JP2009103375A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein, in a conventional adsorption type humidifying method, a large amount of wet air is required to be conveyed in comparison with a humidification amount, and thereby a duct is required to be enlarged. <P>SOLUTION: In this air conditioner, an exterior unit 3 is equipped with a vaporization cylinder 9 and a superheating cylinder 10 which are superheated steam generation means, and superheated steam 19 is supplied from a circulation passage 11b to an exterior unit 4, to thereby miniaturize the duct. Further, a blower 25 which is an air blowing means is connected to a circulation passage 11a through an air opening/closing valve 26 which is a back-flow prevention means, and an air conveyance route 28, and heated air is conveyed through the circulation passage 11b before and after humidification to perform condensation prevention and drying, and to thereby constituted a sanitary and highly-reliable device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a humidifying function.

  Conventionally, in this type of air conditioner, as shown in Patent Document 1, when a blower provided in an outdoor unit is operated, outdoor air is sucked into the humidifier and the air flow passes through a part of the adsorbent. When doing so, moisture in the air flow is adsorbed by the adsorbent and exhausted out of the room as dry air. Another air flow is heated by a heater and passes through a portion of the adsorbent to heat the adsorbent. Since the adsorbent is rotating, a portion of the adsorbent containing moisture is heated to evaporate the moisture and is provided with a humidifier that is sent to the room as humidified air.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional humidifier for an air conditioner described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the adsorbent 101, the drive belt 102, the drive motor 103, the blowers 104 and 105, the heater 106, and the flow passages 107 and 108 are configured. In addition, 1 shows the outdoor, 2 shows the room, A and B show an air flow.
Japanese Patent No. 3559421

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the moisture sent to the room 2 is transported as moist air, so air that does not contribute to humidification of the room air is transported together with moisture, so that the necessary amount of humidification is ensured. Therefore, it is necessary to transport humid air with a large volume flow rate. As a result, unless the cross-sectional area of the flow passage for supplying moisture into the room is increased, the output and noise of the blowers 104 and 105 increase. It had the problem of end up.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides an air conditioner having a humidifying function capable of securing a sufficient humidification amount even if the cross-sectional area of the flow passage for supplying moisture into the room is small. An object is to provide a hygienic and highly reliable air conditioner that prevents the occurrence of dew condensation and residual water droplets in the flow path.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the air conditioner of the present invention includes a blowing unit that can send air to a conveying unit that guides superheated steam from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit.

  Thus, while providing an air conditioner having a humidifying function that can secure a sufficient amount of humidification even if the cross-sectional area of the flow passage for supplying moisture into the room is small, preheating of the conveying means is performed so as not to cause dew condensation. In order to eliminate residual water droplets, the conveying means can be heated and dried.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention provides an air conditioner having a humidifying function that can secure a sufficient amount of humidification even if the cross-sectional area of the flow passage for supplying moisture to the room is small. Occurrence and residual water droplets can be prevented, and a hygienic and highly reliable air conditioner can be obtained.

1st invention has an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, provided with the superheated steam generation means which produces | generates superheated steam from the water supplied to the said outdoor unit from the water supply means and the said water supply means, and the generated superheated steam Is an air conditioner that can be transported indoors by a transport means that communicates the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and can be released from a steam outlet provided in the indoor unit to humidify the indoor air. It is provided with an air blowing means capable of sending air to the water vapor generating means. Thereby, when humidifying, the inside of the said conveyance means can be heated so that dew condensation does not occur, and the conveyance means can be dried by heating in order to eliminate residual water droplets. Therefore, it is possible to provide a hygienic and highly reliable air conditioner by preventing mold and fungi from growing during the stop, suppressing the splashing of water droplets into the room and the material deterioration of the conveying means.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, the superheated steam generation means includes a vaporization heater that generates saturated steam and a superheater that generates superheated steam by heating the saturated steam, The means is arranged to introduce and convey air between the vaporizing heater and the overheating heater. Thereby, heating air can be made using the above-mentioned heater for overheating, without providing a dedicated heater for making heating air. Therefore, an apparatus can be provided with an inexpensive configuration.

  According to a third invention, in the second invention, the outlet of the air blowing means has a backflow preventing means for preventing a backflow of water vapor. Thereby, when the air is humidified, the air blowing means communicating with the air can be disconnected from the water vapor system, and the water vapor can be prevented from leaking to the air blowing means. Therefore, efficient humidification can be performed, and it is possible to prevent the air blowing means from directly contacting with water vapor and causing a malfunction.

  According to a fourth invention, in the first invention, before humidifying or after humidifying, the heated air is sent to the conveying means, whereby the conveying means is heated and dried continuously with humidification, Since heat loss can be minimized, efficient operation can be performed.

  According to a fifth invention, in the first invention, a first temperature detecting means is provided after the superheated steam generating means, whereby the superheater heater is provided according to the output of the first temperature detecting means. , The maximum temperature of the superheated steam can be suppressed, and the reliability of the transport means can be improved.

  According to a sixth invention, in the first invention, the vapor discharge port is provided with a second temperature detecting means, whereby the heating condition and the drying condition of the conveying means are identified, and the highly accurate conveyance is performed. The means can be heated and dried.

  In a seventh aspect based on the sixth aspect, when the heated air is allowed to flow through the conveying means before humidification, the heated air is allowed to flow through the conveying means until the air temperature at the vapor discharge port reaches the first set temperature. In order to prevent this, it is possible to reliably prevent dew condensation from occurring in the transport means at the start of humidification, to prevent water droplets from jumping into the room and material deterioration of the transport means. It is possible to provide a hygienic and highly reliable air conditioner.

  In an eighth aspect based on the sixth aspect, when the heated air is flowed to the conveying means after being humidified, the air temperature of the vapor discharge port is set to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature. Continues flowing heated air to the conveying means until it reaches, reliably stops inside the conveying means in a dry state, suppresses material deterioration of the conveying means, and molds and fungi grow during the pause It is possible to provide a sanitary and highly reliable air conditioner.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, an outdoor unit 3 installed in the outdoor 1 is provided with a heat exchanger 5 for air conditioning and a heat exchange blower 6. Further, the outdoor unit 3 is provided with a water conveyance path 7, a storage tank 8, and a two-way valve 17 constituting water supply means, and the water conveyance path 7 is connected to the vaporizing cylinder 9. The superheated steam generating means accommodated in the outdoor unit 3 is composed of a vaporizing cylinder 9 and an overheating cylinder 10 disposed on the vaporizing cylinder 9. A vaporizing heater 12 is provided in the vaporizing cylinder 9. Inside, a heater 13 for superheating is provided. The vaporizing cylinder 9, the superheated cylinder 10, and the indoor unit 4 installed in the room 2 are communicated with each other through flow passages 11a and 11b serving as conveying means. The vaporizing heater 12 and the overheating heater 13 are connected to heater power supplies 14a and 14b, respectively.

  The water 15 in the storage tank 8 can be humidified without performing a water supply operation if the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 5 during the heating operation or the like is stored and used as necessary. The same effect can be expected by using rainwater.

  Moreover, if it does not matter if water supply is performed, a water supply pipe such as tap water may be connected, or a person may perform water supply work. Most indoor units are installed in high places, so outdoor units can supply water more easily. Troubles due to water leaks can be avoided easily because the part that stores water is outdoors.

  A blower 25, which is a blowing means, is connected to the flow passage 11a via an air on-off valve 26, which is a backflow prevention means, and an air conveyance path 28, so that the air 27 can be conveyed to the superheated steam generation means. Yes. The air on-off valve 26 is disposed at the outlet of the blower 25, and is controlled so as to be closed only when air is sent when the air is humidified and closed so that water vapor does not flow backward and enter the blower 25.

  A thermistor 30 as a first temperature detection means is provided at the outlet of the superheated cylinder 10 in the flow passage 11b, and a thermistor 31 as a second temperature detection means is provided at the steam discharge port 20, and the fluid flowing through the flow passage 11b. That is, the temperature of water vapor or heated air is detected.

  The operation and action of the air conditioner configured as described above will be described.

  First, when humidifying, the water 15 supplied to the storage tank 8 is controlled through the water conveyance path 7 and the two-way valve 17 by controlling the opening and closing time of the two-way valve 17 according to the amount of humidification. A necessary amount of water is supplied to the vaporizing cylinder 9. In order to reliably supply water, it is necessary to design so that a sufficient water head difference is obtained between the water supply portion of the storage tank 8 and the water receiving portion of the vaporizing cylinder 9.

  The water 15 supplied to the vaporizing cylinder 9 is heated by the vaporizing heater 12, boiled and vaporized, and becomes a saturated water vapor 18 having a temperature of 100 ° C. at 1 atm. Since the generation amount of the saturated water vapor 18 is determined by the output of the vaporizing heater 12, the output of the vaporizing heater 12 is controlled and adjusted according to the required humidification amount.

  The generated saturated water vapor 18 is conveyed from the vapor outlet 23 at the upper part of the vaporizing cylinder 9 to the superheating cylinder 10 through the flow passage 11a, heated by the superheating heater 13, and overheated at a temperature exceeding 100 ° C. at 1 atm. Water vapor 19 is generated. And the superheated steam 19 which came out of the superheated cylinder 10 is discharged | emitted from the vapor | steam discharge port 20 installed in the indoor unit 4 via the flow path 11b which is a conveyance means, and humidifies the air of the room | chamber 2 inside.

At this time, in a steady state, the water vapor immediately before being discharged from the vapor discharge port 20 becomes superheated water vapor (for example, water vapor having a temperature exceeding 100 ° C. at 1 atm), that is, the detection temperature of the thermistor 31 is 100 ° C. By adjusting the amount of heat generated by the overheating heater 13 so as to exceed the temperature, the boiling point under atmospheric pressure exceeds 100 ° C., and no condensation occurs in the flow passage 11b. Further, by using the pressure generated as a result of the volume expansion due to the evaporation of water as a conveyance power source, the water vapor flow 21 can be generated without using the blowing means, and the moisture can be efficiently conveyed in the superheated water vapor state.

  However, in a transient state where the humidification has just started, the temperature of the flow passage 11b is low, so it is inevitable that condensation occurs. Then, the condensed water may be ejected as water droplets into the room 2, or depending on the installation state, the flow passage 11b itself may be blocked, resulting in a problem.

  In addition, even when the humidification is finished, simply stopping energization of the vaporizing heater 12 and the superheater heater 13 causes the water vapor in the flow passage 11b to be cooled to cause condensation. In particular, if a large amount of water is left in the flow passage 11b and continues to be stopped as it is, such as when humidification is started and stopped, the flow passage 11b itself is likely to grow. Degradation is also promoted.

  Therefore, as a countermeasure for the transient state just after the start of humidification, first, before performing the humidification, that is, before opening the two-way valve 17, the air on-off valve 26 is opened and the blower 25 is driven. Then, the energization of the superheater 13 is started by the superheater cylinder 10 through the air conveyance path 28 and the air 27 is heated by the superheater heater 13 so that the detection temperature of the thermistor 31 exceeds 100 ° C. It feeds into the flow path 11b. Thereafter, after confirming that the detected temperature of the thermistor 31 has exceeded 100 ° C., the operation in the case of humidification described above is started. Here, when humidification is started, the temperature of the flow passage 11b is higher than 100 ° C. (saturation temperature of water), so that no condensation occurs in the flow passage 11b.

  In order to prevent condensation at the start of humidification, the first set temperature, which is the target temperature for preventing condensation in the thermistor 31, is set to 100 ° C. until the temperature detected by the thermistor 31 reaches 100 ° C. By starting the humidification after conveying the heated air to the flow passage 11b until it reaches, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of dew condensation and avoid the conveyance of the heated air more than necessary. Practically, considering the variation in accuracy of the thermistor 31, it is preferable to set the temperature to about 105 ° C. to 110 ° C.

  Next, as a countermeasure against the end of humidification, first, when there is an instruction to end humidification, the two-way valve 17 is closed, the supply of water 15 to the vaporizing cylinder 9 is shut off, the air on-off valve 26 is opened, and the blower is opened. 25 is driven, and the air 27 is supplied to the superheated cylinder 10 through the air conveyance path 28. At this time, since the overheating heater 13 of the overheating cylinder 10 is energized, the air 27 is heated by the overheating heater 13 and sent to the flow passage 11b. Here, as in the humidification, the heated air is sent to the flow passage 11b so that the temperature detected by the thermistor 31 exceeds 100 ° C., and the water vapor in the flow passage 11b is dried. Therefore, by continuing the above control for a predetermined time, the water vapor in the flow passage 11b is dried and no dew condensation occurs, no mold or fungus grows, and the flow passage 11b itself does not deteriorate. Therefore, a hygienic and highly reliable device can be realized.

When drying at the end of humidification, if the temperature detected by the thermistor 31 is 100 ° C. as a guide, water at the saturation temperature may remain. Therefore, if a temperature higher than 100 ° C. is set as a target, the apparatus can be stopped in a state where the drying is surely performed. Specifically, when the target temperature at which heated air conveyance for drying in the thermistor 31 is to be finished, that is, the second set temperature is set to about 105 ° C. to 115 ° C., the inside of the flow passage 11b can be reliably dried. Practically, it is preferable to set the temperature to about 110 ° C. to 120 ° C. in consideration of variations in thermistor accuracy.
Therefore, the second set temperature is preferably set higher than the first set temperature.

  Here, since the air conveyance path 28 is connected to the flow path 11a, the heater 13 for overheating can be used for air heating, and the apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.

  Further, during humidification, since the water back-flow to the blower 25 is blocked by the on-off valve 26 for air, it is possible to prevent reduction in humidification efficiency and damage to the blower 25 due to water vapor leakage.

  Moreover, since the heated air conveyance to the flow passage 11b is intended to prevent condensation at the start of humidification and to dry at the end of humidification, if it is performed immediately before or after humidification, heat loss is reduced and efficient and economical operation is performed. Can do.

  Here, the air on-off valve 26 is used as the backflow prevention means, but a mechanical check valve can also be used. However, the power loss of the blower 25 can be reduced by using the on-off valve.

  In the present embodiment, since the superheated steam 19 is sent to the flow passage 11b, the inside of the flow passage 11b is exposed to a high temperature. Therefore, the thermistor 30 is provided immediately after the superheat cylinder 10 having the highest water vapor temperature, and the output of the superheater heater 13 is adjusted so that the detection value of the thermistor 30 can be suppressed to a predetermined temperature. Thereby, the flow path 11b can be protected from high temperature.

  From the viewpoint of a material that can withstand high temperatures, considering the price and ease of use, it is desirable that the predetermined temperature in the detection value of the thermistor 30 be 200 ° C. or lower so that tetrafluoroethylene resin, silicon, or the like can withstand. Furthermore, if the predetermined temperature in the detection value of the thermistor 30 is set to 120 ° C. or less, an inexpensive material used in large quantities in an air conditioner or the like can be used.

  As described above, from the viewpoint of preventing condensation, the fluid temperature of the vapor discharge port 20 where the temperature of the carrier fluid such as water vapor or heated air may be the lowest is kept at 100 ° C. or higher. Desirably, by providing the thermistor 31, it is possible to adjust the amount of heat generated by the overheating heater 13 with high accuracy.

  As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention can provide a humidifying function while ensuring a sufficient humidification amount even if the cross-sectional area of the flow passage for supplying moisture to the room is small. Humidification during heating operation, where air drying is a problem, is realized by a thin duct pipe between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and can be widely applied to all air conditioners.

The schematic diagram of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention Schematic diagram showing a humidifier of a conventional air conditioner

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outdoor 2 Indoor 3 Outdoor unit 4 Indoor unit 5 Heat exchanger 6 Heat exchanger Blower 7 Water conveyance path 8 Reservoir 9 Vaporization cylinder 10 Superheated cylinder 11a, 11b Flow path 12 Vaporization heater 13 Heating heater 14a, 14b Heater power supply 15 Water 17 Two-way valve 18 Saturated steam 19 Superheated steam 20 Steam outlet 21 Steam flow 23 Steam outlet 25 Blower 26 Air open / close valve 27 Air 28 Air transport path 30, 31 Thermistor

Claims (8)

An indoor unit and an outdoor unit, wherein the outdoor unit is provided with water supply means and superheated steam generation means for generating superheated steam from the water supplied from the water supply means, and the generated superheated steam is supplied to the outdoor unit and the An air conditioner that can be transported indoors by a transport means that communicates with an indoor unit and that can be discharged from a steam outlet provided in the indoor unit to humidify the indoor air, wherein air is supplied to the superheated steam generating means. An air conditioner comprising a blowing means capable of sending. The superheated steam generating means includes a heater for vaporization that generates saturated steam by heating and vaporizing water supplied by the water supply means, and a heater for superheat that generates superheated steam by heating the saturated steam. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the means is arranged to introduce and convey air between the vaporizing heater and the overheating heater. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising a backflow prevention means for preventing a backflow of water vapor at an outlet of the blower means. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the heated air is sent to the conveying means before or after humidification. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a first temperature detecting means after the superheated steam generating means. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the steam discharge port is provided with second temperature detection means. The heating air is continuously supplied to the conveying means until the air temperature at the vapor discharge port reaches the first set temperature when the heated air is supplied to the conveying means before humidification. Air conditioner. When the heated air is flowed to the conveying means after humidification, the flow of the heated air to the conveying means is continued until the air temperature at the vapor discharge port reaches a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein