JP2009002603A - Air-conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air-conditioner for maintaining comfortable indoor environment by accurately seizing the amount of activity of a human body and controlling air to be blown to a region where there is a greater amount of activity to actively remove dust from a room. <P>SOLUTION: An activity amount detecting means detects the amount of activity. When the amount of activity of a human body, detected by the activity amount detecting means, is a predetermined amount or greater, an indoor fan 8 is operated, vertical vanes 12 and cross vanes of an indoor unit 2 are controlled to blow air to a region where the amount of activity is the predetermined amount or greater, and an air cleaning unit 42 is also operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with an activity amount detecting means for detecting an activity amount of a person in an indoor unit, and relates to a technique for quickly purifying indoor air by blowing air to a region where the person is present when the person is active.

  There has been a health-oriented boom in recent years, and in the case of air conditioners, a number of air conditioners having an air cleaning function, a ventilation function, and an oxygen enrichment function have been developed and put into practical use. An air conditioner having these functions realizes a comfortable indoor environment by detecting dirt in the room and causing each function to operate or adjusting the function amount according to the detected value (for example, (See Patent Document 1 or 2).

  In addition, a human body detection sensor that detects the position of a person in the room is provided to improve air conditioning efficiency by sending conditioned air to the detected person's position, and to reduce malfunctions when performing energy saving operation. The thing is also proposed (for example, refer patent document 3).

JP 2006-132928 A JP 2004-101116 A JP 2001-193985 A

However, as described in Patent Document 1 or 2, it is not sufficient to simply perform an air cleaning operation or perform a ventilation operation by detecting indoor dirt, and actively remove indoor dust. There is a desire to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.
In addition, as described in Patent Document 3, it is possible to reduce malfunctions when performing energy saving operation by grasping the position of a person to some extent, but there is still room for improvement in terms of positive dust removal in the room. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and accurately grasps the amount of human activity, and actively removes indoor dust by controlling air flow to a region with a large amount of activity. It aims at providing the air conditioner which maintained the comfortable indoor environment by doing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 among the present invention is a human body detection sensor provided in an indoor unit for detecting the presence or absence of a person, and an activity amount detecting means for detecting an activity amount of a person. And an air conditioner provided with an air purification unit provided in the indoor unit, wherein the indoor unit is provided with a plurality of human body detection sensors, and an area to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of regions by the plurality of human body detection sensors. The activity amount detecting means detects an activity amount of a person in an area determined by the plurality of human body detection sensors among the plurality of areas, and the activity amount detection means detects the activity amount of the person detected by the activity amount detection means. When the amount of activity is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the indoor fan provided in the indoor unit is operated, and the amount of human activity is controlled by controlling the upper and lower blades and the left and right blades provided in the indoor unit for controlling the direction of the blown air. Is an area that is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount While it is blowing, characterized in that so as to operate the air cleaning unit.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the upper and lower blades repeatedly perform a direct airflow that blows out air blown from the indoor unit substantially directly below and a ceiling airflow that blows off substantially horizontally. .

  Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the speed of the indoor fan is set higher than the speed during the air-conditioning operation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the indoor unit includes a ventilation fan, and the ventilation fan is operated simultaneously with the start of operation of the air cleaning unit.

  The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the operation of the air purification unit is not performed during the air conditioning operation.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the air purification unit is operated for a predetermined time during the air conditioning operation, and then the air conditioning operation is further performed.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the activity amount detection means is the plurality of human body detection sensors.

  According to the present invention, when the activity amount of the person is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the indoor fan is operated to blow air to the area and the air cleaning unit is operated. Dust can be reliably removed by the air cleaning unit, and a comfortable indoor environment can be maintained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Overall configuration of air conditioner)
An air conditioner used in a general home is composed of an outdoor unit 1 (see FIG. 34) and an indoor unit that are connected to each other by a normal refrigerant pipe. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the air conditioner according to the present invention. This shows the indoor unit.

  The indoor unit has a main body 2 and a movable front panel (hereinafter simply referred to as a front panel) 4 that can freely open and close the front opening 2a of the main body 2, and the front panel 4 is the main body 2 when the air conditioner is stopped. While the front opening 2a is closed in close contact with the front, the front panel 4 moves in a direction away from the main body 2 to open the front opening 2a during operation of the air conditioner. 1 shows a state in which the front panel 4 closes the front opening 2a, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the front panel 4 opens the front opening 2a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 6 and the indoor air taken in from the front opening 2a and the upper surface opening 2b are exchanged in the heat exchanger 6 and blown out into the room. Indoor fan 8, upper and lower blades 12 that open and close air outlet 10 that blows heat-exchanged air into the room and change the air blowing direction up and down, and left and right blades that change the air blowing direction left and right (not shown) In the main body 2 below the front opening 2a, a middle blade 14 that opens and closes on the air outlet 10 side of the front opening 2a is swingably attached via a middle blade drive mechanism 16. Yes. Further, the upper part of the front panel 4 is connected to the upper part of the main body 2 through two arms 18 and 20 provided at both ends thereof, and drive control of a drive motor (not shown) connected to the arm 18 is performed. Thus, during operation of the air conditioner, the front panel 4 moves forward and obliquely upward from the position when the air conditioner is stopped (closed position of the front opening 2a). The upper and lower blades 12 are connected to the lower part of the main body 2 via two arms 22 and 24 provided at both ends thereof, and a driving method thereof will be described later.

(Configuration of human body detection device)
As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, a plurality of (for example, five) sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are provided on the upper portion of the front panel 4 from the main plane of the front panel 4. The sensor unit 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 is held by a sensor holder 36 as shown in FIG. 4. The human body detection device is covered with a cover 5 as shown in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the cover 5 is removed.

  Each sensor unit 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 is provided in the upper part of the front panel 4, as shown in FIG. This is for enlarging (a human body position discriminating area described later) and securing a far field of view to the maximum. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the visual field range can be secured farther by moving the front panel 4 forward from the stop position at the start of operation, and also shown in FIG. 5 (c). Thus, the visual field range can be further expanded by moving the front panel 4 obliquely upward from the stop position. The positions of the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are not limited to the upper part of the front panel 4, and even when the front panel is not movable, the human body detection device is placed on the upper part of the front panel or the main body. By attaching to the upper part, the visual field range can be expanded compared to the case of attaching to the lower part.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5D, the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 are provided so as to protrude from the main plane of the front panel 4. , 34 can be arranged further forward, and as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5D, the components of the indoor unit (for example, the upper and lower blades 12 and the front panel 2a with the front opening 2a opened) 4) and the like can be prevented, and the visual field range can be expanded.

  In the present embodiment, each sensor unit 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 is provided on the front panel 4, so that when the front panel 4 opens the front opening 2a, it is attached to the front panel 4. It will move and will protrude further forward.

  The sensor unit 26 includes a circuit board 26a, a lens 26b attached to the circuit board 26a, and a human body detection sensor (not shown) mounted inside the lens 26b. The same applies to the other sensor units 28, 30, 32, and 34. Furthermore, the human body detection sensor is configured by, for example, an infrared sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person by detecting infrared radiation emitted from the human body, and a pulse that is output in response to a change in the amount of infrared detected by the infrared sensor. The presence or absence of a person is determined by the circuit board 26a based on the signal. That is, the circuit board 26a functions as presence / absence determination means for determining the presence / absence of a person. Hereinafter, a sensor and a lens paired with each other are referred to as a sensor / lens pair.

  Here, in order to obtain the detection areas in the front and rear, right and left directions, it is conceivable to arrange the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 on the surface of an arbitrary sphere Z as shown in the side view of FIG. . In this case, the optical axes of the sensor / lens pairs of the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 intersect at the center P of the sphere Z and are not in a twisted position. When viewed from the indoor unit, the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are projected on the surface of the sphere Z in the front-rear direction, so it is difficult to reduce the size of the human body detection device.

  Further, in order to suppress the above-described jumping out of the sensor unit, an arbitrary sphere Z is cut out at an arbitrary plane X as shown in FIG. 7, and the optical axis of the plane X and each of the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 is cut. It is also conceivable to arrange each sensor unit 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 at the intersection with (not the twist position). In this case, the arrangement of the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 is less likely to jump out in the front-rear direction as shown in the front view of FIG. The arrangement of sensor units having different distances from each other is dispersed in the vertical and horizontal directions, and there is a limit to downsizing the human body detection device.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the optical axes of the sensor / lens pair of the sensor units 26, 28 are on the same plane, and the optical axes of the sensor / lens pair of the sensor units 30, 32, 34 are on the same plane. However, the optical axis of the sensor / lens pair of the sensor units 26 and 28 and the optical axis of the sensor / lens pair of the sensor units 30, 32, and 34 are not on the same plane, but are twisted. Each circuit board 26a, 28a, 30a, 32a, 34a is attached to the sensor holder 36 at a predetermined angle.

  Thus, by setting the optical axis of the sensor / lens pair of the sensor unit having a different distance between the detection area and the indoor unit to the twisted position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 can be arranged substantially linearly in the lateral direction, and the human body detection device can be downsized.

  Although an example in which sensor units having different distances from the indoor unit to the detection area of the sensor unit are arranged in a substantially straight line in the lateral direction has been described, sensor units having different left and right directions are substantially straight in the height direction of the indoor unit. The same can be said for the case of the arrangement.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, among the plurality of sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 provided in the indoor unit, sensors having different distances between the visual field area of the sensor unit and the air conditioner Since the optical axes of the sensor / lens pair of the unit are twisted with respect to each other, the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 can be installed so as not to jump out of the front panel 4 of the indoor unit. The human body detection device can be downsized.

  Further, by arranging the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 in a substantially straight line, the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 are not dispersed in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the sensor units 26, 28, The size of 30, 32, 34 can be reduced.

  In addition, a plurality of sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 in which the optical axes of the sensor / lens pairs are in a twisted position are provided in the human body detecting device, and the optical axes of the sensor / lens pairs are arranged in the visual field direction. Since it is arranged so as to face, it is possible to form a plurality of detection areas in the distance direction and a plurality of detection areas in the left-right direction when viewed from the human body detection device, and downsize the lens by improving the light collection efficiency Is possible.

(Human position estimation by human body detection device)
FIG. 9 shows human body position determination areas detected by the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34. The sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 each have a person in the next area. Can be detected.
Sensor unit 26: area A + C + D
Sensor unit 28: Area B + E + F
Sensor unit 30: area C + G
Sensor unit 32: Area D + E + H
Sensor unit 34: area F + I

  That is, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the area that can be detected by the sensor units 26 and 28 and the area that can be detected by the sensor units 30, 32, and 34 partially overlap, and the number of areas A to I A smaller number of sensor units is used to detect the presence or absence of a person in each of the areas A to I.

  In addition, by attaching at least three human body detection sensors to the upper part of the indoor unit, the position of the human body in the room can be two-dimensionally grasped in the perspective direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the indoor unit, that is, where on the indoor floor. Can do. FIG. 10 shows an area to be detected when three human body detection sensors are provided. In the example of FIG. 10, the presence or absence of a person in the area near the indoor unit is detected by one human body detection sensor. The presence or absence of a person in an area far from the machine is detected by two human body detection sensors.

  Returning to FIG. 9, this embodiment will be further described. In the following description, the sensor units 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are replaced with the first sensor 26, the second sensor 28, the third sensor 30, 4 sensors 32 and a fifth sensor 34. Since the areas C, D, E, and F are detected by two sensors, the areas other than the overlapping areas (areas A, B, G, H, and I) are detected by one sensor. Therefore, it is called a normal area. The overlapping area is divided into left overlapping areas C and D and right overlapping areas E and F.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for setting region characteristics to be described later in each of the regions A to I using the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34. FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for determining in which of the areas A to I a person is located by using the fifth to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34, and determining the position of the person with reference to these flowcharts The method will be described below.

  In step S1, the presence or absence of a person in the left overlapping region is first determined at a predetermined period T1 (for example, 5 seconds), and in step S2, a predetermined sensor output is cleared under a predetermined condition.

  Table 1 shows a method of determining the left overlapping region. When one of the three reaction results shown in Table 1 is satisfied, the outputs of the first sensor 26 and the third sensor 30 are cleared. . Here, 1 is defined as a response, 0 is defined as no response, and clear is defined as 1 → 0.

  In step S3, the presence / absence of a person in the right overlapping region is further determined in the above-described predetermined period T1, and in step S4, a predetermined sensor output is cleared under a predetermined condition.

  Table 2 shows a method for determining the right overlapping region. When one of the three reaction results shown in Table 2 is satisfied, the outputs of the second sensor 28 and the fifth sensor 34 are cleared. .

  Moreover, when it corresponds to either of the six reaction results shown in Table 1 and Table 2, the output of the 4th sensor 32 is also cleared and it transfers to step S5. In step S5, the presence / absence of a person in the normal region is determined based on Table 3 in the above-described predetermined cycle T1, and in step S6, all sensor outputs are cleared.

  Furthermore, a case where the presence / absence of a person in the areas A, B, and C is determined using only the outputs from the first to third sensors 26, 28, and 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, when all of the first to third sensors 26, 28, and 30 are OFF (no pulse) in the period T1 immediately before the time t1, the person in the regions A, B, and C at the time t1 It is determined that there is no yes (A = 0, B = 0, C = 0). Next, during the period from time t1 to time t2 after period T1, only the first sensor 26 outputs an ON signal (with a pulse), and when the second and third sensors 28, 30 are OFF, at time t2. It is determined that there is a person in the area A and there are no persons in the areas B and C (A = 1, B = 0, C = 0). Further, when the first and third sensors 26 and 30 output the ON signal from the time t2 to the time t3 after the period T1, and the second sensor 28 is OFF, a person is in the region C at the time t3. It is determined that there are no people in the areas A and B (A = 0, B = 0, C = 1). Hereinafter, the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A, B, and C is similarly determined for each period T1.

  In practice, the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are used to determine in which area of the areas A to I a person is present. The output from the sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 is used to show the result of the presence / absence determination of a person in each of the areas A to I.

  In Table 4, position determinations other than the position determinations shown in Tables 1 to 3 are performed by combining the determination results in Steps S1, S3, and S5.

  Based on the determination result, each of the areas A to I is classified into a first area where people are good (a place where people are good), a second area where people are short (area where people simply pass through, areas where the stay time is short). And a third area (a non-living area where people hardly go, such as walls and windows). Hereinafter, the first region, the second region, and the third region are referred to as a life category I, a life category II, and a life category III, respectively, and the life category I, the life category II, and the life category III are respectively a region characteristic I. It can also be said that the region of region characteristic II, region of region characteristic II, region of region characteristic III. Further, the life category I (region characteristic I) and the life category II (region characteristic II) are combined into a life region (region where people live), while the life category III (region characteristic III) is changed to a non-life region ( The area of life may be broadly classified according to the frequency of the presence or absence of a person.

  This determination is performed after step S7 in the flowchart of FIG. 11, and this determination method will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 shows a case where the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is installed in an LD of 1 LDK composed of one Japanese-style room, LD (living room / dining room) and kitchen, and is indicated by an ellipse in FIG. The area shows the well-placed place where the subject reported.

  As described above, the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A to I is determined every period T1, and 1 (with a reaction) or 0 (without a reaction) is output as a reaction result (determination) in the period T1. Is repeated a plurality of times, and in step S7, it is determined whether or not the cumulative operation time of a predetermined air conditioner has elapsed. If it is determined in step S7 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, two reaction results accumulated in the predetermined time in each region A to I are obtained. Each region A to I is determined as one of the life categories I to III by comparing with the threshold value.

  In more detail with reference to FIG. 15 showing the long-term accumulation result, the first threshold value and the second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value are set, and in step S8, the long-term accumulation result of each region A to I is set. Is determined to be greater than the first threshold, and the region determined to be greater is determined to be the life category I in step S9. If it is determined in step S8 that the long-term cumulative result of each region A to I is less than the first threshold value, whether or not the long-term cumulative result of each region A to I is greater than the second threshold value in step S10. The region determined to be large is determined to be the life category II in step S11, while the region determined to be small is determined to be the life category III in step S12.

  In the example of FIG. 15, the areas E, F, and I are determined as the life category I, the areas B and H are determined as the life category II, and the areas A, C, D, and G are determined as the life category III.

  FIG. 16 shows the case where the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is installed in another LD of 1 LDK, and FIG. 17 discriminates each region A to I based on the long-term accumulation result in this case. Results are shown. In the example of FIG. 16, the areas C, E, and G are determined as the life category I, the areas A, B, D, and H are determined as the life category II, and the areas F and I are determined as the life category III.

  Note that the above-described determination of the region characteristics (life classification) is repeated every predetermined time, but the determination result hardly changes unless the sofa, the table, or the like arranged in the room to be determined is moved.

  Next, the final determination of the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A to I will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Since steps S21 to S26 are the same as steps S1 to S6 in the flowchart of FIG. 11 described above, the description thereof is omitted. In step S27, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number M (for example, 15 times) of reaction results in the period T1 has been obtained. If it is determined that the period T1 has not reached the predetermined number M, the process returns to step S21. If it is determined that the period T1 has reached the predetermined number M, in step S28, the total number of reaction results in the period T1 × M is used as the cumulative reaction period number, and the cumulative reaction period number for one time is calculated. The calculation of the cumulative reaction period is repeated a plurality of times, and it is determined in step S29 whether or not the calculation result of the cumulative reaction period is obtained for a predetermined number of times (for example, N = 4). When the determination is made, the process returns to step S21. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined number of times has been reached, in step S30, the person in each of the areas A to I is determined based on the already determined area characteristics and the predetermined number of accumulated reaction periods. Presence or absence of is estimated.

  In step S31, by subtracting 1 from the calculation number (N) of the cumulative reaction period number and returning to step S21, the calculation of the cumulative reaction period number of times is repeated.

  Table 5 shows the history of reaction results for the latest one time (time T1 × M). In Table 5, for example, ΣA0 means the number of cumulative reaction periods for one time in the region A.

  Here, the cumulative reaction period number of one time immediately before ΣA0 is ΣA1, and the previous cumulative reaction period number of ΣA0 is ΣA2,... The presence / absence of a person is estimated from the four times (ΣA1 and ΣA0), the life division, and the cumulative reaction period.

  Next, after the time T1 × M from the above-described determination of the presence / absence of the person, the presence / absence of the person is similarly estimated from the past four histories, life categories, and cumulative reaction period times.

  That is, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the presence / absence of a person is estimated using a smaller number of sensors than the number of the discrimination areas A to I. Since there is a possibility that the position is incorrect, avoiding human position estimation in a single predetermined period regardless of whether it is an overlapping area, the region characteristics obtained by accumulating the region determination results for each predetermined period over a long period, and for each predetermined period The region determination results are accumulated N times, and the location of the person is estimated from the past history of the accumulated reaction period times of each region obtained, thereby obtaining the position estimation result of the person with high probability.

  Table 6 shows the time required for the presence estimation and the time required for the absence estimation when the presence / absence of the person is determined as described above and T1 = 5 seconds and M = 12 times are set.

  Thus, after the area to be air-conditioned by the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is divided into the plurality of areas A to I by the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34, The region characteristics (life categories I to III) of the regions A to I are determined, and the time required for the presence estimation and the time required for the absence estimation are changed according to the region characteristics of the regions A to I.

  In other words, since it takes about 1 minute for the wind to reach after changing the air conditioning setting, changing the air conditioning setting in a short time (for example, a few seconds) will not only impair comfort, but will also make people short. For such a place, it is preferable not to perform air conditioning so much from the viewpoint of energy saving. Therefore, the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A to I is first detected, and the air conditioning setting in the area where the person is present is optimized.

  More specifically, with the time required to estimate the presence / absence of an area determined as life category II as a standard, in the area determined as life category I, there is a person at a shorter time interval than the area determined as life category II. In contrast, when there are no more people in the area, the absence of the person is estimated at a longer time interval than the area identified as Living Category II, thereby shortening the time required for the presence estimation. The time required for estimation is set to be long. On the other hand, in the area determined to be life category III, the presence of a person is estimated at a longer time interval than the area determined to be life category II. By estimating the absence of a person at a time interval shorter than the area determined as II, the time required for the presence estimation is set longer, and the time required for the absence estimation is set shorter. Furthermore, as described above, the life division of each region changes depending on the long-term accumulation result, and accordingly, the time required for the presence estimation and the time required for the absence estimation are variably set.

(Wind direction control)
Further, the rotational speed control of the fan 8 and the wind direction control of the upper and lower blades 12 and the left and right blades are performed according to the air conditioning setting in each of the areas A to I. These controls will be described below.

  Wind direction control during heating is performed by controlling the wind direction in front of the person's feet in the area where it is determined that there is a person, so that warm air reaches the vicinity of the feet, and during air conditioning, the wind direction control is performed above the person's head. By controlling, the cool air reaches above the head. The wind direction is adjusted by the rotational speed of the fan 8 and the angles of the upper and lower blades 12 or the left and right blades.

  FIG. 18 shows the rotation control of the upper and lower blades 12, and when the air conditioner is stopped, as shown in FIG. 18A, the front panel 4, the upper and lower blades 12, and the middle blade 14 are all closed. .

  At the time of cooling, in order to make the blown air (cold air) reach above the human head (cooling ceiling airflow), the state shown in FIG. 18 (a) to the state shown in FIG. 18 (b) are passed through FIG. 18 (c). The state shown in is reached. First, the arms 18 and 20 are driven and controlled so that the front panel 4 is separated from the front opening 2 a, and the arms 22 and 24 are driven and controlled so that the upper and lower blades 12 are separated from the outlet 10.

  In the state of FIG. 18C, the air blown out from the blowout port 10 is guided in the horizontal direction by the upper and lower blades 12, but the downstream end of the upper and lower blades 12 is curved upward, so that it is far from the room. Can send air up to. At this time, the upper part of the blower outlet 10, that is, the lower part of the front panel 4 is closed by the middle blade 14, and a part of the air blown out from the blower outlet 10 is not led to the front opening 2 a.

  On the other hand, at the time of heating, in order to make the blown air (warm air) reach the vicinity of the person's feet (heating airflow), the state shown in FIG. 18 (a) to the state shown in FIG. 18 (b) are passed through FIG. The state shown in (d) is reached. In the state of FIG. 18 (d), the air blown out from the outlet 10 is guided obliquely downward by the upper and lower blades 12, but the downstream end of the upper and lower blades 12 is curved toward the main body, so Warm air that tends to accumulate upwards can be sent down the room.

  In addition, FIG.18 (e) is utilized at the time of air conditioning before stabilization, and blowing air is directed to a human body (air flow for human bodies).

FIG. 19 shows the set number of rotations of the fan 8 when air conditioning is performed for each of the areas A to I. A1, A2, and A3 are reference rotations of the areas at short distance, medium distance, and long distance from the indoor unit, respectively. A4 is a rotation speed difference due to a difference in region when the distance is the same, and is set as follows, for example.
A1: 800 rpm (during heating), 700 rpm (during cooling)
A2: 1000 rpm (during heating), 900 rpm (during cooling)
A3: 1200rpm (during heating), 1100rpm (during cooling)
A4: 100 rpm (common for cooling and heating)

  Here, the expression “relative position” is introduced as an expression representing the positional relationship with the indoor unit, such as the distance from the indoor unit in each region, the angle from the front of the indoor unit, and the height difference.

  Further, the degree of air conditioning that is easy to air-condition in each region is expressed by an expression of air conditioning requirement level. It is assumed that the higher the air conditioning requirement level, the more difficult the air conditioning is, and the lower the air conditioning requirement level, the easier the air conditioning. For example, as the distance from the indoor unit increases, the blown air is difficult to reach and the air conditioning is difficult to perform. That is, the air conditioning requirement level and the relative position from the indoor unit are closely related, and in this embodiment, the air conditioning requirement level is determined according to the relative position from the indoor unit.

  Therefore, it means that the set rotation speed of the fan 8 in the case of performing air conditioning in each of the areas A to I is set higher as the air conditioning requirement level is higher. That is, as the position of the area to be air-conditioned is farther from the indoor unit, the set rotational speed of the fan 8 is set higher, and when the distance from the indoor unit is the same, the fan 8 is shifted to the left and right from the front of the indoor unit. The set rotation speed is set high. Further, when there is one area to be air-conditioned, it is set to the set rotation speed (air volume) of that area, and when there are a plurality of areas to be air-conditioned, it is set to the set rotation speed of the area where the degree of air conditioning requirement is high.

FIG. 20 shows the set angles of the upper and lower blades 12 and the left and right blades during heating, and B1, B2, and B3 are reference upper and lower blade angles of a region at a short distance, a medium distance, and a long distance from the indoor unit, respectively. , B4 is the angle difference between the upper and lower blades when the distance is the same, whereas C1 and C2 are the reference left and right blade angles of the left and right regions (the counterclockwise direction is the counterclockwise direction), and C3 and C4 are the differences in the regions The angle difference between the left and right blades is, for example, set as follows. The angle of the upper and lower blades 12 is an angle when measured in the counterclockwise direction with reference to this position as 0 ° when the line connecting the front and rear ends of the blade is horizontal with the blades convex upward. That is.
B1: 70 °
B2: 55 °
B3: 45 °
B4: 10 °
C1: 0 °
C2: 15 °
C3: 30 °
C4: 45 °

  That is, when heating the area A or B close to the indoor unit, the upper and lower blades 12 are set to a first angle (for example, 70 °), and the rotation speed of the fan 8 is set to the first rotation speed (for example, 70 °). , 800 rpm), and the wind direction is controlled at the edge of the indoor unit side (in front of the person's feet) in the region A or B so that the warm air reaches the vicinity of the feet. In addition, when heating the area C, D, E or F at a medium distance from the indoor unit, the upper and lower blades 12 are set to a second angle (for example, 55 °) smaller than the first angle, The rotation speed of the fan 8 is set to a second rotation speed (for example, 1000 rpm) higher than the first rotation speed, and the wind direction is directed to the edge on the indoor unit side (in front of the human foot) in the region C, D, E, or F. The warm air is made to reach the vicinity of the feet. Furthermore, when heating the area G, H, or I farthest from the indoor unit, the upper and lower blades 12 are set to a third angle (for example, 45 °) smaller than the second angle, and the rotation of the fan 8 is performed. The number is set to a third rotational speed (for example, 1200 rpm) higher than the second rotational speed, and the wind direction is controlled at the edge of the indoor unit side (in front of the human foot) in the region G, H, or I, and in the vicinity of the foot The warm air is made to reach.

FIG. 21 shows the set angles of the upper and lower blades 12 and the left and right blades during cooling in a rising or unstable region, and E1, E2, and E3 are reference points for regions at short distance, medium distance, and long distance from the indoor unit, respectively. The upper and lower blade angles, E4 is the angle difference between the upper and lower blades due to the difference in the area when the distance is the same, whereas F1 and F2 are the reference left and right blade angles in the left and right regions (counterclockwise is the positive direction), and F3 and F4 Is the angle difference between the left and right blades due to the difference in area, and is set as follows, for example. Note that “rise” refers to the start of the operation of the air conditioner, and “unstable region” refers to a state where the current indoor air-conditioning state does not satisfy the set condition (for example, set temperature).
E1: 50 °
E2: 35 °
E3: 25 °
E4: 10 °
F1: 0 °
F2: 15 °
F3: 25 °
F4: 35 °

FIG. 22 shows the setting angles of the upper and lower blades 12 and the left and right blades during cooling in the stable region, where H1 is a reference upper and lower blade angle in the case of ceiling airflow, and H2 is a reference upper and lower angle in the case of stripping airflow. The blade angle, H3 is the upper limit blade angle difference due to the difference in distance, while I1 and I2 are the reference left and right blade angles in the left and right regions (counterclockwise is the positive direction), and I3 and I4 are the left and right blades due to the difference in regions The angle difference is set as follows, for example. The stable region is a state where the current indoor air conditioning state is a set condition (for example, a set temperature).
H1: 180 °
H2: 190 °
H3: 5 °
I1: 0 °
I2: 15 °
I3: 25 °
I4: 35 °

  Here, as shown in FIG. 18 (c), the ceiling airflow is the airflow when the upper and lower blades 12 are positioned at the lower part of the air outlet 10 and all the blown air is received by the concave surface of the blade and the air is sent out. This means that the upper and lower blades 12 are positioned slightly above the ceiling air flow, and a part (a small amount) of the blowing air is also flowed to the convex surface side of the blade (below the blade). This is the airflow when the wind is sent out in a state where condensation is unlikely to occur.

  When cooling the area A or B close to the indoor unit, the upper and lower blades 12 are set below a predetermined angle (for example, 5 °) from the horizontal, and the rotational speed of the fan 8 is the first rotational speed (when heating) The rotation speed is lower than the first rotation speed and is set to 700 rpm, for example, and is set so that the cold air reaches above the head of the area A or B so that the cool air falls like a shower. Further, when cooling the region C, D, E, or F at a medium distance from the indoor unit, the upper and lower blades 12 are set substantially horizontal, and the rotational speed of the fan 8 is a second higher than the first rotational speed. The rotation speed is set to be lower than the second rotation speed at the time of heating, for example, 900 rpm, and is set so that the cool air reaches above the area C, D, E, or F overhead. Further, when cooling the region G, H, or I farthest from the indoor unit, the upper and lower blades 12 are set upward by a predetermined angle (for example, 5 °) from the horizontal, and the rotation speed of the fan 8 is the second rotation. Is set to a third rotational speed higher than the number (for example, 1100 rpm, which is smaller than the third rotational speed during heating), and is set to allow the cold air to reach above the region G, H, or I overhead. Yes.

  Next, the wind direction control performed according to the number of areas to be air-conditioned will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  After the operation of the air conditioner is started, the presence / absence determination of a person in the areas A to I is first performed in step S41, and one area determined to have a person in step S42, that is, one area to be air-conditioned. In such a case, in step S43, air conditioning is performed based on the air volume and direction set according to the area. If it is determined in step S42 that there is not one area to be air-conditioned, it is determined in step S44 whether there are two areas to be air-conditioned. If there are two areas to be air-conditioned, the process proceeds to step S45.

In step S45, the air volume is set to the set air volume of the area where the air conditioning requirement is high, and the arrangement mode of the two areas is identified as one of the five modes as shown in FIG. 24, and in the next step S46, Control is performed as shown in Table 7 according to the identified mode.

  Here, mode 1 represents the case of two areas adjacent to each other with a medium distance and the front of the indoor unit, and mode 2 represents the case of two areas adjacent to each other in the front-rear relationship with the angle substantially equal to the indoor unit. Represents. In addition, mode 3 represents the case of two regions where the angle with the indoor unit is substantially the same and is separated in the longitudinal relationship, mode 4 represents the case of two regions where the distance to the indoor unit is substantially the same and the angle is different, Mode 5 represents the case of two regions that are separated, in other words, two regions that are different in distance and angle from the indoor unit.

  The up-and-down wind directions of modes 1 to 4 are fixed to a low demand area during heating, and are fixed to a high demand area during cooling. In addition, the vertical wind direction in mode 5 controls the operation of the upper and lower blades 12 and after stopping for a predetermined time (fixed angle) in the first region of the two regions (first and second regions), The operation of changing the wind direction toward the first region is repeated after changing the wind direction toward the second region and stopping in the second region for a predetermined time. In addition, the stop time of each area | region is each set, for example according to the distance from an indoor unit, and it is preferable to lengthen a stop time, so that the distance from an indoor unit is far.

  The left and right wind directions in mode 1 are fixed at the center of two adjacent areas. In modes 2 and 3, it is assumed that the two areas are in substantially the same direction with different distances when viewed from the indoor unit. The wind direction is fixed in a highly requested area. Further, the left and right wind directions of mode 4 and the mode 5 comprising the arrangement of two spaced apart areas are controlled in the same way as the control of the upper and lower blades 12, and after stopping for a predetermined time in the first area, The operation of changing the wind direction toward the first area is repeated after changing the wind direction toward the second area and stopping in the second area for a predetermined time. The stopping time of each area is set according to the relative position from the indoor unit to each area, for example, the angle from the front of the indoor unit, and it is preferable to increase the stopping time as the angle from the front of the indoor unit increases. .

  If it is determined in step S44 that there are not two areas to be air-conditioned, in step S47, three or more areas to be air-conditioned are selected from the two modes, the normal mode and the special mode, depending on the arrangement. Judgment. Here, the special mode represents the case of a total of three areas, that is, a medium distance and two areas adjacent to each other across the front of the indoor unit, and one area that is a long distance and located in front of the indoor unit. The case of three or more areas excluding is denoted as normal mode. When there are three or more areas to be air-conditioned, the air volume is set to the set air volume of the area with the highest air-conditioning requirement level, and when it is determined to be the special mode (center adjacent) shown in FIG. In step S48, the wind direction is set in the same manner as in mode 1 of FIG.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S47 that the mode is not the special mode, control in the normal mode shown in FIG. 25 (b) or (c) is performed in step S49, and the vertical wind direction is the region closest to the indoor unit. The angle of the upper and lower blades 12 is changed between the set angle of the upper and lower blades 12 and the set angle of the upper and lower blades 12 in the region farthest from the indoor unit.

  In the normal mode, the left and right wind directions are set to the left end angle and the right end angle at the left and right blade setting angles in the regions at both ends (regions C and I in FIG. 25B and regions C and H in FIG. 25C). Set and stop at the left end angle for a predetermined time, then change the wind direction toward the right end side (swing), stop at the right end angle for a predetermined time and then change the wind direction toward the left end side region (swing) repeat. Note that the operating speed of the left and right blades during the swing is set slower than the operating speed of the left and right blades in the modes 4 and 5 described above. In addition, the stop time at the left end angle or the right end angle is set in accordance with, for example, the angle from the front of the indoor unit, and it is preferable that the stop time is increased as the angle from the front of the indoor unit increases.

  In addition, after each air-conditioning control is performed in step S43, S46, S48 or S49, it returns to step S41.

  In addition, when there are two areas to be air-conditioned, the above-described left and right wind direction control in mode 4 or mode 5, or when there are three or more areas to be air-conditioned, right and left air direction control in normal mode, that is, two areas to be air-conditioned In the left and right wind direction control when the air is distributed in the above directions, the setting angle of the left and right blades is fixed in the left and right end regions, but the stopping time at that time is determined by the relative position between the indoor unit and the region to be air conditioned, Time can also be allocated according to the amount of activity (activity state) of the person in the area to be.

Further, the left and right wind direction control in mode 4 or mode 5 will be described in detail. The first basic stop total time, the second basic stop total time longer than the first basic stop total time, according to the air conditioning requirement (distance from the indoor unit). Either the basic stop total time or the third basic stop total time longer than the second basic stop total time is set in the areas A to I. The first to third basic stop total time is set as follows, for example.
Area A, B: 60 seconds (first basic stop total time)
Area C, D, E, F: 90 seconds (second basic stop total time)
Area G, H, I: 120 seconds (third basic stop total time)

  Next, each area is weighted as shown in FIG. 26, and among the two areas to be air-conditioned, the basic stop total time of the area where air conditioning requirement is high is divided according to the weight of each area, and each area is divided. Determine the basic stop time. Furthermore, the concept of “activity amount” of a person is introduced at each set stop time, and the set time is increased or decreased according to the activity amount of the person. In other words, when heating, people with small activity amount feel colder than people with large activity amount, while during cooling, people with large activity amount feel “hot” than people with small activity amount, The amount of human activity in the area to be air-conditioned is determined, and the stop time in each area is increased or decreased according to the determined amount of activity.

Here, the “activity amount” described above will be described.
A person's activity level is a concept that indicates the degree of human movement, and is classified into multiple activity levels, for example, “rest”, “high activity level”, “medium activity level”, and “low activity level”. being classified.

  “Relax” refers to a situation where a person is still in the same place, such as relaxing on the sofa, watching TV, or operating a computer. If it persists, it will feel cold with decreased metabolic rate. The amount of activity “Large” means that the person is active in a wide area such as indoor cleaning, and feels hot due to increased metabolic rate. The activity amount “medium” means that it is active in a narrow area such as cooking, and it feels a little hot due to an increase in metabolic rate. The activity amount “small” means that the activity is somewhat in the same place such as a meal, and no significant change in the metabolic rate is observed.

  In this embodiment, since the activity level of a person is determined for each block including a plurality of areas, this block will be described first.

Each area A to I is divided into three blocks as follows, and right and left wind direction control is performed when a person is present in at least two of these three blocks.
First block: areas A, C, G
Second block: areas D, E, H
Third block: areas B, F, I

  These three blocks are located on the left, center, and right, respectively, when viewed from the indoor unit. Using six or more sensors, the area to be air-conditioned is further divided into three areas. Also when dividing into two or more blocks, a plurality of areas located in substantially the same direction as viewed from the indoor unit are assigned to the same block.

Next, a method for classifying human activity will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S51, the reaction frequency (with output pulse) of each sensor 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 is measured every predetermined time T1, and in step S52, it is determined whether or not the number of times of measurement has reached a predetermined number. . The predetermined time T1 is the same as the predetermined period T1 in the above-described presence / absence determination of a person, but here, for example, it is set to 2 seconds, for example, and the predetermined number of measurement times is set to 15 times, for example. It is assumed that 15 measurements are collectively referred to as 1 unit measurement (measurement for 30 seconds). Further, the “measurement number” here is the number of measurements in any one of the areas A to I, and the same measurement is performed for all the areas A to I.

  If it is determined in step S52 that the number of measurements has not reached the predetermined number, the process returns to step S51. If it is determined that the number of measurements has reached the predetermined number of times and one unit measurement has been completed, four unit measurements ( It is determined whether the measurement for 2 minutes has been completed. In step S53, if 4-unit measurement is not completed, the process returns to step S51. If 4-unit measurement is completed, the process proceeds to step S54.

  In step S54, it is determined whether or not the total reaction frequency of the sensor of the 4-unit measurement (the past four unit measurements including the current one-unit measurement) has reached a predetermined number (for example, five times). If it has reached, the total number of unit measurements (p, which will be described in detail later) after it is determined as “small amount of activity” is cleared in step S55, and then the process proceeds to step S56.

In step S56, it is determined whether or not the total response frequency of the sensors in all the areas A to I has reached a predetermined number (for example, 40 times). All blocks determined to be present except for blocks determined later (described later) are determined to be “high activity amount”. On the other hand, if the predetermined number has not been reached, in step S58, the four unit measurement sensor The block to which the region where the total response frequency reaches a predetermined number is determined as “active amount”. After the activity amount determination in step S57 or step S58, in step S59, 1 is subtracted from the unit measurement number (q), and the process returns to step S51. That is, the block to which the area where the total response frequency of each sensor exceeds a predetermined number and is determined as “active” or “active” is measured after the next one unit is measured, When the total response frequency of the 4-unit measurement in the above exceeds a predetermined number, it is determined that the activity level is “high” or “active level”.

  If it is determined in step S54 that the total response frequency of the sensor is less than a predetermined number in the four-unit measurement, it is determined in step S60 whether the block to which the region belongs is “rest”. In step 61, it is determined that the activity amount is small. In the next step S62, the total number of unit measurements (p) after being determined as “small amount of activity” is counted, and in step S63, after being determined as “low amount of activity”, 60 units are measured (measurement for 30 minutes). ) Is finished.

  If it is determined in step S63 that the 60 unit measurement has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S59. On the other hand, if it is determined that the 60 unit measurement has been completed, only the area is in the block to which the area belongs. As long as it is determined as “rest” in step S64, the process proceeds to step S59. In other words, by shifting to step S59, each block has “active mass”, “active”, and “depending on the total reaction frequency of each sensor in the past four unit measurements including the next one unit measurement. It will be newly determined as “activity low” or “rest”.

  At the beginning of activity amount measurement after the air conditioner is turned on, the activity amount in any region is unknown, but according to this flowchart, each region A to I is not measured until 4 units measurement is completed from the start of measurement. In the block to which “active activity amount”, “medium activity amount”, or “activity amount small” is determined, and the measurement of 60 units is completed, the determination of “rest” is performed. Therefore, since there is no “rest” block for a while after the start of measurement, NO is determined in step S60, and “small amount of activity” is determined in step S61. After that, the block that has been continuously determined as “low activity” is determined to be “rest” in step S64 after the end of the 60 unit measurement, and if the total response frequency of the 4-unit measurement sensor is less than the predetermined number after that, Subsequently, it is determined as “rest”.

  Note that the reason for clearing the total number of unit measurements (p) after it has been determined that “activity is low” in step S55 is that the determination of “rest” starts from the determination of “activity low”. It is.

In summary, each sensor 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 functions as an activity amount detection means in addition to a function as a human body detection means, and according to the flowchart of FIG. For example, it is determined as follows.
(1) Rest A block that has only sensor response frequency less than 5 times / 2 minutes lasted for 30 minutes or more (2) High activity amount The sum of sensor response frequencies in all regions A to I is 40 times / 2 minutes, When the sensor response frequency continues at least 5 times in 2 minutes in at least one area, all blocks except the block that is determined to be “rest” (3) Activity amount Sum of sensor response frequencies in all areas A to I If the sensor response frequency is less than 40 times / 2 minutes, the block to which the sensor response frequency lasts 5 times or more in 2 minutes belongs. (4) Activity level is small. block

  FIG. 28 shows a flowchart in the case where the amount of human activity is adopted as a parameter for determining the stop time of the area to be air-conditioned.

  As shown in this flowchart, first, in step S71, two areas to be air-conditioned are determined. In step S72, the basic total stop time of the two areas is set to one of the first to third basic stop total times. Is set. In the next step S73, the set basic stop total time is divided according to the weights of the two areas, and in step S74, the amount of human activity in the block to which the two areas belong is large = 3, medium = 2, Small = 1 is determined. In this flowchart, the areas of “rest” and “small activity amount” are both grouped into a group of small = 1.

  Next, in step S75, it is determined whether or not the difference in activity amount of the person in the two areas is 0. If the difference in activity amount is determined to be 0, in step S76, the basic stationary total divided in step S73. If the time is determined to be the stop time in each area, but it is determined that the difference in activity amount is not 0, the process proceeds to step S77.

  In step S77, it is determined whether or not the difference in activity amount of the person in the two regions is 1. If the difference in activity amount is determined to be 1, each region divided and set in step S73 in step S78. Increase one of the stop times at a predetermined factor. For example, during heating, the stop time in the area with a small amount of activity is multiplied by 4/3 to determine the stop time in that area, and during cooling, the stop time in the area with a large amount of activity is multiplied by 4/3. Determine the stop time.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S77 that the difference in the amount of activity of the person in the two areas is not 1, in step S79, one of the stopping times in each area divided and set in step S73 is set to a predetermined magnification. And the other is decreased by a predetermined magnification. For example, during heating, the stop time in a region with a small amount of activity is multiplied by 4/3 to determine the stop time in that region, and the stop time in a region with a large amount of activity is multiplied by 2/3. To decide. During cooling, the stop time in the area with a large amount of activity is multiplied by 4/3 to determine the stop time in the area, and the stop time in the area with a small amount of activity is multiplied by 2/3. Determine the time. In other words, if there is a large difference in the amount of human activity in the two areas to be air-conditioned, a comfortable air-conditioned space can be realized in either area by increasing the difference in the air-conditioning degree (air-conditioning air volume) in the two areas. Yes.

As an example, when the area to be air-conditioned is the area A and the area I, since the basic stop total time is larger in the area I than in the area A, the basic stop total time is 120 seconds. Since the ratio of the weights of the region A and the region I is A: I = 1: 3, 120 seconds is divided by this ratio, the stop time of the region A is 30 seconds, and the stop time of the region I is Is set to 90 seconds. At this time, if the activity amount of the person in the first block to which the area A belongs is large = 3 and the activity amount of the person in the third block to which the area I belongs is small = 1, the area A at the time of heating or cooling And the stop time of the area I is finally determined as follows.
Area A: 120 seconds (during heating), 60 seconds (during cooling)
Region I: 20 seconds (during heating), 40 seconds (during cooling)

  Note that the processing from step S71 to step S79 is performed every predetermined time.

  When there are three or more areas to be air-conditioned, the left / right wind direction control in the normal mode is substantially the same as the left / right wind direction control in the mode 4 or mode 5 described above, but the set angles of the left and right blades in the two areas located at both ends Is set to the left end angle and the right end angle, and the left and right blade angles are fixed at this position for a predetermined time. In the middle (second) block, the left and right blades are swung, and the left and right blade stop times at the left end angle and the right end angle are set. The distribution differs from the left / right wind direction control in mode 4 or mode 5.

More specifically, depending on the degree of air conditioning requirement (distance from the indoor unit), the first basic stop time, the second basic stop time longer than the first basic stop time, and the second basic stop time longer than the second basic stop time. One of the three basic stop times is set in the areas A to I. The first to third basic stop times are set as follows, for example.
Area A, B: 24 seconds (first basic stop time)
Region C, D, E, F: 48 seconds (second basic stop time)
Region G, H, I: 72 seconds (third basic stop time)

  That is, in the left and right blade control in the mode 4 or the mode 5, the basic stop total time is set and the basic stop total time is divided according to the weight of each region, but three or more regions In the left and right blade control in the normal mode, the basic stop time of the area to be air-conditioned is set according to the air conditioning requirement level. In addition, in the left and right blade control in the normal mode in three or more regions, the concept of “activity amount” of a person is introduced at each set stop time, so air conditioning should be performed with reference to the flowchart of FIG. A case where a plurality of areas are assigned to three blocks will be described as an example.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 29, first, in step S81, three areas to be air-conditioned respectively assigned to the three blocks are determined. In step S82, the amount of human activity in the three areas is large = 3, Either medium = 2 or small = 1 is determined.

Next, in step S83, the amount of activity of the person in the two regions is compared with the amount of activity of the person in the region with the highest requirement and the region with the lowest requirement according to the air conditioning requirement in the left-right direction as viewed from the indoor unit. Determine if the difference is zero. Here, the “right / left air-conditioning requirement level” corresponds to the angle of each area from the front of the indoor unit, and the area farther from the front of the indoor unit has a higher air-conditioning requirement level (for example, see FIG. 20). ). Here, the air-conditioning requirement degree in the left-right direction of each area is set as follows, and these values are used when comparing the amount of human activity between the two blocks.
Air conditioning requirement in the left-right direction = 0: Area H
Air-conditioning requirement in the left-right direction = 1: Areas D and E
Air-conditioning requirement in the left-right direction = 2: Areas A and B
Air-conditioning requirement in the left-right direction = 3: Areas C, F, G, I

  If it is determined in step S83 that the difference in activity amount is 0, in step S84, the basic stop time in the area where the degree of air conditioning requirement is high is maintained as it is, while it is determined that the difference in activity amount is not 0. The process proceeds to step S85.

  In step S85, it is determined whether or not the difference in activity amount between the two areas is 1, and if the difference in activity amount is determined to be 1, in step S86, the basic stop time in the area where the degree of air conditioning requirement is high. Increase or decrease by a predetermined magnification. For example, when the activity amount in the area with high air conditioning requirement is smaller than the activity amount in the area with low air conditioning requirement (for example, the former is 1 and the latter is 2), during heating, the basic stop time in the area with high air conditioning requirement Is multiplied by 4/3 to determine the stop time of the area, and during cooling, the stop time of the area is determined by multiplying the basic stop time of the area where air conditioning requirement is high by 2/3. On the other hand, if the activity amount in the area where the air conditioning requirement is high is larger than the activity amount in the area where the air conditioning requirement is low (for example, the former is 3 and the latter is 2), The stop time of the area is determined by multiplying the time by 2/3. During cooling, the stop time of the area is determined by multiplying the basic stop time of the area where air conditioning requirement is high by 4/3.

  If it is determined in step S85 that the difference in activity amount is not 1, in step S87, the basic stop time in the area where the air conditioning requirement is high is increased or decreased by a factor larger than the predetermined factor. For example, when the amount of activity in the area with high air conditioning requirement is smaller than the amount of activity in the area with low air conditioning requirement (for example, the former is 1 and the latter is 3), during heating, the basic stop time in the area with high air conditioning requirement Is multiplied by 5/3 to determine the stop time of the area, and during cooling, the stop time of the area is determined by multiplying the basic stop time of the area where air conditioning requirement is high by 1/3. On the other hand, if the activity amount in the area where the air conditioning requirement is high is larger than the activity amount in the area where the air conditioning requirement is low (for example, the former is 3 and the latter is 1), The stop time of the area is determined by multiplying the time by 1/3. During cooling, the stop time of the area is determined by multiplying the basic stop time of the area where the degree of air conditioning requirement is high by 5/3.

  In either case, the left and right blades do not stop in the region where the air conditioning requirement is the lowest (the region belonging to the second or intermediate block), and the left and right blades swing in this region.

  Further, in the next step S88, the amount of human activity in the region where the air conditioning requirement is the next highest and the lowest is compared, and it is determined whether or not the difference in the amount of human activity in these two regions is zero. In addition, since the process from step S88 to step S92 is the same as the process from step S83 to step S87 mentioned above, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Further, the processing from step S81 to step S92 is performed every predetermined time.

(Air cleaning operation)
Next, operation control when an air purifying function is added to the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described.

  The air purifying function means a function of removing impurities such as dust contained in room air and purifying. In other words, the room air contains very fine dust, which may cause hay fever and allergies, and dust accumulation is the cause of the occurrence of ticks in the room. Therefore, an air cleaning function is added to the indoor unit in order to remove dust in the air and supply clean air to the room.

  FIG. 30 shows an indoor unit to which an air purifying function is added, and an electric dust collection unit 42 as an air purifying unit disposed in the front opening 2 a located on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 6 or the pre-filter 40. It has. Although not shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 18, the prefilter 40 is provided in all indoor units and is for removing relatively coarse dust such as cotton dust contained in the air. In the configuration shown in FIG. 30, the pre-filter 40 also serves as the dust collection part of the electric dust collection unit 42.

  As shown in FIG. 31, the electrostatic dust collection unit 42 includes a needle-like discharge electrode 44 and a ground electrode 46 that are attached to a substantially intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the pre-filter 40 at a predetermined interval, and these electrodes 44, 46. And a dirt sensor 50 such as a gas sensor or an optical dust sensor (see FIG. 33). It is controlled according to the degree of contamination of the indoor air detected by. The dirt sensor 50 as the dirt detecting means may be mounted, for example, on the power supply board of the indoor unit, or attached in the vicinity of the remote control (remote control device) light receiving part of the indoor unit.

  When a high voltage of several kilovolts boosted by the high-voltage transformer is applied to the needle-like discharge electrode 44, a corona discharge is generated between the ground electrodes 46, and an electric field 52 is generated in the distal direction of the needle-like discharge electrode 44. The electric field 52 gives an electric charge to the dust contained in the indoor air sucked from the front opening 2a, and the charged dust is attracted and collected by the prefilter 40 by the action of Coulomb force or attractive force.

  Moreover, the electrostatic dust collection unit 42 can also be installed in the blower outlet 10, and in this case, the air blown into the room from the blower outlet 10 is in the electric field region of the electrostatic dust collection unit 42 provided in the blower outlet 10. Electric charges are given to oxygen and moisture present in the air and released into the indoor space. Oxygen and moisture having electric charge released into the indoor space come into contact with dust floating in the indoor air to become charged particles, and are further sucked into the indoor unit and collected by the prefilter 40.

  The operation control of the air conditioner having the electric dust collection unit 42 having the above-described configuration is performed by the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 in any of the areas A to I when the air conditioner is stopped. This operation is referred to as “patrol operation”. When a person is detected during the patrol operation, the fan 8 is operated to send a weak circulating airflow (described later) into the room, and air contaminated by cigarette smoke etc. is circulated quickly to the dirt sensor 50 to increase the dirt detection speed, Thereafter, the speed of the fan 8 is controlled in conjunction with the dirt in the room.

  Further, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 32, in step S101, it is first determined whether or not patrol operation is set by a patrol operation setting button provided on the remote controller. Alternatively, instead of the patrol operation setting button, a menu mode may be provided on the remote controller, and ON / OFF of the patrol operation may be selected from the menu.

  If the patrol operation is not set in step S101, the air conditioner is stopped in step S102. If the patrol operation is set, in step S103, it is determined whether the air conditioning operation is an air conditioning operation or the like. Determine. If the air conditioning operation is being performed or if the air conditioning operation is newly set, the air conditioning operation is performed in step S104. If the air conditioning operation is not performed, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, it is determined whether or not a person is detected in any of the areas A to I. If no person is detected, the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if a person is detected, the fan 8 is activated in step S106 and the speed thereof is set lower than that in the air conditioning operation such as the air conditioning operation, and the circulating airflow is sent to the room. Increase.

  In the next step S107, the degree of dirt in the room is detected by the dirt sensor 50, and in step S108, it is determined whether or not the detected degree of dirt is equal to or higher than the lower limit value. If it is less than the lower limit value, it is determined that the room air is clean (not dirty), and the process proceeds to step S102. It is determined whether or not the first threshold value is exceeded. If it is less than the first threshold value, the speed of the fan 8 is set to the circulating air flow in step S110, whereas if it is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the dirt level detected by the dirt sensor 50 in step S111 is the first. It is determined whether or not the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value. If it is less than the second threshold, the speed of the fan 8 is set to the first air cleaning operation (described later) in step S112, while if it is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the speed of the fan 8 is set in step S113. The second air cleaning operation (described later) is set.

  The above-described control is performed every predetermined time, and after step S102, S110, S112 or S113, the process returns to step S101.

  Here, the circulating airflow, the first air cleaning operation, and the second air cleaning operation described above will be described.

Circulating airflow is intended to prompt the circulation of airflow to the source of dirt and odors and quickly detect the components of dirt and odors. When a person feels the wind, it causes discomfort and discomfort. Is set in the range of 200 to 700 rpm, which is lower than the speed at the time of air conditioning described above, for example, the air volume that does not allow the person to feel the wind directly. Or you may change the setting rotation speed of the fan 8 for every area | region AI, for example, it sets as follows according to the distance from an indoor unit.
Short distance (area A, B): 400 rpm
Medium distance (areas C, D, E, F): 550 rpm
Long distance (regions G, H, I): 700 rpm

  The fan 8 may be always operated, but it is preferable in terms of motor life to set the intermittent operation (for example, at intervals of 3 seconds or 5 seconds).

  In addition, although the left and right blades are controlled in the wind direction in the area where the person is detected, the normal person is likely to move to the living area or the living section I area and perform activities such as smoking. Wind direction control may be performed on the region or the region of the living division I. On the other hand, the upper and lower blades 12 are set to a reference angle in the case of ceiling airflow.

  The angles of the left and right blades and the upper and lower blades 12 may be arbitrarily set without being set in this way.

Table 8 shows the result of comparing and verifying the time until the gas sensor reacts when an indoor unit of an air conditioner with an output of 4 KW is installed in a 14-tatami Japanese-style room and a single cigarette is lit.

  In the circulating airflow in Table 8, the upper and lower blades are set so as to be blown toward the cigarette that is the source of smoke. In the ceiling circulating airflow, the speed of the fan 8 is increased as compared with the circulating airflow, and the upper and lower blades are substantially omitted. It is set to blow horizontally.

  As can be seen from Table 8, in the natural diffusion when the fan 8 is stopped, the time until the gas sensor reacts is long. On the other hand, when the fan 8 is operated to send a circulating air flow into the room, the time until the gas sensor reacts. It is shortened by 60%, and in the case of ceiling circulation airflow, it is shortened by about 75%.

Next, the first and second threshold values described above will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 33, the dirt sensor 50 is connected to a control unit 54 provided in the indoor unit via a drive circuit 56, and a display unit 58 is further connected to the control unit 54. The control unit 54 includes a storage unit 60, and a lower limit value of the contamination level, a first threshold value, and a second threshold value are set in the storage unit 60. Further, the display unit 58 displays the air pollution level in red, yellow, and green in order from the highest level of contamination.

  The degree of contamination detected by the contamination sensor 50 is input to the control unit 54 via the drive circuit 56, and is compared with the lower limit value, the first threshold value, or the second threshold value set in the storage unit 60. When the degree of dirt detected by the dirt sensor 50 is less than the lower limit value, the room air is determined to be “clean”, and no color is displayed on the display unit 58. In this case, it is determined that the room air is “somewhat dirty” and green is lit on the display unit 58 and the circulating airflow operation is performed.

  When the degree of contamination detected by the contamination sensor 50 is not less than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, it is determined that the room air is “dirty” and the display unit 58 is lit yellow. When the first air cleaning operation is performed and the air pressure is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the room air is “pretty dirty” and red is lit on the display unit 58 and the second air cleaning operation is performed. Done.

  Here, in the first air cleaning operation, the speed of the fan 8 is higher than the speed in the circulating airflow operation, for example, set to 1100 rpm, and in the second air cleaning operation, the speed of the fan 8 is the first air cleaning operation. It is set to 1350 rpm higher than the speed at the time, for example, higher than the speed at the time of the above-described cooling and heating.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second threshold values are provided, and the contamination level of the indoor air is displayed in red, yellow or green with these threshold values as a boundary. However, only one threshold value is provided, The degree of contamination of the indoor air can be displayed in two colors, or three or more threshold values can be provided, and the degree of contamination of the indoor air can be displayed in four or more colors.

  Further, when the degree of dirt detected by the dirt sensor 50 is equal to or higher than the lower limit value, it is preferable to operate the ventilation fan, and the speed of the ventilation fan can be controlled according to the degree of dirt in the room air. The ventilation fan may be a dedicated fan for ventilating indoor air, and may also be used as a ventilation fan provided in an automatic filter cleaning device (described later) for automatically cleaning the pre-filter 40 of the indoor unit.

(Oxygen enrichment operation)
Furthermore, since the air cleaning operation can be used in combination with not only the ventilation operation but also the oxygen enrichment operation, the oxygen gas enrichment apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the outdoor unit 1 includes a compressor 62, a heat exchanger 64, and a fan 66, and an oxygen gas enrichment device such as a gas enrichment unit 68, a decompression pump 70, and the like with a chamber therebetween. The indoor unit 2 is provided with a discharge port 72 through which the oxygen-enriched gas sent from the oxygen gas enricher is discharged.

  The gas enrichment unit 68 includes an oxygen enrichment membrane that is a selective gas permeable membrane, and the vacuum pump 70 is connected to the gas enrichment unit 68 via an oxygen supply main pipe 74, and the secondary side of the gas enrichment unit 68 is connected to the gas enrichment unit 68. Reduce pressure. The decompression pump 70 has a discharge main pipe 76, and the discharge main pipe 76 is connected to the discharge port 72 of the indoor unit 2 through a blower pipe 78 in which a U-shaped trap 78a is formed. Further, on the primary side (atmosphere side) of the gas enrichment unit 68, a fan (not shown) for scavenging stagnant nitrogen enriched air is arranged, and the operation and operation of the oxygen gas enrichment device are performed. Operates in conjunction with ability.

  In addition, the gas enrichment unit 68 may be disposed in a blower circuit having the fan 66 of the outdoor unit 1, and the nitrogen enriched air on the primary side of the gas enrichment unit 68 may be scavenged by the blower of the fan 66. . Further, the gas enrichment unit 68, the decompression pump 70, the oxygen supply main pipe 74, and the discharge main pipe 76 can be configured as independent units and attached to the frame of the outdoor unit 1.

  When the discharge port 72 of the indoor unit 2 is disposed inside or in the vicinity of the main body of the indoor unit 2 and is disposed in the blower circuit in the indoor unit 2, the air blown by the operation of the fan 8 is rich in oxygen. Chemicalized air is added and delivered to the indoor space through the outlet. Moreover, it is preferable that the discharge port 72 has a pipe expansion part in the vicinity, and the example shown by FIG. 34 has shown the structure which used the discharge port 72 as the pipe expansion part. By providing the expanded tube portion in this manner, melting and evaporation can be promoted by receiving the expanded ice portion and condensed water from the discharge port 72 once without being scattered from the discharge port 72.

  In the oxygen gas enrichment operation, when the decompression pump 70 is operated, the air that has passed through the oxygen enrichment film in the gas enrichment unit 68 passes through the oxygen supply main pipe 74 and is sucked into the decompression pump 70 to remove oxygen. The enriched air sequentially passes through the discharge main pipe 76 and the blower pipe 78 and is sent into the indoor unit 2 from the discharge port 72. Moreover, the capacity | capacitance of oxygen gas enrichment operation can be adjusted by adjusting the capacity | capacitance of the pressure reduction pump 70, and what is necessary is just to improve the capacity | capacitance of the pressure reduction pump 70 about 20% when improving a capacity | capacitance. Further, the capacity of a fan (not shown) for scavenging stagnant nitrogen-enriched air can also be operated in conjunction with the operating capacity of oxygen gas enrichment.

(Clean when absent)
Next, cleaning in the absence of an air conditioner equipped with an air purification unit will be described.

  Normally, the number of rotations of the fan 8 is limited for reasons such as sound and vibration, but since there is no such problem in the absence, cleaning in the absence raises dust and provides a large air volume with excellent dust collection performance. The speed of the fan 8 is set.

  More specifically, the remote control is equipped with an absence cleaning setting button, or the absence cleaning can be set on / off in the menu, either manually before going out by remote control or automatically when absent The absence cleaning is set.

In the absence cleaning, the air cleaning unit is activated, and the upper and lower blades 12, the speed of the fan 8, and the ventilation fan are set as follows.
Upper and lower blades 12: Set to repeat sweep of direct airflow-ceiling airflow Fan 8: Set to a large air volume of 1400-1600 rpm higher than normal air conditioning operation Ventilation fan: Start operation

  The upper and lower blades 12 are repeated every about 5 to 10 seconds in the order of direct air flow → ceiling air flow → direct air flow →... And continue for a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes to 60 minutes). Also, the direct airflow means that air is blown from the indoor unit substantially directly below. For example, when a person is in the area A or B, the air is blown and the dust on the floor is efficiently danced. Then, the dust that has risen by shifting to the ceiling airflow can be attached to the prefilter 40 without dropping on the floor surface.

  In addition, the indoor air can be quickly purified by operating the ventilation fan at the start of the absence cleaning.

  It is not necessary to set the left and right blades, but it is preferable to set the left and right blades in a living area or a living section I area where the frequency of people is high.

  Further, the maximum actual use value of the fan 8 is 1300 rpm (see FIG. 19, the heating area G or I). In the absence cleaning, the fan 8 is set to a speed exceeding the actual use range.

  In the case where the prefilter 40 also has a configuration that also serves as a dust collection unit of the electric dust collection unit 42, cleaning in the absence is extremely likely to accumulate dust on the prefilter 40. It is preferable to apply to an air conditioner equipped with a cleaning function (described later). Since the dust collected by the air cleaning function is not accumulated inside the indoor unit, the pre-filter automatic cleaning device described later can perform clean and maintenance-free cleaning in the absence.

  The absence-time cleaning is performed for a predetermined time (for example, about 1 hour), but also ends when a person is detected in any of the areas A to I during the predetermined time, and the front panel 4 and the upper and lower blades 12. The movable part such as the automatic cleaning nozzle is reset and returns to the initial position. Moreover, since it is considered that a considerable amount of dust is attached to the prefilter 40 when the absence cleaning is completed, the automatic cleaning device for the prefilter 40 is controlled to operate. Further, even when the absence cleaning is completed, a considerable amount of dust can be floated in the room (dusty). Therefore, the ventilation fan continues for a predetermined time (for example, about 30) regardless of the presence or absence of a person. Min) Controlled to drive.

(Automatic filter cleaning operation)
Here, the automatic filter cleaning apparatus described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 35 shows the indoor unit 2 in which a filter device (pre-filter automatic cleaning device) 80 for removing dust from the air passing through the heat exchanger 6 is incorporated, and the filter device 80 is as shown in FIG. In addition, a pre-filter 40 including a filter frame 82 and a filter net 84 that holds the filter frame 82 and a suction nozzle 86 that is slidable along the surface of the filter net 84 are provided. Moreover, the filter frame 82, the filter net | network 84, etc. become bending shape, and an upper part is comprised in a horizontal direction and a lower part is comprised in the perpendicular direction.

  The suction nozzle 86 can be smoothly moved to the left and right with a very narrow gap from the filter mesh 84 by a pair of guide rails 88 installed at the upper and lower ends of the filter frame 82. The dust adhering to the filter mesh 84 is Suction is performed from the suction nozzle 86. Further, one end of a suction duct 90 is connected to the suction nozzle 86, and the other end of the suction duct 90 is connected to a suction device 92. The suction device 92 is a device using a fan motor capable of adjusting the rotation speed so that the suction amount can be varied. The suction duct 90 is formed of a duct that can be bent so as not to interfere with the movement of the suction nozzle 86. Further, an exhaust duct 94 is connected to the suction device 92 and is routed outside the room. Dust adhering to the filter net 84 and sucked by the suction nozzle 86 is discharged to the outside through the suction duct 90, the suction device 92, and the exhaust duct 94.

  FIG. 37 is a view of the suction nozzle 86 as viewed obliquely from above. As shown in FIG. 37, the suction nozzle 86 surrounds the nozzle body 100 serving as a flow path for the sucked air and the nozzle body 100. A belt 102 having a width of 20 mm is provided. On the surface of the nozzle body 100 on the filter mesh 84 side, a slit-like nozzle opening 100a having a length of 320 mm (corresponding to the vertical length of the filter mesh 84) and a width of 3 mm is formed.

  On the other hand, the belt 102 is formed in a loop shape and is wound around the outer periphery of the nozzle body 100 so as to cover the nozzle opening 100a. The belt 102 is provided with a suction hole 102a having a length of 80 mm (1/4 of the vertical length of the filter net 84) and a width of 2 mm, and the position of the suction hole 102a is directly above the nozzle opening 100a. Is attached. An instruction unit 104 (see FIG. 38 or FIG. 39) is provided on the side surface of the suction hole 102a in order to detect the position.

  The nozzle body 100 is provided with a suction hole sensor 106 (see FIG. 39) so as to come into contact with the instruction section 104, and always detects the position of the instruction section 104 to detect the position of the suction hole 102a. At the both ends of the belt 102, drive holes 108 are provided at regular intervals like a movie film, and a gear 112 attached to a stepping motor 110 fixed on the nozzle body 100 is engaged with the drive holes 108. The belt 102 is freely driven in any of the vertical directions.

  FIG. 38 is a view showing the nozzle body 100 and the belt 102 separately in FIG. 37, and FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view of the suction nozzle 86 (cross-sectional view along line VV in FIG. 37).

  In the suction nozzle 86 having the above-described configuration, a rubber roller or the like can be used instead of the gear 112 as another configuration for driving the belt 102. In order to reduce the size of the apparatus, the belt 102 is formed in a loop shape. However, the belt can be wound up by providing a reel or the like.

  The suction nozzle 86 configured as described above performs suction cleaning of the entire surface of the filter net 84. The specific operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 36 and 40 to 42. FIG.

  FIG. 40 is a view showing the position of the suction hole 102a corresponding to the cleaning ranges A, B, C, and D of the filter net 84 shown in FIG. 36, the actual suction nozzle 86 has a structure bent along the filter net 84 as shown in FIG. 36. However, in FIG. 40, the suction nozzle 86 is shown in a straightened state for easy viewing. .

  First, when the area A of the filter mesh 84 in FIG. 36 is suction-cleaned, the belt 102 is driven to fix the suction hole 102a to the position A as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 41, by driving the suction nozzle 86 from the right end to the left end of the filter mesh 84 while sucking in this state, the horizontal range A of the filter mesh 84 can be suction-cleaned.

  Next, in order to shift to the suction cleaning in the range B of the filter net 84 in FIG. 36, the belt 102 is driven to fix the suction hole 102a at the position B shown in FIG. Similarly, by driving the suction nozzle 86 from the left end to the right end of the filter mesh 84 while sucking in this state, the horizontal range B of the filter mesh 84 in FIG. 36 can be suction-cleaned. Similarly, the range of C and D of the filter net 84 in FIG. 36 can be suction-cleaned. The range of C and D of the filter net 84 in FIG. 36 is provided in the horizontal direction, so that the amount of dust attached is larger than the range of A and B, and a larger amount of suction is required.

  41 and 42 are diagrams showing the order of this suction cleaning with arrows, but the range of A and B of the filter net 84 in FIG. 36 is for sucking one horizontal row as shown in FIG. Cleaning is performed by moving the nozzle 86 horizontally only in one direction, and the range of C and D of the filter net 84 in FIG. 36 is as follows. As shown in FIG. (Reciprocating) to clean. By performing such a horizontal sweep suction operation, the entire surface of the filter net 84 can be cleaned substantially uniformly.

  As shown in FIG. 36, limit switches 96 and 98 are provided on both sides of the filter frame 82, and the suction nozzle 86 comes into contact with these limit switches 96 and 98 so that the suction nozzle 86 is horizontal. Move back and forth in the direction.

  As described above, the position of the suction hole 102a is detected by the suction hole sensor 106, and when the position of the suction hole 102a is above the filter net 84, the suction nozzle 86 is reciprocated to increase the number of suctions. Can be reduced as much as possible. That is, the entire surface of the filter mesh 84 can be cleaned substantially uniformly by changing the cleaning ability of the suction nozzle 86 in accordance with the position of the suction hole 102a detected by the suction hole sensor 106 as the position detection means.

  Further, when the position of the suction hole 102a is above the filter net 84, the residual dust can be reduced as much as possible by increasing the output of the suction device 92 and increasing the suction amount. In this case, the suction nozzle 86 performs the cleaning as shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, when the position of the suction hole 102a is at the upper part of the filter net 84, it is possible to reduce the residual dust as much as possible by reducing the horizontal driving speed of the suction nozzle 86 and extending the suction time.

  As shown in FIG. 43, the nozzle body 100 is provided with a dust sensor 114 for detecting the amount of dust adhering to the surface of the filter net 84, and the portion with a large amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 114 is a suction hole sensor. After aligning the suction hole 102a detected by 106 with the portion, the output of the suction device 92 is locally increased to increase the suction amount or locally decrease the horizontal driving speed of the suction nozzle 86. Remaining dust can be reduced by lengthening the suction time. That is, the entire surface of the filter net 84 can be cleaned substantially uniformly by changing the cleaning ability of the suction nozzle 86 in accordance with the amount of dust adhering detected by the dust sensor 114 as the dust detecting means.

  44 and 45 show a suction device 92 provided in the filter device 80 of the air conditioner, and this suction device 92 functions as a ventilation unit for the ventilation operation by having a configuration described later. In the ventilation operation, by adjusting the rotation speed of the sirocco fan 116, the capacity can be adjusted by changing the ventilation air volume. For example, the capacity is improved (for example, 20%) compared to the normal time. Ventilation can be performed. Further, the normal ventilation operation does not need to be performed through the opening 118, and may be performed through the nozzle opening 100a of the suction nozzle 86, for example.

  44 and 45, the suction device 92 has a built-in sirocco fan 116, and exerts a suction force by rotating the sirocco fan 116 with a motor at high speed. A suction duct 90 is connected to the suction side of the suction device 92, and an exhaust duct 94 is connected to the exhaust side. Further, an opening 118 is formed on the suction side of the suction device 92, and an opening / closing plate 122 connected to the stepping motor 120 is swingably attached to one side of the opening 118. When the opening / closing plate 122 is driven by the stepping motor 120, the opening 118 opens and closes. A sealing material 124 is affixed to the surface of the opening / closing plate 122 on the opening 118 side. When the opening 118 is closed by the opening / closing plate 122, the opening / closing plate 122 comes into close contact with the periphery of the opening 118.

The operation and action of the filter device configured as described above will be described below.
Since the amount of air that can be sucked by the suction device 92 is determined by the total ventilation resistance of each path from suction to exhaust, the smaller the total ventilation resistance, the larger the suction air volume. From this viewpoint, reducing the ventilation resistance of the exhaust duct 94, that is, increasing the cross-sectional area of the ventilation duct 94 leads to an increase in suction force during suction cleaning and ventilation operation. However, if the cross-sectional area of the ventilation duct 94 is too large, dust accumulated in the suction nozzle 86 and the suction duct 90 after suction cleaning may be accumulated again in the exhaust duct 94. Moreover, dust accumulation on the casing of the suction device 92 and adhesion of dust to the blade (blade) of the sirocco fan 116 also occur.

  Therefore, when the opening 118 and the opening / closing plate 122 are provided in the suction device 92 and the opening 118 is opened, almost all of the suction air is sucked from the opening 118. The area of the opening 118 can be considerably larger than the opening area of the nozzle opening 100a of the suction nozzle 86 (since the suction device 92 is larger than the suction nozzle 86), the wind speed of the air sucked from the suction hole 102a is slow. The ventilation resistance of the suction device 92 is very low. Further, since no air flows through the suction nozzle 86 and the suction duct 90, the suction hole ventilation resistance, the suction nozzle ventilation resistance, and the suction duct ventilation resistance are zero. Therefore, the total ventilation resistance is close to the ventilation resistance of the exhaust duct 94, and can be very low.

  As a result, even if the rotational speed of the sirocco fan 116 is the same as that during suction cleaning, the amount of air flowing through the suction device 92 and the exhaust duct 94 can be significantly increased. Since the air volume at this time is also an air volume that can be ventilated in a normal house, the indoor air can be discharged to the outside, that is, the ventilation operation can be performed with improved performance than normal. At this time, the amount of air flowing through the suction device 92 and the exhaust duct 94 can be remarkably increased, so that dust adhering to the blades of the sirocco fan 116 can be blown away, and the sirocco fan 116 is not clogged with dust.

  When the opening / closing plate 122 is driven to open the opening 118, the suction device 92 is used as a ventilation fan. When suction cleaning is performed, the opening 118 is closed and the suction fan is used to suck dust from the suction hole 102a of the belt 102. A suction device 92 can be used. That is, the suction cleaning function and the ventilation function can be realized by the same suction device 92.

  By the way, it is considered that some dust adheres to the periphery of the opening 118 and does not completely close, causing suction leakage and lowering the suction cleaning performance. Therefore, the surface of the opening / closing plate 122 is deformed flexibly. In addition, a sealing material 124 with little permanent deformation is attached to prevent suction leakage. As the sealing material 124, a flexible foam material such as EPT (ethylene propylene rubber) can be used, but a gel material having a strong resistance to compression deformation may be used.

  44 and 45 show the open state and the closed state of the opening 118, respectively. The white arrow in FIG. 44 represents the sucked wind, and the white arrow in FIG. 45 represents the sucked wind as well. .

  In addition to the sirocco fan, a turbo fan or the like can be used as the fan for the suction device 92. However, when a ventilation function is required, it is preferable to use a sirocco fan having a large air volume. If the ventilation function is not required, the turbofan may provide stronger suction.

(Air cleaning operation based on activity)
Next, the air cleaning operation performed according to the amount of activity of the occupants will be described below.
This operation is performed by a person in any of the areas A to I when the user sets the operation in the menu mode set on the remote controller and basically does not perform an air conditioning operation such as an air conditioning operation. This is performed when an operation exceeding a predetermined amount (for example, an activity amount “large” or “medium”) is performed.

  The graph of FIG. 46 shows the number of dust particles when a person performs a clothing movement and a walking movement, and shows that dust rises when a person performs a normal (daily) movement. ing.

  Therefore, when the activity amount of a person in a certain area is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined amount by the activity amount detecting means, the air cleaning unit is activated and the fan 8 is started. ) Is controlled for a predetermined time (for example, 15 to 30 minutes). The speed of the fan 8 may be set to a cooling speed or a heating speed. If the speed is set slightly higher (for example, 100 rpm or 10%) than the heating speed, dust can be collected more effectively. Alternatively, the speed of the fan 8 may be set to a constant speed (for example, about 1100 rpm) regardless of the region.

  It should be noted that the dust always soars during the human activity, but as shown in FIG. 46, the most soars at the start of the activity. Therefore, when the fan 8 starts to operate, the activity amount of the human is more than a predetermined amount by the activity amount detecting means. After the determination, it is preferable that a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 30 seconds) elapses, and it is more preferable to start the ventilation fan at the same time.

  In addition, the upper and lower blades 12 are set to repeat sweeping of the direct airflow-ceiling airflow every about 5 to 10 seconds, respectively, as in the absence cleaning described above, and the dust generated by the human activity is raised by the direct airflow. Thus, the pre-filter 40 can reliably collect dust without dropping the dust that has risen due to the ceiling airflow.

  The air cleaning operation performed in accordance with the amount of activity of the occupant ends when the predetermined time elapses or the user selects the air conditioning operation (air conditioning operation priority). This operation can also be set to be performed during the air conditioning operation by the remote controller. For example, during an air conditioning operation, a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 30 seconds) is applied to a region where an amount of activity greater than a predetermined amount is detected. Only the air cleaning operation may be performed, and then the original air conditioning operation may be restored.

  In addition, when the activity amount more than predetermined amount is detected in two or more area | regions, the said driving | running is performed with respect to the area | region close | similar to an indoor unit.

  The graph of FIG. 47 shows a case where an air conditioner indoor unit with an output of 2.2 KW is installed in a 6 tatami room and the air purifying unit is not operated during human operation, and without estimating the dust generation position by the conventional method. The number of dust particles collected on the prefilter 40 when the air cleaning unit is operated and when the dust generation position is estimated and the speed of the fan 8 is increased to operate the air cleaning unit as described above is shown. .

  As can be seen from FIG. 47, when the air cleaning unit is not operated, dust is almost dropped after being diffused, and when the air cleaning unit is operated by the conventional method, the dust generation position cannot be estimated and the fan speed is low. Dust collection speed is slow and dust collection efficiency is low. On the other hand, when the air purification unit is operated as in the present embodiment, the air can be quickly blown to the estimated dust generation position, so the dust collection speed is high and the dust collection efficiency is high.

  The above-described air cleaning unit composed of the electric dust collection unit 42 can also be referred to as a negative ion generator, which discharges superoxide anions in which oxygen is negatively ionized into the room and collects the dust in the prefilter 40. To do.

  Superoxide anion causes various physiological disorders in living cells and inactivates cells, thereby suppressing the activity of impurities in the air such as allergens, viruses, airborne molds, airborne bacteria, etc. Activate.

(Allergen-inhibiting substance release control)
Therefore, since the negative ion generator acts as an allergen suppressing means, the allergen suppressing substance release control performed according to the amount of activity of the occupants will be described below.

  Allergen suppression means include pollen that causes allergies, means to suppress allergen action of mites (including feces, carcasses, etc.), means to sterilize floating fungi and suppress their activity, or mites that cause allergies It is a general term for means for avoiding

  In addition to the negative ion generator described above, allergen suppression means include a water cluster generator, an ion generator that simultaneously releases positive ions and negative ions, volatile antibacterial and antifungal agents, or antibacterial and antifungal agents thereof. Conventionally known compounds such as those using divergent natural plant essential oils such as phytoncides and flavonoids in combination with the agent can be used.

  The water cluster generator discharges water into the air as fine water particles containing radicals and ions having high oxidizing power by discharge. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2006-25816 and 2006-170467 are disclosed. Etc. are disclosed.

  Moreover, the ion generator which discharge | releases positive ion and negative ion simultaneously has a pair of electrodes which oppose on both sides of an insulator, and produces | generates positive ion and negative ion by applying an alternating voltage between both electrodes For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-65836.

  Furthermore, for antifungal methods using antibacterial and antifungal agents, etc., volatile antibacterial and antifungal agents or divergent natural plant essential oils such as phytoncide and flavonoids (wood essential oils such as camellia leaves, camellia and cedar) It has been proposed to mix and fill the air permeable case, or impregnate the porous particles to fill the air permeable case, and arrange the air permeable case in the vicinity of the front opening 2a of the indoor unit 2, For example, it is disclosed in JP-A-9-59103.

  In the allergen-inhibiting substance release control, when the activity amount of a person in a certain area is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined amount by the activity amount detecting means, the allergen suppressing means is activated and the fan 8 is operated when the air conditioning operation is not performed. The air flow control of the upper and lower blades 12 and the left and right blades is performed for a predetermined time (for example, 30 to 60 minutes) so that the ceiling air current is blown into the area. 12 and the wind direction control of the left and right blades are performed continuously or intermittently in a time shorter than the predetermined time (for example, 15 to 30 minutes).

  In the heating operation, priority is given to the heating operation, and the upper and lower blades 12 are controlled in the direction of the wind toward the human foot, but priority is given to the allergen-inhibiting substance release control operation so that the ceiling airflow is also generated during the heating. You may enable it to set with a remote control.

Here, the reason why the ceiling airflow is effective in the allergen-inhibiting substance release control is as follows.
Pollen, which is an allergen substance, is generally several tens of μm (for example, cedar pollen is 20-40 μm), mites are adults, 0.3-0.4 mm (leopard mites), and mite carcasses or feces are about 20-30 μm. It is. These “relatively large particles” rise when large movements occur in the room, but fall in a short time, stay at a height of up to 50 cm above the floor, or fall completely onto the floor, or Adhere to. In addition, when an exercise that allows a person to walk around continues, the person does not soar and stays at a height of up to 50 cm above the floor.

  The ceiling airflow flows so that the airflow adheres to the wall surface, and by using this ceiling airflow, the allergen-inhibiting substance is efficiently distributed near the floor surface where the allergen substance stays, and finally on the floor surface or wall surface where it adheres. be able to.

  The speed of the fan 8 may be set to a cooling speed or a heating speed. If the speed is set slightly higher (for example, 100 rpm or 10%) than the heating speed, dust can be collected more effectively. Alternatively, the speed of the fan 8 may be set to a constant speed (for example, about 1100 rpm) regardless of the region. It is also preferable to start the ventilation fan at the same time.

  The allergen-inhibiting substance release control performed according to the amount of activity of the occupants ends when the predetermined time has elapsed or the user selects the air-conditioning operation (air-conditioning operation priority). In addition, this operation can be set to be performed during the air conditioning operation. For example, during an air conditioning operation, only a predetermined time (for example, 15 to 30 minutes) with respect to a region where an activity amount of a predetermined amount or more is detected. You may make it return to the original air-conditioning driving | operation after performing an allergen inhibitory substance release control driving | operation.

  In addition, as a method for adjusting the amount of allergen-inhibiting substance released from the allergen-inhibiting means, in the case of an ion generator or water cluster generator, the discharge current or applied voltage may be increased or decreased, and antibacterial and antifungal agents are used. In this case, the heating temperature of the breathable case may be adjusted.

(Automatic recognition of indoor unit installation position)
Further, when the indoor unit is arranged as shown in FIG. 14, it is determined that the indoor unit is installed in the vicinity of the left side wall using the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34. It is also possible to control the operation of the left and right blades only in the region located on the right side of the left side wall. In this case, the human body detection device including the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 functions as an automatic installation position recognition unit for the indoor unit.

  Furthermore, this human body detection device may be used as an indoor unit installation position automatic recognition means, and when the indoor unit is disposed in the vicinity of the left or right side wall, the setting angle of the left and right blades may be corrected. .

  That is, when the setting angle of the left and right blades is fixed as shown in FIG. 22 and the indoor unit is arranged near the left side wall or the right side wall, the air conditioning degree in the area near the left side wall or the right side wall is appropriate. It cannot be said that there is a tendency to over-air-conditioning compared to other areas. Therefore, a comfortable air-conditioned space can be realized in any region by correcting the angle of the left and right blades in the region near the left side wall or the right side wall by a predetermined angle on the side opposite to the wall.

  For example, when the indoor unit is installed in the vicinity of the left side wall, as shown in FIG. 48, the angles of the left and right blades in the areas A, C, D, G, and H that are the areas in the vicinity of the left side wall are set as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to correct | amend by shifting 15 degrees to the opposite side to a wall from the set angle made.

  Further, when the indoor unit is arranged near the left side wall or the right side wall, as described above, the angle of the left and right blades in the region near the left side wall or the right side wall is corrected to a predetermined angle on the side opposite to the wall. When the area to be air-conditioned is distributed in two or more directions, the right and left wind direction control is performed by fixing the setting angle of the left and right blades at the left and right end areas, and the stop time at that time is the area to be air-conditioned with the indoor unit. The time may be allocated according to the relative position of the person and the amount of activity (activity state) of the person in the area to be air-conditioned.

  It should be noted that at least two sensors may be provided as means for automatically recognizing the installation position of the indoor unit. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first and second sensors 26 and 28 whose optical axes are on the same plane are provided. To take further explanation.

  When two sensors 26 and 28 are provided, outputs for each cycle T1 from the two sensors 26 and 28 are accumulated for a predetermined time (for example, 3 to 4 hours), and the accumulated reaction result is compared with one threshold value. Thus, the two areas are divided into a living area and a non-living area or two living areas. Note that the threshold value to be compared may be, for example, the second threshold value described above.

  In the example of FIG. 49 in which the indoor unit is installed in the vicinity of the left side wall (for example, within 1 m), area A is determined as a non-living area and area B is determined as a living area, whereas the indoor unit is positioned on the right side wall. When installed in the vicinity (for example, within 1 m), the left area from the front of the indoor unit is determined as the living area, and the right area from the front of the indoor unit is determined as the non-living area. When the indoor unit is installed at the center of the wall, both the left and right areas from the front of the indoor unit are determined to be living areas.

  By automatically recognizing the installation position of the indoor unit in this way, the operation control of the air direction control means in the vertical direction and the wind direction control means in the horizontal direction of the air conditioner can be performed so that air conditioning can be performed only in the living area. Just do it. In the wall-mounted indoor unit of the present embodiment, the operation control of the upper and lower blades and the left and right blades, which are wind direction control means, is performed.

  In addition, when the indoor unit is installed near the side wall, if the curtain is shaken by the wind blown from the outlet 10, the human body detection sensor may mistakenly detect the curtain as a person and the wind may not flow in the direction where the person is present. There are problems such as misjudging that there is a person when there is no person.

  However, in the human body detection device configured by the first and second sensors 26 and 28, as shown in FIG. 49, the first sensor 26 detects the presence or absence of a person in the area A, while the second sensor The sensor 28 detects the presence or absence of a person in the region B separated so as not to overlap the region A. Therefore, the areas A and B are separated in the vicinity of the center line located between the optical axis of the first sensor 26 and the optical axis of the second sensor 28. When installed in the machine, the area A and the area B are separated from the front of the indoor unit to the left and right, and based on the results of accumulating the detection responses of the sensors in the areas A and B that do not overlap each other for a predetermined time. It is possible to reliably distinguish between the area and the non-living area. Here, by distinguishing between the living area and the non-living area, when there is a detection reaction of the sensor in the non-living area, the wind direction control is not performed on the non-living area. In other words, in this case, the wind direction is controlled only in the living area. As a result, if there is a person in the living area, even if an irregular reaction such as a curtain swing is detected in the non-living area, it is determined that the reaction is other than a person, and the wind direction is set so that the wind does not flow in the non-living area. By controlling the above, it is possible to prevent the comfort of the living area where people are present from being impaired. In addition, even when there are no people in the room, even if an irregular response such as a swing of a curtain is detected in a non-living area, it is determined that the response is a non-human response and prevents the erroneous determination that there is a person. be able to.

  Further, the third sensor 32 shown in FIG. 4 is provided in the human body detection device, and as shown in FIG. 50, the third sensor 32 is positioned between the optical axis of the first sensor 26 and the optical axis of the second sensor 28. It is possible to detect the presence or absence of a person in the area C that straddles both sides of the center line. When it is determined that there is a person in the area C, it can be estimated that there is a person in the right area C2 when viewed from the front of the indoor unit. By adding only one sensor 32, it is possible to determine whether a person is located on the left or right side of the region extending to the left and right.

  In FIG. 51, a human body detection device including six sensors is provided in an indoor unit to divide a human body position determination region into a plurality of regions, and two regions separated adjacently to the left and right as viewed from the front of the indoor unit are divided into two regions. The case where it arranges is shown.

  In the example shown in FIG. 51, the regions A and B or the regions D and E are separated from each other in the left and right directions, and sensor detection in the regions A and B or the regions D and E that do not overlap each other. The living area and the non-living area can be more reliably distinguished based on the results of accumulating the reactions for a predetermined time.

(Absence detection energy saving control and forgetting to cut prevention control)
Moreover, the indoor unit is provided with a timer, and the absence detection energy saving control and the forgetting-off prevention control are performed using the timer. The absence detection energy-saving control and the forgetting-off prevention control will be described below.

First, control during heating will be described with reference to Table 9 and FIG.

  FIG. 52 shows an example of the temperature shift. Here, a case where the set temperature Tset is 28 ° C. and the target temperature (limit value) is 20 ° C. will be described. ΔT is a temperature difference between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature.

  When the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 detect that no person is present in all the areas A to I, the timer starts counting, and after the timer starts counting, the time t1 ( For example, when the absence of a person is confirmed at 10 minutes), the set temperature Tset is automatically reduced by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Further, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t2 (for example, 30 minutes after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is automatically further reduced by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Similarly, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t3 (eg, 1 hour after the start of counting) and time t4 (eg, 2 hours after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is set to 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT), respectively. Reduce automatically.

  At time t4, the total temperature is reduced by 8 ° C. from the set temperature Tset to 20 ° C., which is equal to the target temperature. Therefore, the set temperature Tset is maintained at the target temperature until time t5 (for example, 4 hours after the start of counting). However, when the absence of a person is still confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to prevent forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

  When the presence of a person is detected between time t1 and time t5, the temperature is returned to the set temperature Tset before time t1.

  Further, the temperature shift width (reduced temperature) is set as shown in Table 9 according to the temperature difference ΔT between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature, and the temperature shift width is smaller as the temperature difference ΔT is smaller. When the set temperature Tset is lower than the target temperature, the current temperature is maintained. However, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped in the same manner as in the example of FIG. is there.

Next, control during cooling will be described with reference to Table 10 and FIG.

  FIG. 53 shows an example of the temperature shift. Here, a case where the set temperature Tset is 20 ° C. and the target temperature (limit value) is 28 ° C. will be described. ΔT is a temperature difference between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature.

  When the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 detect that no person is present in all the areas A to I, the timer starts counting, and after the timer starts counting, the time t1 ( For example, when the absence of a person is confirmed at 10 minutes, the set temperature Tset is automatically increased by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Further, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t2 (for example, 30 minutes after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is automatically further increased by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Similarly, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t3 (eg, 1 hour after the start of counting) and time t4 (eg, 2 hours after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is set to 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT), respectively. Increases automatically.

  At time t4, the total temperature is increased by 8 ° C. from the set temperature Tset to 28 ° C., which is equal to the target temperature. Therefore, the set temperature Tset is maintained at the target temperature until time t5 (for example, 4 hours after the start of counting). However, when the absence of a person is still confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to prevent forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

  When the presence of a person is detected between time t1 and time t5, the temperature is returned to the set temperature Tset before time t1.

  Further, the temperature shift width (increased temperature) is set as shown in Table 10 according to the difference temperature ΔT between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature, and the temperature shift width is smaller as the difference temperature ΔT is smaller. Further, when the set temperature Tset is higher than the target temperature, the current temperature is maintained. However, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped in the same manner as in the example of FIG. is there.

  FIG. 54 shows an example in which the power saving operation is achieved by controlling the air volume (rotation speed) of the fan 8 and the capacity of the compressor provided in the outdoor unit.

  That is, when the air volume of the fan 8 is increased, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 6 is improved, and when the compressor frequency is the same, the cooling or heating capacity is increased, so that the room temperature is maintained at the same set temperature. Makes it possible to reduce the frequency of the compressor, and the required power consumption is reduced. Further, even when the air volume of the fan 8 is increased in the absence, there is no problem of discomfort due to the air current being too strong and comfort problems due to increased noise of the fan 8.

  As shown in FIG. 54A, when the first to fifth sensors 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 detect that no person is present in all the areas A to I, the timer starts counting. When the absence of a person is confirmed at the time t1 (for example, 10 minutes) after the timer starts counting, the air volume of the fan 8 is increased as shown in FIG. ), The compressor frequency is gradually reduced to time t2 (for example, 30 minutes after the start of counting). After the time t1, the air flow of the fan 8 is kept constant (limit value), and after the time t2, the compressor frequency is kept constant (limit value), but the time t2, time t3 (for example, start of counting) 1 hour), t4 (for example, 2 hours after the start of counting), and t5 (for example, 4 hours after the start of counting), when the absence of a person is continuously confirmed, the air conditioner is operated at time t5. Stop and prevent forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

  When the presence of a person is detected between time t1 and time t5, the setting air volume and the setting frequency before time t1 are restored.

  In addition, in all of the examples of FIGS. 52 to 54 described above, when there is no person for a predetermined time during normal operation, power saving operation is performed with less power consumption than during normal operation. If there is no air conditioner, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to achieve energy saving (“normal operation” is “operation instructed by the user”).

  In addition, even if the absence continues for a long time, if the human body sensor misdetects a disturbance other than a person such as a curtain that may cause a temperature change, normal operation will continue in the absence (unmanned) state forever Since it is also possible to continue, when a predetermined time t6 (for example, 24 hours) longer than the time t5 has elapsed, the operation is stopped and the forgetting to cut can be surely prevented. Moreover, it is preferable to make an audible or visual notification to the main body or the remote controller by voice or an LED lamp or to display characters on the screen immediately before the stop of the operation after the elapse of a predetermined time t6 longer than the time t5 or the time t5. Furthermore, if the remote control or the like is provided with automatic stop selection means that can select whether or not to perform automatic operation stop after elapse of a predetermined time t6 that is longer than time t5 or time t5, the usability is improved.

  If the above-described absence detection energy saving control and forgetting prevention control are air conditioners provided with at least one human body detection sensor in the indoor unit, absence detection energy saving control and forgetting prevention control are performed according to the output from one human body detection sensor. It can be performed.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention can surely remove dust that has risen due to human activities with an air cleaning unit, and can maintain a comfortable indoor environment. Useful.

The indoor unit of the air conditioner concerning this invention is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a front view of the state which removed the cover of the human body detection apparatus provided in the upper part, (c) is a side view. FIG. 1B shows the indoor unit in FIG. 1B with the front panel opening the front opening, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view and FIG. 1B is a side view. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit of FIG. The human body detection apparatus is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a perspective view. Schematic showing the change of the visual field range based on the change of the mounting position of the human body detection device Side view of an indoor unit when a sensor unit constituting a human body detection device is provided on the surface of an arbitrary sphere Side view of an indoor unit when an arbitrary sphere is cut off at an arbitrary plane and a sensor unit is provided at the intersection of this plane and the optical axis of the sensor unit Front view of the sensor unit of FIG. Schematic showing the human body position determination area detected by each sensor unit provided in the human body detection device Schematic of area division detected by three sensor units Flowchart for setting region characteristics for each region shown in FIG. The flowchart which finally determines the presence or absence of a person in each area | region shown by FIG. Timing chart showing the presence / absence determination of people by each sensor unit Schematic plan view of a residence where the indoor unit of FIG. 1 is installed The graph which shows the long-term accumulation result of each sensor unit in the residence of FIG. Schematic plan view of another residence where the indoor unit of FIG. 1 is installed The graph which shows the long-term accumulation result of each sensor unit in the residence of FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the indoor unit which shows the operating state of the up-and-down blade provided in the indoor unit of FIG. Schematic showing the set number of rotations of the fan when air-conditioning each area shown in FIG. 9 Schematic showing the set angles of the upper and lower blades and the left and right blades when heating each area shown in FIG. Schematic showing the set angles of the upper and lower blades and the left and right blades when standing up or unstable when cooling each region shown in FIG. Schematic showing the set angles of the upper and lower blades and the left and right blades at the time of cooling when cooling each region shown in FIG. Flow chart showing wind direction control performed according to the number of areas to be air-conditioned Schematic showing the arrangement mode when air-conditioning two areas Schematic showing the arrangement mode when air-conditioning three areas Schematic showing weighting of air-conditioning degree of each area when air-conditioning two areas Flow chart showing how to classify human activity Flow chart when the amount of human activity is adopted as a parameter for determining the stop time of the area to be air-conditioned Flowchart in the case where a plurality of areas to be air-conditioned are assigned to three blocks and the amount of human activity is adopted as a parameter for determining the stop time of the area to be air-conditioned Longitudinal sectional view of an indoor unit equipped with an air cleaning unit The perspective view of the pre filter with which the electric dust collection unit as an air purifying unit was attached Flow chart showing air cleaning operation Block diagram showing a control circuit for performing an air cleaning operation Schematic of air conditioner equipped with oxygen gas enrichment device Longitudinal sectional view of an indoor unit equipped with a pre-filter automatic cleaning device The perspective view of the pre-filter automatic cleaning apparatus provided in the indoor unit of FIG. The perspective view of the suction nozzle provided in the pre-filter automatic cleaning apparatus of FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view of the suction nozzle of FIG. Sectional drawing along line VV in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the position of the suction hole according to the cleaning range of a filter net | network, (a) is the position of the suction hole when cleaning the range A, (b) is the suction hole when cleaning the range B. (C) is a schematic view showing the position of the suction hole when cleaning the range C, and (d) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the suction hole when cleaning the range D, respectively. Schematic diagram showing the suction cleaning sequence of the pre-filter automatic cleaning device Another schematic diagram showing the suction cleaning sequence of the pre-filter automatic cleaning device Sectional drawing along line VV in FIG. 37 which shows the modification of a suction nozzle The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the suction device which has an opening part in an open state The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the suction device which has an opening part in a closed state Graph showing the number of dust particles when a person performs clothing movement and walking movement Dust collected in the pre-filter when the air purification unit is not operated during human operation, when the air purification unit is operated by the conventional method, and when the dust generation position is estimated and the air purification unit is operated Graph showing the number of particles Schematic showing the corrected setting angle of the left and right blades when the indoor unit is installed near the left side wall Schematic view of the room showing how to determine living and non-living areas when the indoor unit is installed near the left side wall Schematic diagram of the room showing another method for determining the living area and the non-living area when the indoor unit is installed near the left side wall Schematic diagram of the room showing still another method for determining the living area and the non-living area when the indoor unit is installed near the left side wall Timing chart showing temperature control during heating Timing chart showing temperature control during cooling Timing chart for achieving power-saving operation by controlling the fan air volume and the capacity of the compressor installed in the outdoor unit

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outdoor unit, 2 Indoor unit (main body), 2a Front opening part, 2b Upper surface opening part,
4 movable front panel, 5 cover, 6 heat exchanger, 8 fan,
10 air outlets, 12 upper and lower blades, 14 middle blades, 16 middle blade drive mechanism,
18, 20, 22, 24 arm, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 sensor unit,
26a, 28a, 30a, 32a, 34a circuit board,
26b, 28b, 30b, 32b, 34b lens, 36 sensor holder,
40 Pre-filter, 42 Electric dust collection unit, 44 Needle-shaped discharge electrode,
46 ground electrode, 48 outer frame, 50 dirt sensor, 52 electric field,
54 control unit, 56 drive circuit, 58 display unit, 60 storage unit, 62 compressor,
64 heat exchangers, 66 fans, 68 gas enrichment units, 70 vacuum pumps,
72 Discharge port, 74 Oxygen supply main pipe, 76 Discharge main pipe, 78 Air blow pipe,
78a trap, 80 filter device, 82 filter frame, 84 filter network,
86 suction nozzle, 88 guide rail, 90 suction duct, 92 suction device,
94 exhaust duct, 96,98 limit switch, 100 nozzle body,
100a nozzle opening, 102 belt, 102a suction hole, 104 indicator,
106 suction hole sensor, 108 drive hole, 110 stepping motor,
112 gear, 114 dust sensor, 116 sirocco fan, 118 opening,
120 stepping motors, 122 opening and closing plates, 124 sealing materials.

Claims (7)

An air conditioner provided with a human body detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person provided in an indoor unit, an activity amount detecting means for detecting the amount of human activity, and an air cleaning unit provided in the indoor unit,
The indoor unit is provided with a plurality of human body detection sensors, an area to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of areas by the plurality of human body detection sensors, and it is determined that there are persons by the plurality of human body detection sensors among the plurality of areas. The activity amount detecting means detects the activity amount of the person in the area, and when the activity amount of the person detected by the activity amount detection means is a predetermined amount or more, the indoor fan provided in the indoor unit is operated. In addition, the upper and lower blades and the left and right blades, which are provided in the indoor unit and control the direction of the blown air, are controlled so that the amount of human activity is blown to an area where the amount of activity is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount, and the air cleaning unit is operated. An air conditioner characterized by that.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower blades repeatedly perform a direct airflow that blows out blown air from the indoor unit substantially directly below and a ceiling airflow that blows off substantially in the horizontal direction.   The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a speed of the indoor fan is set higher than a speed during an air conditioning operation.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the indoor unit includes a ventilation fan, and the ventilation fan is operated simultaneously with the start of operation of the air purification unit.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation of the air purification unit is not performed during an air conditioning operation.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air cleaning unit is operated for a predetermined time during the air conditioning operation, and then the air conditioning operation is further performed.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the activity amount detection means is the plurality of human body detection sensors.

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