JP2007285566A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of performing comfortable air conditioning and preventing frosting of a floor surface though it is a floor type air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner is provided with an upper supply opening and a lower supply opening formed on upper and lower portions of an air conditioner main body, an indoor heat exchanger disposed between a suction opening for sucking the indoor air and the upper and lower supply openings, a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, upper and lower blower fans disposed corresponding to the upper and lower supply openings, and a control portion controlling the driving of the upper and lower blower fans. The control portion stops the lower blower fan after a prescribed time has passed from a time when the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger becomes lower than a predetermined temperature when a cooling operation is performed by driving the upper and lower blower fans. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner having an upper air outlet and a lower air outlet at the upper and lower portions of an air conditioner body.

  The air conditioner is generally a separate type consisting of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit.Also, the indoor unit is the wall-mounted type, but the floor surface is forced by directing air during heating. In recent years, floor-type air conditioners have also emerged, because they cause warmth to cause convection in the room and cause a feeling of comfort.

  In the floor type air conditioner, upper and lower blow fans are provided corresponding to the upper and lower blow outlets, the lower blower fan is mainly operated during heating, and the upper blower fan is mainly operated during cooling. At the start of operation, the upper and lower blower fans are driven together so that the room is brought closer to the set temperature sooner.

  However, in the floor-type air conditioner, especially during cooling operation, the lower air blower can be driven without stopping even when the set temperature is reached, or the blower temperature can be lowered sufficiently. If the fan is kept moving, the temperature distribution will be disturbed and cold air will accumulate around the floor, which will be very uncomfortable. Further, if the lower air blowing fan is continuously operated while the blowing temperature is sufficiently lowered, the floor surface may be unnecessarily cooled to cause a dew phenomenon.

  In order to solve this, in Patent Document 1, at the time of cooling operation, at the start of operation, blowing is started almost simultaneously from the upper and lower outlets, and after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of operation, the room temperature decreases to a set temperature, and indoor heat exchange is performed. When the temperature of the chamber drops below a certain level, the amount of air blown from the upper outlet is greater than the amount of air blown from the lower outlet, and the surface temperature of the floor, etc. This prevents the phenomenon of dew condensation and condensation.

  In Patent Document 2, when the heat exchanger temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature and the lower blower fan has a large air volume, the lower air outlet is opened, and conversely, the heat exchanger temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature and lower. When the air flow of the side blower fan is small, the lower air outlet is closed to improve the feeling during weak operation and prevent condensation around the lower air outlet.

In Patent Document 3, during cooling operation, the rapid cooling effect is obtained by the upper and lower blowing air until the room temperature reaches the set temperature, and when the set temperature is reached, the lower blowing air is eliminated by driving the damper, which is comfortable. To perform proper air conditioning.
Japanese Patent No. 3525021 JP-A 62-276354 JP 61-110835 A

  However, in the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the set temperature is sufficiently low (so-called full power operation instruction or the like) and the cooling load is very large, the predetermined temperature is not reached. By passing, it becomes control which stops a lower blower fan arbitrarily. For this reason, the air volume is reduced by the amount of the stop of the lower blower fan, the cooling capacity is reduced, and rapid cooling cannot be realized. As described above, it is desired to perform control capable of preventing the floor surface from being exposed while realizing rapid cooling desired by the user (that is, quickly bringing the room temperature close to the set temperature).

  In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that enables comfortable air conditioning even if it is a floor-standing type and can prevent dew on the floor surface.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is arranged between an upper air outlet and a lower air outlet formed in the upper and lower parts of an air conditioner body, an air inlet for sucking room air, and the upper and lower air outlets. Indoor heat exchanger, temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, upper and lower blower fans provided corresponding to the upper and lower outlets, and control for driving and controlling the upper and lower blower fans When the cooling unit is driven by driving the upper and lower blower fans, the control unit stops the lower blower fan after a predetermined time has elapsed since the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has fallen below the predetermined temperature. It is characterized by making it.

  According to the above configuration, when the indoor heat exchanger temperature decreases, the predetermined time starts to be counted, and after the predetermined time has elapsed, the lower blower fan is stopped, so that the floor surface is dewed. If it is not in such a situation, the lower blower fan can be kept running while the lower blower fan is stopped before becoming.

  In addition, the control unit can drive the lower blower fan again when the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value while the lower blower fan is stopped.

  According to this configuration, the fact that the lower blower fan is temporarily stopped and the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is raised means that the compressor is stopped or the output is suppressed. In such a state, since the blowing temperature of the wind at the outlet becomes high, it can be determined that there is no concern about dew condensation on the floor surface, so that the lower blower fan can be driven again.

  In the above control, when the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor reaches the set temperature, the lower air blowing fan is naturally stopped. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent cold air from being accumulated in the room due to reaching the set temperature and continuing to drive the lower blower fan.

  In addition, the control unit can drive the lower fan again when the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. Thereby, even when the room temperature rises with respect to the set temperature, the operation of the lower blower fan can be resumed.

  Furthermore, the control unit can increase the rotational speed of the upper blower fan when only the upper blower fan is operated after stopping the lower blower fan.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in room temperature due to a decrease in the air volume due to the stop of the lower blower fan and a decrease in cooling capacity.

  In addition, when the control unit performs the operation of only the upper blower fan after stopping the lower blower fan, the control unit increases the rotational speed of the upper blower fan after a predetermined time has elapsed after stopping the lower blower fan. be able to.

  According to the above configuration, when only the upper blower fan is operated, it is possible to reduce the noise change caused by the blower fan.

  In addition, switching means for switching between a first operation mode in which only the upper blower fan among the upper and lower blower fans is operated and a second operation mode in which the upper and lower blower fans are operated is provided. Can be selected.

  According to the said structure, the user can select the operation mode which stops a lower ventilation fan consciously, and can raise the freedom degree of selection of an operation mode. At this time, the switching means is constituted by a changeover switch provided in the operation unit of the main body or the remote controller, and the operation mode is selected by pressing this changeover switch.

  The above control is also possible with wall-mounted air conditioners, but in the case of floor-standing types where the air conditioner body is installed on the floor surface, especially from the viewpoint of preventing dew condensation on the floor surface It is valid.

  As described above, according to the present invention, paying attention to the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, when the heat exchanger temperature becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the lower blower fan is stopped after a predetermined time has passed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation and to enable comfortable air conditioning even on the floor-mounted type.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of a floor-standing type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the same.

  As shown in the figure, the air conditioner of the present embodiment is a separate type in which refrigeration cycle parts of an indoor unit 1 and an outdoor unit 2 (see FIG. 4) constituting the main body are connected by piping.

  The outdoor unit 2 includes a compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, a four-way valve that switches the refrigeration cycle, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant that passes through the interior and the outside air, an outdoor fan, and a decompressor ( On the other hand, the indoor unit 1 includes an indoor heat exchanger 9 and upper and lower blow fans 13 and 14. The compressor, the four-way valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, the decompressor, and the indoor heat exchanger 9 are sequentially connected by piping to constitute a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant circulates.

  The indoor unit 1 is a floor-standing type, and a front plate 7 is detachably provided on the front surface of the cabinet 6, thereby forming a casing constituting an outer shell. A suction port 33 is formed in the center of the front plate 7, and indoor air can be sucked through a gap between the side of the front plate 7 and the cabinet 6. The air sucked from the suction port 33 passes through the filter 31 and passes through the indoor heat exchanger 9 inside the cabinet 6, is guided to the vertical air passage 10 formed on the rear side, and is respectively directed to the upper and lower portions of the cabinet 6. The upper and lower outlets 11 and 12 are blown forward and upward.

  Blower fans 13 and 14 composed of cross flow fans are arranged above and below the air passage 10 on the back side of the indoor heat exchanger 9. These blower fans 13 and 14 have variable rotation speeds, and can control the air volume according to the operation mode or by a signal from the room temperature sensor 41 or the indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 42. For example, in the cooling operation, the upper blowing is mainly performed, and immediately after the start of the operation, the upper and lower blow fans 13 and 14 are set to the same air volume, and when the room temperature is stabilized, the lower blow fan 14 is stopped and the upper blow fan is set. Increase the number of revolutions of 13 to maintain the cooling capacity. At this time, the damper 15 of the lower outlet 12 is closed, and the louver 18 opens and closes depending on the situation.

  Further, in the heating operation, immediately after the start of the operation, the upper and lower blower fans 13 and 14 are set to the same air volume, and when the indoor temperature is stabilized, the air volume of the lower fan 14 is increased and the air volume of the upper fan 13 is decreased. Control is performed. Furthermore, an ion generator 30 is provided on the upper air outlet side 11 with respect to the upper air blowing fan 13 so that air containing positive and negative ions can be discharged from the upper air outlet 11.

  A damper 15 that opens and closes the lower air passage 10a is provided on the lower air outlet 12 side of the lower air fan 14 so as to be openable and closable. The damper 15 has a base end pivotally supported on the lower wall surface of the air passage 10 via a horizontal shaft 15 a and a tip end on the back side of the drain pan 16 disposed below the indoor heat exchanger 9. It is supposed to be free to touch.

  The upper and lower outlets 11, 12 are provided with louvers 17, 18 that can open and close the louvers 17, 18 that can change the flow direction of the air blown from the outlets 11, 12. It has been. The upper and lower louvers 17 and 18 are normally closed when the operation is stopped.

  The operation modes include an upper and lower blowing operation mode for blowing air from the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12 and a one-side blowing operation mode for blowing air from only one side of the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12. During the cooling operation, there are an up-and-down blowing operation mode and a one-side blowing operation mode in which air is blown from only the upper side of the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12.

  Switching between the two operation modes is performed by a changeover switch 24 as a switching means provided in an operation unit (not shown) of the main body or an operation unit of a remote controller (not shown). The switching of the operation mode is indicated by the display lamp 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the display lamp is disposed on the upper right portion of the front plate 7 so as to be easily seen by the user.

  In the up / down blowing operation mode, the louvers 17 and 18 of the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12 are opened (see FIG. 3A). In addition, FIG.3 (b) shows a state when the lower side ventilation fan 14 is stopped in the up-and-down blowing operation mode. At this time, the damper 15 is closed, but the lower louver 18 is open. In the one-side blowing operation mode, when only the upper outlet 11 is opened, only the upper louver 17 is opened, and the lower louver 18 is closed (see FIG. 3C). Even when the lower louver 18 is closed, room air enters the air passage 10 through a gap between the lower louver 18 and the lower outlet 12, and is prevented by the operation of closing the damper 15. To do.

  FIG. 5 is a blower control circuit diagram. As shown in the figure, in the blower control circuit 21, an operation switch 23, a mode change switch 24, a room temperature sensor 25, an indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 26, and the like are connected to the input side of the control unit 22 formed of a microcomputer. . The room temperature sensor 25 is disposed in the vicinity of the suction port on the front surface of the main body. The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 26 is disposed on the back side of the indoor heat exchanger 9.

  On the output side of the control unit 22, a drive circuit 27 that drives the louvers 17 and 18 of the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12, a motor drive circuit 28 that drives the motors of the upper and lower blower fans 13 and 14, and a damper 15 are provided. The drive circuit 29 of the damper motor to drive is connected. Further, a timer 35 is connected to the control unit 22.

  FIG. 6 is a flow chart of air flow control in the cooling operation mode. As shown in the figure, the operation switch 23 is turned on to start the cooling operation. At this time, first, it is confirmed by the state of the changeover switch 24 whether the upper / lower outlet operation mode for blowing air from the upper / lower outlets 11 and 12 or the one-side outlet operation mode for blowing air only from the upper side of the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12.

  In the one-side blowing operation mode, only the upper louver 17 is opened, and the lower louver 18 and the damper 15 are closed (see FIG. 3C). In the up / down blowing operation mode, the louvers 17 and 18 of the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12 are opened (see FIG. 3A).

  Then, the refrigerant is circulated by driving the refrigeration cycle, the indoor air sucked from the suction port 33 on the front surface of the main body is cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 9, and the cooled air is blown from the upper and lower outlets 11 and 12 into the indoor space. To cool the indoor space.

  At this time, the temperature of the indoor space is detected by the room temperature sensor 25 and compared with the set temperature. When the room temperature falls below the set temperature, the lower blower fan 14 is stopped and the operation using only the upper blower fan 13 is performed.

  FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the operation control status of the upper and lower blower fans. As shown in the figure, at the start of the cooling operation, first, the upper blower fan 13 is rotated, and then the lower blower fan 14 is rotated, and the lower damper 15 is moved with a time difference (for example, after 30 seconds). Open and let the wind blow. When the room temperature becomes equal to or lower than the set temperature, the lower blower fan 14 is stopped and only the upper blower fan 13 is operated. At this time, there is a possibility that the cooling capacity may be lowered by stopping the lower blower fan 14, and therefore, it is possible to perform a control to increase the rotation speed of the upper blower fan 13 and to suppress a decrease in the cooling capacity.

  At this time, if the rotational speed of the upper blower fan 13 is increased at the same time as the lower blower fan 14 is stopped, noise accompanying the increase in the rotational speed is a concern. It is possible to control to gradually increase the rotational speed of the upper blower fan 13 with time.

  Next, in the control flowchart of FIG. 6, when the room temperature is higher than the set temperature, the control unit 22 determines whether the indoor heat exchanger temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature t0 (for example, 12 ° C.). Starts the timer 35, stops the lower blower fan 14 after a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes), and operates only with the upper blower fan 13. Thereby, the indoor heat exchanger 9 is cooled, and it is possible to prevent the floor surface from being dewed by the cold air blowing out from the lower air outlet 12.

  When the indoor heat exchanger temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the operation mode for driving the upper and lower blower fans 13 and 14 is continued.

  When the lower blower fan 14 is stopped and the operation is performed only with the upper blower fan 13, the room temperature is compared with the set temperature, and the temperature difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature difference T0 (for example, 4 ° C.). For example, the driving of the upper and lower blower fans 13 and 14 is resumed to increase the cooling capacity so as to approach the set temperature.

  Further, when the indoor heat exchanger temperature t is higher than a predetermined temperature t0 (for example, 15 ° C.) while the lower blower fan 14 is stopped, there is no concern about dew condensation. Drives 13 and 14 are resumed. Also, when the operation switch 23 is turned off during these controls, this routine is terminated and the operation is stopped.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the operation of the lower blower fan is controlled by paying attention to the indoor heat exchanger temperature, the occurrence of dew formation on the floor surface is prevented.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that many modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the floor-standing separate type in which the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are separated has been described. However, even if the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are integrated, a blower fan is provided above and below. In the case of an air conditioner, the present invention can be applied. Even if the mounting position of the air conditioner is above the wall surface of the room, the present invention can be applied as long as it has a blower fan at the top and bottom.

  Further, even in the multi-type case, the determination can be made only with the indoor unit sensors (room temperature sensor, indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor), so the present invention is applicable if the indoor unit is equipped with upper and lower blow fans. Can be applied. The temperature and time described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to this.

The perspective view of the air conditioner which is embodiment of this invention Side sectional view of indoor unit (A) (b) (c) is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the blown-out state of the air conditioner in various operation modes The figure which shows a ventilation state in the indoor space which installed the air conditioner Control block diagram of various drive units such as blower fans Airflow control flowchart Timing chart showing operation / stop status of upper and lower blower fans

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Compressor 3 Outdoor heat exchanger 4 Outdoor fan 5 Decompressor 6 Cabinet 7 Front plate 9 Indoor heat exchanger 10 Blower path 11, 12 Blower outlet 13, 14 Blower fan 15 Damper 15a Horizontal axis 16 Drain pan 17, 18 Louver 19, 20 Horizontal axis 21 Air blow control circuit 22 Control unit 23 Operation switch 24 Mode changeover switch 25 Room temperature sensor 26 Indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 27 Drive circuit 28 Motor drive circuit 29 Damper motor drive circuit 35 Timer

Claims (8)

An upper air outlet and a lower air outlet formed in the upper and lower portions of the air conditioner body, an indoor heat exchanger disposed between the air inlet for sucking indoor air and the upper and lower air outlets, and the indoor heat exchange A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the vessel, upper and lower blow fans provided corresponding to the upper and lower blow outlets, and a control unit for driving and controlling the upper and lower blow fans,
The control unit, when driving the upper and lower blow fans to perform the cooling operation, stops the lower blow fan after a predetermined time has elapsed since the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. Air conditioner to do. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit drives the lower blower fan again when the indoor heat exchanger temperature becomes a predetermined value or more while the lower blower fan is stopped. Machine. A room temperature sensor for detecting a room temperature is provided, and the control unit drives the upper and lower blow fans to perform cooling operation, and stops the lower blow fan when the room temperature reaches a set temperature. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the control unit drives the lower fan again when the room temperature becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature with respect to the set temperature. 5. The air according to claim 1, wherein the control unit increases the rotational speed of the upper blower fan when only the upper blower fan is operated after stopping the lower blower fan. 6. Harmony machine. The controller is configured to increase the rotational speed of the upper blower fan after a predetermined time has elapsed after stopping the lower blower fan when only the upper blower fan is operated after stopping the lower blower fan. The air conditioner according to claim 5. 7. A switching means for switching between a first operation mode in which only the upper blower fan among the upper and lower blower fans is operated and a second operation mode in which the upper and lower blower fans are operated is provided. The air conditioner according to any one of the above. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the air conditioner main body is a floor-standing type that is used by being installed on a floor surface.

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