EP4600563A1

EP4600563A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: EP4600563A1
Application number: EP25155964.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yuji Watanabe; Shu NAKAO; Kurumi SHIRADO
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-02-06
Filing date: 2025-02-05
Publication date: 2025-08-13
Also published as: JP2025121271A

Abstract

An air conditioner according to the present disclosure is an air conditioner that conditions indoor air, including an indoor unit. The indoor unit includes: a housing including a suction port and a blowout port for indoor air; an indoor fan that is disposed in the housing and generates an airflow from the suction port to the blowout port; an indoor heat exchanger positioned in a path of the airflow; an airflow direction blade that is disposed at the blowout port and changes an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of the indoor air from blowout port between a downward direction directing downward from the indoor unit and a forward direction directing forward from the indoor unit; and a controller that controls the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade. The controller executes a circulation operation of circulating the indoor air by controlling the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade to change at least one of an air volume or an airflow direction from the indoor fan, and controls at least one of an execution time or an execution interval of the circulation operation based on information regarding an environment of indoors.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner.

2. Description of the Related Art

Some air conditioners for conditioning indoor air perform a circulator operation of moving air accumulated near a ceiling to a floor surface. For example, PTL 1 discloses an air conditioner that performs a circulator operation of moving air accumulated near a ceiling to a floor surface when a temperature of an indoor space set by a user becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.

Citation List

Patent Literature

PTL 1: Japanese Patent No. 5289392

SUMMARY

The air conditioner described in PTL 1 still has room for improvement in terms of improving comfort.
The present disclosure provides an air conditioner capable of improving comfort.
An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present disclosure is
an air conditioner that conditions indoor air, the air conditioner including an indoor unit, in which the indoor unit includes:

a housing including a suction port and a blowout port for the indoor air;
an indoor fan that is disposed in the housing and forms an airflow from the suction port to the blowout port;
an indoor heat exchanger positioned in a path of the airflow;
an airflow direction blade that is disposed at the blowout port and changes an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of the indoor air from blowout port between a downward direction directing downward from the indoor unit and a forward direction directing forward from the indoor unit; and
a controller that controls the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade, and
the controller
executes a circulation operation of circulating the indoor air by controlling the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade to change at least one of an air volume or an airflow direction from the indoor fan, and
controls at least one of an execution time or an execution interval of the circulation operation based on information regarding an environment of indoors.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of improving comfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an air conditioner according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged schematic view of an indoor unit of the air conditioner in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the air conditioner in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which an airflow direction blade of the indoor unit in Fig. 2 faces a first direction;
Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which the airflow direction blade of the indoor unit in Fig. 2 faces a second direction;
Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors during a heating operation;
Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in the indoors during a circulation operation;
Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the airflow in the indoors during the circulation operation;
Fig. 9 is a time chart for describing a flow of the circulation operation during the heating operation;
Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in the indoors during a cooling operation;
Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the airflow in the indoors during the circulation operation;
Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the airflow in the indoors during the circulation operation;
Fig. 13 is a time chart for describing a flow of the circulation operation during the cooling operation;
Fig. 14 is a table indicating an execution time and an execution interval of the circulation operation according to a temperature difference between the indoors and outdoors;
Fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an air conditioner according to a second exemplary embodiment;
Fig. 16A is a table indicating an execution time and an execution interval of a circulation operation at the time of a heating operation according to a floor temperature of indoors;
Fig. 16B is a table indicating an execution time and an execution interval of a circulation operation at the time of a cooling operation according to the floor temperature of the indoors;
Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an air conditioner according to a third exemplary embodiment;
Fig. 18 is a table indicating an execution interval and an execution time of a circulation operation according to a heat insulation performance of a control space of the air conditioner;
Fig. 19 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an air conditioner according to a fourth exemplary embodiment;
Fig. 20A is a table indicating shift amounts of an execution interval and an execution time according to a floor temperature in a circulation operation at the time of a heating operation;
Fig. 20B is a table indicating shift amounts of an execution interval and an execution time according to a floor temperature in a circulation operation at the time of a cooling operation;
Fig. 21 is a table indicating shift amounts of an execution interval and an execution time according to a heat insulation performance at the time of the circulation operation;
Fig. 22A is a table in which a temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is scored;
Fig. 22B is a table in which a floor temperature is scored;
Fig. 22C is a table in which a heat insulation performance is scored; and
Fig. 23 is a table indicating an execution interval and an execution time of a circulation operation based on total points.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

(Background of present disclosure)

When a heating operation is executed using an air conditioner, heated air tends to stay in an upper part of the room, so that the temperature near a floor surface may become lower than the temperature near a ceiling in the room. On the other hand, when a cooling operation is executed using the air conditioner, cooled air tends to stay in a lower part of the room, so that the temperature near the ceiling may become higher than the temperature of the floor surface in the room. As described above, in the heating operation or the cooling operation by the air conditioner, the temperature may not be uniform in the indoor space, and temperature unevenness may occur in which a temperature difference occurs. Therefore, it has been studied to reduce the temperature unevenness in the room and eliminate the user's discomfort by adding a circulation function to the air conditioner to stir the air in the room.
For example, the air conditioner described in PTL 1 compares a sensible temperature with a set temperature in a heating operation or a blowing operation, and performs a circulator operation of automatically moving air accumulated near a ceiling to a floor surface only when the sensible temperature is higher than the set temperature.
However, in the air conditioner described in PTL 1, since the circulator operation is executed based on the sensible temperature, it may be difficult to eliminate temperature unevenness in the room by the circulator operation.
The inventors of the present disclosure have found that when the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is large, temperature unevenness is likely to occur in the room, and thus unevenness of an indoor temperature can be eliminated by executing the circulator operation and comfort can be improved. Therefore, the inventors of the present disclosure have studied an air conditioner capable of eliminating temperature unevenness in the room and improving comfort, and have reached the disclosure below.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings in some cases. However, the following exemplary embodiments are merely examples for describing the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the following contents (for example, the shape, dimensions, disposition, and the like of each component). A positional relationship such as up, down, left, and right is based on a positional relationship illustrated in the drawings unless otherwise specified. Each of the drawings to be described in the following exemplary embodiments is a schematic view, and a ratio of a size and a thickness of each component in each drawing does not necessarily reflect an actual dimensional ratio. In addition, a dimensional ratio of each component is not limited to a ratio illustrated in the drawings.
Note that, in the following description, in a case where it is necessary to distinguish a plurality of components from each other, prefixes such as "first" and "second" are added to the names of the components. However, in a case where the components can be distinguished from each other by reference numerals added to the components, prefixes such as "first" and "second" may be omitted in consideration of sentence readability.

(First exemplary embodiment)

[General configuration]

Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating air conditioner 10 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is an enlarged schematic view of indoor unit 20 of air conditioner 10 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of air conditioner 10 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which airflow direction blade 24 of indoor unit 20 in Fig. 2 faces a first direction. Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which airflow direction blade 24 of indoor unit 20 in Fig. 2 faces a second direction.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, air conditioner 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes indoor unit 20 that is disposed in indoors Rin to be air-conditioned, and outdoor unit 30 that is disposed in outdoors Rout.
As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, outdoor unit 30 is provided with outdoor heat exchanger 32 that performs heat exchange with outdoor air A2, and outdoor fan 34 that induces outdoor air A2 into outdoor unit 30 and blows out outdoor air A2 subjected to heat exchange with outdoor heat exchanger 32 to outdoors Rout. In addition, outdoor unit 30 is provided with compressor 36, expansion valve 38, and four-way valve 40 that execute a refrigeration cycle with indoor heat exchanger 23 and outdoor heat exchanger 32. In the present exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 3, outdoor temperature sensor 42 that detects the air temperature of outdoors Rout is disposed in outdoor unit 30.
As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, indoor unit 20 includes housing 21, indoor fan 22, indoor heat exchanger 23, airflow direction blade 24, and controller 25. Housing 21 of indoor unit 20 is provided with suction port 21a and blowout port 21b for indoor air A1. Indoor fan 22 is disposed in housing 21 and forms airflow F1 from suction port 21a to blowout port 21b. In other words, indoor fan 22 induces indoor air A1 from suction port 21a into indoor unit 20, and blows out indoor air A1 subjected to heat exchange with indoor heat exchanger 23 from blowout port 21b to indoors Rin. Indoor heat exchanger 23 is disposed in a path of airflow F1 formed by indoor fan 22, and exchanges heat with indoor air A1.
Indoor air A1 induced into indoor unit 20 by indoor fan 22 exchanges heat with indoor heat exchanger 23, and is then blown out from blowout port 21b to indoors Rin. Airflow direction blade 24 is disposed in blowout port 21b. By rotating along arrow G1 in Fig. 2, airflow direction blade 24 can open and close blowout port 21b and change a blowing direction of indoor air A1 in a vertical direction. By making airflow direction blade 24 to rotate, controller 25 can set the position of airflow direction blade 24 to a first direction, which is a downward direction, such that an airflow direction of indoor air A1 illustrated in Fig. 4 is directed downward from blowout port 21b. In a case where airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the first direction, airflow direction blade 24 is preferably positioned in a direction of -42 degrees or more and -38 degrees or less with respect to a horizontal direction. By making airflow direction blade 24 to rotate, controller 25 can set the position of airflow direction blade 24 to a second direction, which is upward from the first direction, such that the airflow direction of indoor air A1 illustrated in Fig. 5 is directed forward from blowout port 21b. In a case where airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the second direction, airflow direction blade 24 is preferably positioned in a direction of -18 degrees or more with respect to the horizontal direction. In a case where airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the second direction, indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is discharged upward as compared with the case where airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the first direction. More specifically, when airflow direction blade 24 is in the first direction, indoor air A1 is blown out below indoor unit 20 from blowout port 21b. When airflow direction blade 24 is in the second direction, indoor air A1 is blown out to the front of indoor unit 20 from blowout port 21b. Controller 25 can change the airflow direction of indoor air A1 between the downward direction and the forward direction by rotating airflow direction blade 24. Note that "downward direction" includes not only the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b being in the vertical direction, but also the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b being slightly inclined forward from the vertical direction. Similarly, "forward direction" includes not only the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b being in the horizontal direction, but also the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b being slightly inclined downward from the horizontal direction.
As illustrated in Fig. 4, in the case where airflow direction blade 24 is in the first direction, indoor air A1 is discharged below indoor unit 20 from blowout port 21b. As illustrated in Fig. 5, in the case where airflow direction blade 24 is in the second direction, indoor air A1 is discharged to the front of indoor unit 20 from blowout port 21b.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, controller 25 is disposed in indoor unit 20. Controller 25 controls indoor fan 22 and airflow direction blade 24 to control a series of operations of inducing indoor air A1 into indoor unit 20 and discharging indoor air A1 subjected to heat exchange with indoor heat exchanger 23 from blowout port 21b.
In the present exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 3, indoor unit 20 includes indoor temperature sensor 26 that detects the temperature of indoors Rin.
In the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 can execute a heating operation of discharging indoor air A1 heated by indoor heat exchanger 23 from blowout port 21b to indoors Rin. During the heating operation, controller 25 sets the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction illustrated in Fig. 4 and the forward direction illustrated in Fig. 5. That is, controller 25 sets the position of airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction during the heating operation.
In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 can also execute a cooling operation of discharging indoor air A1 cooled by indoor heat exchanger 23 from blowout port 21b to indoors Rin. During the cooling operation, controller 25 sets the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction illustrated in Fig. 4 and the forward direction illustrated in Fig. 5. That is, controller 25 sets the position of airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction during the cooling operation.
Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 controls indoor fan 22 and airflow direction blade 24 to change at least one of the air volume or the airflow direction from indoor fan 22, thereby executing the circulation operation of circulating indoor air A1. The circulation operation is executed for the purpose of stirring the air in indoors Rin at the time of executing the heating operation or the cooling operation.
Controller 25 controls at least one of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation based on information regarding the environment of indoors. The execution time of the circulation operation is a time during which indoor fan 22 and airflow direction blade 24 are controlled to circulate the indoor air. The execution interval of the circulation operation is a time from the end of the circulation operation to the start of the circulation operation. The information regarding the environment of indoors Rin is, for example, information including a temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, a floor temperature of indoors Rin, a heat insulation performance of a control space of air conditioner 10, or the like. That is, the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin is information regarding factors that affect the air conditioning efficiency of air conditioner 10 in indoors Rin.
The circulation operation at the time of the heating operation will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 9. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors Rin during the heating operation. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors Rin during the circulation operation. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors Rin during the circulation operation. Fig. 9 is a time chart for describing a flow of the circulation operation during the heating operation. Part (a) of Fig. 9 is a time chart indicating the relationship between the movement of airflow direction blade 24 and the passage of time. Part (b) of Fig. 9 is a time chart illustrating the relationship between the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b and the time.
During the heating operation, the heated air tends to stay in an upper part of indoors Rin. Therefore, by executing the circulation operation at a certain timing, controller 25 stirs the air in the upper part of indoors Rin and circulates the air in indoors Rin. Since the circulation of the air is performed inside indoors Rin, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin can be reduced. In the present exemplary embodiment, as described above, the circulation operation is executed based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin.
In the circulation operation at the time of the heating operation, controller 25 first moves airflow direction blade 24 to the second direction to decrease the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. That is, controller 25 reduces the air volume while changing the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to the forward direction. At this time, airflow direction blade 24 is moved during a predetermined first period. When airflow direction blade 24 is moved to the second direction, controller 25 increases the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. Thereafter, controller 25 maintains airflow direction blade 24 in the second direction for a predetermined period, and keeps the air volume from blowout port 21b to be increased. Controller 25 ends the circulation operation and continues the heating operation when a predetermined execution time has elapsed.
The circulation operation at the time of the heating operation will be described in more detail below.
As described above, controller 25 sets airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction, and executes the heating operation. Controller 25 sets the position of airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction, so that airflow AF1 that gradually descends forward from indoor unit 20 can be generated, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Controller 25 can set airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position based on an air temperature of indoors Rin detected by indoor temperature sensor 26, a setting by a user, or the like during the heating operation. In addition, during the heating operation, controller 25 can set the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary value. Similarly to airflow direction blade 24, the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b during the heating operation is controlled based on, for example, a setting by the user. The example in Fig. 9 indicates that the heating operation is being executed from time t0 to time t1. Part (a) of Fig. 9 indicates that airflow direction blade 24 is at a position between the first direction and the second direction, and part (b) of Fig. 9 indicates that the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is between Low and High.
Controller 25 controls at least one of the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation at the time of the heating operation based on information regarding the environment of indoors Rin. Note that control of the execution time and the execution interval of the circulation operation based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin will be described later in detail.
In the circulation operation at the time of the heating operation, controller 25 first moves airflow direction blade 24 to the second direction during the predetermined first period. The predetermined first period is a period between time t1 and time t2 indicated in Fig. 9, and is, for example, a period from 5 seconds to 30 seconds inclusive. That is, as illustrated in Fig. 7 and part (a) of Fig. 9, controller 25 moves the position of airflow direction blade 24 to the second direction illustrated in Fig. 5 so that the airflow from blowout port 21b changes from airflow AF1 to airflow AF2 during time t1 to time t2. The user's discomfort can be reduced by changing the direction of airflow direction blade 24 taking a time of about 5 seconds to 30 seconds instead of suddenly changing the direction. Airflow AF2 is a flow of air from blowout port 21b toward the front of indoor unit 20. At this time, as illustrated in part (b) of Fig. 9, controller 25 reduces the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. The air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b can be reduced by, for example, decreasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22. By reducing the air volume of the air discharged from blowout port 21b while airflow direction blade 24 is moved to the second direction, it is possible to reduce the discomfort caused by the air hitting the user in indoors Rin. In the example of Fig. 9, the air volume is decreased to Low during time t1 to time t2. In the present exemplary embodiment, when the air volume is Low, the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 is assumed to be, for example, about 600 rpm to about 700 rpm.
After airflow direction blade 24 is moved to the second direction, controller 25 increases the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. In the example of Fig. 9, the air volume is increased from Low to High during time t2 to time t3. In the present exemplary embodiment, when the air volume is High, the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 is assumed to be, for example, about 700 rpm to about 1200 rpm. For example, controller 25 can increase the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b by increasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22. At this time, controller 25 may gradually increase the rotation speed of indoor fan 22. Specifically, as illustrated in part (b) of Fig. 9, the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 may be increased at a rate of, for example, 100 rpm/10 seconds during time t2 to time t3. For example, when increasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 from Low (for example, about 700 rpm) to High (for example, about 900 rpm), controller 25 gradually increases the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 taking 20 seconds. By gradually increasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22, it is possible to reduce user's discomfort caused by an increase in blown sound with an increase in the air volume.
During a period from time t3 to time t4 indicated in Fig. 9, controller 25 maintains the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b in a state of High while positioning airflow direction blade 24 in the second direction. For example, time t3 to time t4 is preferably from 20 seconds to 60 seconds inclusive. In this case, as illustrated in Fig. 8, indoor air A1 is discharged from blowout port 21b toward a wall surface disposed in front of indoor unit 20. By setting the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to High, as indicated by arrow C1, an airflow in which indoor air A1 discharged from blowout port 21b hits the wall surface at the front and flows toward the floor, is generated. Furthermore, as indicated by arrow C2, the air that has hit the floor flows along the floor and hits a wall surface on which indoor unit 20 is disposed, and a flow of air toward the ceiling is generated. As described above, by circulating indoor air A1 in indoors Rin along arrows C1 and C2, the air in indoors Rin can be stirred.
After controller 25 has increased the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b, controller 25 maintains, during time t3 to time t4, the state in which airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the second direction and the state in which the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is increased. The air in indoors Rin can be sufficiently stirred by operating airflow direction blade 24 in the state of being in the second direction and in which the air volume is increased.
After time t4, controller 25 returns airflow direction blade 24 to an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction, sets the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary value, and ends the circulation operation.
Next, the circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 13. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors Rin during the cooling operation. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors Rin during the circulation operation. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an airflow in indoors Rin during the circulation operation. Fig. 13 is a time chart for describing a flow of the circulation operation during the cooling operation. Part (a) of Fig. 13 is a time chart indicating the relationship between the movement of airflow direction blade 24 and the passage of time. Part (b) of Fig. 13 is a time chart illustrating the relationship between the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b and the time.
During the cooling operation, the cooled air tends to stay in a lower part of indoors Rin. Therefore, by executing the circulation operation at a certain timing, controller 25 stirs the air in the lower part of indoors Rin and circulates the air in indoors Rin. Since the circulation of the air is performed inside indoors Rin, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin can be reduced. In the present exemplary embodiment, as described above, the circulation operation is executed based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin.
In the circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation, controller 25 first moves airflow direction blade 24 to the first direction to decrease the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. That is, controller 25 reduces the air volume while changing the airflow direction of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to the downward direction. At this time, airflow direction blade 24 is moved during a predetermined second period. When airflow direction blade 24 is moved to the first direction, controller 25 increases the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. Thereafter, controller 25 maintains airflow direction blade 24 in the first direction for a predetermined period, and keeps the air volume from blowout port 21b to be increased. Controller 25 ends the circulation operation and continues the cooling operation when a predetermined execution time has elapsed.
The circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation will be described in more detail below.
As described above, controller 25 sets airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction, and executes the cooling operation. Controller 25 sets the position of airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction, so that airflow AF3 that gradually descends forward from indoor unit 20 can be generated, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 10. Controller 25 can set airflow direction blade 24 at an arbitrary position based on an air temperature of indoors Rin detected by indoor temperature sensor 26, a setting by a user, or the like during the cooling operation. In addition, during the cooling operation, controller 25 can set the air volume of indoor air A3 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary value. Similarly to airflow direction blade 24, the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b during the cooling operation is controlled based on, for example, a setting by the user. The example in Fig. 13 indicates that the cooling operation is being executed from time t10 to time t11. Part (a) of Fig. 13 indicates that airflow direction blade 24 is at a position between the first direction and the second direction, and part (b) of Fig. 13 indicates that the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is between Low and High.
Controller 25 controls at least one of the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation based on information regarding the environment of indoors Rin. Note that control of the execution time and the execution interval of the circulation operation based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin will be described later in detail.
In the circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation, controller 25 first moves airflow direction blade 24 to the first direction during the predetermined second period. The predetermined second period is a period between time t11 and time t12 indicated in Fig. 13, and is, for example, a period from 5 seconds to 30 seconds inclusive. That is, as illustrated in Fig. 11 and part (a) of Fig. 13, controller 25 moves the position of airflow direction blade 24 to the first direction illustrated in Fig. 4 so that the airflow from blowout port 21b changes from airflow AF3 to airflow AF4 during time t11 to time t12. The user's discomfort can be reduced by changing the direction of airflow direction blade 24 taking a time of about 5 seconds to 30 seconds instead of suddenly changing the direction. Airflow AF4 is a flow of air from blowout port 21b toward a portion below indoor unit 20. At this time, as illustrated in part (b) of Fig. 13, controller 25 reduces the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. The air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b can be reduced by, for example, decreasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22. By reducing the air volume of the air discharged from blowout port 21b while airflow direction blade 24 is moved to the first direction, it is possible to reduce the discomfort caused by the air hitting the user in indoors Rin. In the example of Fig. 13, the air volume is decreased to Low during time t11 to time t12. In the present exemplary embodiment, when the air volume is Low, the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 is assumed to be, for example, about 600 rpm to about 700 rpm.
After airflow direction blade 24 is moved to the first direction, controller 25 increases the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b. In the example of Fig. 13, the air volume is increased from Low to High during time t12 to time t13. In the present exemplary embodiment, when the air volume is High, the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 is assumed to be, for example, about 700 rpm to about 1200 rpm. For example, controller 25 can increase the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b by increasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22. At this time, controller 25 may gradually increase the rotation speed of indoor fan 22. Specifically, as illustrated in part (b) of Fig. 13, the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 may be increased at a rate of, for example, 100 rpm/10 seconds during time t12 to time t13. For example, when increasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 from Low (for example, about 700 rpm) to High (for example, about 900 rpm), controller 25 gradually increases the rotation speed of indoor fan 22 taking 20 seconds. By gradually increasing the rotation speed of indoor fan 22, it is possible to reduce user's discomfort caused by an increase in blown sound with an increase in the air volume.
During a period from time t13 to time t14 indicated in Fig. 13, controller 25 maintains the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b in a state of High while positioning airflow direction blade 24 in the first direction. For example, time t13 to time t14 is preferably from 20 seconds to 60 seconds inclusive. In this case, as illustrated in Fig. 12, indoor air A1 is discharged from blowout port 21b toward the floor of indoor unit 20. By setting the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to High, as indicated by arrow C3, an airflow in which indoor air A1 discharged from blowout port 21b hits the floor and flows toward the wall surface disposed in front of indoor unit 20, is generated. By circulating indoor air A1 in indoors Rin along arrow C3, the air in indoors Rin can be stirred.
After controller 25 has increased the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b, controller 25 maintains, during time t13 to time t14, the state in which airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the first direction and the state in which the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is increased. The air in indoors Rin can be sufficiently stirred by operating airflow direction blade 24 in the state of being in the first direction and in which the air volume is increased.
After time t14, controller 25 returns airflow direction blade 24 to an arbitrary position between the first direction and the second direction, sets the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary value, ends the circulation operation, and executes the cooling operation.
Next, control of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin, performed by controller 25 will be described.
Controller 25 controls at least one of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin at the time of the heating operation or the cooling operation.
For example, when the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout is large, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin is likely to occur. The temperature unevenness in indoors Rin may cause discomfort to a user in indoors Rin. Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, by controlling at least one of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation based on the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, it is possible to reduce the temperature unevenness in indoors Rin and improve comfort.
Fig. 14 is a table indicating the execution time and the execution interval of the circulation operation according to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout.
Controller 25 calculates the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout based on the outdoor temperature detected by outdoor temperature sensor 42 and the indoor temperature detected by indoor temperature sensor 26. Based on the calculated temperature difference, controller 25 controls at least one of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation. Here, the execution time of the circulation operation indicates a time from time t3 to time t4 indicated in Fig. 9 or a time from time t13 to time t14 indicated in Fig. 13. More specifically, the execution time of the circulation operation at the time of the heating operation is a time during which the airflow volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is maintained in the state of High while airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the second direction. In addition, the execution time of the circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation is a time during which the airflow volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b is maintained in the state of High while airflow direction blade 24 is positioned in the first direction. The execution interval of the circulation operation is a time from the end of the execution of the circulation operation to the start of the execution of the next circulation operation.
As indicated in Fig. 14, when the difference between the temperature of indoors Rin and the temperature of outdoors Rout is temperature difference T1, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a1 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b1 seconds. Temperature difference T1 indicates, for example, that the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout is less than a first threshold. As the first threshold, for example, an appropriate value can be selected from a range from 3°C to 5°C inclusive. Execution interval a1 is, for example, a value in a range from 35 minutes to 55 minutes inclusive, and execution time b1 is, for example, a value between 10 seconds and 30 seconds inclusive. When the difference between the temperature of indoors Rin and the temperature of outdoors Rout is temperature difference T2, the execution interval of the circulation operation is controlled to a2 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation is controlled to b2 seconds. Temperature difference T2 indicates, for example, that the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout is the first threshold or more and less than a second threshold. As the second threshold, for example, an appropriate value can be selected from a range from 15°C to 25°C inclusive. Execution interval a2 is, for example, a value in a range from 20 minutes to 40 minutes inclusive, and execution time b2 is, for example, a value between 30 seconds and 50 seconds inclusive. Furthermore, when the difference between the temperature of indoors Rin and the temperature of outdoors Rout is temperature difference T3, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a3 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b3 seconds. Temperature difference T3 indicates, for example, that the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout is equal to or more than the second threshold. Execution interval a3 is, for example, a value between 5 minutes to 25 minutes inclusive, and execution time b3 is, for example, a value between 50 seconds and 70 seconds inclusive. Execution intervals a1 to a3 are preferably set to satisfy a1>a2>a3. Similarly, execution times b1 to b3 are preferably set to satisfy b1<b2<b3. The larger the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, the larger the temperature unevenness in indoors Rin. Therefore, the temperature unevenness in indoors can be reduced by shortening the execution interval of the circulation operation and lengthening the execution time of the circulation operation as the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout increases. Note that the numerical values of the temperature difference, the execution time, and the execution interval indicated in Fig. 14 are merely examples, and can be appropriately adjusted by the climate of the area where air conditioner 10 is disposed, the heat insulation performance of the control space of air conditioner 10, or the like.

[Effects]

The exemplary embodiment described above enables achieving effects below.
Air conditioner 10 includes indoor unit 20 and examines the air in indoors Rin. Indoor unit 20 includes housing 21, indoor fan 22, indoor heat exchanger 23, airflow direction blade 24, and controller 25. Housing 21 is provided with suction port 21a and blowout port 21b for indoor air A1. Indoor fan 22 is disposed in housing 21 and forms airflow from suction port 21a to blowout port 21b. Indoor heat exchanger 23 is disposed in a path of airflow. Airflow direction blade 24 is disposed at blowout port 21b, and changes the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b between the downward direction directing downward from indoor unit 20 and the forward direction directing forward from indoor unit 20. Controller 25 controls indoor fan 22 and airflow direction blade 24. Controller 25 controls indoor fan 22 and airflow direction blade 24 to change at least one of the air volume or the airflow direction from indoor fan 22, thereby executing the circulation operation of circulating indoor air A1. Controller 25 controls at least one of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation based on the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of improving comfort.
The information regarding the environment of indoors Rin includes the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout. In accordance with the temperature difference, controller 25 executes at least one of the control for lengthening the execution time of the circulation operation or control for shortening the execution interval of the circulation operation.
With such a configuration, when the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout is large and the temperature unevenness in indoors Rin is likely to occur, the temperature unevenness in indoors Rin can be manually transferred by shortening the execution interval of the circulation operation and increasing the execution frequency of the circulation operation. Alternatively, by increasing the execution time of the circulation operation, more air in indoors Rin can be stirred to reduce temperature unevenness in indoors Rin.
Air conditioner 10 further includes indoor temperature sensor 26 that is disposed in indoors Rin and detects the indoor temperature, and outdoor temperature sensor 42 that is disposed in outdoors Rout and detects the outdoor temperature. Controller 25 calculates the temperature difference based on the indoor temperature detected by indoor temperature sensor 26 and the outdoor temperature detected by outdoor temperature sensor 42.
With such a configuration, the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout can be accurately detected.
Controller 25 sets the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction and the forward direction, and executes the heating operation of discharging the air heated by indoor heat exchanger 23 from blowout port 21b to indoors Rin. The circulation operation includes reducing the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b and moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from blowout port 21b to the forward direction during the predetermined first period, by controller 25. In addition, the circulation operation includes increasing, by controller 25, the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b after moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to the forward direction.
Controller 25 sets the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction and the forward direction, and executes the cooling operation of discharging the air cooled by indoor heat exchanger 23 from blowout port 21b to indoors Rin. The circulation operation includes reducing the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b and moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from blowout port 21b to the downward direction during the predetermined second period, by controller 25. In addition, the circulation operation includes increasing, by controller 25, the air volume of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b after moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air A1 from blowout port 21b to the downward direction.
With such a configuration, the circulation operation can be executed at an appropriate timing during the execution of the heating operation or the cooling operation, and the temperature unevenness in indoors can be reduced.
Note that, in the exemplary embodiment described above, the example has been described in which indoor unit 20 includes indoor temperature sensor 26 and outdoor unit 30 includes outdoor temperature sensor 42, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, indoor temperature sensor 26 and outdoor temperature sensor 42 may be temperature sensors provided separately from air conditioner 10. That is, the indoor temperature sensor and the outdoor temperature sensor may be devices outside air conditioner 10, such as a temperature sensor having a communication function. In this case, air conditioner 10 may include a communication interface that communicates with an external device, and controller 25 may calculate the temperature difference based on the indoor temperature information and the outdoor temperature information acquired from the external device via the communication interface.
In addition, in the exemplary embodiment described above, the example has been described in which controller 25 controls both the execution time and the execution interval of the circulation operation according to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Controller 25 may control either the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation according to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout.
Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment described above, the example has been described in which the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin is the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The information regarding the environment of indoors Rin may be a temperature difference between the set temperature of air conditioner 10 set by a user and the indoor temperature detected by indoor temperature sensor 26. In this case, controller 25 executes the circulation operation in a case where the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. That is, the circulation operation is executed in a case where the indoor temperature is close to the set temperature of air conditioner 10. By executing the circulation operation when the temperature of indoors Rin is stable, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin can be further reduced.

(Second exemplary embodiment)

With reference to Figs. 15 to 16B, a second exemplary embodiment will be described. Note that, in the second exemplary embodiment, identical or equivalent configurations as those in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference marks as those in the first exemplary embodiment. In addition, the description already given for the first exemplary embodiment is omitted for the second exemplary embodiment.
Fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of air conditioner 10A according to the second exemplary embodiment. Fig. 16A is a table indicating an execution time and an execution interval of a circulation operation at the time of a heating operation according to a floor temperature of indoors Rin. Fig. 16B is a table indicating an execution time and an execution interval of a circulation operation at the time of a cooling operation according to the floor temperature of indoors Rin. As illustrated in Fig. 15, the second exemplary embodiment is different from the first exemplary embodiment in that indoor unit 120 includes floor temperature sensor 27 and outdoor unit 130 does not include an outdoor temperature sensor. In addition, as illustrated in Figs. 16A and 16B, the second exemplary embodiment is different from the first exemplary embodiment in that information regarding the environment of indoors Rin includes the floor temperature indoors Rin detected by floor temperature sensor 27. Other configurations of air conditioner 10A are similar to the configurations in the first exemplary embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.
As illustrated in Fig. 15, in the present exemplary embodiment, indoor unit 120 includes floor temperature sensor 27 that detects the floor temperature of indoors Rin. In the present exemplary embodiment, the floor temperature refers to, for example, a temperature at a position 0.15 m above from a floor surface of indoors Rin. The floor temperature sensor can measure a temperature at 0.15 m from the floor surface. Controller 25 controls at least one of the execution time or the execution interval of the circulation operation according to the floor temperature detected by floor temperature sensor 27.
It is assumed that the floor temperature greatly differs between the heating operation and the cooling operation. Therefore, when the floor temperature is used as the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin, controller 25 performs different control regarding circulation operations that differ between the heating operation and the cooling operation.
The control of the execution time and the execution interval of the circulation operation at the time of the heating operation will be described with reference to Fig. 16A. During the heating operation, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin is likely to occur as the floor temperature decreases. Therefore, as illustrated in Fig. 16A, controller 25 executes control of shortening the execution interval of the circulation operation and lengthening the execution time as the floor temperature decreases. More specifically, in the case of floor temperature T11, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a11 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b21 seconds. Floor temperature T11 indicates, for example, that the floor temperature is a predetermined third threshold or more. As the third threshold, for example, an appropriate value can be selected from a range from 20°C to 30°C inclusive. Execution interval a11 is, for example, a value in a range from 35 minutes to 55 minutes inclusive, and execution time b11 is, for example, a value between 10 seconds and 30 seconds inclusive. In the case of floor temperature T12, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a12 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b12 seconds. Floor temperature T12 indicates, for example, that the floor temperature is a predetermined fourth threshold or more and less than the predetermined third threshold. As the fourth threshold, for example, an appropriate value can be selected from a range from 10°C to 25°C inclusive. Execution interval a12 is, for example, a value between 20 minutes and 40 minutes inclusive, and execution time b12 is, for example, a value between 30 seconds and 50 seconds inclusive. In the case of floor temperature T13, the execution interval of the circulation operation is controlled to a13 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation is controlled to b13 seconds. Floor temperature T13 indicates, for example, that the floor temperature is less than the predetermined fourth threshold. Execution interval a13 is, for example, a value between 5 minutes and 25 minutes inclusive, and execution time b13 is, for example, a value between 50 seconds and 70 seconds inclusive. Execution intervals a11 to a13 are preferably set to satisfy a11>a12>a13. Similarly, execution times b11 to b13 are preferably set to satisfy b11<b 12<b 13.
Next, the control of the execution time and the execution interval of the circulation operation at the time of the cooling operation will be described with reference to Fig. 16B. During the cooling operation, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin is likely to occur as the floor temperature increases. Therefore, as illustrated in Fig. 16B, controller 25 executes control of shortening the execution interval of the circulation operation and lengthening the execution time as the floor temperature increases. More specifically, in the case of floor temperature T21, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a21 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b21 seconds. Floor temperature T21 indicates, for example, that the floor temperature is less than a predetermined fifth threshold. As the fifth threshold, for example, an appropriate value can be selected from a range from 15°C to 25°C inclusive. Execution interval a21 is, for example, a value in a range from 35 minutes to 55 minutes inclusive, and execution time b21 is, for example, a value between 10 seconds and 30 seconds inclusive. In the case of floor temperature T22, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a22 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b22 seconds. Floor temperature T22 indicates, for example, that the floor temperature is the predetermined fifth threshold or more and less than a predetermined sixth threshold. As the sixth threshold, for example, an appropriate value can be selected from a range from 25°C to 35°C inclusive. Execution interval a22 is, for example, a value between 20 minutes and 40 minutes inclusive, and execution time b22 is, for example, a value between 30 seconds and 50 seconds inclusive. In the case of floor temperature T23, controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a23 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b23 seconds. Floor temperature T23 indicates, for example, that the floor temperature is the predetermined sixth threshold or more. Execution interval a23 is, for example, a value between 5 minutes and 25 minutes inclusive, and execution time b23 is, for example, a value between 50 seconds and 70 seconds inclusive. Execution intervals a21 to a23 are preferably set to satisfy a21>a22>a23. Similarly, execution times b21 to b23 are preferably set to satisfy b21<b22<b23.
By controlling the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation according to the floor temperature, it is possible to provide an air conditioner that reduces the temperature unevenness in indoors Rin and further improves comfort.

(Third exemplary embodiment)

With reference to Figs. 17 and 18, a third exemplary embodiment will be described. Note that, in the third exemplary embodiment, identical or equivalent configurations as those in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference marks as those in the first exemplary embodiment. In addition, the description already given for the first exemplary embodiment is omitted for the third exemplary embodiment.
Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of air conditioner 10B according to the third exemplary embodiment. Fig. 18 is a table indicating an execution interval and an execution time of a circulation operation according to a heat insulation performance of a control space of air conditioner 10B. As illustrated in Fig. 17, the third exemplary embodiment is different from the first exemplary embodiment in that outdoor unit 230 does not include an outdoor temperature sensor. In addition, as illustrated in Fig. 17, the third exemplary embodiment is different from the first exemplary embodiment in that information regarding the environment of indoors Rin is the heat insulation performance of the control space of air conditioner 10B. Other configurations of air conditioner 10B are similar to the configurations in the first exemplary embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.
The heat insulation performance of the control space of air conditioner 10B is an index indicating ease of heating and difficulty of heating or ease of cooling and difficulty of cooling indoors Rin which is the control space of air conditioner 10B. In other words, the heat insulation performance indicates how much heat insulation property indoors Rin has with respect to outdoors Rout. The heat insulation performance can be set according to, for example, the type of heat insulation material of the building. During the heating operation, controller 25 can calculate the heat insulation performance of indoors Rin based on, for example, the increase rate of indoor temperature per unit time. During the cooling operation, controller 25 can calculate the heat insulation performance of indoors Rin based on, for example, the decrease rate of indoor temperature per unit time. In the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 classifies the heat insulation performance into three stages of "high" in which the change rate (increase rate or decrease rate) of the indoor temperature per unit time is large, "low" in which the change rate (increase rate or decrease rate) of the indoor temperature per unit time is small, and "medium" which is an intermediate between "high" and "low". When the heat insulation performance is high, the temperature of indoors Rin is less likely to be affected by the outside air temperature of outdoors Rout, so that the change rate (increase rate or decrease rate) of indoor temperature per unit time is considered to be large. That is, when the heat insulation performance is high, indoors Rin is less likely to be affected by the outside air temperature, and it is considered that indoors Rin is easily heated or cooled by air conditioner 10B. Conversely, when the heat insulation performance is low, the temperature of indoors Rin is likely to be affected by the outside air temperature of outdoors Rout, so that the change rate (increase rate or decrease rate) of indoor temperature per unit time is considered to be small. That is, when the heat insulation performance is low, indoors Rin is likely to be affected by the outside air temperature, and it is considered that it is difficult for air conditioner 10B to heat or cool indoors Rin. In the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 controls at least one of the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation according to the heat insulation performance.
The control of the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation at the time of the heating operation or the cooling operation will be described with reference to Fig. 18. As the heat insulation performance of indoors Rin gets lower, temperature unevenness is more likely to occur in indoors Rin because indoors Rin is affected by outdoors Rout. Therefore, controller 25 performs control of shortening the execution interval of the circulation operation and lengthening the execution time as the heat insulation performance becomes low. More specifically, in the case where the heat insulation performance is "high", controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a31 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b31 seconds. Execution interval a31 is, for example, a value in a range from 35 minutes to 55 minutes inclusive, and execution time b31 is, for example, a value between 10 seconds and 30 seconds inclusive. In the case where the heat insulation performance is "medium", controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a32 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b32 seconds. Execution interval a32 is, for example, a value between 20 minutes and 40 minutes inclusive, and execution time b32 is, for example, a value between 30 seconds and 50 seconds inclusive. In the case where the heat insulation performance is "low", controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to a33 minutes and the execution time of the circulation operation to b33 seconds. Execution interval a33 is, for example, a value between 5 minutes and 25 minutes inclusive, and execution time b33 is, for example, a value between 50 seconds and 70 seconds inclusive. Execution intervals a31 to a33 are preferably set to satisfy a31>a32>a33. Similarly, execution times b31 to b33 are preferably set to satisfy b31<b32<b33.
By controlling the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation according to the heat insulation performance of the control space of air conditioner 10B, it is possible to provide an air conditioner that reduces the temperature unevenness in indoors Rin and further improves comfort.

(Fourth exemplary embodiment)

With reference to Figs. 19 to 21, a fourth exemplary embodiment will be described. Note that, in the fourth exemplary embodiment, identical or equivalent configurations as those in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference marks as those in the first exemplary embodiment. In addition, the description already given for the first exemplary embodiment is omitted for the fourth exemplary embodiment.
Fig. 19 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of air conditioner 10C according to the fourth exemplary embodiment. Fig. 20A is a table indicating shift amounts of an execution interval and an execution time according to a floor temperature in a circulation operation at the time of a heating operation. Fig. 20B is a table indicating shift amounts of an execution interval and an execution time according to a floor temperature in a circulation operation at the time of a heating operation. Fig. 21 is a table indicating shift amounts of an execution interval and an execution time according to a heat insulation performance at the time of the circulation operation. As illustrated in Fig. 19, the fourth exemplary embodiment is different from the first exemplary embodiment in that indoor unit 320 includes floor temperature sensor 27 in addition to indoor temperature sensor 26. In addition, as illustrated in Figs. 20A to 21, the fourth exemplary embodiment is different from the first exemplary embodiment in that controller 25 controls the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation according to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, and also shifts the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation according to the floor temperature or the heat insulation performance of indoors.
In the first exemplary embodiment, the example has been described in which controller 25 controls at least one of the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation according to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout. In the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 shifts at least one of the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation according to the floor temperature or the heat insulation performance in addition to the control based on the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout described in the first exemplary embodiment. That is, controller 25 adjusts the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation according to the floor temperature or the heat insulation performance. By determining the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation using a plurality of pieces of information, it is possible to further reduce the temperature unevenness of indoors Rin and improve comfort.
A case where the floor temperature is used in addition to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout as the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin will be described.
According to the table of Fig. 14 described in the first exemplary embodiment, controller 25 controls the execution interval and the execution time of the circulation operation according to the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout. In the present exemplary embodiment, controller 25 further executes control of the circulation operation by increasing or decreasing the execution interval and the execution time in the table of Fig. 14 according to the floor temperature as illustrated in Figs. 20A and 20B.
During the heating operation, as indicated in Fig. 20A, in the case of floor temperature T11, controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c1 minutes and changes the execution time of the circulation operation by d1 seconds. Execution interval c1 is, for example, a value between +3 minutes and +7 minutes inclusive, and the execution interval is increased in a range from 3 minutes to 7 minutes inclusive. Execution time d1 is, for example, a value between -7 seconds and -3 seconds inclusive, and the execution time is decreased in a range from 3 seconds to 7 seconds inclusive. In the case of floor temperature T12, controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c2 minutes and changes the execution time by d2 seconds. Execution interval c2 is, for example, 0 minute, the execution time d2 is, for example, 0 second, and the execution interval and the execution time may not be shifted. In the case of floor temperature T13, controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c3 minutes and changes the execution time of the circulation operation by d3 seconds. Execution interval c3 is, for example, a value between -7 minutes and -3 minutes inclusive, and the execution interval is decreased in a range from 3 minutes to 7 minutes inclusive. Execution time d3 is, for example, a value between 3 seconds and 7 seconds inclusive, and the execution time is increased in a range from 3 seconds to 7 seconds inclusive.
During the cooling operation, as indicated in Fig. 20B, in the case of floor temperature T21, controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c4 minutes and changes the execution time of the circulation operation by d4 seconds. Execution interval c4 is, for example, a value between +3 minutes and +7 minutes inclusive, and the execution interval is increased in a range from 3 minutes to 7 minutes inclusive. Execution time d4 is, for example, a value between -7 seconds and -3 seconds inclusive, and the execution time is decreased in a range from 3 seconds to 7 seconds inclusive. In the case of floor temperature T22, controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c5 minutes and changes the execution time by d5 seconds. Execution interval c5 is, for example, 0 minute, the execution time d5 is, for example, 0 second, and the execution interval and the execution time may not be shifted. In the case of floor temperature T23, controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c6 minutes and changes the execution time of the circulation operation by d6 seconds. Execution interval c6 is, for example, a value between -7 minutes and -3 minutes inclusive, and the execution interval is decreased in a range from 3 minutes to 7 minutes inclusive. Execution time d6 is, for example, a value between 3 seconds and 7 seconds inclusive, and the execution time is increased in a range from 3 seconds to 7 seconds inclusive.
Controller 25 may execute the control of the circulation operation by increasing or decreasing the execution interval and the execution time in the table of Fig. 14 according to the heat insulation performance of the control space of air conditioner 10C.
As illustrated in Fig. 21, when the heat insulation performance is "high", controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c7 minutes and changes the execution time of the circulation operation by d7 seconds. Execution interval c7 is, for example, a value between +1 minute and +5 minutes inclusive, and the execution interval is increased in a range from 1 minute to 5 minutes inclusive. Execution time d7 is, for example, a value between -7 seconds and -3 seconds inclusive, and the execution time is decreased in a range from 3 seconds to 7 seconds inclusive. When the heat insulation performance is "medium", controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c8 minutes and changes the execution time by d8 seconds. Execution interval c8 is, for example, 0 minute, the execution time d8 is, for example, 0 minute, and the execution interval and the execution time may not be shifted. When the heat insulation performance is "low", controller 25 changes the execution interval of the circulation operation by c9 minutes and changes the execution time of the circulation operation by d9 seconds. Execution interval c9 is, for example, a value between -5 minutes and -1 minutes inclusive, and the execution interval is decreased in a range from 1 minute to 5 minutes inclusive. Execution time d9 is, for example, a value between 3 seconds and 7 seconds inclusive, and the execution time is increased in a range from 3 seconds to 7 seconds inclusive.
As the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin, the priority in determining the information to be used is, in descending order, the temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, the floor temperature, and the heat insulation performance. Therefore, for example, in a case where the floor temperature and the heat insulation performance are used as the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin, controller 25 controls the execution interval and the execution time according to the table of Fig. 16A or 16B, and then shifts the execution interval and the execution time according to the table of Fig. 21.

(Fifth exemplary embodiment)

A fifth exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 22A to 23. Note that, in the fifth exemplary embodiment, identical or equivalent configurations as those in the fourth exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference marks as those in the fourth exemplary embodiment. In addition, the description already given for the first exemplary embodiment is omitted for the fifth exemplary embodiment.
The fifth exemplary embodiment is different from the fourth exemplary embodiment in that a temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout, a floor temperature, and a heat insulation performance are used as the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin, and controller 25 scores each of them and controls an execution interval and an execution time according to the total score. Configurations of an air conditioner are similar to the configurations in the fourth exemplary embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.
Fig. 22A is a table in which a temperature difference between indoors Rin and outdoors Rout is scored. Fig. 22B is a table in which the floor temperature is scored. Fig. 22C is a table in which the heat insulation performance is scored. Fig. 23 is a table indicating the execution interval and the execution time of a circulation operation based on the total points. According to the tables of Figs. 22A to 22C, for example, in a case where the heating operation is executed, the total score of indoor and outdoor temperature difference T2, floor temperature T11, and the heat insulation performance is 12 points. Controller 25 controls the execution interval of the circulation operation to e4 minutes and the execution time to f4 seconds according to the table of Fig. 23. In the table of Fig. 23, execution intervals e1 to e5 are preferably set to satisfy e1<e2<e3<e4<e5. For example, execution interval e1 can be a value between 5 minutes and 15 minutes inclusive, execution interval e2 can be a value between 15 minutes and 25 minutes inclusive, execution interval e3 can be a value between 25 minutes and 35 minutes inclusive, execution interval e4 can be a value between 35 minutes and 45 minutes inclusive, and execution interval e5 can be a value between 55 minutes and 65 minutes inclusive. In addition, in the table of Fig. 23, execution times f1 to f5 are preferably set to satisfy f1>f2>f3>f4>f5. For example, execution time f1 can be a value between 55 seconds and 65 seconds inclusive, execution time f2 can be a value between 45 seconds and 55 seconds inclusive, execution time f3 can be a value between 35 seconds and 45 seconds inclusive, execution time f4 can be a value between 25 seconds and 35 seconds inclusive, and execution time f5 can be a value between 15 seconds and 25 seconds inclusive.
By using more information for the information regarding the environment of indoors Rin, temperature unevenness in indoors Rin can be further reduced, and comfort can be improved.

(Appendix)

The above description of the exemplary embodiments discloses the following techniques.
(Technique 1) An air conditioner that conditions indoor air, the air conditioner including an indoor unit, in which the indoor unit includes: a housing including a suction port and a blowout port for the indoor air; an indoor fan that is disposed in the housing and generates an airflow from the suction port to the blowout port; an indoor heat exchanger positioned in a path of the airflow; an airflow direction blade that is disposed at the blowout port and changes an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of the indoor air from blowout port between a downward direction directing downward from the indoor unit and a forward direction directing forward from the indoor unit; and a controller that controls the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade, and the controller executes a circulation operation of circulating the indoor air by controlling the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade to change at least one of an air volume or an airflow direction from the indoor fan, and controls at least one of an execution time or an execution interval of the circulation operation based on information regarding an environment of indoors.
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of reducing temperature unevenness in indoors and improving comfort.
(Technique 2)The air conditioner according to Technique 1, in which the information regarding the environment of indoors includes a temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, and the controller executes at least one of control of lengthening the execution time of the circulation operation or control of shortening the execution interval according to the temperature difference.
With such a configuration, since the circulation operation can be executed in consideration of the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, it is possible to reduce the temperature unevenness in indoors and improve comfort.
(Technique 3) The air conditioner according to Technique 2, further including: an indoor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects an indoor temperature; and an outdoor temperature sensor that is disposed outdoors and detects an outdoor temperature, in which the controller calculates the temperature difference based on an indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor and an outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor.
With such a configuration, the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors can be calculated more accurately.
(Technique 4) The air conditioner according to Technique 2, further including a communication interface that communicates with an external device, in which the controller calculates the temperature difference based on indoor temperature information and outdoor temperature information acquired from the external device via the communication interface.
With such a configuration, the circulation operation can be controlled using various information from an external device such as a temperature sensor different from the air conditioner or a weather forecast.
(Technique 5) The air conditioner according to any one of Techniques 1 to 4, further including a floor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects a floor temperature indoors, wherein the information regarding the environment of indoors includes a floor temperature detected by the floor temperature sensor.
With such a configuration, since the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation can be controlled according to the floor temperature, comfort can be improved.
(Technique 6) The air conditioner according to any one of Techniques 1 to 5, further including an indoor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects an indoor air temperature, in which the information regarding the environment of indoors includes an increase rate or a decrease rate of an indoor temperature per unit time, and the controller lengthens the execution time of the circulation operation or shortens the execution interval of the circulation operation in a case where the increase rate or the decrease rate is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
With such a configuration, since the execution interval or the execution time of the circulation operation can be controlled in consideration of the heat insulation performance of the control space by the air conditioner, temperature unevenness in indoors can be further reduced, and comfort can be improved.
(Technique 7) The air conditioner according to any one of Techniques 1 to 6, further including an indoor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects an indoor temperature, in which the information regarding the environment of indoors is a temperature difference between a set temperature of the air conditioner set by a user and an indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor, and the controller executes the circulation operation in a case where the temperature difference between the set temperature of the air conditioner set by the user and the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
With such a configuration, since the circulation operation can be executed when the indoor temperature is close to the set temperature, comfort can be improved.
(Technique 8) The air conditioner according to any one of Techniques 1 to 7, in which the controller sets an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction and the forward direction, and executes a heating operation of discharging air heated by the indoor heat exchanger from the blowout port to indoors, the circulation operation is executed during the heating operation, and the circulation operation includes: reducing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port, and moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to the forward direction during a predetermined first period, by the controller; and increasing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port by the controller after moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from blowout port to the forward direction.
With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce occurrence of temperature unevenness in indoors during the heating operation and to improve comfort.
(Technique 9) The air conditioner according to any one of Techniques 1 to 7, in which the controller sets an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction and the forward direction, and executes a cooling operation of discharging air cooled by the indoor heat exchanger from the blowout port to indoors, the circulation operation is executed during the cooling operation, and the circulation operation includes: reducing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port, and moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to the downward direction during a predetermined second period, by the controller; and increasing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port by the controller after moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from blowout port to the downward direction.
With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce occurrence of temperature unevenness in indoors during the cooling operation and to improve comfort.
The present disclosure can be widely applied to an air conditioner capable of executing a circulation operation.

Claims

An air conditioner that conditions indoor air, the air conditioner comprising an indoor unit;
wherein the indoor unit includes:
a housing including a suction port and a blowout port for the indoor air;

an indoor fan that is disposed in the housing and generates an airflow from the suction port to the blowout port;

an indoor heat exchanger positioned in a path of the airflow;

an airflow direction blade that is disposed at the blowout port and changes an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of the indoor air from blowout port between a downward direction directing downward from the indoor unit and a forward direction directing forward from the indoor unit; and

a controller that controls the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade, and

the controller

executes a circulation operation of circulating the indoor air by controlling the indoor fan and the airflow direction blade to change at least one of an air volume or an airflow direction from the indoor fan, and

controls at least one of an execution time or an execution interval of the circulation operation based on information regarding an environment of indoors.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1,
wherein the information regarding the environment of indoors includes a temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, and

the controller executes at least one of control of lengthening the execution time of the circulation operation or control of shortening the execution interval according to the temperature difference.
The air conditioner according to Claim 2, further comprising:
an indoor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects an indoor temperature; and an outdoor temperature sensor that is disposed outdoors and detects an outdoor temperature,

wherein the controller calculates the temperature difference based on an indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor and an outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor.
The air conditioner according to Claim 2, further comprising a communication interface that communicates with an external device,
wherein the controller calculates the temperature difference based on indoor temperature information and outdoor temperature information acquired from the external device via the communication interface.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1, further comprising a floor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects a floor temperature indoors,
wherein the information regarding the environment of indoors includes a floor temperature detected by the floor temperature sensor.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1, further comprising an indoor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects an indoor air temperature,
wherein the information regarding the environment of indoors includes an increase rate or a decrease rate of an indoor temperature per unit time, and

the controller lengthens the execution time of the circulation operation or shortens the execution interval of the circulation operation in a case where the increase rate or the decrease rate is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1, further comprising an indoor temperature sensor that is disposed indoors and detects an indoor temperature,
wherein the information regarding the environment of indoors is a temperature difference between a set temperature of the air conditioner set by a user and an indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor, and

the controller executes the circulation operation in a case where the temperature difference between the set temperature of the air conditioner set by the user and the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1,
wherein the controller sets an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction and the forward direction, and executes a heating operation of discharging air heated by the indoor heat exchanger from the blowout port to indoors,

the circulation operation is executed during the heating operation, and

the circulation operation includes:
reducing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port, and moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to the forward direction during a predetermined first period, by the controller; and

increasing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port by the controller after moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from blowout port to the forward direction.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1,
wherein the controller sets an airflow direction, in a vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to an arbitrary direction between the downward direction and the forward direction, and executes a cooling operation of discharging air cooled by the indoor heat exchanger from the blowout port to indoors,

the circulation operation is executed during the cooling operation, and

the circulation operation includes:
reducing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port, and moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from the blowout port to the forward direction during a predetermined second period, by the controller; and

increasing an air volume of indoor air from the blowout port by the controller after moving the airflow direction, in the vertical direction, of indoor air from blowout port to the downward direction.