JP2003021353A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner wherein ozone produced in an electric dust collector provided in an indoor unit is spread in the indoor unit without requiring additional electric power to increase ozone concentration and securely reduce various bacteria and mold for reducing the breeding of such bacteria and mold. SOLUTION: There is provided an indoor unit 3 for containing an indoor heat exchanger 8, a two stage type electric dust collector 32 including an indoor heat exchanger 8, an ionizer section 33 capable of production of ozone disposed on a front surface side of the indoor heat exchanger 8, and a collector section 34, and an indoor fan 10 for sucking indoor air and blow off sucked conditioning air. In the indoor unit 3, the foregoing electric dust collector 32 is formed such that an earthing plate of the ionizer section 33 and a negative electrode plate of the collector section 34 are at the same electric potential at all times, and control means is provided in an indoor control section for controlling to an operation mode in which electric power is supplied only to the ionizer section 33 and is not supplied to the collector section 34.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with a two-stage electric dust collector on the front side of an indoor heat exchanger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, in an air conditioner having an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, heat exchange between the indoor heat exchanger provided inside the indoor unit and the indoor air is performed. An indoor fan is provided to promote the indoor air, the indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit by the indoor fan, the sucked indoor air is sent to the indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange, and the air after heat exchange is blown out again into the room. There is.

Therefore, the indoor unit is sucked into the indoor unit together with the indoor air, and dust and dirt are apt to adhere to the inner wall surface of the indoor unit, the indoor fan and the indoor heat exchanger provided inside the indoor unit. There is a problem that bacteria and mold contained in dust and dirt will propagate. In particular, after the cooling operation is stopped, the condensed water condensed in the indoor heat exchanger evaporates in the indoor unit, and the humidity inside the indoor unit increases,
There is a problem that more bacteria and fungi will grow.

When these germs and fungi propagate, there is a possibility that a bad odor will be generated when the air conditioner is operating, and that germs and fungi spores will be blown into the room.
Not good for hygiene. Further, if mold attached to the indoor heat exchanger or the indoor fan propagates, there is a possibility that the resistance of the ventilation path may be reduced or the air volume of the indoor fan may be reduced, resulting in deterioration of the performance of the air conditioner.

Therefore, immediately after the end of the cooling operation, a drying operation including a heating operation and a blowing operation is executed to evaporate and discharge the moisture in the indoor unit to reduce the humidity in the indoor unit and to propagate germs and mold. Although it has been prevented, hot hot air may be blown into the room or the humidity in the room may be increased, which may cause discomfort to the occupants.

[0006] In such a situation, on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger in the indoor unit, a two-stage type electrostatic precipitator equipped with an ionizer part and a collector part capable of generating ozone is used. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an air conditioner provided so as to be located on the device side and configured to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold in an indoor unit by utilizing an ozone generation function together with dust collection.

However, in the air conditioner equipped with the electric dust collector as described above, when normal electricity is applied so that dust is collected in the electric dust collector, ozone generated is on the side opposite to the collector portion, that is, indoor heat exchange. It moves toward the inner wall of the front side of the indoor unit, not toward the container. For this reason,
It is quite difficult to increase the ozone concentration in the entire indoor unit with this normal power supply, and it is possible to obtain sufficient effect to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold by sterilizing and sterilizing the entire indoor unit. I can't.

Further, it is necessary to rotate the indoor fan in order to direct the generated ozone toward the indoor unit to increase the ozone concentration inside the indoor unit and to make the ozone concentration inside the indoor unit uniform. , Electric power is required to operate the indoor fan, and if the electricity precipitator is continuously energized to increase the concentration of ozone inside the indoor unit without operating the indoor fan, the ozone concentration inside and outside the indoor unit becomes too high. As a result, the parts inside the indoor unit and the human body may be adversely affected.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object thereof is to eliminate ozone generated by an electrostatic precipitator provided in an indoor unit, extra power, etc. It is not necessary to prevent the ozone concentration inside and outside the indoor unit from becoming too high, and to spread it inside the indoor unit to increase the ozone concentration of the entire inside, and to prevent bacteria and fungi attached to each internal device part. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that surely sterilizes, sterilizes, etc. to reduce the growth of germs and mold.

[0010]

The air conditioner of the present invention comprises:
An indoor heat exchanger, a two-stage type electrostatic precipitator which is arranged on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger and comprises an ionizer capable of generating ozone and a collector, and an indoor fan which sucks indoor air and blows conditioned air In an air conditioner having an indoor unit for accommodating the electric dust collector, the electrostatic precipitator is formed so that the negative electrode of the ionizer section and the negative electrode of the collector section are always at the same potential, and the electric precipitator has only the ionizer section. Is provided with control means for controlling to an operation mode in which the collector section is energized and the collector section is de-energized. Furthermore, the ozone concentration inside the indoor unit is controlled without rotating the indoor fan. In addition, it is possible to control the ratio of the energization time to the collector part of the electrostatic precipitator and the non-energization time, The ozone is directed toward the outside (anti-collector portion direction) and inward (to the collector portion direction) to control the ozone concentration inside the indoor unit. The ozone concentration in the indoor unit is controlled by controlling the ratio of the energized time and the de-energized time of the high voltage power source of the electrostatic precipitator, and further, the temperature detection in the indoor unit is performed. Means or humidity detection means is provided, and the ozone concentration inside the indoor unit is controlled by changing the ratio of energization time and de-energization time of the high-voltage power supply of the electrostatic precipitator based on the detected temperature or humidity. Further, the invention is characterized in that the generation concentration of ozone is controlled by intermittently rotating the indoor fan. By controlling the voltage applied to the ionizer unit of the electrostatic precipitator, it is characterized in that so as to control the generation density of ozone.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
It will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a sectional view of an indoor unit, FIG. 2 is a control circuit diagram, FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an electrostatic precipitator, FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of an electrostatic precipitator, and FIG. 5 is an electrostatic precipitator. 5 (a) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the negative electrodes of the ionizer section and the collector section are at the same potential and is normally energized, FIG. 5 (b).
Is a diagram showing a state in which the negative electrodes of the ionizer section and the collector section have the same potential and only the ionizer section is energized.
(C) is a diagram showing a state in which only the ionizer part is energized without the collector part, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between humidity, temperature and ozone generation concentration, and FIG. 7 is an ionization line of the ionizer part. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the relationship between the position of the earth plates and the flow direction of ozone, and FIG. 7A shows a case where the ionization wire is stretched along the center of the width between the earth plates. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a case where the ionization line is 3 mm from the position of FIG. 7A on the side opposite to the collector portion, and FIG. 7C.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a case where the ionization line is 6 mm away from the position shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air conditioner 1 is
A compressor 4 and a four-way valve 5, which are provided in the outdoor unit 2 and which are composed of an outdoor unit 2 installed outdoors O and an indoor unit 3 installed in an indoor room R for air conditioning, and an outdoor heat exchanger 6, An outdoor expansion valve 7, which is an electric expansion valve whose opening can be finely controlled, and an indoor heat exchanger 8 provided in the indoor unit 3 are connected so as to form a refrigeration cycle. Is switched to flow in the direction of the solid line arrow in the drawing during the cooling operation or dehumidifying operation, and in the direction of the dotted arrow in the drawing during the heating operation, so that the room R installed can be cooled, heated, and dehumidified. .

The outdoor unit 2 has an outdoor heat exchanger 6
The indoor fan 3 is provided with a variable speed outdoor fan 9 that promotes heat exchange, and the indoor unit 3 is provided with an indoor fan 10 that is a variable speed cross-flow fan that promotes heat exchange with the indoor heat exchanger 8. The indoor heat exchanger 8 is formed by combining a rear heat exchange portion 8a and a larger front heat exchange portion 8b in an inverted V shape, and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and the indoor heat exchanger 8 are combined. Is a so-called fin tube heat exchanger, which is composed of a plurality of aluminum fins and a copper pipe penetrating the fins in a meandering manner.

Further, 11 is an inverter connected so as to make the operating frequency of the compressor 4 variable, and is connected to an AC power source 12 via a main switch 13. And
When performing cooling, heating, etc., the inverter 1
1 is controlled according to the indoor temperature load (difference between the room temperature of the room R and the set temperature), and the outdoor expansion valve 7, which is an electric expansion valve, has its opening controlled according to the refrigeration cycle state. There is. Although not shown in the figure, required power can be supplied from the AC power supply 12 to each part of the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3.

Further, both units 2 and 3 are operated by a refrigerating cycle in accordance with a predetermined operation program, so that a microcomputer (C.
P. U) provided with an outdoor control unit 14 and an indoor control unit 15
Are provided, and the operation is executed based on the contents programmed in advance or the contents set prior to the operation. Both control units 14 and 15 are connected by a connection line 16, and required control signals and data are exchanged between the control units 14 and 15 via the connection line 16.

Further, the indoor control unit 15 is provided with an instruction to start or end the operation by an infrared signal transmitted from a wireless remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 17a provided outside the indoor unit 3, and a user A transmitter / receiver 17b that receives the set room temperature, air volume, wind direction, and other settings related to operation, a temperature sensor 18 that includes a thermistor that detects the room temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned room R, and a humidity formed of ceramics. The sensor 19 is connected. Further, the remote controller 17a includes a transmitting / receiving unit 17b.
The room temperature, driving status, etc. are transmitted from and the details are displayed.

On the other hand, the indoor unit 3 is installed on the wall Q near the ceiling of the room R for air conditioning as shown in FIG. 1, and is connected to the outdoor unit 2 through a wall opening (not shown) formed on the wall Q. The connection line 16 is connected by a refrigerant pipe 20. In addition, the indoor unit 3 has a front opening 21 in the front portion, an upper suction port 22 that opens upward in the upper part, and a rotatable blowout louver 23a in the lower part, and a blowout port 23 that opens downward as the blowing direction is variable.
An indoor fan 10 is provided in a main body case 24 of a laterally elongated housing in which an inner motor 26 rotates a laterally long transverse fan 25 whose axial direction is the longitudinal direction. In addition, the blowout port 23 is provided with a horizontally long blowout louver 23a that can be rotated up and down to make the air blowout direction variable.

Further, inside the body case 24 of the indoor unit 3, the front opening 21 and the upper suction port 22 through the air outlet 23 are provided.
Toward the main air passage 27 by the indoor fan 10.
Are formed. In the main flow passage 27, the indoor heat exchanger 8 is provided on the upstream side of the indoor fan 10 so that the larger front heat exchange portion 8b faces the front opening 21, and the rear heat exchange portion 8a is provided. It is arranged so as to be connected to the upper portion of the front heat exchange portion 8b and to face the upper rear portion of the main body case 24. At this time, in the front side heat exchange section 8b formed in an arc shape, the front drain pan provided in the partition member 28 whose lower end edge constitutes the lower front wall portion of the main passage 27 with the convex side facing forward. 29, and the rear side heat exchange section 8a is provided so that the lower end edge is located in the rear drain pan 31 provided on the back plate 30 that constitutes the rear wall portion of the main flow passage 27. Has been. Further, in the main flow passage 27 between the front opening 21, the upper suction port 22 and the front heat exchanger 8b, which are the suction ports for the air in the room R of the indoor unit 3,
A temperature sensor 18 and a humidity sensor 19 are provided.

Further, in the indoor unit 3, the front side heat exchange section 8b is provided on the front upper part of the front side heat exchange section 8b of the indoor heat exchanger 8.
A two-stage electrostatic precipitator 32 having a width dimension of about half the above is attached. The electrostatic precipitator 32 is provided with an ionizer portion 33 that charges fine particles by corona discharge, and a collector portion 34 that collects dust. The ionizer portion 33 is located on the front opening 21 side and the collector portion 34.
Are arranged so as to be on the front side heat exchange portion 8b side. That is, the ionizer portion 33 is located on the upstream side of the air flow by the indoor fan 10, and the collector portion 34 is located on the downstream side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the ionizer portion 33 is a thin plate-like member having a predetermined plate width horizontally arranged along the front surface of the front heat exchanging portion 8b so that a predetermined space is provided in the vertical direction. Ground plate 35 and adjacent ground plate 35
An ionization line 36 is provided in the center of the space and stretched horizontally along the center of the plate width in a state of being electrically insulated from each other. On the other hand, in the collector portion 34, a plurality of positive electrode plates 37 and negative electrode plates 38 whose plate surfaces are in the vertical direction are alternately arranged so that a predetermined space is provided in the horizontal direction, and similarly, the collector parts 34 are electrically connected to each other. Is electrically insulated.

Further, in the electrostatic precipitator 32, the ground plate 35 of the ionizer section 33 and the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector section 34 are connected so as to have the same potential, and the ionization line 36 of the ionizer section 33 is connected to the high voltage power supply 39. By applying the first high voltage V _H1 , for example, 4 kV to 5 kV, the ionizer unit 33 can be operated. On the positive electrode plate 37 of the collector section 34, the second high voltage V _H2 lower than the ionization line 36, for example, 3 kV to 4 kV, is turned on by the control switch 40 provided in the indoor control section 15 by the high voltage power supply 39. By applying it, the collector section 34 can be stopped and only the ionizer section 33 can be operated by turning it off.

With the above-mentioned configuration, the required operation is executed under the control of the outdoor control unit 14 and the indoor control unit 15. That is, although not shown, by operating the remote controller 17a, an operation mode such as cooling, heating, and dehumidification is selected, a required room temperature is set, and the operation is started, whereby the outdoor controller 14 and the indoor controller 15 are operated. The air-conditioning operation is performed in accordance with the setting contents by, and the operation is similarly controlled according to the setting contents to end the operation.

When operating the electrostatic precipitator 32 to clean the air during operation, etc., the remote controller 17a is operated at any time.
The corresponding dust collector 32 is operated by operating the corresponding button (not shown). Then, when the electrostatic precipitator 32 is operated, the first high voltage V _H1 and the second high voltage V _H1 are applied to the ionization line 36 of the ionizer section 33 and the positive electrode plate 37 of the collector section 34, respectively.
The high voltage V _H2 is applied, and the corona discharge of the ionization line 36 charges the fine particles such as mold and dust in the air which is sucked into the indoor unit 3 by the indoor fan 10 and passes through this, and follows the flow of air. It flows into the collector portion 34 and is collected in the negative electrode plate 38.

Furthermore, the air conditioner 1 can perform normal cooling operation, heating operation, and dehumidifying operation, and in the state where the cooling operation, heating operation, and dehumidifying operation are stopped,
Ozone is generated by operating the electric dust collector 32,
It is possible to perform a clean process to reduce the growth of bacteria and mold due to ozone generated. This clean process is performed by stopping the operation of the refrigeration cycle, stopping the operation of the indoor fan 10 and the like, and operating only the electrostatic precipitator 32.

The clean process by operating only the electrostatic precipitator 32 is performed by the ground plate 35 of the ionizer 33.
And the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector portion 34 are at the same potential, no voltage is applied to the positive electrode plate 37 of the collector portion 34, and the collector portion 34 is not operated, the ionization line 36 of the ionizer portion 33 is A first high voltage V _H1 , for example 4 kV to 5 kV, is applied by the high voltage power supply 39 to
Only the ionizer unit 33 is operated. As a result, the ozone generated by the discharge of the ionization line 36 is attracted to the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector portion 34, and as shown by the outlined arrow in FIG. , Most of them face the collector section.

As a result, ozone is directed to the inside of the indoor unit 3 as a natural flow and the concentration of ozone in the indoor unit 3 can be increased without the forced formation of an air flow by the indoor fan 10 or the like, and By sterilizing and sterilizing the entire interior of the indoor unit including the heat exchanger 8, the main flow passage 27, the indoor fan 10, etc., it is possible to reduce the growth of germs and mold. Further, at this time, since it is not necessary to rotate the indoor fan, no extra electric power is required, and since the ozone concentration is not increased more than necessary, the ozone concentration inside and outside the indoor unit 3 becomes too high. Therefore, there is no fear of adversely affecting the parts inside the indoor unit 3 or the human body.

The concentration of ozone generated depends on the temperature and humidity conditions, the voltage applied to the ionization line 36 of the ionizer section 33, the energization time, the energization interval, the air volume of the ionizer section 33,
Depending on the wind speed, etc., for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower the humidity and the higher the temperature, the higher the ozone generation concentration.
Further, the higher the voltage applied to the ionization line 36, the longer the energization time, the shorter the energization interval, the smaller the air volume, and the slower the wind speed, the higher the ozone generation concentration.

For this reason, the indoor control unit 15 uses the ionization line 3
Controlling the level of the applied voltage of 6 or the ratio of the energization time to the non-energization time, the interval between the energization time and the non-energization time, and the detection result of the temperature sensor 18 or the humidity sensor 19 determine whether the applied voltage is high or low or the energization time. It is also possible to control the ratio of the non-energization time and the time interval for energization to appropriately adjust the ozone generation concentration as necessary. Further, similarly, the indoor fan 10 may be intermittently rotated to change the air volume and the air velocity to adjust the ozone generation concentration.

Further, as in the case of performing a normal dust collecting operation with the indoor fan 10 stopped, the ground plate 35 of the ionizer portion 33 and the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector portion 34 are set to the same potential, and the ionizer portion 33 is made. When a predetermined voltage is applied to each of the ionization line 36 and the positive electrode plate 37 of the collector section 34, the ozone generated by the corona discharge of the ionization line 36 is as shown by a white arrow in FIG. In addition, it occurs in the direction opposite to the collector portion, that is, toward the front opening 21 of the indoor unit 3. And
In order to direct the generated ozone toward the collector unit, which is the inward direction of the indoor unit 3, it is necessary to operate the indoor fan 10 and direct it into the indoor unit 3 together with the indoor air that is sucked.

The ground plate 35 of the ionizer section 33 is also provided.
When the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector portion 34 and the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector portion 34 are not at the same potential, or when the collector portion 34 is not provided as shown in FIG. 5C, the direction of the ozone generated when the indoor fan 10 is stopped is , It is divided into the anti-collector portion direction and the collector portion direction, and the state does not face the collector portion direction much. Therefore, it is necessary to form the air flow by the indoor fan 10 and the like.

Furthermore, the ground plate 35 of the ionizer part 33 and the negative electrode plate 38 of the collector part 34, as in the case of performing a normal dust collecting operation with the indoor fan 10 stopped.
And the same potential, and the ionization line 36 of the ionizer section 33
When a predetermined voltage is applied to the positive electrode plate 37 of the collector section 34 and ozone, the ozone generated by the corona discharge of the ionization line 36 stretched along the plate width center of the ground plate 35 is generated as shown in FIG. a) (same as in FIG. 5A), as indicated by a white arrow, the light is generated in the direction opposite to the collector portion, that is, toward the front opening 21 of the indoor unit 3.

On the other hand, when the ionization line 36 is moved to the side of the anti-collector portion by 3 mm, a part thereof faces the side of the collector portion as shown by a white arrow in FIG. Side, and in the state where the ionization wire 36 is further moved 6 mm from the center of the width of the ground plate 35 toward the anti-collector portion side, it is reversed and a part of the anti-collector portion is shown as shown by a white arrow in FIG. Although it goes to the side, most of it goes to the side of the anti-collector portion, and a large amount of ozone flows into the indoor unit 3. However, if the position of the ionization line 36 is moved to the anti-collector side, the dust collection efficiency will be significantly reduced, which is not preferable in practice.

[0033]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, ozone generated by the electrostatic precipitator provided in the indoor unit can be spread to the inside of the indoor unit without requiring extra power or the like. , The ozone concentration in the entire interior can be increased, and the ozone concentration inside and outside the indoor unit does not become too high, so it is possible to sterilize and sterilize germs and molds adhered to internal equipment parts without fail. The effect of being able to reduce the reproduction of

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control circuit diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an electrostatic precipitator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of an electrostatic precipitator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an ozone generation state of the electrostatic precipitator according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram and a diagram showing a state in which the negative electrodes of the ionizer section and the collector section are at the same potential and normally energized. 5 (b) shows a state in which the negative electrodes of the ionizer section and the collector section are set to the same potential and only the ionizer section is energized, and FIG. 5 (c) shows a state in which only the ionizer section is energized without the collector section. It is a figure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between humidity, temperature and ozone generation concentration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the positional relationship between the ionization line of the ionizer and the ground plate and the flow direction of ozone according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A shows the ionization line in the center between the ground plates. Diagram showing the case where it is stretched along the board width center,
In Fig. 7 (b), the ionization line is 3 mm from the position in Fig. 7 (a).
FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a case on the side opposite to the collector portion, and FIG. 7C is a diagram showing a case where the ionization line is 6 mm on the side opposite to the collector portion from the position of FIG. 7A.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 ... Indoor unit 8 ... Indoor heat exchanger 10 ... Indoor fan 15 ... Indoor control unit 18 ... Temperature sensor 19 ... Humidity sensor 32 ... Electric dust collector 33 ... Ionizer part 34 ... Collector 35 ... Ground plate 36 ... Ionization line 37 ... Positive electrode plate 38 ... Negative electrode plate 39 ... High-voltage power supply 40 ... Control switch

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An indoor heat exchanger, a two-stage type electrostatic precipitator comprising an ionizer part capable of generating ozone and a collector part, which is arranged on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger, and indoor air that sucks in conditioned air. In an air conditioner having an indoor unit that houses an indoor fan that blows out, the electric dust collector is formed such that the negative electrode of the ionizer portion and the negative electrode of the collector portion are always at the same potential, and the electric dust collector is also provided. Is provided with a control means for controlling an operation mode in which only the ionizer section is energized and the collector section is de-energized. 2. Without rotating the indoor fan,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the ozone concentration inside the indoor unit can be controlled. 3. The direction of generated ozone is directed outward (anti-collector portion direction) and inward (collector portion direction) by controlling the ratio of energization time and non-energization time to the collector part of the electrostatic precipitator. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ozone concentration in the indoor unit is controlled by changing the value to and. 4. The ozone concentration inside the indoor unit is controlled by controlling the ratio of energization time and de-energization time of the high-voltage power supply of the electrostatic precipitator.
Air conditioner described. 5. A temperature detecting means or a humidity detecting means is provided in the indoor unit, and the ratio of the energization time and the de-energization time of the high voltage power source of the electrostatic precipitator is changed based on the detected temperature or humidity, and the interior of the indoor unit The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the ozone concentration of the air conditioner is controlled. 6. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the generation concentration of ozone is controlled by intermittently rotating the indoor fan. 7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of ozone generated is controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the ionizer section of the electrostatic precipitator.