air filter 29 is disposed in the first disposition portion 31 when the first air blowing is performed. On the other hand, when the second air blowing is performed, the second air filter 30 is disposed in the second disposition portion 32. Thus, even if air passes through the heat exchanger 7 in any direction, dust can be removed.

The guide portion 16 located on the inner rear surface of the first vent 5 (first disposition portion 31) forms a first recess 34 into which the rear end edge of the filter member 28 is fitted when the filter member is moved to the rear position. The guide portion 15 located on the inner upper surface of the second ventilation port 6 (second arrangement portion 32) is formed with a second recess 35 into which the front end edge of the filter member 28 fits when the filter member 28 is moved to the front position. These first recess 34 and second recess 35 become support portions for supporting the filter member 28.

A receiving unit 37 for receiving an infrared signal R (wireless signal) transmitted from a wireless remote control 36 (see fig. 5) for remotely operating the air conditioner 1 is provided at a front position of the lower surface of the casing 4. A wired remote controller may be provided on the wall K, and the air conditioner 1 may be remotely operated by the wired remote controller.

Next, the system configuration of the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to a block diagram shown in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5, the indoor unit 2 includes a main control unit 38 that controls various devices.

The infrared signal R transmitted from the wireless remote control 36 operated by the user M is received by the receiving unit 37. The receiving unit 37 inputs a signal to the main control unit 38 based on the reception of the infrared signal R. The first temperature sensor 21 inputs the temperature of the air of the first ventilation opening 5 to the main control unit 38. On the other hand, the second temperature sensor 22 inputs the temperature of the air in the second ventilation port 6 to the main control unit 38.

The main control unit 38 includes: an outdoor unit control unit 39 that controls the outdoor unit 3, an operation mode control unit 40 that controls the operation mode, an air blowing control unit 41 that controls the first fan drive unit 18 and the second fan drive unit 19, an air direction control unit 24 that controls the first air direction adjustment unit 24 and the second air direction adjustment unit 26, and a filter control unit 43 that controls the filter drive unit 33.

The main control unit 38 outputs control signals to the respective devices, and controls the operation of the air conditioner 1. In the present embodiment, the blower unit is constituted by the first fan 8, the second fan 9, the first fan driving unit 18, the second fan driving unit 19, and the blower control unit 41.

The main control unit 38 of the present embodiment is configured by a computer having hardware such as a processor and a memory, and implementing information processing by software using the hardware by executing various programs by a CPU. The air conditioning method according to the present embodiment is realized by executing a program by a computer.

Next, the operation switching process performed by the main control unit 38 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 6. In the description of each step in the flowchart, a place described as "step S11" is abbreviated as "S11", for example.

As shown in fig. 6, first, the main control unit 38 determines whether or not the cooling operation is started, that is, whether or not an infrared signal R indicating the start of the cooling operation is received from the wireless remote controller 36 (S11). Here, if there is no operation to start the cooling operation (no in S11), the process proceeds to a start operation of the heating operation (S16) described later. On the other hand, when there is a start operation of the cooling operation (yes in S11), the operation proceeds to the cooling operation mode start (S12).

At the start of the cooling operation mode (S12), the operation mode control unit 40 starts the cooling operation in which the heat exchanger 7 functions as an evaporator. At this time, the outdoor unit control unit 39 controls the outdoor unit 3 to start the cooling operation.

Next, the filter control unit 43 performs control to drive the filter driving unit 33 and move the filter member 28 to the rear position (S13). At this time, the first air filter 29 is disposed on the first disposition portion 31, the rear end edge of the first air filter 29 is fitted into the first recess 34, and the second air filter 30 is withdrawn from the second disposition portion 32.

Next, the wind direction control unit 42 drives the first wind direction adjustment unit 24 to adjust the angle of the first wind direction plate 23 to the angle for cooling, and drives the second wind direction adjustment unit 26 to adjust the angle of the second wind direction plate 25 to the angle for cooling (S14). At this time, the first louver 23 is adjusted to an angle at which the first ventilation opening 5 is substantially fully opened, and the second louver 25 is adjusted to an angle at which the air C is blown out in the horizontal direction (S14).

Next, the blower control unit 41 controls the second fan driving unit 19 to increase the rotation speed thereof, starts the high-speed rotation of the second fan 9, and controls the first fan driving unit 18 to decrease the rotation speed thereof, and starts the low-speed rotation of the first fan 8 (S15). The second fan 9 is rotated at a high speed and the first fan 8 is rotated at a low speed, so that the first air supply of the air C from the first air vent 5 to the second air vent 6 can be performed. Then, the cooling operation process is ended.

In the case where the operation of starting the cooling operation (S11) is no, the main control unit 38 determines whether or not there is an operation of starting the heating operation, that is, whether or not an infrared signal R indicating an operation of starting the heating operation is received from the wireless remote controller 36 (S16). Here, when there is no operation to start the heating operation (no in S16), the process ends. On the other hand, when there is a start operation of the heating operation (yes in S16), the operation proceeds to the heating operation mode start (S17).

At the start of the heating operation mode (S17), the operation mode control unit 40 starts the heating operation in which the heat exchanger 7 functions as a condenser. At this time, the outdoor unit control unit 39 controls the outdoor unit 3 to start the heating operation.

Next, the filter control unit 43 performs control to move the filter member 28 to the forward position, that is, to the second ventilation port 6 side by driving the filter driving unit 33 (S18). At this time, the second air filter 30 is disposed in the second disposition portion 32, and the first air filter 29 is withdrawn from the first disposition portion 31.

Next, the wind direction control unit 42 drives the first wind direction adjustment unit 24 to adjust the angle of the first wind direction plate 23 to the heating angle, and drives the second wind direction adjustment unit 26 to adjust the angle of the second wind direction plate 25 to the heating angle (S19). At this time, the first louver 23 is adjusted to an angle at which the air H is blown out in the obliquely downward direction, and the second louver 25 is adjusted to an angle at which the second ventilation opening 6 is substantially fully opened.

Next, the blower control unit 41 drives the first fan driving unit 18 to increase the rotational speed thereof, and starts the high-speed rotation of the first fan 8. At this time, the second fan driving unit 18 is controlled to reduce the rotation speed thereof, and the low-speed rotation of the second fan 9 is started (S20). The first fan 8 is rotated at a high speed and the second fan 9 is rotated at a low speed, so that the second air supply of the air H from the second air port 6 to the first air port 5 can be performed. Then, the heating operation process is ended.

(second embodiment)

Next, an air conditioner 51 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 7 to 9. The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those shown in the above-described embodiments, and overlapping description is omitted. Next, description will be given with the right side of the drawing sheet of fig. 7 to 8 being the first side (first direction) and the left side of the drawing sheet being the second side (second direction).

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the indoor unit 52 according to the second embodiment is provided in the center of the indoor ceiling T. A heat exchanger 57 is provided in the center of the casing 54 of the indoor unit 52. The first fan 58 (first blower) is provided on a first side (right side) of the heat exchanger 57, and the second fan 59 (second blower) is provided on a second side (left side) of the heat exchanger 57. That is, the first fan 58 and the second fan 59 are disposed on both sides with the heat exchanger 57 interposed in the case 54.

Further, a first vent 55 that opens in a first direction (right direction) is provided on a first side (right side) of the housing 54. A second ventilation opening 56 that opens in a second direction (left direction) is provided on a second side (left side) of the housing 54. That is, the first vent 55 and the second vent 56 are provided at the same height, and the second vent 56 is opened in a direction different from the opening direction of the first vent 55.

The indoor unit 52 according to the second embodiment sucks in air F1 from the first ventilation opening 55 and blows out the air F1 from the second ventilation opening 56 at the time of the first ventilation (see fig. 7). The indoor unit 52 sucks in air F2 from the second air inlet 56 and blows out the air F2 from the first air inlet 55 at the time of the second air blowing (see fig. 8). That is, a flow in one direction or a flow in the other direction can be generated in the indoor space N. The first air blowing or the second air blowing can be performed in either the cooling operation or the heating operation.

The indoor unit 52 includes a human body sensor 60 that detects the direction in which the person M is located. The body sensor 60 is provided on the lower surface side of the housing 54. As shown in fig. 7, when a person M is present in the first direction W1, the first air blowing is performed. This makes it possible to prevent the air F1 blown out from the second air port 56 of the indoor unit 52 from being directly blown to the person M. As shown in fig. 8, when a person M is present in the second direction W2, the second air blowing is performed. This makes it possible to prevent the air F2 blown out from the first ventilation opening 55 of the indoor unit 52 from being directly blown to the person M.

Next, the operation switching process performed by the main control unit 38 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 9. As shown in fig. 9, first, the main control unit 38 determines whether or not there is a start operation of the cooling operation, that is, whether or not an infrared signal R indicating the start operation of the cooling operation is received from the wireless remote controller 36 (S21). Here, if there is no operation to start the cooling operation (no in S21), the process proceeds to a start operation of the heating operation (S23) described later. On the other hand, when there is a start operation of the cooling operation (yes in S21), the operation proceeds to the cooling operation mode start (S22).

At the start of the cooling operation mode (S22), the operation mode control unit 40 starts the cooling operation in which the heat exchanger 57 functions as an evaporator. At this time, the outdoor unit control unit 39 controls the outdoor unit 3 to start the cooling operation. Then, a detection (S25) of whether or not a person is present in the first direction, which will be described later, is entered.

In the above-described determination of whether or not there is a start operation of the heating operation (S23) entered when the determination of the start operation of the cooling operation (S21) is no, the main control unit 38 determines whether or not there is a start operation of the heating operation, that is, whether or not an infrared signal R indicating a start operation of the heating operation is received from the wireless remote controller 36 (S23). Here, if there is no operation to start the heating operation (no in S23), the process proceeds to detection of whether or not a person is present in the first direction (S25), which will be described later. On the other hand, when there is a start operation of the heating operation (yes in S23), the operation proceeds to the heating operation mode start (S24).

When the heating operation mode is started (S24), the operation mode control unit 40 starts the heating operation in which the heat exchanger 57 functions as a condenser. At this time, the outdoor unit control unit 39 controls the outdoor unit 3 to start the heating operation. Then, a detection is performed as to whether or not a person is present in the first direction (S25).

In the detection of whether or not a person is present in the first direction (S25), the control unit 38 determines whether or not a person M is present in the first direction W1 based on the detection signal of the human body sensor 60. Here, if no person M is present in the first direction W1 (no in S25), a detection as to whether or not a person is present in the second direction (S27) described later is entered. On the other hand, when the person M is present in the first direction W1 (yes in S25), the operation proceeds to the second fan rotation start and the first fan rotation stop (S26).

In the second fan rotation start and the first fan rotation stop (S26), the blower control part 41 starts the rotation of the second fan 59 by starting the driving of the second fan driving part 19, and stops the rotation of the first fan 58 by stopping the driving of the first fan driving part 18. Then, the operation switching process is ended.

In the detection of whether or not a person is present in the second direction (S27) entered when the detection of whether or not a person is present in the first direction (S25) is no, the main control unit 38 determines whether or not a person M is present in the second direction W2 based on the detection signal of the human body sensor 60. Here, when no person M is present in the second direction W2 (no in S27), the process ends. On the other hand, when the person M is present in the second direction W2 (yes in S27), the operation proceeds to the operation of starting the first fan rotation and stopping the second fan rotation (S28).

In the first fan rotation start and the second fan rotation stop (S28), the blower control part 41 starts the rotation of the first fan 58 by starting the driving of the first fan driving part 18, and stops the rotation of the second fan 59 by stopping the driving of the second fan driving part 19. Then, the operation switching process is ended.

In the second embodiment, the first air blowing is performed when the person M is present in the first direction W1, and the second air blowing is performed when the person M is present in the second direction W2, but the second air blowing may be performed when the person M is present in the first direction W1, and the first air blowing may be performed when the person M is present in the second direction W2, so that the air F1 or the air F2 is blown directly to the person M. In addition, when the place where the person M is located is neither the first direction W1 nor the second direction W2, the first air blowing and the second air blowing may be switched at predetermined intervals, or the air blowing may be performed in a direction having a large difference from the target temperature by detecting the temperature distribution of the indoor space N using a radiation sensor or a thermal imaging sensor.

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment has been described based on the first and second embodiments, but the configuration applied in any one of the embodiments may be applied to the other embodiments, and the configurations applied in the embodiments may be combined. For example, the human body sensor 60 of the second embodiment may be mounted on the indoor unit 2 of the first embodiment, and the air conditioning control corresponding to the return job where the person M is located may be performed in the first embodiment.

In the flowchart of the present embodiment, a mode in which each step is continuously executed is exemplified, but the relationship between the front and rear of each step is not necessarily predetermined, and a part of the relationship between the front and rear of each step may be replaced. Some steps may be performed in parallel with other steps.

In the present embodiment, the

fans

8 and 9 capable of switching between the first air blowing and the second air blowing are constituted by cross flow fans, but may be constituted by other fans capable of switching between the first air blowing and the second air blowing. For example, a propeller fan (axial fan) may be used, or a sirocco fan may be used.

In the present embodiment, the two

fans

8 and 9 are used to form the air blowing portion capable of switching between the first air blowing and the second air blowing, but one fan may be used to form the air blowing portion. For example, one fan may be rotated forward to perform the first air blowing, and rotated backward to perform the second air blowing.

In the present embodiment, the air filter 29 is disposed on one of the first disposition portion 31 and the second disposition portion 32, and the air filter of the other disposition portion 32 is withdrawn, but the first air filter 29 and the second air filter 30 may be disposed on the first disposition portion 31 and the second disposition portion 32, respectively, or may be withdrawn simultaneously.

In the present embodiment, the

air filters

29 and 30 are movable, but the

air filters

29 and 30 may be fixed to the first arrangement portion 31 and the second arrangement portion 32, respectively. A first air filter 29 may also be provided between the heat exchanger 7 and the first fan 8, and a second air filter 30 may be provided between the heat exchanger 7 and the second fan 9.

In the present embodiment, the first air filter 29 and the second air filter 30 are formed of a single member, but the first air filter 29 and the second air filter 30 may be separate members. In the present embodiment, the first air filter 29 and the second air filter 30 slide in the front-rear direction, but the first air filter 29 and the second air filter 30 may be swung.

In the present embodiment, the first louver 23 and the second louver 25 are configured to swing around the axis, but the first louver 23 and the second louver 25 may be configured to slide and move.

According to the present embodiment described above, since the air blowing unit capable of switching between the first air blowing and the second air blowing is provided, the first air blowing is performed from the first ventilation opening to the second ventilation opening, and the second air blowing is performed from the second ventilation opening to the first ventilation opening, the temperature distribution of the air in the indoor space can be made uniform, and the comfort and the energy saving can be improved.

Several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments may be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and spirit of the present invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims of the present application and the equivalent scope thereof.

Description of the reference numerals

An air conditioner, 2 indoor units, 3 outdoor units, 4 cases, 5 first vents, 6 second vents, 7 heat exchangers, 8 first fans, 9 second fans, 10 connection pipes, 11 refrigerant pipes, 12 fins, 13, 14 first fans, 15, 16, 17 guide parts, 18 first fan drive parts, 19 second fan drive parts, 20 internal passages, 21 first temperature sensors, 22 second temperature sensors, 23 first windshields, 24 first windshields, 25 second windshields, 26 second windshields, 27 drain pans, 28 filter members, 29 first air filters, 30 second air filters, 31 first arrangement parts, 32 second arrangement parts, 33 filter drive parts, 34 first recess, 35 second recess, 36 wireless remote control, 37 receiving unit, 38 main control, 39 outdoor unit control, 40 operation mode control, 41 air supply control, 42 wind direction control, 43 filter control, 51 air conditioner, 52 indoor unit, 54 housing, 55 first vent, 56 second vent, 57 heat exchanger, 58 first fan, 59 second fan, 60 human body sensor, C air (air flow), H air (air flow), D1 opening width, D2 opening width, L interval width, K wall, N indoor space, T ceiling, U floor, M user (person), R infrared signal, F1 air, F2 air, W1 first direction, W2 second direction.

Claims

1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:

a housing;

a heat exchanger disposed inside the housing;

a first vent corresponding to one side of the heat exchanger and opening into the case in a first direction, i.e., downward;

a second air vent corresponding to the other side of the heat exchanger and opened in the housing in a second direction, i.e., a horizontal direction;

a first louver provided at the first ventilation opening;

a first wind direction adjustment unit that adjusts an angle of the first wind direction plate;

a second wind direction plate provided at the second air vent;

a second wind direction adjustment unit that adjusts an angle of the second wind direction plate;

a wind direction control unit that controls the first wind direction adjustment unit and the second wind direction adjustment unit; and

a blower unit configured by a first blower provided on the one side of the heat exchanger and a second blower provided on the other side of the heat exchanger, the blower unit being capable of switching between a first blower from the first ventilation opening to the second ventilation opening and a second blower from the second ventilation opening to the first ventilation opening,

the heat exchanger has a convex portion and a concave portion provided on one side, and a concave portion and a convex portion provided on the other side,

the first blower is disposed corresponding to a recess provided on the one side of the heat exchanger,

the second blower is disposed corresponding to the concave portion provided on the other side of the heat exchanger,

the first ventilation opening is arranged below the second ventilation opening,

in the first air blowing, the air direction control unit adjusts the first air direction plate to an angle at which the first air vent is substantially fully opened and adjusts the second air direction plate to an angle at which air is blown out in a horizontal direction, the air blowing unit sucks air from the first air vent and blows out air from the second air vent,

in the second air blowing, the air direction control unit adjusts the first air direction plate to an angle at which air is blown obliquely downward, and adjusts the second air direction plate to an angle at which the second air opening is substantially fully opened, the air blowing unit sucking air from the second air opening and blowing air from the first air opening,

the air blowing unit performs the first air blowing during a cooling operation and performs the second air blowing during a heating operation.

2. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein,

the air blowing unit includes an air blowing control unit that controls switching between the first air blowing and the second air blowing by making the rotational speeds of the first air blowing and the second air blowing different from each other.

3. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein,

the first blower and the second blower are each constituted by a cross-flow fan.

4. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 3, comprising:

an air filter; a first arrangement portion provided corresponding to the one side of the heat exchanger, and configured with the air filter; and a second arrangement portion provided corresponding to the other side of the heat exchanger, and configured with the air filter.

5. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 4, comprising:

an air filter;

a filter driving unit that moves the air filter; and

a filter control unit that controls the filter driving unit,

the filter control unit performs the following control in the first air blowing: disposing the air filter between the first vent and the heat exchanger and withdrawing it from between the second vent and the heat exchanger;

the filter control unit performs the following control in the second air blowing: the air filter is disposed between the second vent and the heat exchanger and is withdrawn from between the first vent and the heat exchanger.