JP2008175499A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the internal state of an indoor unit, preventing growth of mildew in a comparatively short time without deteriorating indoor environment in the indoor unit of an air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: After the end of cooling operation or dehumidifying operation, the state of the interior of the indoor unit is determined from the operation status of cooling operation and dehumidifying operation, and blowing operation is performed based on the determination result, whereby the internal state of the indoor unit not suitable for growth of mildew is produced in a comparatively short time without a rise in interior temperature. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mold breeding suppression operation in an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

  After performing a cooling operation or a dehumidifying operation in the air conditioner, condensed water may be generated. In this case, the inside of the air conditioner indoor unit (hereinafter referred to as an indoor unit) is in a high humidity state. It is known that fungi such as molds are easy to reproduce in a high humidity environment with a relative humidity of 70% or more. When fungi such as molds are propagated, when operating the air conditioner, there may be a situation where a bad odor is generated from the outlet or a dead body of fungus is released, which may cause allergies. .

  For this solution, after performing a cooling operation or a dehumidifying operation, an air blowing operation or a heating operation is automatically performed to dry the interior of the indoor unit and to suppress the growth of fungi such as mold (for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 4 shows the operation method of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, which dries the interior of the indoor unit of the air conditioner and suppresses the growth of fungi such as mold. The operation will be described below based on FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the air conditioner starts operation, when it is determined in step 1 that the cooling operation is being performed, it is determined in step 2 whether or not the set stop time is set. If it is not the stop time, it is determined in step 3 whether or not a stop signal from the remote controller has been input, and if it is determined that the cooling operation has stopped, the process proceeds to step 4.

In step 4, the four-way valve is switched to form a refrigerant circuit for heating operation. In step 5, a timer for driving the compressor and the indoor fan for a predetermined time is started. In step 6, the compressor is switched to a low frequency. And the indoor fan is driven at a low speed. In step 7, the indoor heat exchanger 5 is dried by performing a weak heating operation until the timer reaches a predetermined time, and then the step is performed. 8 is an operation procedure for stopping the operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-62000

  However, in the conventional configuration, after performing the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, when performing the air blowing operation or the heating operation for the purpose of drying the indoor unit, regardless of the state inside the indoor unit of the air conditioner, It has been necessary to perform a blowing operation or a heating operation for a long time, which has a problem of impairing convenience for the user.

  Furthermore, since the heating operation is performed after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is performed, the indoor temperature is increased.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and even when performing mold-suppressing operation, the environment can be maintained as if it is not performed, and in a relatively short time according to the state inside the indoor unit. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that terminates mold suppression operation.

In order to solve the conventional problems, the air conditioner of the present invention performs a cooling operation or a dehumidifying operation, and then performs a blowing operation as a mold suppression operation according to the state inside the indoor unit.

  Since the air conditioner of the present invention performs the mold suppression operation according to the state inside the indoor unit after the cooling operation or the dehumidification operation, the time required for the mold suppression operation is shortened according to the state inside the indoor unit. be able to.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suction port for sucking in indoor air, a blowout port for blowing out the sucked room air, a blower provided in a wind circuit connecting the suction port and the blowout port, and the wind circuit In the air conditioner having the heat exchanger provided in the air conditioner, after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed, the air blowing operation is automatically performed, and the operation time of the air blowing operation is the operation time of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, and These are set according to the air volume during the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation. As a result, the humidity inside the indoor unit is lowered, the growth of mold inside the indoor unit can be suppressed, and the mold suppression operation time can be shortened according to the state inside the indoor unit.

  In particular, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a wind direction plate for controlling the direction of the indoor air to be blown out is provided at the blowout port, and the blowout port is substantially blocked by the wind direction plate during a blowing operation. . As a result, it is possible to prevent the high-humidity wind during the air blowing operation from spreading over a wide range in the room, and to suppress a sudden deterioration of the indoor environment.

  In a third aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, a wind direction plate for controlling the wind direction of the indoor air to be blown out is provided at the outlet, and the wind direction plate is set downward during the blowing operation. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the high humidity wind during the blowing operation from directly hitting the user, and to reduce the user's discomfort during the mold suppression operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a system schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 2 and an indoor unit 3. The outdoor unit 2 is provided with a compressor 4, a four-way valve 5, an expansion valve 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, an outdoor fan 8, a discharge temperature sensor 9, an outdoor pipe temperature sensor 10, and an outdoor temperature sensor 11.

  The indoor unit 3 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 12, an indoor fan 13, an indoor pipe temperature sensor 16, a suction sensor 17, and a suction unit, a blowing unit, and upper and lower blades (not shown). Are connected to form a refrigeration cycle, and cooling or dehumidification and heating are performed by switching the four-way valve 5.

  The indoor heat exchanger 12 is divided into a front side heat exchanger 12a and a rear side heat exchanger 12b. The front side heat exchanger 12a and the rear side heat exchanger 12b include a dry two-way valve 14 and a capillary tube 15. It is connected via a diaphragm mechanism.

  By opening the dry two-way valve 14 fully, the cooling operation or the heating operation is performed and closed, and the expansion valve 6 is fully opened or substantially fully opened, so that the front heat exchanger 12a is a condenser, rear heat Since the exchanger 12b can be an evaporator, so-called reheat dehumidification operation is possible.

  The outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 are each provided with an outdoor unit control unit 18 and an indoor unit control unit 19, and both control units 18 and 19 are connected by a connection line.

  The indoor unit control unit 19 has a receiving unit 20 that receives an infrared signal transmitted from a remote controller 21 provided outside the indoor unit 3, and a user can perform various operations on the remote controller 21. It has become.

  About the air conditioner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  When the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed, the air blowing operation is performed as the mold suppression operation. At this time, the dew condensation state of the indoor heat exchanger 12 is determined from the operation time T [min] (for example, 120 minutes) during the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation and the rotational speed N [rpm] (for example, 1200 rpm) of the indoor fan 13, While determining the air blowing operation time required until the inside of the machine 3 is in a humidity state that is not suitable for mold growth, and then performing the air blowing operation in accordance with the determined air blowing operation time, while considering the indoor environment The interior of the indoor unit 3 can be brought into a low humidity state that is not suitable for mold growth.

  Further, in the blowing operation of the present embodiment, the high-humidity air discharged through the blowing unit during the blowing operation is widely spread in the room by substantially closing the blowing unit by the upper and lower blades provided in the blowing unit of the indoor unit 3. Thus, the interior of the indoor unit 3 can be brought into a low-humidity state without abruptly deteriorating the indoor environment.

  Further, in the air blowing operation of the present embodiment, the upper and lower blades provided in the blowing portion of the indoor unit 3 are directed downward, thereby suppressing the high humidity air emitted through the blowing portion during the blowing operation from directly hitting the user. And the inside of the indoor unit 3 can also be made into a low-humidity state, without giving a user a big discomfort.

  Further, in the mold suppression operation according to the present embodiment, the user can select whether or not to perform the mold prevention operation by using the remote controller 21, so that the mold prevention operation is performed when the user does not like the mold suppression operation. It is possible to select not to perform, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  The operation flow of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When it is determined in step 1 that the cooling operation has been completed, it is determined in step 2 whether or not the mold suppression operation is performed. If so, the process proceeds to step 3, and if not, the air conditioner is stopped. Let

  In step 3, it is determined whether or not the operation time during cooling operation is less than Ta [minutes]. If less than Ta [minutes], the process proceeds to step 4; if it is greater than Ta [minutes], less than Tb [minutes]. Or not, and the process proceeds to Step 4.

  In step 4, it is determined whether or not the rotational speed of the indoor fan 13 during cooling operation is less than Na [rpm]. If it is more than Na [rpm], it will be judged whether it is less than Nb [rpm], and the ventilation operation time at the time of mold suppression operation will be advanced to decision step 5.

  In step 5, according to the air blow operation time determined in step 4, air blow operation for mold suppression is performed, and then the air conditioner 1 is stopped.

  Note that the exceptional judgment in each step is performed by the indoor unit control unit 19.

  Here, an example of a series of operations in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the user selects Na-50 [rpm] as the rotation speed of the indoor fan 13 by the remote controller 21 and transmits a cooling operation start signal, and the receiving unit 20 receives the signal, the air conditioner 1 The cooling operation is started when the rotational speed of the fan 13 is Na-50 [rpm].

  When Ta-5 [minutes] have elapsed from the start of the cooling operation, the user transmits an operation stop signal by the remote controller 21, and when the receiving unit 20 receives the signal, the air conditioner 1 ends the cooling operation and performs the air blowing operation. Start. At that time, the compressor 4 and the outdoor fan 8 are stopped, the indoor fan 13 is rotated at Nc [rpm], and the upper and lower blades are substantially closed.

  After Ta + Tc-5 [minute] has elapsed since the start of the cooling operation, the indoor fan 13 is stopped, the upper and lower blades are closed, and the air conditioner 1 is stopped.

  The operation flow and an example of the present embodiment have been described above, but the effects of the present embodiment are as described above, and are omitted here.

  As described above, since the air conditioner according to the present invention can suppress the growth of mold without deteriorating the indoor environment, it is possible to suppress the mold of other household electric appliances that use water or the like. It can also be applied to other uses.

System schematic diagram of air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The flowchart regarding the operation | movement of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Timing chart regarding operation of air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Flowchart for mold suppression operation method in conventional air conditioner

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 2 Outdoor unit 3 Indoor unit 4 Compressor 5 Four-way valve 6 Expansion valve 7 Outdoor heat exchanger 8 Outdoor fan 9 Discharge temperature sensor 10 Outdoor piping temperature sensor 11 Outdoor temperature sensor 12 Indoor heat exchanger 12a Front heat exchanger 12b Rear heat exchanger 13 Indoor fan 14 Dry two-way valve 15 Capillary tube 16 Indoor piping temperature sensor 17 Suction sensor 18 Outdoor unit control unit 19 Indoor unit control unit 20 Receiving unit 21 Remote control

Claims (3)

A suction port for sucking in indoor air, a blowout port for blowing out the sucked indoor air, a blower provided in a wind circuit connecting the suction port and the blowout port, and a heat exchanger provided in the wind circuit In the air conditioner having the above, after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, the air blowing operation is automatically performed, and the operation time of the air blowing operation is the operation time of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation and the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation. An air conditioner that is set according to the air volume during operation. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a wind direction plate that controls a wind direction of indoor air to be blown out is provided at the blowout port, and the blowout port is substantially closed by the wind direction plate during a blowing operation. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a wind direction plate for controlling a wind direction of indoor air to be blown out is provided at the blow-out port, and the wind direction plate is set downward during a blowing operation.

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