JP2000074459A - Ceiling flush type air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance safety and convenience by enhancing maintainability and safety of suction grill, air filter, and the like, and employing a multifunction suction grill elevating/lowering means having enhanced function. SOLUTION: The veiling flush type air conditioner comprises a fan mode switching means for switching operation of the indoor fan in an indoor unit between an indoor fan interruption mode where the operation of the indoor fan is stopped or the volume of supply air is decreased when a suction grill is descending from a ceiling panel and restarting the operation when the suction grill is located at the uppermost position or ascending, and a mode for sustaining operation of the indoor fan regardless of elevating/lowering operation of the suction grill. Alternatively, switching is made between both modes by a switching signal delivered from a wireless remote controller 15 or a wired remote controller 18 for elevating/lowering the suction grill.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ceiling-mounted air conditioner having a suction grill elevating device for raising and lowering a suction grill from an indoor unit body embedded in a ceiling plate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, this type of ceiling-mounted air conditioner has an indoor unit buried in a ceiling plate at a high place. Therefore, maintenance work such as checking the operation of the indoor unit and cleaning or replacing an air filter is performed. When performing the above, it is necessary to perform a high place operation such as opening or removing the suction grill using a stepladder or the like.

[0003]

However, in such high-altitude work, a stepladder or the like is required, and the air intake filter is opened or removed in an unstable state where a person is riding on the stepladder or the like. It is necessary to perform an operation such as removal of the device and the like, so that there is a problem that the workability of the maintenance is poor and the operation is accompanied by danger.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ceiling-mounted type which can improve both workability and safety of maintenance of a suction grill, an air filter, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner. Another object of the present invention is to provide a ceiling-mounted air conditioner that improves safety and usability by increasing the number of functions and increasing the functions of the suction grill elevating means.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit, and an outdoor unit including at least an outdoor heat exchanger having an outdoor fan and a compressor.
An indoor unit body embedded in the ceiling plate and containing an indoor heat exchanger having an indoor fan; a ceiling panel mounted on a lower portion of the indoor unit body to form a suction port and an air outlet on a ceiling surface; A suction grille which covers the suction opening of the ceiling panel in a freely communicable manner and has a filter attached to the inside thereof; grill elevating means for raising and lowering the suction grill with respect to the suction opening; A ceiling grill type air conditioner having driving means based on a control signal from a remote control means, and stopping the operation of the indoor fan of the indoor unit when the suction grill descends from the ceiling panel. While the intake grille is controlled to reduce the air flow, while the suction grille is at the upper limit position or when it rises, the indoor fan interruption mode that restarts A fan mode switching means for switching between an indoor fan continuation mode for continuing the operation of the indoor fan irrespective of the presence / absence of the raising / lowering operation of the rill is provided, or the indoor fan interruption mode and the indoor fan continuation mode are provided by a switching signal from a remote control means. And a mode switching means for switching between the two modes.

According to the present invention, the suction grill is lowered from the ceiling panel on the ceiling at a high place by a control signal from a remote control means such as a remote controller (hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller), so that the work can be easily performed above the floor. Since the stop can be stopped immediately, maintenance such as cleaning and replacement of the suction grill and the air filter can be easily performed without using a stepladder. For this reason, the workability and safety of maintenance can be improved.

[0007] In addition, by switching operation of the fan mode switching means or the remote control means, an indoor fan interruption mode for controlling the operation of the indoor fan at the time of the suction grill elevating operation and an indoor fan continuation mode for not controlling the operation of the indoor fan are appropriately performed. You can choose.

Therefore, when the indoor unit main body is inspected and maintained, the indoor fan interruption mode can be set to ensure the safety of the inspector. When the indoor unit main body is not inspected and maintained and the grill and the filter are cleaned, the indoor fan continuous operation is performed. The comfort can be maintained by changing the mode to room temperature fluctuation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for stopping the operation of the indoor fan when the mode is switched to the indoor fan control mode, after the elevating operation of the suction grill is started and after a predetermined time has elapsed. 1 is a ceiling-embedded type air conditioner.

According to the present invention, after switching to the indoor fan interruption mode, the operation of the indoor fan is stopped for the first time after a lapse of a predetermined time, without immediately stopping the operation of the indoor fan by starting the elevating operation of the suction grill. .

Therefore, even if the suction grill is erroneously raised and lowered after switching to the indoor fan interruption mode, the mistake is immediately noticed and the operation is stopped within a predetermined time, or the suction grill is moved to the upper limit position. When the air conditioner is returned to, the air conditioning operation can be continued without stopping the operation of the indoor fan.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a means is provided for transmitting to the outdoor unit a stop signal for stopping the operation of at least the outdoor fan and the compressor when the operation of the indoor fan is stopped. 1 is a ceiling-embedded type air conditioner.

According to the present invention, when the operation of the indoor fan is stopped according to the first aspect of the present invention, the operation of the outdoor fan and the compressor of the outdoor unit can be stopped to stop the air conditioning operation.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the remote control means, the ceiling panel, and the suction grille is provided with a display for displaying the operation of raising and lowering the suction grille, or the operation of raising and lowering the suction grille is notified by voice or sound. 2. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an audio notifying means for tightening.

According to the present invention, the user can recognize the state of the suction grille by ascending and descending operation of the suction grille by viewing the remote control means, the display panel such as the ceiling panel and the suction grille. A situation such as a sudden drop of the suction grille overhead can be avoided beforehand, and safety can be improved. Furthermore, since the elevating operation of the suction grill is notified by voice or sound,
Even when the user does not look at the display unit, the user can recognize the lifting and lowering operation of the suction grill, and can further improve safety.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stop means for turning off the display of the suction grill raising / lowering operation display unit or stopping the output of the sound or sound of the sound notification means when the suction grill reaches the upper limit position. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein
It is a ceiling embedded type air conditioner of the description.

According to the present invention, when the suction grill reaches the upper limit position and covers the suction port of the indoor unit body, the display of the suction grill elevating operation display section is turned off by the stopping means, or the sound or sound of the sound notifying means is provided. Is stopped, the user can recognize that the suction grill has reached the upper limit position.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a selection means for selecting at least one of prohibition of display by the suction grill elevating operation display section and prohibition of output of voice or sound by voice notification means. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 4.

According to the present invention, depending on the use environment of the ceiling-mounted type air conditioner, the display of the suction grill elevating operation display unit and the output of the audio output may be unnecessary or not desired. In this case, the display and the sound output of the suction grill elevating operation display section can be prohibited by the selection means.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ceiling-mounted type air conditioner according to the first aspect, the remote control means is provided with a descent stop position setting means for setting a descent stop position of the suction grill. is there.

According to the present invention, the descent stop position setting means provided in the remote control means appropriately sets a position at which the descent of the suction grille is stopped, that is, an arbitrary height such as a height at which maintenance is easy. can do.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the descent stop position is stored when the descent of the suction grill is stopped, and the descent is stopped at the stored descent stop position at the next descent of the suction grill. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a stop position control means.

According to the present invention, once the suction grill is lowered, its stop position is automatically stored, and when the suction grill is lowered next time, it is automatically stored at the previously stored descent stop position. Stopped. Therefore, the suction grill can be automatically lowered to the required height without setting the suction grill descent stop position.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, when the descent stop position control means stops the descent of the suction grill at the stored descent stop position, and further receives a descent command signal, the descent grille stops. 9. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 8, further comprising a memory erasing unit that erases the memory of the stop position and further lowers the memory.

According to the present invention, even when the descent stop position of the suction grill is automatically stored and set once, the suction grill is further lowered after the automatic storage. Can automatically delete the storage of the automatically stored descent stop position by the storage erasing means, so that the descent stop position of the suction grille can be appropriately updated according to a change in the user's request. .

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to the first aspect, wherein the suction grill is provided with an air cleaning means.

According to the present invention, since the suction grill is provided with the air cleaning means, by lowering the suction grill to a required height on the floor and stopping it, the maintenance of the air cleaning means can be performed with the maintenance of the filter. Similarly, workability can be improved.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner embedded in a ceiling according to the tenth aspect, further comprising an air cleaning operation control means for stopping the operation of the air cleaning means when the suction grill is moved up and down. It is.

According to the present invention, the operation of the air cleaning means having the high-voltage section is stopped during the lifting and lowering operation of the suction grille. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the danger of the user being electrically shocked by the high-voltage section. it can. For this reason, safety can be improved.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, when the descent of the suction grill reaches the descent stop position stored therein, the operation of the indoor fan is stopped, and the operation of at least the outdoor fan and the compressor of the outdoor unit is stopped. The ceiling-mounted type air conditioner according to claim 8, further comprising means.

According to the present invention, the suction grill is lowered
When the descent stop position stored in the invention of claim 8 is reached, maintenance of the indoor filter and the like are performed.
In some cases, the air conditioning operation may be stopped. Therefore, in this case, the operations of the indoor fan, the outdoor fan, and the compressor are stopped, and the air conditioning operation can be stopped.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to the first aspect, wherein a mounting space for removably mounting the elevating grill control means is provided in the indoor unit main body. It is.

According to this invention, the elevating grill control means can be detachably attached to the mounting space in the indoor unit main body by an option or the like. Also, maintenance can be performed by detaching only the detachable lifting grill control means from the indoor unit main body.

The invention according to claim 14 is characterized in that there is provided a selection means for selecting one of a permission mode for permitting the lifting operation of the suction grill and a disallow mode for inhibiting the operation. Type air conditioner.

According to the present invention, the lifting / lowering operation of the suction grille due to mischief, noise, or the like can be prevented beforehand by selecting the non-permission mode for prohibiting the lifting / lowering operation of the suction grille.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor disposed on the suction grill for detecting an obstacle, and means for stopping the descent of the suction grill when the sensor detects an obstacle. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that:

According to the present invention, when the suction grill falls above the user's head, the presence of the user is detected by the obstacle sensor such as a human body sensor disposed on the suction grill, and the suction grill is lowered. Is stopped, it is possible to avoid the danger that the suction grille falls suddenly above the user's head or the like and causes injury.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the forcible means for forcibly raising and lowering the suction grill by the grill elevating means is provided in the elevating grill control means or at least the indoor control means for controlling the operation of the indoor fan. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1.

According to the present invention, even in the event that the remote control means, the receiving section for receiving the control signal thereof, and the lifting / lowering grill control means fail, the suction grill can be raised and lowered by the forcing means as soon as possible.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the descent time from the start of descent to the descent stop of the suction grill is stored in a storage means.
At the time of the next descent operation of the suction grill, after the stored descent time elapses, the descent is stopped, or after elapse of a predetermined time after the descent stop, means for raising the suction grill to the upper limit position is provided. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1.

According to the present invention, the descent stop time is automatically stored by simply lowering and stopping the suction grill, so that the descent stop time is not set separately, and the suction grille can be set from the next time. Can be automatically stopped when the stored descent stop time has elapsed.

The invention according to claim 18 is characterized in that the storage means is a rewritable memory and is installed in the indoor control means or the elevating grill control means.
Or a ceiling embedded type air conditioner according to item 17.

According to the present invention, the storage means according to claim 8 or 17 is rewritable, so that the information stored in this storage means can be constantly updated as needed.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motor current detecting means for detecting a current of a drive motor of a grill elevating means for elevating and lowering a suction grill, and a motor current detected by the motor current detecting means for raising and lowering the suction grill. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a limit and stopping the drive motor when the limit is detected.

According to the present invention, the load current of the drive motor of the suction grill increases with an increase in the load. Therefore, the load increases when the suction grill reaches the upper limit position and the lower position reaches the lower limit position. As a result, the load current increases.

Therefore, by detecting the increase in the load current by the motor current detecting device, it is possible to detect whether the suction grill is fully lifted or lowered.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control means for controlling the phase of the power supply to the indoor fan, and the clogging of the indoor filter is detected based on a change in the phase control output pulse from the control means. The ceiling-mounted type air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying the detection of the clogging on a display unit or notifying the detection by voice or sound.

According to the present invention, when the indoor filter causes clogging, the load on the indoor fan blowing to the indoor filter increases, and the phase of the phase control output pulse for power supply to the indoor fan changes. Therefore, when clogging of the indoor filter is detected by detecting a change in the power supply pulse, the clogging is displayed on the display unit or notified by sound.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the intake grill is provided with an inclination sensor for detecting the inclination of the intake grill, and when the inclination of the intake grill is detected by the inclination sensor, the intake grill is installed in the room so as to eliminate the inclination. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for correcting winding of a plurality of wires suspended from the unit body so as to be able to move up and down.

According to the present invention, when the suction grill is tilted, this tilt is detected by the tilt sensor, the amount of winding of the suspension wire of the suction grill is corrected, the tilt is corrected, and the suction grill is held horizontally. For this reason, when the suction grill is wound up to the upper limit position, the suction grille can be snouted.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the elevating grill control means includes means for inputting only a control signal corresponding to its own code to drive and control the suction grill. Is a ceiling-mounted air conditioner.

According to the present invention, the suction grill can be moved up and down via the elevating grill control means only when the code of the control signal output from the remote control means matches the code of the elevating grill control means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent sudden rise and fall of the suction grill due to noise,
Safety can be improved.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of indoor units are provided, and each suction grill of the plurality of indoor units is individually operated by one remote control means. 23. The embedded ceiling type air conditioner according to claim 22, wherein a code switching means for switching a code of a control signal to operate all the units simultaneously is provided in the elevating grill control means.

According to the present invention, in a multi-system having a plurality of indoor units, the code of the remote control means is appropriately switched by the code switching means provided in the elevating grill control means, so that the remote control means can be controlled by one remote control means. The suction grilles of the elevating grille control means having the same code can be individually moved up or down by a predetermined number of groups, or all the units can be moved up and down simultaneously.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of indoor units are provided, and a plurality of suction grilles are individually operated or a predetermined number or all of them are simultaneously operated by one remote control means. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the setting means is provided in the remote control means.

According to the present invention, since the setting means corresponding to the code switching means of the twenty-third aspect is provided not in the elevating and lowering grill control means in the indoor unit main body but in the remote control means, this setting means can be easily implemented. Can be operated.

[0057]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A description will be given based on FIG. In these figures, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference characters.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit 1 of the embedded ceiling air conditioner according to the present invention when the suction grill is lowered, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control system of the indoor unit 1. An outdoor unit is connected via a refrigerant pipe described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 1 includes an indoor unit main body 2 embedded in a ceiling plate (not shown), a ceiling panel 3 attached to a lower portion of the indoor unit main body 2, and a suction of the ceiling panel 3. And a suction grille 5 covering the mouth 4. The indoor unit main body 2 is housed in a sheet metal square tubular housing.
A heat exchanger (not shown), an indoor fan 6, an indoor controller 7 (see FIG. 3), a grill elevating unit 8, and the like are provided. The ceiling panel 3 closes the indoor unit mounting hole of the ceiling plate, forms a rectangular inlet 4 in the center, and forms rectangular outlets 9 on the four sides of the outer periphery.

The suction grill 5 is connected to the suction port 4 of the ceiling panel 3.
And has a large number of slits 10 formed on almost the entire surface thereof, and is supported so as to be able to move up and down via four suspension wires 11, 11, 11, 11. The four suspension wires 11, 11,... Are made of resin or metal wires with a vinyl coating on the outer periphery, or tire cords. Each hanging wire 11 has its lower end connected to a hook of a reinforcing member (not shown) provided at each of the four corners of the suction grill 5, and the upper end of each wire 11 is wound around each pulley (not shown) of the grill elevating unit 8, respectively. Fig. 3 for each pulley
The suction grill 5 is driven by an elevating motor 12 shown by
Is held up or lowered while being held substantially horizontally.

FIG. 4 shows a light receiving section 1 which is a receiving section also shown in FIG.
3 is an enlarged front view of FIG. The light receiving unit 13 includes an air conditioner remote controller (remote controller) 14 dedicated to air conditioning (air conditioner) operation shown in FIG.
A receiving unit 13a that receives (receives) a control signal from the ascending and descending dedicated wireless remote controller 15, an operation lamp 13b that lights up during the operation of the air conditioning operation, a defrost lamp 13c that lights up during the defrosting operation, It has a forced operation switch 13d for performing an emergency air conditioning operation instead of the air-conditioning operation remote controller 14 or the wired remote controller 18 by switching to the forced operation side.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the indoor filter 16 which is detachably mounted inside the suction grill 5.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of a remote controller 15 exclusively used for raising and lowering the suction grill 5, and includes a lower button 15a for lowering the suction grill 5, a raising button 15b for raising the same, a stop button 15c for stopping the raising and lowering, A transmission unit 15d that outputs each control signal by infrared rays or the like when each of the push buttons 15a to 15c is pressed.

The indoor controller 7 shown in FIG. 3 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor or the like, and performs a required sound for elevating the light receiving unit 13 and the suction grill 5 such as "the suction grill descends (or rises)". Or a speaker 17 which is a sound or sound device means for outputting a sound in which the tone or the like is changed between a descent and a rise (for example, intermittent tones (pip, pip, pip) and continuous sounds (pip, peep)). , Suction grill 5
, A wired remote controller 18, a motor driver 19 for driving and controlling the indoor fan motor 6, a change in the magnitude of a current supplied from the motor driver 19 to the indoor fan motor 6, or A current detector 20 for detecting a change in the phase of the phase control pulse of the supply current is electrically connected.

Further, the indoor controller 7 forcibly activates the suction grill 5 in place of the air purifying unit 21 disposed inside the suction grill 5, the wireless remote controller 15 for raising and lowering the suction grill 5 and the wired remote controller 18. A forced lifting switch 22 for raising and lowering, an EEPROM 23, and a room temperature sensor 24 for detecting a room temperature are electrically connected to each other. The EEPROM 23 is a rewritable storage unit that stores the time from the start of descent to the descent stop as the descent stop position (height) when the suction grill 5 is once moved up and down and stopped.

The wired remote controller 18 is electrically connected to the indoor controller 7 via a wire (wire), and is mounted on a mounting wall on which the indoor unit 1 is mounted, in the vicinity of a lower portion thereof. Like the wireless remote controller 15 dedicated to lifting and lowering, the wired remote controller 18 includes an operating section 18a having buttons for lowering, raising, and stopping the suction grille 5, and a display section 18b for displaying operating states of the lowering, raising, and stopping buttons. This operation unit 1
In addition to displaying the operation state of 8a on the display unit 18b,
A control unit 18c is provided for performing control for providing control signals corresponding to these operations to the indoor controller 7.

Then, as shown in FIG.
Is electrically connected to the lifting / lowering grill controller 25 of the grill lifting / lowering unit 8 via a communication line 7a for performing bidirectional serial communication.

That is, the operation / operation of the suction grill 5 from the indoor controller 7 to the lifting / lowering grill controller 25 via the communication line 7a is performed.
While giving a stop and ascending / descending control command signal, a state signal (grill input) in which the suction grille 5 is ascending / descending and an abnormality detection signal corresponding to the control command signal are transmitted to the communication line 7a.
Is sent back from the elevating grill controller 25 to the indoor controller 7 via.

The elevating grill controller 25 includes a cord changeover switch 26 and a driving motor 1 for driving the suction grill 5 up and down.
2, a motor driver 27 for controlling the rotation direction (forward and reverse rotation) and operation or stop, an obstacle sensor 28, indoor unit operation setting switches A and B29, and a tilt sensor 30 are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 7, the code changeover switch 26 is connected to one outdoor unit 31 and a plurality of indoor units 11 and
12. In a multi-system in which 13,... 1n are connected by respective refrigerant pipes 32, a one-to-one mode in which one elevating wireless remote controller 15 individually controls elevating and lowering of the suction grill 5 of one indoor unit 1, A switch for appropriately selecting a one-to-group mode when a predetermined number of all units of the unit 1 are grouped, a one-to-all mode for all units of the indoor unit 1, and the like.

That is, each of the ascending and descending wireless remote controllers 1
The control signal transmitted from the control signal 5 includes a code, and controls the lifting and lowering of only the suction grill 5 of the lifting and lowering grill controller 25 corresponding to the code.
Therefore, originally, the wireless remote controller 15 for lifting and lowering,
The elevating grill controller 25 has a one-to-one correspondence. However, by operating the code changeover switch 26, the lifting and lowering of the suction grille 5 is simultaneously controlled by a single ascending and descending wireless remote controller 15, for example, for a plurality of units at a predetermined location in one floor, that is, for each group. The lifting and lowering of the suction grills 5 of all the units on one floor can be set to be controlled simultaneously. Also, the code changeover switch 26
Is provided on the indoor unit 1 side, but the wireless remote control 1
It may be provided on any of the five sides.

The motor driver 27 controls the rotation direction (forward / reverse rotation) of the elevating motor 12 and the start or stop of the driving in response to the up / down and stop command signals from the elevating grill controller 25. It is.

The obstacle sensor 28 is disposed inside the suction grill 5 and detects an obstacle such as a human body. When an obstacle such as a human body is detected within a predetermined distance below the suction grill 5 by the obstacle sensor 28, the elevating grill controller 25 determines that the obstacle is dangerous, and the elevating motor 12 via the motor driver 27. Is stopped, and the lifting and lowering of the suction grill 5 is forcibly stopped.

The A switch of the indoor unit operation setting switch 29 is a switch for switching whether to continue or stop the air-conditioning operation during the elevating control of the suction grill 5.

The switch B of the indoor unit operation setting switch 29 continues the current air-conditioning operation during the elevating control of the suction grill 5 (the air-conditioning operation is performed when the operation is being performed, and the operation is stopped when the operation is stopped). This is a switch for switching between stop and stop.

The inclination sensor 30 is installed on the suction grille 5 and detects whether or not the suction grille 5 is inclined at a required angle or more from a horizontal state. When the inclination of the suction grille 5 is detected, this detection signal is given from the inclination sensor 30 to the lifting grill controller 25. The lifting grill controller 25 determines that the suction grill 5 is tilted, .. Of the four suspension wires 11 are corrected by the motor 12, so that the suction grille 5 is corrected to a substantially horizontal state.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a control program of the indoor controller 7, in which S1 to S26 are steps of the flow chart.

When the control program is started, the indoor controller 7 repeatedly determines in step S1 whether or not the power of the indoor unit 1 is turned on. If the determination is Yes, that is, if the power is turned on, the process proceeds to step S2. Start communication.

The initial communication is a communication for confirming whether or not the up-and-down grill controller 25 of the grill elevating unit 8 is connected to the indoor controller 7, and a power supply for confirming the connection. The control signals from the remote controllers 14, 15, and 18 are not received for 10 seconds after being turned on.

Therefore, in S3, it is determined whether or not the indoor controller 7 is connected to the grill elevating unit 8. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the power is turned on, for example, an “H” level rise / fall pulse for 3 seconds is output to the indoor controller 7.
To the elevating grill controller 25, and when a response from the elevating grill controller 25 is received within, for example, 1.5 seconds, for example, a grill input having an "H" level of 0.5 seconds or more, S
At 3, the indoor controller 7 determines that it is connected to the lifting / lowering grill controller 25, and proceeds to S4. Thereafter, it receives input of control signals for the air conditioner and from the wired remote controllers 14, 15, and 18. However, when the wired remote controller 18 is connected to the indoor controller 7, the control signal input from the wired remote controller 18 is prioritized, and the control signal input from the elevation wireless remote controller 15 is not received. The selection may be made by a selection unit that does not.

On the other hand, in S3, when there is no return of the grill input within 1.5 seconds for the up / down pulse as shown in FIG. 8B, the indoor controller 7
It is determined that it is not connected to 5, and the process proceeds to S5.
Only air-conditioning operation is performed, and no elevation command signal from the elevation wireless remote controller 14 or the like is accepted.

At S4, the setting of the indoor unit operation setting switch A29 is read in order to determine whether or not to continue the air conditioning operation of the indoor unit 1 when the suction grill 5 moves up and down.
If NO, that is, if not discontinued, the air-conditioning operation is continued in S6, while if Yes, that is, if non-continuous is selected, the process proceeds to S7, and thereafter, the air conditioning operation is continued (S6 side) and discontinued (S7 side). ) And branch to the step.

On the non-continuation side of the air-conditioning operation, first, S
7, the code of the elevation control signal transmitted from the elevation remote controller 14 and received by the light receiving unit 13 is transmitted to the elevation grill controller 2
5 is determined.

That is, the elevation of the suction grill 5 of one indoor unit 1 is individually controlled by one remote controller 14.
One-to-one mode, one-to-group mode in which a plurality of suction grilles 5 constituting a group are simultaneously controlled by one remote controller 14, or suction of all the indoor units 1 on one floor by one remote controller 14. It is determined whether or not the mode is a one-to-all mode for simultaneously controlling the elevation of the grill 5. If they match, the process proceeds to S8. If these codes do not match, the process returns to S3 again and the following steps are repeated.

In S8, it is determined whether or not a descent command signal has been received from the ascending / descending remote controller 14. If it has been received, the process proceeds to the next S9. If it has not been received, the process jumps to S11. Is determined.

At S9, the air conditioning operation and the air cleaning unit 21 are performed.
And the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG.
Display unit 13, display unit 18 of wired remote controller 18
b, A display command signal for displaying, for example, “Waiting” is output to the display unit of the ascending / descending dedicated wireless remote controller 15, and S1
Go to 0.

In S10, as shown in FIG. 9, an "H" level signal as a run / stop command signal, that is, an operation command signal, and an "L" level signal as an up / down stop command signal,
That is, a descending command signal is given to the elevating grill controller 25.

Thus, the elevating grill controller 25 gives the motor driver 27 a lower command signal to send the elevating motor 12
Is rotated forward to lower the suction grill 5. At this time, as shown in FIG.
A pulse-like grill input signal of 0.5 Hz including a level is returned and input as an in-operation signal to notify the indoor controller 7 that the suction grill 5 is descending.

Then, in S11, it is determined whether or not the light receiving section 13 has received a rising command signal.
On the other hand, if Yes, the air-conditioning operation and the air-cleaning operation (operation of the air-cleaning unit 21) are both stopped in S12, and a display command signal for displaying "standby" on the display units 13 and 18b is output. Then, the process proceeds to the next S13.

At S13, both the "H" level signal as the operation command signal and the "H" level signal as the ascending command signal are output to the elevating grill controller 25, and the routine proceeds to the next S14.

In S14, it is determined whether or not the grill input, which is the in-operation signal from the lifting / lowering grill controller 25, is not longer than 3 seconds. If No, the process jumps to S18, while if Yes, that is, if the grill input is 3 If not more than one second, the suction grill 5 reaches the upper limit position and the suction port 4 of the indoor unit body 2
Then, it is determined that the suction grille 5 has been fitted and the suction port 4 has been closed, that is, the grill has been closed, and the process proceeds to the next step S16.

In step S16, the integrated value of the filter is cleared.
After the "filter" signal is released, both the air conditioning operation and the air cleaning operation are restarted in S17, while the "standby" display on each display unit is released.

In the next step S18, it is determined whether or not an elevating / lowering stop command signal from the elevating remote controller 14 or the wired remote controller 18 has been received. Proceed, and if No, jump S19 and return to S3.

In step S19, an "L" level operation / stop command signal, that is, a stop command signal is supplied to the lifting / lowering grill controller 25 to stop the lifting operation of the suction grill 5. Thereafter, the process returns to S3 again, and the following steps are repeated.

On the other hand, if the air conditioning operation is to be continued when the suction grill 5 is raised or lowered in S6, it is determined in next step S20 whether a descent command signal has been received from the ascending and descending wireless remote controller 14 or the like. The steps from the "decrease command signal reception" in step S20 to the "filter integrated value clear" in step S26 are the "operation / stop command" H "and the elevation command" Since "L" is output "to" filter integrated value clear "in S16, the details are omitted. However, since the air-conditioning operation is a continuous operation, both steps of steps S9 and S12 of “stop of air-conditioning / cleaning control / display command in“ standby ”” on the non-continuation side are eliminated.

Therefore, in the ceiling-embedded air conditioner, the suction grill 5 is lowered from the ceiling panel 3 on the ceiling at a high place by a control signal from a remote control means such as a remote control (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller). Since it can be stopped at a height above the floor where work is easy, maintenance such as cleaning and replacement of the suction grill 5 and the air filter can be easily performed without using a stepladder. For this reason, the workability and safety of maintenance can be improved.

Further, by switching the mode switching means to the priority mode, the remote controller 18 or the wireless remote controller 1 having a different operation method can be operated.
5 can be set to be input to the elevating grill controller 25 with priority given to any of the control signals and the like, and whether the suction grill 5 is raised or lowered can be set.

The switching means includes an elevating grill controller 2
5 is provided with a masking mode that can prevent all control signals from being input, so that the grill elevating unit 8 that is driven and controlled by the elevating grill controller 25 is suddenly driven by noise during air-conditioning operation to draw air. It is possible to prevent an unexpected situation such as raising and lowering the grill 5 from occurring, thereby improving safety.

The lifting and lowering operation of the suction grill 5 is performed by remote control means such as wireless and wired remote controls 15 and 18.
The user can recognize the state of the suction grille 5 by viewing the display units such as the ceiling panel 3 and the suction grille 5, so that, for example, the situation in which the suction grille 5 suddenly drops above the user's head is prevented. Can be avoided and safety can be improved. Further, since the elevating operation of the suction grill 5 is notified by voice or sound, the elevating operation of the suction grill 5 can be recognized even without looking at the display unit, and the safety can be further improved.

Further, when the suction grill 5 reaches the upper limit position and covers the suction port 4 of the indoor unit main body 2, the display of the suction grill elevating operation display section is turned off by the stopping means, or the sound or sound of the sound notifying means is turned off. Since the output is stopped, the user can recognize that the suction grille 5 has reached the upper limit position.

Furthermore, depending on the use environment of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner, the display of the suction grill elevating operation display unit and the output of the audio output may be unnecessary or not desired. In this case, the display and the sound output of the suction grill elevating operation display section can be prohibited by the selection means.

Also, the descent stop position setting means provided on at least one of the wireless remote controller 15 and the wired remote controller 18 sets the position at which the suction grill 5 stops lowering, that is, the height at which the maintenance can be easily performed. It can be adjusted appropriately.

Further, once the suction grill 5 is lowered, the stop position is automatically stored, and when the suction grill 5 is lowered next time, the suction grill 5 is automatically stopped at the previously stored lowering stop position. You. Therefore, the suction grill can be automatically lowered to the required height without setting the suction grill descent stop position.

Further, even if the descent stop position of the suction grille 5 is once automatically stored and set, if the suction grille 5 is further lowered after the automatic storage,
Since the storage of the automatically stored descent stop position can be automatically erased by the storage erasing means, the descent stop position of the suction grille can be appropriately updated according to a change in the user's request.

Further, the air purification unit 2 is attached to the suction grill 5.
Since the suction grille 1 is provided, the suction grille 5 is lowered to a required height on the floor and stopped, so that the workability of the air cleaning unit 21 can be improved similarly to the maintenance of the filter.

Further, when the suction grill 5 is moved up and down,
Since the operation of the air purifying unit 21 including the high-voltage section is stopped, it is possible to avoid the danger of the user being electrocuted to the high-voltage section. For this reason, safety can be improved.

Further, an indoor fan interruption mode in which the operation of the indoor fan 6 is interrupted when the suction grill is moved up and down by an operation of switching the fan mode switching means or the remote control means, and an indoor fan continuation mode in which the operation of the indoor fan is continued. Can be appropriately selected.

After switching to the indoor fan interruption mode,
The operation of the indoor fan 6 is stopped for the first time after a predetermined time has elapsed without stopping the operation of the indoor fan 6 immediately after the start of the elevating operation of the suction grill 5.

That is, even if the suction grill 5 is erroneously moved up and down after switching to the indoor fan interruption mode, the mistake is immediately noticed and the operation is stopped within a predetermined time, or the suction grill 5 is stopped. When returning to the upper limit position, the air conditioning operation can be continued without stopping the operation of the indoor fan 6.

Further, when the operation of the indoor fan 6 is stopped, the operation of the outdoor fan of the outdoor unit, the compressor, and the like may be stopped to stop the air conditioning operation.

Furthermore, the descent of the suction grill 5 is caused by the EE
When the vehicle reaches the descent stop position stored in the PROM 21, maintenance of the indoor filter and the like are performed, so that the air conditioning operation may be stopped in some cases. Therefore, in this case, the operations of the indoor fan, the outdoor fan, and the compressor are stopped, and the air conditioning operation can be stopped.

Further, the elevating and lowering grill controller 25 can be detachably attached to a mounting space in the indoor unit main body 2 by an option or the like. Further, only the detachable lifting grill controller 25 can be removed from the indoor unit main body 2 for maintenance.

Further, by selecting the non-permission mode for prohibiting the elevating operation of the suction grill 5 by the selection means,
The lifting operation of the suction grill 5 due to mischief, noise, or the like can be prevented.

Further, when the suction grill 5 is lowered above the user's head, the presence of the user is determined by an obstacle sensor 2 such as a human body sensor disposed on the suction grill 5.
8 detects and stops the descent of the suction grille 5, thereby avoiding the danger of the suction grille 5 suddenly falling above the user's head or the like and causing injury.

Also, in the event that the remote control means, the receiver for receiving the control signal therefor, and the lifting / lowering grill controller 25 fail, the suction grille 5 can be raised and lowered by the forcible means of the forcible lifting / lowering switch 21 as soon as possible. Can be.

Further, the descent stop time is automatically stored by simply lowering and stopping the suction grill 5, so that the descent stop time of the suction grill 5 can be reduced without setting the descent stop time separately. Can be automatically stopped when the stored descent stop time has elapsed.

Further, an EEPROM serving as storage means
Since the information 21 is rewritable, the information stored in the EEPROM 21 can be constantly updated as needed.

Since the load current of the motor 12 for raising and lowering the suction grill 5 increases with an increase in the load, the load increases when the suction grill 5 reaches the upper limit position or the lower limit position when it lowers. As a result, the load current increases.

Therefore, by detecting the increase in the load current by the motor current detecting device, it is possible to detect whether the intake grill is fully lifted or lowered.

Further, when the indoor filter causes clogging, the load of the indoor fan 6 blowing on the indoor filter increases, and the phase of the phase control output pulse for power supply to the indoor fan 6 changes. When clogging of the indoor filter is detected by detecting a change in the phase of the power supply pulse, the clogging is displayed on a display unit or notified by sound.

Further, when the suction grill 5 is inclined,
This inclination is detected by the inclination sensor 30, the amount of winding of the suspension wire 11 of the suction grille 5 is corrected, the inclination is corrected, and the suction grill 5 is held horizontally. For this reason, when the suction grill 5 is wound up to the upper limit position,
Can be anastomotic.

Further, only when the code of the control signal output from the wireless and wired remote controllers 15 and 18 as the remote control means matches the code of the lifting / lowering grill controller 25, the suction grill 5 is switched via the lifting / lowering grill controller 25. Can be raised and lowered. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the suction grille 5 from suddenly moving up and down due to noise, and it is possible to improve safety.

Further, in a multi-system having a plurality of indoor units 1, the code of the remote control means is appropriately switched by the code switching means provided in the lifting / lowering grill controller 25 so that one wireless remote controller 15 or wired remote controller 18 is provided. Accordingly, the suction grills of the lifting grill controller 25 having the same codes can be raised or lowered individually, in groups of a predetermined number, or all units at the same time.

Further, the setting means corresponding to the code switching means is provided with a lifting grill controller 2 in the indoor unit main body 2.
5, the setting means can be easily operated because it is provided on the wireless remote controller 15 or the wired remote controller 18.

[0125]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By the switching operation of the fan mode switching means or the remote control means, it is possible to appropriately select an indoor fan interruption mode in which the operation of the indoor fan is controlled during the suction grill elevating operation and an indoor fan continuation mode in which the operation of the indoor fan is not controlled. .

Therefore, when the indoor unit main body is inspected and maintained, the safety of the inspector can be ensured by setting the indoor fan interruption mode. The comfort can be maintained by changing the mode to room temperature fluctuation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a control program of an indoor controller of an embedded ceiling air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the suction grill of the indoor unit of the embedded ceiling air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention is lowered.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of a light receiving section of the indoor unit shown in FIG.

5 is a perspective view of an indoor filter of the indoor unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the elevating wireless remote controller shown in FIG. 3;

7 is an overall configuration diagram of a multi-system including a plurality of indoor units shown in FIG.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing the communication between the indoor controller and the elevating grill controller when determining the connection between the indoor controller and the elevating grill controller at the initial communication start step in the flowchart shown in FIG. 1; Timing chart of each pulse,
(B) is a timing chart of each pulse transmitted and received between the indoor controller and the elevating grill control means when the disconnection is determined between the two.

9 is a timing chart of pulses transmitted and received by the indoor controller and the elevating grill controller when the suction grill is initially lowered in the flowchart shown in FIG. 1;

10 is a timing chart of pulses transmitted and received between the indoor controller and the elevating grill controller when the suction grill is moved up and down and stopped in the flowchart shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 11-1n Indoor unit 2 Indoor unit main body 3 Ceiling panel 4 Suction port 5 Suction grill 6 Indoor fan 7 Indoor controller 8 Grill elevating unit 9 Blow-out port 11 Hanging wire 12 Elevating motor 14 Wireless remote controller for air conditioner 15 Elevating wireless Remote controller 17 Speaker 18 Wired remote controller 20 Current detector 21 Air purification unit 22 Forced lifting switch 25 Lift grill controller 26 Code switch switch 28 Obstacle sensor 29 Indoor unit operation setting switch A, B 30 Tilt sensor

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasushi Yasushi 336 Tatehara, Fuji-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Toshiba Corporation Fuji Plant (72) Inventor Yoshinori Murashige 3-9-1 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo TOSHIBA ABU EE Inside (72) Inventor Koichi Umino 3-3-9, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Toshiba Abu E Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Tonegawa 3-9-1, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Toshiba F-Buy Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3L051 BH04 3L060 AA08 CC19 DD01 EE02 EE05 EE06

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. An indoor unit, comprising: an outdoor unit having at least an outdoor heat exchanger having an outdoor fan and a compressor, wherein the indoor unit is embedded in a ceiling plate and has an indoor heat source having an indoor fan. An indoor unit main body containing a exchanger, a ceiling panel mounted on a lower portion of the indoor unit main body and forming a suction port and an air outlet on a ceiling surface, and the suction port of the ceiling panel can be freely communicated at an upper limit position. To cover
A suction grill having a filter attached to the inside, a grill elevating means for elevating the suction grill with respect to the suction port, and an elevating grill control for driving and controlling the grill elevating means based on a control signal from a remote control means In the ceiling-mounted air conditioner having means, while stopping the operation of the indoor fan of the indoor unit when descending from the ceiling panel of the suction grill, or controlling to reduce the amount of air blow, while the suction grill is Fan mode switching means for switching between an indoor fan interruption mode for restarting when the upper limit position or the position is raised, and an indoor fan continuation mode for continuing operation of the indoor fan irrespective of whether the suction grill is moved up or down, or Mode switching for switching between the indoor fan interruption mode and the indoor fan continuation mode according to a switching signal from a remote control means Ceiling embedded air conditioner which is characterized in that a stage. 2. A ceiling-mounted device according to claim 1, further comprising means for stopping the operation of the indoor fan when the mode is switched to the indoor fan interruption mode, after the elevating operation of the suction grill is started and a predetermined time has elapsed. Built-in air conditioner. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting a stop signal to the outdoor unit to stop at least the operation of the outdoor fan and the compressor of the outdoor unit when the operation of the indoor fan is stopped. Ceiling embedded air conditioner. 4. A remote control, at least one of a ceiling panel and a suction grill is provided with a display unit for displaying the elevating operation of the suction grill or an audio notifying means for notifying the elevating operation of the suction grill by voice or sound. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: 5. When the suction grill reaches the upper limit position,
5. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 4, further comprising a stop unit for turning off the display of the suction grill raising / lowering operation display unit or for stopping the output of the sound or sound of the sound notifying unit. 6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a selection unit for selecting at least one of prohibition of display by the suction grill elevating operation display unit and prohibition of output of voice or sound by voice notification unit. Ceiling embedded air conditioner. 7. The recessed ceiling air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the remote control means is provided with a descent stop position setting means for setting a descent stop position of the suction grill. 8. A descent stop position control means for storing the descent stop position when descent of the suction grill is stopped, and stopping the descent at the stored descent stop position at the next descent of the suction grill. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is provided. 9. The descent stop position control means, after stopping the descent of the suction grill at the stored descent stop position,
The ceiling-mounted type air conditioner according to claim 8, further comprising a memory erasing means for erasing the storage of the descent stop position and further descending when the descent command signal is received. 10. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an air cleaning means is provided on the suction grill. 11. The air conditioner according to claim 10, further comprising an air purifying operation control means for stopping the operation of the air purifying means when the suction grill is moved up and down. 12. A means for stopping the operation of the indoor fan and stopping the operation of at least the outdoor fan and the compressor of the outdoor unit when the descent of the suction grill reaches the descent stop position stored therein. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 8, characterized in that: 13. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a mounting space for removably mounting the elevating grill control means is provided in the indoor unit main body. 14. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising selection means for selecting one of a permission mode for permitting the lifting operation of the suction grill and a prohibition mode for prohibiting the operation. 15. A system according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensor disposed on the suction grille for detecting an obstacle, and means for stopping the lowering of the suction grille when the sensor detects an obstacle. Item 7. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to Item 1. 16. The lift control means for forcibly raising and lowering the suction grill by means of the grill raising and lowering means, or at least the indoor control means for controlling the operation of the indoor fan. Ceiling-mounted air conditioner. 17. A descent time from a start of descent of the suction grill to a stop of descent is stored in a storage means, and at the time of a descent operation of the suction grill next time, the descent is stopped after the elapse of the stored descent time, or 2. A ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for raising the suction grill to an upper limit position after a predetermined time has elapsed after the descent stop. 18. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the storage means is a rewritable memory, and is installed in the indoor control means or the elevating grill control means. 19. A motor current detecting means for detecting a current of a drive motor of a grill elevating means for elevating and lowering the suction grill, and a motor current detected by the motor current detecting means for detecting an ascending and descending limit of the suction grill, 2. A ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for stopping the drive motor upon detection. 20. Control means for controlling the phase of power supply to the indoor fan, wherein the clogging of the indoor filter is detected based on a change in the phase control output pulse from the control means, and the clogging is detected. 2. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying on a display unit or notifying by voice or sound. 21. An intake grill is provided with an inclination sensor for detecting its inclination, and when the inclination sensor detects the inclination of the intake grill, the inclination is eliminated.
The ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising means for correcting winding of a plurality of wires that suspends the suction grill from the indoor unit body so as to be able to move up and down. 22. The ceiling-mounted type as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lifting grill control means includes means for inputting only a control signal corresponding to its own code to drive and control the suction grill. Air conditioner. 23. A plurality of indoor units having a plurality of indoor units, each of the plurality of indoor units being operated individually by a single remote control means, or a predetermined number of groups, or all units being simultaneously operated. 23. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 22, wherein a code switching means for switching a code of a control signal for operating the air conditioner is provided in the lifting grill control means. 24. A plurality of indoor units having a plurality of indoor units, each of the plurality of indoor units being operated individually by a single remote control means, or a predetermined number of grooves or all units being simultaneously operated. The ceiling-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the setting means for operating is provided in the remote control means.