JP2008180427A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner preventing freezing of stored condensation water in an air conditioner using condensation water produced in an outdoor heat exchanger during heating operation, in indoor humidification. <P>SOLUTION: In the air conditioner 1, humidification of a room placed with an indoor heat exchanger 15 is carried out by a humidifying means 21. Water used in the humidifying means 21 is the condensation water produced in the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and it is stored in a tank 23. A third heat exchanger 27 is contacting a bottom face of the tank 23, a coolant from the indoor heat exchanger 15 heading toward the outdoor heat exchanger 13 flows through it, and heat exchange is carried out with the water in the tank 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner that can humidify a room during heating operation.

In recent years, air conditioners that use dew condensation water generated by an outdoor heat exchanger during heating operation for indoor humidification have become widespread. In this air conditioner, after dew condensation water is stored and purified in a container, it is transported to indoor humidifying means by a pump (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-213780 A

  However, since the container for storing the dew condensation water is placed outdoors together with the outdoor heat exchanger, the water in the container is frozen and cannot be transported when the outside air temperature becomes below freezing in winter.

  The subject of this invention is providing the air conditioning apparatus which does not freeze the stored condensed water.

  The air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, a humidifying means, a tank, and a pump. The humidifier humidifies the room where the indoor heat exchanger is placed. The tank stores condensed water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger. The pump conveys the water in the tank to the humidifying means. And heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant | coolant which goes to an outdoor heat exchanger from an indoor heat exchanger, and the water in a tank.

  In this air conditioner, heat is transferred from the refrigerant directed to the outdoor heat exchanger to the water in the tank, so that the water temperature in the tank does not become below freezing point and does not freeze even if the water in the tank is low outside air.

  An air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising a third heat exchanger. The third heat exchanger causes heat exchange between the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger toward the outdoor heat exchanger and the water in the tank.

  In this air conditioner, the amount of heat of the refrigerant efficiently moves to the water in the tank, so the third heat exchanger acts as a heat exchanger for supercooling the refrigerant circuit and contributes to performance improvement.

  An air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the third heat exchanger is a refrigerant pipe bent so as to meander.

  In this air conditioner, the structure of the third heat exchanger is simple and low in cost.

  An air conditioner according to a fourth aspect is the air conditioner according to the second aspect, wherein the third heat exchanger is in contact with the bottom surface of the tank.

  In this air conditioner, water is heated from the bottom side of the tank, so that the water temperature becomes uniform by natural convection and partial freezing of the water surface and the like is prevented.

  An air conditioner according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the tank has sterilizing means inside.

  In this air conditioner, since germs do not propagate in the tank and the water is kept clean, germs do not diffuse into the room during humidification.

  An air conditioner according to a sixth invention is the air conditioner according to the fifth invention, wherein the sterilizing means is an ultraviolet lamp.

  In this air conditioner, it is easy to install a sterilizer, and an increase in cost is suppressed.

  An air conditioner according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising water purification means for purifying water stored in the tank. The water purification means partitions water before water purification and water after water purification with a water purification filter.

  In this air conditioner, the water purification means does not increase in size and is easy to install.

  An air conditioner according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the purified water filter is cleaned by forcibly flowing the water after the purification through the purification filter to the water side before the purification. .

  In this air conditioner, the maintenance of the water purification filter is simple and easy to use.

  An air conditioner pertaining to a ninth aspect of the invention is the air conditioner pertaining to any one of the second to fourth aspects of the invention, comprising an expansion mechanism disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger. It has more. The third heat exchanger is disposed between the expansion mechanism and the indoor heat exchanger.

  In this air conditioner, the refrigerant that has exited the indoor heat exchanger exchanges heat with the water in the tank via the third heat exchanger. For this reason, a 3rd heat exchanger acts as a heat exchanger for subcooling of a refrigerant circuit, and contributes to a performance improvement.

  In the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, heat moves from the refrigerant toward the outdoor heat exchanger into the tank, so that the water temperature does not become below freezing point and does not freeze even if the water in the tank is low outside air.

  In the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the invention, the amount of heat of the refrigerant efficiently moves to the water in the tank, so that the third heat exchanger acts as a heat exchanger for supercooling the refrigerant circuit and contributes to performance improvement.

  In the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the invention, the structure of the third heat exchanger is simple and low cost.

  In the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the invention, since water is heated from the tank bottom side, the water temperature becomes uniform by natural convection and partial freezing of the water surface and the like is prevented.

  In the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the germs do not propagate in the tank and the water is kept clean, so that there is a low possibility that the germs diffuse into the room during humidification.

  In the air conditioner according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is easy to install a sterilizer, and an increase in cost is suppressed.

  In the air conditioner according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the water purifying means does not increase in size and is easy to install.

  In the air conditioner pertaining to the eighth aspect of the invention, the maintenance of the water purification filter is simple and convenient.

  In the air conditioner according to the ninth aspect of the invention, the third heat exchanger serves as a subcooling heat exchanger for the refrigerant circuit, contributing to improved performance.

<Schematic configuration of air conditioner>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, the air conditioner 1 is connected to devices such as a compressor 11, a four-way switching valve 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, an expansion valve 14, an indoor heat exchanger 15, and an accumulator 20 so that a refrigerant can flow. Thus, a refrigerant circuit is formed.

  Humidifying means 21 is disposed in the vicinity of the indoor heat exchanger 15. The humidifying means 21 gives appropriate moisture to the air that passes through the indoor heat exchanger 15 and is blown into the room. Water supplied to the humidifying means 21 is stored in the tank 23. The water in the tank 23 is water obtained by purifying the condensed water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and the water is pumped up by the pump 25 and conveyed to the humidifying means 21 through the hose 22. The humidifying means 21 is selected from an ultrasonic humidifier, a heating humidifier, and a spray humidifier.

  A third heat exchanger 27 is disposed in the vicinity of the tank 23. The third heat exchanger 27 is a part of the refrigerant pipe 17 from the indoor heat exchanger 15 to the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and between the water in the tank 23 and the refrigerant in the third heat exchanger 27. Let the heat exchange occur.

  In this embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger 15 and the humidifying means 21 are on the indoor unit 3 side, and the others are on the outdoor unit 2 side. The control unit 4 includes a CPU and a memory, and controls each device of the air conditioner 1.

<Outdoor unit 2>
2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, FIG. 3 (a) is a rear view of the outdoor unit, and FIG. 3 (b) is a perspective view of the drain pan. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the compressor 11, the four-way switching valve 12, the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the fan 81, the drain pan 31, and the like are arranged on the upper part of the outdoor unit 2. The fan 81 sucks outside air by rotating and applies the outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to actively exchange heat with the refrigerant. The drain pan 31 is located below the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and causes the dew condensation water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to flow into the lower water purification tank 32.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the drain pan 31 is inclined at the bottom so that the condensed water dripped from the outdoor heat exchanger 13 flows toward the outlet 31a. The condensed water that has exited the outlet 31 a of the drain pan 31 enters the water purification tank 32 disposed at the lower part of the outdoor unit 2, is purified, and is stored in the tank 23.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tank. In FIG. 4, the dew condensation water flows into the inside from the inlet 32 a of the water purification tank 32. The water purified in the water purification tank 32 flows into the tank 23 through the second electromagnetic valve 34. The water in the tank 23 is pumped up by the pump 25 from the bottom side of the tank 23 and conveyed to the humidifying means 21.

  A first solenoid valve 33 and a second solenoid valve 34 are connected below the water purification tank 32. The water that has passed through the first electromagnetic valve 33 is discharged from the drain port 51. The water that has passed through the second electromagnetic valve 34 enters the tank 23. A third electromagnetic valve 35 is connected to the bottom surface side of the tank 23, and water that has passed through the third electromagnetic valve 35 is discharged from the drain 51. The pump 25 draws water from the bottom side of the tank 23 and sends it to the three-way valve 36, and an appropriate amount of water is supplied from the three-way valve 36 to the humidifying means 21.

  The water in the tank 23 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet lamp 37 for sterilization. Although the ultraviolet lamp 37 is attached to the upper part of the tank 23, since the installation is easy, workability | operativity is good. The sterilizing means is not limited to the ultraviolet lamp 37, and may be, for example, an ozone generator.

<Water circulation path>
FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a water circulation path. As shown in FIG. 5, the inside of the water purification tank 32 is divided into a first tank 321 and a second tank 322 by a water purification filter 323, and the water that has entered the water purification tank 32 from the drain pan 31 is firstly first. It is stored in the tank 321, then passes through the water purification filter 323 and is stored in the second tank 322. When water passes through the water purification filter 323, impurities contained in the water are removed by the water purification filter 323. Such a water purification means is easy to install without increasing the size.

  When the inside of the first tank 321 is full, the first electromagnetic valve 33 opens the flow path and drains water. The water in the second tank 322 flows into the tank 23 when the second electromagnetic valve 34 opens the flow path. When the tank 23 is full, the second electromagnetic valve 34 closes the flow path. When the water in the tank 23 becomes unnecessary, the third electromagnetic valve 35 opens the flow path and drains it.

  The three-way valve 36 not only supplies the water sent from the pump 25 to the humidifying means 21 but also returns the water to the second tank 322 of the water purification tank 32 as necessary. By returning water to the 2nd tank 322, since the water after purified water is forced to flow through the purified water filter 323 to the water side before purified water, the purified water filter 323 is cleaned. That is, water flows backward from the second tank 322 to the first tank 321, and impurities accumulated on the surface of the water purification filter 323 are returned to the first tank 321. At this time, when the first electromagnetic valve 33 opens the flow path, the water in the first tank 321 can be discharged while removing impurities accumulated on the water purification filter 323.

<Water heating>
Since the tank 23 is placed outdoors, there is a possibility that water in the tank 23 will freeze in winter. In the present embodiment, as a means for preventing freezing, the refrigerant pipe 17 from the indoor heat exchanger 15 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the tank 23, and the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 17 and the water in the tank 23 are Heat exchange between them. As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerant pipe 17 is connected to a third heat exchanger 27. The third heat exchanger 27 is a copper tube bent so as to meander, and is in contact with the outer bottom surface of the tank 23. In FIG. 1, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 17 is about 20 ° C. immediately before entering the third heat exchanger 27, so the water temperature in the tank 23 is kept at about 10 ° C. to 15 ° C. and freezing is prevented. The third heat exchanger 27 has a simple structure and is less expensive than using a heater or the like.

<Operation of air conditioner>
The air conditioner 1 can switch between the cooling operation and the heating operation by changing the flow path of the refrigerant with the four-way switching valve 12. This embodiment demonstrates the case where the refrigerant circuit is a circuit for heating operation.

  During the heating operation, the four-way switching valve 12 forms a flow path indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, the compressor 11 and the indoor heat exchanger 15 communicate with each other, and the indoor heat exchanger 15 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are Each functions as a radiator and an evaporator. That is, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is introduced into the indoor heat exchanger 15 and exchanges heat with the indoor air, so that the temperature is lowered and the medium-temperature and high-pressure state is obtained. The refrigerant that has left the indoor heat exchanger 15 enters the third heat exchanger 27.

  While the refrigerant passes through the third heat exchanger 27, a part of the heat amount of the refrigerant moves to the water in the tank 23, and the refrigerant is supercooled. On the other hand, since the water in the tank 23 obtains heat from the refrigerant, the water temperature is maintained within a certain temperature range and does not freeze.

  The refrigerant reaches the expansion valve 14 via the third heat exchanger 27. The refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve 14 and introduced into the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the outdoor air. The refrigerant that has exited the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is again sucked into the compressor 11.

<First Modification>
In the above embodiment, the number of the refrigerant pipes 17 from the indoor heat exchanger 15 to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is one, but it may be divided into two. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to a first modification of the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, a third heat exchanger 27 and a check valve 28 are connected to the first branch pipe 17a. The check valve 28 prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to the third heat exchanger 27 during the cooling operation. A check valve 29 is connected to the second branch pipe 17b. The check valve 29 prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the indoor heat exchanger 15 to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 during the heating operation.

  Accordingly, during the heating operation, the refrigerant that has exited the indoor heat exchanger 15 enters the first branch pipe 17 a and flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 via the third heat exchanger 27. During the cooling operation, it is not necessary to warm the water in the tank 23, so the refrigerant that has exited the outdoor heat exchanger 13 flows to the indoor heat exchanger 15 via the second branch pipe 17b. Thus, the refrigerant | coolant piping 17 is divided | segmented, and a refrigerant | coolant distribute | circulates efficiently according to an operating condition.

<Second Modification>
Further, even during the heating operation, there are cases where the outside air temperature is high and it is not necessary to heat the water in the tank 23. Therefore, the refrigerant is allowed to flow through the third heat exchanger 27 only when the outside air temperature is low. Also good. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of an air-conditioning apparatus according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, during the heating operation, the refrigerant that has exited the indoor heat exchanger 15 passes through the refrigerant pipe 17 and enters the three-way valve 70. When the outside air temperature is low and the water in the tank 23 may be frozen, the control unit 4 controls the three-way valve 70 to flow the refrigerant to the first branch pipe 17 a side and pass through the third heat exchanger 27. Direct to the outdoor heat exchanger 13. When the outside air temperature is high and there is no possibility that the water in the tank 23 will freeze, the control unit 4 controls the three-way valve 70 to flow the refrigerant to the second branch pipe 17b and direct it to the outdoor heat exchanger 13. Thus, the refrigerant can be efficiently circulated by changing the flow path of the refrigerant with the three-way valve 70 according to the outside air temperature.

<Third Modification>
In the said embodiment, although the structure which makes the 3rd heat exchanger 27 contact the outer bottom face of the tank 23 is employ | adopted, it is not limited to this. The third heat exchanger 27 has a simple structure in which a copper tube is bent and has a small occupied volume. Therefore, a structure housed in the tank 23 may be adopted. This improves the heat exchange performance between the refrigerant and water. Furthermore, since the third heat exchanger 27 outside the tank 23 is accommodated in the tank 23, the outdoor unit 2 is further downsized.

<Features>
(1)
In the air conditioner 1, the humidifying means 21 humidifies the room where the indoor heat exchanger 15 is placed. The water used for the humidifying means 21 is condensed water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and is stored in the tank 23. A third heat exchanger 27 is in contact with the bottom surface of the tank 23, and refrigerant flows from the indoor heat exchanger 15 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 13 between the refrigerant and the water in the tank 23. Heat exchange takes place. For this reason, since the heat of the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger 15 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 13 moves to the water in the tank, even if the water in the tank 23 is low outside air, the water temperature does not become below freezing point and does not freeze. Moreover, the 3rd heat exchanger 27 acts as a heat exchanger for the supercooling of a refrigerant circuit, and contributes to a performance improvement.

(2)
In the air conditioner 1, since the ultraviolet lamp 37 is provided inside the tank 23, germs do not propagate in the tank 23, water is kept clean, and germs do not diffuse during humidification.

(3)
The air conditioner 1 further includes a water purification tank 32 that purifies the water stored in the tank 23. The water purification tank 32 partitions the 1st tank 321 which stores the water before water purification, and the 2nd tank 322 which stores the water after water purification with the water purification filter 323. After the purified water is forced to flow to the water side before the purified water through the purified water filter 323, the purified water filter is cleaned. For this reason, the maintenance of the water purification filter 323 is simple and convenient.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the water stored in the tank does not freeze even in winter, which is useful for an air conditioner of the type in which the water of the humidifying means is arranged outdoors.

The block diagram of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the inside of the outdoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus. (A) The rear view of an outdoor unit. (B) The perspective view of a drain pan. The perspective view of a tank. The circuit diagram which shows the circulation path of water. The block diagram of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on the 1st modification of embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on the 2nd modification of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus 13 Outdoor heat exchanger 14 Expansion mechanism 15 Indoor heat exchanger 17 Refrigerant piping 21 Humidification means 23 Tank 25 Pump 27 Third heat exchanger 32 Water purification tank 37 Ultraviolet lamp 323 Water purification filter

Claims (9)

An outdoor heat exchanger (13);
An indoor heat exchanger (15);
Humidifying means (21) for humidifying the room in which the indoor heat exchanger (15) is placed;
A tank (23) for storing condensed water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger (13);
A pump (25) for transporting water in the tank (23) to the humidifying means (21);
With
During the heating operation, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger (15) toward the outdoor heat exchanger (13) and water in the tank (23).
Air conditioner (1). A third heat exchanger (27) is further provided for exchanging heat between the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger (15) toward the outdoor heat exchanger (13) and the water in the tank (23). ,
The air conditioner (1) according to claim 1. The third heat exchanger (27) is a refrigerant pipe bent to meander;
Air conditioner (1) according to claim 2 The third heat exchanger (27) is in contact with the bottom surface of the tank (23);
The air conditioner (1) according to claim 2. The tank (23) has sterilizing means inside,
The air conditioner (1) according to claim 1. The sterilizing means is an ultraviolet lamp (37);
The air conditioner (1) according to claim 5. Water purification means (32) for purifying water stored in the tank (23) is further provided,
The water purification means (32) partitions water before water purification and water after water purification with a water purification filter (323).
The air conditioner (1) according to claim 1. The water after the water purification is forced to flow through the water purification filter (323) to the water side before the water purification, thereby cleaning the water purification filter (323).
The air conditioning apparatus (1) according to claim 7. An expansion mechanism (14) disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger (13) and the indoor heat exchanger (15);
The third heat exchanger (27) is disposed between the expansion mechanism (14) and the indoor heat exchanger (15);
The air conditioner (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

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