JP2006194562A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a cleaning brush from curling while eliminating the firm locked state of a gear mechanism at the stop of a motor for moving an air filter. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner is provided with the air filter 30 disposed along an air suction port 21 of an indoor unit; a filter cleaning means 50 disposed on a part of the air filter 30; a driving means 40 for linearly moving a moved body which is one of the air filter 30 and filter cleaning means 50, in a predetermined direction by the motor 41 through rotation - linear motion converting mechanisms 43, 31; and a control means for controlling the driving means 40. The control means rotates the motor 41 to move the moved body into a predetermined position and to stop it and then rotates the motor 41 reversely by a predetermined amount. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner equipped with an air filter cleaning means.

  The air conditioner (air conditioner) includes a split type in which an indoor unit (indoor unit) and an outdoor unit (outdoor unit) are separated, and an integrated type in which the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are housed in the same housing. In any type, an air filter is provided at the air inlet of the indoor unit in order to prevent dust in the air from adhering to the fins of the heat exchanger.

  Dust accumulates on the air filter in proportion to the accumulated operation time of the air conditioner. If this is left unattended, not only the air-conditioning capacity is lowered but also unsanitary. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically remove and clean the air filter, but this cleaning is troublesome for the user.

  In particular, in the case of a split type air conditioner, since many indoor units are installed at a high place near the ceiling, it is necessary to get on a chair or the like even if the air filter is removed, and there is a risk of falling. For this reason, cleaning the air filter tends to be avoided.

  In order to solve this problem, an air conditioner has been proposed that can automatically clean an air filter without bothering a user. One of them is Patent Document 1. In the air conditioner described in Patent Literature 1, an air filter disposed along the inner surface of the air suction port is reciprocally movable by a motor, and a cleaning brush that contacts the air filter is provided in the movement path. Install a built-in dust box, drive the motor when the specified accumulated operating time is reached or in response to an instruction signal from the remote control, move the air filter, and scrape the dust into the dust box with a cleaning brush. Yes.

JP 2004-101101 A

  According to the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, dust adhered to the air filter is scraped into the dust box by the cleaning brush by reciprocating the air filter with a motor. The air filter can be automatically cleaned without bothering.

  However, when the air filter is returned to the initial set position and left as it is, the hair tip portion of the cleaning brush is fixed while facing the return direction. Then, since the cleaning operation of the air filter is not frequently performed, the cleaning brush may become wrinkled and it may be difficult to collect dust during the next cleaning operation.

  Further, since the air filter is moved while being rubbed with a cleaning brush, a considerable load is applied to the motor. For this reason, when the motor is stopped by returning the air filter to the initial set position corresponding to the air suction port, the motor-side output gear and the air filter-side rack are locked in a tightly engaged state. There is a risk of malfunction such as tooth breakage.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a first object of the present invention is to remove dust adhering to the air filter by moving the cleaning brush relative to the air filter. When scratching, the cleaning brush is prevented from being wrinkled when the movement is stopped. The second object of the present invention is to remove the cause of failure of the gear mechanism by releasing the lock state of the gear mechanism in an overload state that occurs when the motor for moving the air filter is stopped.

  In order to achieve the first object, the invention described in claim 1 includes an air filter disposed along an air inlet of an indoor unit, and a filter cleaning means disposed on a part of the air filter. In the air conditioner comprising either one of the air filter or the filter cleaning means as a moving body, a driving means for moving the moving body, and a control means for controlling the driving means, the control means Is characterized in that the driving means is moved to a predetermined position at the end of cleaning by the driving means and stopped, and then the driving means is reversed by a predetermined amount.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the state in which the filter cleaning means is located on one end side of the air filter is defined as an initial set position, and the movable body is moved in the outward direction from the initial set position. Then, the drive means is reversed by a predetermined amount after moving in the backward direction and returning to the initial set position.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, after the movable body is returned to the initial set position, the movable body is further moved by a predetermined amount in the backward direction, and then the driving means is disposed. It is characterized in that the fixed amount is reversed and the initial set position is restored again.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the control means sets the moving body as the initial setting position in a state where the filter cleaning means is positioned on one end side of the air filter. After moving in the forward direction from the set position, it is moved in the backward direction, and when moving in the backward direction, the movable body is moved to a predetermined position beyond the initial set position, and then the driving means is moved by a predetermined amount. It is characterized by returning to the initial set position by reverse rotation.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the drive means is a motor, and the filter cleaning means has a cleaning brush that contacts the air filter with a predetermined pressure. The reverse rotation amount of the motor is determined so as to prevent wrinkling of the cleaning brush.

  In order to achieve the second object, an invention according to claim 6 is an air filter disposed along an air suction port of an indoor unit, and a filter cleaning means disposed on a part of the air filter. Driving means for moving either the air filter or the filter cleaning means linearly in a predetermined direction by a motor via a rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism, and the drive In the air conditioner including the control means for controlling the means, the control means moves the stopped body by the driving means and stops the moving object, and then the backlash included in the driving means It is characterized by reversing the motor.

  According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, after the moving object is moved to a predetermined position (for example, the initial position of the air filter) at the end of cleaning and stopped, the driving means is reversed by a predetermined amount. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cleaning brush from becoming wrinkled.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, after the moving object is moved and stopped, the motor is reversely rotated by the amount of backlash included in the driving means. Excessive stress applied to the rack on the air filter side is relieved, and the cause of failure of the gear mechanism can be removed.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of an indoor unit provided as an example of an air conditioner according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an air filter cleaning portion of the indoor unit, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing a limit switch for detecting the initial set position of the air filter, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a control system of the air conditioner according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in this embodiment.

  First, referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the indoor unit according to this embodiment is a wall-hanging type, and the casing 1 includes a lower panel 10 including a base plate 11 fixed to an indoor wall (not shown), and a lower part. And an upper panel 20 attached to the upper surface side of the panel 10. The air conditioner of the present invention may be an integrated type.

  The lower panel 10 has a pair of left and right side plates 12 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1) supported by the base plate 11, and a heat exchanger 13 and a blower fan 14 are disposed between the side plates 12. ing. In this example, in order to reduce the size of the indoor unit, the heat exchanger 13 is divided into three heat exchangers 13a to 13c, and two of the heat exchangers 13a and 13b are bent in an L shape. In this state, it is arranged on the front side of the lower panel 10, and the remaining heat exchanger 13c is arranged on the base plate 11 side.

  Therefore, in the lower panel 10, drain pans 15a and 15b are provided on the front side and the back side, respectively. An air outlet 16 is formed on the bottom surface side of the lower panel 10, which is the leeward side of the blower fan 14, and an up / down air direction plate 17 a and a left / right air direction plate 17 b are provided in the air outlet 16. . The air outlet 16 is provided with a diffuser plate 18 that is opened, for example, during forced heating operation or forced cooling operation.

  The upper panel 20 is put on the lower panel 10 so as to cover the upper part of the heat exchangers 13b and 13c. In this example, the upper panel 20 includes an air suction port 21 formed over substantially the entire surface thereof. The air suction port 21 is provided with an air suction grill (not shown).

  By the operation of the blower fan 14, room air is sucked into the housing 1 from the air suction port 21, heat exchanged by the heat exchanger 13, and then blown out into the room through the air outlet 16. An air filter 30 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged along the inner surface of the air suction port 21 in order to prevent dust contained therein from adhering to the inside of the housing 1.

  The air filter 30 may be a general fine air filter. In this case, the air filter 30 is movable from the initial set position in FIG. 1 toward the outside of the apparatus. Therefore, on the front side of the lower panel 10, an open / close panel 19 that is opened when the air filter 30 moves toward the outside of the machine (outside of the housing 1) is provided. Guide means (not shown) for guiding the movement of the filter 30 is provided.

  With reference to FIG. 2, a driving means 40 for moving the air filter 30 and a filter cleaning means 50 for cleaning the air filter 30 as the air filter 30 moves are provided on the lower panel 10 side. Yes.

  The driving means 40 includes an output gear 43 that is driven by a motor 41. In this example, the output gear 43 is connected to an output source gear 42 attached to the output shaft 41 a of the motor 41. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3A, a rack 31 that meshes with the output gear 43 is formed on the air filter 30 side, and the rotational movement of the motor 41 is linearly caused by the output gear 43 and the rack 31. Converted into movement. In this example, a stepping motor in which a reduction gear is built in the motor 41 is used.

  The filter cleaning means 50 has a pencil box-like toast box 51 surrounding both upper and lower surfaces of a part of the air filter 30, and a cleaning brush 52 for scraping off dust from the air filter 30 is provided in the toast box 51.

  The tast box 51 includes a bottom case 51a and a cover case 51b that are combined so as to be openable and closable. The air filter 30 moves between the mating surfaces of both cases 51a and 51b, and is scraped off by the cleaning brush 52 inside. Save the dust that was collected.

  The cleaning brush 52 is constantly held by the holder provided in the tast box 51 so as to contact the air filter 30. In this example, there are three brushes 52 a to 52 c as the cleaning brush 52, and two of the brushes 52 a and 52 b are arranged on the front side (windward side) of the air filter 30, and the remaining brushes 52 c are those of the air filter 30. It is arranged on the back side (leeward side).

  In this example, of the brushes 52a and 52b arranged on the front side of the air filter 30, one brush 52a is implanted so as to be substantially orthogonal to the air filter 30, and the other brush 52b is an air filter. 30 is inclined so as to be reversed when moving toward the outside of the machine. Further, the brush 52c disposed on the back surface side of the air filter 30 is implanted so as to be substantially orthogonal to the air filter 30 like the brush 52a. The brush 52c is pressed against the air filter 30 by a spring 53. It has been.

  Here, the upper end of the air filter 30 (the right end near the base plate 11 in FIG. 1 and the upper end side in FIG. 3A) is 30a, and the lower end of the air filter 30 (the left side that is taken out of the machine in FIG. 1) The other end, the lower end in FIG.

  Regarding the moving direction of the air filter 30, the moving direction from the upper end 30a toward the lower end 30b is defined as the forward direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3A), and the moving direction from the lower end 30b toward the upper end 30a is defined as the return direction. (In the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3A).

  With reference to the initial set position of the air filter 30 in FIG. 1, the toast box 51 is disposed on the lower end 30b side of the air filter 30, and as shown in FIG. A limit switch 60 for detecting 30 initial set positions is provided. In this example, a micro switch is used as the limit switch 60, but a photocoupler or the like may be used.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, the outer frame 32 of the air filter 30 is formed with a recess 32a that faces the limit switch 60 at the initial setting position. Therefore, when the air filter 30 is in the initial set position, the output of the limit switch 60 is turned off.

  Next, the control system of the air conditioner according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This control system includes an indoor unit control unit 100 and an outdoor unit control unit 200. The indoor unit control unit 100 receives an operation instruction signal from the remote controller 110 and a detection signal from the limit switch 60 for detecting the filter position. Although not shown, a temperature signal is also input from the room temperature sensor.

  The indoor unit control unit 100 includes, as main control functions, a remote control signal determination unit 101 that analyzes and determines an operation instruction signal from the remote controller 110, an operation mode memory unit 102 that stores operation mode programs such as cooling, heating, and dehumidification. An operation state determination unit 103, a timer unit 104, an operation integration time memory unit 105 for automatically cleaning the air filter, and a filter state determination unit 106 are provided. By these control functions, an air filter driving stepping motor 41, It controls the drive motor 121 of the vertical wind direction plate 17a, the drive motor 122 of the left and right wind direction plate 17b, the fan motor 123 of the blower fan 14, and the main body display unit 124.

  Although not shown, the main body display unit 124 is provided with, for example, a red LED and a green LED for displaying an operation state, a filter cleaning state, and the like. Further, the indoor unit control unit 100 sends a compressor control signal to the outdoor unit control unit 200.

  The outdoor unit control unit 200 includes an operation mode determination unit 201, a compressor control unit 202, and a four-way valve control unit 203 as main control functions, from a compressor control signal from the indoor unit control unit 100 and an outside air temperature sensor (not shown). The compressor 211, the outdoor fan motor 212, and the four-way valve 213 are controlled based on the detected temperature signal.

  When the filter cleaning signal is output from the remote controller 110 or when the accumulated operation time of the air conditioner reaches a predetermined time, the indoor unit control unit 100 interrupts the operation of the air conditioner and enters the air filter cleaning mode. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the power of the air conditioner is turned on in step ST11, it is determined whether or not an operation start is instructed from the remote control in step ST12. If the operation is started, a time for entering an auto clean (automatic cleaning) operation is determined. Therefore, after starting the operation integration time timer in step ST13, it is determined in step ST14 whether or not the air conditioner has been stopped. The operation stop state here includes not only when the operation stop signal is input from the remote controller but also when the “off” timer is timed up and when the “on” timer setting signal is input.

  If the operation is not stopped, it is determined in step ST15 in the next stage whether or not the auto clean operation is set by a remote controller or the like. This auto clean operation setting is not limited to simple ON / OFF setting, but may be a setting of auto clean operation “on” time (for example, in increments of 50 hours between 150 hours and 300 hours).

  If the auto clean operation has been set in step ST15, it is determined in step ST16 whether or not the auto clean operation “on” time (for example, 200 hours) has been reached. If NO is determined in any of the above steps ST15 and ST16, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped (or returned to the normal operation mode) in step ST17.

  In step ST16, when the auto clean operation “on” time has been reached, in step ST18, the stepping motor 41 is driven to start the operation of lowering the air filter 30 in the forward path A direction. The green LED is turned on. In step ST19, it is determined whether or not the lowering of the air filter 30 is completed.

  In this example, the stepping motor 41 requires 8000 pulses until the descent of the air filter 30 is completed from the initial setting position in FIG. 1 (until the upper end 30a of the air filter 30 reaches the dust box 51). At the time of counting, it is determined that the descent is completed, and the stepping motor 41 is stopped in step ST20. Dust adhering to the air filter 30 during the lowering is scraped off into the dust box 51 by the cleaning brush 52.

  After masking for 2 seconds (stopping the motor for 2 seconds) in step ST21, in step ST22, the stepping motor 41 is rotated in the reverse direction and the air filter 30 is moved upward in the return path B direction. In step ST23, it is determined whether the output of the limit switch 60 has changed from ON to OFF. That is, it is determined whether or not the air filter 30 has returned to the initial set position.

  If the output of the limit switch 60 is OFF, the stepping motor 41 is stopped in step ST24, but the air filter 30 is lifted while being rubbed by the cleaning brush 52, and a considerable load is applied to the stepping motor 41. Therefore, when the motor is stopped, the output gear 43 and the rack 31 are locked in a state where they are firmly meshed with each other. Further, the cleaning brush 52 is also in a state in which its hair tip is dragged by the air filter 30, and if it is left for a long time as it is, there is a risk that it will become wrinkled.

  In order to eliminate this, in step ST25, the stepping motor 41 is reversed by a predetermined amount in the downward direction. The amount of reverse rotation is preferably within the range of backlash that the output gear 43 has as a guide. Since the output gear 43 in this example has a diameter of 26 mm and a backlash of 1 mm (4.4 ° in angle), the stepping motor 41 rotates in the downward direction so that the reverse rotation amount of the stepping motor 41 is within the range. 20 pulses are given as pulses.

  According to this, the firm locking state between the output gear 43 and the rack 31 is eliminated, but the air filter 30 hardly moves with this number of pulses, and thus effective for eliminating the wrinkle of the cleaning brush 52. I can not say. Therefore, the rotational pulses in the downward direction may be increased in order to eliminate wrinkling of the cleaning brush 52. In this case, since the movement amount of the air filter 30 may be small, the stepping motor 41 is not excessively loaded, and the above-described strong lock state does not occur when the motor is stopped.

  After reversing the stepping motor 41 by a predetermined amount in step ST25, the stepping motor 41 is stopped in step ST26, then the operation integration time timer is reset in step ST27, and the operation of the air conditioner is stopped in step ST28 (or normal) To return to driving mode). When the filter cleaning operation is instructed directly from the remote controller 110, the operation integration time timer is ignored and the operation of the air conditioner is interrupted, and then step ST18 and subsequent steps are executed.

  In the above operation example, when the air filter 30 returns to the initial setting position (when the output of the limit switch 60 turns from ON to OFF), the stepping motor 41 is reversed by a predetermined amount. There is a possibility that the lower end 30b of the air filter 30 jumps out of the apparatus. In order to prevent this, the present invention includes other modes 1 and 2 described below. Referring to FIG. 3, the first position of the upper end 30a of the air filter 30 at the initial setting position is Sa.

  First, the aspect 1 will be described. The steps ST11 to ST24 may be the same. That is, the stepping motor 41 is temporarily stopped when the air filter 30 is raised in the return path B direction and returned to the initial set position. In this aspect 1, the stepping motor 41 is subsequently given a rotation pulse in the upward direction. For example, about 100 pulses, the air filter 30a is further raised to the second position Sb above the first position Sa, and then the stepping motor 41 is reversed to return the air filter 30 to the initial setting position again. .

  Next, in aspect 2, the above steps ST11 to ST23 are executed, but the subsequent steps are different. That is, even if the air filter 30 is returned to the initial setting position and the output of the limit switch 60 turns from ON to OFF in step ST23, the air filter 30 can be moved all at once without ignoring it and stopping the stepping motor 41, for example. After raising to the second position Sb, the stepping motor 41 is reversed to return the air filter 30 to the initial setting position.

  According to the above-described aspects 1 and 2, even if the stepping motor 41 is reversed, the lower end 30b of the air filter 30 does not jump out of the apparatus. Further, both the strong locking state of the output gear 43 and the rack 31 and the wrinkle phenomenon of the cleaning brush 52 can be effectively eliminated.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated according to the example of illustration, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the configurations of the dust box 51 and the cleaning brush 52 may be arbitrarily changed. Further, the filter cleaning means is not limited to a brush. For example, the air filter may be cleaned by a negative pressure suction head alone or a negative pressure suction head with a brush using the principle of a vacuum cleaner.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the filter cleaning means side is made into a fixed position and the air filter side is moved, you may make it move the filter cleaning means side with respect to an air filter. The moving direction may be not only the vertical direction but also the horizontal direction.

  The present invention can also be applied to devices having an air filter, such as a dehumidifier, a dryer, and an air cleaner.

Sectional drawing which shows schematically the internal structure of the indoor unit with which the air conditioner by this invention is provided as an example. The enlarged view which shows the air filter cleaning part of the said indoor unit. (A) is a perspective view which shows the air filter provided in the said indoor unit, (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the limit switch for the initial set position detection of an air filter. The schematic block diagram which shows an example of the control system of the air conditioner by this invention. The flowchart for demonstrating the operation example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing | casing of indoor unit 10 Lower panel 11 Base plate 12 Side plate 13 Heat exchanger 14 Blower fan 16 Air blower outlet 17a Vertical wind direction plate 17b Left and right wind direction plate 19 Opening and closing door 20 Upper panel 21 Air suction port 30 Air filter 31 Rack 40 Drive Means 41 Stepping motor 43 Output gear 50 Filter cleaning means 51 Dust box 52 Cleaning brush 60 Limit switch

Claims (6)

An air filter disposed along the air inlet of the indoor unit, a filter cleaning unit disposed on a part of the air filter, and either the air filter or the filter cleaning unit as a moving body, In an air conditioner including a driving unit that moves a moving object and a control unit that controls the driving unit.
The air conditioner characterized in that the control means reverses the drive means by a predetermined amount after the driven means is moved to a predetermined position at the end of cleaning by the drive means and stopped.   The control means sets the state where the filter cleaning means is positioned on one end side of the air filter as an initial set position, moves the movable body from the initial set position in the forward direction, and then moves in the return direction. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is reversely rotated by a predetermined amount after being returned to the initial set position.   The control means returns the movable body to the initial set position, and further moves the movable body by a predetermined amount in the backward direction, and then reverses the driving means by a predetermined amount to return to the initial set position again. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioner is returned.   The control means sets the state where the filter cleaning means is positioned on one end side of the air filter as an initial set position, moves the movable body from the initial set position in the forward direction, and then moves in the return direction. When moving in the backward direction, the movable body is moved to a predetermined position beyond the initial set position, and then the driving means is reversed by a predetermined amount to return to the initial set position. Item 2. An air conditioner according to Item 1.   The drive means is a motor, and the filter cleaning means includes a cleaning brush that contacts the air filter at a predetermined pressure, and the reverse rotation amount of the motor is prevented so as to prevent the cleaning brush from being wrinkled. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air conditioner is determined. An air filter disposed along the air inlet of the indoor unit, a filter cleaning unit disposed on a part of the air filter, and either the air filter or the filter cleaning unit as a moving body, In an air conditioner comprising: a drive unit that linearly moves a moving object in a predetermined direction via a rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism by a motor; and a control unit that controls the drive unit.
The air conditioner characterized in that the control means reverses the motor by the amount of backlash included in the driving means after the moving means is moved and stopped by the driving means.

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