JP2007205617A - Indoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner capable of shortening a cleaning time by reducing labor hour in cleaning an air filter and also improving cleanliness, by enabling switching between a drying operation and a sterilizing operation inside of an indoor unit main body. <P>SOLUTION: This indoor unit of an air conditioner comprises suction openings 4, 5 formed on the indoor unit main body 1 storing a heat exchanger 8 and a blower 10, and air filters 20, 17 disposed in opposition to the suction openings in a state of being movably supported, and comprises an operation mode of a filter cleaning operation for removing dust attached to the air filters, an inside drying operation for drying the inside of an indoor unit main body, and an inside sterilizing operation for sterilizing the inside of the indoor unit main body. This indoor unit has a control portion N comprising an inside cleaning operation mode for selectively executing an operation for executing at least one of the inside drying operation and the inside sterilizing operation with the filter cleaning operation, and an operation for executing at least one of the inside drying operation and the inside sterilizing operation without performing the filter cleaning operation, after the termination of an air conditioning operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an automatic cleaning function for automatically removing dust captured from room air by an air filter from the air filter.

In an indoor unit of an air conditioner, room air is sucked into the main body from the suction port, but dust contained in the room air is captured by an air filter provided facing the suction port, and only the room air is a heat exchanger. It is led to heat exchange. As the air conditioning operation continues, dust trapped in the air filter accumulates, and if left as it is, the flow of indoor air to the heat exchanger is hindered, leading to a decrease in heat exchange efficiency.
In order to improve heat exchange efficiency, it is ideally necessary to periodically remove dust adhering to the air filter. A front panel constituting the front surface of the main body is rotatably provided. When the front panel is opened, the air filter is exposed. The air filter can be easily removed from the main body by grasping and pulling down the lower end of the air filter. After removing the dust adhering to the air filter, it can be returned to its original position by pushing the air filter back into the main body.

However, an indoor unit of an air conditioner that is commonly used is called a so-called wall-mounted type, and is attached to a height of a wall surface of a room. For this reason, for example, it is difficult for elderly people and women to open and close the front panel and to attach and remove the filter, and the air filter is likely to remain dusty.
Thus, for example, [Patent Document 1] discloses an air conditioner including means for automatically removing dust adhering to an air filter. Specifically, for the inverted V-shaped heat exchanger, an air filter is arranged from the front surface of the housing to the upper surface, and the air filter is moved near the top of the heat exchanger to the front and rear surfaces of the housing, A dust removal unit is provided to scrape dust as the air filter moves.
JP 2004-044933 A

According to the technique of the above-mentioned [Patent Document 1], the air filter can be cleaned by reciprocating in the housing without being pulled out of the housing. On the other hand, since the space for storing the air filter in the housing becomes extremely large, it is necessary to redesign the housing and add an air filter housing portion to the entire front outlet and the entire back surface.
Since the dust removal part is composed of a top cover, an under cover, and a fixed brush, it is structurally enlarged, and the mounting position is limited to the vicinity of the top of the heat exchanger, so that the housing is also enlarged. Furthermore, there is a problem that the dust removed from the air filter floats and does not fall on the under cover but falls directly from the air filter surface.

In general, immediately after the cooling operation is stopped, a part of the drain water condensed in the heat exchanger does not flow down and tends to accumulate, or remains in the drain pan and the humidity in the indoor unit main body increases. For this reason, the propagation of germs and molds contained in the dust is enhanced. Therefore, an air conditioner that can perform a drying operation and a sterilization operation inside the indoor unit main body immediately after the cooling operation is stopped has been provided.
However, if dust remains attached to the air filter installed in the aircraft, even if such drying and sterilization operations are performed, the dust adhering to the air filter completely propagates germs and mold. It was difficult to suppress.

  The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a means for automatically removing dust from the air filter without increasing the size of the indoor unit body, thereby reducing the amount of time required for cleaning. None, which aims to provide an air conditioner indoor unit that can shorten the cleaning time and improve the internal cleanliness through a synergistic effect combined with the drying operation and sterilization operation inside the indoor unit body. is there.

  In order to satisfy the above object, an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an indoor unit body that houses a heat exchanger and a blower therein, and a suction port provided on the upstream side of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit body. And an air filter disposed opposite to the suction port and supported movably, and a filter cleaning operation for removing dust adhering to the air filter after completion of the air conditioning operation. After completion of the harmonious operation, the filter cleaning operation is performed and at least one of the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation is performed, and at least one of the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation without performing the filter cleaning operation And a control means having an in-flight clean operation mode for selecting and executing the operation to perform one of them.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time required for air filter cleaning, to shorten the cleaning time, and to improve the cleanliness by a synergistic action combined with the drying operation and the sterilization operation inside the indoor unit main body. Play.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view and a configuration diagram relating to an indoor unit of an air conditioner. (Note that parts not marked in the description are not shown. The same applies hereinafter.)
The indoor unit body 1 is composed of a front panel 2 constituting a front case and a rear plate case 3 constituting a rear case, and has a horizontally long shape in the width direction with respect to the vertical direction. A front suction port 4 is opened at a part of the front side of the indoor unit body 1, and a movable panel 2 </ b> A supported by an opening / closing drive mechanism is fitted into the front panel 2 facing the front suction port 4.

When the operation is stopped, the movable panel 2A is joined to the surface of the front panel 2 to become the same surface and closes the front suction port 4. However, during operation, the movable panel 2A protrudes and displaces to the front, creating a gap communicating with the room. The front suction port 4 is controlled to be opened indoors. An upper surface suction port 5 is provided in the upper part of the indoor unit body 1. A frame-like crosspiece is fitted into the upper surface suction port 5 and is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the crosspiece.
A blow-out opening 6 is opened at the lower front portion of the indoor unit body 1, and two blow-out louvers 7 a and 7 b are provided in parallel on the blow-out opening 6. The blowout louvers 7a and 7b can open and close the blowout opening 6 according to their respective rotation postures and set the blowout direction of the heat exchange air according to operating conditions.

Inside the indoor unit main body 1, an indoor heat exchanger 8 formed in a substantially inverted V shape by the front heat exchanger portion 8A and the rear heat exchanger portion 8B is disposed. The front heat exchanger section 8A is formed in a curved shape substantially parallel to the front panel 2 with a gap therebetween, and faces the front inlet 4 and the upper inlet 5. The rear heat exchanger portion 8B is formed in a straight shape and is opposed to the upper surface suction port 5 in an oblique manner.
An indoor fan 10 is disposed between the front and rear heat exchanger portions 8A and 8B of the indoor heat exchanger 8. The indoor blower 10 includes a fan motor disposed in a space on one side end of the indoor unit main body 1 and a cross-flow fan in which one support shaft is mechanically connected to the rotation shaft of the fan motor. The axial direction length of the cross flow fan is the same as the width direction dimension of the heat exchanger 8, and the cross flow fan is disposed correctly facing the heat exchanger 8.

The lower end portion of the front heat exchanger portion 8A is placed on the front drain pan 12a, and the lower end portion of the rear heat exchanger portion 8B is placed on the rear drain pan 12b. The front and rear drain pans 12a and 12b receive drain water dropped from the respective heat exchanger portions 8A and 8B, and can drain the water to the outside through a drain hose (not shown).
The outer surfaces of the side walls of the front and rear drain pans 12a and 12b are provided close to the indoor blower 10 and constitute a nose for the crossflow fan of the indoor blower 10. A partition wall member 14 connects the side wall portions of the front and rear drain pans 12a and 12b, which are noses, and the side portions of the outlet port 6. A space surrounded by the partition member 14 is a blowout ventilation path 15 that communicates the nose and the blowout opening 9.

On the other hand, a frame assembly 16 is interposed between the front panel 2 and the front side to the upper side of the indoor heat exchanger 8, and this frame assembly is attached to the front panel 2 via a fixture. A front air filter 17 divided into left and right parts is movably attached to the front surface of the frame assembly 16, and an air purifying unit 18 serving as a secondary air filter is disposed inside the front air filter 17. Is detachably attached. An upper air filter 20 divided into left and right parts is movably attached to the upper surface of the frame assembly 16.
The frame assembly 16 is provided with a space for accommodating the upper air filter 20 moved from the upper surface side on the front surface side of the front air filter 17, and is moved to the upper surface side of the upper air filter 20 from the front surface side. A space for accommodating the partial air filter 17 is provided. Further, an air filter cleaning unit S is attached between the upper end of the front air filter 17 of the frame assembly 16 and the front end of the upper air filter 20.

That is, the front air filter 17 and the air cleaning unit 18 are interposed between the front suction port 4 and the front heat exchanger portion 8A. The upper air filter 20 is interposed between the upper surface suction port 5, a part of the front side heat exchanger part 8A, and the rear side heat exchanger part 8B. Accordingly, the air filter cleaning unit S is provided between the front suction port 4 and the upper suction port 5 so as to face each other.
The air filter cleaning unit S is formed to have the same length in the width direction as the width of the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20, which is the length in the width direction of the front suction port 4 and the upper suction port 5. . The arrangement position of the air filter cleaning unit S is within a so-called corner portion where the front surface portion and the upper surface portion of the front panel 2 intersect each other, and a dead space inevitably formed between the front panel 2 and the indoor heat exchanger 8. It is.

An electrical component box is attached to one side of the frame assembly 16, and a control unit (control means) N schematically shown in FIG. 1 is accommodated inside the electrical component box. An intake / exhaust device (a so-called “ventilation unit”) 11 is provided on the other side of the frame assembly 16. The control unit N and the intake / exhaust device 11 will be described later.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air filter cleaning unit S and the vicinity thereof.
As will be described later, the air filter cleaning unit S includes a rotary brush 30 that removes dust adhering to the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20, and accommodates the rotary brush 30 therein, and the rotary brush 30 removes the dust. The dust box 32 is provided with a dust receiving passage 31 for collecting the collected dust, and the sealing member 34 is configured to close the opening 33 on the lower surface of the dust box 32 so as to be freely opened and closed.

A part of the rotating brush 30 is exposed from the opening 33 in the dust box 32, and all except the opening 33 forms a sealed structure. The rotating brush 30 is assembled so as to be surely in contact with the front air filter 17 and the mesh surface of the upper air filter 20 passing therethrough. The dust receiving passage 31 is provided at the side of the rotating brush 30 and along the axial direction of the rotating brush 30, and the passage surface is formed below the axis of the rotating brush 30. Can be received.
The seal member 34 is formed of a flexible elastic material such as synthetic rubber, and is supported by the lift mechanism 45. Usually, it is in a position where it does not come into contact with the portion of the rotating brush 30 exposed from the opening 33, and the opening 33 can be closed by operating the lift mechanism 45 and driving the seal member 34 upward.

Inside the dust box 32, a scraping protrusion 35 is provided between the dust receiving passage 31 and the portion where the rotary brush 30 is accommodated. The scraping protrusion 35 is always inserted into the bristles of the rotary brush 30 in the axial direction of the rotary brush 30 and is in a position where the bristles are in sliding contact with the rotation of the rotary brush 30.
The dust box 32 is molded using an antistatic resin material and is subjected to antibacterial treatment. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the adhesion of dust and the generation of mold and maintain a clean state for a long time. Similarly, the antibacterial treatment of the rotating brush 30 can be used to prevent adhesion of dust and generation of mold and maintain a clean state for a long time.

Further, a smooth surface treatment is applied to the dust contact portion so that the movement of the dust within the dust box 32 is smooth. In particular, the dust receiving passage 31 is designed so that the thrust diameter is 12 mm or more over the entire cross-sectional area, and the pressure loss in the air filter cleaning operation is kept small, and the flow of wind is smooth. Further, the ridge line in the dust receiving passage 31 forms a curved surface of R2 mm or more on the windward side, thereby reliably preventing the occurrence of problems such as dust being caught and not moving.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one side portion (right side portion in front view) in which the front panel 2 is removed and the air filter cleaning unit S and the vicinity thereof are exposed.
On both the left and right sides of the dust box 32, handle portions 38 are integrally provided. When attaching or detaching the dust box 32 to or from a predetermined part of the frame assembly 16, it is easy to work with the handle portion 38. A rectangular air introduction hole 39 is provided on the upper surface of one side of the dust box 32. The air introduction hole 39 is provided to face the dust receiving passage 31 and communicates with each other.

  A driving source and a driving mechanism for driving the air filter cleaning unit S and an air filter moving mechanism 55 to be described later are driven at a portion facing one side of the frame assembly 16 and facing the air filter cleaning unit S. A drive unit 25 including a drive source and a drive mechanism is attached.

The drive unit 25 includes first to fourth drive motors 46 to 49 that are four drive sources, and a casing 51 that attaches the drive motors 46 to 49 to the side surface and accommodates a gear train therein. And a gear assembly G.
The first drive motor 46 and the second drive motor 47 operate the gear train of the gear assembly G, move the front air filter 17 from the support position on the front side, and pass the air filter cleaning unit S. The front moving mechanism 52 that reciprocates to the upper surface side of the upper air filter 20 and the upper air filter 20 are moved from the support position on the upper surface side to pass through the air filter cleaning unit S and reciprocate to the front surface side of the front air filter 17. It is a drive source of the upper moving mechanism 53 to be moved.

The front moving mechanism 52 and the upper moving mechanism 53 constitute the filter moving mechanism 55. The front moving mechanism 52 and the upper moving mechanism 53 are denoted by reference numerals in FIGS. 1 and 2.
In order to secure the torque required to drive these front and upper moving mechanisms 52 and 53, it is originally sufficient to prepare one large drive motor. Interference with panel 2 will occur. Therefore, two small drive motors 46 and 47 having half the required torque are prepared to eliminate the problem of the installation space.

The third drive motor 48 is a rotational drive source of the rotary brush 30. The fourth drive motor 49 selects and transmits the driving force of the first and second drive motors 46 and 47 to either the front moving mechanism 52 or the upper moving mechanism 53, or operates the lift mechanism 45. This is a drive source of the switching mechanism 61 that switches so as to perform.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one side (left side in a front view) in which the front panel 2 is removed and the air filter cleaning unit S and the vicinity thereof are exposed.
A dust discharge cover is integrally attached to the other side of the dust box 32. The dust discharge cover communicates with the air introduction hole 39 through the dust receiving passage 31. With the air filter cleaning unit S attached to the frame assembly 16, the dust discharge cover is accommodated in a discharge box 41 provided in the frame assembly 16.

The discharge box 41 communicates with the intake / exhaust device 11 via a connection hose 42. Therefore, one end portion of the dust receiving passage 31 formed in the dust box 32 communicates with the outside of the air filter cleaning unit S outside the dust box 32 through the air introduction hole 39, and the other end portion of the dust receiving passage 31 is dust discharge. The intake / exhaust device 11 communicates with the cover through the discharge box 41 and the connection hose 42.
The connection hose 42 is bent so as to form a gentle curve and is connected to the intake / exhaust device 11. That is, since the dust removed from the upper air filters 17 and 20 circulates in the connection hose 42, it is considered not to be clogged in the middle. A dust guide case 95 is attached to the fan casing 90 constituting the intake / exhaust device 11.

The air filter cleaning unit S communicates with the inside of the fan casing 90 of the intake / exhaust device 11 through the connection hose 42. A wind damper is provided in the dust guiding case 95, and the dust is introduced into the fan casing 90 of the intake / exhaust device 11 through the wind damper.
When a wind pressure higher than a predetermined pressure is applied to the connection hose 42, the wind damper is pushed upward by the wind pressure to open the inside of the fan casing 90. Further, when the wind pressure becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure, the wind damper closes the inside of the fan casing 90 again.

The intake / exhaust device 11 includes an opening / closing damper provided at a ventilation suction opening that opens at the center of the side surface of the fan casing 90, a mechanism for driving the opening / closing damper, and a ventilation mechanism such as a ventilation fan disposed in the fan casing 90. Consists of The fan casing 90 is provided with an exhaust port 90a, and an exhaust hose H connected to the exhaust port 90a extends to the outside through the mounting wall of the indoor unit body 1.
The intake / exhaust device 11 originally has a ventilation function for discharging the primary side or secondary side air of the indoor heat exchanger 8 to the outside after taking indoor air into the indoor unit body 1. In addition, as will be described later, the air filter cleaning unit S has an intake / exhaust function for sucking dust collected from the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20 and discharging it to the outdoors.

The control unit N shown in FIG. 1 again includes the movable panel 2A, the blowout louvers 7a and 7b, the indoor blower 10, the ventilation fan of the intake / exhaust device 11 and the drive source of the air cleaning unit 18, the air filter cleaning unit S and the air. The drive unit 25 of the filter moving mechanism 55 is electrically connected to an outdoor unit 100 described later, and performs necessary control based on an instruction signal from a remote controller (remote operation panel) (not shown).
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle mounted on an air conditioner.
The outdoor unit 100 accommodates a compressor 101, a four-way switching valve 102, an outdoor heat exchanger 103, an electronic expansion valve 104 that is a pressure reducing device, and an outdoor blower 105 facing the outdoor heat exchanger 103. Be placed.
The compressor 101, the four-way switching valve 02, the outdoor heat exchanger 103, the electronic expansion valve 104, and the indoor heat exchanger 8 in the indoor unit body 1 are communicated via a refrigerant pipe P to constitute a refrigeration cycle circuit R. .

The compressor 101, the four-way switching valve 102, the electronic expansion valve 104, and the outdoor blower 105 are electrically connected to the control unit N and receive necessary control signals from the control unit N. Yes.
The indoor heat exchanger 8 is configured such that the first heat exchanger unit U and the second heat exchanger unit 8B are connected in series and the refrigerant is conducted. During cooling operation and dehumidifying operation, which will be described later, the refrigerant flows from the first heat exchanger unit U to the second heat exchanger unit D, and conversely during the heating operation, from the second heat exchanger unit D to the first heat. The exchanger unit U flows. And the dehumidification valve V which is comprised so that a path | route may be opened and closed in the intermediate part of the refrigerant path in the 1st heat exchanger part U and the 2nd heat exchanger part D, and performs a throttle effect at the time of closing is provided. .

The first heat exchanger unit U is a half of the rear heat exchanger unit 8B constituting the indoor heat exchanger 8 shown in FIG. 1 and the upper half of a substantially middle part in the vertical direction of the front heat exchanger unit 8A. It consists of parts. The second heat exchanger part D is composed of a lower half part from a substantially middle part in the up-down direction of the front heat exchanger part 8A.
Next, the operation of the air conditioner will be described.
When the user presses the operation button of the remote control (remote control panel), the control unit N drives the indoor blower 10 to actuate the air cleaning unit 18. The driving source of the movable panel 2A is driven to protrude from the front panel 2, and the front suction port 4 is completely opened. The blowing louvers 7a and 7b are rotationally displaced in a predetermined direction according to the selected operation mode of the cooling operation and the heating operation.

At the same time, the compressor 101 in the outdoor unit body 1 is driven to start the refrigeration cycle operation, and the outdoor blower 105 and the indoor blower 10 are driven. The electronic expansion valve 104 is throttled and the dehumidification valve V is fully opened. The room air is guided into the indoor unit body 1 from the front suction port 4 and the upper suction port 5 and passes through the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20.
At this time, dust contained in the room air is captured by the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20. The room air from which the dust has been removed by the front air filter 17 passes through a pair of electrostatic precipitators constituting the air cleaning unit 18, and finer dust is electrically collected and deodorized.

The cleaned room air flows through the front side heat exchanger part 8A and the rear side heat exchanger part 8B constituting the indoor heat exchanger 8, and performs a heat exchange action with the refrigerant led here. After that, the heat exchange air is guided along the blowout ventilation path 15, guided from the blowout opening 6 to the blowout louvers 7a and 7b and blown into the room, and the efficient air conditioning operation is continued.
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the indoor unit main body 1 when the dehumidifying operation is set.
When the dehumidifying operation is set, the movable panel 2 </ b> A opens the front suction port 4, and the outlet louvers 7 a and 7 b are determined to be inclined obliquely downward toward each other. And the dehumidification valve V is throttled while the electronic expansion valve 104 is fully opened. In addition, the outdoor blower 105 is stopped or is operated at a low speed.

The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 101 is guided to the outdoor heat exchanger 103 through the four-way switching valve 102, but most of the refrigerant passes through without being condensed and is introduced into the indoor heat exchanger 8. Is done. Here, first, the refrigerant gas is condensed and liquefied by being led to the first heat exchanger unit U. That is, the first heat exchanger unit U functions as a reheat unit.
The refrigerant condensed in the first heat exchanger unit U is guided to the dehumidifying valve V, and expanded under reduced pressure, and then led to the second heat exchanger D to evaporate. Therefore, the 2nd heat exchanger part D functions as a dehumidification part (evaporation part).

Eventually, in the indoor heat exchanger 8, the refrigerant is condensed in the first heat exchanger section U shown by broken line hatching in FIG. 6, and the condensation heat is released to the circulating indoor air. The room air is warmed and guided along the blow-out ventilation path 15 as indicated by broken line arrows in the figure.
Further, in the indoor heat exchanger 8, the refrigerant evaporates in the second heat exchanger portion D indicated by cross hatching in the figure, and the latent heat of evaporation is taken from the circulating indoor air. The room air is dehumidified and cooled as indicated by the one-dot chain line arrow in the figure, and is guided through the blowout ventilation path 15.
At the outlet 6, warm air and dehumidified cold air are mixed to form heat exchange air that has been deheated and dehumidified. Since the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7a, 7b are inclined obliquely downward toward the room, all heat exchange air is efficiently blown into the room. Since the movable panel 2A fully opens the front suction port 4 and also sucks room air from the top suction port 5, a sufficient amount of heat exchange air is blown from the blowout port 6, and the room is quickly dehumidified. Is done.

The control unit N is set to automatically enter the in-flight clean operation mode after the stop button on the remote controller is pressed and the above-described air conditioning operation ends. Or after completion | finish of the above-mentioned air-conditioning driving | operation, the user can arbitrarily set the in-machine clean operation mode.
In the in-machine clean operation mode, the air filter cleaning operation that removes dust adhering to each of the air filters 17 and 20 and discharges it outdoors, and the indoor heat exchanger 8 performs reheat dehumidification, and the interior of the indoor unit body 1 At least one of the in-machine drying operation for performing the above-described drying and the in-machine sterilization operation for causing the air cleaning unit 18 to function to sterilize the interior of the indoor unit main body 1 is executed.

FIG. 8A shows the basic operation of automatic clean (automatically enter the in-machine clean operation mode), and FIG. 8B shows manual clean (user enters the in-machine clean operation mode arbitrarily) operation. The basic operation is shown.
First, the automatic clean operation will be described.
For example, when the cooling operation mode is selected to perform the cooling operation and the stop button of the remote controller is pressed, the control unit N drives the open / close damper provided in the intake / exhaust device 11 to close the intake port. After that, the fourth drive motor 49 is driven to switch the switching mechanism 61 to the upper moving mechanism 53 side.
Therefore, the upper air filter 20 is guided to the air filter cleaning unit S from the front end. At this time, the lift mechanism 45 is folded flat, and the seal member 34 is in the lowered position and the opening 33 is opened as shown in FIG. The upper air filter 20 is inserted through a gap formed between the lower end of the dust box 32 and the seal member 34.

After the upper air filter 20 starts to move, the rotary brush 30 is driven. That is, since the rotary brush 30 is set to be driven to rotate at a time difference from the movement of the upper air filter 20, the bristles of the rotary brush 30 come into contact with only the mesh portion of the upper air filter 20, and the frame body Avoid touching parts.
The upper air filter 20 faces the rotating brush 30 sequentially from the front end to the rear end side, and moves downward while sliding. Dust adhering to the upper air filter 20 is smoothly and reliably scraped off and removed by the rotating brush 30. That is, dust transfers from the upper air filter 20 to the rotating brush 30.

Immediately after this, the rotating brush 30 passes in contact with the scraping projection 35. Since the scraping projection 35 is formed in a comb-like shape, the dust transferred to the rotary brush 30 is scraped off and falls into the dust receiving passage 31. Since the dust receiving passage 31 has a sealed structure except that a portion facing the rotating brush 30 is opened, the scraped dust does not scatter from the dust receiving passage 31 to the periphery.
The upper air filter 20 is guided on the upper surface side of the front air filter 17 so as to face each other with a small gap while removing dust by the rotating brush 30. When the movement of the upper air filter 20 is completed, the control unit N controls to temporarily stop the first and second drive motors 46 and 47 and the third drive motor 48 that is a drive source of the rotary brush 30.

Next, the control unit N sends a drive signal that rotates in the reverse direction to the first and second drive motors 46 and 47 and rotationally drives the rotary brush 30. The upper moving mechanism 53 moves the upper air filter 20 upward. Although all dust is removed from the upper air filter 20 by the dust removing action, dust may remain on the upper air filter 20 depending on conditions. Therefore, since the upper air filter 20 is slidably contacted with the rotating brush 30 even when it moves upward, all remaining dust is reliably removed.
The driving of the rotating brush 30 is stopped immediately before the upper air filter 20 moves to the original part again. The rotating brush 30 contacts only the mesh portion of the upper air filter 20 and efficiently removes dust. When the upper air filter 20 is completely restored to its original position, the driving of the first and second drive motors 46 and 47 is stopped, and the cleaning process for the upper air filter 20 is thus completed.

Next, the control unit N sends a drive signal to the fourth drive motor 49 to operate the switching mechanism 61 to switch the gear train from the upper moving mechanism 53 side to the front moving mechanism 52 side. The drive motors 46 and 47 are driven. The front moving mechanism 52 is driven to move the front air filter 17 upward. The front air filter 17 is guided from the upper end to the air filter cleaning unit S, and the air filter cleaning unit S similarly efficiently removes dust adhering to the mesh portion of the front air filter 17.
In a state in which the entire front air filter 17 has moved to the upper surface side of the upper air filter 20, the control unit N performs first and second drive motors 46 and 47 and a third drive motor 48 that is a drive source of the rotating brush 30. Is controlled to stop once. The rotary brush 30 is rotationally driven with a time difference, and the first and second drive motors 46 and 45 are reversely driven to move the front air filter 17 downward to the original position.

Since the front air filter 17 passes through the air filter cleaning unit S again, all remaining dust is reliably removed. Immediately before the front air filter 17 returns to the original position, the driving of the rotary brush 30 is stopped. Therefore, the rotating brush 30 contacts only the mesh portion of the front air filter 17 and efficiently removes dust. In this way, the automatic cleaning process for the front air filter 17 is completed.
Next, the control unit N executes a discharge process for discharging the dust collected in the dust receiving passage 31 in the dust box 32 constituting the air filter cleaning unit S to the outside. At this time, the rotary brush 30 is driven, and the open / close damper in the fan casing 90 constituting the intake / exhaust device 11 is closed to drive the ventilation fan.

As the ventilation fan rotates, negative pressure acts on the inside of the air filter cleaning unit S from the fan casing 90 through the dust guiding case 95, the connection hose 42, and the discharge box 41. In the air filter cleaning unit S, the negative pressure is concentrated on the dust receiving passage 31 and the dust collected in the dust receiving passage 31 is sucked.
Since one end of the dust receiving passage 31 communicates with the air introduction hole 39 provided at the end of the dust box 32, the air around the dust box 32 is forcibly sucked from the air introduction hole 39 into the dust receiving passage 31. . Therefore, the dust collected in the dust receiving passage 31 is also scraped out by the sucked air, and comes out of the dust box 32 and guided to the connection hose 42.

In addition, the material selection and surface treatment of the dust box 32 itself are performed, and the conditions for allowing the dust to easily pass through the entire structure of the dust receiving passage 31 are adjusted. And is reliably discharged and sucked into the intake / exhaust device 11 from the connection hose 42. Dust moves from the dust guide case 95 along the inner peripheral surface of the fan casing 90 and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust hose H connected to the exhaust port 90a.
This completes the air filter cleaning process. The control unit N switches the open / close damper of the intake / exhaust device 11 to return to the normal ventilation mode position. And after driving the 4th drive motor 49 and moving the switching mechanism 61 to the upper air filter 20 side, it reaches an end.

Next, the control unit N executes the in-machine drying operation, and then executes the in-machine sterilization operation.
That is, immediately after the cooling operation is stopped, a part of the drain water condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 8 does not flow down and easily accumulates in the indoor heat exchanger 8 as it is, or remains in the front drain pan 12a and the rear drain pan 12b. The humidity in the indoor unit body 1 is high. As a result, the propagation of germs and molds contained in the dust becomes stronger, so that after the cooling operation is stopped, the interior of the indoor unit body 1 is always dried and sterilized.
Specifically, the control unit N keeps the operating frequency of the compressor 101 below a predetermined value to lower the operating capacity, and also changes the position and orientation of the movable panel 2A and the blowing louvers 7a and 7b as shown in FIG. Control switching. The movable panel 2A has the front suction port 4 in a half-open state, and both the blowout louvers 7a and 7b are controlled so that their front ends are slightly upward from the rear end and are inclined obliquely upward toward the room.

When the indoor blower 10 is driven to rotate at a low speed, the heat exchange air blown from between the upper blowout louver 7a and the upper end of the blowout port 6 is controlled in the attitude of the blowout louver 7a, as shown by a one-dot chain line arrow in the figure. As a result, it passes between the front surface of the indoor unit body 1 and the inner surface of the movable panel 2A and rises. When the heat exchange air faces the front suction port 4, it is influenced by the suction pressure of the indoor blower 10, and particularly flows through the lower side of the front suction port 4 and is introduced into the indoor unit body 1.
Further, the heat exchange air is guided to the indoor heat exchanger 8 through the front air filter 17, and the front heat exchanger portion 8 </ b> A constituting the indoor heat exchanger 8 is disposed to face the front suction port 4. By the way, most of the heat exchange air flows through the second heat exchanger part D formed on the lower side of the front heat exchanger part 8A to exchange heat.

Thereafter, the air is sucked into the indoor blower 10 and blown along the blowout ventilation path 15. The position at which the heat exchange air is blown out from the blowout port 6 is mainly on the upper side of the blowout port 6 partitioned by the blowout louver 7a on the upper side, and circulates again in the above-described path.
Thus, the air blown out from the outlet 6 and guided along the inner surface of the movable panel 2A and exchanging heat with the second heat exchanger part D always circulates in the interior of the indoor unit main body 1. The flow state of the heat exchange air is referred to as a panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi because it does not come out from the machine body 1 side.

On the other hand, as indicated by broken line arrows in the figure, the heat exchange air blown from between the upper blowing louver 7a and the lower blowing louver 7b is the result of the attitude control of the louvers 7a, 7b. Then, it is guided to the outer surface side of the movable panel 2A. And it raises along the outer surface of 2 A of movable panels, and finally reaches an upper end.
The heat exchange air is affected by the suction pressure of the indoor blower 10, and a part of the heat exchange air is introduced into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper portion of the front suction port 4 and is guided to the indoor heat exchanger 9 through the front air filter 17. Almost most of the remaining heat exchange air is introduced into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper surface inlet 5 and led to the indoor heat exchanger 8 through the upper air filter 20.

Since the upper part of the front heat exchanger part 8A constituting the indoor heat exchanger 8 and the rear heat exchanger part 8B are disposed substantially opposite to the upper surface suction port 5, most of the heat exchange air is supplied to the front heat exchanger. Heat is exchanged through the first heat exchanger part U formed by the upper part of the part 8A and the rear heat exchanger part 8B. Thereafter, the air is sucked into the indoor blower 10 and blown along the blowout ventilation path 15. Since the position where this heat exchange air is blown out from the blowout port 6 is between the blowout louver 7a on the upper side and the blowout louver 7b on the lower side, it circulates again through the above-mentioned path.
The air that is blown out from the outlet 6 and is guided along the outer surface of the movable panel 2A and exchanges heat with the first heat exchanger unit U circulates in the outer surface of the indoor unit main body 1. Therefore, the flow state of this heat exchange air Is referred to as the panel external circulation airflow Qo.

After lowering the operation frequency of the compressor 101, the panel inner surface circulating air flow Qi and the panel outer surface circulating air flow Qo are simultaneously formed and circulated in the indoor unit body 1. Since the dehumidifying valve V is controlled to be throttled, the first heat exchanger unit U condenses the refrigerant that cannot be condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 103, and reheats the air circulating through the panel outer surface circulation air flow Qo. Part. The second heat exchanger part D becomes a reheat part that evaporates the refrigerant and cools and dehumidifies the air circulating in the panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi.
The heat exchange air is reheated and dehumidified and dried, and circulates inside the indoor unit body 1. The drain water accumulated in the indoor heat exchanger 8 disposed inside the indoor unit body 1 evaporates early and dries. And the drain water and moisture which adhered to all the components facing the blowing ventilation path 15 evaporate and dry. After this drying operation is continued for about 30 minutes, the operation shifts to the in-machine sterilization operation.

Specifically, the control unit N stops the operation of the compressor 101 and causes the air cleaning unit 18 to act instead. The postures of the movable panel 2A and the blowout louvers 7a and 7b continue the drying operation, and the low speed operation of the indoor blower 10 is also continued.
The air cleaning unit 18 has an electric dust collecting function and generates ozone to perform a sterilizing action. Furthermore, since it has a deodorizing function, the heat exchange air passing through the front air filter 17 and circulating through the indoor unit main body 1 and the movable panel 2A is sterilized and deodorized. As this heat exchange air circulates, it contacts each component, and as a result, the inside of the indoor unit body 1 is sterilized.

  The in-machine sterilization operation may be continued for a time obtained by subtracting the time obtained by adding both the air filter cleaning operation and the drying operation from one hour. This completes the in-machine clean operation mode that is performed automatically. When the air-conditioning operation is performed again and stopped, the in-machine clean operation mode is automatically started each time the operation is stopped.

The control unit N accumulates the operation time of the indoor blower 10 along with the air conditioning operation, and when the accumulation of the fan operation time of the indoor blower 1 is less than 100 hours and when 100 hours or more have elapsed, Change the contents of the next in-flight clean operation mode.
In other words, the fact that the accumulated fan operating time is less than 100 hours is shortly after the air filter cleaning operation was executed in the previous in-flight clean operation mode, and the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20 It is determined that the amount of dust adhering to the surface is small and is not dirty. If the accumulated fan operation time has elapsed 100 hours, it is determined that the amount of dust adhering to each of the air filters 17 and 20 is large and needs to be cleaned.

  Accordingly, when the cooling operation is performed and the stop button is pressed, in the in-machine clean operation mode that automatically starts under the condition that the accumulated fan operation time of the indoor blower 10 is less than 100 hours, the second mode is air. The filter cleaning operation is omitted, the in-machine drying operation is performed first, and then the in-machine sterilization operation that is ozone deodorization is performed. The contents of the operations to be executed are exactly the same as those described above, and when the in-machine sterilization operation ends, the in-machine clean operation mode also ends.

In addition, in the in-flight clean operation mode in which the control unit N is automatically started under the condition that the integrated operation time of the fan has exceeded 100 hours when the cooling operation is performed and the stop button is pressed, As described above, the air filter cleaning operation is performed as the mode, then the in-machine drying operation is performed, and finally the in-machine sterilization operation is performed.
In this way, the dust and moisture in the indoor unit body 1 are completely removed, and the occurrence of mold, bad odor, etc. is reliably prevented, and the indoor unit body 1 is kept clean for a long period of time. be able to.
Note that the user can arbitrarily execute the in-flight clean operation mode manually. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the remote controller is operated regardless of whether the accumulated fan operation time is less than 100 hours when the cooling operation is performed and the stop button is pressed, or when 100 hours or more have elapsed. When the user presses the “manual clean” button, the air filter cleaning operation is set to be performed first.

This is because it is determined that the user has pressed the “manual clean” button mainly for the purpose of cleaning the air filters 17 and 20, and especially after the air filter cleaning operation is performed. This drying operation is omitted, and the in-machine sterilization operation for ozone deodorization is performed and the process is terminated.
The above is an explanation of the in-machine clean operation mode when the cooling operation of the air conditioning operation is performed, and when the heating operation is performed, the interior of the indoor unit body 1 is not highly humid as in the cooling operation. The operation mode may be set such that the in-machine drying operation is omitted. That is, the controller N can set the pattern of the in-flight clean operation mode that is performed after the stop of the air conditioning operation in accordance with the type and state of the air conditioning operation.

Further, the control unit N can perform the in-machine drying operation before the start of the air filter cleaning operation as the in-machine clean operation mode.
That is, by performing dehumidification in the indoor unit body 1 before the air filter cleaning operation, the ambient environment between the front air filter 17 and the upper air filter 20 can always be made constant. Then, since both air filters 17 and 20 are cleaned, cleaning can be performed stably. Further, the material and mesh shape of the air filters 17 and 20 that are optimal under the conditions can be selected, and the dust collection efficiency is improved.
As described above, as the in-machine clean operation mode by the control unit N, the first mode for performing all of the air filter cleaning operation, the in-machine drying operation, and the in-machine sterilization operation, and the in-machine drying operation excluding the air filter cleaning operation And a second mode for performing both or one of the in-machine sterilization operations.

That is, when the air filter cleaning time after the accumulated operation time of the indoor blower 10 has passed 100 hours has passed, the first mode including the air filter cleaning operation is executed. If 100 hours have not passed, the second mode excluding the filter cleaning operation is executed. During the heating operation, a clean operation in which the in-machine drying operation is omitted is performed to enable a clean operation in which the pattern of the clean operation after the stop is changed according to the operation mode / state.
Further, when executing the air filter cleaning operation as the in-machine clean operation mode, the control unit N first executes the air filter cleaning operation and then executes the in-machine sterilization operation. Therefore, the inside of the indoor unit body 1 is sterilized with clean air obtained by cleaning the air filters 17 and 20, and the sterilizing effect can be enhanced.

Further, the control unit N has a mode for performing a dust discharge operation in the exhaust hose H connected to the exhaust port 90a of the fan casing 90 constituting the intake / exhaust device 11 as an in-machine clean operation mode and extending to the outdoors. Therefore, the inside of the exhaust hose H can be cleaned.
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments.

The schematic block diagram of the air conditioner indoor unit based on Embodiment in this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air filter cleaning unit based on the embodiment. The perspective view of the one side part of the air filter cleaning unit based on the embodiment. The perspective view of an air filter cleaning unit part and intake / exhaust apparatus based on the embodiment. The refrigeration cycle block diagram of the air conditioner based on the embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit at the time of the air-conditioning driving | operation based on the embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit at the time of the in-machine drying operation based on the embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the basic operation | movement of automatic cleaning and the basic operation | movement of manual cleaning based on the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Heat exchanger, 18 ... Air cleaning unit, 10 ... Indoor fan, 1 ... Indoor unit main body, 4 ... Front suction port, 5 ... Top suction port, 17 ... Front air filter, 20 ... Upper air filter, S ... Air filter cleaning unit, 11 ... intake / exhaust device, N ... control unit (control means).

Claims (6)

In an indoor unit main body that houses a heat exchanger and a blower inside, and an indoor unit of an air conditioner that includes a suction port on the upstream side of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit main body,
An air filter that is disposed opposite to the suction port and is movably supported;
A filter cleaning operation for removing dust adhering to the air filter, an in-machine drying operation for drying the interior of the indoor unit body, and an in-machine sterilization operation for sterilizing the interior of the indoor unit body,
After completion of the air conditioning operation, at least one of the operation of performing the filter cleaning operation and performing at least one of the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation, and the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation without performing the filter cleaning operation. An indoor unit for an air conditioner, comprising control means having an in-machine clean operation mode for selecting and executing an operation for performing any one of the operations. Inside, a heat exchanger capable of overall heat exchange action and partial reheat dehumidification, an indoor unit main body that houses an air purification unit and a blower that generate ozone and deodorize,
In the indoor unit of an air conditioner provided with a front suction port and a top suction port respectively provided at portions facing the front and top surfaces of the heat exchanger and the air cleaning unit of the indoor unit main body,
A front air filter and an upper air filter that face the front suction port and the upper surface suction port, respectively, and are movably disposed;
An air filter cleaning unit that is interposed between the front air filter and the upper air filter and removes and collects dust adhering to the surface of the front air filter and the upper air filter that has moved.
An air intake / exhaust device that is disposed on one side of the indoor unit main body and sucks dust collected by the air filter cleaning unit and discharges it to the outdoors;
An air filter cleaning operation in which the air filter cleaning unit and the intake / exhaust device function to remove dust adhering to each air filter and discharge it to the outdoors;
In-machine drying operation in which the heat exchange air is reheated and dehumidified by the heat exchanger and the interior of the indoor unit is dried,
It has an operation mode with an in-machine sterilization operation that functions the air purification unit to sterilize the interior of the indoor unit body,
After completion of the air conditioning operation, at least one of the operation of performing the filter cleaning operation and performing at least one of the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation, and the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation without performing the filter cleaning operation. An indoor unit for an air conditioner, comprising control means having an in-machine clean operation mode for selecting and executing an operation for performing any one of the operations. As the in-flight clean operation mode by the control means,
The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the in-machine drying operation is performed before the start of the air filter cleaning operation. As the in-flight clean operation mode by the control means,
A first in-machine clean operation mode that performs all of the air filter cleaning operation, the in-machine drying operation, and the in-machine sterilization operation;
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising a second in-machine clean operation mode in which either or both of the in-machine drying operation and the in-machine sterilization operation excluding the air filter cleaning operation are provided. . As the in-flight clean operation mode by the control means,
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 2, wherein when the air filter cleaning operation is executed, the air filter cleaning operation is executed first. As the in-flight clean operation mode by the control means,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a mode for performing a dust discharge operation in an exhaust hose extending to the outside from the intake / exhaust device.

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