JP2009264597A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of saving a space by effectively utilizing a limited space in installing a display mechanism on the air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner to perform the tasks, includes a main body control base provided with a main body control device controlling an air conditioner body to distribute the prescribed air-conditioned air, and further includes display components for displaying a temperature and an operation state to a user, and a display base provided with a display control device controlling the display components and connected to the main body control device by a connecting wire for bidirectionally communicating the information, independently from the main body control base. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to a structure of a display substrate that indicates a driving state to a user.

  A separation-type air conditioner is generally composed of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit includes a compressor for sending refrigerant, a heat exchanger, a blower, and a control device for controlling these. The indoor unit includes a blower for sending predetermined air-conditioned air, a wind direction plate for determining the blowing direction, a heat exchanger for converting the refrigerant into heat, a control device for controlling them, and the like.

  The control device mounted on the indoor unit side is mainly a control circuit board for controlling the rotation speed of the blower. However, in recent years, as a component mounted on the control circuit board, the optimum operating state is due to changes in the surrounding environment. In order to perform calculation and control, a semiconductor element (microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”)) previously incorporated in software is used.

  Specifically, a circuit board having a microcomputer controls a circuit component that drives a fan motor, a communication circuit component that communicates with a microcomputer mounted on the outdoor unit side, and a stepping motor that drives a wind direction plate. It is equipped with circuit components to achieve air conditioning.

  On the other hand, in recent years, functions and methods for displaying the driving state and the surrounding environment visually and in an easy-to-understand manner for the user have been emphasized for the sake of convenience as well as realizing comfort.

  As a method for displaying an operation state or the like, there is a method for controlling a display substrate device including a light emitting element component such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) (for example, see Patent Document 1). In order to distinguish the difference in operating conditions such as cooling and heating, a plurality of LEDs are arranged on the same substrate, and are visually displayed to the user by the difference in LED color tone and issue location.

  According to Patent Document 1, the LED display unit is separated from the microcomputer board (electrical component box) together with the remote control light receiving element, and the LED blinking / lighting is realized through the connection connector. This is because the display location that the user can confirm is restricted on the product.

  The display substrate device must be arranged in a place where the user can easily see. On the other hand, most of the air conditioners use a heat exchanger and a blower to provide a ventilation path for cooling or heating the heat in the indoor environment. It is necessary to place it in a place that does not become.

  Note that, as in Patent Document 1, in recent years, operation by a remote controller using infrared rays has become common, and in some cases, a remote control light receiving element is provided on the surface of the product in the same manner as the display unit so that the light receiving range can be expanded and operated from a distance. Many.

  On the other hand, as a method for improving convenience, there is a method in which a display mechanism is enlarged and, for example, a liquid crystal display by a dot matrix or segment control or a 7 segment LED display is used. In this case, the number of display elements increases, and a device for reducing the number of components and complicated microcomputer control are required (see, for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).

JP 2002-349890 A JP 2003-70953 A Japanese Patent No. 2001-75507

  The display unit of the air conditioner should be placed in a place that is easy to recognize visually and is easy to understand in consideration of user convenience. Furthermore, as described above, in order to realize in a limited space, not only a change in LED color or a difference in lighting location but also a numerical display of the set temperature, current temperature, etc. For example, a 7-segment control type LED display element can be adopted. As a result, the amount of information clearly shown to the user can be dramatically increased, and convenience can be improved.

  However, it is necessary to assume an environment that can be recognized by the user, and the minimum size that can be recognized by the numbers to be displayed is determined by the installation location and use environment of the air conditioner. Compared with a method of expression using only lighting and blinking of LEDs, if a display device that indicates a set temperature, a current temperature, or the like is used as a number, a space required for display becomes large.

  Further, in order to express with 7 segment numbers, an independent control signal (ON / OFF signal) is required for each segment, and at least 7 independent control signal lines are required in decimal notation. Furthermore, securing a connector space or wiring space for connecting them is also an issue. In addition, when controlling 7 independent control signals with a microcomputer that controls the entire air conditioner, the number of outputs that can be output from the microcomputer is limited, and an expensive microcomputer capable of high-speed processing with more output pins is required. become. Furthermore, the problem arises that the microcomputer mounting board becomes large and the space on the main body mounting side is compressed.

  That is, since a larger space is required inside the product, it is necessary to devise a substrate structure of the entire product including a circuit board configuration on which the segment LED display element is mounted. At that time, since the display unit may overlap with the ventilation path of the air conditioner, a display substrate structure in which dew condensation is predicted must be provided, resulting in an increase in cost. For this reason, it is necessary to fix the display substrate inexpensively and with high reliability.

  Conversely, when a space that is not affected by these ventilation paths is obtained, the distance between the display substrate and the main body control substrate that controls the entire air conditioner increases. When the length of the connection line connecting the display substrate and the main body control substrate becomes long, it causes a malfunction due to external noise in addition to the cost increase, and it is necessary to ensure reliability. In this case, if the connection line is shortened, it is less likely to be affected by external noise. Therefore, it is necessary to consider that the connection is as short as possible.

  The subject of this invention is providing the air conditioner which can implement | achieve space saving by utilizing effectively a limited space when arrange | positioning a display mechanism in an air conditioner.

  An air conditioner for solving this problem is provided separately from a main body control board on which a main body control device that controls the main body of the air conditioner to send predetermined air-conditioned air is mounted. For display with a display control device connected by a connection line for controlling the display components and display components to display the operating state to the user and communicating information bidirectionally to the main body control device A substrate.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when arrange | positioning a display mechanism in an air conditioner, the air conditioner which can utilize a limited space effectively and can implement | achieve space saving can be provided.

  The present invention is intended to improve the convenience of the user regarding the display unit of the air conditioner. Specifically, a segment control type display element component (hereinafter referred to as a “segment display”) that expresses the operating state such as a set temperature and the current temperature as a display means, for example, a 7-segment independent LED emits light. By adopting display components that can recognize numbers, the convenience is improved. Furthermore, the present invention provides a display board on which a display control microcomputer (display control device), which is a microcomputer for controlling segment display control element components, is mounted on a main body control microcomputer (main body control). This is provided separately from the main body control board on which the device is mounted. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to save space because wiring is performed in the same substrate without using at least seven segment control signal connection connector parts.

  At this time, the display control microcomputer needs to obtain information such as operation from the main body control microcomputer in order to obtain display contents. In this case, for example, serial communication control widely used in software techniques can be used as information communication between the main body control microcomputer and the display control microcomputer. As a result, the display control microcomputer can obtain information such as operation from the main body control microcomputer by means of one or two connection connector lines, so that space saving can be realized at a relatively low cost.

  In addition, the present invention includes an operation button substrate that is connected to the display control device and has an operation button that can change the operation state, separately from the display substrate. The display control microcomputer mounted on the display board not only controls the segment display, but also monitors the operation state of the operation buttons and the remote control by the user. These results are transmitted to the main body control board by serial communication or the like, and detected by the main body control microcomputer to change the behavior (operation state) of the product. In other words, the display control microcomputer is in charge of the operation state of the user.

  This allows the main unit control microcomputer to concentrate on the operation of the entire air conditioner and the communication with the display unit control microcomputer, and displays it relatively easily without greatly affecting the space and structure of the main unit control unit. Functions can be added. That is, since the control of the display / operation unit and the entire air conditioner is separated and modularized, it is possible to relatively easily cope with design changes and specification changes. Since the display control microcomputer can easily monitor the status of the operation button and the remote control light receiving element at the same time, the convenience of the user can be improved.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides an external noise suppression device for the operation button substrate when the operation button substrate and the display substrate are separated for reasons such as design and space restrictions available in the product. Is. Note that the display substrate may include an external noise suppression device for the operation button substrate. Thereby, in addition to effective use of the wiring space, even if the display unit is separated from the display substrate, the operation button circuit substrate serves as a buffer material, which leads to improvement in noise resistance.

  If the effective display space becomes a ventilation path or a space that has similar condensation conditions, the cover for preventing water droplets from adhering to the display circuit board may also serve as a structure for fixing the display circuit board. Good. As a result, it is possible to improve the reliability while preventing product failure due to condensation or the like.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when a display mechanism is arranged in a limited space of an air conditioner, a display substrate that effectively uses the space can be realized without impairing reliability. In addition, the operation buttons can be provided in the same manner as the display unit to improve convenience, and the wiring work related to them can be realized at low cost. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the reliability while preventing a failure due to condensation.

  Hereinafter, the Example of the air conditioner in this invention is described using FIGS. First, the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention. The air conditioner shown in FIG. 1 is an indoor unit of an air conditioner classified as a floor-standing type, and the unit main body is designed to be installed with a user's feet (floor) as a base. As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit sucks indoor air from the suction port 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure. The indoor air sucked from the suction port 4 is converted into a predetermined air temperature by the indoor heat exchanger 7 arranged inside the indoor unit, and then released from the indoor unit in the direction indicated by arrow B in the figure. At this time, the wind direction plate 3 serves as a guide for changing the direction of the discharged wind. That is, the air blowing direction can be changed by changing the angle of the wind direction plate 3 by the main body control microcomputer 21 described later. Further, the amount of suction and discharge of ambient air is controlled by the number of rotations of the internal once-through fan motor 6. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the suction port 4 simply illustrates a part of the through holes, but the shape and size can be changed according to the performance of the air conditioner.

  Here, the display member 1 is a component that bears the display of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The display member 1 not only satisfies the requirements for visibility, but also has a partially or entirely curved shape to achieve harmony (design and interior improvement) of the entire product. Moreover, the display member 1 is installed in a place where it is difficult to be affected by condensation due to the ventilation path.

  In this embodiment, the display substrate or the operation button substrate is arranged on the back surface (inside the product) of the display member 1, and a part to be confirmed / operated by the user is a partially transparent printing sheet or rubber elastic button. It is realized through such as.

  In addition, the display substrate or the operation button substrate is fixed to the display unit side using screws or a substrate support resin support, and is used as one component constituting the display member 1. As a result, substrate assembly work that requires consideration for electrostatic breakdown and the like can be performed in a lump, and as a result, the efficiency of the entire product assembly work can be improved.

  Next, the structure of the main member which comprises the air conditioner which concerns on this invention is demonstrated using FIG.3 and FIG.4.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the main components of the indoor unit. In FIG. 3, the display member 1 is attached to the product outer frame 5 by a fixing mechanism 1a using the elastic property of resin. A filter (not shown) for preventing the indoor heat exchanger 7 from being clogged with dust in the air is also attached to the product outer frame 5.

  The storage member 8 includes a main body control microcomputer 21 that controls the air conditioner main body and a printed wiring board (hereinafter referred to as “main body control use”) that is mounted with circuit parts for driving various movable parts by signals from the main body control microcomputer 21. It is an electrical component storage case that stores the substrate 20 "). Various connector wires (not shown) for connecting components (for example, the cross-flow fan motor 6) connected to the main body control board 20 are wired on the storage member 8, and a board connector connection for connecting to the display board. The wire 15 is also connected in the electrical product storage case.

  The main body control microcomputer 21 is programmed so as to perform a control pattern optimum for these conditions, for example, ventilation rate control (cross-flow fan rotation speed control) based on room temperature information, room temperature setting information, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded view showing the configuration of the indoor unit display unit and the button operation unit. In FIG. 4, a display substrate 10 which is a printed wiring board assembly for display includes a display unit 9 of 7-segment numerical LEDs, an LED lamp 17 indicating a product operation mode such as during cooling or heating operation, A microcomputer 18 for controlling the light emission pattern of the operation mode LED is mounted.

  Here, the display 9 displays the set temperature and the current temperature in the present embodiment. In order to display information on the current temperature and the set temperature on the display unit 9, it is necessary to obtain such information from the main body control microcomputer 21. Therefore, the display unit control microcomputer 18 is bidirectional with the main body control microcomputer 21. Are connected by board connector connection lines 14 and 15 so that they can communicate with each other. The board connector connection lines 14 and 15 are composed of a plurality of lines, and serve as power supply lines for the display control microcomputer 18 and the display 9 to operate and emit light.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 4, the operation button 2 is disposed so as to face the operation button substrate 12 which is a printed wiring board assembly for operation buttons. Further, a conductive material is applied to the back surface of the operation button 2, and when the button is pressed, the operation button and the substrate act as a push switch so that an electrical change (conductivity) occurs.・ Non-conductive) occurs.

  The display control microcomputer 18 not only performs LED light emission control, but also monitors changes in the operation button 2 through the connector 16 and the connection line 14. That is, when the operation button 2 is pressed, the display control microcomputer 18 transmits a change request from the user to the main body control microcomputer 21 according to the contents of the operation button 2. Between the main body control microcomputer 21 and the display device control microcomputer 18, the display contents and the use state of the operation buttons are exchanged bidirectionally.

  The remote control light receiving element 13 is an element that receives a change in remote control operation using infrared rays. The change in the remote control light receiving element 13 is monitored by the display control microcomputer 18 so that the operation button 2 installed on the main body and the remote control can be used together. I am doing so. In the present embodiment, the case where the operation button 2 and the remote controller are used together has been described. However, the operation button substrate 12 may be provided with only the remote control light receiving element 13 and the operation button 2.

  The display substrate support member 11 is a resin part that supports the display substrate 10. The display substrate 10 and the support member 11 are fixed by screws 31, and the display substrate support member 11 and display member 1 are fixed by screws 30. is doing. That is, the display member 1 and the display substrate 10 are indirectly fixed so as to sandwich the display substrate 10. The role of the display substrate support member 11 is to widen the effective area where wiring within the substrate is possible, to prevent warping of the display substrate 10, and when the condensation occurs in the product, water droplets are generated when the display substrate 10 is dewed. It is to avoid sticking to.

  The operation button substrate 12 is disposed between the main body control substrate 20 and the display substrate 10. Although not shown, the operation button substrate 12 is provided with a filter circuit (noise suppression device) for suppressing external noise, and the operation button substrate 12 relays the signals of the main body control substrate 20 and the display substrate 10, Reduce the risk of malfunction due to external noise and improve product reliability. As the position of the display substrate 10 moves away from the main body control substrate 20, the above effect becomes greater.

  FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the display substrate 10, the operation button substrate 12 and the main body control substrate 20 (stored in the storage member 8, which is an electrical product storage case) described above. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a substrate configuration and signal directions. The arrows in FIG. 6 indicate the directions of microcomputer input / output. As shown in FIG. 6, based on information such as a room temperature sensor, a heat exchanger temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor, the main body control microcomputer 21 mounted on the main body control board 20 passes through the drive circuit and passes through the fan motor. , Controls the wind direction plate motor and refrigerant branch valve. The main body control microcomputer 21 can bidirectionally communicate information with the microcomputer in the outdoor unit via the communication circuit.

  The remote control light receiving element 13 and the operation button 2 are mounted on the operation button substrate 12, and information on the remote control light receiving element 13 and the operation button 2 is transmitted to the display control microcomputer 18.

  The display control microcomputer 18 can bidirectionally communicate information with the main body control microcomputer 21, and the display control microcomputer 18 controls a display that is a 7-segment display LED. Here, the display control microcomputer 18 and the display are mounted on a display substrate 10 different from the main body control substrate 20. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the substrate configuration and signal direction of a conventional air conditioner. As can be seen from comparison with FIG. 5 of the conventional example, in the conventional example, the main body control microcomputer 21 that controls the entire air conditioner (cross-flow fan motor, wind direction plate motor, refrigerant branch valve, etc.) operates the remote controller and the operation button 2. However, in this embodiment, the display control microcomputer 18 performs monitoring of the operation of the remote controller and the operation buttons and LED display control. A display board on which a display control microcomputer 18 which is a microcomputer for controlling segment display control element components is mounted is provided separately from a main body control board 20 on which a main body control microcomputer 21 for controlling the entire air conditioner is mounted. Therefore, wiring can be performed in the same substrate without using a large number of segment control signal connection connector parts, and space can be saved.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram in which a noise suppression circuit is inserted into the operation board, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of noise suppression shown in FIG. Unlike FIG. 6, the operation button substrate 12 is disposed between the main body control substrate 20 and the display substrate 10. By providing a filter circuit for suppressing external noise on the operation button substrate 12, the operation button substrate 12 relays the signals of the main body control substrate 20 and the display substrate 10 to reduce the risk of malfunction due to external noise. It is possible to improve the reliability of the product. As the position of the display substrate 10 moves away from the main body control substrate 20, the above effect becomes greater.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration assuming the use of a capacitor and a small inductor that are generally available at low cost, such as the noise suppression circuit 22 shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. This is because the length of the connection line relayed by the operation button board 12 is shorter than the length of the connection line when the main body control board 20 and the display board are directly connected, and there is a possibility of intrusion. This is because the energy of certain external noise is dispersed. Furthermore, since the noise power to be suppressed is small, it is not necessary to use special circuit components, and it is not necessary to enlarge the operation button substrate 12 specially.

  Note that the noise suppression circuit has been described centering on the communication path between the display board 10 and the main body control board 20, but the communication path can be used without using a plurality of noise suppression components as shown by the circuit 23 in FIG. However, the control power supply voltage path may be inserted from the main body control board.

  According to this embodiment, the main body control in which the main body control microcomputer for controlling the entire air conditioner is mounted on the display board on which the display control microcomputer 18 which is a microcomputer for controlling the segment display control element parts is mounted. Since it is provided separately from the circuit board 20, wiring can be performed within the same board without using a large number of segment control signal connection connector parts, so that space can be saved. Furthermore, since the operation button substrate 12 is disposed between the main body control substrate 20 and the display substrate 10 and the external noise suppression device is provided on the operation button substrate 12, the above-described effect is achieved and further, due to external noise. It is possible to improve the reliability of the product by reducing the risk of malfunction.

The air conditioner indoor unit external appearance perspective view of this invention. The perspective view which shows the ventilation path | route of an indoor unit. The structure exploded view showing the main components of an indoor unit. The expansion exploded view showing an indoor unit display part and a button operation part structure. The block diagram which showed the board | substrate structure and signal direction of the conventional air conditioner. The block diagram which showed the board | substrate structure and the signal direction. The figure which inserted the noise suppression circuit in the board | substrate for operation. The figure which shows the specific example of the noise suppression shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display member 1a Fixing mechanism 3 Wind direction board 4 Suction port 5 Product external frame 6 Cross-flow fan motor 7 Indoor heat exchanger 8 Storage member 9 Display 10 Display board 11 Display board support member 12 Operation button board 13 Remote control light receiving element 14, 15 Board connector connection line 18 Display control microcomputer 20 Main body control board 21 Main body control microcomputer

Claims (5)

A main body control board mounted with a main body control device for controlling the air conditioner main body to send predetermined air-conditioned air;
Separately from the main body control board, a display component for displaying a driving state to a user, and a display connected to the main body control device and a connection line for bidirectionally communicating information with the display component. An air conditioner comprising: a display substrate on which a control device for the device is mounted.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an operation button substrate that is connected to the display control device and has an operation button capable of changing an operation state, separately from the display substrate. Machine.   The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the display control device monitors an operation of a switch portion of the operation button.   The air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the operation button substrate includes a noise suppression device, and the main body control device and the display control device are connected via the noise suppression device. Machine.   5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein a power supply wiring for supplying power is connected to at least one of the display component and the display control device via the operation button substrate.

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