EP4636329A1

EP4636329A1 - Air conditioner and control method therefor

Info

Publication number: EP4636329A1
Application number: EP23924187.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kodai MASHIKO; Masashi Takano; Yoshinori Nunome; Masamune OKINO; Naomichi UNO; Shingo Ono
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2023-02-24
Filing date: 2023-11-20
Publication date: 2025-10-22
Also published as: WO2024176543A1; EP4636329A4; JP2024120528A; AU2023432104A1

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a method for controlling the same, by which, without being affected by soiling damage on a cover, outflow air, or floor material, air conditioning control can be implemented in consideration of temperature controlling elements for floor temperature or wall temperature. The air conditioner comprises: a temperature sensor 31 that is installed inside a housing of an indoor unit and at a position where there is no contact with air outside the housing; and a controller 20 that acquires an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, on the basis of temperature changes detected by the temperature sensor 31, and that performs air conditioning control using the acquired air conditioning environment correction value.

Description

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner and a control method for the same.

Background Art

In general, an air conditioner is controlled to be operated such that a room temperature is a set temperature set by a remote controller or the like. In such an air conditioning operation, air conditioning control is performed in consideration of various temperature controlling elements in order to make an indoor environment a more comfortable air conditioning environment. For example, PTL 1 proposes an air conditioner that corrects a set temperature based on room temperature and humidity, an outdoor temperature, and a floor-wall temperature, and controls a compressor, an indoor fan, or an expansion valve based on a difference between the corrected set temperature and a room temperature.
PTL 2 discloses a cooling/heating device that infers a temperature feeling of a user based on a room temperature and other environmental information (floor temperature, wall temperature, and the like) and performs air conditioning control such that the feeling falls within a certain range.
In recent years, an air conditioner has been proposed which is equipped with an infrared sensor, detects a temperature of a person, a floor wall, or the like by the infrared sensor, and performs air conditioning control based on the detected temperature (for example, refer to PTL 3).

Citation List

Patent Literature

[PTL 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H9-152165
[PTL 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H6-82075
[PTL 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-304655

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem

In a case where the floor-wall temperature is acquired using the infrared sensor, there is a case where an accurate temperature cannot be acquired due to external factors. For example, a cover for protecting the infrared sensor is generally disposed in front of the sensor. However, due to the external factors such as soiling damage on the cover or a temperature change in the cover due to outflow air, it may not be possible to acquire an accurate floor-wall temperature. In a case where floor material is different from an assumption, emissivity of infrared rays is different from set emissivity, and thus there is a case where the accurate temperature cannot be acquired.
The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner and a control method for the same that are capable of implementing air conditioning control in consideration of a floor-wall temperature without soiling damage on a cover, an effect of outflow air, or an effect of floor material.

Solution to Problem

An aspect as a reference example of the present disclosure is an air conditioner including a temperature sensor that is installed at a position inside a housing of an indoor unit, the position not being exposed to air outside the housing, and a control unit that acquires an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor, and that performs air conditioning control using the acquired air conditioning environment correction value.
An aspect as a reference example of the present disclosure is a control method for an air conditioner, the method including: providing a temperature sensor at a position inside a housing, the position not being exposed to air outside the housing; and via a computer, acquiring an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor, and performing air conditioning control using the acquired air conditioning environment correction value.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the air conditioner and the control method for the same of the present disclosure, there is an effect that it is possible to implement air conditioning control in consideration of a temperature controlling element of a floor-wall temperature without soiling damage on a cover, an effect of outflow air, or an effect of floor material.

Brief Description of Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view showing an indoor unit included in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view around a thermopile infrared sensor of the indoor unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of an A part of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a function included in a controller according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 5 is a view showing a comparison between a sensor temperature acquired by a thermistor and a floor-wall temperature of an air conditioning space during a cooling operation.
Fig. 6 is a view showing an example of a relationship between an amount of change in the sensor temperature and an air conditioning environment correction value according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Description of Embodiments

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the air conditioner and the control method for the same according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the wall-mounted air conditioner is described as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure can be similarly applied to air conditioners of all other types such as a floor-mounted type, a ceiling-suspended type, a ceiling cassette type, and a wallthrough type.
The air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes an indoor unit 1 and an outdoor unit (not shown). Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of the indoor unit 1 included in the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, Fig. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view around a thermopile infrared sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a "thermopile") 10 of the indoor unit 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of an A part of Fig. 2.
As shown in Fig. 1, the indoor unit 1 includes a housing 2 having an outer surface exposed to an indoor space. The housing 2 includes a front panel 3. An air outlet 4 extending to the left and right is provided below the housing 2. The air outlet 4 is provided with a plurality of louvers (not shown) that are each divided into left and right sides and driven to change the air direction in the left-right direction, and two up and down flaps (not shown) that are each divided into left and right sides and driven to change the air direction in the vertical direction and be capable of closing the air outlet 4.
A control box 12 is installed inside the housing 2. The control box 12 accommodates a control board 14 and other electrical components (for example, a power switch and the like) that configure a controller (control unit) 20 (see Fig. 4), and a power supply is supplied from the outside.
A recessed portion 5 is formed above the air outlet 4 and at the center in the width direction. The recessed portion 5 is formed to be retracted from the outer surface of the housing 2. More specifically, the recessed portion 5 has a shape recessed to the inside of the indoor unit 1 with respect to a front surface 6 located on the left and right sides of the recessed portion 5.
A transparent sensor cover 8 is provided at the bottom portion of the recessed portion 5. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sensor cover 8 is attached to cover an opening 9. The sensor cover 8 is configured to transmit only infrared rays.
The thermopile 10 is installed inside the control box 12 and inside the sensor cover 8. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the thermopile 10 is rotated to the left and right about a rotation axis O1 when viewed from the front of the housing 2. The thermopile 10 is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis O1, for example, and is configured not to move vertically.
As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the thermopile 10 is installed at a position that is not exposed to the air outside the housing.
The thermopile 10 acquires an infrared image of an air conditioning space by, for example, an infrared sensor disposed in two dimensions, and outputs temperature distribution of the air conditioning space by a microcomputer built in the sensor. The thermopile 10 incorporates a temperature sensor 31 (refer to Fig. 4) for self-temperature detection. A thermistor is given as an example of the temperature sensor 31.
As shown in Fig. 1, an air inlet 16 is provided on the left side surface of the housing 2. An indoor temperature sensor 34 (refer to Fig. 4) for detecting an air intake temperature is provided around the air inlet 16. The air intake temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor 34 is used as the indoor temperature in the controller 20.
Next, the control method for an air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described. The air conditioner is controlled by the controller 20. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a function included in the controller 20 according to the present embodiment.
The controller 20 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU: processor), a main memory, a secondary storage (memory), and the like. Further, the controller 20 includes a communication unit for transmitting and receiving information to and from other devices.
The main memory is configured with, for example, a writable memory such as a cache memory or a random access memory (RAM), and is used as a work region performing reading of an execution program of the CPU, writing of processing data by the execution program, or the like.
The secondary storage is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The secondary storage is, for example, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.
As an example, a series of processes for implementing a function of each unit to be described later are stored in the secondary storage in a program form. The CPU reads the program into the main memory to execute information processing and computation processing, and thus, various functions are implemented. In the program, a form in which the program is installed in advance in the secondary storage, a form in which the program is provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium, a form in which the program is delivered via wired communication or wireless communication, or the like may be applied. The computer-readable storage medium is a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.
As shown in Fig. 4, the controller 20 includes, for example, a data acquisition unit 21, a correction value acquisition unit 22, a setting value correction unit 23, a command computation unit 24, and a transmission unit 25.
The data acquisition unit 21 acquires various types of data necessary for controlling the air conditioner from sensors 30. For example, the sensors 30 include the thermopile 10, the temperature sensor 31, a humidity sensor 32, an outdoor temperature sensor 33, and the indoor temperature sensor 34.
The data acquisition unit 21 acquires temperature distribution data related to the temperature status of the air conditioning space detected by the thermopile 10, sensor temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 31, humidity data detected by the humidity sensor 32, outdoor temperature data detected by the outdoor temperature sensor 33, and indoor temperature data (intake temperature) detected by the indoor temperature sensor 34. The installation locations of the humidity sensor 32 and the outdoor temperature sensor 33 can be appropriately determined. For example, these types of detection data are repeatedly detected at predetermined time intervals and are transmitted to the data acquisition unit 21. For example, the data acquisition unit 21 acquires the sensor temperature data from the temperature sensor 31 at intervals of several minutes to several tens of minutes.
The sensor temperature data may be transmitted to the data acquisition unit 21 wirelessly or may be transmitted by wired communication.
Various types of data acquired by the data acquisition unit 21 are output to the correction value acquisition unit 22. The correction value acquisition unit 22 has information (for example, a computation expression, map information, and table information) for determining a correction value from the detection values of various sensors, and acquires the correction value from these types of information and the various detection values.
For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the correction value acquisition unit 22 calculates an amount of change dTself based on a sensor temperature Tself acquired by the temperature sensor 31 at a predetermined measurement interval. Fig. 5 is a view showing a comparison between the sensor temperature acquired by the temperature sensor 31 and a floor-wall temperature in the air conditioning space during a cooling operation. The floor-wall temperature is, for example, a temperature acquired by a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple. From Fig. 5, it can be seen that the behavior of the temperature acquired by the temperature sensor 31 and the behavior of the floor-wall temperature have a strong correlation. From the characteristics shown in Fig. 5, it is presumed that the rate at which the temperature decreases due to cooling of the wall floor by convection of cold air caused by the cooling operation and the rate at which the temperature of the thermopile 10 itself decreases due to cooling of the sensor cover 8 provided in the housing 2 by the air also cooled by the cooling operation, which also cools the air inside the housing, are substantially the same.
Therefore, in a case where the temperature change in the sensor temperature having a strong correlation with the floor-wall temperature is used instead of using the temperature change of the floor-wall temperature, the floor-wall temperature can be estimated without soiling damage on the cover, the effect of the outflow air, or the effect of the floor material, and further, it becomes possible to implement the air conditioning control in which the temperature controlling element of the floor-wall temperature is taken into consideration.
For example, the correction value acquisition unit 22 has information (for example, a table, a map, a computation expression, or the like) in which the amount of change dTself in the sensor temperature and the air conditioning environment correction value are associated with each other. Fig. 6 shows an example of a relationship between the amount of change dTself in the sensor temperature and an air conditioning environment correction value TS3. As shown in Fig. 6, when the amount of change dTself is +b or more, the air conditioning environment correction value is set to +n. When the amount of change dTself is -b or less, the air conditioning environment correction value is set to +n. Hysteresis is provided in the air conditioning environment correction value in order to suppress frequent switching of the correction value. In the present embodiment, the same information in the cooling operation and the heating operation is used for the information in which the amount of change dTself in the sensor temperature and the air conditioning environment correction value are associated with each other. Without being limited thereto, the correction value may be adjusted in each of the heating operation and the cooling operation.
The correction value acquisition unit 22 acquires the humidity correction value and the outdoor temperature correction value using the preset computation expression or the like in the same manner for other temperature controlling elements, that is, the temperature distribution data, the humidity data, and the outdoor temperature data.
Various correction values acquired by the correction value acquisition unit 22 are output to the setting value correction unit 23.
The setting value correction unit 23 corrects the setting value using the various correction values acquired by the correction value acquisition unit 22, and determines a target value for performing the air conditioning control. For example, the setting value correction unit 23 sets the target value using the following Equation (1). $TS = SP + TS 1 + TS 2 + TS 3$
In the above Equation (1), TS is a corrected setting value, in other words, a target value in performing the air conditioning control. SP is a setting value, and is a set temperature set by a user in a remote controller or the like. TS1 is an outdoor temperature correction value, TS2 is a humidity correction value, and TS3 is an air conditioning environment correction value. In the present embodiment, a case where the target value TS is calculated using the above Equation (1) will be described as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, a correction value based on another parameter may be considered, or only the air conditioning environment correction value TS3 among the correction values may be adopted, and the target value TS may be calculated using the air conditioning environment correction value TS3 and the setting value SP.
The target value TS set by the setting value correction unit 23 is output to the command computation unit 24.
The command computation unit 24 calculates a deviation between the target value TS and the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor 34, and performs predetermined computation processing based on the deviation to set a control command for bringing the difference close to zero, for example, a compressor rotation speed command, a fan rotation speed command, and an expansion valve opening degree command. Here, a known method may be appropriately adopted as a calculation method for various control commands.
The various control commands set by the command computation unit 24 are given to the compressor, the indoor fan, and the expansion valve via the transmission unit 25, and each unit is controlled based on the control commands. In this manner, it is possible to implement air conditioning control that takes into account temperature controlling elements such as the floor-wall temperature, indoor humidity, and the outdoor temperature.
Next, the control method for an air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, the temperature distribution data, the sensor temperature data, the humidity data, the outdoor temperature data, and the indoor temperature data are acquired from the sensors 30 at predetermined measurement intervals, and the correction values of the respective temperature controlling elements, that is, the outdoor temperature correction value TS1, the humidity correction value TS2, and the air conditioning environment correction value TS3, are acquired based on these various types of data.
Subsequently, the target value TS is calculated by adding the outdoor temperature correction value TS1, the humidity correction value TS2, and the air conditioning environment correction value TS3 to the setting value SP. Subsequently, the deviation between the target value TS and the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor 34 is calculated, and the predetermined computation processing is performed based on the deviation to set a control command for bringing the difference close to zero, that is, a compressor frequency command, a fan rotation speed command, and an expansion valve opening degree command. These various control commands are given to the compressor, the indoor fan, and the expansion valve to perform the air conditioning control.
As described above, according to the air conditioner and the control method for an air conditioner according to the present embodiment, there are provided the temperature sensor 31 that is installed at a position inside the housing 2 of the indoor unit 1, the position not being exposed to the air outside the housing, and the controller 20 that acquires the air conditioning environment correction value TS3 related to the air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor 31, and that performs the air conditioning control using the acquired air conditioning environment correction value TS3.
Here, as shown in Fig. 5, the behavior of the temperature change detected by the temperature sensor 31 has a strong correlation with the behavior of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature. Therefore, the air conditioning environment correction value TS3 is set using the temperature change in the temperature sensor 31 instead of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature, and the air conditioning control is performed using the air conditioning environment correction value. In this manner, a target value in consideration of the floor-wall temperature can be set without the soiling damage on the cover, the effect of the outflow air, or the effect of the floor material. In this manner, air conditioning control considering the radiation effect can be implemented, and it is possible to provide a comfortable air conditioning environment.
The present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention, and such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. The above embodiments may be combined as appropriate.
The flow of the process described in the above embodiment is also an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the procedure may be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.
In the above-described embodiment, a case where the thermistor built in the thermopile 10 is used as the temperature sensor 31 has been described as an example. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The temperature sensor 31 may be, for example, a sensor capable of detecting the temperature of the thermopile 10 itself or the temperature of the environment of the space where the thermopile 10 is installed, and the type of sensor and the installation position of the sensor are not particularly limited.
In the above-described embodiment, a case where the outdoor temperature, the indoor humidity, and the floor-wall temperature are used as the temperature controlling elements to correct the setting value has been described as an example. However, the temperature controlling elements used to correct the setting value can be appropriately determined. For example, any one of the temperature controlling elements such as the outdoor temperature, the indoor humidity, and the floor-wall temperature may be used, or a correction value corresponding to the air conditioning operation may be included as the temperature controlling element. Examples include a sleep operation correction value and a dry operation correction value.
The air conditioner according to the present disclosure may perform the air conditioning control using the air conditioning environment correction value in a case where the automatic operation mode is set.
In the above-described embodiment, a case where the compressor frequency, the fan rotation speed, and the expansion valve opening degree are controlled has been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the position of a person may be specified based on the temperature distribution detected by the thermopile 10, and the air direction may be adjusted so that the air does not directly hit the specified person. For example, the tendency of the heat of radiation may be predicted based on the temperature change detected by the temperature sensor 31, and the air direction may be controlled in accordance with the predicted tendency of the heat of radiation.

The air conditioner and the control method therefor described in the above-described embodiment are understood as follows, for example.
An air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a temperature sensor (31) that is installed at a position inside a housing of an indoor unit (1), the position not being exposed to air outside the housing, and a control unit (20) that acquires an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor, and that performs air conditioning control using the air conditioning environment correction value.
The behavior of the temperature change detected by the temperature sensor 31 has the strong correlation with the behavior of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature. Therefore, the air conditioning environment correction value is set using the temperature change in the temperature sensor instead of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature, and the air conditioning control is performed using the air conditioning environment correction value. In this manner, the target value in consideration of the floor-wall temperature can be set without the soiling damage on the cover, the effect of the outflow air, or the effect of the floor material. In this manner, air conditioning control considering the radiation effect can be implemented, and it is possible to provide a comfortable air conditioning environment.
In an air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect, the temperature sensor is disposed in a control box (12) in which a control board is disposed.
According to the above aspect, since the temperature sensor is installed in the control box, it is possible to easily install the temperature sensor at a position that is not exposed to the external space.
An air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes, in the first aspect or the second aspect, an infrared sensor (10), in which the temperature sensor is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the infrared sensor.
The infrared sensor is provided at the position inside the housing of the indoor unit, the position not being exposed to the air outside the housing. As shown in Fig. 5, the temperature change in the infrared sensor has a strong correlation with the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature. Therefore, by acquiring the air conditioning environment correction value using the temperature change in the infrared sensor instead of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature, it is possible to implement the air conditioning control in consideration of the radiation effect.
In an air conditioner according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in the third aspect, the temperature sensor is a temperature sensor for self-temperature detection that is built in the infrared sensor.
According to the above aspect, since the temperature sensor (for example, thermistor) for self-temperature detection that is built in the infrared sensor, is used as the temperature sensor, it is not necessary to newly provide a temperature sensor, and it is possible to reduce costs and save space.
An air conditioner according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure includes, in the first aspect or the second aspect, an infrared sensor, in which the temperature sensor is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of an environment in which the infrared sensor is installed.
According to the above aspect, the infrared sensor is provided at the position inside the housing of the indoor unit, the position not being exposed to the air outside the housing. The infrared sensor is installed at a position visible from the front when the sensor cover is removed inside the housing. That is, the infrared sensor is not installed at the back of the closed area inside the housing. The temperature of the environment in which the infrared sensor is installed at such a position shows the same behavior as the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature cooled in the air conditioning space (for example, see Fig. 5). Therefore, by acquiring the air conditioning environment correction value using the change in the temperature of the environment in which the infrared sensor is installed instead of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature, it is possible to implement the air conditioning control in consideration of the radiation effect.
In a case where the infrared sensor is installed in the control box, it is preferable that the temperature sensor is installed at a location not affected by heat of the control board.
In an air conditioner according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, the control unit corrects a set temperature using the air conditioning environment correction value, and performs the air conditioning control using the corrected set temperature.
According to the above aspect, the air conditioning environment correction value is set using the temperature change in the temperature sensor instead of the temperature change in the floor-wall temperature, the set temperature is corrected using the air conditioning environment correction value, and the air conditioning control is performed using the corrected set temperature. In this manner, it is possible to set the set temperature (corrected setting value, target value) in consideration of the floor-wall temperature without soiling damage on the cover, the effect of the outflow air, or the effect of the floor material.
A control method for an air conditioner according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure includes providing a temperature sensor (31) at a position inside a housing, the position not being exposed to air outside the housing, and via a computer, acquiring an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor, and performing air conditioning control using the air conditioning environment correction value.

Reference Signs List

1: indoor unit
2: housing
3: front panel
4: air outlet
8: sensor cover
10: thermopile infrared sensor (infrared sensor)
12: control box
14: control board
16: air inlet
20: controller (control unit)
21: data acquisition unit
22: correction value acquisition unit
23: setting value correction unit
24: command computation unit
25: transmission unit
30: sensors
31: temperature sensor
32: humidity sensor
33: outdoor temperature sensor
34: indoor temperature sensor

Claims

An air conditioner comprising:
a temperature sensor that is installed at a position inside a housing of an indoor unit, the position not being exposed to air outside the housing; and

a control unit that acquires an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor, and that performs air conditioning control using the acquired air conditioning environment correction value.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1,
wherein the temperature sensor is disposed in a control box in which a control board is disposed.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1, further comprising:
an infrared sensor,

wherein the temperature sensor is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the infrared sensor.
The air conditioner according to Claim 3,
wherein the temperature sensor is a temperature sensor for self-temperature detection that is built in the infrared sensor.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1, further comprising:
an infrared sensor,

wherein the temperature sensor is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of an environment in which the infrared sensor is installed.
The air conditioner according to Claim 1,
wherein the control unit corrects a set temperature using the air conditioning environment correction value, and performs the air conditioning control using the corrected set temperature.
A control method for an air conditioner, the method comprising:
providing a temperature sensor at a position inside a housing, the position not being exposed to air outside the housing; and

via a computer, acquiring an air conditioning environment correction value related to an air conditioning environment, based on a temperature change detected by the temperature sensor, and performing air conditioning control using the acquired air conditioning environment correction value.