CN1924475A

CN1924475A - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: CN1924475A
Application number: CNA2006100681198A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 高桥一夫; 黑河圭子; 薄井宏明; 乐间毅; 山本哲也; 铃木大辅; 美浓岛春树
Original assignee: Sanyo Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Sanyo Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-08-30
Filing date: 2006-03-21
Publication date: 2007-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-21
Also published as: EP1760412A2; CN100487333C; JP2007064534A; KR100665141B1; EP1760412A3; JP4688613B2

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of permanently inhibiting the growth of slime on a drain pan. The air conditioner includes a heat exchanger 16; a drain pan 22 for receiving drain water produced by the heat exchanger 16; and a drain pump 12 for pumping the drain water collected in the drain pan 22 and draining the water out via a drain hose 19. An electrolysis unit 30 having electrodes 32, 33 for generating reactive oxygen species by electrolyzing the drain water is positioned at a spout 13 of the drain pump 12. The drain water electrolyzed by the electrolysis unit 30 is returned to the drain pan 22.

Description

Air conditioner

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a drain tray for receiving drain water.

Technical Field

An air conditioner having a heat exchanger and a drain tray that receives drain water generated in the heat exchanger is generally known. In this air conditioner, sediment is likely to be generated in the drain water stored in the drain tray, which is a cause of clogging of the drain tray or the drain hose.

In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to dispose a slime inhibitor or the like in the drain tray (see, for example, patent document 1).

[ patent document 1]Japanese patent application laid-open No. Hei 6-159710

However, in the conventional structure, the chemical is mixed in the drainage water to chemically suppress the generation of the slime, and if the penetrated chemical is not available, the chemical has no effect, and as a result, the durability, that is, the slime is difficult to be durably suppressed.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and to provide an air conditioner capable of suppressing generation of sludge in a drain tray for a long time.

An air conditioner according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: the water discharge device comprises a heat exchanger, a water discharge tray for receiving water discharge generated in the heat exchanger, and a water discharge pump for sucking up the water discharge retained in the water discharge tray and discharging the water discharge to the outside through a water discharge hose.

In this case, the drain hose may have a rising portion extending upward, and the drain water electrolyzed in the rising portion and the electrolysis unit may be returned to the drain tray as the operation of the drain pump is stopped. The water supply device may be configured to include an electrolysis control device for electrolyzing the supplied drain water in the electrolysis unit while the water supply device is operated during or after the cooling chamber operation or the dehumidifying operation.

In addition, a heat storage device that stores cold and heat of the drain water and cools the supplied drain water at the next or later electrolysis may be provided in the electrolysis unit or the drain hose. The electrolysis control device may be configured to detect the supply of the drain water into the electrolysis cell and start electrolysis of the drain water. The electrolysis unit may be provided with a stirring device for stirring the drain water flowing into the electrolysis unit.

Further, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes: the water pump for sucking up the drain is disposed on the drain tray, an electrolysis unit having an electrode for electrolyzing the drain to generate active oxygen species is disposed at least one of a suction port and a discharge port of the water pump, and the drain electrolyzed by the electrolysis unit is returned to the drain tray again.

In this case, the electrolysis unit may be configured to use an electrode capable of generating ozone.

The invention has the advantage that the generation of sediment in the drainage tray can be durably inhibited.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an air conditioner of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a structural diagram showing an electrode configuration.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the water temperature and the ozone water concentration at the time of electrolysis.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the sequence of the electrolysis operation.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing still another embodiment.

Description of the symbols

1 air conditioner

16 exchanger

12 drainage pump

22 drainage tray

30. 50, 70 electrolysis unit

32. 33, 52, 53, 72, 73 electrodes

35. 75 heat storage device

36. 76 stirring vane (stirring device)

34. 54, 74 electrolysis control device

61 suction pump

Detailed Description

An embodiment of the present invention is explained below based on the drawings. Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an air conditioner body and a decorative panel, and fig. 2 is a bottom view showing the air conditioner body.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes an air conditioner 1, and the air conditioner 1 is combined with an outdoor unit not shown, has a refrigeration cycle system including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and the like, and is suspended and fixed in a ceiling space 41 of a building 40 as shown in fig. 1. Fig. 1 and 2 show an example of a 4-directional ceiling box-type air conditioner 1, which includes an air conditioner main body 2 and a decorative plate 3, wherein a suction port 4 is opened in the center of the decorative plate 3, and a discharge port 5 is opened around the suction port 4 of the decorative plate 3. From the

building

40, 4 bolts 42 are provided vertically downward, and hangers 43 of the air conditioner main body 2 are fixed to the 4 bolts 42, respectively.

In the air conditioner main body 2, a fan motor 6, an indoor fan 7 (turbofan), a partition plate 8, a drain pump 12, a drain port 13 for draining water, a refrigerant pipe 14, an electric box 15 having a control device such as a drain pump control device or an electrolysis control device, a heat exchanger 16, and the like are arranged.

The indoor fan 7 is disposed corresponding to the fan nozzle 17. The heat exchanger 16 is bent into a substantially rectangular shape and is disposed so as to surround the indoor fan 7 and approach the four-side air outlet 5. The partition plate 8 is connected between the

tube plates

21, 21 of the heat exchanger 16, and the drain pump 12, the drain port 13 for draining water, the indoor mechanical control valve 18, and the like are accommodated in the space 20 outside the heat exchanger 16 partitioned by the partition plate 8. The partition 8 prevents air from the indoor fan 7 from leaking during operation, and the air heat-exchanged from the four-sideair outlet 5 is reliably blown out into the room R by the presence of the partition 8.

Fig. 3 is a view of a drain tray. In fig. 3, a drain tray 22 is provided below the heat exchanger 16. A lower drain sump 22A is formed at the bottom of the drain tray 22, and the drain pump 12 is disposed in the drain sump 22A. A drain pump driving device 23 such as a DC motor is connected to the drain pump 12, and a drain pump controller 24 capable of controlling the rotation speed of the drain pump is connected to the drain pump driving device 23.

The drain pump control device 24 includes: an indoor fan operation stop detection device 26 (hereinafter referred to as a fan operation detection device) for detecting whether or not the indoor fan 7 is operated, and a rotation speed setting device 27 for setting the rotation speed of the drain pump 12.

The rotation speed setting means 27 sets the maximum rotation speed of the drain pump 12 to output the maximum rotation speed to the drain pump driving means 23 when the fan operation detecting means 26 detects that the indoor fan 7 is operating, and outputs the minimum rotation speed at which drainage is possible to the drain pump driving means 23 when the fan operation detecting means 26 detects that the indoor fan 7 is not operating. The drain pump driving device 23 operates the drain pump 12 by the number of revolutions output from the revolution speed setting device 27.

The drain port 13 of the drain pump 12 is connected to a drain hose 19 for draining the drain to the outside of the machine. The drain hose 19 has an upward-extending raised portion 19A, and the drain remaining in the raised portion 19A is returned to the drain tray 22 when the operation of the drain pump 12 is stopped.

In this embodiment, an electrolytic cell 30 for electrolyzing wastewater to generate active oxygen species(e.g., ozone) is disposed in the rising portion 19A of the drain hose 19. The electrolytic cell 30 has: an electrolytic bath 31 having a diameter larger than that of the drain hose 21; a pair of

electrodes

32, 33 disposed on the electrolytic bath 31. These electrodes are connected to an electrolysis control unit 34. The

electrodes

32 and 33 can generate active oxygen species (ozone) by electrolyzing the wastewater flowing into the electrolytic cell 31 when the current is applied.

The active oxygen species are oxygen molecules having higher oxidation activity than ordinary oxygen and substances related thereto, and include active oxygen in a so-called narrow sense called superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, or hydrogen peroxide, and active oxygen in a so-called broad sense called ozone, hypohalous acid, or the like.

The active oxygen species can prevent the generation of sludge, and the sludge is hard to generate in the drain tray 22 and the drain hose 19. The electrode material is preferably a material capable of generating active oxygen species by electrolyzing waste water (chlorine-free water such as tap water), for example, a material capable of generating ozone, hydrogen peroxide, radicals, and the like, and specifically, platinum, lead oxide, platinum tantalum, and the like are preferable. Among these, the platinum tantalum electrode is most preferable in that ozone can be efficiently and stably generated by electrolysis even from wastewater in which ionic species are scarce. At this time, the following reaction occurs at the cathode:

the following reactions take place at the anode:

the following reactions take place simultaneously:

therefore, ozone (O) is generated at the anode₃) The sludge is quickly dissolved in the water in which ozone is dissolved (hereinafter, referred to as "ozone water") in the drain water, and the sludge can be prevented. Specifically, the ozone water returns to the drain tray 22 with the stop of the drain pump 12, so that the precipitation in the drain tray 22 can be preventedSlag generation. In addition, the ozone water discharged to the outside through the drain hose 19 can be prevented from flowing into the drain hoseThe occurrence of slime in the tube 19.

Further, a heat storage material 35 is disposed inside the electrolytic cell 31 of the electrolysis unit 30. The heat storage material 35 stores the cold and heat of the drain water generated during the cooling operation. Here, the reason for providing the heat storage material 35 will be described.

It is generally known that ozone has higher solubility in water as the temperature of water is lower, as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, it is preferable that the temperature of the wastewater be kept low during electrolysis of the wastewater, so that ozone water having a high ozone concentration can be produced.

However, the drain retained on the drain tray 22 is heated by the temperature of the surrounding environment as time passes. Therefore, with this configuration, by providing the heat storage material 35 in the electrolytic cell 31, when electrolysis occurs immediately after the cooling operation, the cold heat of the drain water discharged to the outside is stored in the heat storage material 35, and at the time of next and subsequent electrolysis, the drain water supplied to the electrolytic cell 31 iscooled by the cold heat, so that ozone water having a high ozone concentration can be easily generated.

The electrolysis unit 30 has a stirring blade (stirring device) 36 for stirring the drain water flowing into the electrolysis vessel 31. A stirring blade driving device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a blade driving device) 37 such as a DC motor is connected to the stirring blade 36. The blade driving device 37 is configured to operate the stirring blade 36 during electrolysis under the control of the electrolysis control device 34, thereby stirring the discharged water in the electrolytic bath 31 and efficiently performing electrolysis. As described above, the DC motor is exemplified as the stirring blade driving device 37, but the stirring blade 36 may be controlled by using another drain flow as a driving source.

Next, the operation of the drain pump control device 24 will be described.

When the cooling room of the air conditioner 1 is started to operate, the compressor and the indoor fan 7 start to operate. When the indoor fan 7 starts to operate, the fan operation detection device 26 of the drain pump control device 24 detects that the indoor fan 7 is operating, the rotation speed setting device 27 sets the drain pump 12 to the maximum rotation speed, and the drain pump drive device 23 operates the drain pump 12 at the maximum rotation speed. The drain pump 12 is operated to suck up the drain accumulated in the drain tray 22 and discharge the drain to the outside of the machine.

When the cooling stop operation and the operation of the compressor and the indoor fan 7 are stopped, the fan operation detection device 26 detects the operation stop of the indoor fan 7. When the indoor fan 7 is stopped, the rotation speed setting means 27 sets the rotation speed of the drain pump driving means 23 to the minimum rotation speed at which drainage is possible, and the drain pump driving means 23 operates the drain pump 12 at the rotation speed. Since the drain pump 12 is operated at the minimum rotational speed at which drainage is possible, noise such as water stirring noise of the drain pump 12 is minimized, and after the compressor and the indoor fan 7 are stopped, the drain water that has adhered to the heat exchanger 16 and the like and flowed down and remained in the drain tray 22 is discharged.

Next, when the water level of the drain tray 22 reaches a certain value or less, the drain pump 12 cannot drain water, and therefore, the operation of the drain pump 12 is stopped. The stop time of the drain pump 12 may be set to be stopped after the indoor fan 7 is stopped, for example, after the operation for 20 minutes, or the drain tray 22 may be provided with a sensor such as a water level sensor (not shown) to stop the operation of the drain pump 12 when the water level of the drain tray 22 reaches the lowest water level at which drainage is possible.

However, when the operation of the drain pump 12 is stopped, the drain remaining in the rising portion 19A of the drain hose 19 returns to the drain tray 22 by its own weight, and therefore, after the operation of the cooling compartment, the drain stays in the drain tray 22 in any way. In the present embodiment, the drain retained in the drain tray 22 is sucked to the electrolysis unit 30 by the drain pump 12, electrolyzed in the electrolysis unit 30, and returned to the drain tray 22 as ozone water, so that the generation of sludge can be prevented.

The electrolytic operation of the drain retained in the drain tray 22 will be described. In the present embodiment, the electrolysis operation is performed intermittently (for example, at intervals of 3 hours) when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped.

Drain pump control device 24 operates drain pump 12 (step S1). In this case, since the drain pump 12 is operated at the minimum rotational speed, noise such as water stirring noise of the drain pump 12 is minimized.

Next, the electrolysis controller 34 determines whether or not the water level of the drain water supplied to the electrolytic cell 31 of the electrolysis unit 30 has risen to a predetermined level (step S2). Specifically, the predetermined position is a position where the upper ends of the

electrodes

32 and 33 disposed in the electrolytic bath 31 are immersed in water, and the predetermined position is detected by a water level sensor, not shown.

In this determination, when the water level of the drain water rises to the predetermined position (step S2; YES), the electrolysis controller 34 starts the energization to the electrodes 32, 33 (step S3) to electrolyze the drain water to generate ozone water in which ozone as an active oxygen species is dissolved. At this time, the electrolysis controller 34 operates the blade driver 37 and operates the stirring blade 36 in accordance with the energization to the

electrodes

32 and 33.

Here, the heat storage device 35 stores the cold heat of the drain water supplied at the time of electrolysis immediately after the cooling operation, and by applying the cold heat to the drain water supplied at the next or subsequent electrolysis, cools the drain water supplied at the next or subsequent electrolysis. Thereby, ozone water having a high ozone concentration can be easily generated.

Next, the electrolysis controller 34 determines whether or not a predetermined time (5 minutes in the present embodiment) has elapsed since the energization of the electrodes 32 and 33 (step S4), and when the predetermined time has elapsed (step S4; yes), the drain pump controller 24 stops the operation of the drain pump 12 (step S5). In the present embodiment, when the operation of the drain pump 12is stopped, the ozone water (drain) in the electrolytic bath 31 of the electrolytic cell 30 and the rising portion 19A of the drain hose 19 is returned to the drain tray 22.

Next, the electrolysis controller 34 determines whether or not the water level of the ozonated water in the electrolytic bath 31 has dropped to the predetermined position (step S6). In this determination, when the ozonated water level is lowered to the predetermined position (step S6; YES), the energization of the

electrodes

32 and 33 is stopped and the operation of the stirring blade 36 is stopped (step S7). This prevents the supply of electricity in a state where water is not supplied into the electrolytic bath 31, and therefore, the life of the

electrodes

32 and 33 can be prolonged.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent generation of sludge of the ozone water generated by electrolysis due to the return to the drain tray 22. In this configuration, the drain retained in the drain tray 22 can be purified without generating sludge for a long time and can exhibit the deodorizing effect. Further, by allowing the drain water to flow down to the drain pipe 19, generation of sludge in the drain pipe 19 can be suppressed for a long time. As a result, maintenance-free of the drain tray 22 can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, after the cooling operation is terminated, the electrolysis controller 34 electrolyzes the water remaining in the rising portion 19A of the drain hose 19, so that high-concentration ozone water can be generated in a short time, and the generation of sludge in the drain tray 22 can be prevented by the ozone water.

In the present embodiment, the heat storage device 35 for storing the cold heat of the drain water and cooling the drain water supplied at the next or subsequent electrolysis is provided in the electrolytic cell 31 of the electrolysis unit 30, so that thetemperature of the drain water can be kept at a low temperature at the next or subsequent electrolysis, and high-concentration ionized water can be generated. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the electrolytic cell 30 has the stirring blade 36 for stirring the drain flowing into the electrolytic bath 31, the electrolysis can be efficiently performed.

The air conditioner equipped with the electrode can reduce the failure of the drainage system and is easy to maintain, and can be used for realizing more comfortable air conditioning due to the purification of the air conditioner, especially in the buildings with large number of unspecified people such as schools, hospitals and small unattended shops.

Fig. 6 shows another embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the structure is such that the electrolytic unit 50 is provided at the suction port of the drain pump 12. The electrolytic unit 50 has: an electrolytic bath 51 connected to a suction port of the drain pump 12; and

electrodes

52 and 53 housed in the electrolytic bath 51. These

electrodes

52 and 53 are connected to an electrolysis control device 54, and the other structure is substantially the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. However, in this embodiment, the electrolysis unit 30 is disposed so as to be immersed in the drainage water, and therefore, the heat storage device and the stirring blade are not used.

In this embodiment, the occurrence of slime can be prevented by returning to the drain tray 22 due to the ozone water generated by electrolysis. Therefore, the drainage tray 22 can be cleaned and the deodorizing effect can be exhibited without generating sludge in the drainage retained in the drainage tray 22 for a long time. Further, by allowing the drain water to flow down to the drain pipe 19, generation of sludge in the drain pipe 19 can be suppressed for a longtime, and maintenance-free of the drain tray 22 can be achieved.

Fig. 7 shows another embodiment.

In this embodiment, the so-called drain pump 12 also has a further suction pump 61 which sucks up the drain, the electrolysis unit 70 being connected to the outlet 62 of this suction pump 61. The suction pump 61 is disposed in parallel with the drain pump 12 in the drain sump 22A of the drain tray 22. The suction pump 61 is connected to a suction drive device 63 such as a DC motor, and a suction pump control device 64 operable to control the rotation speed of the suction drive device 63.

The electrolysis unit 70 includes an electrolysis vessel 71 and electrodes 72 and 73 housed in the electrolysis vessel 71, and these electrodes 72 and 73 are connected to an electrolysis control device 74. In the present embodiment, the size of the electrolytic cell 71 is set to a size capable of storing the amount of water (for example, 800ml) of the drain returned to the drain tray 22 by its own weight when the drain pump 12 is stopped.

The electrolytic bath 71 is provided with a heat storage material 75 inside thereof, and an agitation blade (agitation device) 76 for agitating the inflowing drain water is provided inside the electrolytic bath 71, and the agitation blade 76 is connected to an agitation blade driving device 77 such as a DC motor. The other structures and operations are substantially the same as those of the embodiment shown in fig. 3, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

According to this embodiment, the generation of sludge can be prevented by returning the ozone water generated by electrolysis to the drain tray 22. Therefore, the drain water retained in the drain tray 22 can be kept free from sludge, and the drain tray 22 can be cleaned and the deodorizing effect can be exerted. From this point of view, the drain tray 22 can be realized maintenance-free.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the electrolysis unit 70 is disposed in the suction port 62 of the water pump 61 has been described, but a configuration in which an electrolysis unit is provided at the suction port of the water pump may be adopted.

The present invention has been described above based on one embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the above embodiment, the electrolysis operation may be performed at predetermined time intervals, and the ozone concentration on the drain tray may be detected, and the electrolysis operation may be performed when the concentration reaches a predetermined value or less.

In the above embodiment, the electrolysis operation is performed only when the cooling operation of the air conditioner 1 is stopped, but the electrodes may be energized and the drain water may be electrolyzed when the drain pump is operated during the operation of the cooling room. At this time, the ozone water generated by electrolysis is discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain hose 19, but the ozone water removes sludge in the drain hose 19, so that the drain hose 19 can be kept clean. Further, when the drain pump is stopped, the inside of the drain hose 19 and the ozonated water in the electrolytic bath are returned to the drain tray, so that the generation of sludge in the drain tray 22 can be suppressed, and it is possible to keep the drain tray 22 clean.

In the above-described embodiment, the heat storage materials 35 and 75 are provided in the electrolytic cells 31 and 71, but such a heat storage material may be provided in the drain hose 19.

In the above embodiment, the structure for generating ozone as the active oxygen species was described, but a structure for generating active oxygen species other thanozone may be adopted by changing the electrode to an appropriate one.

Further, when slag deposits on the electrode (cathode) by electrolysis of the wastewater, the conductivity is lowered, and it becomes difficult to continue electrolysis. In this case, it is effective to reverse the polarity of electrolysis (exchange of positive and negative electrodes). The cathode is used as the anode for electrolysis, so that the slag accumulated on the cathode electrode can be removed. In the polarity inversion control, for example, the inversion may be performed periodically with time, or may be performed irregularly such as by inverting every time the operation is started. Further, the increase in the electrolytic impedance (decrease in the electrolytic current or increase in the electrolytic voltage) may be detected, and the polarity may be reversed depending on the result. In addition, not only during the cooling chamber operation but also during the dehumidifying operation in which drain water is generated, the drain water retained in the drain tray 22 may be electrolyzed.

Claims

1. An air conditioner is characterized by comprising: a heat exchanger; a drain tray that receives drain water generated in the heat exchanger; sucking up the drain water retained in the drain tray and draining to an external drain pump through a drain hose,

an electrolytic cell having an electrode for electrolyzing the drain water to generate active oxygen species is disposed at least one of the suction port and the discharge port of the drain pump, and the drain water electrolyzed by the electrolytic cell is returned to the drain tray.

2. An air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the drain hose has an ascending portion extending upward, and the ascending portion and the drain water electrolyzed in the electrolysis unit return to the drain tray in response to stop of operation of the drain pump.

3. An air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an electrolysis control means for controlling the electrolysis means to electrolyze the supplied drain water while operating the drain pump during or after the cooling room operation or the dehumidifying operation.

4. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a heat storage device for storing cold and heat of the drain water and cooling the drain water supplied at the next or later electrolysis is provided in the electrolysis unit or the drain hose.

5. An air conditioner according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the electrolysis control means detects the drain water supplied to the electrolysis cell and starts electrolysis of the drain water.

6. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electrolysis unit has a stirring device for stirring the drain water flowing into the electrolysis unit.

7. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the polarity of the electrodes is reversed periodically or aperiodically.

8. An air conditioner is characterized by comprising: a heat exchanger; a drain tray for receiving drain water generated in the heat exchanger; sucking up the drain water retained in the drain tray and draining to an external drain pump through a drain hose,

a water suction pump for sucking the drain water is disposed on the drain tray, an electrolysis cell having an electrode for electrolyzing the drain water to generate active oxygen species is disposed at least one of a suction port and a discharge port of the water suction pump, and the drain water electrolyzed by the electrolysis cell is returned to the drain tray again.

9. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an electrode capable of generating ozone is used in the electrolysis unit.