JP2002122341A - Setback timer of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To raise operability in setting operation of a program or the like in a setback timer of an air conditioner. SOLUTION: A plurality of input buttons 22-34 provided on an operation section 13 are classified into the most frequently used button 22 in the setting operation and the other buttons 23-34 or into the buttons 22-31 related to setting of a program and the buttons 32-34 not related to the setting, and discrimination of one from the other is made possible. By employing such a constitution, when the buttons 22-34 are manipulated to set the program or the like, discrimination of the respective buttons becomes easy and sure and the operability is raised.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a setback timer for an air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in an air conditioner, when air-conditioning air blown from an indoor unit is used to cool and heat the inside of a room, the air conditioner is operated by a remote controller attached to the indoor unit. In addition to this, a setback timer is additionally provided to set a time zone for performing a normal air-conditioning operation based on a predetermined set temperature in a daytime zone ( That is, the user sets the time at which the operation is started and the time at which the operation is stopped during the day of the day), and sets the time period of the setback operation within the normal air-conditioning operation time, that is, The control for shifting the set temperature to the pre-programmed setback temperature in accordance with the time and operating the control at which time to start and at which time to perform the control is performed. And which it is intended to realize the energy-saving operation by execution of the set back operation.

[0003]

The operability of the set-back timer is good because the set-back timer is operated by appropriately selecting a plurality of buttons arranged on the operation section according to the set contents. Is required.

However, in the conventional setback timer of an air conditioner, for example, the priority based on the frequency of use of each button is not clear visually, and only the buttons are classified according to their functions. Since the buttons related to each content are not classified, the selection of the buttons at the time of the setting operation is difficult to understand, and there is room for improvement in operability. Furthermore, in the conventional setback timer, there is no setting of daylight saving time. Therefore, an operation of changing the time setting is required to cope with the daylight saving time. In this respect, improvement in operability is required.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made for the purpose of enhancing the operability in setting operation of a program or the like in a setback timer of an air conditioner.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In the present invention, the following configuration is adopted as specific means for solving such problems.

[0007] In the first invention of the present application, a program set in advance to shift to the second set temperature only in a specific time zone in a time zone in which the normal operation based on the first set temperature is performed is provided. In the set-back timer of the air conditioner controlled based on the setting, the plurality of input buttons 22 to 34 provided on the operation unit 13 are set to the most frequently used button 22 and the other buttons 23 to 23 in the setting operation.
34, which are distinguishable from each other.

[0008] In the second invention of the present application, a program set in advance so as to shift to the second set temperature only in a specific time zone of a time zone in which the normal operation based on the first set temperature is performed. In the set-back timer of the air conditioner controlled based on the above, the input buttons 22 to 34 provided on the operation unit 13 are changed to the buttons 22 to 31 related to the program setting and the buttons 32 to 34 not related to the program setting.
And these are distinguishable.

In the third invention of the present application, the first or the second
In the setback timer of the air conditioner according to the invention, the buttons 22 to 31 related to the program setting among the plurality of buttons 22 to 34 can be identified for each set content.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the setback timer of the air conditioner according to the third aspect, the buttons 22 to 31 are changed to a first button group 36 for starting and ending the program setting, It is characterized in that it is divided into a second button group 37 related to setting, a third button group 38 related to temperature setting, and a fourth button group 39 related to week setting.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner setback timer according to the second aspect, one of the plurality of buttons 22 to 34, which is not involved in setting a program, is set to one of daylight saving time. Is set for the daylight saving time button 33.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the first, second,
In the setback timer for an air conditioner according to the third, fourth or fifth invention, the plurality of buttons 22 to 34 are provided.
Are distinguishable by coloring the panel portion of each of the buttons 22 to 34.

In the seventh invention of the present application, the first, second,
In the setback timer for an air conditioner according to the third, fourth or fifth invention, the plurality of buttons 22 to 34 are provided.
Are distinguishable by dividing the respective buttons 22 to 34 with a dividing line 35.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by adopting such a configuration.

[0015] According to the setback timer of the air conditioner according to the first invention of the present application, the second set temperature is set only in a specific time zone of the time zone in which the normal operation based on the first set temperature is performed. In the set-back timer of the air conditioner, which is controlled based on a preset program to shift to a predetermined time, the plurality of input buttons 22 to 34 provided on the operation unit 13 are most frequently used in the setting operation. Button 22 and other buttons 23-34
Since the two can be distinguished from each other, the most frequently used button 22 when setting a program or the like performed by operating the above-mentioned buttons 22 to 34 can be easily and easily set from the other buttons 23 to 34. The operability in the setting operation is remarkably improved as compared with the case where the button that is used most frequently and the other buttons are not clearly distinguished from each other.

According to the setback timer of the air conditioner according to the second invention of the present application, the second set temperature is set only in a specific time zone of the time zone in which the normal operation based on the first set temperature is performed. In the set-back timer of the air conditioner controlled based on a program set in advance to shift to a plurality of, the plurality of input buttons 22 to 34 provided on the operation unit 13 are changed to the buttons 22 to 31 and buttons 32 to 34 that are not involved, and these two are identifiable. When setting the program, the buttons 22 to 31 involved in the program setting are selected from the plurality of buttons 22 to 34.
It is possible to easily and reliably identify and operate the buttons 32 to 34 which are not involved in this operation. The operability in is greatly improved.

According to the third invention of the present application, the first aspect
Alternatively, in the setback timer of the air conditioner according to the second invention, among the plurality of buttons 22 to 34, the buttons 22 to 31 related to the program setting can be identified for each setting, so that the operator can execute the program. In each setting operation, the button to be used for the operation can be easily and accurately identified, and the operation can be performed reliably and quickly, and the effects described above or above are further promoted.

According to the fourth invention of the present application, the third invention
In the setback timer of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the buttons 22 to 31 are related to a first button group 36 related to start and end of program setting, a second button group 37 related to time setting, and to a temperature setting. Third button group 38
And the fourth button group 39 relating to the weekly setting, the button group corresponding to each setting content can be easily identified at the time of each setting operation, and only the buttons belonging to the button group can be identified. , The operability in setting the program is further improved.

According to the fifth invention of the present application, the second aspect
In the set-back timer of the air conditioner according to the invention, since one of the plurality of buttons 22 to 34 that is not involved in the program setting is the summer time button 33 for setting the summer time, the summer time button The daylight saving time can be set only by the operation of 33, and, for example, the operability in the setting operation is further improved as compared with the case where the time setting change operation is required when setting the daylight saving time as in the related art. Can be expected.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner setback timer according to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, the plurality of buttons 2
Since the buttons 2 to 34 are identifiable by coloring the panels of the buttons 22 to 34, the buttons 22 to 34 are identified at a glance by comparing the coloring of the panels when setting a program or the like. Therefore, the speed or certainty of the setting operation is improved.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner setback timer according to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, the plurality of buttons 2
Since the buttons 2 to 34 can be identified by partitioning the buttons 22 to 34 with partition lines 35, when setting a program or the like, the buttons 22 to 34 can be seen at a glance by confirming the partition lines 35. The setting operation can be performed quickly and reliably.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on preferred embodiments.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a control system of the separate type air conditioner. This air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2 electrically connected by an internal and external transmission line, and a remote controller 3 and a setback timer 4 are connected in parallel to the indoor unit 2. It is connected.

The remote controller 3 is used by an indoor resident to set or change the air-conditioning characteristics according to his / her preference. This is the case.

The setback timer 4 forms the gist of the present invention and is used for setting a time zone for normal operation and setting its temperature, and for setting a time zone for setback operation and setting its temperature. When performing each setting, not only the simplicity of the setting operation but also the confirmation of the setting contents is required. Therefore, in the setback timer 4 of the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the confirmation of the setting contents and particularly to improve the operability in the setting operation, the arrangement of buttons for the setting operation and the like have not been newly provided. It adopts a simple configuration. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the setback timer 4 will be described in detail.

In the setback operation, the temperature is higher than the set temperature only during a specific time zone in the "normal operation" time zone which is operated based on a predetermined set temperature in the time zone of the day ( The operation is performed at a setback temperature set during cooling operation) or low (during heating operation).

FIGS. 2 to 4 show a setback timer 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The setback timer 4 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The operation is performed in the state attached to the
As a whole, it has a rectangular thin plate appearance, and an upper half thereof is provided with a display unit 12 described below, and a lower half thereof is provided with an operation unit 13 which will be described later.

Configuration of Display Unit 12 The display unit 12 displays information relating to the normal operation and the setback operation, respectively. A display screen 15 having a horizontally long rectangular plane shape is provided on the front side thereof. ing. The display screen 15 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal screen, and has four divided display areas, that is, a display area occupying the left half of a third of the display screen 15 from the top. A first display area 15a, a second display area 15b occupying the right half of an area one third from the top of the display screen 15, a first display area 15a and a second display area 15b.
A third display area 15c, which is located below the display area 15b and occupies approximately one-third of the vertical width of the display screen 15; and a third display area 15c which is located below the third display area 15c. 15 and a horizontally long fourth display area 15d occupying one third of the area from the bottom.

The first display area 15a has a lock display 41 and a program setting display 42 which are turned on and off at the top of the screen, and seven ON-OFF displays 43 which are turned on and off at the middle of the first display area 15a. Further, at the bottom, day of the week indicators 44 are provided corresponding to the respective ON-OFF displays 43.

In this case, in order to enhance the recognizability, the above-mentioned day-of-the-week index 44 indicates each day of the week as "MON", "TUE", etc. by the first three letters of the alphabet. . The ON-OFF display 43 corresponding to each day of the weekday index 44 indicates that “ON” indicates that the air conditioner is to be operated when the “ON” is lit, and that the day is indicated when the “OFF” is lit. Indicates that "the air conditioner is not operated".

In the second display area 15b, a day of the week display 47 indicating today's day of the week, a summer time setting display 45 indicating daylight saving time setting, a clock setting display 48 indicating time setting, and a clock indicating current time are displayed. 46 are provided. That is, in the second display area 15b, information at the present time is displayed collectively.

The third display area 15c is an area for displaying information relating to normal operation, and has a set temperature 52 during normal operation (this "set temperature" is the "second temperature") in the left half thereof. In the right half, there is provided a normal operation time zone display 53 that shows the time zone of the day in a continuous bar graph display form. In the normal operation time zone display 53, a demarcation line is provided every 30 minutes, and a time index 54 is provided above the normal operation time zone every two hours.
, The time period during which the normal operation is performed (that is, the time period from the start time to the stop time of the normal operation) in the time period of the day is displayed.

The fourth display area 15d is an area for displaying information relating to the setback operation, and has a cooling / heating operation switching display 62 and a set temperature during the setback operation, that is, a set temperature, in the left half thereof. The back temperature 63 (this “setback temperature” corresponds to the “second set temperature” in the claims) is displayed on the right half in the form of a continuous bar graph showing the time period of the day. A setback time zone display 64 is provided. The setback time zone display 64 is provided with a dividing line every 30 minutes, and above the set line, a time index 54 is provided every two hours. The time zone during which the setback operation is performed (that is, the time zone from the start time to the stop time of the setback operation) in the daytime zone is lit on.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes an operation switch.

Configuration of Operation Unit 13 The operation unit 13 is a part for performing input operations such as temperature setting and time setting in the normal operation and the setback operation, and is provided with various operation buttons described below. ing.

That is, the operation section 13 has an upper arrangement section 13a in which the button arrangement positions occupy approximately ／ of the area from the top of the operation section 13 and a lower arrangement section occupies an area of 1/3 from the bottom. 13b.

[0037] the upper placement section 13a, six panel portion in the lateral direction further, i.e., the first panel portion 13a ₁ located at the upper left end corner, to the right from the lower side of the first panel portion 13a ₁ a second panel section 13a ₂ reaching the portion, the third panel portion 13a on the right side of the second panel section 13a _2
3, a fourth panel portions 13a ₄ on the right side of the third panel portion 13a _3, a fifth panel portions 13a ₅ located on the upper side of the right upper corner, positioned below the right upper corner a sixth panel portion 13a _6, is partitioned into. In particular, among the respective panel portions 13a ₁ ~13a _6, the first panel portion 13
a ₁ ~ fourth panel portions 13a ₄ are partitioned colors rich in identity, for example, by wide division line 35 which is colored yellow thereto.

[0038] The first panel portion 13a ₁ is arranged different colors, for example, with colored in blue, the most frequently used program button 22 in the setting operation here with the division line 35 this. In this embodiment, the program button 22 corresponds to a “first button group 36” in the claims.

[0039] The second panel section 13a _2, the color can be clearly distinguished from this in the partition lines 35 and the first panel portion 13a ₁ color, for example, as well as colored white, time setting here (i.e. Buttons for setting the operation time zone in the normal operation and the setback operation), that is, the operation selection button 23 and the determination button 24 for selecting the normal operation and the setback operation, and the late button 25 for time setting.
And the engraving button 26 are arranged. Furthermore, this second
Panel section 13a ₂ is the more subcompartments lines 55 therein, which divides the portion located is the operation selection button 23, on the site where late button 25 and Susumukoku button 26 and the enter button 24 is positioned . In this embodiment, the operation selection button 23, the determination button 24, the late button 25, and the advance button 26 are referred to as "second
Button group 37 ".

[0040] The third panel portion 13a ₃ is lowered with this coloring to the second panel section 13a ₂ and the same color, mow involved in temperature setting button here, namely, the operation switching button 27 for cooling and heating changeover Button 28 and heating button 29
Has been arranged. Further, the third panel portion 13a
₃ further includes a part where the operation switching button 27 is located, and a sub-partition line 56,
And a part where the temperature raising button 29 is located.
In this embodiment, the operation switching button 27, the temperature lowering button 28 and the temperature raising button 29 constitute a "third button group 38" in the claims.

[0041] the fourth panel portion 13a _4, along which a colored in the first panel portion 13a ₁ and the second panel section 13a ₂ and the same color, here is involved in holiday setting for each day of the week A button, a day selection button 30 and a holiday setting button 31 are arranged. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned day selection button 30 and holiday setting button 31 constitute a "third button group 38" in the claims.

[0042] the fifth panel portions 13a _5, the button involved in time setting, i.e., watch button 32 is disposed. The sixth panel section 13a ₆ includes buttons related to daylight saving time setting, that is, a daylight saving button 33.
Is arranged. The fifth panel portions 13a ₅ sixth panel portion 13a ₆ is colored (different color from the above color) substrate color of both the operation unit 13.

On the other hand, the lower arrangement portion 13b is provided with the fifth
Like the panel portion 13a ₅ and the sixth panel portion 13a _6, the operation unit 13 is colored in the substrate color, and release for releasing the setting of the above each button here button 3
4 are arranged.

Here, the operation procedure such as time setting, temperature setting, etc., performed using the buttons provided on the operation section 13 will be briefly described as follows.

(A) The time setting operation is started by first operating the clock button 32 as shown in FIG. Next, the day of the week is adjusted by operating the day of the week selection button 30, and the time is adjusted by appropriately operating the late button 25 and the advance button 26. Thereafter, the enter button 24 is operated.

(B) The setting operation of the normal operation time zone is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the operation is started by operating the program button 22 first. Next, the operation start time is set by appropriately operating the late button 25 and the advance button 26, and the operation start time is determined by operating the determination button 24. Further, the operation stop time is set by appropriately operating the late button 25 and the advance button 26, and this is determined by operating the determination button 24. Finally, the program button 22 is operated to end the setting operation.

(C) The holiday setting operation is started by first operating the program button 22, as shown in FIG. Next, the day selection button 30 is operated to select the day, the holiday setting button 31 is operated to set the holiday, and finally the program button 22 is operated to end the setting operation.

(D) The setting operation of the setback operation time zone is started by first operating the program button 22 as shown in FIG. Next, the operation selection button 23
To select the setback operation. Further, the start time of the setback operation is set by appropriately operating the late button 25 and the advance button 26, and the start time of the setback operation is determined by operating the enter button 24. Further, the stop time of the setback operation is set by operating the late button 25 and the advance button 26, and the stop time is set by operating the enter button 24. Finally, the program button 22 is operated to end the setting operation. .

(E) Setback temperature setting operation is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the operation is started by operating the program button 22 first. Next, the operation switching button 27 is operated to select “cooling operation” or “heating operation”. Next, the set-back temperature is set by appropriately operating the temperature lowering button 28 and the temperature raising button 29, and thereafter, the program button 22 is set.
The setting operation is completed by operating.

(F) The operation for setting the operating temperature, that is, the temperature setting during the normal operation, is performed by simply operating the temperature lowering button 28 and the temperature raising button 29 as shown in FIG.

As described above, regarding the operation unit 13,
This is divided into an upper arranging part 13a and a lower arranging part 13b,
Further, the upper arrangement portion 13a is connected to six panel portions 13a ₁ to
13a ₆ and divided by the dividing line 35, and the respective panel parts 13a _{1 to} 13a ₆ are appropriately colored,
And the configuration in which each arranged a predetermined button group thereof to each panel portion 13a ₁ ~13a _6, as is clear from the above setting procedure, giving priority according to their frequency of use in the above each button, the The operability in the program setting operation is improved by arranging the buttons related to each setting content collectively and arranging the buttons related to the program setting in the order of each setting procedure. Intended.

[0052] That is, in this embodiment, colored the first panel portion 13a ₁ of the program button 22 is provided on the color rich identity which was and placed in the upper left corner corner of the upper arranging section 13a However, with such a configuration, the operator can easily confirm the program button 22 which is most frequently used at the time of setting operation at a glance, and quickly operate the program button. The operability in is improved.

In this embodiment, the buttons 2
Of the buttons 2 to 34, buttons related to the program setting, that is, the program button 22, the operation selection button 23, the determination button 24, the delay button 25, the advance button 26, the operation switching button 27, the temperature decrease button 28, and the temperature increase button 29 And the day of the week selection button 30 and the holiday setting button 31 are respectively divided into buttons related to the setting contents to form button groups 36 to 39, and these button groups 36 to 39 are colored in colors with high distinctiveness. With the above configuration, the buttons used for each setting operation are clear, so that each setting operation can be performed more easily and quickly. Further, further improvement in operability in the setting operation can be expected.

Further, in this embodiment, each of the panel portions 13a ₁ to 13a provided with the above button groups 36 to 39 is provided.
3a ₅ is a first panel unit 13 provided with a program button 22 operated at the start and end of the program setting.
a ₁ and enter buttons 24 and 25 operated at time setting
Panel portion 13a ₂ provided with an advance button 26
When, a third panel section 13a ₃ for operation switching button 27 and the temperature decreasing button 28 and heated button 29 which is operated when the temperature setting is provided, the setting button 31 holidays and week selection button 30 which is operated during the week setting is provided 4th panel part 1
3a ₄ are arranged in a position row from left to right, but since the arrangement order of the respective panel portions 13a _{1 to} 13a ₄ is as close as possible to a normal setting procedure, in the structure, by operating the button of the respective panel portions 13a ₁ ~13a ₄ in accordance with the arrangement order of each panel portion 13a ₁ ~13a _4, a program setting operation more easily in a natural order of operations In addition, the setting operation can be performed accurately, and the operability in the setting operation is further improved.

Further, in this embodiment, since the daylight saving time button 33 is provided, the daylight saving time can be easily set only by operating the daylight saving time button 33. The operability in the setting operation can be further improved as compared with the case where the setting changing operation is required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a control system of an air conditioner including a setback timer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the setback timer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the setback timer shown in FIG. 1 in a cover mounted state.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the setback timer shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an operation procedure diagram of time setting in a setback timer.

FIG. 6 is an operation procedure diagram for setting a time zone of a normal operation in a setback timer.

FIG. 7 is an operation procedure diagram of holiday setting in a setback timer.

FIG. 8 is an operation procedure diagram for setting a time zone of a setback operation in a setback timer.

FIG. 9 is an operation procedure diagram of a setback temperature in a setback timer.

FIG. 10 is an operation procedure diagram of an operation temperature in a setback timer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is an outdoor unit, 2 is an indoor unit, 3 is a remote controller,
4 is a setback timer, 5 is a wall surface, 11 is a main body, 1
2 is a display unit, 13 is an operation unit, 13a is an upper arrangement unit, 13
a ₁ is the first panel portion, 13a ₂ and the second panel section, 13a ₃
The third panel section, the fourth panel portion 13a _4, 13a ₅ fifth panel portions, 13a ₆ sixth panel portion, 13b is lower arrangement part, 14 cover, the display screen 15, 15a is first A display area, 15b is a second display area, 15c is a third display area, 15d is a fourth display area, 21 is an operation switch, 22 is a program button, 23 is an operation selection button,
24 is a decision button, 25 is a late button, 26 is an advance button, 27 is an operation switching button, 28 is a cooling button, 29 is a heating button, 30 is a day selection button, 31 is a holiday setting button, 32 is a clock button, 33 is a summer time button,
34 is a release button, 35 is a division line, 36 to 39 are buttons, 41 is a lock display, 42 is a program setting display,
3 is ON-OFF display, 44 is day indicator, 45 is daylight saving time setting display, 46 is clock display, 47 is day display, 52 is set temperature, 53 is normal operation time zone display, 54 is time indicator,
55 and 56 are sub lane markings, 62 is operation switching display, 63 is setback temperature, 64 is setback time zone display, 6
5 is a time index.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kentaro Niki 1304 Kanaokacho, Sakai-shi, Osaka Daikin Industries, Ltd. Sakai Seisakusho Kanaoka Plant F-term (reference) 3L060 AA05 CC08 DD01 EE02

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner that performs control based on a preset program so as to shift to a second set temperature only in a specific time zone of a time zone in which a normal operation based on a first set temperature is performed. A setback timer of the machine, comprising a plurality of input buttons (2
The buttons (22) to (34) which are the most frequently used in the setting operation and the other buttons (23) to (3)
4) A setback timer for an air conditioner, characterized in that both can be identified. 2. An air conditioner which performs control based on a preset program so as to shift to the second set temperature only in a specific time zone in a time zone in which the normal operation based on the first set temperature is performed. A setback timer of the machine, comprising a plurality of input buttons (2
The buttons (22) to (31) related to the program setting and the buttons (32) to (3) not related to the program setting
4) A setback timer for an air conditioner, characterized in that both can be identified. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, among the plurality of buttons (22) to (34), buttons (22) to (31) related to program setting can be identified for each setting. A setback timer for an air conditioner, characterized in that: 4. The button group (37) according to claim 3, wherein the buttons (22) to (31) are a first button group (36) related to start and end of program setting, and a second button group (37) related to time setting. , The third related to temperature setting
A setback timer for an air conditioner, which is divided into a button group (38) and a fourth button group (39) related to week setting. 5. A daylight saving time button (33) for setting daylight saving time according to claim 2, wherein one of the buttons (32) to (34) not involved in the program setting is one of the plurality of buttons (22) to (34). A setback timer for an air conditioner. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of buttons (22) to (34) are identifiable by coloring a panel portion of each of the buttons (22) to (34). A setback timer for an air conditioner, wherein the timer is set. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of buttons (22) to (34) partition each of the buttons (22) to (34) by a partition line (35). A setback timer for an air conditioner, characterized in that the setback timer is identifiable.